Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

"Here you are; this is the key. We're even now."

The jovial old man handed a bunch of keys to Qi Xiu and then, as if afraid Qi Xiu would have second thoughts, dashed out of the alley at a remarkably swift pace, vanishing in a trail of smoke.

He shook his head with a light chuckle, watching the dust that hadn't yet settled outside the door.

Qi Xiu closed the courtyard door and casually affixed a [Suppression Talisman].

For three thousand five hundred taels of snow-patterned silver, he had secured this tranquil and elegant courtyard in the bustling Qingliu County. It was neither too large nor too small.

Another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Bending down, he sat beside the garden bed in the courtyard. A cool, slightly chilling breeze blew as pure white snowflakes drifted down. Qi Xiu caught one in his hand.

He watched as the snowflake slowly melted into a few drops of clear water in his palm.

Qi Xiu's gaze was distant.

In just one year, the penniless scholar who once worried about his next meal has become a Dao-seeking cultivator revered by ordinary people. The past is indeed like smoke, dispersing with a wave of the hand.

After a brief moment of sentiment, Qi Xiu turned and entered the inner room. He waved his hand, summoning his belongings one by one from the Flood Dragon Pool.

These included clothes, writing materials, a rocking chair, two large boxes of True Merit Heart Sutra scrolls, and various other miscellaneous items.

He had already planned to stay in Qingliu County for a while. Qi Xiu had decided to buy this courtyard primarily because inns lacked privacy. Secondly, having always preferred quiet, he found inns far too noisy.

Lightly flicking his robe, he reclined in the rocking chair. Outside the corridor eaves, the sky was a leaden gray, with specks of white snow drifting down incessantly.

Massaging his brow, Qi Xiu silently contemplated his next steps.

The "Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill" can be left to Mo Jiao to cultivate on my behalf for now. Public security in Qingliu County is quite good, so there's no immediate need for this Escape Skill.

Then there's the "Formless Sword Skill." He genuinely enjoyed practicing this technique. After all, what man hasn't dreamed of being a gallant swordsman? However, cultivating this Dharma Gate is genuinely difficult; its content is vast and intricate. Postures, intent, visualization, qi and blood circulation, True Gang channeling... each step must be perfected. Any slight deviation could result in the loss of all previous efforts. If not for the proficiency boost from my Divine Marvel, I likely wouldn't have even reached the Initiate Realm by now. Thanks to it, even when my practice failed, insights and experience would constantly accumulate, slowly correcting and improving my cultivation process. This highlights how incredibly difficult and arduous it would be for an ordinary person to cultivate this Dharma Gate.

Martial Path and Daoist practice should advance in tandem. The crafts I've been practicing for so long shouldn't fall too far behind.

A flicker in his eyes, and a simple, unadorned panel appeared in Qi Xiu's vision.

[Calligraphy (Third Realm): 83.2%]

[Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery (First Realm): 3%]

[Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Evasion Skill: 2.9%]

[Formless Sword Skill: 0.7%]

[Alchemy (Second Realm): 81.2%]

[Painting (First Realm): 44.2%]

[Cooking: 98.9%]

...

Scanning the many Dharma Gates and skills he had mastered, Qi Xiu's gaze settled on the last line: Cooking. It had appeared on the panel just after Calligraphy. Yet, while Calligraphy had reached the Third Realm, Cooking still hadn't broken through the First Realm.

It's not that I don't want you to break through; I'm just worried that with a Divine Marvel, if Calligraphy breaks through next time, I might comprehend a 'Culinary Talisman,' which would be quite awkward.

Looking at the only skill that could break through at any time yet was being forcefully held back by him, Qi Xiu felt somewhat helpless.

After all, each breakthrough in Calligraphy allows me to comprehend only a single Cloud Script. Whether it's the mysterious [Suppression Talisman], the potent [Martial Talisman], or the esoteric [Medicine Talisman], each has greatly aided my cultivation throughout the year. I've even escaped danger on several occasions thanks to these Talisman Scripts. Naturally, I want to save the opportunity to comprehend Cloud Scripts for even stronger abilities, like the [Law Talisman] I've long coveted...

One day, when I reign supreme and am invincible under the heavens, perhaps then I'll consider becoming a Chinese Little Chef.

Withdrawing his attention from Cooking, Qi Xiu turned to look at his best friend: Calligraphy!

The skill that had accompanied him the longest. Even during the grueling five months of polishing the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery in the cave, he hadn't neglected his Calligraphy practice.

Now, Calligraphy was poised to become his first Fourth Realm Divine Marvel.

17%... About a month or two should do it, he estimated, gauging the progress of his Calligraphy proficiency with a hint of anticipation.

Ever since the last breakthrough to the Third Realm, he had a deep premonition that once Calligraphy reached the Fourth Realm, it would undergo a qualitative leap. However, his premonition offered no hints or signs as to what this leap might entail.

Truly something to look forward to...

「Qingliu County, eight hundred miles away.」

A mountain shaped like a tombstone was shrouded in dense, dark fumes. It was surrounded by towering peaks that blotted out the sun, plunging the area into perpetual twilight. A thick fog permeated the mountains, rendering the entire range hazy and indistinct. The mountainside was riddled with numerous caves eroded into the cliffs and ravines. Dense, sharp protrusions of rock, like barbs, jutted out, resembling monstrous teeth. At the foot of the mountain, skulls were piled like hills and bones lay like a forest. The ground was matted with human hair, and rotting flesh emitted an unbearable, putrid stench. To the east, Little Demons were carving flesh from living humans; to the west, savage Demons were cooking human flesh. It was truly a scene from the depths of Hell, enough to make anyone tremble in terror.

And at this moment, deep within this tomb-like mountain, inside a vast Demon Cave, countless demons and Demonic Evil Cultivators lurked. They stood to one side, some openly, some in shadow, their gazes dark and inscrutable as they scanned their surroundings, occasionally glancing towards the center.

There, in the Demon Cave, sat an Old Demon. This Old Demon sat upon a Lotus Throne, hands forming mudras, a serene smile upon his face. At first glance, he resembled a compassionate Buddha statue from a grand temple.

But upon closer inspection, half of this 'Buddha's' face was destroyed, revealing rotten, blackened flesh. The once flawless, serene, and reassuring countenance was now a twisted, terrifying demonic visage. His single eye was bloodshot, its gaze fiery and terrifying. His body, once lustrous as burnished copper and radiating a divine aura, was now blighted by decay. His hair, black as crow feathers, was coiled at the neck into a thick braid as heavy as iron chains. His skin had turned a dull gray, covered with cracks and festering sores that exuded a nauseating, putrid stench.

"Wrathful Killing Arhat, your time is up for today. What is your decision?"

Before the Old Demon, who towered nearly twenty meters like a small mountain, a calm voice spoke. The voice belonged to a woman of ethereal beauty, dressed in white gauze. A faint, golden-white light shimmered around her, and she radiated an aura of sanctity and peace.

Gazing at this woman, pure as white jade, the nearby demons and Demonic Evil Cultivators burned with feverish desire. If the Old Demon hadn't been present, they would have already shrieked and pounced, toying with her brutally before devouring every inch of her flesh and blood. Then, they would crack open her bones to drink the marrow, fashioning whistles from the shattered remnants to play with daily.

The Wrathful Killing Arhat, seated upon the Lotus Throne, spoke slowly. His voice was like muffled thunder, rumbling so powerfully that the assembled demons in the cave trembled in fear, their faces etched with terror. "This is a weighty matter. Should you fail, do you comprehend the consequences?"

"But if we succeed, Arhat, you can reconstruct your Dharma Body, shed this half-demon, half-devilish husk, and advance your cultivation further." The woman's tone was flat, but each word struck to the core.

"How certain are you?" After a moment of silence, the Wrathful Killing Arhat spoke again.

"A fifty percent chance."

"Hmph? You dare make a move with only a fifty percent chance?" A cold glint flashed in his single eye. The Wrathful Killing Arhat gave a low snort, and instantly, all the surrounding demons and Demonic Evil Cultivators stirred restlessly. It seemed as if they would pounce the very next second and tear the woman to shreds.

"I have a fifty percent chance. But if the Arhat joins, it becomes a one hundred percent certainty!" Utterly unfazed by the terrifying, murderous gazes, the woman stepped forward. Each step landed with the force of an earthquake, making the ground tremble. The faint light enveloping her body grew more brilliant. Countless golden flowers materialized in the air, dancing and swaying, releasing an incomparably captivating fragrance.

As this fragrance wafted through the air, the surrounding demons—with their ghoulish visages, their forms malevolent and twisted—suddenly grew docile. Their foul, bloodstained, and malodorous bodies were steadily purified, becoming clean and serene.

"Enough!" With a low shout from the Wrathful Killing Arhat, the Demon Cave, which had almost transformed into a sacred sanctuary, instantly reverted to its former yin-cold, filthy state. The demons, who had been smiling gently, were jolted awake. They reverted to their foul and twisted forms, with no memory of what had just transpired.

When the Wrathful Killing Arhat said, "I can cooperate with you," a faint smile touched the woman's lips.

"But I have one condition."

"Arhat, please state it. As long as it is not excessive, I can agree to it on behalf of my sect," the woman said after a slight pause.

"I wish to borrow the "Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture" from your Golden Flower Maternal Sect for perusal."

At these words from the Wrathful Killing Arhat, the woman's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "This… this matter is not overly difficult. However, Arhat, although you possess a Buddha's body and are beyond yin and yang, our Golden Flower Maternal Sect's "Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture" can only be cultivated by those with a Yin constitution. Your purpose in asking this is…?"

"Hahahaha! You young woman, you certainly are curious." A sudden burst of laughter erupted, the powerful sound waves blasting several Little Demons of low strength and status out of the Demon Cave's entrance. The Wrathful Killing Arhat continued casually, "To tell you the truth, while your "Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture" is a grand manual that leads directly to the Dao Body, my "World-Crossing Killing Sutra" is by no means inferior. I request this "Myriad Foster Origin True Scripture" for my adopted daughter."

"Adopted daughter?" A flicker of surprise in her eyes, the woman glanced at the Wrathful Killing Arhat, whose ferocious visage and aura radiated immense dread. This Wrathful Killing Arhat is consumed by killing intent, seeking to attain the Dao through slaughter. With such a Temperament, he actually took an adopted daughter? she mused.

"Come, Yu'er. Greet the Saintess of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect."

Hearing this, the woman looked over, a trace of curiosity in her eyes.

Beside the Wrathful Killing Arhat's Lotus Throne, a jade statue had appeared, seemingly out of thin air. It was a statue of a Bodhisattva, its face compassionate and serene, hands clasped in prayer, radiating a warm aura. And at the feet of this Bodhisattva stood a young girl. Her eyes were long and slender, hinting at an unusual, bewitching charm, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll.

She is the Wrathful Killing Arhat's adopted daughter? The woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze fixed on the jade Bodhisattva.