Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 493 Teaching the Dharma
A few more days passed.

Zhou You gradually adapted to this lifestyle.

Actually, it's quite simple. It's just about waking up in the morning, listening to lectures, eating, doing chores, then coming back for dinner, plugging your ears, and going to sleep.

In terms of feeling, it's basically the same as being in prison, but unlike a prison, you have to risk your life here at all times.

But fortunately.

Although he had a different body, Zhou You still retained the instincts he had developed from life-or-death battles. In addition, with the Heavenly Dragon bloodline's ability to detect evil spirits, he managed to get through it without any major incidents.

Correspondingly, Senior Brother Xuancheng targeted him more and more fiercely, showing no sign of stopping until he was killed. As a result, the other children kept their distance from him, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire.

Only Lin Yunshao would occasionally come over and say a few words to him, but he didn't dare to say much. At most, he would exchange information about the anomalies he had seen, and then they would act as if they were strangers.

But how do you say that?

Just as life has its ups and downs, so too does the moon wax and wane. This script will ultimately not allow Zhou You to live a peaceful and uneventful life.

this day.

After breakfast, inside the lecture hall.

The children had all arranged their books and sat obediently—those who didn't behave had long since been beaten half to death—waiting for their 'master' to give them a lesson.

Unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time, the usually punctual Venerable Chongxu did not appear.

Time passed slowly, until the children were starting to get restless, at which point the old figure appeared at the door.

However, compared to his usual indifferent expression, he now looked somewhat angry. Finally, Senior Brother Xuancheng, who looked like a defeated rooster, drooped his head and followed behind him with his hands hanging down.

Looking at the group of youngsters who kept their mouths shut, afraid of being unjustly attacked, Master Chongxu twitched his lips, then waved his hand to let Xuancheng go out first, and finally plopped down in his seat.

But when he finally spoke, he said something completely different from how he usually did.

"It's been several days already, and you've pretty much finished setting up your foundations. Although it was a bit rushed, it's time for you to get some exposure to our sect's techniques."

The children were all stunned.

But soon, many people showed signs of excitement.

The reason is actually quite simple. Although everyone came from the trade and suffered a lot along the way, who didn't have a dream in mind?
If one can truly become an immortal and seek the Dao, even if it's just learning a little bit of what the sect has to offer, even if one leaves the mountain and returns to secular life in the future, one can still become a superior person just by relying on these skills!

Master Chongxu paid no attention to the children. He tapped the table, and the plant in the flowerpot next to him seemed to come alive. Its branches and leaves grew rapidly and in the blink of an eye, it reached behind the lecture hall and took out several items from it.

Seeing this miraculous magic, the children's expressions grew increasingly eager, while Zhou You scoffed at it.

It's just a trick involving manipulating some plants, but you've taken it so seriously. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were fooling a child. No, this is practically a bunch of kids!
Just as Zhou You was habitually letting his thoughts wander, Master Chongxu had already taken those things from among the branches and leaves.

—Actually, it's very simple; it's just a few porcelain bottles and a large iron bowl.

Master Chongxu glanced at it and then spoke.

"You've studied for so many days, you should know that apart from the fundamental mental cultivation method for strengthening the foundation and nourishing the vital energy, our sect practices miscellaneous arts—the cultivation methods practiced by my fellow disciples are not all the same, while I specialize in unorthodox methods. By the way, have you ever heard of Gu magic?"

This was clearly a question, and after a while, a young man cautiously raised his hand.

"My home is near western Hunan. I heard from the elders that this is a kind of magic from that sect. You should never provoke these people, or you won't even know how you died."

Master Chongxu laughed upon hearing this.

However, it wasn't a kind or indifferent laugh, but rather a very sarcastic laugh.

"Death? Are you kidding me? If you can die cleanly after provoking those guys, it would be too good for you. More often than not, you'll be wishing for death but unable to live, and it's common to be infected with Gu worms and wail for decades. But that's not what I'm talking about."

He tapped the large, solid iron bowl and said.

"What I'm going to talk about is the 'raising Gu' method in Gu magic."

Even the one who spoke up earlier looked bewildered.

But Master Chongxu continued speaking to himself.

"The so-called method of raising Gu involves taking a bunch of highly poisonous substances, putting them in a sealed container, and not giving them food or water, only letting them kill each other until only one survives. That is how Gu is raised. But today I'm just demonstrating it to you, so let's keep it simple."

After saying that, he picked up a porcelain bottle, untied the lid, and then tapped it into the large iron bowl.

next moment.

Several children who were nearby suddenly burst into screams.

What was placed in the bowl was a centipede-like worm.

Of course, it wouldn't matter if it were just an insect; everyone is used to them, including the girls like Lin Yunshao. None of them would be scared by a mere centipede.

But the problem is
On the top of the centipede's head was a human face.

A face that changes constantly, yet is clearly that of a living person!

Master Chongxu didn't try to appease him, he just glanced in that direction.

Strangely enough, even though he hadn't used any magic, the screaming children suddenly stopped, their voices forced into their throats, and their bodies froze like statues, unable to move an inch.

Master Chongxu simply continued speaking.

"What's it called? It's just a human-faced Gu, the lowest of the low. If you saw the scaled insects cultivated by the Gu Sect, wouldn't you be scared to death?"

Even so, he ignored the children and instead opened several more porcelain bottles, pouring their contents into them.

—It was a snake that had been skinned but was still swimming; a scorpion that looked normal on top but had human feet all over its body; and a plump, white worm that kept screaming.

When you close the first centipede, there are exactly four.

"These Gu worms of mine are all at the final stage. Once the restrictions are lifted, they will indiscriminately attack everything around them. Originally, I planned to finish them off myself, but now I'll let you see them."

Master Chongxu made a hand seal, and the Gu worms, as if unleashed, rushed madly towards the nearest thing—the scorpion clamped down on the centipede, which bit the snake with a miserable howl, while the snake quickly wrapped its skinless body around the worms, and the worms burst out with large clumps of thick green pus, enveloping everything together.
But before outsiders could get a closer look, Master Chongxu had already put the lid back on.

All that could be heard from the massive iron bowl were the incessant howls, sharp clangs, and clanging sounds of constant collisions, as if a fierce battle was taking place.

After a long while, everyone fell silent, as if trembling with fear. The sounds of fighting over the bowls gradually faded away, eventually settling into an eerie stillness.

Only after everything had completely quieted down did Master Chongxu lift the lid.

Most of the contents had vanished without a trace, not even a tiny remnant remained. In the very center of the bowl, only the least favored worm was slowly writhing, its surface covered in wounds, yet it gleamed with an ominous, bloody light.

Master Chongxu took out some unknown powder and drew several twisted symbols on the worm's body. He then made several imprints into the body before speaking.

"That kid. Yes, it's you."

The person he called out was the one who spoke at the beginning.

The child clearly didn't want to go over, but seeing Master Chongxu's cold gaze, he could only grimace and move forward step by step.

However, Master Chongxu didn't have that patience. He simply beckoned with his finger, and the child couldn't help but take a few quick steps. In the end, Master Chongxu held his wrist and casually made a sweeping motion.

The blood dripped down and landed on the worm, disappearing in the blink of an eye as if it had been swallowed up.

Then, Master Chongxu let go and threw the large iron bowl into the child's arms.

"Here's a reward for you, take it."

Compared to his previous high expectations, this unlucky fellow was now extremely unwilling. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to bow his head when he was under someone else's roof, and in the end, he could only retreat with a long face.

Master Chongxu clapped his hands and addressed the group of teenagers.

Do you know why I'm showing you this Gu-refining demonstration today?

Is it because you've been wronged elsewhere and want to take it out on us?

Of course, no one dared to say this; all the children could only lower their heads and remain silent.

However, Master Chongxu continued speaking.

"What I want to tell you is that all things in this world are just like raising Gu, nothing more than the survival of the fittest, a matter of life and death. If you are weak, then you deserve to become someone else's food. If you are strong, then you can naturally devour others to strengthen yourself. The lesson time has already exceeded the limit. In a few days, I will formally teach you the heretical methods. You'd better prepare yourselves in advance."

After saying this, Master Chongxu stood up and left his seat, leaving the children trembling with fear.

—What does Master mean by this?
—Also, this is not what I imagined about cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao. Are all the things I have to learn later going to be this strange?

However, Xuan Cheng soon walked in. Compared to Chongxu Shangren, this one seemed even more rude and unpleasant. He knocked on the door frame and then said very impatiently.

"What are you all standing there for? Master's sermon went on for too long today, there's not enough time, breakfast is canceled, you all get back to work. And you, you're coming with me to the library, we have to deliver the letter to Uncle Chen in person."

None of the children dared to object, and they dispersed like birds in a flock. Only Zhou You looked back deeply as he got up—but in the end, he said nothing and silently followed Xuan Cheng out of the room.

There was no conversation after that.

Xuan Cheng usually liked to make sarcastic remarks from time to time, but today he was unusually quiet. He simply took Zhou You to the library and then kicked him inside.

Today, I don't know if it's because I'm in the year of the tyrant or what, but there have been quite a few setbacks.

Zhou You stumbled through the door, and before he could even stand up straight, he looked up and saw a familiar face.

—The senior brother named Hanxuzi who transported them before.

The man, who was holding a thick book, frowned when he saw Zhou You barge in, and then calmly pressed down on the man who was bowing several heads to him.

However, upon seeing someone's face, his brows furrowed further, and he reprimanded in a low voice.

"I remember you. Aren't you that troublemaker? What are you doing here! Don't you know that new disciples aren't allowed in the library?"

However, behind Zhou You's back, Xuan Cheng's hoarse voice had already provided the answer for him.

"What else could it be? You're just here to do menial tasks. And Hanxuzi, why aren't you taking care of your dead master? What are you doing here?"

"."

Hanxuzi did not answer, but remained silent for a few seconds before speaking coldly.

“Senior Brother Xuancheng, this is against the rules. Normally, only disciples who have committed serious offenses are assigned here. He's just entered the sect; even if he's a bit rebellious, how can he be allowed here?”

Xuan Cheng immediately sneered.

“I am the master’s eldest disciple. Whether he has made a mistake is up to me. When did it become your place to interfere? Wait, you didn’t just take pity on this kid and suddenly decided to do him a favor, did you? I never expected that after so many years of being a disciple, you still have that kind of thing.”

Han Xuzi's face instantly darkened.

"But rules are rules. Senior brother, you should know that the sect is barely maintained by these rules."

Xuan Cheng responded with a cold smile.

"Rules, rules, we talk about rules all the time, but how many people can these rules save? In the end, it still comes down to human lives."

However, before he could finish speaking, an old voice came from upstairs.

"Don't you know the library needs to be quiet? What are you two arguing about?"

With heavy footsteps, Chen Bo slowly moved downstairs.

He was still half-dead, still had that weak, listless tone, like rotten wood.

However, upon seeing this person, both Xuan Cheng and Han Xuzi fell silent, bowed respectfully, and exclaimed in unison.

"Uncle Chen."

The old man waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned, and simply asked again.

"I already told you, what are you two yelling about?"

Even though the other party was just an old man on his deathbed, Xuan Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, unsure of how to respond. In contrast, Han Xu Zi remained silent for a while before stepping forward.

"Reporting to Uncle Chen, it's nothing serious. It's just that I felt that bringing a 'lucky marriage' to the library was not in accordance with the rules. In the heat of the moment, I argued with Senior Brother Xuancheng. I hope you will forgive me for disturbing your peace."

(End of this chapter)