Earthly Demon Art: Hutian
Shen Yuan stared blankly at the system prompt in front of him, his brain entering a momentary freeze.
One second he was stuck in the novice guide, and the next he had inexplicably become the sect master of the Fallen Cloud Sect by casually writing his name on a scroll with charcoal. The disparity between these moments left Shen Yuan somewhat incredulous.
Moreover, the last line in the system prompt: "The host has successfully joined the Fallen Cloud Sect as its sect master, completing the novice guide", plunged Shen Yuan into a long silence.
"Well, after all, the sect master of the Fallen Cloud Sect is also a disciple of the Fallen Cloud Sect, so completing the mission in this way is considered reasonable. Bullshit! This is completely different!"
Ignoring the logical operations of the artificially unintelligent system, Shen Yuan, with a frown, shifted his gaze away from the system interface to the golden scroll shimmering with light in front of him.
Although he just barely interpreted the meaning of the "Masters' List" previously, Shen Yuan did not expect that a mere scroll could have such great value, even directly influencing the succession of the sect master.
According to this logic, the blank space at the end of the list was probably the position for the powerful cultivator, an Earthly Immortal, from the Fallen Cloud Sect who attempted to lead the ascension of the entire sect.
Due to the impact of the catastrophe that brought about the destruction of the Fallen Cloud Sect, the name of the Earthly Immortal who presided over the ascension was wiped away, leaving a blank space on the "Masters' List". Shen Yuan was fortunate enough to benefit from this vacancy.
Moreover, according to the normal process, the elected sect master not only needed to be recorded in the "Masters' List" but also had to inform the Ancestral Hall, Elder's Palace, True Disciple Hall, and other high-ranking branches of the sect for the succession to be successful. The succession to the position of sect master required unanimous approval.
In the context of thousands of years ago, this was undoubtedly an extremely difficult task, requiring support from all major factions and the strength to overpower everyone to become the sect master.
However, in the present day, after ten thousand years, it was an entirely different concept.
The Fallen Cloud Sect had been extinct for ten thousand years, and nobody was going to come out of their graves to oppose Shen Yuan's succession.
In this way, Shen Yuan unexpectedly bypassed the bottleneck of the novice guide and ascended to the position of sect master, taking control of the sect.
After sorting out the system's twisted logic, Shen Yuan looked at his distorted name on the "Masters' List", the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
"So, does this count as defeating the system bug using another bug?"
"Indeed, when dealing with this artificial unintelligent system, one cannot solve problems just by using common sense."
With just a slight complaint, Shen Yuan shifted his attention to the rewards brought by completing the mission.
As for the position of the sect master, Shen Yuan did not harbor any expectations. The Fallen Cloud Sect had been extinct for over ten thousand years, with not a trace of inheritance remaining. His position as the sect master was nothing more than an empty shell.
Compared to the mere title of sect master, Shen Yuan was more concerned about the rewards of this mission.
The "Purple Cloud Qi Refinement Technique" naturally needs no introduction as the follow-up cultivation technique that Shen Yuan has long anticipated.
In the entire path of cultivation, the Cloud Mist Breathing Technique can only be considered a foundational technique. Even if cultivated to the Essence Refinement Stage, it only enhances one's physical qualities several times that of an ordinary person at most.
A cultivator only possessing powerful essence still cannot compete with modern firearms.
However, if Shen Yuan cultivates the "Purple Cloud Qi Refinement Technique" and reaches the Qi Transformation Stage, then he can display the true abilities of a cultivator, achieving feats beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
However, compared to another reward Shen Yuan obtained, a mere "Purple Cloud Qi Refinement Technique" is relatively insignificant.
Shen Yuan extended his right hand as an illusory jade
On the system interface in front of Shen Yuan, several big characters were displayed.
"
Inebriated within the cosmos, the sun and moon inside a jar.
This divine technique can use spiritual objects as a foundation to create space. With this, even a mustard seed can store Mount Sumeru. When cultivated to its peak, this technique can create a heavenly paradise, allowing the host to ascend to an Earthly Immortal.
(Cannot inquire about subsequent promotion directions due to insufficient realm.)"
Even though Shen Yuan had some expectations upon seeing the Earthly Demon Art, when he took a good look at Hutian, he couldn't help but reveal a pleasantly surprised expression.
The Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars and the Seventy-Two Earthly Demons, 108 divine techniques that were not created by mortals but originate from the celestial arts of the immortal realm. Many worldly spells come from the Heavenly Star and Earthly Demon Arts, making them the source of myriad techniques.
More importantly, unlike spells that require the manipulation of qi, divine techniques can even be wielded by ordinary people once mastered. Of course, the effects achieved would be far inferior compared to when mastered by a powerful cultivator.
Slowly gripping the emerald green gourd in his right hand, countless pieces of information surged into Shen Yuan's mind in an instant. The techniques of divine arts had seamlessly integrated into Shen Yuan's memory as if they had become a part of his body.
Picking up a plastic water bottle from the ground, Shen Yuan lightly tapped his right index finger on the empty bottle.
His divine consciousness followed the Hutian technique and flowed into the bottle. The originally cramped space seemed to be forcibly torn open by an invisible hand, and then the space within it began to continuously expand.
The appearance of the bottle remained unchanged, but its internal space expanded several times in an instant, with no sign of stopping.
Suddenly, the bottle in Shen Yuan's hand emitted a crisp creaking sound, and cracks spread across the outer wall of the plastic bottle. Seeing this, Shen Yuan quickly threw the bottle aside.
In the next moment, shattered cracks covered the bottle, and the collision of the internal and external spaces effortlessly tore the object apart. Vast and violent spatial rifts completely swallowed the bottle.
Shen Yuan gazed at the spot where the bottle disappeared, his brow slightly furrowed as he muttered to himself:
"Although I know that ordinary objects cannot create stable spaces, this is too unstable. These spatial rifts, even if touched by a cultivator at the Qi Transformation Stage, would result in certain death. The power of space is something that low-level cultivators simply cannot contend with."
Suddenly, Shen Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Wait a moment, I can use ordinary objects to create unstable spaces and then use them as spatial grenades. Although the range of damage is limited, once it hits a low-level cultivator, they are bound to be either dead or injured."
With this thought, a satisfied smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.
If other powerful cultivators were to witness Shen Yuan using unstable spaces as grenades, they might erupt in furious criticism on the spot.
It should be noted that ordinary cultivators striving to obtain a spatial treasure by using precious void stones to create space often lack the qualifications to access such treasures. As for the Hutian technique, a top-tier spatial divine skill that can assist in the ascension to an Earthly Immortal, it is almost exclusively wielded by powerful individuals who are exceedingly rare in the world. Nobody would be foolish enough to use it to create unstable spaces for fun.
Creating another unstable spatial grenade using an empty bottle, Shen Yuan casually threw it toward a nearby mountainside.
The small spatial rift had a limited range but possessed astonishing destructive power that ignored defenses. It tore through the solid mountainside directly in front of him like paper, and shattered cracks, centered around the spatial grenade, spread like a spider web in all directions.
Afterward, Shen Yuan created several more spatial grenades, studying the relationship between the size of the created space and the explosion time. Amidst his pleasant surprise, Shen Yuan also began to feel a sense of mental fatigue.
Although the Hutian technique is not restricted by cultivation or qi, each time Shen Yuan created a space, it consumed a considerable amount of divine consciousness. In his current Essence Refining Stage, he could only barely use it a few times.
Quickly consuming some compressed food he had brought along, Shen Yuan turned and returned to his tent. Under the moonlit mountains, he activated the Cloud Mist Breathing Technique and rested.
As the night deepened, the entire Cloud Mist Mountain Range gradually fell into silence, while beyond the Cloud Mist Mountains, even greater waves were just beginning to unfold.