Surviving in the Demonic Sect, one begins cultivation by retrieving corpses.

This cauldron is called the Sacrificial Cauldron.

Its function is to offer sacrifices to sacred objects in the tripod, and then blessings will be bestowed upon them.

Inscriptions appeared on the tripod.

[Master of the Cauldron: Gu Zhao]

[Realm Level: Second Stage of Fetal Movement (93% complete)]

[Cultivation Technique: Corpse Water Azure Wave Scripture (Minor Success)]

Gu Zhao felt a sense of relief; he finally understood.

The "Fetal Movement Second Realm" listed after the Realm section represents his current cultivation level.

"Nine-three percent" likely represents the current progress in cultivation. Once it reaches full perfection, a breakthrough can be achieved.

This "Corpse Water Blue Wave Scripture" is an essential skill for corpse retrievers; without it, one cannot descend into the Yin Water River.

If an ordinary person who has never cultivated himself enters, it is like being pricked by needles, causing his skin and bones to rot.

Even after practicing this technique, one will inevitably experience sore bones and dizziness when swimming.

After two years of cultivation, the original owner of this body had only reached the second stage of fetal movement and had barely achieved minor success in the "Corpse Water Azure Wave Scripture".

This qualification is really lacking.

The cauldron trembled again, like the sound of a bell.

The inscription on the tripod reappeared—

[Search around the cauldron's owner to see if there were any sacrificial offerings...]

[A chilling aura has been discovered inside the cauldron. Should we offer a sacrifice?]

Gu Zhao was taken aback.

Is there a cold, malevolent energy within my body?

Real or fake?

Could it be this cold current in my abdomen? I've been tossing and turning at night for the past few nights, unable to sleep, and feeling a dull ache.

I was just thinking of going to check out the sect's medicine room.

He thought it over and made his choice without hesitation.

[Offer this as a sacrifice.]

The black gold cauldron trembled once again.

Gu Zhao felt a suction force suddenly appear in his abdomen, firmly grasping a wisp of cold air and pulling it outwards.

The chill was pulled out of the body, like a bird returning to the forest, and disappeared into the cauldron.

Gu Zhao felt a sudden sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and the discomfort in his abdomen vanished instantly.

That feeling is like taking a big gulp of ice-cold cola on a hot summer day—it makes you feel completely refreshed.

Cool!!

It seems the hidden danger left by the water monkey really is this chilling evil spirit.

Inscriptions appeared on the tripod again.

The cauldron master offered a chilling, malevolent energy as a sacrifice.

[A wisp of pure Yang Qi descends.]

[You can claim it in three hours.]

Gu Zhao looked and realized that the distribution of rewards was also delayed.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

When it comes to spiritual practice, one must be able to withstand loneliness.

He is optimistic by nature and has been calm and composed these past few days, without rashly going into the water.

After sorting out my memories and getting familiar with this body, I finally stepped out of the courtyard today.

He even knew the stables were going to work today, which is why he was waiting in the yard.

Now that they have a cheat code, they feel more confident!

Then I'll stay in the Demon Sect and develop my strength safely.

He observed it for a while longer, and it seemed that the cauldron resided in his mind's sea, undetectable to others, and he could summon it at any time.

That's convenient.

Gu Zhao left his mind and looked again.

The person was still standing in the same spot, right next to the water vat, but the stableman had left.

Looking at the reflection in the water tank, the boy's face was no longer as pale as before, but had regained some color.

There was another commotion coming from the house next door.

"Brother Zhao, wait for me... I'm going into the water too."

The stable from before has reappeared.

Gu Zhao agreed.

The stableman, holding up his belt, looked him over suspiciously: "Zhao-ge, what were you thinking about just now? You were daydreaming."

He had just seen Gu Zhao standing there alone, so he went back into the house and put on his raincoat.

Looking at it now, something just doesn't seem right.

"Huh!?"

He looked at Gu Zhao's face and began to have doubts.

Why does Zhao Ge'er look so much better than before?

In the short time it took him to turn around, he suspected he was seeing things and didn't think much of it.

Gu Zhao had already reached the entrance of the courtyard and pushed the door open.

At this moment, the drizzling spring rain stopped, dawn broke, and the boy smiled.

"Brother Ma, hurry up, or we'll be late."

The stableman hurriedly followed, sensing that Gu Zhao was somewhat different today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

~

The two went out the door along the road.

On the road, there were quite a few people wearing straw raincoats like Gu Zhao.

The further you go, the colder it gets, and the closer you get to the Yinshui River.

The source of the Yin River in Mingyizong originates from the depths of the ancient battlefield in the southern border region.

Every day, the remains of ancient cultivators or demons are washed out.

This is already the lower reaches of the Yinshui River; all the good stuff has long been plundered upstream.

But the corpses continued to rush down every day.

It's impossible to catch them all, there's simply no way to catch them all.

Why is the Yinshui River so "abundant and plentiful"?

Emperor Mingyi didn't know either, but he just opened his eyes and got to work.

The Mingyi Sect has been accumulating wealth for over a thousand years, developing it into one of the sect's "pillar industries" and spawning a series of "peripheral" services, such as "bone grinding rooms," "embalming rooms," "cremation rooms," and "sewing rooms."

It does make the best use of resources.

All we can say is, "This meandering Yinshui River is the mother river of the Mingyi Sect."

Gu Zhao kept a close eye on things the whole way.

The corpse retrievers all looked rather old, many appearing to be in their early thirties, similar to the stable owners.

However, there aren't many people who have worked in the morgue for over ten years; at most, they can't last more than five or six years.

These people have simply aged.

In addition, he was as thin as a bamboo pole, unlike a healthy person.

For a while, it was easy to distinguish them.

The old-looking man is an elderly person from the morgue.

He looked young, with innocent eyes, and a clear, college-student-like quality; he was a newcomer to the morgue.

Gu Zhao, however, has been working in the morgue for two years because of his "elder sister," and he still looks like a newcomer.

It's a rare sight to find someone with a youthful spirit in a morgue.

The two continued walking, and many people greeted them at the stables.

"Old Ma, you didn't go to the earthen kiln to have some fun last night. I heard a batch of new chicks came."

Seeing Gu Zhao beside him, the stableman hurriedly said, "Go away, don't ruin my reputation."

Gu Zhao pricked up his ears. In the Mingyi Sect's lower courtyard for miscellaneous servants, there were also many "pleasure places" and "gambling rooms" for the servants to relax after their work.

This earthen kiln was the lowest-class "brothel".

This is truly a case of "Making money with clarity and spending it with clarity, without ever thinking of taking a single penny home."

These corpse retrievers weren't so enthusiastic towards Gu Zhao; they only showed surprise and suspicion.

This shows how badly the original owner fared.

Gu Zhao didn't care.

After about half an hour, the cold air became even stronger, and suddenly the view opened up before us.

Before them stretched a vast lake, its surface shrouded in a chilling aura. Several large boats were moored there, and the distant sound of boatmen's chants could be heard as they leaped from their vessels into the water to retrieve the bodies.

Gu Zhao blinked.

"Is this Yinshui... a river?"

"As wide as a lake."

The world of cultivation is indeed different.

Upon reaching the Yinshui River, groups of corpse retrievers boarded different large boats.

Gu Zhao and Ma Fang were the personnel in the T-shaped area.

Climbing onto a body retrieval boat from the riverbank, one finds a dozen or so people already on deck, most silent and few engaging in conversation.

The two found a place to sit down.

Gu Zhao curiously examined the Yinshui River. It was very cold, and the river was so wide that it seemed to have no end in sight.

Aside from being exceptionally cold, there was nothing particularly special about it.

I thought there would be some strange smell, but there was nothing when I breathed it in.

Although the bottom of the water was not visible, it was quite clear.

In the original owner's memory, the river was several dozen feet deep before the bottom could be seen.

As the saying goes: shallow water is clear, deep water is green, and black water is deep.

It seems there are certain sayings in the spiritual community that cannot be applied to worldly principles.

Gu Zhao looked carefully, but he didn't see a body.

While I was lost in thought.

A footstep sounded, and everyone sat up straight, instinctively straightening their posture.

Gu Zhao looked in the direction of the sound.

A tall, middle-aged man walked over, wearing a black cloak, twirling two steel balls in his hands, making a squeaking sound.

His square face was not very fleshy, with a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and very light eyebrows. His face was fierce.

Today was a little different; her eyes were red, clearly she hadn't rested well, and there was a hint of melancholy between her brows.

His gaze swept over them, and the group of corpse retrievers all lowered their heads.

The stableman quickly kept an eye on his toes.

Gu Zhao imitated what everyone else did.

This man is the manager of the corpse retrieval center in the Dingzi District, and his name is Cen Pan.

Cen Pan nodded in satisfaction when he saw the servants bowing their heads obediently.

He held the steel ball in his hand, his gaze sweeping through the crowd. His triangular eyes narrowed and suddenly landed on one person.

Gu Zhao?

Shouldn't he be dead?