Chapter 618 - 98: The Art of Qimen Dunjia

(This Chapter contains some setting details about the Yuqing Sect)

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, a sudden hailstorm struck the southern coastal regions, thwarting the Chu Kingdom Court’s newly issued land reclamation decree. Following the hail, pirates began to cause trouble. Fortunately, the coast had long been fortified and cleared, so the losses were not too great.

The Court’s troops mobilized in the coastal cities on the second day of the pirate sightings and soon engaged them in battle. Both sides suffered wins and losses. On New Year’s Eve, a band of pirates suddenly appeared outside a small town fifty li from Jinhuai City. Not content with looting the town, they also massacred its entire population of over two thousand people.

When the battle report reached the Emperor’s desk, he flew into a rage and ordered the Ministry of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation, which led to another wave of mass arrests in Jinhuai City.

On the morning of the tenth day of the first lunar month, Wang Ping, dressed in formal attire, stood outside the main gate of his Garden Dojo to welcome guests from afar. They were the reinforcements promised by Zhi Gong Daoist and Hu Yin.

Zhi Gong Daoist was a man of his word. He had invited a Heterodox Cultivator from the Yuqing Sect. The information on him stated that he cultivated the art of Qimen Dunjia and also practiced the Face Reading Technique. He wore a yellow, wide-sleeved Daoist Robe and a tall crown that only the Human Dao nobles of Changhu Mountain Country were permitted to wear. His entire being exuded the unique immortal aura of a Yuqing Cultivator.

The man’s name was Ying Qing. It sounded rather delicate, but his features were resolute, and a magnificent beard hung down to his chest.

Hu Yin had sent a Monkey Demon. Clad in silver armor and standing over seven feet tall, he looked majestic and imposing. When Wang Ping saw him, his mind couldn’t help but drift to the Monkey King from his past life.

His name was Hou Jun, a name that clearly showed he was exceptionally confident in his looks.

When they met, there was, of course, an exchange of pleasantries.

After Wang Ping led the two into the Dao Field and they were seated, Daoist Ying Qing suddenly spoke. "I observe that Fellow Daoist’s features are well-proportioned and bear the mark of the Nine-Five. This is the face of one destined to rule the world!"

Before Wang Ping could reply, the Monkey Demon Hou Jun beside him burst out laughing. "HAHA! When you first met me, Fellow Daoist, you also said I had the face of a king. Do you say that to everyone?"

Daoist Ying Qing replied with a straight face, "Your ’king’ is different from Fellow Daoist Changqing’s. Fellow Daoist Changqing bears the Nine-Five!"

Wang Ping was amused, but Yu Lian asked curiously, "Daoist, what does my face say?"

Daoist Ying Qing actually studied Yu Lian’s face earnestly for a long moment before saying, "Fellow Daoist is a natural-born Spiritual Object. Your fate is governed by Heaven and Earth, which I cannot yet perceive. Perhaps I will be able to divine it once I have fully mastered the Face Reading Technique."

"HAHA!"

This time, Hou Jun’s laughter was even louder. He then said, "With Changqing Zhenren’s level of cultivation, changing his appearance is a trivial matter. How can you possibly read his face then?"

"The face is born from the heart; it cannot be altered just by changing one’s skin. No matter how Fellow Daoist Changqing changes his appearance, he will never escape the mark of the Nine-Five!"

Yu Lian tilted her head in thought and said, "If I’m not mistaken, the Nine-Five is a concept from the Mortal World. Daoist, do you really think it’s reasonable to use a concept fabricated by mortals to divine the fate of a Third Realm Cultivator?"

"..."

"HAHA!"

Hou Jun roared with laughter, leaping up from his seat and bouncing around just like a monkey, instantly shedding his majestic and imposing image.

Wang Ping was also laughing, and Yu Lian looked a little smug, thinking she had exposed Daoist Ying Qing’s scam.

After a moment of stunned silence, Daoist Ying Qing showed no anger. Instead, he smiled. "My Face Reading Technique is based on the Human Dao, so why shouldn’t it be able to read Fellow Daoist Changqing? Although we are Cultivators, we are still mortals. Mortals experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. Even beings as powerful as True Monarchs cannot escape death; it is merely a matter of time. We use the term ’mortal’ to define ordinary laypeople, but are we not mortals ourselves?"

Hearing this, the smiles on the faces of Wang Ping, Yu Lian, and Hou Jun gradually faded. Daoist Ying Qing continued, "Most people in the world are mediocre and directionless. Some are blessed with great intelligence and understand the principles of the Human Dao from a young age, but they lack a goal. The birth of the Face Reading Technique gave them that goal."

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Ping and cupped his fists. "If Fellow Daoist does not object, this humble Daoist would like to stay here at Qianmu Temple to see if my Face Reading Technique proves true."

The topic changed so abruptly that Wang Ping almost didn’t know how to react.

Yu Lian carefully sized up Daoist Ying Qing from top to bottom, then said to Wang Ping within his Spirit Sea, ’This person’s Primordial Spirit and karma seem unrelated at first glance, but on closer inspection, they’re actually connected to the grand trend of Heaven and Earth. How should I put this... his cultivation method is so strange. It’s as if he’s placing bets on the changing tides of the world.’

Hearing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but study Daoist Ying Qing more seriously. Although he didn’t know much about Celestial Gate Cultivators, he had some knowledge. Yet, this was the first time he had ever heard of someone cultivating using the grand trend of Heaven and Earth.

"You have doubts, Fellow Daoist?" Daoist Ying Qing noticed the question in Wang Ping’s eyes.

"Can one really cultivate with Heaven and Earth Fortune?" Wang Ping asked directly.

A flicker of light passed through Daoist Ying Qing’s eyes, and then he smiled. "You have a keen eye, Fellow Daoist. I’m afraid my meager skills are an embarrassment before you. My primary cultivation is Qimen Dunjia. To ordinary people, it might just seem like a form of divination, but in reality, it is exceedingly complex. It mainly involves observing the evolution of Heaven and Earth, which includes the continuation of civilizations, the lives of all living beings, and the evolution of systems. This, in turn, involves astronomy, geography, and the logical thinking of human nature."

"I cultivate the Celestial Gate Yang Dao, which people often call the Yuqing Dao or the Golden Core Dao. I use the Golden Core within my body to deduce the cosmos. By combining the logical thinking of human nature with the aid of my Golden Core, I deduce the future of reality to strengthen my own cultivation and open up more inner-body cosmoses!"

Hou Jun interjected, "The Golden Core Dao is rumored to allow one to create things from nothing. By your logic, does that mean your Qimen Dunjia allows you to borrow cultivation from the future out of thin air?"

Daoist Ying Qing shook his head. "That cannot be spoken of. It’s not that I intend to hide it from you three Fellow Daoists, but matters of the future simply cannot be discussed."

Yu Lian couldn’t help but say, "By saying that, you’ve already said it!"

Ying Qing smiled but said nothing.

Wang Ping understood what Daoist Ying Qing meant. The man couldn’t tell outsiders whether he could borrow cultivation from the future, or even if he had borrowed it at all. To do so would be to affirm the future, which was indeed a terrifying prospect.

"What if your logical deductions are wrong?" Yu Lian asked.

"Of course, there is a price. In a light case, one’s cultivation regresses. In a severe case, one’s body and Dao are extinguished. When the Xiao Shan Lord was ascending, there were other cultivators who practiced Qimen Dunjia like me. They risked a final divination, and not a single one of them survived!"

"And you didn’t make a divination?"

Daoist Ying Qing smiled and shook his head.

Hou Jun then said, "This Secret Technique of yours is interesting. Can I learn it?"

"You can. None of the individual Secret Techniques of the Yuqing Sect are actually secrets. With your level of cultivation, Fellow Daoist, you can certainly request it. But to learn all the Magic, you must cultivate the Golden Core with the *Yuqing Secret Technique* from the very beginning. Unfortunately, this complete technique can only be learned by the Direct Disciples of the Yuqing Sect!"

"A single Secret Technique can get you to the Third Realm? If you mastered all of them, couldn’t you even blast a True Monarch to pieces!" Hou Jun spoke without any restraint. The Demon Race didn’t hold the True Monarchs in high regard; thousands of years of worship had not made them true believers.

Just as Daoist Ying Qing was about to respond, Xia Wen Yi appeared at the courtyard gate in a streak of light.

"What is it?"

"Lu Shan, the Sect Leader of the Nine Tripods Sect from Shanwu Road, has sent someone with a formal calling card. They have arrived at the waters bordering Nanlin Road and Ningzhou Road."