Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

This process is extremely mentally taxing, like being forged and refined at the microscopic level!

Guided by a profound understanding of Taoist principles and mastery of Yin-Yang techniques, countless mysteries of energy transformation, rune arrays, and resonance with heaven and earth flowed through his mind, subtly echoing the rules of spiritual energy in this world.

Time seemed to stretch out.

The oxcart bumped along as the sun gradually set, and the light in the woods grew dim.

The older Taoist priest's curses gradually subsided, leaving only the monotonous sound of wheels rolling over the dirt road.

After an unknown amount of time, at the core of Qin Chuan's dantian, a drop of pure, refined, and new energy, radiating a pale golden glow and containing pure energy and aura of rules far surpassing innate true qi, finally condensed and took shape!

Though it is as small as a dewdrop, it is like a seed containing infinite possibilities.

Qin Chuan was utterly shaken!

This is not demonic power. It is the source of power that he created based on his own martial arts foundation, by integrating the rules of spiritual energy in this world, and by using the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang as a guide. It is unique to him!

He named it—Magic!

With the first drop a success, subsequent transformations will follow naturally.

The vast innate true energy surged and transformed into a higher level of "magical power".

The golden "water droplets" in the dantian quickly gathered. Although the total amount was decreasing, the energy level and potential of each newly generated "magic power" were a hundred times greater than the previous true qi!

This process takes time and requires absolute focus.

The sky darkened completely, and night enveloped the surrounding area.

The oxcart finally stopped in front of a dilapidated temple in the mountains.

"Damn it! It's already pitch black! I'll just have to make do in this dilapidated temple tonight!"

The older Taoist priest jumped off the carriage, cursing, and roughly kicked the younger Taoist priest again.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and tie up the livestock, bring the cages down! Start a fire for me! Damn it, this is exhausting..."

The young Taoist priest obediently complied, laboriously dragging the three heavy iron cages down one by one and placing them on the open ground outside the dilapidated temple.

The older Taoist priest casually entered the temple, found a relatively clean spot to sit down, took out some dry rations and started eating, completely ignoring the younger priest's busy work.

Tu Shan Honghong and Tu Shan Rongrong were locked in cages on either side of Qin Chuan.

Honghong remained wary of the two Taoist priests, her body trembling slightly from the suppression of the talismans and her exhaustion, but her eyes burned with an indomitable flame.

Rongrong appeared even more listless, leaning against the cage wall, her emerald eyes staring blankly at the ground.

Qin Chuan remained seated cross-legged, his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

The demon-suppressing talismans on his arms, illuminated by the flickering firelight inside the dilapidated temple, still shimmered with a faint light that suppressed demonic power, like a laughable label.

However, unbeknownst to anyone, beneath his calm exterior, his dantian was undergoing a tremendous transformation.

Golden dew of magic was slowly but surely condensing and gathering, gradually replacing the vast innate true energy.

An indescribable pressure, seemingly emanating from a higher level, was quietly brewing and accumulating within him, like a dormant volcano, waiting only for the moment it would break free.

Deep within his pupils, behind his closed eyelids, seemed to be two clusters of cold, majestic golden flames quietly igniting.

Chapter 2 Kindness and Evil

The night was as dark as ink. Inside the dilapidated temple, the bonfire crackled, illuminating the unsightly sight of the young Taoist priest slumped in a deep sleep, his snores mingling with the popping of firewood.

The young Taoist priest curled up in the corner, seemingly too tired to sleep.

"elder sister……"

Inside the iron cage, Tu Shan Rongrong huddled in a corner, using the dim firelight to survey her surroundings, and whispered:

"Celestial Academy... what kind of place is that? Are those humans... going to capture us and eat us?"

Her small body pressed tightly against the cold iron bars, her emerald eyes filled with fear of the unknown.

Tu Shan Honghong felt a pang of pain in her heart. She endured the burning pain from the demon-repelling talisman and tried her best to keep her voice steady: "Rongrong, don't be afraid, it won't happen."

She offered words of comfort, but her heart was ice-cold.

She had heard elders in her clan mention the reputation of the Celestial Academy; it was a filthy place that specialized in buying and selling demons and providing amusement for humans, a place worse than death.

Tu Shan Rongrong nodded vigorously, trying to puff out her small chest and appear braver:

“Rongrong, don’t be afraid! Rongrong has grown up now… Besides, we’ve eaten little rabbits before… Now, let’s just consider it returning the favor to the little rabbits…”

Her words, though imbued with childlike naivety, only highlighted the cruelty of her current situation and her helplessness.

"Rongrong!" Tu Shan Honghong's heart felt like it was being violently gripped.

My sister is so sensible, yet she has to suffer like this!

A deep-seated hatred and a sense of powerlessness instantly overwhelmed the dam of reason.

The reddish-brown demonic power surged recklessly within her body, attempting to break free from the talisman's restraints!

"Ugh—!"

Her response was a sudden burst of blinding red light from the Demon-Slaying Talisman!

Like a red-hot iron being branded into the meridians, intense pain, as if tearing the soul apart, instantly swept through the entire body.

Tu Shan Honghong's body arched violently, like a shrimp thrown into boiling water. Her forehead slammed heavily against the iron cage with a dull thud. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her clothes, and she bit her lower lip tightly, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth.

"Sister! No! Don't use your demonic power! Please, sister!"

Tu Shan Rongrong was terrified. She desperately reached her little hands through the gaps in the iron bars, trying in vain to grab her sister. Tears streamed down her face as she cried out and begged for mercy.

In that moment of despair, Qin Chuan, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the iron cage next to him, slowly opened his eyes.

A golden glint flashed in his deep eyes, as if containing a molten star.

Within his dantian, the vast innate true qi had been transformed, replaced by a calmly flowing, incomparably pure golden magical power, like a lurking dragon.

The suppressive power of the Demon-Slaying Talisman against demonic power was completely ineffective against the new energy within him, which originated from human martial arts and was infused with the rules of this world.

"That's enough, stop."

Qin Chuan's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power, clearly reaching Tu Shan Honghong's ears and drowning out her painful gasps.

Tu Shan Honghong, panting, struggled to lift her sweat-drenched face and look toward the source of the sound.

Qin Chuan remained calm, extending his slender fingers to casually pinch the corner of the demon-repelling talisman on his arm that caused him unbearable pain.

"Shoot-"

A soft sound, exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

The talisman that shimmered with a dark red light and bound all her power was easily torn from her wrist as if it were a piece of waste paper, and casually tossed into the dust at the bottom of the cage.

Tu Shan Honghong's eyes widened suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply, and her reddish-brown fox ears stood up straight instantly, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

That demon-repelling talisman that could make her wish she were dead has no effect on him?!

"You...how could you?!" Shock made her temporarily forget the pain, and she growled hoarsely, "Why didn't the Demon-Slaying Talisman work on you?!"

Qin Chuan stood up and stretched his muscles, which were stiff from sitting for a long time. The space of the iron cage seemed particularly cramped for his tall figure.

He looked at Tu Shan Honghong, the moonlight shining through the broken window of the dilapidated temple onto his face, half clear and half hidden in shadow.

"Because I am different from you, and different from them."

He pointed to the sleeping Taoist priest in the dilapidated temple, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:

"I am half human and half demon. Demon-repelling talismans lock demonic power, and demon-suppressing talismans suppress demonic energy, but they cannot lock human will, much less suppress another power within me."

"A half-demon?!"

Tu Shan Honghong felt as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world; the intense pain and shock made her voice rise:

"Impossible! There are no half-demons in this world! The offspring of humans and demons can only be pure humans or pure demons! This is the rule of Heaven!"

"Rules are meant to be broken. And I am the exception. A living proof that exists outside the rules."

Qin Chuan's gaze swept over her pale face, which was contorted with pain, and then fell on Tu Shan Rongrong, who stood beside him, her eyes filled with tears and astonishment.

"This proves one thing: there is no insurmountable barrier between humans and demons. And my mission is to bridge this gap, to let humans and demons put aside their pointless feuds and join hands to face the threats of a wider world."

"Reconciliation? With these greedy, cruel humans who treat our race as livestock and playthings?"

Tu Shan Honghong, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, blazed with deep-seated hatred and utter contempt in her eyes, as if she had heard the most vicious curse:

"You're delusional! Humans are inherently wicked! They deserve to be torn apart!"

At this moment, the hatred instilled by the foster mother, Feng Xi, had the upper hand.

Qin Chuan silently watched the burning hatred in her eyes, a hatred that seemed to consume her as well.

He recalled the secret about the three Tu Shan Hong sisters:

They were the hope born from the Bitter Love Giant Tree to correct the current Tushan Lord Feng Xi's obsession, but from childhood they were watered with the poison of hatred by their "loving" foster mother.

This capture was probably part of Feng Xi's carefully planned scheme, with the aim of letting the seeds of hatred blossom and bear fruit in this desperate situation.

"In your eyes," Qin Chuan's voice lowered, carrying a subtle hint of guidance, "are all humans as you perceive them, repulsive in appearance and corrupt in soul? Without exception?"

“Of course!” Tu Shan Honghong answered without hesitation, her voice firm and resolute. “All of them! Every single one of them! They all deserve to die!” Her answer carried a twisted obsession born of hatred.

"Alright." Qin Chuan nodded, a sharp glint in his eyes. "In that case, how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?" Tu Shan Honghong stared at him warily.

"I'll bet that before dawn, a kind human with pure goodwill toward you will appear before you."

Qin Chuan pointed to the deep night outside the dilapidated temple, then to the sleeping Taoist priest inside:

"If I win, you must lend me a hand, try to understand the possibility of 'reconciliation,' and contribute to that goal. If I lose..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the cage lock. "I will rescue you sisters immediately, and I will never go back on my word."

Tu Shan Honghong was stunned.

Kind-hearted humans? Showing her goodwill? In this desolate wilderness, who else could it be besides these two Taoist priests? That ugly little servant?

She sneered inwardly; this was utterly absurd!

"You're doomed!" she agreed with almost a vengeful glee. "I'll bet you! I want to see if there's any kind-hearted human in this world!"

"It's a word."