Chapter 6: Dishonesty

Zizhu Town remained as usual. The funeral for Little Wang's widow was kept low-key, everything was simple. Although there were no relatives, she didn't leave alone. The neighbors from all around came to help, but it was quite different from the commotion they had heard about before. Old Lady Zhang adopted the child, and Town Head Li provided financial support. Once everything was settled, it felt like everyone had forgotten about it, and no one probed any further. Only when passing by the chicken stall at the West Gate market, looking at the still cheerful and enthusiastic young man, did people show a hint of reverence. Everyone, including the local bullies, knew that Changqing was the toughest in Zizhu Town. But even so, Changqing's shoulder was bandaged for three days. Perhaps the biggest change in Zizhu Town was the reputation of Changqing.

"What's with the chicken bully Taoist?" The white-clad girl had been following Changqing around. "Speak properly, don't curse!" Changqing continued to slaughter chickens, not daring to slack off. During the battle, using the momentary eternity ability consumed far more of Changqing's lifespan than he had expected. Even now, Changqing was still in shock. If he had hesitated just a bit longer, the hundred years of lifespan he had reserved might have been gone in the blink of an eye. The Zao Hua Chang Sheng Sword was real, and so were its three abilities. Once the lifespan was gone, death was inevitable. And even worse, he wouldn't even become a ghost.

"What exactly are those incantations of yours? The baby-sleeping incantation? The Yin-Yang eye-opening incantation? The Old Man's Divine Sword incantation? How can such bizarre magic exist in this world?" "You're not at the Body Refining stage anymore, you've reached the Qi Refining stage. But how are you casting spells in the Qi Refining stage?" "Who taught you this? Who are you really?" The white-clad girl rambled on, questioning everything she couldn't understand. Her curiosity was even greater than Changqing's. Changqing was busy, not even giving her a second thought. The white-clad girl couldn't understand why killing chickens was so important.

Changqing packed up and returned to the courtyard where he rented a room. He looked up at the scorching sun and then glanced at the white-clad girl beside him. "Why can you see ghosts during the day?" "Who exactly are you?" Changqing asked. The white-clad girl seemed to sulk and turned her head, unwilling to answer. Changqing didn't mind, lying down in the chair. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Once again, he dreamed of the Zao Hua Chang Sheng Sword, sensing that his accumulated lifespan had already reached seven hundred years. This was three hundred years from killing chickens all day and four hundred years from killing Little Wang's widow. In the past, Changqing would have been at ease, living a carefree life. But now, he knew that seven hundred years wasn't enough. "Hey, wake up! Are you a pig? You can just fall asleep like that?" The white-clad girl called out in his ear. "Let's do this: you answer one question, I answer one question. How about that?" The white-clad girl suggested. "You teach me an incantation, and I'll teach you a spell, how about it?" "No thanks," Changqing shook his head. "The path of cultivation is a battle with the heavens. You can't be lazy like this. You're wasting your time killing chickens and sleeping. Do you know that a year ago, I was already at the Dan Sea stage?" "Oh, then how did you become a ghost?" "..." The white-clad girl suddenly fell silent, her expression turning melancholic.

Changqing raised his legs and pressed down, rocking the reclining chair, leisurely like an old man. For a moment, peace settled, and Changqing enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sun. But sadly, the peace was soon broken.

"Don't you want to cultivate?" "I do." "Then why are you lying down?" "How do you know that I'm not cultivating while lying down?" "Do you think you're an immortal spirit? Able to directly absorb spiritual energy and the essence of the sun and moon?" "..." Changqing's mind stirred, realizing that his method of cultivation might indeed be strange. Could it be that he had become a spirit?

"Don't you want to leave the town and see how vast the Liuyun Continent is?" "I do." "Then why are you lying down?" "The neighbors here are kind to me. If I leave, when the next Little Wang's widow appears, no one will be able to save them." The white-clad girl was surprised and quickly started to laugh. "What's so funny?" "Do you know why Little Wang's widow turned into a corpse? Why did she become a ghost after she died?" "Isn't it because of her obsession?" The white-clad girl shook her head slowly and said, "The main reason is the ten-year spiritual energy tide." The white-clad girl pondered for a moment and said, "Zizhu Town is located on the outskirts of Qingyun Kingdom, where the spiritual energy is thin. Even when the spiritual energy tide occurs, cases like Little Wang's widow are rare. At most, in a month, if nothing happens by then, we'll be safe for the next nine years."

Seeing Changqing's eager expression, the white-clad girl turned her eyes and continued, "The reason for the ten-year spiritual energy tide is because every ten years, a ranking tournament, the Fengyun Four Directions Arena, is held in Liuyun Continent. The top 100 can be sent to the Heavenly Realm, and during the transmission process, when the spiritual energy boils over, it causes a tidal fusion, bringing about a surge in demons and spirits." Changqing stroked his chin. Sent to the Heavenly Realm? The world he had imagined was suddenly expanded. Demons and spirits arise? This lifespan from slaying demons and removing evil would be much more than from killing chickens. Although killing chickens was more stable, Changqing had grown tired of it this past year.

Changqing had already sat up, but the white-clad girl stopped talking. "Alright, I agree to teach you the incantation, but I want more than just learning spells." Changqing said. The white-clad girl immediately became excited and said, "I want to learn that Old Man's Divine Sword incantation, and of course, I'll teach you the strongest foundational cultivation technique in Liuyun Continent, the Qingyun Skill. Along with it, there's the Qingyun Sword and the Qingyun Step."

Changqing's eyes lit up, and the exchange began. An hour later, they both started their cultivation. The white-clad girl kept chanting, but no matter how she recited, there was no effect. Changqing, however, used the Hundred-Year Dream to completely comprehend the Qingyun Skill, Qingyun Sword, and Qingyun Step.

Not only that, but Changqing also sensed that these cultivation techniques, swordsmanship, and movement skills had potential for improvement. Qingyun Skill: A mid-tier Celestial-grade technique. It could absorb all things, endlessly expanding. The thin, slow-growing true qi that was like delicate silk now accelerated rapidly with the operation of the Qingyun Skill. And he could freely control this true qi, unleashing explosive power.

Qingyun Sword: A mid-tier Celestial-grade sword technique. It encompasses all things, appearing as shadowless and formless, with infinite transformations. There were no fixed moves, but it was profound and unpredictable. It could simulate other sword techniques and apply them using the Qingyun Sword, making them even more powerful.

Qingyun Step: A mid-tier Celestial-grade movement technique. It was ethereal and traceless, with no footprints left behind. Changqing tested it by stepping on the Qingyun Step, and his speed was several times faster than before. Even with just a simple sprint, his technique now easily crushed his previous self.

As time passed, the stars and moon hung high. Changqing would meditate and practice his techniques, sometimes wielding a short stick as a sword, or strolling around the small courtyard. Gradually, Changqing was always operating the Qingyun Skill, like breathing, it became instinctual. Every movement, whether it was wielding the short stick, looked like no moves at all, but if examined closely, it was exquisite and subtle. Even walking seemed to carry an aura of "immortality". In just a short time, Changqing seemed to undergo a complete transformation.

The white-clad girl was stunned by Changqing's progress. She couldn't believe her eyes, unable to fathom that such a rare talent existed in Liuyun Continent. But at this moment, the white-clad girl was also angry. Changqing was drenched in sweat, feeling refreshed, and when he finally stopped, he found the white-clad girl staring at him.

"What's wrong?" "You're not honest!"