Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 100 Explanation

The Hall of Exorcising Evil is located on the west side of Cangwu Terrace, not far from the Hall of Mirroring Martial Arts.

Chen Ping and Zhang Tingwan walked over side by side. Before they even entered, a strong stench of blood wafted out, mixed with some indescribable smell of decay, assaulting their nostrils. The winter wind carried the odor outwards, and most of the students passing by stopped in their tracks, as if they were already used to it.

There were many people coming and going at the entrance, most of them covered in blood, some deep, some light, some new, some old. Some of their clothes and armor had black scorch marks, as if they had been burned by something. But most of them had smiles on their faces. Some were holding money bags in their hands, and some were talking to the people next to them in low voices with an undisguised sense of pride.

The two went inside.

Inside was a spacious hall with three long tables across it. Behind each table sat a person dressed in black, who was flipping through various crystal cores in one hand and writing in a booklet on the table with the other. His movements were swift and his expression solemn, completely unaffected by the surrounding noise.

Next to the long table were several wooden shelves, on which were neatly arranged crystal cores of various colors, some green, some black, and some deep red, in different colors and sizes, emitting a faint glow in the light.

Chen Ping glanced around and walked behind one of the long tables to join the queue.

When it was Chen Ping's turn, the man who greeted him looked up and said very briefly: "Waist token."

Chen Ping placed the black-and-red lacquered waist tag on the table. The man's eyes paused slightly upon seeing it, then he nodded and said, "The item."

Chen Ping took the crystal core out of his pocket and placed it in front of the man.

The man picked it up, looked at it under the light, and said, "A first-grade evil spirit crystal core, worth one hundred merit points."

As he spoke, he made a note in the booklet, scribbled a number on a slip of paper, and pushed it in front of Chen Ping.

Chen Ping put the note away, stepped aside, and waited for Zhang Tingwan.

Zhang Tingwan finished her business and took out the green stone from her pocket. The man glanced at it and said, "A first-grade demon crystal core, worth fifty merit points."

As the two left the Hall of Exorcism, the winter wind blew in their faces, diluting the stench of blood inside.

Zhang Tingwan glanced at Chen Ping and chuckled, "Brother, you're quite something! You actually managed to kill a first-grade evil spirit."

Chen Ping said, "It was just luck."

He casually asked, "How are these demons and evil spirits classified?"

Zhang Tingwan laughed and said, "It's no wonder you don't know. If I hadn't done my homework beforehand, I wouldn't have known either. The first grade corresponds to the five barriers of our physical body. Demons and evil spirits within the five barriers are all considered first grade. After that, Ming Jin and An Jin are classified as second grade, and so on."

Chen Ping nodded, turned to look at the people coming and going behind him, and asked, "Weren't demons and evil spirits supposed to be rare? How come they have so many crystal cores?"

Zhang Tingwan turned around, raised her hand and pointed to the towering mountain range in the distance, saying, "They were all hunted in the Nanling Mountains. Famous mountains and great ridges are full of strange things. There are countless demons and evil spirits in the Nanling Mountains. These things usually stay in the mountains and do not come out, but even if they do not come out, it does not mean that the court will not care. The Cangwu Terrace is here, partly to suppress the Nanling Mountains."

After listening, Chen Ping nodded, looked up at the mountain range, the mountainside was shrouded in clouds and mist, the peaks were not visible, the continuous mountain peaks pressed down on half the sky, heavy and imposing.

Zhang Tingwan glanced at the sky and said, "Let's call it a day then. I have something to attend to at home today. See you another day."

The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

The instructor's class hadn't started yet, and Chen Ping thought he should go back to cultivate the Cangwu Record first. He was walking towards the east of the city when a man came out from the roadside, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother Chen, please wait. Instructor Sui invites you."

Chen Ping thought for a moment. After Sui Guan disembarked, he parted ways with them, saying he was going to deliver punishment to the Hua Sect, and he returned today.

He nodded and followed the man.

After walking for a while, the two stopped at a restaurant near Cangwu Terrace. They went up to the third floor, opened the door, and found Sui Guan already waiting inside. Several dishes were laid out on the table, still steaming. He was sitting by the window, holding a bowl in his hand. When he saw Chen Ping come in, he raised his chin.

Chen Ping stepped in and sat down opposite him.

Sui Guan pushed the bowl forward: "Come on, have some."

Chen Ping didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks, and the two of them ate their own food in silence for a moment.

Sui Guan, chewing on his food without looking up, casually asked, "How was your experience going in today?"

Chen Ping said, "It's bigger than I expected."

Sui Guan scoffed and said, "Of course, I was stunned for quite a while when I first went in."

He put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Of the six instructors, is there anyone you like?"

Chen Ping said, "I haven't attended any classes yet, so it's hard to say."

Sui Guan laughed twice and said, "You're quite composed. Anyone else would have already gone up to ask around."

He put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Alright, let me tell you about these guys. Xiang Ge has a bad temper and his teaching skills are mediocre, so I don't recommend him. Sun Qichen has a wide range of knowledge, including boxing, palm techniques, and grappling, but he values ​​character, and he might not approve of your temperament."

He paused, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, "Changsun Shao is a true veteran of the battlefield. You can learn real skills from him, not just spear techniques, but also ways to survive on the battlefield. Song Ge is strong in swordsmanship, but his family background is the main factor, so you can forget about him."

Chen Ping listened without saying anything, and picked up a piece of food.

"Lin Shu is a woman with superb swordsmanship, but she follows a feminine path, which is not suitable for you." Sui Guan picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, chewed slowly, paused for a moment, and then said, "Finally, there is Qin Ya, who has a wide range of weapons, including spears, bows, swords, hammers, and axes, and has mastered each one to a high level."

He paused here, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and didn't continue.

Chen Ping looked up and glanced at him.

Sui looked out the window, his lips twitching, and said, "But this man is too rigid, with very high standards. He rarely accepts students. If you want to choose him, you'll have to rely on luck."

The two exchanged a glance, but neither said anything. Chen Ping lowered his head and picked up the bowl again.

After a moment, Chen Ping spoke up: "Where should I go if I want to copy new martial arts techniques?"

Sui Guan put down his chopsticks, pointed at him, and said, "Go to the armory. By the way, you first-class students have 10,000 merit points. Don't waste them. Go to the Wanbao Hall to exchange them for cultivation resources first, then martial arts. Weapons and armor can wait. Don't use up all your resources as soon as you come in."

Chen Ping nodded and wrote down those words.

Sui Guan picked up his chopsticks again and casually said, "There's one more thing. In a few days, various forces in the manor will likely come to contact you first-class members. They'll offer gifts, try to win you over, and use all sorts of methods. You'll have to discern the good from the bad yourself. If you don't understand, you can come and find me."

Chen Ping hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

The faint sounds of people from Tianyan City drifted in through the window. The sun was already setting, casting a warm yellow glow on the window paper. The two ate their own food, no longer speaking.

After finishing their meal, Sui Guan waved his hand, and Chen Ping got up to take his leave. He left the restaurant and headed east of the city.

Back at the Bai family mansion, Bai Chongshan and Bai Ming both went out. The courtyard was quiet. A maid served the food. After Chen Ping finished eating, he returned to the side courtyard, closed the door, sat on the bed, took out the Cangwu Record, and opened the first page.

Strengthen blood.

He followed the method in the mental cultivation technique and tried to circulate it once. His qi and blood flowed through his meridians. Unlike his usual cultivation, the method in Cangwu was to clear the existing pathways. Wherever his qi and blood passed, a faint warmth spread out.

Chen Ping continued to operate the machine, once, twice, three times.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, somewhat surprised.

The progress was much faster than he had expected. His own qi and blood were already extremely abundant, and the first level of the Cangwu Record was like drawing water from a pre-dug canal for him, which was surprisingly smooth.

He closed his eyes and continued.