New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 210 Tiger Demon's Clearance Sale
The two arrived in front of the abandoned building in the dark. With the help of the lantern that Lü Rang had hung at the entrance of the building, Yuan Zhu was able to see the other person's facial features and expression.

The other person's mental state exuded an indescribable weariness and desolation. It was as if they had been locked in a three-day, three-night battle at a bathhouse, completely drained of energy and spirit.

"What's wrong? You look terrible."

The young swordsman looked dejected: "Hey, don't even mention it. It's all because of my sword practice! Last time I entered [Happy Home], the captain said my strength was growing too slowly and that he would arrange a special trial for me and Lili to catch up with the progress of you veterans. So I was anxious and overdid it with my sword, and that feeling was just too painful."

Lu Rang looked resistant, as if he was still shaken and didn't want to recall the incident, and continued, "Later, the senior instructors from the Security Bureau said that I was too eager for quick success and that I had damaged my spirit by over-forging the sword. These past few days, I have been sealing the sword and recuperating, and I have focused my main energy on 'recovering the goblins'."

Hearing him say that, Yuan Zhu realized that Lü Rang now indeed possessed a restrained 'sharpness'. Although his eyes looked tired and listless, they concealed a sharp edge, making him quite different.

"How did you forge your sword to the point of injury?"

Lu Rang didn't hide anything: "In the Security Bureau, I met several sword cultivators. On their recommendation, I joined a sword club in Running City. After getting to know them, I used blood eggplants produced by Happy Home to exchange for a secret technique to accelerate sword consecration from a senior: the Unity Sword Technique. I didn't expect the effect to be so strong. I almost had a mental breakdown after just one try."

In the young swordsman's agonizing description, the [Sword Cultivation] system possesses characteristics such as 'rapid learning, high lethality, proficiency in ranged attacks, poor self-defense, significant flaws, and ease of large-scale training'. Therefore, it was favored by the New Federation and widely promoted within the military.

Therefore, not everyone within the Security Bureau is a Law Enforcement specialist; there are also officially appointed "strong sword cultivators" (for the less skilled to train). Thus, Running City has a "Swordsmanship Club" for internal exchange of experience, materials, and officially compiled "quick-fix" techniques.

Because the military's "sword cultivators" are more often treated as tools, trained to be like missiles and rapid-fire cannons, they are not pursued to a higher level, nor do they value the long term.

Lu Rang, a newcomer who had just registered and knew nothing, joined the "Sword Dao Patients" club to exchange information about their conditions. He even brought out the "Blood Eggplant," which could "accelerate healing," and it was very popular among sword cultivators. In exchange, he received a "United Hearts Sword Technique."

This method allows you to connect your senses with an animal (rabbit, mouse).

During cultivation, first connect, then shield, and then use [Sword Protection] to extract sword energy and slaughter it. With a compassionate heart, savor the taste of the 'sword energy' cutting through every inch of the rabbit's flesh and skin with each strike, without indulging in cruelty, but calmly and objectively recording the process.

Finally, after the 'slaughter' was over, the shield was removed, and the rabbit's 'first-person feeling of being slaughtered' was injected into the brain, and the experience was reviewed and appreciated again.

The more delicate the appreciation during the cutting process, the more authentic the record; at this moment, good fortune descends, and the feeling of pain and the taste of cutting perfectly complement each other, mutually confirming each other, transforming into strands of [real pain] deeply engraved into the soul, settling in the heart, becoming 'the foundation of swordsmanship' integrated into the soul, forging a [sword heart].

It is indeed a quick fix, but it easily leads to mental breakdown and madness.

...

Lü Rang, who knew nothing, focused on being "obedient and diligent".

While cutting up the rabbit, he felt a mix of compassion, self-reproach, and guilt, driven by a small-time animal rights activist, meticulously memorizing the sensation of each cut. So when he came into contact with the "shield," he immediately experienced tenfold retribution, a soul-crushing pain that caused him to lose control of his bladder, severely damaging his soul and leaving him weak ever since.

After hearing the brain-dead training method of the [Sword Cultivation System], Yuan Zhu was speechless and could only offer a words of comfort: "My condolences!" He secretly thought, "Awesome!"

Lu Rang forced a smile: "I heard that although my current state is extremely painful, it is the stage with the highest cultivation efficiency. The sword hearts of those veteran sword cultivators have long been numb. No matter how great or excessive the pain and stimulation, it will not bring much improvement. On the contrary, it is easy to have a mental breakdown and go into qi deviation."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but shudder, somewhat regretting his choice of sword cultivation. This path was far too difficult!
"By the way, Brother Yuan. Don't you in the [Sanctuary] also have to endure the pain of holy light burning your flesh and blood, and even burn your lifespan and soul, yet you can't retain anything, only tempering and improving the quality of the [Light]. How did you manage to cultivate a [Soul Crystal] so quickly?!"

At this moment, Lü Rang was filled with admiration and worship for Yuan Zhu, who was able to cultivate the [Soul Crystal].

Everyone entered the path at the same time, without distinction of order. While the [Sword Cultivation] is indeed bound to 'pain', the [Holy Light] is no better, being a naked act of self-ignition.

Just recalling the agonizing screams, blazing eyes, and soul-burning mummified rats he encountered during his 'Holy Light Test' at the hospital, he knew how painful cultivating 'Holy Light' was—no less so than 'Sword Cultivation'! It even shortened his lifespan and damaged his soul.

I was weakened for so many days after experiencing the [Sword Art of Unity] only once, how did Brother Candle endure it? He even burned out a relic (soul crystal), how much pain must he have endured?!
'Yeah! How did I manage to put up with it?'

At this moment, Yuan Zhu was also stunned by the question. If Lü Rang hadn't asked, he wouldn't have realized that his progress in [Holy Light] was indeed unusually fast, and that many people treated him as a genius.

Compared to Lü Rang's pathetic state, he finally realized that a large part of his Holy Light talent was based on the fact that he hadn't really felt the burning pain of flesh and soul.

If he, like Lü Rang, needed to deeply experience the pain of the Holy Light igniting the [Holy Mark], burning flesh and blood, squeezing out life force, destroying spirit, and scorching soul, he would probably faint from the pain after releasing the [Holy Light] once, and lie in bed recovering for two hours.

With such low efficiency, how can we upgrade quickly?!

Snake suddenly responded: "This is all thanks to the [Data-Driven Soul Firewall] and the [Data-Driven Holy Light Contamination]. When you imprinted the [Holy Mark], it consumed 1% of the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture]'s contamination level, completing the data transformation into a brand-new version of [Personal Holy Light]. Therefore, when burning life force, it is filtered and shielded by the [Firewall], greatly reducing the pain and ensuring physical and mental health, preventing mental abnormality. In addition, the life force you burned is secretly linked to the [Tiger Demon's] healing mechanism, so you are actually burning your health bar, making the pain even less."

Yuan Zhu suddenly thought of the 'Shadow System'. [Inner Universe] accepts everything, absorbing all kinds of pollution, and easily refines various sources of pollution, extracting valuable 'Transcendent Shadow Pollution', which is then successfully combined with [Chang Gui] with almost no mistakes, no setbacks, no difficulties, and no loss of control…

This is completely different from the daily occurrences of mental pollution, demonization, loss of control, and accidents in the various extraordinary systems within the Spirit World.

Snake: "Yes, I noticed it a long time ago. It's all thanks to [Old Deng of the Great Wilderness] who's been carrying the burden for us! The smooth sailing of the [Shadow System] has been entirely compensated for by [Contamination Level]. The limit is still unclear, but the Holy Light with [Contamination Level 1%] has successfully forged the first seal without any adverse reactions."

"Is this how the 'pollution level' in the Immortal Scripture is used? It's immune to the risk of uncontrolled pollution in the 'pollution system'?" Yuan Zhu was somewhat dazed. Wasn't this a guaranteed admission?
At this moment, seeing Lü Rang's devout and expectant gaze, he could only brace himself and boast, "I have no shortcuts, it's all about hard work. You know the path of cultivation, there are no shortcuts, it all depends on personal awareness and endurance, but you must seek stability and slowness, don't be impatient. In this regard, I can only suggest that you talk more with Zhou Chu and have her teach you a few basic secret techniques of the [Law and Decree System] to strengthen your own beliefs and establish a spiritual compass, so that when you are in extreme pain or on the verge of compromise due to temptation, you can ensure that your mind does not stray from the right path."

What else could Yuan Zhu do?
His [Holy Light] seems to rely entirely on the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture] to compensate, avoiding the costs and shielding himself from the risk of losing control, frantically devouring 'contamination (ashes)' without ever crashing. If you teach Lü Rang like this, he's guaranteed to crash in three days and ascend to the [Spirit Realm] a week later. [Mao Mao Wang] loses an employee, or gains a 'Magic Sword Madman'?
On the contrary, the basic introduction to the [Law and Decree System] that Zhou Chu gave away for free before his departure had a positive effect on various 'polluted systems'. Although Lü Rang himself resisted and disliked it, it was indeed not a bad thing for him.

The swordsman pondered, "Sister Zhou? Thank you for the reminder, Brother Yuan. I will ask her for guidance. I just don't know..." "Don't worry, she especially likes to teach the secret techniques of the [Law System]. Just practice appropriately, don't let her fool you and sell yourself to the [Pale Law]."

"oh, I understand now."

By this time, the two had reached the third floor, where the stench of rancid swill mixed with feces and the smell of corpses assaulted their senses.

Yuan Zhu immediately pulled out a gas mask and put it on. Then, the uniform automatically enveloped his entire body, isolating him from the air.

He said to Lü Rang, "Just drop me off here. Don't worry about anything else. Go home and rest early."

Having worked together once before and knowing that Yuan Zhu had other secrets, Lü Rang did not linger. Instead, he arranged to meet again the next day, called his pet to follow him, and left the abandoned building directly.

At the same time, he pondered whether to include the [Laws and Decrees] in the foundation of [Sword Cultivation]. He had previously consulted the captain, who also suggested that he practice more auxiliary techniques such as 'Nourishing the Primordial Spirit and Breathing in Moonlight' to alleviate mental fatigue and wear and tear.

In this trial world set up separately for him and Lili, I heard there's a kind of "Moon Worship Ritual" that's very helpful for nourishing the soul, but I forgot to ask Brother Candle about it.

...

Watching Lü Rang leave, the dog beside him didn't even glance at him the whole time, it seemed that his connection with the [Wolf King] was completely severed.

Snake: "Don't be disappointed, Prisoner, you're even better now, the [Cat King]!"

And so, the [Cat King] transformed, activating its [Tiger Demon Form], becoming a five-meter-long shadowy giant tiger. Its size was so immense that it felt its massive shoulders brushing against the walls of the corridor, leaving it trapped in the middle. They say cats are liquid, yet it couldn't even turn around.

A beam of white light suddenly pierced into the darkness of the ground, dragging the tiger demon's body along with it, turning it into a shadow. It then transformed into a silhouette, merging into the shadow beneath its feet, and turned 180 degrees, emerging back out of the corridor.

"Who said you're not liquid?!" The white, skeletal serpent, with its red gemstone eyes, slithered up the spine to the tiger demon's ear and questioned him.

"?"

The tiger demon froze, then shrank its size, disappearing back into the shadows of the wall. It turned around and emerged, saying, "Are you fucking crazy?"

Ignoring the spicy snack that had regained control of its body (tail), it couldn't help but go crazy.

The tiger demon reached the door of the nearest room, sweeping the lock away with a single claw. A terrifying, polluted aura filled the air, silencing the goblins inside. They all lay prostrate on the floor, trembling, some even losing control of their bladders and bowels in terror. This made the already foul air even more unbearable.

The tiger demon, its face contorted with disgust, refused to step inside and remained in the corridor. With a sudden tremor, countless tentacle-like writhing shadows emerged serpentinely from the shadows beneath it.

This is the most basic [Shadow Manipulation (Talent 1)], which becomes more and more lifelike as the Tiger Demon grows.

Then, the shadow tentacles surged into the room all at once, giving the crawling goblin no chance to struggle, before scattering and first burrowing into the shadows beneath the goblin.

Immediately, each goblin's shadow transformed into a mass of writhing tentacles, hatching more shadow tentacles that burst forth to entangle and envelop them. They burrowed into the goblin's seven orifices and five senses, emitting painful howls, before quickly ceasing their convulsions and becoming stiff and motionless.

Snake excitedly took over the task, controlling the numerous goblins to rise from the ground in unison, stiffly line up, and obediently walk towards the stairs outside the door.

The tiger demon continued forward to the next room, where it used the same trick again, with countless shadowy tentacles surging across the ground and converging into the room.

After repeating this process several times, the hundred or so goblins on the third floor were brought under control. Then, the shadow beneath it rustled again, and a Shadow Insect emerged.

Under the command of the Tiger Demon, it quickly rushed into several rooms, spewing out a large number of Shadow Eggplant seedlings from its body, clearing away all the pollution-free garbage in the rooms before turning around and coming to the Tiger Demon.

"Snake, I'm leaving it to you. Is everything alright?"

"Small idea!"

This creature (the "Demon Insect") has been modified by the snake. A "Brain Eggplant" has been installed inside its skull, and an optimized "Artificial Intelligence Program Version 2.13" has been recorded into it.

Although it is still mentally challenged and lacks intelligence, it can still receive and execute instructions.

Once the Tiger Demon reverts to its human form, Snake can manipulate the behavior of numerous goblins by controlling Rat in Yuan Zhu's mental world.

As for why the Shadow Insects were able to exist independently without disappearing after the Tiger Demon Stance was dispelled, it was all thanks to the Shadow Uniform.

Yuan Zhu had long felt that the [Uniform] was somewhat outdated and couldn't keep up with his own growth in strength. So, the [Tiger Demon] used his power on the spot, forcibly stuffing the [Shadow Demon Insect] into the [Uniform] as a contamination material, severing its connection with the 'Chang Gui', and giving it to the [Uniform].

After reverting to human form, Yuan Zhu was the first to descend the stairs. Behind him followed a giant demonic insect, its body splitting into countless shadowy tentacles that parasitized and controlled a group of dismembered zombies. The insect wobbled as it climbed onto the truck bed, piling up like a human pyramid, before pulling out a tarpaulin to cover itself.

(End of this chapter)