The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Not enough!" Dao Yuan gasped for breath, leaning on his sword, enduring the throbbing pain in his head caused by excessive consumption of witch power. He looked up at Su Qi, his eyes filled with the ecstatic joy of appraising a masterpiece, and said, "This is not enough! You must become stronger! Stronger! Stronger than I can be, even if I give my all and am shattered to pieces, I cannot shake you in the slightest! Only then can I entrust the Daoist school to you!"

Having said that, he raised his sword to the sky, mustered his last remaining strength, burned all his sorcery power, and poured everything he had into the Taoist Supreme Thunder Sword. He loudly recited the Thunder Ancestor's Precious Proclamation praising the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation of Thunder in the Nine Heavens: "Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin Palace, Supreme Jade Pure King..."

At this moment, he stood tall and imposing, his spirit soaring to the heavens, his eyes blazing with light, his aura reflecting back and reaching its peak in an instant, before rising infinitely higher and soaring straight to the ninth heaven.

At the same time, as the sound echoed within the hall, figures clad in Taoist robes and crowns, with solemn expressions and radiating spiritual power, appeared behind Dao Yuan and began to chant with him. They were the patriarchs of Taoism throughout history, and also his guardian spirits, all manifesting at this moment to assist him in casting his spell.

"Daoyuan, are you crazy?! If this continues, you'll become a cripple!"

"Husband, stop!"

"Father!"

Upon seeing this, Daozhen and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they cried out in alarm, their words filled with fear.

However, Daoyuan remained unmoved, his chanting growing more urgent, blending with the voices of the Taoist patriarchs behind him, creating a grand and soaring symphony that reached the heavens.

Su Qi looked up and saw that the night sky, which should have been clear, was suddenly filled with rolling dark clouds, which covered the sky and turned into a huge cloud vortex like a heavenly eye, pointing directly at him below.

At that moment, he could have easily struck Dao Yuan himself, interrupting Dao Yuan's spellcasting, but he didn't. He believed that accepting the attack squarely would be more effective in winning over the Daoist community and allowing him to smoothly take over the Daoist sect later.

Most importantly, he has enough confidence in himself.

There was a power outage today, so the update is a bit late...

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Taoist Life-Extending Technique is the Best in the World

"Great Sage, Great Compassion, Supreme Emperor, Supreme Dao, Heavenly Venerable Who Responds to the Origin of Thunder and Spreads Universal Transformation in the Nine Heavens!"

As the last word fell, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky and earth, and a thick pillar of lightning crashed down from the cloud vortex, instantly engulfing Su Qi.

boom!!!

In an instant, the intense light engulfed everything in sight, and a tremendous roar pounded against our eardrums like a tsunami.

With a thought, his Armor-Binding Spirit Body transformed once more, becoming a massive sphere composed of hundreds of armor plates, completely enveloping him. The next moment, a vast bolt of lightning descended from the sky and collided with it, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that swept across the entire hall.

Click...

The air trembled, and soon, cracks appeared in the spherical super-spirit body that isolated the lightning and high temperature, and it was about to collapse.

It's a bit more powerful than I expected, but...

Su Qi remained unmoved, watching the cracks expand step by step. Just before it was about to collapse, it changed shape again, instantly expanding and exploding, actively detonating its super spirit body to temporarily blast away the lightning.

In the next instant, it reconstructed itself at an extremely fast speed, and a brand new super spirit body with full defense value was put on its body, firmly blocking the lightning.

The lightning didn't last long. After breaking through the super spirit once, it was already at its limit. Soon, the dazzling lightning outside suddenly dissipated, and the dilapidated scene inside the hall reappeared in his sight.

"Alright...I admit...your strength...is sufficient...to shoulder the burden of Taoism..."

Seeing Su Qi reappear, still unharmed, Dao Yuan laughed. But due to excessive consumption of his witch power, he only managed to utter a single, intermittent sentence before his eyes glazed over, he choked on his words, and lost consciousness while standing.

What followed was a natural progression.

According to the Taoist rule of respecting the strong, and with his Taoist bloodline, Su Qi, with the support of Dao Zhen and Dao Yuan, successfully ascended to the throne of the new head of the Taoist family, becoming the youngest head of the family in the history of Taoism.

Daoyuan, however, nearly became a vegetable due to the exhaustion of his magical power and weakened soul. Fortunately, he was eventually saved, though his thinking became somewhat sluggish and his magical power diminished considerably.

After becoming the head of the Taoist family, Su Qi did approximately six things.

The first thing to do, of course, was to have Kanli Palace research the antidote for the Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill, then use divination to find Daohe's family, and send a Taoist spiritualist to secretly rescue them.

The second task was to thoroughly investigate the Taoist community, using his ability to sense emotions to uncover all the spies hidden within, and then deal with them accordingly. In the process, he also followed the agreement from the previous game, giving Dao Shuo a swift and decisive end.

The third thing was to change the business structure of Taoism, stopping disharmonious businesses such as assassination, bodyguarding, and mercenary services, and shifting the main focus of Taoism's business to zombie life extension and follow-up services.

Unlike in the past when zombies were used as weapons, the Taoists, after their business transformation, no longer engage in the illegal theft of other people's corpses. Instead, they simply turn corpses into zombies according to the individual's wishes, thus "extending the life" of their clients.

Upon closer examination, Li Bailong, after having his curse removed, not only possesses a clear self-awareness but also a body that can be used for a long time without aging. Isn't this a flawed version of pseudo-immortality? Although becoming a zombie would result in the loss of most of one's senses, for many people, as long as they can continue to live and possess a body that can move freely, it would be worth paying a huge price in exchange.

Where there is demand, there is a market, especially for something as fundamental as survival. In Su Qi's view, the Taoists of the past were practically begging with a golden rice bowl in their hands. Their main business of prolonging the lives of zombies, plus supplementary services such as corpse preservation, corpse beautification, corpse splicing, and corpse transformation, was enough to make them incredibly wealthy.

Thus, with the slogan "Taoist life-extending technology is the best in the world," the Taoist custom corpse-making business was launched with great success and quickly made a name for itself in the wealthy and powerful upper-class circles.

The fourth thing is to carry out a rectification campaign within Taoism, to single out some bad apples for criticism and re-education, and at the same time change the way Taoism educates the younger generation, strengthen their moral character development, and prevent those new Taoist talents from following the old path of the Dao Yuan era.

The fifth thing is to change the external image of Taoism, such as hiring online writers to write novels that are more Taoist in nature, or investing in the Internet industry and controlling publicity channels. This kind of thing needs to be done gradually and cannot be accomplished overnight.

The sixth thing he did was personally visit the Chaotian Temple, the main altar of the Xuanzhen Dao, and have a cordial and friendly conversation with the Daoist master. The two sides discussed the past history and future development of Daoism in depth, exchanged opinions fully, and reached a consensus on peaceful development and seeking common ground while reserving differences. As for the inexplicable collapse of Chaotian Temple and the sudden illness of a large number of people that day, he had nothing to do with it.

Of these six matters, except for the sixth, Su Qi essentially acted as a hands-off manager, only providing directions and outlines before handing them over to Dao Lan, Dao Run, and Dao Zhen for implementation. He then wrote a plan outlining the future development of Taoism, gave it to Dao Run for safekeeping, and then completely retreated into the Dao Seeking Pavilion to immerse himself in study.

There was an interesting side story: Dao Lian successfully broke through the death barrier and challenged Su Qi again, only to be easily crushed, which spurred him to work even harder.

For the next year or so, Su Qi spent the vast majority of his time reading and cultivating.

First, he spent more than half a month memorizing all the books in the Daoist Canon that he found useful—with his current soul strength, he already possessed absolute memory ability, and he would not forget any book he had ever read, so the speed was extremely fast.

He then committed suicide. In the pure white space, he read and understood all the Taoist classics in his memory. He continued to deduce and perfect the various Taoist theories to the limit before reloading his save file and returning to reality to practice. It took him more than a year, but he still failed to fully understand them.

In addition, he also took some time to guide Dao He and torment Dao Lian in preparation for the team battles following the Great War of Spirit Summoners, intending to cultivate them into potential teammates.

This continued until July 1997.

"Master, where are we going to cause trouble again?"

On a flight to Tokyo, Daohe lay sprawled in his seat, looking utterly listless, as if his bones had been removed. Ever since Su Qi helped him break free from Xuanzhen Dao's control, this guy's true nature had resurfaced; he'd become increasingly lazy.

Su Qi sat by the window, holding a copy of the "Five Elements Spiritual Pivot Classic" in his hand. As he flipped through it, he said casually, "Is this some kind of nonsense? We're supposed to be the saviors of the world, so watch your words."

"But being a savior is so tiring. You train me to the point of exhaustion every day. Can I choose to give up?"

"No. Don't forget you haven't dealt with your Three Corpse Gu Divine Pill yet. Do you want to be unable to stop taking medicine for the rest of your life?"

"If you just become the Shaman King, wouldn't solving this little problem for me be a piece of cake? I wouldn't even need to go, right?"

"Sorry, my philosophy is: if you don't work, you die."

"This is too cruel. This philosophy is too cruel for someone like me who wants to slack off easily," Daohe complained. "Is it really okay for someone like you to become the Shaman King? Are you going to make everyone your slaves?"

"No, I will make everyone my harem."

"Hiss, you don't even spare men?"

"I'll turn all men into women. If I become the Shaman King, maybe I can do that too?"

"That's definitely impossible!"

How will you know if you don't try?

"Don't try it, I don't want to be a woman."

"If you want to stop me, become the Shaman King yourselves. Otherwise, you'll all just be toys to please me, hehehe."

"Look, everyone! The man who just said he would become the savior has made a statement that sounds like that of a great villain."

"Enough!" Dao Lian, sitting next to Dao He, finally couldn't help but say, "Didn't we start by asking where the destination was? What are you trying to steer this way?"

"Shimane Prefecture, Izumo City, the Asakura family, that's our destination." Su Qi finally became serious.

“The Asakura family…” Dao Ren frowned slightly. “I’ve heard of this name before. It seems to be a Taoist family, a family of spiritualists that has been passed down in Japan for thousands of years.”

"That's right. Most importantly, the Asakura family produced a great Onmyoji a thousand years ago, Asakura Hao."

"Hmph, what's so important about a dead person?"

"When did I say he was dead?"

"How could someone from a thousand years ago not have died?"

“But he didn’t die.” Su Qi said, “As someone who successfully performed the Mount Tai Lord’s Ritual, he made a pact with the Mount Tai Lord. Although his body died, his soul could be reincarnated in this world. In this generation, he was reincarnated as Asakura Yoshi, the eldest grandson of the Asakura family. He will be our strongest enemy in the Shaman War.”

"Are you telling the truth?" Dao Lian frowned, somewhat incredulous. "Is it really possible for someone to live for a thousand years?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not joking now."

"So, this time we're going to deal with him?" Daohe also became serious, guessing, "Do you want to eliminate him with the help of the three of us before the shaman war even begins?"

"The combined strength of the three of you? Don't be ridiculous. The two of you are practically powerless against him right now, and I probably wouldn't be a match for him either."

"Then what are we going to the Asakura family for? Are we just going to our deaths?"

"Don't worry, that man shouldn't be at the Asakura residence now. Our target is the spellbook that records all of Asakura Hao's secret techniques from a thousand years ago—'Super Divination Secrets'."

"The 'Superior Divination Manual'? A book on divination?"

"No, that's not it." Su Qi's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "In short, only by obtaining that book can your strength increase rapidly."

……

Because they had already arranged for people to prepare for the battle, the next day, Su Qi and his two companions arrived in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, and found the Asakura family's residence on the outskirts of the city.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Please Prepare an Atomic Bomb for Him

Izumo City, at the foot of Sanpei Mountain.

The main residence of the Asakura family is located in this mountain forest. It is a large and magnificent Japanese-style old house with a history of more than 600 years.

As the setting sun shone on the quiet mountain path, a twelve-year-old boy wearing headphones strolled leisurely alone through the forest, listening to music.

He was taller than the average child, slightly thin, with messy, shoulder-length hair and long bangs parted in the middle over his broad forehead. His features were delicate, and he exuded a nonchalant air. His white shirt was open, revealing his chest and abdomen, and he wore dark green trousers and wooden sandals. He walked with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders relaxed, and his steps leisurely and carefree, like a slow-moving white cloud drifting along the road.

He is Yoh Asakura, the next heir of the Asakura family, and also the younger brother of Yoshimi Asakura, who is the reincarnation of Yoh Asakura a thousand years later.

Yoh Asakura's dream is to become the Shaman King, listen to his favorite music every day, and live a carefree life. His catchphrase is "Things will work themselves out." Compared to his older brother, who is the big boss, he is someone who can't intimidate anyone.

"Oh? Are we having any guests today?"

Asakura Yoh walked familiarly to the gate of the mansion and happened to see a black sedan stop in front of it. Then the car door opened, and three teenagers who were about the same age as him got out one after another.

The man in the lead had refined features, a calm demeanor, deep and bright black eyes, and a subtle smile always playing at the corners of his mouth. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts, with the four Chinese characters for "World Peace" printed on the shirt. He gave off an air of gentle breeze and bright moonlight, yet seemed shrouded in a faint shadow.

The second person was dressed in a Ming Dynasty-style training uniform, black with yellow trim, sleeveless trousers, with a cold and stern face and sharp eyes, giving off a very intimidating vibe.

The last person was wearing a loose black and white striped T-shirt and mid-length jeans, sandals, and sunglasses. He had a large bag on his back, and his posture was slumped with his arms hanging down. He seemed listless and lacked energy.

When Asakura Yo saw Su Qi and the other two, they also saw him.

"Asakura Yoh?"

Su Qi recognized Asakura Yo at a glance. There was no way around it; as the protagonist, he was simply too memorable, and his unusual attire and lazy demeanor were also very striking.

"Huh? Do we know each other?"