Celestial Change

…Zhang San, born blind in one eye, unable to speak, soon suffered nose amputation. Place of origin: Great Li Dynasty, Marsh Province… Lifespan: Fifteen years, eight months, and four days, drowned at the beginning of the hour of Mao.

…Li Si, missing one eye, missing tongue, lame leg. Place of origin: Great Li Dynasty, Marsh Province… Lifespan: Seven years and six days, died prematurely at the exact hour of Chen.

…Wang Wu, lacking all five senses, clubfooted. Place of origin: Great Li Dynasty, Marsh Province… Lifespan: Eighteen years, one month, and two days, drowned at the third quarter of the hour of Shen.

…

Text began appearing line by line in the Book of Life and Death. As Zheng Que read, he suddenly noticed that the lifespan listed after his own name had changed.

The original “sixteen years, seven months, and three days” had become “sixteen years, seven months, and ten days.”

His lifespan had increased by seven days!

Zheng Que was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized: the lifespan he had initially seen in the Book of Life and Death was not his actual life expectancy, but his Dao Initiation Tribulation.

If he had not overcome it earlier, tonight at the hour of Hai would have been the end of his lifespan.

But now, having slain the Calling Ghost and passed the Dao Initiation Tribulation, his remaining lifespan had consequently changed.

However, he was currently free from illness or ailment, his spirit complete and energy abundant. Under normal circumstances his lifespan couldn’t possibly be only seven days. This meant that seven days from now, he would face another calamity.

At this thought Zheng Que immediately frowned. Just then the continuously appearing text in the Book of Life and Death finally stopped.

These newly appeared entries corresponded to thirty-five names, all from the Great Li Dynasty’s Marsh Province. The longest lifespan among them did not exceed twenty years.

Moreover, all thirty-five individuals were disabled, with their intact facial features totaling fewer than thirty-five.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Zheng Que felt that after the records of these thirty-five people appeared, the Book of Life and Death seemed to undergo some kind of change. Yet upon closer inspection he found nothing different.

Just as he intended to study it further, the surrounding scene rippled like water. In the blink of an eye the grand hall faded away, and he returned once more to the small town house.

Gazing at the familiar room before him, Zheng Que immediately noticed that the injuries on his chest and arm had completely healed. The wounds had closed, leaving behind scars, though his clothes were torn and tattered like a fishing net, hanging off him and looking quite disheveled.

He touched the wound on his face; it was relatively small and had already scabbed over.

He also felt brimming with energy, his five senses sharpened considerably, as if he had undergone a comprehensive enhancement.

Since it was still night and he was worried about further unexpected events, Zheng Que promptly sat on the bed and resumed his cultivation.

As his mind sank into the circulation of the cultivation method, everything around him faded. A cold current wrapped in murky confusion swept over him.

Zheng Que sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, eyes slightly closed, motionless.

Outside the window the cold moon shone dimly, the entire town deathly silent, without a trace of human voices or dog barks.

Time slowly passed. The Jade Rabbit sank in the west, the Golden Crow gradually rose, and daylight returned to the earth.

[TN: The Jade Rabbit and the Golden Crow are classical Chinese symbols for the moon and sun respectively, rooted in ancient mythology.]

When the sky had fully brightened Zheng Que ceased his cultivation. After scanning his surroundings and sensing nothing amiss, he rose from the bed, put on his shoes, ate some dry rations, changed into clean clothing, and immediately headed out toward the dilapidated temple.

Along the way figures were sparse, each gaunt and haggard in appearance.

As he walked, Zheng Que suddenly frowned. The few people he had just passed on the road seemed to have no shadows.

Lost in thought, he arrived at the entrance of the dilapidated temple. After confirming the distance between the female hanging ghost, the tree’s shadow, and the threshold, he cautiously entered, keeping close to one side of the wall.

Inside the courtyard, weeds swayed gently. The coffins from the previous day had all been removed, and the trampled grass had regained its upright posture.

The temple door stood open, daylight spilling in, illuminating Daoist Qu seated cross-legged beneath the shrine, eyes slightly closed and motionless.

Zheng Que approached and respectfully bowed. “Disciple pays respects to Master!”

Hearing this, Daoist Qu opened his eyes, glanced at the injuries on Zheng Que’s body and nodded slightly. “Not bad.”

“Surviving the Dao Initiation Tribulation indicates your fortune is sufficient.”

“Today, this master will pass down a cultivation art.”

Hearing this, Zheng Que felt a surge of joy and hurriedly bowed again. “Thank you, Master! This disciple will cultivate diligently and will not fail your teachings!”

Daoist Qu’s expression remained indifferent, showing no reaction, and merely continued, “Before imparting the art, there are some fundamental principles you must first understand.”

“Last night, during your battle with the Calling Ghost, did you notice any issues?”

Issues?

Zheng Que pondered for a moment and replied, “Reporting to Master, the Calling Ghost seemed to lack a physical form.”

“Ordinary punches and kicks could not make contact with it, let alone inflict harm.”

“Only when coated with a cultivator’s blood could it be directly attacked.”

Daoist Qu nodded and said, “Before the Celestial Change, Yin and Yang were distinct, humans and ghosts followed separate paths, and the mortal world was not plagued by so many calamities.”

“But in this current era, Abominations run rampant, Evil Spirits are as numerous as the hairs on an ox, Vicious Sins emerge endlessly, Anomalies are commonplace, and there are all manner of Wandering Spirits.”

“The Calling Ghost you encountered in your Dao Initiation Tribulation is one type among the Abominations.”

“Generally, Abominations are formed when the distorted resentments of no fewer than dozens, and as many as countless tens of thousands, of deceased individuals merge together, condensing without dispersing, thus transforming into a Ghost.”

“In the past, after attaining the Dao, cultivators would emanate vigorous yang energy throughout their bodies, like a blazing bonfire in the darkness, capable of directly harming Abominations. But in this present world, when cultivators cultivate, they absorb more Yin Qi than Spiritual Qi.”

“This imbalance of Yin overwhelming Yang is precisely the issue you encountered last night.”

“However, since one is a cultivator, no matter how much Yin Qi is absorbed, in essence they remain a cultivator.”

“The spiritual blood within still contains the purest yang energy.”

Zheng Que listened attentively and soon recalled something.

The Calling Ghost was composed of the resentments of many deceased individuals?

After he eliminated the Calling Ghost last night, thirty-five names had appeared in the Book of Life and Death.

Were those thirty-five individuals the resentments that had formed the Calling Ghost?

Moreover, during his cultivation he had absorbed a great deal of Yin Qi, but all of it had ultimately been absorbed by the Book of Life and Death.

Logically speaking, his constitution shouldn’t differ much from that of cultivators before the Celestial Change.

So why did he still need spiritual blood to harm the Calling Ghost?

As he pondered this, Zheng Que heard Daoist Qu continue: “Today, this master will teach you a technique called the 【Ghost Taming Art】.”

“This technique can command ordinary Wandering Spirits for your own use.”

“Cultivators with profound cultivation can even use it to enslave Abominations.”

“Next, this master will demonstrate only once.”