Chapter 440 – The Eight Miraculous Arts (Part 2)

Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:

patreon.com/Draco_

*****

"The Eight Miraculous Arts… Qi Body Genesis, Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, and the Tongtian Talisman. Looks like this Luo Tian Grand Assembly is no ordinary event."

That night, George carefully went through all the online posts about the Luo Tian Grand Assembly, digging up a considerable amount of valuable intel.

Currently, the old Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain was considered the most powerful Awakened in the country. Just how strong he was, no one could say for certain—but the general consensus was that he was very strong.

Originally, the Luo Tian Grand Assembly was a tradition of Longhu Mountain, held to select a successor to the title of Celestial Master.

Though technically an event open to the Awakened world, it had little real connection to most sects—people usually just watched for the spectacle.

But this year was different.

The old Celestial Master had added a university student named Zhang Chulan to the list of succession candidates.

Zhang Chulan was relatively unknown until just a few months ago. Rumor had it he was the inheritor of one of the Eight Miraculous Arts—Qi Body Genesis.

The Eight Miraculous Arts were eight powerful techniques that had mysteriously appeared decades ago. Each one far surpassed other techniques of its type—representing the pinnacle of that specific path.

Their sudden emergence had sparked fierce competition among sects, reportedly even leading to some major incidents—though no one knew the exact details.

It was only known that the Feng family, holders of Spirit Summoning and Dispatching, had gone on to found Underworld Gate, now one of the most influential forces among the Ten Elders of the Awakened World.

So, naturally, Zhang Chulan, the inheritor of Qi Body Genesis, had become a highly coveted target.

Anyone who could control Zhang Chulan would essentially gain access to Qi Body Genesis.

This reminded George of the Lin family from Smiling Proud Wanderer, who were annihilated for owning the Evil Resisting Sword Manual.

It was the classic case of: "An ordinary man is not guilty, but carrying a treasure is a crime."

However, Zhang Chulan seemed to have some sort of connection with the Celestial Master's sect. Not only did he know the Golden Light Incantation of Longhu Mountain, but he had also mastered thunder magic—a technique reserved only for high-ranking Taoist priests.

The old Celestial Master clearly intended to protect him and had added him to the succession list.

If Zhang Chulan really did become the next Celestial Master, no other sect would dare covet Qi Body Genesis again.

To prevent this, several members of the Ten Elders pushed to turn the Assembly into an open tournament for all Awakened Ones—so their disciples could participate and try to eliminate Zhang Chulan.

If Zhang Chulan was eliminated, he could no longer become the successor, and they'd still have a shot at the technique.

Then there was Lu Jin, who clearly had a close relationship with the Celestial Master.

He put up the Tongtian Talisman—another of the Eight Miraculous Arts—as the prize for the tournament champion, luring elite young talents from across the country into the competition and turning the Assembly into a full-blown free-for-all.

This move made it impossible for the Ten Elders' disciples to gang up on Zhang Chulan.

After all, the Tongtian Talisman was no weaker than Qi Body Genesis.

Their disciples would naturally aim for first place themselves, and their interests would no longer be aligned.

In the end, the Luo Tian Grand Assembly truly became a contest of individual skill.

It was a strategic masterstroke. Many on the forums saw through it. The Ten Elders surely did too—but they had no grounds for complaint.

After all, Lu Jin had put up an equally powerful Miraculous Art. What was there to argue about?

"This Tongtian Talisman… I won't be polite about it."

Closing his phone, George had already made up his mind.

Since the Tongtian Talisman was so coveted, it had to be worth obtaining. And if there was a legitimate path to acquire it, he wasn't going to pass it up.

Now his dilemma was about White Cloud Temple's techniques.

The Yang Spirit Projection and the dual cultivation of nature and destiny were things he definitely wanted.

The key issue was how to obtain them.

A few years ago, he wouldn't have hesitated. He would've found a way to knock out Huang Ming and extract the techniques from his memory.

Back then, he desperately needed power just to survive—morality took a backseat to survival. If he crossed a line, he could always make amends afterward.

But now, things were different. White Cloud Temple's methods would enhance him, but they weren't essential anymore. Even if he didn't get them, it wasn't a big loss.

Under those circumstances, forcefully reading Huang Ming's memories felt unethical.

Especially since Huang Ming was actually a decent guy.

It was like this: if you're starving to death, you'll do whatever it takes to survive—even steal.

But if you're just a little hungry, you don't rob someone. You find a job, earn money, and buy food.

"Take it slow. There'll be a chance later."

After some thought, George temporarily gave up the idea of extracting Huang Ming's memories.

He'd only just arrived in this world. There was no rush.

Unless someone was his enemy, he preferred fair exchange.

For instance, if he won the Tongtian Talisman, he could master it and trade it for White Cloud Temple's cultivation methods.

Would they go for it?

Given how the other sects coveted the Eight Miraculous Arts, chances were good they'd agree.

After all, the Tongtian Talisman didn't vanish after one person learned it.

He could trade it multiple times—so long as he made it clear that the technique must not be passed on further.

He didn't care how many people learned it. It posed no threat to him.

Besides, not everyone could master it anyway.

Even sect disciples who trained in the same methods had vastly different outcomes. Few truly achieved greatness—most remained average.

And a technique like the Tongtian Talisman would likely be even harder to master than ordinary sect techniques.

Fortunately, George had Li Xuan's memories, including knowledge of various Taoist methods.

Even if the Taoism in this world was different, the foundations were similar. The core principles of magic were universal—he was confident he could learn it.

And so, the week passed quickly.

Over the past seven days, he spent most of his time at White Cloud Temple with Huang Ming. Occasionally, he went shopping with his sister Jin Yuanyuan and got to know a few wealthy second-generation types.

He met the mother of his current body a few times, but always briefly. She was clearly a high-powered woman.

Still, he could feel that she did care—blood ties were blood ties. They just weren't close, and didn't know how to connect.

Not that it mattered to George. He just needed to play along.

"Old Jin, over here!"

At the airport, George, carrying his backpack, saw Huang Ming waving to him—and standing behind him was Liu Xingyang.

"Old Huang, Master Liu—you're earlier than me?"

George stepped forward and greeted them.

He'd arrived quite early, yet they'd still beaten him.

"Blame this kid," Liu Xingyang said, shaking his head with a sigh. "He got excited this morning and insisted we head out early."

(End of Chapter)