From the beginning of this turbid world, the Taoist priest descended the mountain.

During this time, Lin Ye also inquired about some local gossip, but no one knew anything about the Four Great Lords or the Celestial Master Daoist True Lord.

[Yearly Ruler: Forestry]

[Qi and Blood: 6]

[Strength: 4] (Method: Life Fire Furnace)

[Agility: 1]

[Divine Sense: 1] (Method: Spiritual Vision)

[Ordination: Not yet available]

This time, Lin Ye noticed that the words "method" had been added after "power" and "divine sense," corresponding to the "life furnace" and the newly acquired "spiritual vision," respectively.

After his consciousness was heightened again, he felt a faint coolness at the back of his head.

His mind cleared instantly, and even his reactions became sharper.

As for Sanbao, who was practicing martial arts nearby, he suddenly felt a burst of scorching heat emanating from his second senior brother.

Looking at the second senior brother, Lin Ye, after finishing his practice, he stood there, his aura completely subdued.

He doesn't look much different, but the muscles bulging under his short-sleeved shirt exude a sense of power.

"Senior brother, I've succeeded."

Lin Ye walked into the "viewing hall" and called out to Lin Hao, who was busy inside.

"Oh, what? It's done? Wait a minute, I'll tell you when I'm done here."

A glint of light flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He did not enter the "viewing hall" but stood outside.

Inside the mortuary, matters involving corpses were handled by the master and the eldest disciple.

In the master's words, these corpses were inherently dangerous; without some skill, they would only cause trouble.

Therefore, he and Sanbao are usually not allowed to enter the main hall.

At this moment, in the eyes of the forestry worker, several wisps of black mist were faintly floating inside the hall, and especially on the coffin that the senior brother was dealing with through the door, there were several scarlet streaks.

Soon, Lin Ye felt dizzy and lightheaded. It seemed that this spiritual vision technique could not be used indefinitely; at most, it could only be used for a few minutes before he had to rest.

The eldest brother quickly finished his work.

He came out and looked at the forestry worker standing outside. He stared at him for a long time, and then a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Junior brother, have you lit the 'furnace'?"

"Mm." Lin Ye nodded.

Lin Hao's face showed even greater excitement. He walked over to Lin Yeshengqian, patted him on the shoulder, and felt the warmth coming from his shoulder.

His face was almost overflowing with satisfaction, but then a hint of annoyance appeared.

"If it weren't for the karmic debts caused by this 'human-faced sore,' you probably would have already begun your spiritual practice, wasting several years of your life. Now that Master has returned, I will discuss the matter of 'ordination' with him."

Master had actually seen his junior brother's talent a long time ago; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought him back after meeting him on the street.

Seeing the expression on his senior brother Lin Hao's face, Lin Ye simply smiled and asked, "Senior brother, do you know what the 'mind-monkey' phenomenon is?"

As mentioned in the text, igniting the heart fire now only slightly suppresses the facial sores. To find a way to eradicate them completely, the heart fire in the heart furnace must be condensed into the form of the Heart Monkey.

Hearing Lin Ye ask this question, Lin Hao pondered for a moment and said, "I seem to have heard Master and the martial arts master who left behind the stance training discuss this thing. It seems to involve 'cultivation of life and spirit.' It would be safer to ask Master when he returns."

After saying that, he patted Lin Ye on the shoulder.

"If Master sees the changes in you, he will be very pleased. He will then pass on his skills to you, and after that, you will be able to learn the true skills of our sect."

Sanbao, still young at heart, overheard his senior brother talking about this and chimed in, "Senior brother, second senior brother is about to be ordained, when will it be my turn?"

"We'll talk about this after you've mastered the stance and your body is strong enough."

Lin Ye followed his senior brother's gaze and looked at his junior brother, and he couldn't help but look at his spiritual vision again.

He noticed that above his senior brother's head was a faint wisp of pure energy.

On the contrary, the junior brother's color was a deep, rich blue with hints of purple.

Although I don't know what these colored energies I see through the method of spiritual vision represent, they are at least better than the black and bloody energies in the observation hall.

After activating his spiritual vision, Lin Ye felt that something was off about the viewing hall. He looked at his senior brother again and asked.

"Senior brother, there are only seven days left until the 15th of this month. Has there been any news from Master yet?"

"Master sent a message back through Boss Mei, who went to Goose City to make purchases. He said that he was in Goose City, and that someone had died after the new county magistrate took office. He's been busy with the coroner these past few days and will be back in a few days."

Just then, Sanbao said, "What new county magistrate and long-term county magistrate? They just haven't negotiated a price with Master Huang of Goose City. County magistrates come and go, but Master Huang is always here."

"Alright, third brother, you think you know everything? Stop gossiping about county affairs if you have nothing better to do."

A month ago, the newly appointed county magistrate officially took office in Goose Town. Meanwhile, the town's most powerful gentry, Master Huang, only sent a formal hat in his place.

The news spread from Goose Town to several other towns, with everyone saying that the county magistrate would sooner or later go to war with Master Huang.

Some say that this new county magistrate came to investigate the mysterious deaths of several previous county magistrates.

But these things are ultimately too far removed from forestry, and he doesn't want to get involved in them.

Learning skills, healing the facial sores, and uncovering the enemies behind them—that's what he needs to do first.

After lunch, the third brother wanted to go home. But he also wanted to take a stroll around the private school in the south of town.

Actually, he realized that he wouldn't be able to get any more attribute points from those three books in the mortuary.

Why not try your luck at the private school of Liu Xiucai, the most cultured scholar in the entire Qingshi Town?

For forestry workers, the mornings are spent setting up stakes and lighting furnaces, and the afternoons and evenings are also not wasted.

Only by getting your Qi and Blood and Strength to break through ten points as soon as possible can you have the confidence to break through to the Mortal Realm.

After delivering Sanbao to his doorstep, Lin Ye turned and headed south toward the private school.

If we were to name the three most capable people in Qing Shi Town, we would say it's Uncle Lin from the mortuary, the scholar from the south, and the old hunter from the mountain to the north.

The person he was going to visit was Liu, a scholar from the south.

Liu, a scholar from Qingshi Town, had participated in the imperial examinations during the reign of Emperor Daxu in his early years. After passing the examinations at the age of forty, he was on his way to the capital for the final examination when he encountered Yuan Shikai, who forced Emperor Xuantong to abdicate.

In a fit of anger, he returned to his hometown.

With the establishment of the new nation, some of the stubborn ideas from earlier years have changed over time.

No matter who the emperor or president is, it's all the same; in the end, the taxes levied on the people will not be reduced by a single penny.

Now nearly sixty years old, he runs a small private school in the south of Qingshi Town, where he usually teaches children to read. That's how his life will go by.

When Lin Ye arrived at the private school, it was during the children's afternoon class time.

Liu Xiucai's private school, though called a private school, was actually just two thatched huts.

Even after the fall of the Great Xu dynasty, the government still spent money to support scholars. The new government subsidized those who had returned from studying Western learning, while scholars like Liu Xiucai, who taught Confucianism, became outliers of the time.

Outside the thatched hut, Lin Ye listened to the sound of students reading aloud and stood there quietly.

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

It was obvious that Liu Xiucai was teaching the children the Tao Te Ching today, but Lin Ye had never seen a private school teach children this as an introductory text before.

(In this turbid world, the Four Lords and the Twelve True Lords are all relics of the past. After listening, you find it quite intriguing that this old man, seemingly a teacher, still manages to impart knowledge in his small private school, yet it retains traces of the Daoist essence of the [True Lord of Mountains and Rivers]. You obtain a trace of the [Turbid Qi of All Beings].)

(The [Life Fire Furnace] on your body ignites the Life Fire, refining this wisp of [Turbid Qi of All Beings], and you obtain the fist technique [Five Animals - Walking Ape Technique])

Lin Ye froze on the spot, listening to the scholar reciting a passage of scripture. He'd actually unlocked something like this?

He knew he had come to the right place. This Scholar Liu—no, Mr. Liu—was truly something special.