Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

Lin Bei's blood suddenly ignited.

He recalled the days in his past life when he stayed in a rented room watching Uncle Nine's movies. Those zombies, ghosts, talismans, spells, peach wood swords, and Bagua mirrors were all real!

The master in front of him was the senior disciple of the Maoshan Sect, someone who could go toe-to-toe with Uncle Nine Lin Fengjiao, and a ruthless person who had mastered the Lightning Thunder Fist!

In the spiritual community, he is known as the Thunder and Lightning Dharma King!

Without a word, Lin Bei knelt down again and kowtowed three times: "Master, my life belongs to you from now on!"

Shi Jian was taken aback by his posture and reached out to pull him up: "Alright, alright, you're about to smash your head open."

Lin Bei stood up, grinning like a complete idiot.

He thought his life would just drift along aimlessly, but unexpectedly, Lin Bei also embarked on the path of cultivation. Could it be that his ancestral grave in his previous life was emitting auspicious smoke?

I wonder if the underworld of this world is connected to the one of my previous life. Otherwise, after Lin Bei's cultivation is complete, he should go down and ask his ancestors!

"What are you standing there for? Let's go." Shi Jian's voice came from ahead.

Lin Bei snapped out of his daze and quickly jogged after him.

Shi Jian walked ahead at a moderate pace, his back straight. Lin Bei followed behind, looking at the gray Taoist robe from behind, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He knew the ending of Shi Jian in the original work, and that this person eventually went astray, which led to hatred between him and Uncle Nine.

But those are all things that haven't happened yet. The Shi Jian we know now is his master.

Lin Bei clenched his fist and made a decision in his heart: no matter what happens in the future, he would first learn the skills from this cheap master.

Shi Jian's temple was located in a place called Qingzhushan in Liaoning Province. It took two days by boat and one day by mountain road to reach the foot of the mountain from the county town.

Lin Bei looked up and saw that the mountain was not high, but it was covered with bamboo, which was lush and green. The wind rustled through it, and a cluster of buildings with gray walls and black tiles could be vaguely seen on the mountainside, hidden in the bamboo forest.

"Keep up." Shi Jian said and started climbing the mountain.

The stone steps were covered with moss and were a bit slippery when stepped on.

Lin Bei, carrying a bundle, followed behind Shi Jian, panting as they climbed uphill. Shi Jian, on the other hand, walked steadily, his feet seemingly untouched by dust, without even breaking a sweat.

After climbing for about half an hour, we arrived at the mountain gate, where two stone pillars stood with a couplet carved on them.

First line: The Tao follows nature, eliminating demons and protecting the Way!

The second line reads: "My heart follows the heavens and earth, bringing peace and prosperity to the people!"

The horizontal scroll reads: Authentic Maoshan Path!

Lin Bei looked at the couplet and thought that the horizontal scroll was too straightforward and not imposing at all, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Upon entering the mountain gate, there is a large courtyard with a bluestone-paved ground. Several baskets of herbs are drying in the sun. The main hall is in front of the courtyard, with a row of side rooms on the left and a kitchen and storage room on the right.

A young man in a short jacket was practicing his martial arts in the courtyard. When he saw Shi Jian come in, he quickly ran over and said, "Master is back."

Shi Jian nodded and said to Lin Bei, "This is your senior brother, Shi Shaojian."

Lin Bei was taken aback.

Shi Shaojian?

He took a closer look at the young man, who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, half a head shorter than him. He was quite handsome, with bright, intelligent eyes.

This is Shi Jian's good-for-nothing son?

In the original work, he was cut in half by Uncle Nine's apprentice, then reattached by Shih Kien using evil magic, and finally turned into a mindless monster.

But now he looks like an ordinary teenager.

"Shaojian, this is Lin Bei, your junior brother," Shi Jian said with his hands behind his back.

Shi Shaojian looked Lin Bei up and down, then grinned and said, "Hello, Junior Brother!"

Lin Bei smiled and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother!"

Shi Jian then said, "Shao Jian is my adopted son. He entered the sect half a year earlier than you. From now on, the two of you will cultivate together and take care of each other."

Upon hearing this, Lin Bei's heart stirred.

Adopted son? Not his biological son?

This was different from the plot he knew, but then he thought about it again and realized that the movie didn't say that Shi Shaojian was definitely his biological son; it was just something he made up in his head.

The two followed Shi Jian into the main hall, where the Three Pure Ones were enshrined in the center. Sandalwood incense burned in the incense burner, and smoke swirled around. Shi Jian asked Lin Bei to kneel on the prayer mat and lit three sticks of incense for him.

"Paying homage to the patriarch!"

Lin Bei accepted the incense and respectfully kowtowed nine times.

Shi Jian picked up a roll of yellow silk from the offering table, unfolded it, and found it covered with densely written characters.

Lin Bei glanced at it and recognized it as a Taoist ordination certificate, roughly equivalent to an ID card in the cultivation world.

"Lin Bei, today you join my Maoshan Sect. I will bestow upon you the talisman. From this day forward, you are a formal disciple of the Maoshan Sect."

Shi Jian's voice echoed in the empty hall: "Good and evil are opposed and fight each other for life. The Maoshan Sect takes it as its mission to slay demons and eliminate evil, and takes saving the world and helping people as its fundamental purpose."

"Remember this: no matter how high your Taoist skills are, if your virtue is insufficient, it will ultimately be a castle in the air."

"Only when one's heart is on the right path can magic have a foundation."

Lin Bei said solemnly, "This disciple has remembered."

Shi Jian handed him the talisman and then took a palm-sized wooden plaque engraved with his name and the date he entered the monastic order.

Lin Bei took it; the wooden plaque felt heavy in his hand and emitted a faint sandalwood scent.

After the apprenticeship ceremony, Shi Jian called the two of them over.

"Starting tomorrow, Lin Bei will cultivate with Shao Jian. In the morning, he will strengthen his muscles and learn martial arts, and in the evening, he will practice Taoist arts."

Shi Jian glanced at Lin Bei: "Cultivation is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance and willpower. If you only work hard for three days and then rest for two, you might as well get lost."

Lin Bei nodded vigorously: "Master, don't worry, I can endure hardship."

Shi Jian hummed in agreement: "Get up when the rooster crows three times tomorrow."

"yes!"

At night, Lin Bei was so excited that he couldn't sleep, and he even fantasized about his heroic figure wielding a sword to slay demons!

The next day, before dawn, Lin Bei was dragged out of bed by Shi Shaojian after the rooster crowed three times.

"Get up, get up! Master said that being late will result in standing in a standing position for two hours." Shi Shaojian urged him as he got dressed.

Lin Bei yawned, quickly dressed, and followed Shi Shaojian out the door.

Wooden dummy figures had already been set up in the courtyard. Shi Jian sat in a grand chair under the eaves, holding a cup of tea, looking at them calmly.

"Run up the mountain first, then come down from the top, two round trips," Shi Jian said in a deep voice.

Lin Bei looked at the mountaintop and swallowed hard. He had been a corporate slave in his previous life, and he hadn't really trained properly in this one!

Shi Shaojian had already run out, and turned back to shout, "What are you standing there for? Run!"

Lin Bei took a step and followed.

The stone steps of Qingzhu Mountain were steep and slippery. Lin Bei was panting heavily after running one trip, and his calves were trembling. Shi Shaojian was a little more relaxed than him, but he was also panting heavily.

After running back and forth twice, Lin Bei collapsed in the courtyard, completely drained of energy.