I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 76 Mastering the Divine Skill, Meeting Granny Li

Chen Mo hadn't expected the progress of the Divine Preservation Technique to be so exaggerated.

How long has it been?

It's time to cultivate the spirit!
When the crucial moment arrived, Chen Mo was no longer in a hurry, but stopped to think for a while.

The first three levels of the method of preserving the spirit are: visualization, contemplation, and spirit preservation.

The so-called visualization, simply put, is to keep thinking about the Red Lantern Goddess and pay attention to the details of her image.

The so-called "contemplation" refers to thinking about how to replicate and store the image of the goddess in one's mind.

Although everyone is observing the same image or pattern of the Red Lantern Goddess, the final replica will differ depending on the observer and the difference in their meditation.

It's like the blind men touching an elephant; each person touches something different, and the elephant they imagine is also different.

After contemplation comes spiritual contemplation.

The so-called "preserving the spirit" means to thoroughly imprint the image of the Red Lantern Goddess in one's mind. Imprinting the image of the goddess is considered to have stored the goddess's "spirit" in one's mind.

This is the goddess's god, and also my own god.

By preserving the goddess's spirit, one can unlock the power of that spirit. This allows one to learn unpredictable techniques such as talismans, incantations, hand seals, and footwork.

Granny Li was able to control others with paper figures because she used a method of preserving spirits.

The key to judging a person's ability to exorcise evil spirits lies in the quality of their spiritual preservation.

In short, it depends on the proportion of the goddess's "spirit" stored in the food.

Some people have poor comprehension; after meditating and contemplating, they can only retain one percent of the goddess's essence. The effect is then quite mediocre, and the skills they can learn in the future are also very limited.

According to Guo Ziyu, most of the incense masters have preserved less than one-tenth of the goddess's divine essence; this is called "licunshen".

In ancient times, "厘" meant one percent.

Here it is used to refer to less than one-tenth.

Only a very small number of incense masters can retain one-tenth of the goddess's divine essence, known as the Ten-Retained God. These incense masters have great potential, displaying considerable divine power, and have the hope of becoming a deputy hall master in the future.

Even more impressive are those who possess one-ninth or one-eighth of the goddess's divine essence. These are considered geniuses by the Red Lanterns. After eight to nine years of dedicated practice, if they gain the goddess's approval, they can rise to the rank of local chieftain or hall master. They might even become a Red Lantern attendant, representing the goddess on her processions—a truly prestigious position.

The Eightfold Divine Realm is extremely rare. In the entire Black Mountain Village, only the village chief Zhu Qingfeng has reached the Eightfold Divine Realm and has become a Red Lantern Attendant.

As for the seven immortals mentioned above, they are even rarer.

Chen Mo has already reached the stage of preserving his spirit, but he is still thinking about increasing the proportion of spirit preservation, so he is not in a hurry to enter this stage. After all, this is related to his future prospects.

If one rashly focuses one's attention and the results are poor, then the future potential will be limited.

"According to Guo Ziyu, if one reaches the second level of spiritual cultivation, it means that one has retained half of the Empress's divine essence. Wouldn't that mean one could rival the Empress?"

"If one reaches the state of 'one spirit'... then that is the Empress herself?"

"How come the Red Lantern Goddess is the same as that Spirit Infant? The Spirit Infant selects its host through madness, while the Red Lantern Goddess's method is gentler, selecting disciples through the Spirit Preservation Method?"
"This Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Method isn't working properly..."

But there's nothing I can do; this is the only method I can access for preserving my spirit.

We have no choice but to compromise for now.

Besides, since I'm already on the path of demonization, why bother with all that? Who cares if the Red Lantern Goddess is a god or a demon? I'll focus on learning my skills and strengthening myself first.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo had an idea:

[Begin storing the image of the Red Lantern Goddess!]

After saying that, Chen Mo continued to activate the Red Lantern Divine Preservation Technique.

Boom!

The image of the Red Lantern Goddess on the parchment suddenly seemed to come alive... Chen Mo vaguely saw the image leap out of the parchment and enter his mind.

The next moment, a complete image of the Red Lantern Goddess appeared in my mind.

The young and beautiful goddess's image was solemn, dignified, and otherworldly. A faint golden light shimmered around her, merging with her consciousness.

Chen Mo clearly felt that his spirit had undergone a transformation.

The feeling was indescribable... It was as if my spirit was half-full before, but now it was full, and a lot of spirit was overflowing.

This overflowing spirit becomes exceptionally mystical, capable of influencing external objects.

Of course, Chen Mo hadn't tried it; it was just his feeling.

[Successfully preserved divine power]

[Twofold Spiritual Preservation]

hiss!
Upon seeing the words "Two Spirits," Chen Mo gasped in shock.

I have preserved half of the Empress's divine essence?
If the inner light is activated, half of the goddess's magical power can be borrowed.
This is way too exaggerated!
It should be noted that Chen Mo had only been practicing the Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Technique for a day.

"How could I be so fast? And I'm only at the second level of the Divine Realm... Even Zhu Qingfeng, the strongest leader of Black Mountain Stronghold, is only at the eighth level of the Divine Realm. Doesn't that mean I can already easily defeat the leader?"

Chen Mo was stunned.

He knew the cheat system was overpowered, but it didn't modify the Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Technique; it only altered his bloodline aura to deceive the Red Lantern Goddess. There was no special enhancement to the Spirit Preservation Technique.

What caused that?

Blood of the Demon Curse?
Unable to figure out the reason no matter how hard he thought about it, Chen Mo had no choice but to give up.

He stood up, followed the instructions of the Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Method, and stared at the teacup on the table.

According to the teachings of the Preservation of Spirit method, a person cannot make their spirit overflow on their own, just as a person cannot lift themselves up by their own hair.

However, by preserving the image of the goddess through the method of preserving the spirit, one can allow the spirit to overflow.

The overflowing part of one's spirit can be used to control external objects, such as drawing talismans, setting up spells, performing hand gestures, and stepping.

As Chen Mo gradually released his overflowing spirit, it blessed the teacup.

suddenly--

Click!

The teacup spontaneously levitated and slowly floated to Chen Mo's feet. Without Chen Mo lifting a finger, the teacup moved to his lips and slowly poured water out, which Chen Mo then drank clean.

The teacup was returned to the table the next moment.

"Crush it for me!"

Chen Mo's gaze turned cold, and the teacup three meters away shattered with a crash.

The whole process was incredibly wonderful.

"So this is the method of preserving the spirit! It is indeed miraculous! No wonder it is the secret technique of the major incense masters."

"With the outward manifestation of spirit, combined with true qi, one can draw talismans and cast spells. With the outward manifestation of spirit, one can also break talismans and spells. The method of the Red Lantern is truly remarkable."

"I'll go find Guo Ziyu later to ask about Er Cun Shen's actual combat strength, and also learn some knowledge about talismans."

Chen Mo got up and stretched his limbs, feeling quite good.

But Chen Mo didn't forget about finding the shadow puppet play manual.

These kinds of trivial matters are time-consuming and laborious, and there's no guarantee of a result. Chen Mo naturally didn't want to waste his own time, so he had to find someone to run the errand.

"Qingniu is a steady and reliable person, and he handles things quite well. He's a perfect fit for..."

Having made up his mind, Chen Mo went to the outer courtyard and saw Li Qingniu practicing a method to enhance the sharpness of his six senses. Seeing how focused and dedicated he was to his practice, Chen Mo didn't rush to disturb him but waited for a while in the corridor.

Before long, Li Qingniu spotted Chen Mo, quickly stopped his practice, and excitedly greeted him, "Young Master Mo, what brings you to the outer courtyard today?"

Chen Mo naturally didn't want to send someone to run errands right away, so he started exchanging pleasantries, saying, "I came to see how your progress is."

Li Qingniu scratched his head. "I've been clumsy and awkward since childhood, and I haven't learned any martial arts. I can't compare to a genius like Young Master Mo. I can only put in more effort."

Chen Mo asked with concern, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Li Qingniu hesitated slightly, appearing somewhat timid.

Chen Mo said, "Just speak up if you have any questions. There's no need to feel embarrassed. If you can get ahead of others because of this, you'll be more valued in the manor in the future."

Li Qingniu stopped being vague and shared several questions about improving the sensitivity of the six senses.

Chen Mo had always worked his way up step by step. When he was in the new family compound, he had also seen some rudimentary methods for improving the six senses. Answering a few of Li Qingniu's questions was no problem for him.

Li Qingniu listened attentively and was greatly impressed. "So that's how it is! Young Master Mo's explanation is simple yet profound, much better than the explanations of the other old friends. It's truly enlightening. Thank you for your guidance, Young Master Mo."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "No need to be so formal. By the way, are you familiar with the Blood Ridge Black Market?"

Li Qingniu said, "I've been there a few times with my father before, so I'm quite familiar with it. Is there anything I can help you with, Young Master Mo?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Mo realized that Li Qingniu was the only one he could rely on in this village.

After a moment's thought, Chen Mo said, "I have something to ask of you. Please come with me."

Chen Mo led Li Qingniu to the west wing of the backyard, and then showed Li Qingniu the box of shadow puppets. "If you have some free time recently, I would like to ask you to go to the Blood Ridge Black Market to inquire who owns this box. You can also ask the owner to buy some playbooks."

Li Qingniu hesitated, "The Blood Ridge Black Market is huge, with many people and a lot of eyes. Finding the owner might not be easy, and most black market transactions are final; the owner will just assume I'm returning goods and won't admit it." "That's easy." Chen Mo took out a hundred-tael silver note and handed it to Li Qingniu. "When you get to the black market, find a crowded place and shout loudly that this box is missing a musical score and you're willing to pay a hundred taels to complete it. Many people will come to identify it; just have them name the items in the box, and the one who matches will be the owner."

Chen Mo was calculating.

Li Qingniu was greatly surprised. "If the other party had given him the opera score, would he really have given him a hundred taels?"

Chen Mo then took out three more silver notes with a face value of one hundred taels each. "One hundred taels is not enough, so give him four hundred taels. If you help me accomplish this matter soon, I will reward you handsomely."

Li Qingniu stared wide-eyed, thinking to himself: This Young Master Mo is really too arrogant.

“Young Master Mo, you’re being too polite by mentioning money to me. Every day after I finish my work at the estate, I take my big box to the Blood Ridge Black Market.”

"Thank you for your trouble, Green Ox."

Chen Mo thanked him and then turned to leave.

Although the Blood Ridge Black Market is chaotic, it is under the jurisdiction of the Red Lantern Gang, managed by a gang leader named Chen Qingyan, who also has a manager surnamed Zhou.

Now that Li Qingniu has become a member of the Red Lantern Gang, he can easily make a few calls in the black market without any safety issues.

Back in the inner courtyard, Chen Mo went to find Guo Ziyu...

After listening to Chen Mo's story, Guo Ziyu stared at him with wide eyes, "You've already completed the Spirit Preservation stage?"

Chen Mo said, "It is thanks to Miss Ziyu's careful guidance that I was able to complete the Spirit Preservation skill so quickly."

Guo Ziyu still couldn't believe it, assuming that Chen Mo didn't know the details of the "preservation of spirit" and had mistaken "preservation of thought" for "preservation of spirit."

Besides, wasn't Chen Mo worshipping a spirit infant?

How could one possibly cultivate the divine preservation method of the Red Lantern Goddess?

But she couldn't bear to directly criticize Chen Mo, so she took out a wolf-hair brush, cinnabar, and yellow paper.

"Use the method of preserving your spirit and draw two strokes on the paper for me to see."

Chen Mo agreed, "Are there any special considerations?"

Guo Ziyu said, "You only need to practice the Spirit Preservation Technique and visualize the image of the Goddess. Then, infuse your spirit into the talisman brush. If you enter the Spirit Preservation state, the strokes you draw will contain divine power. I can tell the difference."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement, summoned the image of the Red Lantern Goddess in his mind, and then poured his overflowing spiritual power into the talisman brush, writing the character "诚" (sincerity).

Although Chen Mo only used 25% of his spiritual power, Guo Ziyu was still greatly shocked after seeing it.

"Eighth of the divine essence. You actually preserved one-eighth of the Empress's divine essence. You are on the same level as Zhu Qingfeng. Truly remarkable!"

Chen Mo thought to himself: This is incredible?
He said, "It was just luck. It's all thanks to Miss Ziyu's excellent teaching."

Guo Ziyu suppressed her excitement and doubt, and said, "There's no need to flatter me. It's because you have good understanding and a deep connection with the Empress."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo asked, "I wonder if Miss Ziyu has ever heard of the two spirits of the Red Lantern Clan?"

Guo Ziyu said in a deep voice, "The title of 'Second-Level God' is really too exaggerated. As far as I know, only the Grand Master of the Red Lantern Clan has barely reached the level of Second-Level God. These are the top figures in the entire Honghe County. They are beings who can see the true form of the Red Lantern Goddess."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment: It seems my spiritual cultivation level is about the same as that of the Great Fate Master. However, the other party's techniques are profound, while I have only just begun, so there is a significant difference in actual combat strength.

In addition, the Grand Master of Fate must have mastered the Inner Illumination Divine Power.

I still have a long way to go to achieve my full potential; I can't afford to get complacent.

After regaining his composure, Chen Mo asked, "Miss Ziyu, there is something I don't understand."

Guo Ziyu's gaze towards Chen Mo changed. "Go ahead and speak."

Chen Mo said, "External skills include internal martial arts, and internal techniques include spirit preservation methods. How should one judge a person's combat strength?"

Guo Ziyu smiled and said, "A person's spirit is nourished by essence and blood. In layman's terms, the brain needs blood from the body; the stronger the blood supply, the stronger the brain. Therefore, internal martial arts are the foundation, and the method of preserving the spirit is the upper limit. They are complementary and indispensable. At least that's how it is at the internal martial arts level. If you break through the internal martial arts level in the future, true qi and preserving the spirit will merge, leading you to the path of mastery. However, all of this is still too far away for you. When you reach the seventh or eighth level of martial arts master, I will naturally explain it to you."

Chen Mo asked, "What level of martial arts master is Li Yuanlong?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Fourth level."

After a pause, Guo Ziyu continued, "Now that you have mastered the art of preserving your spirit and your energy is overflowing, you can begin to learn the true skills of exorcising evil spirits. I can teach you the basics of drawing incantations..."

……

"You mean Chen Mo has mastered the Red Lantern Goddess's method of preserving the spirit?"

In the living room of the inner courtyard of Fu Huo Manor, Guo Songyang, who was smoking a pipe, was so shocked by Guo Ziyu's words that he dropped his pipe on the ground, his face full of disbelief.

Guo Ziyu replied, "Yes."

Guo Songyang picked up the pipe from the ground. "How much spirit remains?"

Guo Ziyu pondered for a moment and said, "He displayed the Eightfold Divine Power, but I can see that he concealed the overflow of his spirit. In reality, it should be the Threefold Divine Power."

pat.

The tobacco pipe I had just picked up fell to the ground again.

This time, Guo Songyang didn't even bother to pick them up. "The Three Spirits Preservation Technique. That's comparable to the Lesser Fate Master. He clearly worshipped that Yellow-Robed Spirit Infant, so how could he have learned the Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Technique?"

Guo Ziyu said, "I don't know the reason either. But this person has reappeared, hasn't he?"

Guo Songyang was stunned for a long time before he recovered. "Yes. It has finally reappeared. A method that combines the two evil gods, the Spirit Infant and the Red Lantern Goddess. What does Miss mean?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Our plan can begin now."

Guo Songyang hesitated and said, "But we still don't know this person's attitude."

Guo Ziyu said, "I will handle this matter."

……

Seasons flow by, and years pass by.

Lunar New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

Heavy snow began to fall from the sky, turning the entire Black Mountain Village into a silvery-white landscape.

Despite the heavy snowfall, it couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for the New Year. The entire village was filled with festive cheer.

Some of the workers took leave to go home and reunite with their families. The workers who stayed behind, led by the supervisors, cut paper-cuts for windows, pasted red paper decorations, bought some New Year's goods, and gathered together to cook and make a lively meal.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo remained seated in seclusion in the west wing of the inner courtyard.

He looked more muscular and stronger, and had grown a bit taller, with a more masculine and rugged face.

After studying under Guo Ziyu for some time, Chen Mo has made great progress in his internal martial arts and spirit preservation techniques.

Having mastered the circulation of true qi within the Yangwei meridian, he had already entered the realm of a fifth-level internal martial arts master. His mastery of the art of preserving the spirit had also made rapid progress…

After circulating his true energy through the Yangwei meridian for one cycle, Chen Mo stopped practicing.

"Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. I have to go home."

Chen Mo went to the main hall to ask Guo Songyang for a few days' leave. He then returned to his room to pack his luggage when there was a knock on the door.

"Is Young Master Mo inside?"

Upon hearing Li Qingniu's voice, Chen Mo immediately became interested.

For some time now, Li Qingniu would go to the Blood Ridge black market every day after finishing his work to hawk his wares and search for opera scores. Now that he's come looking for me on his own initiative, he must have some news.

Chen Mo hurriedly opened the door and saw Li Qingniu standing outside, looking travel-worn. He welcomed him in and asked, "Is there any news about the opera score?"

Li Qingniu said excitedly, "I have successfully completed my mission and finally found the source of that opera score."

Chen Mo pulled Li Qingniu inside, poured him a glass of water, and said, "Tell me in detail."

Li Qingniu took a few gulps of water, caught his breath, and said, "The toolbox for the shadow puppet show came from the Li family's residence in the Blood Ridge Black Market. They also have the play scripts, which are in the hands of Granny Li. However, she won't sell them to me; she insists that someone behind me intervene before she'll agree to the transaction."

Grandma Li!

Chen Mo was stunned when he heard those three words.

So it was this wicked woman.

I'm afraid all of this is being orchestrated by Granny Li behind the scenes, just to force me to step forward.

"Qingniu, you've worked hard. You should go home soon." Chen Mo thanked him, saw Li Qingniu off, and then returned to the living room to pour himself a glass of water.

Gulu!

Chen Mo drank the water in his glass in one gulp.

Snapped!
Chen Mo slammed the teacup down on the table, his eyes turning cold.

"Since you've forced me to step in time time and time again, then this time... I'll grant your wish."

"I've taken your whole family's heads, so you can have a peaceful and happy New Year."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Two chapters in a row, 10,000 words each, 10,000 words a day for a consecutive day, anyone have a monthly ticket to give me one?

(End of this chapter)