Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

Uesugi Kiyoshi stared blankly at his own statue, then subconsciously shook his head.

“My master said he would find me the best sword heart seed before I embark on the path of cultivation. He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry, but he must have his reasons.”

Li Fuyao nodded knowingly.

"Sword Heart Seed? It should be the Mirror of Enlightenment."

“That’s right. When cultivators embark on the path of cultivation, they must question their own hearts and understand their own hearts in order to stay true to their true nature and unleash their own extraordinary power. I used similar methods when I was practicing Qi.”

"It seems that the swordsman Shangquan values ​​you highly. The better the quality of the Mingxin Mirror, the better the effect. After entering the Dao, your original heart will be more steadfast. Not only will the chance of falling into the slumber of ghosts and gods be reduced, but you will also go further on the path of transcendence."

"Those high-quality Mind-Clearing Mirrors are priceless even in this world."

"Since the swordsman Kamiizumi isn't in a hurry, then he must be confident in your abilities."

"Qing, you don't know, the path of the extraordinary is almost entirely unfair, and the same is true for cultivators."

"Those with good talent can reach the Foundation Establishment stage in a day, cultivate their Qi and refine their spirit, and before long they can possess combat power comparable to that of gods."

"Those with poor natural talent, after asking the questions several times, still cannot grasp their true nature, remaining trapped outside the threshold, depressed and unhappy, and even dealing with an ordinary little devil takes too much time and effort. There are far too many people like this."

"Kamizumi Kensho must be certain that with your talent, as long as you pass the threshold of the Heart-Questioning Gate, you will leap over the Dragon Gate and soar to great heights. That's why he's not in a hurry. This kind of thing is not like martial arts training, where it's better to be early than late. What's needed is diligence."

Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't know much about these things, but since Li Fuyao had said so, it was basically true.

He nodded with deep feeling and murmured, "It's because my master has always been very good to me."

"Therefore, I cannot let external forces blind me; I cannot embarrass him."

After just a few words, his eyes cleared a little, and a smile quietly curved at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing his expression, Li Fuyao's smile became even gentler.

She looked at the statue, then at Uesugi Kiyoshi gazing at it. The two figures overlapped, as if body and shadow were one, inseparable.

"Aren't you going to ask me where these things came from?" Uesugi Kiyoshi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked this question meaningfully.

Li Fuyao didn't care and just shook her head.

"Is it important?"

"You didn't ask me where my Hundred Tales came from, did you?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi tilted his head and thought for a moment, then chuckled softly and nodded, repeating, "Does it matter?"

"Yes, it's not important."

After asking and answering his own questions, he felt more refreshed and the conversation turned to more important matters.

"Fuyao, I have something to ask you."

"Perhaps because I inherited the legacy of my predecessors, I have some special [believers]."

"But I have no idea how to use that power of faith."

“I’ve encountered believers, miracles, and faith, but I don’t understand [rituals], and I don’t know how to do them.”

When the conversation turned to serious matters, Li Fuyao also became serious.

"I can't help you with how to use the power of faith. Everyone's path is different, and I can't walk it for you."

"However, I can explain the ritual to you in detail."

Have you heard the legend of the Hundred Tales?

Kiyoshi Uesugi could answer this question. When he first arrived, he was particularly interested in all sorts of ghost stories and supernatural tales. He had even collected some of them. The legend of the Hyakumonogatari was very popular in Japan, and there were several versions of it online.

The most widely circulated one is: Hyakumonogatari is a folk custom in Japan, which mostly takes place on summer nights. Its origin is unknown, but it flourished in the Edo period. It is a game in which people collectively summon ghosts.

The game is usually played in a dark room. Everyone lights one hundred candles and tells ghost stories about gods and spirits until the ninety-ninth ghost story is told, leaving only the last candle wick.

Legend has it that if someone blows out the last candle, it will attract ghosts. Therefore, storytellers are always on guard, making sure they don't become the last one when it's their turn to tell a story, because they don't know what will happen when they finish telling the hundredth story. So, they stop immediately when they reach the ninety-ninth story, and no one dares to continue.

"Aoandon" is a lamp with a blue-green lampshade used in the "Hyakumonogatari" game to create a terrifying atmosphere. It is said that she is a messenger of hell and a ghost of the underworld. She can take on various forms to lure many people to play the game called "Hyakumonogatari". Perhaps it is a hobby, or perhaps it is the source of her power.

There are other conflicting accounts, but without exception, "Aoandon" is a well-known great yokai closely associated with "Hyakumonogatari".

Although he already had a guess in his mind, Uesugi Kiyoshi still found it hard to associate the image of the great yokai with the girl in front of him.

Judging from your expression, you seem to have heard of it.

"The Hundred Tales is a kind of ritual."

“Rituals are a way for the believer’s star to connect with the stars of the gods in the sea of ​​stars.”

“Rituals, ritual implements, incantations, and so on, all lead to the same goal.”

“A complex sacrificial ritual, a long and difficult-to-understand prayer, or even a statue imbued with the aura of a deity can all achieve the same effect.”

"In short, this is a means of establishing the image of God in the minds of believers. Only in this way can believers have the emotional fluctuations that can be called the power of faith, and pass them on to you."

After a moment's thought, Uesugi Kiyoshi understood.

Anyone who has played the game Hyakumonogatari will surely remember the blue lamp that created the eerie atmosphere. Many years later, even if you have forgotten most of the ghost stories, that lamp will still be firmly etched in your memory.

If something strange and alarming happens after the Hyakumonogatari episode, this effect will become even more severe.

Shuten-dōji once said that as long as there is one person in the world who still remembers the name Shuten-dōji, he will not die completely. Similarly, as long as Aoandon's fame spreads throughout the world with the stories of Hyakumonogatari, the strength of the great demon named Aoandon will probably also increase.

The frenzied actions of the blue-robed people that he experienced in Li Fuyao's dream were likely a more targeted sacrificial activity, aimed at deeply embedding the image of the blue lantern in the hearts of believers.

To use a simple analogy, a ritual is like the act of "dialing" when making a phone call; if you don't dial, the call naturally won't go through.

Uesugi Kiyoshi frowned and pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head in resignation.

"Ah, rituals, spells, prayers, they're all so foreign to me."

"Isn't there any other way?"

"Asking me to figure out how to create a ritual step by step is asking too much. It's much harder than a math problem!"

Uesugi Kiyoshi not only had no objection to the so-called "spreading of faith," but was also quite interested in giving it a try.

Try what it feels like to be a "god".

He always felt that this "stepping stone to godhood" was the most important meaning of the existence of the Hundred Demons Scroll, even more important than games like Hyakumonogatari and Mirage.

He had barely finished uttering his complaints when another voice answered him.

"Uesugi, you're so stubborn."

"The Lord of a Hundred Tales has said that there are many methods. You can choose the simplest and most direct one."

"For example, a statue that exudes divine aura."

"I know this very well, do you need any help?"

The red-haired Oni King of Mount Oe broke free of the painting, leaned against the wall, and suddenly spoke with an indescribable, mysterious smile.

Uesugi Kiyoshi stared at Shuten-dōji, who was suddenly becoming overly attentive, and instead of replying immediately, he fell into deep thought.

Chapter 195 Take Me Home

Uesugi Kiyoshi believed what Shuten-dōji said.

The fact that the Oni King of Mount Ooe could transform an ordinary person into a "respectable ritualist" in Kudo Yu's words with just a single statue, and that he possessed many strange and bizarre methods throughout his long life, is not surprising.

His hesitation stemmed from the fact that he didn't want a Ritualist.

He still vividly remembers Yokota's death; he loathes the way mortals are killed without explanation.

He learned swordsmanship to become stronger for self-defense and to reason with those who wouldn't listen to reason, not to act recklessly, bully the weak with a gun, or indiscriminately kill innocent people for his own selfish desires.

This is also the fundamental reason why he is still meticulously guarding against Shuten-dōji and why his killing intent has not subsided.

It can be said that the Dongwen Society's sacrificial rituals were not performed by him; it was a conspiracy between Dongwen Yu and Dongzhao Shenjun. However, those who performed the transformation rituals were ultimately inextricably linked to Shuten-dōji.

"Oh, you mean those occultists?"

"You want me to transform mortals I've never met into those inhuman monsters? How am I any different from those man-eating demons?"

"It's better not to be that kind of god!"

The red-haired demon king shrugged, unperturbed by Uesugi Kiyoshi's somewhat cold words and impolite attitude, and simply drank his wine and shook his head.

"Hmph, you're young and inexperienced, I won't bother with you."

"Let me ask you, there are tens of millions of shrines throughout Japan, of which two or three out of ten are dedicated to the true gods. And those priests, priests, and shrine maidens who believe in and serve the gods are even more numerous; they are also extraordinary beings."

"However, their power does not come from their own cultivation. According to your Collectors Association's classification standards, those are also [Mystics]!"

"Their power comes from the grace of the gods."

"Then, what is the essential difference between those who gain power by believing in ghosts and spirits and those who gain power by believing in deities?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi is quite stubborn; people like him are usually hard to sway by words.

"I don't recall any shrine priestess who used living people as sacrifices and killing as a regular practice to worship the gods and gain power."

“I can understand the law of the jungle, the fact that if there are demons eating people, there will be people slaying demons. But to make it sound so high-sounding and drag others down with you is a bit too far-fetched.”

Shuten-dōji smacked his lips. He was not good with words, and his sudden speech must have been for a reason. Uesugi Kiyoe had already said so much, and he was at a loss for words.

"There's no difference; they all pay a price. The only difference is the price. Those priests and priestesses, to put it nicely, are caged birds; to put it bluntly, they're just two-legged sheep. They're nothing but greedy people who exchange faith for power!"

Uesugi Kiyoshi scoffed and suddenly waved his hand.

"The difference is huge!"

"Being selfish and harming others for personal gain are two completely different things."

"I am an egoist, there's nothing to be ashamed of saying that, but harming others for personal gain is something that deserves retribution!"

"No one should be killed for no reason, to become a sacrifice or bait. There is no such logic in this world!"

Shuten-dōji fell silent, merely drinking heavily in frustration and ignoring the topic.

In such matters, the positions of humans and spirits differ, making it very difficult to reach a consensus.

"Fine, I'm under your roof, I won't argue with you. My method of creating arcane beings only works on demons. If humans use it, they will turn into monsters like demons. I never said I would give you this method."

"I'm just teaching you a technique to attach ghostly energy to objects and connect believers with spirits. This technique is much simpler and more direct than any incantation or ritual, but it does consume a lot of ghostly energy—you're a swordsman, do you have that much energy tainted with your own aura to squander?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi thought about the will-o'-the-wisps that automatically reappeared every day, and silently nodded.

He really does.