American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"The old man said he would be back after Christmas, which should be in the next few days."

I wonder what he's doing now?

New author, new book, a tiny seedling, please give it your support.

Chapter 16 The Long Christmas Night 1

"I wonder what my little rascal is up to today?"

Under the same sky, somewhere a thousand miles away.

Wrapped in a thick fur coat, Zhang Shouzhong stood in a snow-covered mountain forest, watching the swirling snowflakes fall from the sky. He exhaled a puff of white breath and murmured to himself.

"Old Zhang, what are you muttering about?"

His companion smiled and handed him a shiny silver flat flask.

"Could it be that you're really getting old? You can't even stand this little bit of cold? Here, have a sip of medicinal wine to warm you up."

"Go to hell! I think you're the one who's old. Dealing with those gloomy and ghostly things every day, you'll get sick of them sooner or later and develop rheumatism!"

Zhang Shouzhong glared at him, snatched the wine pot from his hand, and tilted his head back to drink it.

"You old hag from Maoshan, accusing others of raising corpses and playing with ghosts? That's like a crow perched on a coal pile, how dare you say such a thing!"

The speaker was an elderly man of similar age to Zhang Shouzhong, who was standing with his hands tucked into his pockets, smiling as he looked over.

He pointed to a spot not far behind Zhang Shouzhong and chuckled as he cursed.

"So, according to you, if you transform a zombie into that form, it won't be considered a ghost, right?"

As he pointed, a tall and robust figure stood silently beneath a red pine tree several meters away.

The figure's face was covered with a reddish-copper Nuo mask, and it was bare-handed and barefoot. Its claws were like steel hooks, and its body was covered with a bright yellow copper armor with mountain patterns. It carried a strong earthy smell, and there was no clear distinction between the armor and the hands and feet. It seemed to have grown directly into the flesh. The occasional exposed skin was covered with black and yellow fleshy scales. At a glance, it was clear that it was not a living person.

Where it stood, a faint reddish-yellow aura swirled within three feet. As soon as the snowflakes entered this range, they were immediately turned into water vapor and then evaporated without a trace.

Zhang Shouzhong was momentarily speechless, his face darkening, but he still stubbornly insisted:

"What do you know? Yaksha demons are a type of ghost or deity. Ghosts and deities... can they be considered ghosts?"

Several figures around chuckled without any hesitation, about to make a few more jokes, when a deep, authoritative shout rang out:

"Alright, the official personnel are all set up over there. Old brothers, get your spirits up! When the signal comes, let's all move out together!"

The person who spoke stood at the very front, and the crowd seemed to regard him as their leader. He appeared to be around sixty or seventy years old, with short, gray hair and a square, resolute face. Despite the freezing weather, he was only wearing a thin black cloth shirt, letting the biting wind whistle around him.

Upon hearing the order, everyone stopped laughing and responded in unison. This posture was intentional, intended to ease the tension in their hearts. After all, the origin of this target was extraordinary, making even a group of battle-hardened veteran cultivators somewhat apprehensive.

They focused their attention and turned their gazes down the hillside.

Looking through the swirling snow, one could see the lights twinkling in the distant mountain town. A tall Christmas tree stood in the town's central square, with small fireworks occasionally shooting up and bursting into colorful sparks, creating a warm and joyful scene.

I don't know how much time passed, it seemed like half a day had passed, or it seemed like just a moment, when the scene of the town suddenly distorted slightly. Although the lights and fireworks were still there, they lacked a sense of human life and reality, as if a living person had suddenly turned into a photograph in front of you, with a strange and eerie feeling.

At that moment, invisible white light appeared simultaneously from four directions outside the town, converging in the sky above the town and forming a portal. Looking through the portal, the scenery in the town seemed to have shed some kind of disguise, becoming distorted and ferocious.

"The signal has arrived!" A glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "According to our agreed method, all troops and guardian deities will advance first!"

At his command, various kinds of spiritual light appeared in the crowd: a fox with fiery red fur, a white python with a single horn on its forehead, a Vajra warrior with two faces and four arms, a black-clad ghost soldier wielding a chain and hook knife, and dozens of other strange phantoms soared into the air and cautiously probed towards the town.

Zhang Shouzhong dared not be negligent. He made hand seals, manipulating the former corpse demon Jason, or rather the current yaksha ghost general [Jason], and conjured a gust of yin wind to follow...

……

"...So this occasional rain tonight will last until dawn at most, and hopefully it won't spoil everyone's holiday mood..."

As the blonde female host on TV announced the dishes with a charming smile, Zhu Mingyao quickly prepared four dishes and a soup for himself, eating them with hot dumplings until his mouth was full of oil.

Whether it's a Chinese festival or a Western festival, as long as it's the dead of winter, nothing is more comforting than eating a bowl of hot dumplings.

As the saying goes, if you don't eat dumplings at Christmas, no one will care if you give birth to your son, Yarrow!

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhu Mingyao lazily sprawled on the sofa, patting his little belly, and opened the system panel to study skill planning.

The causal points required for skill upgrades increase significantly with each level. Upgrading the [Shangqing Secret Manual (Red)] from level one to level two requires 350 points, and from level two to level three requires 600 points. I currently only have 435 points. If I continue with my previous methodical cultivation, it will take at least a year to accumulate enough.

but--

His thoughts shifted slightly, and he looked at another Taoist text, "Maoshan Miscellaneous Collection of Yang Talismans (White)".

Although this technique is of a lower grade than the former, it requires far fewer resources to upgrade. The points in the resource pool are now enough to upgrade it to the next level.

It's really hard to choose! Zhu Mingyao looked at the two skills, wavering back and forth.

Logically speaking, the Shangqing Secret Manual is the fundamental method of Taoist cultivation, while the Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture is merely a tool for magic. The former is naturally much more important than the latter. If we were to look at it from the perspective of ancient practitioners, it would be crystal clear which of the two is more important.

However, in a modern context, it cannot be viewed so simply.

The development of technology, the prevalence of gunpowder weapons, and the social environment that has become a thousand times more complex have far exceeded the imagination of our ancient predecessors.

They never imagined that one day even street thugs could casually pull out a weapon with lethality comparable to a low-grade flying sword.

Simply focusing on spiritual cultivation without having any self-defense skills won't get you far in modern times; you might just end up getting yourself into trouble one day.

Therefore, while internal cultivation methods are fundamental, self-defense and combat techniques are equally important!

Putting everything else aside, if Zhu Mingyao's fighting skills had been more refined when he was in the abandoned hotel, he wouldn't have needed to face the murderer one-on-one at all.

Whether it's using spirits to bewitch, summoning evil spirits to cast spells from afar, or transforming into a cannon mage to directly blast through with Five Elements magic, victory can be achieved with ease.

In particular, Zhu Mingyao possesses a system and wants to quickly improve his strength. In the future, he will inevitably encounter conflicts and killings. Without a few powerful supernatural abilities, it would be very inconvenient.

Real life isn't a video game; nobody gives you 20 minutes to farm resources and acquire powerful items without any gear.

Moreover, the Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture contains a wide variety of spells and talismans. Even though they are all minor spells with low power, their wide range of applications makes them worthwhile. They can be used for attacking enemies, protecting oneself, healing, and even stealth. Upgrading them is very cost-effective.

After weighing the options for a while, the boy made up his mind.

The saddest thing in the world is having used up all your spells but still having a lot of mana left.

Let's learn a few more skills first!

New book, a seedling seeking readers.

Chapter 17 The Long Christmas Night 2

Having made his decision, Zhu Mingyao no longer hesitated.

With a thought, the number in the point pool jumped, decreasing from 428 to 128.

As he added 300 causal points to the [Maoshan Miscellaneous Yang Talisman Scripture], the skill's LV2 level immediately changed to LV3.

A clear, indescribable sound echoed in his mind and consciousness. Hundreds of colorful light points danced and transformed, gradually turning into three-dimensional octagonal symbols with drooping rays, which were firmly imprinted in the depths of his mind, making them unforgettable.

Zhu Mingyao silently savored the moment and felt that casting a spell was five or six times easier than before. The process of forming the spell was also much smoother. He no longer needed to carefully mobilize his magic power and visualize the true talisman. He only needed to concentrate his mind slightly to complete the spell.

With a casual flick of his wrist, a point of white light transformed into a fist-sized ball of light, which circled the living room once before gradually fading away.

Zhu Mingyao tried several more spells and found that simple tricks like the flying light spell he had just used could be performed almost instantly, and even more complex spells could be cast much faster.

To borrow game terminology from the previous life, the difficulty of casting spells has decreased, the spell list has expanded, and the casting speed has increased. Methods that could only be barely performed in solo practice with various rituals can now be easily used in actual combat.

This alone increases Zhu Mingyao's actual combat effectiveness by at least half!

It is important to understand that battles can change in an instant, and danger often comes from the heart. Whether you can respond in time can sometimes be the difference between life and death.

Regardless of the spellcaster's system, the more types of spells they master, the more adept they will be at handling various situations.

Zhu Mingyao experimented with the various new techniques he had just mastered, and for a moment, his childlike spirit was awakened, just like a child who had bought a new toy.

He cast a [Transportation Spell] on the left and a [Shape-shifting Spell] on the right, having a great time. Various small objects in the living room floated and swayed, accompanied by all sorts of light and shadow changes, looking almost like a chaotic dance of demons.

"Holy crap! It's already this late?"

After playing for a while, Zhu Mingyao glanced up and realized it was already bedtime. He quickly tidied up the messy living room.

The old man might be back tomorrow, and it wouldn't be good to just leave all that stuff on the ground.

After hurriedly finishing everything, Zhu Mingyao went upstairs and into his bedroom.

The rain outside was no longer as gentle as before. Fine raindrops the size of mung beans were swept up by the evening wind at the end of December and pounded on the roof and windows, making a crackling sound.

Zhu Mingyao leaned closer to the window, glanced at the bleak wind and cold rain outside, and felt a slight sense of regret.

"It's a pity that with such heavy rain, the city government's planned fireworks display for the holiday can't be held."

He kicked off his slippers, crawled into his warm and soft bed, and, following the methods of Xuanmen sleeping techniques, calmed his mind, relaxed all his muscles, and soon drifted off to sleep.

The wind and rain outside the window continued, and time slowly passed.

The clock on the wall ticked away, and just as the hour and minute hands gently crossed at the 12 o'clock position, Zhu Mingyao felt a violent throbbing in his heart and suddenly woke up from his dream.

He rolled over and tried to get out of bed, but strangely, his usually nimble hands and feet were extremely clumsy and wouldn't obey his commands.

He plopped down on the edge of the bed with a "thud," feeling his inner energy surging and fluctuating wildly, like a sampan in a storm. The shaking made his internal organs ache, and he couldn't help but open his mouth wide and try to breathe, like a dead fish.

After frowning and adjusting his breathing for a while, Zhu Mingyao's internal energy gradually returned to normal.

He slipped on his shoes, stood up, walked quickly to the window, pushed open the wet glass, and craned his neck to look northwest.

"An earthquake? No, it wasn't."

The boy placed his left hand on his chest and carefully closed his eyes to perceive the sensation.

Another slight tremor struck, and Zhu Mingyao's shoulders twitched twice. He opened his eyes wide in astonishment, finally confirming that the tremor did not originate from physical sensation, but from his own spirituality.

It's like seeing a distant, towering snow-capped mountain suddenly collapse, with millions of tons of ice and snow crashing down!

Or perhaps a volcanic eruption spews forth endless smoke that fills the polar regions!

Even though I knew I was at a safe distance, I was still terrified by the power of nature and wanted to succumb to the humble instinct of an individual creature, so I crawled on the ground and trembled.

No wonder I almost collapsed just now; the difference in spiritual essence between the two sides was simply too great.

"What exactly is it? Is it the birth of a demon king? Or the descent of a god?"

Surely it wasn't Sun Wukong who jumped out from under the Five Elements Mountain?

Looking through the rain at the seemingly peaceful night scene and the twinkling streetlights in the distance, the boy muttered some lame jokes, trying to calm himself down.

Fortunately, the unknown situation did not seem to be developing any further. After a short while, the spiritual shock ceased, and everything seemed to have returned to calm.

Of course, it's also possible that the boy's cultivation level was too low to sense anything across such a vast distance.