“It’s no wonder the master looks down on the people of Heshan Dao. If I manage to cultivate the Black Water True Art to the first level, just this transportation technique alone would let me lift stones as big as a house. No matter what kind of Huntian Banner or Five Yin Bag they have, they wouldn’t be able to withstand it—I could smash them flat in an instant. If the people of Heshan Dao want to compete with me, they’ll have to go back and cultivate even more powerful techniques, since their original arts would be useless.”

“The people of Heshan Dao spend endless days and nights mastering a single technique. At first, with these sinister arts, they can still compete with us, the heirs of the Northern Demonic Sect. But as our cultivation grows, they gradually fall behind. The more powerful the magic treasure they refine, the longer it takes, but it does nothing to improve their own cultivation—instead, it only delays their progress.”

After putting away Charles Walker’s copybook, Brian Carter tidied up the Five Yin Bag, planning to throw out anything useless.

Although Brian Carter had read Charles Walker’s copybook, the methods described were complicated. According to the instructions, it would take months of re-refining to use the Five Yin Bag as a magic treasure. But Brian Carter casually injected a trace of True Water power and was able to use the Five Yin Bag with ease. He didn’t think much of it and continued to use the Black Water True Art to control the treasure and tidy up, unaware that the half-black, half-red vortex of light emitted by the Five Yin Bag had turned completely dark.

After sorting through the contents of the Five Yin Bag for a while, Brian Carter suddenly had a thought and poured all his True Water power into it. It sounded as if silk had torn. Brian Carter felt the Five Yin Bag suddenly become lighter, and immediately gained a sense of effortless control, completely different from the previous awkwardness.

Having just browsed Charles Walker’s collection of copybooks, Brian Carter knew that although the Five Yin Bag was good for storing things, that wasn’t its true use. The Five Yin Black Fiend it nurtured was meant to capture flying swords and magic treasures from both righteous and demonic sects, and could even refine the flesh and blood of all living beings. The more flesh and blood it refined, the greater its power and the larger its internal space. It was one of the sixty-seven techniques of Heshan Dao.

Although Heshan Dao ran rampant in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Miaojiang, it was not a top-tier sect. The Five Yin Bag, though sinister, was not a first-class magic artifact—just extremely poisonous.

The Black Water True Art practiced by Brian Carter was one of the thirty-six true transmissions of the Demonic Sect, several levels above the techniques of Heshan Dao. Therefore, even though Brian Carter had never practiced Heshan Dao’s arts, he was still able to use a trace of True Water essence to break the restrictions Charles Walker had placed on the Five Yin Bag. The bag originally contained Charles Walker’s restrictions, but they were all broken by the Black Water True Art. The previously mixed and impure aura instantly became pure. As Brian Carter flexed his five fingers, a black ring of light grew and shrank, swallowing anything it touched.

The Five Yin Bag’s internal space was only half the size of a room. To test the power of the treasure, Brian Carter swept the black ring of light through the room, instantly collecting the tables, chairs, and bed. In no time, the bag was full. Since the Five Yin Bag couldn’t digest these dead objects, Brian Carter lost interest in the experiment and released them all. Then, facing a wall, he formed a hand seal for the Wall-Passing Technique and slipped out of the room.

Brian Carter silently recalled yesterday’s route, passing through houses and walls as he went.

Although Brian Carter was usually cautious, after passing through seven or eight houses, he accidentally ended up in someone’s home. The owner had just gotten up and, seeing a young man in Daoist robes suddenly appear, cried out in shock and dropped his teacup on the floor. When he rubbed his eyes, the figure had already vanished, leaving him bewildered for quite a while.

In less than half an hour, Brian Carter saw the Great Peng Mingwang Pagoda. This time, he didn’t need to jump over the wall—he went straight through it. Having just learned new techniques, he felt a bit proud and thought to himself, “Why don’t I hide in the tower first, and when Emily Foster arrives, I’ll give her a scare for fun.”

Brian Carter was still a teenager at heart, and after learning new techniques, he couldn’t help but want to show off. Taking three steps in two, he climbed the Great Peng Mingwang Pagoda, formed a hand seal, and hid within the wall of the thirteenth floor. But after waiting and waiting, Emily Foster still didn’t show up. Instead, today’s reed mat magic duel was even more exciting than yesterday’s. Although Brian Carter was anxious, he wasn’t exactly bored.

Chapter Three: Dragon-Whisker Tiger (Part One)

Having learned three techniques and read through Charles Walker’s copybook of Heshan Dao arts, Brian Carter’s perspective was completely different from yesterday.

He watched with his eyes, evaluated in his mind, and considered how he would fight if he were on stage. His thoughts were strange and imaginative, often coming up with wild ideas and many ways to counter opponents. Although he figured that if he really fought, relying on the Wall-Passing, Invisibility, and Transportation techniques and the Five Yin Bag, he would probably lose nine out of ten times, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

Just as things were getting exciting, a sudden gust of sinister wind rose atop the Great Peng Mingwang Pagoda, startling Brian Carter. He thought to himself, “Why is Emily Foster making such an entrance, stirring up a demonic wind? Yesterday, she went to great lengths to hide her identity in front of me!”

Brian Carter felt the wind was strange. Not only did he stay inside the wall, he also formed the Invisibility Seal.

People have five senses and seven orifices, so there is a trace of spiritual light above their heads. If the body is weak, the spiritual light is dim; if the body is strong, the blood energy reaches the crown. For scholars, whose minds are clever, the spiritual light above their heads is concentrated and does not disperse. For those who practice the arts, the light is even more intense, though ordinary people cannot see it.