A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Wu Shidao coughed lightly, then smiled and said, "Junior Brother, you must have come here for something, right?"

Duan Rong then came to his senses, took the document Zhu He had given him from his sleeve, placed it on the tea table, and gently pushed it in front of Wu Shidao, saying, "I obtained three divine herbs from Master. Master said that Senior Brother is in charge of the specific allocation. I'll trouble Senior Brother with this allocation."

"A miracle drug!?" Wu Shidao raised an eyebrow.

The preparation of the sect's divine medicines is extremely demanding; generally, only elders of the Elder Council and senior members of the sect are qualified to apply for their preparation. In other words, the sect only supplies this stuff to cultivators at the Cave-Penetrating Realm and above. But when he examined his junior brother's dantian just now, he was only at the first level of the Qi Cyclone Realm, yet his master had prepared three divine medicines for him.

Wu Shidao picked up the document with a puzzled look in his eyes. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Zhu He's handwriting, and the sect leader's seal was also present at the end.

Wu Shidao raised his head, smiled slightly, and said, "Junior Brother, don't worry. Since it was Master who assigned it, I will have someone deliver these three divine herbs to the Lü family residence today."

Duan Rong said, "Could you please trouble your senior brother to have these three divine herbs sent to Tianzhu Peak and delivered to Senior Lin or Senior Sister Jiang Hanyan? Just say that I am repaying my previous debt."

Wu Shidao's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "Of course."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong immediately stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother. Yunfu Peak is a busy place, and I will not disturb you any longer."

Wu Shidao also stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Junior Brother, please take care."

Duan Rong remained expressionless, gave a slight bow, and then turned and walked out. He walked to the corridor and glanced back at Wu Shidao's room door, only to find that the door was already closed.

Duan Rong's eyes rippled slightly as he recalled what had just happened, and the astonishment in his heart still lingered.

Wu Shidao was actually a puppet inhabiting the Nightmare Seed. Moreover, he was a mature Nightmare Seed. In other words, he had likely been a puppet for many years.

It's not just very likely, it's probably true.

Wu Shidao had long been a puppet of the patriarch Lü Yinlin.

At first, Duan Rong was shocked, but now that he had calmed down, he felt that it actually made a lot of sense. In other words, Wu Shidao should be the patriarch's puppet.

Moreover, Duan Rong now thinks that among the senior brothers and sisters of Yunfu Peak, Wu Shidao is the most like a puppet. The others, whether it is Fan Hongjiao, Lu Geng, or Wang Yue, can all be said to have distinct personalities.

Especially Fan Hongjiao, if you say she's a puppet, Duan Rong would never believe it.

A person with a distinct personality cannot be a puppet.

Because a puppet's self is extinguished, it cannot have a distinct personality. Only a cold and sinister fellow like Wu Shidao is more in line with the puppet's character.

Furthermore, as Lü Yinlin also mentioned, Zhu He had puppets on every mountain peak within the sect. Years ago, Zhu He had already taken charge of the sect's internal affairs department, becoming one of the most central figures in the elders' council. Moreover, he has now succeeded as the sect leader.

Such a figure must have a puppet of the patriarch by his side.

Moreover, it's probably not just Wu Shidao; there should be others among those who served as attendants and supervisors.

In other words, the entire Yunfu Peak is completely under the control of the Ancestor.

Although Zhu He was not implanted with the Nightmare Seed, his sense of self was not extinguished, allowing him to unleash his creativity and serve the sect. However, in a sense, Zhu He was also a puppet of the patriarch, Lü Yinlin.

Because his personal disciple, Wu Shidao, whom he regarded as his confidant, was the patriarch's puppet, and many other puppets were secretly hidden on the entire Yunfu Peak to monitor his every move.

Through this arrangement, the patriarch Lü Yinlin transformed Zhu He into a puppet with self-awareness.

Upon thinking of this, Duan Rong couldn't help but shudder.

Because he realized from Yunfu Peak that the entire sect was controlled by the patriarch Lü Yinlin. Although he had been hiding in the secluded valley for hundreds of years, the entire Taiyi Sect was still under his control.

“This old monster…” A flicker of fear flashed in Duan Rong’s eyes. He suddenly realized that Lü Yinlin was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

With this thought in mind, Duan Rong vanished like a ghost, and in the next moment, he appeared about ten feet away in the depths of a valley where clouds and mist churned.

Duan Rong did not intend to tell his master Zhu He that Wu Shidao was a puppet. Firstly, given Wu Shidao's sinister nature, Zhu He had never fully trusted him. He knew very well that Zhu He clearly trusted Fan Hongjiao more than Wu Shidao. Secondly, revealing it would be tantamount to exposing the patriarch's secret, which would be extremely unwise.

Duan Rong's figure moved slowly through the misty clouds, as he was deep in thought.

To be honest, although he has now reached the Cave-Ming Realm, he still feels a deep sense of insecurity around Lü Yinlin. This is because he senses that Lü Yinlin has a ruthless and ambitious style in his actions.

From this perspective, he felt that Fu Yi's betrayal of the sect and founding of the Filthy Blood Sect might have other hidden reasons. Over the years, there was one thing he couldn't quite understand: why Fu Yi had remained in Qingzhou. Knowing full well that he was a thorn in the side of the Taiyi Sect's patriarch, he had stubbornly stayed in Qingzhou for so many years.

Fu Yi has already condensed a blood infant using the Divine Art of Filthy Blood. With his abilities, where in the vast land of China can't he go?
Duan Rong's unease at this moment stemmed from his vague fear that one day he might follow in Fu Yi's footsteps.

This was his intuition.

Duan Rong's figure suddenly appeared on a desolate mountaintop in the vast mountains. He sat cross-legged on a large rock, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds in the valley, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

If he doesn't want to follow in Fu Yi's footsteps, the only way is to improve himself as quickly as possible.

At least one thing he was certain of was that Lü Yinlin genuinely wanted to train him to reach the Nascent Soul stage, because it was in the sect's best interest. But could there be some aspects he hadn't considered?

Duan Rong suddenly let out a long sigh, feeling a sense of oppression in his chest.

If he truly wants to break free from the control of Ancestor Lü Yinlin, then he himself must become a Nascent Soul cultivator and stand on equal footing with the Ancestor…

"Nascent Soul Realm?!"

Duan Rong's eyes flashed as he recalled the cultivation method of the Cave-Ming Realm that Lü Yinlin had taught him: investigating things, using mediums, comprehending, and breaking through.

He clearly needs to go through these four steps of cultivation and realization.

But how long will it take? Two hundred years, three hundred years, or even five hundred years?

Just then, Duan Rong's dim and worried eyes suddenly brightened. He seemed to have remembered something, and in a flash, he leaped up from the large rock, transforming into a black streak that shot into the distance.

Duan Rong walked through the withered forest and into the deep valley where the patriarch Lü Yinlin lived in seclusion. At this moment, his face was serene, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He did not go to pay his respects to Lü Yinlin, but went straight into his cave.

Since moving to the Lü family mansion, he hadn't entered this cave dwelling for over a year. A layer of dust had settled deep inside. By the dim light of the strange mushrooms on the stone wall, Duan Rong glanced at a chest at the foot of the stone bed.

He walked over, brushed away the dust, opened the chest, and took out a scroll from the bottom. This was the seal script character for "knife" that Gu Daoling had given to Zhu He. Before he entered this valley, Zhu He had given it to him, and he had brought it to this cave.

Duan Rong wrapped the calligraphy in a cloth from the box, grabbed some odds and ends, slung the wrapped bundle over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the cave, he saw Li Ruojian, the hostage of the Tianyan Sect, walking over from the other side of the secluded valley.

Li Ruojian glanced at the bundle behind Duan Rong, smiled somewhat awkwardly, and said, "Brother Duan, are you leaving already?"

Duan Rong looked over and saw that Li Ruojian's spirits had deteriorated significantly over the past year, and she seemed somewhat listless. He couldn't sense the presence of a mature Nightmare Seed on Li Ruojian. However, Duan Rong believed that the Ancestor must have already planted the Nightmare Seed within her, but it would take several years for the Nightmare Seed to mature.

Duan Rong said, "Brother Li, I will be staying at the Lü family residence from now on. I still have some things here, so I'll come and get them."

Li Ruojian said, "Then it means I won't be able to see Brother Duan often anymore."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Brother Li, if you don't mind, you are welcome to visit the Lü family residence. There will be plenty of good wine and food."

Li Ruojian's face showed some bitterness, but she smiled faintly and said, "Then thank you very much, Brother Duan."

"Of course." Duan Rong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Then, Brother Li, I'll take my leave."

Li Ruojian clasped her hands in greeting and said, "Brother Duan, please take care."

Duan Rong's gaze swept casually over the cave dwelling of his ancestor, Lü Yinlin, before he turned and left the deep valley. As soon as he emerged, he transformed into a streak of black light and shot towards the Lü family's residence.

Duan Rong returned to his courtyard and went straight to his house.

Xiao Yu had been worried that Duan Rong might not return for a while, but then she suddenly saw him come back. Overjoyed, Xiao Yu brewed some ginseng tea and took it to Duan Rong's room.

She walked to the door of the room, but her expression froze.

Behind the curtain, the door was closed, which was unusual as the door was usually kept closed, with only the curtain hanging down.

Xiao Yu stood there for a few breaths, then suddenly raised her hand to knock on the door. But her hand stopped as soon as she raised it. After a while, she lowered her hand, sighed, and turned to leave with the ginseng tea she had prepared.

Inside the room, Duan Rong spread the bundle out on the bed, picked up the calligraphy by Gu Daoling, stretched it out on the table, and stared at it intently.

At this moment, he had already reached the Cave-Ming Realm. Looking at the ancient Daoling's words again, he felt that behind the seal script knife character, there was a mist, layer upon layer, making it difficult to see through.

Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he gently placed his right hand on the scroll, thinking to himself, "Reading the spirit!"

The next moment, a data panel emitting a faint glow appeared before Duan Rong's eyes.

Object: Seal script calligraphy knife
Spirit level: 19
Absorption Requirements: Host's mental strength level 19 (met)

Devouring effect: Gaining insight into the origin of sword intent and making initial progress in understanding the laws of celestial phenomena.
Duan Rong had already read the spirit of this calligraphy scroll before even entering the ruins of gods and demons.

However, given his level of spiritual power at that time, he couldn't absorb it, but he always remembered the effect of absorption. This calligraphy was written by Gu Daoling himself after he broke through to the next level and was given to his senior brother Zhu He.

Gu Daoling hoped that Zhu He could use this character to gain insight and make some breakthroughs in his cultivation. However, Zhu He clearly had limited talent and his ambitions lay elsewhere; his heart was more focused on worldly achievements.

Using the character "刀" (knife) as a medium, Gu Daoling infused his understanding of the origin of the knife's intent and his comprehension of the laws of celestial phenomena into it, imprinting it on the back of the seal script character "刀".

Duan Rong's eyes flickered as he looked at the data panel before him, thinking to himself, "Devour."

The data panel in front of me vanished the next moment.

The calligraphy scroll lying on the table suddenly changed; the artistic conception, the layers of mist behind the seal script characters, the seemingly unfathomable depth, vanished in an instant.

The calligraphy has now become incredibly ugly, resembling a child's scribbles.

The seal script character for "knife" is ugly in its strokes and unbalanced in its structure. From the perspective of secular calligraphy, it is utterly unacceptable, not even worthy of being called a craftsman, let alone possessing any artistic conception.

Duan Rong rolled up the calligraphy copybook, put it back into the bundle spread out on the bed, then wrapped it up again and casually put it in the cabinet. This calligraphy copybook, which Gu Daoling had put so much effort into, had now become useless.

Then Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the bed and began to digest the devoured artifact spirit.

This artifact spirit contains the power of laws, making it very difficult to digest.

That day, Xiao Yu brought tea to Duan Rong's door several times, but the door remained closed each time.

As night fell, she returned with a lantern, only to find the door still closed. She went around to the side of the house and glanced at the window of Duan Rong's room, only to find it completely dark.

Xiao Yu's eyes flickered slightly, feeling that Duan Rong was acting strangely. Since they moved into this courtyard, Duan Rong had never locked himself inside like this before.

Although she didn't know what Duan Rong was doing inside, since Duan Rong had closed the door, it meant he didn't want to be disturbed. Xiao Yu sighed and went back to her room to sleep.

As night deepened, a chill gradually rose, and the entire Lü family mansion fell into a state of tranquility…

Inside the room, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes, and in the pitch black, a solemn, cold light flashed in them.

Just now, he had completely absorbed the spirit of that calligraphy scroll.

However, his power of law did not deepen at all. This was because during the digestion process, all the power of law contained in the artifact spirit dissipated, without a single trace entering the cavern of his dantian.

Duan Rong was initially surprised and shocked, but upon closer reflection, he understood the reason behind it.

The spirit contained within the artifact is the power of the laws of celestial phenomena that Gu Daoling comprehended.

Although his inner space contains the power of seventy-nine laws, it lacks this particular law power. In other words, laws unrelated to the seventy-nine laws within his inner space cannot deepen his cultivation.

After this absorption and digestion, his cultivation level did not improve in the slightest.

The power of laws contained within the artifact spirit dissipated completely because it was inconsistent with the power of laws he possessed, and he couldn't absorb it at all. (End of Chapter)