Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

This isn't a no-go, it's a recommendation for the treasure book "Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I Prove My Dao Through Sacrifice":

In the quiet room of Ting Lei Courtyard, Murong Fan dismissed his attendants and casually set up a few simple barriers to isolate divine sense. He sat cross-legged on the couch, not in a hurry to examine the token representing his qualification for the Scripture Pavilion, but instead cast his gaze into the void.

At this moment, deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Altar of All Things was radiating an unprecedentedly intense light.

"Analysis complete."

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and then, a phantom golden Dharma image slowly emerged from the originally ancient and obscure surface of the altar. The image had wide, angry eyes, bulging muscles, and was surrounded by golden Buddhist light, exuding an aura of compassion and majesty that suppressed everything. This was precisely the core principle of the Thunder Sound Sect's most treasured technique—the "Immovable King Body"!

"What an overbearing body-refining technique." A hint of amazement flashed in Murong Fan's eyes.

Unlike the rudimentary physical training techniques of the Yue Kingdom, the "Immovable Wisdom King Body" is not merely about forging the skin and flesh, but rather about drawing upon the power of Buddhist vows to condense the "Wisdom King Dharma Image" within the body. Once mastered, it possesses immense power, capable of breaking through a thousand pounds.

"However..." Murong Fan frowned slightly, "This technique requires the practitioner to possess profound Buddhist vows, otherwise they are easily consumed by the wrath of the Ming King and burned to ashes. The old bald monk Yuan Xiang gave me this technique as both a way to win me over and a test. If I fail to master it, I will be considered mediocre; if I succeed but suffer a qi deviation, it will be exactly what he wants."

"However, unfortunately, his wishful thinking backfired."

Murong Fan's lips curled into a wicked smile, and with a thought, he commanded, "Altar of All Things, begin your divination!"

[Ding! High-level body-refining technique "Immovable King Body" detected.]

[The Altar of All Things is currently analyzing... a flaw has been discovered in the technique: a Buddhist heart is needed to suppress the wrath of the Bright King.]

[Optimizing... Host's dual cultivation of Buddha and Demonic nature detected, meeting the basic requirements for Buddha-Demon fusion...]

[Driving in progress: Using Buddhist vows as the foundation and Asura's malevolent energy as the blood, a completely new cultivation technique framework is being constructed...]

[Deduction complete! The mutated cultivation technique "Asura King Body" has been generated! Would you like to consume 5000 merit points for initiation?]

"A mutated cultivation technique?" Murong Fan was overjoyed. "As expected, the Altar of All Things truly understands me! The path that the Sinful Buddha failed on three hundred years ago, I will use the power of the altar to traverse today! Since your Thunder Sound Sect values ​​compassion, then I will use killing to stop killing, and using violence to cultivate Buddhism!"

"Initiation confirmed!" Murong Fan's gaze was firm.

boom!

In an instant, a surge of scalding heat erupted from his sea of ​​consciousness, instantly flowing through Murong Fan's limbs and bones. He felt his bones crackling and popping. The Asura energy that had been dormant deep within his meridians was now forcibly mobilized by a domineering force, colliding and merging wildly with the golden Buddhist vow power.

Pain! Murong Fan felt a pain that went deep into his bones! It felt as if countless tiny knives were scraping his bones to remove poison, and as if raging fire was burning his meridians.

Murong Fan gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he remained silent. He knew this was the necessary path to transformation, the beginning of breaking free from his cocoon and becoming a butterfly!

After an unknown amount of time, the excruciating pain finally subsided like a raging tide, replaced by an unprecedented sense of power.

Murong Fan slowly opened his eyes, a flash of dark golden light disappearing deep within his pupils. He raised his hand, looked at his fair palm, and gently clenched it.

"Bang!"

A muffled boom echoed through the air, as if he had shattered a corner of the void.

"Is this the power of the first level of the 'Asura King Body'?" Murong Fan was deeply shocked as he felt the surging power within his body. Now, with his physical strength alone, he was enough to withstand a magic weapon at the peak of the Core Formation stage, and could even compete with a cultivator who had just entered the Nascent Soul stage!

With a thought, Murong Fan noticed a faint layer of dark gold patterns appearing on his skin, resembling ancient Sanskrit, exuding an eerie yet sacred aura. "Could this disguise even fool the divine sense of that old bald monk Yuan Xiang?"

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from outside the door.

"Elder Murong, the abbot has ordered you to proceed to the Sutra Repository immediately." It was the young monk who had been in charge of surveillance earlier, his voice respectful yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of probing.

Murong Fan concealed his aura, reverting to his gentle and refined demeanor, and pushed open the door to leave.

"Thank you, young master. Please lead the way."

……

Soon they arrived at the Thunder Sound Sect's Scripture Pavilion. This was an eleven-story black tower, entirely forged from a rare metal called "Demon-Suppressing Black Gold," and covered with densely packed sealing runes. Each floor exuded a chilling pressure, especially the ninth floor, which was shrouded in layers of lightning, making it seem like a forbidden zone within a forbidden zone.

Standing at the foot of the tower, Murong Fan looked up and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

"Is this the foundation of a top-tier sect in the Great Jin Dynasty?"

"Elder Murong, please!" The young monk handed over a black token and pointed to the tower gate. "Only you are allowed to enter the ninth floor, and you may not stay for more than three hours at a time. This is the sect's rule, please understand."

"Thank you for the reminder, young master. I will remember it." Murong Fan accepted the token and smiled calmly.

He stepped into the tower gate, and the heavy stone door behind him slammed shut.

The tower was dimly lit, with only a few eternal lamps emitting a cold, eerie glow. Murong Fan climbed the winding staircase, and with each floor he ascended, the pressure around him intensified.

By the time he reached the eighth floor, he could feel a strong spiritual energy permeating the air, indicating that the cultivation techniques stored here all seemed to carry powerful spiritual imprints.

Finally, he stood in front of the door to the ninth floor.

What comes into view is a huge bronze door, on which is carved a fierce-looking Vajra, so lifelike that it seems as if it might come to life at any moment.

Murong Fan took a deep breath and embedded the token into the groove on the door.

"Click—"

The bronze door slowly opened, and an ancient and weathered aura wafted out.

The moment the door opened, Murong Fan's pupils contracted sharply. The ninth floor wasn't filled with bookshelves as he'd imagined; instead, it was completely empty, with only an ancient book emitting a faint golden light floating in the center.

And standing next to the ancient book was a person! An old monk dressed in a gray robe, with his back to the door, was quietly gazing at the ancient book.

"Who?!"

Murong Fan immediately became alert, his muscles tensing instantly, and the power of his Asura King Body subtly activated. He clearly sensed that the old monk emanated no spiritual energy, appearing just like a mortal, yet the Altar of All Things emitted an unprecedented warning of danger!

[WARNING! High-level life form detected! Danger level: Extremely lethal!]

[Recommendation: Escape immediately!]

"Hehe, young man, don't be so nervous."

The old monk slowly turned around.

It was a face covered in wrinkles, with lifeless eyes, as if he were blind. But the way he looked at Murong Fan seemed to see through his soul, through the perfectly disguised Asura aura within him.

"Junior Brother Yuanxiang sent you here, presumably to help you improve your cultivation." The old monk's voice was hoarse and grating, yet filled with calculating intent. "But he didn't tell you that this ninth level is actually also where the 'Sinful Buddha' is imprisoned."

Murong Fan's heart sank, but he remained calm on the surface: "Senior, who are you? I am here to retrieve the book on the orders of the abbot. I have not heard of any sinful Buddha here. Please forgive me for disturbing you." With that, he prepared to turn and leave.

"Hahaha! The Sinful Buddha?" The old monk grinned, revealing a set of broken, yellow teeth. "I am that Sinful Buddha."

"Senior is too kind! I just remembered I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Murong Fan wanted to escape this place as soon as possible to get some answers from Yuan Xiang.

"Three hundred years ago, in pursuit of the ultimate Buddhist teachings, I attempted to merge the power of Buddhist vows with the evil energy of demonic paths. As a result, I went mad and caused bloodshed. My junior brother Yuanxiang suppressed me here to protect me, claiming that I was in seclusion." Although the old monk's voice was full of resentment and unwillingness, he was not blinded by anger. He was clear-headed and immediately saw through Murong Fan's thoughts and quickly stopped him.

"Three hundred years! Three hundred years! Do you know how I've survived these three hundred years? Do you know? Every day I have to endure the torment of being burned by heavenly lightning, watching my own body decay bit by bit, yet I am powerless to stop it. That hypocrite Yuan Xiang, he kept saying he wanted to convert me, but he used me as a tool to cover up the sect's scandals!" The old monk walked towards Murong Fan step by step, each step filled with resentment and agitation.

"Young man, I see a reflection of my younger self in you."

The old monk stopped in front of Murong Fan, his cloudy eyes fixed on him, a strange smile playing on his lips. "That was... just as unruly and rebellious as I once was."

Murong Fan's heart raced, and his palms were drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't expected that such a monster would be hidden on the ninth level of the Thunder Sound Sect! Fear overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, but he knew that he couldn't back down now, because if he did, only death awaited him.

"Senior is too kind," Murong Fan said, forcing himself to remain calm. "This junior is devoted to Buddhism; how could I possibly possess any demonic aura?"

"Try it and you'll know!" The old monk extended his withered finger and gently touched Murong Fan's chest. "So what is this?"

boom!

A terrifying suction force came from the old monk's fingertips, and Murong Fan felt that the Asura energy in his body was uncontrollably trying to surge out!

"Since we are destined to meet, why don't we..." A mad glint flashed in the old monk's eyes, "lend me your body, and let me see if we can really tear a hole in the sky of the Great Jin!"

At this critical moment, the Altar of All Things in Murong Fan's sea of ​​consciousness suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light!