Hidden moth

Chapter 103: Climbing the Ladder to Heaven

"This is a formation set up by the elders of the Earth Master Valley. They also specially provided a key to activate the formation. It can be triggered when encountering danger, so as to prevent me from being harassed by villains and to protect me as much as possible..."

This was a thought that appeared in He Kao's mind, or a piece of information... When He Kao received this information, he naturally interpreted it as Jiang Daozhen saying something to him.

In the shadowy jungle, the only things that remain unchanged are the bamboo chairs and stools they sit on, and the small table and chessboard in front of them.

In the eyes of outsiders, the old man and the young boy were still sitting in front of the gate of the farmers' market playing chess, and there was nothing unusual.

Moreover, people passing by would subconsciously ignore them. Even if someone was looking down at their phone and walking towards them, they would inexplicably avoid them.

If someone has good cultivation and is not affected by this invisible influence, and can lock onto the target and rush towards the two people, he will find that he has suddenly entered the shadows of trees and jungles, and he will circle around without seeing the two people, and eventually he will get out again.

He Kao was a little surprised. Old Man Jiang was also an elder of the clan hall, so why did he need another elder to set up a formation for protection?
Jiang Daozhen seemed to know what he was thinking. This time he did not use his divine sense, but said: "Twenty-three years ago, from the moment I handed the pendant to your grandfather, you could no longer cast any spells on external objects.

I can't use my telepathic skills to actively pry into anyone's secrets, let alone intervene to promote or change anything.

So I am just an ordinary old man from the countryside who often sets up a chess stall here. I don’t know more than you. Fortunately, I later learned how to use my mobile phone and can keep in touch with the clan hall online.

Two elders would also come to see me regularly and tell me about recent events.

I wasn't in Qiyuan when your father got into trouble, and even if I were still here, I probably wouldn't have been able to help. I know you're a good child and won't blame me for this, but I still want to make it clear..."

He Kao became increasingly confused: "What's going on with you?"

Jiang Daozhen: "Have you heard of the magic advancement ceremony?"

He Kao: "I've heard a little bit. It was first told to me by Wu Yanjun of Ruwei Sect, but he hesitated and didn't explain it clearly. I guess it must be a secret teaching of various sects.

Later, I accidentally came across a set of techniques that covered the foundation-building chapter and the first stage of the Body Contemplation Technique, but it didn't mention the ritual for breaking through to the second stage.

Jiang Daozhen was slightly startled: "The technique of observing the body? Lin Qingshuang is still..."

He Kao quickly interrupted him and said, "Senior Lin didn't give it to me privately. I found it myself using the power of the Hidden Moth. Don't you know about this?"

He Kao had always been worried that the disciples of the Shu Sect would see through Yin E's identity, but when he sat down in front of the chess stall, he admitted this right away because the person opposite him was different.

Old man Jiang from Xiawan Village has known him since childhood. He is an elder of the Shumen Sect's Dharma Hall and is said to have reached the level of a seventh-level great mathematician. He gave him a personal magic weapon twenty-three years ago, and now he has given him the secret of the Hidden Moth Technique.

He could hide the fact that he was already a hidden moth from others, but it was wishful thinking to hide it from Jiang Daozhen in front of him. It would be better for him to admit it frankly... So how did he admit it?

Elder Jiang had asked Lin Qingshuang to annotate the spell he had given him, but it didn't specify that it was the Hidden Moth Technique. The second level of the Hidden Moth Technique was called the Assassin, and that wasn't even mentioned in the spell.

After sitting down, He Kao directly admitted that he had practiced the Yin'e technique and was already a second-level assassin of the Yin'e Sect. This was the most important information.

It not only shows that He Kao has become a Yin Moth, but also shows that he has obtained the true inheritance of the Yin Moth Sect, rather than being like Zhou Du and Huang Xiaopang, who only obtained the power of the Yin Moth through the Yin Moth objects.

Who was Jiang Daozhen? Of course he knew everything immediately! That was why the old man laughed heartily and took the initiative to activate the formation set up by Gu Chun - he seemed to have already been able to use magic to cultivate.

He Kao further explained how he had obtained the secret of the Body Viewing Technique. He had used the power of the Invisible Moth to enter Peng Xian's office and searched his personal notebook for it.

As for why he entered Peng Xian's office to search, and what happened that night, He Kao didn't say much, and he felt there was no need to say anything. Because Jiang Daozhen had no intention of asking, and didn't even want to know.

Jiang Daozhen didn't say anything, but just sighed and said, "You don't have to test me. I really don't know about this kind of thing, and it's impossible for me to know."

To say that Jiang Daozhen was just an ordinary country old man was, of course, inaccurate. How could an ordinary person possess the peak cultivation of the sixth rank? Even without using magical powers, he could still infer a lot of things based on the limited information he knew.

But what he was concerned about were all important matters related to the art. If he could even grasp details like He Kao sneaking into Peng Xian's office, then he would not be a quasi-great mathematician trapped in spiritual practice, but a true god.

He Kao had no choice but to follow up and ask, "What is the advancement ceremony?"

Jiang Daozhen: "It's just a cheap method. To be frank, it's just that. It seems to make advancement easier, but in fact it artificially makes things more complicated."

He Kao also understood this principle. Just like climbing a mountain, the path that is suitable for more people to climb and is easier to walk on is bound to be a longer detour.

Jiang Daozhen paused, then continued, "I almost forgot, there's no advancement ceremony for the Hidden Moth Technique, as it was lost twelve hundred years ago. The other seven techniques, however, have undergone significant improvements over the past millennia."

Do you know what the ceremony is for a sixth-level mathematician to advance to the seventh level?

How could He Kao know this! But this sentence was a self-question and self-answer, and the words had their own divine explanation. It actually introduced in detail the characteristics of each level of Lingxi cultivation, as well as various details, and even included the complete formula.

It was completely unexpected! The complete inheritance of the Lingxi technique was already in his hands? Jiang Daozhen hadn't even said hello beforehand, nor did he ask He Kaotong for his consent, let alone if he wanted to become his disciple.

If Lin Qingshuang had done the same as him at the beginning, He Kao might have become a second-level acupuncturist of Guanshen Sect now.

But Jiang Daozhen also had a logical explanation in his mind, because He Kao's identity was equivalent to the leader of the Yin'e Sect. 1,200 years ago, he was qualified to refer to this information.

Although the Yin'e Sect has been extinct for 1,200 years, the Shu Sect does not seem to have abolished this rule.

The specific content of the skills is very complicated, and many of them are beyond the current understanding of He Kao, and even he should not be exposed to them. It is not a problem of identity, but that his cultivation is too low.

Therefore, Jiang Daozhen used the Divine Mind Heart Seal. What He Kao could not understand could not be interpreted now. In the future, as his cultivation level improved, he would naturally be able to understand more profound mysteries.

The first level of Lingxishu, known as the bystander.

Just by hearing this name, you know what to pay attention to. You must maintain an observation attitude and not engage in divination easily. Of course, you must not tell fortunes for others. Instead, you must pay attention to observing the people and things in the world.

The second level of Lingxishu, commonly known as Chenke.

At this stage, cultivation is no longer a simple observation, but requires personal experience of worldly affairs, interacting with many people, grasping the mysteries of the changes and development of things, and verifying them with one's own observations and analysis.

He is at the third level of telepathy and calls himself a prophet.

It sounds magical and high-end, but in fact, the requirements for practice are similar to those of the planning departments of many companies. It is necessary to formulate and complete a certain plan, which is actually a kind of prophecy.

The prophet needs to predict the occurrence of certain things, but if the prediction fails, it will also cause certain backlash, so one must be cautious when practicing.

The fourth level of Lingxishu, jokingly called a charlatan.

While this immediately sounds far less impressive than a prophet, it still ranks among the highest-ranking sorcerers. This is both a self-deprecating commentary and a warning to restrain one's sorcerous abilities. Historically, there have been many cases of charlatans who actually engaged in this profession, such as fortune-telling stalls or practicing sorcery. In such cases, it's crucial to be cautious and avoid using sorcery, but still achieve your goal.

There's a saying that goes, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed," a favorite refrain of charlatans since ancient times. But if they can't be revealed, why choose the profession of charlatan? Perhaps this is the dialectical point.

It is not absolutely forbidden for charlatans to use magic, but in this case, they cannot say it directly and must express it in another way, such as indirectly or in an equivalent way.

"Use without using, and have telepathy in mind" is the most core and mysterious principle of the art of telepathy.

The fifth level of Lingxishu, known as the person asking for directions.

The reason for this title is that when they have reached this level of cultivation, they will no longer set up stalls to tell fortunes, but instead often ask people for directions, because they really get lost, or they may get lost at any time.

The sixth level of Lingxishu, honored as the Master of Mathematics.

Only when one reaches this level can one practice Lingxi Sect's unique secret technique - Tianjishu. However, all the previous training from level one to level five can be said to be preparation for practicing Tianjishu.

What's interesting is that Jiang Daozhen explicitly asked He Kao if he knew what the advancement ceremony was. He even gave the specific formula for the Lingxi technique introduced in his divine thought, but omitted the advancement ceremony!

Because although the leader of the Yin E Sect is qualified to refer to the magic formulas of each sect, the specific advancement rituals are a secret within each sect, and are only available after the Yin E lineage has died out.

Jiang Daozhen couldn't tell him casually either.

However, Jiang Daozhen hinted to He Kao that the so-called advancement ceremony was included in the details just mentioned. According to the specific characteristics of the techniques, each school of techniques had different ingenious designs.

He gave a relatively detailed introduction to the third-level prophets and fourth-level charlatans, but only briefly mentioned the initial first-level, second-level, and final fifth-level and sixth-level levels.

Is there any title for warlocks above level 6? No!
Because at this point, there are no ready-made methods to speak of. The predecessors have only left guidance and enlightenment on the realm, and practice depends entirely on one's own perception.

Some people call the seventh-level sorcerer of Lingxi Sect the Great Calculator, implying that he is just higher than the sixth level.

As for how many levels of achievement there are in magic, it has been said since ancient times that there are nine levels.

But in the current magic sect, the highest level of cultivation that Jiang Daozhen had seen was only level seven. As for level eight magicians, perhaps there were some, perhaps some seniors who had long since retired and no longer cared about worldly affairs. In any case, Jiang Daozhen had never seen one with his own eyes.

A ninth-order sorcerer was even more legendary. His realm was beyond even Jiang Daozhen's comprehension, and it was impossible for him to tell He Kao anything.

The techniques he taught were complete and could be practiced to become a sixth-level mathematician.

Back to the question, what kind of ceremony is required for a sixth-level mathematician to advance to the seventh level? There is no ceremony! In other words, there is no specific, pre-designed ritual that can be followed and successfully passed on to future generations.

Perhaps it is impossible in itself, or perhaps the thousands of years of history of this art means that the exploration and accumulation in this area are far from enough.

This ritual must be based entirely on one's own experiences and circumstances, and must have a unique aspiration and opportunity. For the art of spiritual resonance, it must also fulfill a prophecy and obtain an answer.

This prophecy, this answer, must not be an ordinary thing. It must be worthy of the achievements of a seventh-level great mathematician.

Jiang Daozhen considered himself a prodigy, and he became a sixth-rank mathematician before he was forty years old. However, for many years thereafter, he was always confused about how to advance. But suddenly one day, he felt as if a blessing had come to his mind and that the opportunity had arrived.

Because he discovered that his fellow countryman, a young man named Zhou Du from the neighboring village, was actually the legendary hidden moth.

Jiang Daozhen's research on hidden moths can be said to have surpassed that of all his contemporaries. However, the Zhoudu he discovered was not a true moth, and it could never be a true moth.

In ancient times, the leader of the Yin Mo lineage was passed down through rituals, and the power had to be passed on to the Yin Mo disciples, because no one else could truly control the things of the Yin Mo.

After the Hidden Moth lineage died out, Hidden Moths continued to appear in the world. Those were the spirits of the divine artifacts looking for hosts, but for those who became Hidden Moths, this was not necessarily a good thing.

There are no more Yin Mo sorcerers in the world. According to Jiang Daozhen's analysis, either the previous generation of Yin Mo chose to pass it on to the next generation, or the spirit of the artifact found the most suitable person to practice Yin E art on its own.

This formed an unsolvable vicious circle. After those people became Hidden Moths, they had no chance to practice the Hidden Moth Technique anymore.

The prerequisites for learning the art of Hidden Moth are too high, and the requirements for the first level of practice after entry are even more abnormal. No matter how good a person's qualifications are, becoming a Hidden Moth and using the power of the Hidden Moth without a foundation of cultivation will only harm himself.

Theoretically, Jiang Daozhen could ignore it, but for someone like him, as long as he intervenes and promotes such things, it is often equivalent to changing his own destiny.

But then, as if inspired, he devised a ritual to summon the real Yin Mo back. He discovered that He Kao had excellent qualifications, and what was even more rare was that he was Yin Mo's own son - where else could he find such a good opportunity?

The pendant looked ordinary, but he had sought the help of several elders of the sect. Back then, under the guidance of a seventh-level master, everyone worked together to successfully refine it.

It’s not that it is so precious and mysterious, but Jiang Daozhen’s request is too tricky. He actually wants a three-year-old child to wear it.

Wearing it for a long time can subtly make people’s minds delicate, their senses sharp, and their ability to remain calm and composed in the face of difficulties, without any negative impact on their physical and mental health.

Several experts discussed for a long time and deduced various situations before finally deciding to give it only two simple functions: "calming the mind and spirit" and "malice detection".

It seems simple, but it takes a lot of effort.

Any weapon refining master who heard such a request would probably beat the person on the spot. It would feel like spending the effort of killing several pigs just to make a plate of home-cooked stir-fried meat?

Because the magical effects of this instrument, no matter how beautifully it is described, are of little help to beginners. In fact, the above-mentioned effects are meant to make a person as qualified as possible to practice the Hidden Moth Technique.

But for the sake of Elder Jiang, he finally managed to deliver the "Evil-Suppressing Pendant" to the old carpenter. The old carpenter decided to give it to his eldest grandson.

At that moment, the ceremony had already begun.

There is no advancement ritual in this world that can guarantee success, let alone a ritual from level six to level seven?
This was Jiang Daozhen's own design, and it was his own choice to take that step, because his cultivation had already reached the peak of the sixth level and could not go any further... Some situations were known to him, but some were unexpected.

No matter how the ritual for a sixth-level breakthrough to the seventh level was designed, during the process, the power of the magic could not be used to interfere with external objects. For the Lingxi technique, there were even more unique requirements... Jiang Daozhen did not elaborate on what they were.

He Kao sat in the shadow of the sycamore tree for what seemed like a long time, yet also like only a brief moment. Finally, coming to his senses, he looked at Jiang Daozhen and asked, "So, you, old man..."

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Daozhen nodded and said, "Yes, this is the last step to complete the advancement ceremony. I realized it a long time later.

Today you finally came to me and told me that the ritual was successful!"

**
(End of this chapter)