I discovered a world bug.

"Rituals and ceremonies are, in essence, an objective summary of the laws governing the world."

"Or you could say it's a summary of scattered patterns."

"It is precisely because of the 'fragmentation' and 'randomness' of the regularity, coupled with the instability of the 'mysterious power' that governs the actual effect of the ritual, that humanity has never truly formed a stable system or a stable lineage in this science over the past thousands of years."

"Even so, by relying on religion, a cultural transmission vehicle with such a high degree of complexity, we have still preserved a considerable portion of the lineage."

"These lineages have also been broadly categorized and ranked..."

Sitting at the table, Lin Shu calmed down and listened attentively to Lu Ran's explanation.

While writing and drawing on the white paper, Lu Ran continued:

"Currently, our classification of 'rituals' largely follows the existing hierarchy within the religious system."

"The purpose of doing this is, on the one hand, to preserve the integrity of the original system as much as possible and to avoid omitting any usable procedures."

"On the other hand, this system is highly scalable. Even if we discover more rituals 'outside the system' later, we can easily categorize them into the original system to form a complete and orderly management system."

"We call this system the 'Three Caves and Nine Grades System'."

"Its originates from the nine-rank system of the Taoist 'Jade Regulations of the Heavenly Altar' and the 'Three Caverns Categories' of the Three Caverns Scripture System."

"The nine ranks are easy to understand; just think of them as levels, with the first rank being the lowest and the ninth rank being the highest. Of course, when we usually talk about it, we often say the first or second rank, not the first or second rank, because the word 'rank' sounds a bit strange in modern contexts."

"But the meaning is the same—keeping the word '品' (pǐn) is actually about maintaining reverence for the original system's origins."

After she finished speaking, Lin Shu nodded thoughtfully.

indeed.

Although the meaning is the same, saying "rank" always feels a bit like a martial arts technique from a fantasy novel.

But using the term "level" adds a touch of rigor and scientific rigor.

"I understand, please continue."

"it is good."

Lu Ran turned the page and continued writing as she spoke:

"Based on the rank system, we have divided all rituals into three main categories."

"That is, the Dongxuan Department, the Dongshen Department, and the Dongzhen Department."

"The reason for this classification is that the classification of the Three Caverns Scriptures is very strict and conforms to the basic classification standards of rituals."

"You might think that the difference between the three caves is a simple classification of spells, but in reality, it is more like a complete and hierarchical system of cosmic laws that deeply integrates gods, scriptures, cultivation stages and spell authority."

"The Three Caverns themselves are also divided into high and low. For example, the Cavern True Section is considered by traditional Taoist classics to be the 'Great Vehicle Holy Path,' while the Cavern Mystery Section is only the 'Middle Vehicle Wonderful Method.'"

"However, in our classification method, we have abandoned the distinction between the three types of holes and only take into account their differences in 'rule permission division'."

"The classification here is very complex; you can even refer to the biological classification logic of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species."

"But for now, you don't need to really memorize the classification of every ritual; you just need to remember the general principles of the classification."

"The Cave God Department mainly collects rituals of the 'phenomenon' category, including thunder magic, wind and rain summoning magic, various talisman water techniques from Meishan, and Miao Gu techniques—I'm referring to Gu techniques within the ritual system, not the poison techniques still circulating today—all belong to this category."

"The Dongxuan section mainly includes rituals in the category of 'rules,' such as peace talismans. It also includes rituals such as the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth, the Five Wrathful Methods, and the Eight Powerful Strategies."

"The Dongzhen section mainly includes rituals of the 'concept' category, the most typical of which is divination. Other typical examples include the so-called magic arts of manipulating creation, reversing yin and yang, and shifting stars and changing constellations in the Thirty-Six Methods of Tiangang."

"However, most of the rituals of the Dongzhen tribe only exist in legends and have almost never been passed down in reality."

Reversing Yin and Yang, shifting stars and changing constellations...

After Lu Ran finished speaking, Lin Shu was secretly astonished.

Can rituals really have that much power?

Or is it just an "exaggeration"?

Perhaps, only when one truly experiences that ritual will one find the answer...

"Therefore, I now have a clear understanding of the different classifications of rituals."

Lin Shu said thoughtfully:

"Peace charms and snake raising belong to the rule category, namely the Dongxuan section, while divination belongs to the concept category, namely the Dongzhen section."

"So, what are the approximate ranks of these two rituals?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Ran shook her head.

"First of all, there is no doubt that amulets belong to the category of rules, but I cannot determine whether raising snakes belongs to the category of rules or concepts."

"If what you say is true, the 'snake's' abilities are actually quite exaggerated, exceeding the scope of rules."

"But to say that it belongs to the conceptual category doesn't quite seem to be the case."

"It's also possible that the current ritual grade is too low, failing to reveal the snake's full capabilities."

"But in short, it's very strong."

"As for the grade... based on your description, I think 'Yarrow and Tortoise Shell Divination' is roughly at level two, and there is still a lot of room for improvement."

"Snake farming must be at least level two or below, there's no doubt about that."

"The amulet should be at level four or five, because the amulets we make ourselves are judged to be level three. Yours are definitely higher than ours, there's no doubt about that."

"Understood."

Lin Shu nodded slowly.

At this moment, he also felt the advantages of this "three caves and nine grades" classification system.

The strength and weakness are immediately apparent, as are the categories.

This will provide a clear direction for future learning, optimization, and use of rituals.

Furthermore, if you encounter an enemy who also uses rituals, you will be able to make a relatively clear assessment of their strength...

He carefully put away the few sheets of paper covered with writing that Lu Ran handed him, intending to study them carefully later.

By then, most of the day had passed, and he realized that he hadn't even had breakfast yet.

Are you hungry?

"I'm very hungry."

Lu Ran answered in a very serious manner.

"...Then why didn't you say so?"

"You didn't say that! The students aren't complaining of being hungry, so how could the teacher say that?"

"...Okay, okay, I'll order some takeout and treat you to a thank-you dinner for your teacher."

Lin Shu picked up her phone. Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked somewhat shyly:

Can I order my own food?

"Absolutely, here, you choose."

Lu Ran took the phone without hesitation, and while laughing and joking, ordered a whole bunch of dishes, explaining as she did so:

"Hey, you don't know, our budget is actually quite tight, and we've been running around all the time. I haven't had a proper meal in weeks."

"I really got a good deal from you today, thank you. Anyway, you just made a fortune, right? I'll treat you next time I get paid... Hey, someone's calling you."

She handed the phone to Lin Shu, and then made sure to place the order.

Lin Shu took the call and saw that it was Xie Yuchi calling.

Why are you contacting me at this hour?

Did they hear I resigned and call to ask?

Lin Shu answered the phone with a puzzled look on her face. Xie Yuchi's voice sounded a little hoarse on the other end.

"Lin Shu, where did you take my car?"

"I found this in my car when I went to get it washed today—what is this thing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a message popped up on his WeChat screen.

Lin Shu clicked on it and saw that it was a picture.

A picture of a talisman.

"This is... a peace charm??"

After he finished speaking, Lu Ran also came over.

After glancing at the picture, she immediately frowned and said:

"This is not a peace charm."

"This is a talisman to ward off evil!"

"A talisman to ward off evil?"

Lin Shu repeated it subconsciously, but on the other end, Xie Yuchi had already keenly grasped the key issue.

"What's going on??"

"Lin Shu, what are you doing? Why is there a woman's voice next to you?"