Chapter 992 Kunxu Succubus, Immortal Armaments Bureau
Returning to the Immortal Grotto-Heaven, Zhang Yu looked at the four new books obtained from the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, already sensing the stirrings of the Feather Book within his body.
Although it was not as intense as the last upgrade — when he had seen Fa Liuyuan’s Feather Book — it was still poised and eager to act.
However, Zhang Yu did not immediately let the Feather Book fuse with these four books. Instead, he intended to conduct some tests first. Approaching one of his clones, he saw two faint glimmers of light, one black and one white, flickering within the clone’s body.
Immortal Slayer analyzed, “After the will left by Immortal Emperor Supreme Truth intervened, the methods deployed by the two Immortal Emperors, Reincarnation and Myriad Laws… are currently trapped within this clone, locked in a mutually restrictive state of equilibrium.”
“In this state, should any external force disrupt the balance, it will likely be besieged immediately.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. In his own terms of understanding, the two Immortal Emperors had essentially planted Trojan viruses inside the Feather Book, while Immortal Emperor Supreme Truth had transferred and quarantined these Trojans into the clone’s body, causing the two sets of Trojans to entangle and affect one another, ultimately only capable of transmitting outward data derived from Zhang Yu’s clone.
Moreover, if a new virus intruded, it would be surrounded and eliminated by these two original sets of viruses.
Immortal Slayer said, “If there is no unusual activity after coming into contact with these four books, it most likely means that no hidden tricks were placed on them.”
The Sect Examination Clone sighed with emotion. “A parent’s love for their child plans far ahead. This is a treasure Mom left for us. On the one hand, it uses the clone’s data to deceive the Immortal Emperor, and on the other… it helps us test whether other books have been secretly tampered with.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “But as for how long this method can deceive them… only heaven knows. All I can do is improve myself as much as possible…”
Next, Zhang Yu tested the four low-grade Books one by one. Finding no anomalies, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
Immortal Slayer remarked, “After all, they are merely low-grade Books. Probably very few upper-tier cultivators would care about them.”
Zhang Yu nodded slightly to himself. From the look of it, the functions of low-grade arts were not considered particularly formidable to many upper-tier cultivators — sometimes, they might not even be worth as much as a piece of insider information.
The next moment, with a mere thought from Zhang Yu, the Feather Book inside his body emerged before him. On the other side, four books lined up in front of the Feather Book.
“Four low-grade books: the Palm Technique Book, the Mental Cultivation Book, the Body Refinement Book, and a volume on cultivation notes…
“First, the Palm Technique Book…”
With a light tap of Zhang Yu’s fingertip, the Palm Technique Book sank into the Feather Book, causing the two to instantly fuse into one.
At the same time, as the two books merged, lines of information flashed across Zhang Yu’s vision. These were the relevant operation reports he had obtained alongside the four low-grade books from the Heavenly Surveillance Hall.
“The previous owner of this Palm Technique Book was a vocational college graduate from the lower realm. The report gave him the codename Junior College Student.”
“During his school days, Junior College Student rose abruptly as a dark horse, displaying extraordinary innate talent in cultivating palm techniques. Over the following years, he cultivated various types of palm arts and eventually became a streamer who reviewed palm techniques…”
Looking at the action report, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. “This Junior College Student had always… thought he was hiding well, completely unaware that he had been targeted for years, with all kinds of data constantly being gathered into the archives of the Heavenly Surveillance Hall.”
“It wasn’t until recently, when the operation to confiscate the Books was directly launched, that the Heavenly Surveillance Hall issued a single order. Subordinates immediately went straight to his door, arrested and interrogated him, and then confiscated this Palm Technique Book…”
Seeing the detailed contents recorded in the action report, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “Aside from those few years during the University War, this Junior College Student’s every move… had long been completely monitored for years.”
“I wonder if I was targeted like this back when I was in the lower realm?”
At the same time, the Feather Book finished fusing with the Palm Technique Book, and a new module had already surfaced on the prologue. Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Sure enough, just like with the Fist Technique Book and Breathing Technique Book before, a new slot for Palm Technique Mastery has appeared.”
At this moment, in the prologue of the Feather Book, in addition to the original Cultivation Art Mastery, there were now Fist Technique Mastery, Palm Technique Mastery, and Breathing Technique Mastery, each corresponding to different types of cultivation arts.
“This way, relying on these four specialization slots each day, I can push up to four cultivation arts to max level.”
As Zhang Yu pondered, he had already integrated the second book into the Feather Book.
“The second one is the Mental Cultivation Book…”
Pages of action reports surfaced before Zhang Yu’s eyes.
“The Mental Cultivation Book was originally owned by a worker in the lower realm. This person once worked on the magical artifact assembly line affiliated with Myriad Laws University in the lower realm. After obtaining the Mental Cultivation Book, this worker’s efficiency in cultivating mental cultivation techniques increased drastically. Within the first year, he purchased multiple mental cultivation techniques, far exceeding normal consumption levels, which subsequently drew the attention of those above.”
“Afterward, under the observation of the higher-ups, this worker went from part-time to full-time, gradually becoming a mental cultivation instructor. He learned dozens of mental cultivation techniques in succession, taking on a massive amount of debt to purchase various Immortal Dao resources, as well as for advertising, marketing, traffic, and more.”
“However, precisely because he learned too many mental cultivation techniques, he gradually developed mental issues. On his doctor’s advice, he began taking double doses of Dao Heart Buffers, but the effects were limited, and his performance continued to decline steadily.”
“Every year, new mental cultivation techniques emerged and old ones were updated. Under the pressure of performance quotas and loans, he had no choice but to keep studying, keep making money, and keep popping pills. In the end, after concurrently practicing over a hundred mental cultivation techniques… he suffered Qi Deviation and went completely bankrupt.”
“During a brief moment of mental clarity, he chose to sell off this Mental Cultivation Book…”
Zhang Yu read through the rest of the mission report and discovered that, under the observation of the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, this Mental Cultivation Book had changed hands several times before finally ending up within the sect, becoming an experimental prop in the hands of an Immortal Clan member.
“Used on some Material Humans? By making Material Humans… quickly master new versions of mental cultivation techniques to test their efficacy.”
The end of the mission report recorded that after the plan to confiscate the world’s Books began, Liu Qianxian personally negotiated with these Immortal Clan members. After taking two months altogether, she finally bought the Mental Cultivation Book from this Immortal Clan member for the price of 100,000 Immortal Coins.
Afterward, this Immortal Clan member was also awarded a Subordinate Merit as a reward for his tribute to the sect.
Immortal Slayer snorted coldly and said indifferently, “A low-grade book ultimately possesses limited power. Even if it falls into the hands of those with lower cultivation, it may not necessarily change their destiny; it might even accelerate their demise.”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “Books are rare treasures of heaven and earth, so naturally they should belong to the strong. Look at how the Immortal Clan handles getting a Book: not only can they make the best use of it, but even if they face confiscation, they can use it to exchange for economic and political resources.”
Meanwhile, this Mental Cultivation Book finished fusing with the Feather Book. Zhang Yu glanced at the prologue and noticed an additional option for mental cultivation specialization on it.
“This way, I can push at least five cultivation arts to max level every day.”
Next, Zhang Yu fused the third Book into the Feather Book.
“The third one, the Body Refinement Book, was also initially discovered in the lower realm, held by an employee of Myriad Paths Artisan Group.”
“However… this company employee was never able to make good use of this Body Refinement Book. Right up until the collection team came knocking, he had failed to use this Book to bring himself any improvement.”
As the Body Refinement Book fused into the Feather Book, Zhang Yu suddenly discovered that in the basic data section of the Feather Book’s prologue, a “+” symbol had appeared behind his physical strength stat.
Zhang Yu froze slightly, then grew astonished in his heart. “Could it be point allocation? With something so useful, how could the person who possessed it fail to gain any improvement?”
“Could the usage requirements be extremely high?”
After some contemplation, Zhang Yu understood how to use it.
“As long as I keep refining my body every day, I can gain one body refinement point every 100 days.”
“Body refinement points can be added directly to my physical strength to raise its level.”
Zhang Yu sighed inwardly with emotion. “This is something that can constantly increase physical strength just by persisting in exercising. In any other world, it would be enough to make someone a superman and dominate a region, but… this is Kunxu.”
At this moment, Zhang Yu finally understood why that company employee hadn’t been able to use this book to improve himself.
“In Kunxu, the upper limit of physical strength for every cultivation realm has already been fixed by predecessors. And everyone’s cultivation realm breakthroughs are strictly regulated.”
“As a company employee who didn’t graduate from the Ten Greats, had no stellar academic credentials, and lacked connections with teachers, he had no way to obtain a Cultivation Realm Certificate.”
Immortal Slayer also sighed, “After years of studying and working, his physical strength must have long reached the limit of his realm.”
“And without a certificate, one cannot make a legal breakthrough. Without a legal breakthrough… one cannot continue increasing physical strength, cannot improve oneself through the Body Refinement Book to showcase their talents, and becomes even less likely to obtain a certificate…”
Reading the contents of the action report, Zhang Yu could almost picture a corporate wage slave who, having finally stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter, found himself bound by chain after chain under the layered Dao Lineages and regulations of Kunxu, ultimately pinned firmly in the lower realm, unable to advance an inch.
“This is Kunxu,” Immortal Slayer remarked. “Even with a fortuitous encounter, even with cheats, difficulties still loom at every turn. One gradually realizes that countless paths leading upward have all been blocked off one by one.”
The Sect Examination Clone said, “That was only because he wasn’t strong enough. Look at how this Body Refinement Book feels like a fish in water in our hands!”
“With the addition of this Body Refinement Book, as long as we amass more body refinement points while in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm… the moment we break through to the Ascension Realm, we can directly allocate our points and max out our physical strength right to the Ascension Realm cap of level 80! Instantly reaching the limit of Ascension!”
“When the time comes, paired with the Emperor Creation Seed, the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Manual, the Blazing Sun Meridian… we can directly break past the Level 80 limit for physical strength! We can leap straight into the Immortal Realm!”
At this point, the Sect Examination Clone grew increasingly excited. “This is what it means to build up momentum! All the cultivation arts, Dao Seeds, Chain Formation Diagrams, Books, and everything else we’ve accumulated over all these years… they’re finally bearing fruit! They’re starting to trigger a qualitative change!”
Zhang Yu knew the Sect Examination Clone was right. Relying on the various cheats he had accumulated along the way, once the potential of this Body Refinement Book was unlocked, it would unleash effects far exceeding its own inherent value.
Just as the Sect Examination Clone was speaking with radiant exuberance, Immortal Slayer said coldly, “After all that talk, aren’t we still stuck right here by a single Ascension Realm certificate? Essentially speaking, what difference is there between us and this corporate employee?”
Letting out a long sigh, Immortal Slayer said, “Before reaching the Immortal Realm, one is nothing more than an ant after all.”
Fu Ji said, “Even if we reach the Immortal Realm, won’t we just get stuck by the Immortal Venerable Certificate instead?”
Immortal Slayer said indifferently, “At the Immortal Venerable Realm, there is indeed an Immortal Venerable Certificate, but do you know how it is issued?”
This truly stumped Fu Ji, as she had never seen the issuance process for an Immortal Venerable Certificate.
Immortal Slayer continued, “So far, all the Immortal Venerables… obtained their Immortal Venerable Certificates after breaking through to the Immortal Venerable Realm. In fact, every single one of them had already broken through before the Immortal Venerable Certificate even existed as a concept.”
Immortal Slayer summarized, “As for now, as long as an Immortal can break through to the Immortal Venerable Realm, the sect will directly issue them an Immortal Venerable Certificate. It is the supreme title of the Immortal Dao, an honor for all eternity.”
Fu Ji asked, “The supreme title of the Immortal Dao? What about an Immortal Emperor?”
Immortal Slayer replied, “There is no such thing as an Immortal Emperor Certificate.”
“Once you become an Immortal Venerable, you become a being second only to the Immortal Emperors, someone even Immortal Emperors will try to win over. The reason the current Ten Immortal Emperors remain in a state of balance is largely due to the existence of the Immortal Venerables.”
“It is precisely because the existence of the Immortal Venerables objectively checks and balances the Immortal Emperors that they cannot act with all their might.”
Even as countless thoughts rapidly exchanged within Zhang Yu’s mind, with the fusion of the volume of Body Refinement Book completed, he integrated the final Cultivation Notes volume into the Feather Book.
At the same time, the relevant operation report began to surface before Zhang Yu’s eyes.
“When we confiscated this copy of Cultivation Notes, its host was in the production workshop of a pharmaceutical factory, being used as an ingredient constantly added into medicinal pills…”
Looking at the videos and photographs in the operation report, Zhang Yu could only see an existence that could barely be called a human body, being raised to size again and again, only to be cut up and packaged into portions time after time.
Throughout the entire report, there was very little information regarding this host; the main content was concentrated on the negotiations between Liu Qianxian and the pharmaceutical factory.
“After possessing Cultivation Notes, the host’s flesh and blood became extremely enticing, yet possessed no special efficacy upon ingestion.”
“However, the Pharmaceutical Group discovered… that adding it to certain medicinal pills could greatly enhance the placebo effect and induce a certain degree of addiction in patients.”
“Although its addictiveness was somewhat lacking, the Pharmaceutical Group still decided to try cloning it…”
Reading the contents of the report, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly. “At first, the Pharmaceutical Group didn’t know this was the effect of the Book. They thought it was a special constitution or bloodline, so they kept trying to clone it. Only after the cloning attempts ended in complete failure did they treat it as a flavoring additive… used to raise the prices of cutting-edge medicinal pills.”
Continuing through the report, he saw that throughout Liu Qianxian’s negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Group, the other side had adamantly refused to budge an inch, unwilling to hand over the Cultivation Notes and the host.
In the end, it was Liu Qianxian finding evidence that they had used human-body pharmaceutics that finally forced them to surrender the Cultivation Notes and the host.
Of course, Zhang Yu knew this wasn’t because human-body pharmaceutics was illegal, but rather a tax issue.
The Sect Examination Clone said, “Human-body pharmaceutics is a hugely lucrative industry, taxed far more heavily than ordinary pharmaceuticals. Those bastards disguised human-body pharmaceutics as ordinary drugs to evade taxes. True vermin of the sect — they deserved to be blackmailed by Liu Qianxian.”
Fu Ji, on the other hand, was curious about what the Cultivation Notes actually did.
“Makes a person taste delicious?” Fu Ji said. “What kind of bullshit effect is that? Hardly anyone in the sect eats food, and you can’t open a restaurant anyway. Plus, taxes on human-body pharmaceutics are sky-high…”
Meanwhile, looking at the changes emerging on the Feather Book, Zhang Yu finally learned the function of these Cultivation Notes.
“An extra Chain Formation Diagram?”
After pondering over it, understanding flashed through Zhang Yu’s mind: “This volume of Cultivation Notes contains a Chain Formation Diagram. As long as one possesses this book, it is equivalent to having this Chain Formation Diagram equipped at all times.”
For Zhang Yu, this meant his Chain Formation Diagram gained an additional 10 slots. However, these 10 slots were locked to specific arts, only allowing a fixed set of 10 cultivation arts to form one set Chain Formation Diagram.
Zhang Yu checked them and found that all 10 were Body Refinement Techniques, of which he had only cultivated one himself.
Thus, over the next few days, he made time to master them one by one, ultimately completing this Chain Formation Diagram.
“The Chain Formation Diagram is called Peerless Daoist Presence.”
Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Gathering 6 of the arts allows one to possess an immortal fragrance, greatly increasing one’s attraction to cultivators.”
“Eight cultivation arts grant the Daoist Skeletal Manifestation, and ten cultivation arts grant Profound Flesh Essence…
“Three tiers of abilities, and each tier enhances your allure to cultivators more potently than the last.”
Immortal Slayer analyzed, “In essence, it’s an elevation of charm that raises your Immortal Dao temperament, drawing cultivators to pursue you and draw closer. From something as minor as dual cultivation appeal to something as major as leadership, all of it will improve. However…”
The Sect Examination Clone said with delight, “Doesn’t that mean we can become a Kunxu Succubus?”
Looking at the report’s contents, Zhang Yu analyzed, “Under the influence of the Immortal Dao Aspiration, though, this ability has also been distorted. If you lack sufficient strength… it will only make cultivators itch to devour you whole.”
With the fusion of the four low-grade books, Zhang Yu’s Dao-Seeking Progress in the World-Domain Dao Lineage advanced sequentially, reaching the level of 48%.
And the moment Zhang Yu broke through 40%, he felt a qualitative leap in both his spatial technology and his understanding of Kunxu’s spatial structure.
In his perception, it was not merely the lower Kunxu layers, such as the 11th Layer and 12th Layer, that had become clear.
He even faintly sensed the existence of the lower realm.
“The current me… might be able to directly cross space and descend into the lower realm.”
Just as Zhang Yu was pondering this, Le Mulan sent a message: “Profound Monarch, a new volume of a mid-grade book has appeared.”
Zhang Yu asked, “Where?”
Le Mulan: “The Immortal Armaments Bureau!”
A few hours later.
Within the region of the Immortal Armaments Bureau on the Kunxu Eleventh Layer.
Liu Qianxian spoke to Zhang Yu beside her: “My Lord, we are heading to the Immortal Armaments Bureau as diplomatic envoys this time. We must be mindful of our conduct and cannot be as unrestrained as we are within our own sect.”
After learning that Zhang Yu was going to the Immortal Armaments Bureau to retrieve the new book, Liu Qianxian had insisted on coming along, terrified that Zhang Yu, having grown accustomed to acting arrogantly in the Myriad Laws Sect, would stir up a massive disaster at the Immortal Armaments Bureau.
“Sigh…” Liu Qianxian thought to herself. “Giving you the credit is fine, but you absolutely cannot get into trouble, or I’ll be dragged down with you.”
As a veteran cultivator of the Heavenly Surveillance Hall, Liu Qianxian had traveled to many sects on assignments over the years, but if she had to name the places she was most unwilling to go, the Netherworld Palace came first, and the Immortal Armaments Bureau was a close second.
She warned him, “My Lord, once we enter the Immortal Armaments Bureau, you must never touch any of their equipment, and never establish any physical connection with any cultivator from the Immortal Armaments Bureau…”
Curious, Zhang Yu asked, “Why?”
Liu Qianxian explained, “Right now, the Immortal Armaments Bureau is in a golden age of open source, where all Immortal Dao Technology is open-sourced…”
Zhang Yu asked, “Are you worried I might accidentally learn the Immortal Armaments Bureau’s techniques?”
“No,” Liu Qianxian replied. “This golden age of open source means lower-tier cultivators are open-sourced to the upper-tier cultivators. If you are not careful in the Immortal Armaments Bureau, using any of their equipment or services, or even clicking on an advertisement, could lead to your entire repertoire of Immortal Dao Technology being cracked and then open-sourced.”