Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

A slender, steady hand, with a jade-like luster, landed precisely and without hindrance on the young Taoist's chest, near his heart.

A dull thud that made your teeth ache.

The young Taoist's sinister smile froze completely on his face.

He looked down in disbelief and saw that the hand had pierced through his chest and was protruding from behind, with a slightly twitching, still-beating heart still between its fingers.

There were no screams, no struggles.

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, leaving only endless fear and bewilderment, as if he could never understand, even in death, why the trap he had carefully set was so vulnerable, and why the power he was so proud of was so insignificant.

Qin Chuan withdrew his hand expressionlessly.

The heart was pulled out with his movement and then carelessly discarded by the campfire, making a soft "plop" sound.

Blood dripped from his fingertips, blooming into glaring dark red flowers on the dusty ground.

The young Taoist priest's body lay limply on the ground, his eyes wide open, unable to close in death.

Qin Chuan withdrew his hand expressionlessly, bent down and searched his body, finding a stack of yellow talismans, which he then examined carefully.

The techniques used to create these talismans and the application of their energy differed slightly from what he knew, making them worth learning from.

At this moment, the young Taoist priest led Tu Shan Honghong and Tu Shan Rongrong into the dilapidated temple.

The three of them were stunned when they saw the elderly Taoist's corpse on the ground and the bloodstains on Qin Chuan's fingertips.

The young Taoist priest's face was filled with horror, and he subconsciously took a step back.

Tu Shan Rongrong was so frightened that she covered her mouth and dared not make a sound.

Tu Shan Honghong stared intently at Qin Chuan, her eyes filled with shock.

She never imagined that this seemingly refined half-demon would act so decisively and ruthlessly, his killing style chillingly ruthless.

He seemed to be much more complex than she had imagined.

The stench of blood had not yet dissipated from the dilapidated temple when Qin Chuan finished studying the stack of yellow talismans and casually put them into his pocket.

He turned around and his gaze fell on the still-shaken young Taoist priest. The fear in his eyes had not yet faded, but a naive obsession still lingered.

Do you want to learn Taoist magic?

Qin Chuan spoke, breaking the silence:

"The true way is not about subduing demons and monsters, but about fulfilling the wish in your heart so that humans and demons can live in peace one day."

The young Taoist priest suddenly looked up, his scarred face filled with disbelief.

The small sect he belonged to wouldn't even give him the title of a proper disciple; they treated him like livestock doing menial tasks, let alone teaching him any profound Taoist techniques.

The mysterious and powerful demon in front of him not only tore the demon-repelling talisman as easily as tearing a piece of waste paper, but also destroyed the evil path with a wave of his hand. Now he actually asked him if he wanted to learn.

"I...I..." The immense shock left him speechless, a fierce battle raging within him between overwhelming desire and deep-seated inferiority.

Is someone like him really capable?

But when I thought of the little fox demon that disappeared, the despair in the eyes of the Tu Shan sisters, and the power contained in Qin Chuan's calm words, I was struck by the thought.

He nodded forcefully, almost desperately, his voice trembling but unusually clear: "Yes! I want to learn! As long as it can... can bring that day to come, I'm willing to learn anything!"

Qin Chuan didn't say anything more.

He walked up to the young Taoist priest and pointed a finger at his forehead.

In an instant, a vast and profound flow of information, like a river bursting its banks, surged into the young Taoist's sea of ​​consciousness—the general outline, qi circulation methods, and visualization diagrams of the "Nine Heavens Longevity Technique"...

This is a top-tier cultivation technique that Qin Chuan has been continuously improving, with lofty aspirations and a direct path to immortality.

The young Taoist priest felt a splitting headache, as if his entire head was about to explode, and countless golden characters and complex meridian diagrams were spinning wildly in his consciousness.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to try to understand and memorize.

A moment later, the information transmission was completed.

The young Taoist priest was pale and drenched in sweat, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light, filled with longing and awe for the vast Dao realm.

He subconsciously sat down cross-legged and tried to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth using the most basic guiding technique in the manual.

Qin Chuan observed quietly from the side.

Soon, he frowned slightly.

Young Taoist priests are not entirely incapable of cultivation.

A faint, almost imperceptible wisp of spiritual energy, guided clumsily, slowly and intermittently approached him, like a candle flame that could be extinguished at any moment in the wind.

This proves that the "Nine Heavens Longevity Technique" is not completely ineffective against the human race in this world, but its efficiency is outrageously low.

The problem lies in aptitude, or rather, in understanding.

The Nine Heavens Longevity Manual has extremely high aspirations, and its requirements for the cultivator's comprehension and temperament are extremely demanding.

The young Taoist priest was kind-hearted and had a strong will, which were his strengths, but his talent in understanding profound principles and manipulating subtle energies was actually quite mediocre.

At this rate, he may never be able to break through the first threshold of the "Nine Heavens Longevity Technique" in his entire life.

Qin Chuan understood.

He wanted to popularize cultivation methods in the fox demon world, improve the overall strength of the human race, and lay the foundation for a future counterattack against the outside world. Therefore, he had to create a brand new cultivation method.

This technique must have an extremely low barrier to entry, be easy to learn, and be able to quickly develop basic combat capabilities. It should not require too high a level of aptitude or comprehension from the practitioner.

However, even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

His understanding of the subtle differences in the physical constitution of humans in the fox demon world and the underlying logic of the demon power cultivation system is far from sufficient.

His own "Nine Heavens Longevity Technique" is derived from the rules of martial arts and initial exploration, leaning towards the "human" extreme. He lacks sufficient knowledge about the "demon" extreme, as well as how to reconcile and learn from it.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan turned his gaze to Tu Shan Honghong.

As a powerful clan with a long history in the demon realm, Tushan must possess countless exquisite methods for cultivating demonic power.

Those methods are exactly the "lessons from other mountains" he needs most right now.

"Miss Honghong," Qin Chuan said directly, his tone frank, "I need to go to Tushan to borrow the cultivation manuals collected by the noble family."

Tu Shan Honghong was comforting her frightened younger sister Rongrong when she heard this and was stunned. Her reddish-brown fox ears stood up instinctively.

This request is indeed abrupt.

The secrets of Tushan are not something outsiders can simply look at. Moreover, the other party's identity is mysterious, their strength is formidable, and their motives are unclear.

However, she glanced at the corpse of the evil pather on the ground, and recalled the razor-sharp claws that had caught her at the last moment last night, Qin Chuan's timely intervention, and the grand yet unsettling goal of "reconciliation" he had mentioned.

Strictly speaking, without Qin Chuan, the sisters would probably already be facing, or are about to face, a fate more terrible than death.

"The secrets of Tushan are not to be read lightly."

Tu Shan Honghong's voice carried a hint of wariness, but more so, seriousness:

“However, you are our benefactor. I will do my best to explain this to Aunt Fengxi when we return to Tushan. As for whether she will agree, I cannot guarantee that.”

She didn't completely agree, but she did indicate that she was willing to try.

Qin Chuan nodded, understanding her position: "That's good then."

He turned to the young Taoist priest: "Tushan does not currently welcome humans, so you cannot go with us."

He extended his right index finger, and a wisp of pure golden magic power condensed at the tip, quickly outlining a profound and complex rune containing the meaning of the flow of Yin and Yang.

The rune flashed and silently disappeared into the young Taoist's chest.

"This is the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal," Qin Chuan explained. "It's not a restraint, but a mark. No matter where you are, I can find you with this. Focus on your cultivation and wait for my message."

The young Taoist priest felt a slight coolness in his chest, which then disappeared. He felt no discomfort, but rather a strange sense of peace.

He nodded vigorously: "Yes! I...I will definitely try my best!"

The time for parting has come.

The young Taoist priest looked at Qin Chuan and the Tu Shan sisters who were about to set off, and felt a strong sense of reluctance and excitement at finding a sense of belonging.

Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he knelt down in front of Qin Chuan with a thud, his forehead hitting the cold ground heavily.

"My benefactor! Please... please take me as your apprentice! I want to learn from you! I want... I want to do something real!"

He raised his head, his eyes filled with pure longing and determination.

Qin Chuan looked at the boy kneeling on the ground; his scarred face now showed only sincerity.

He remained silent for a moment, then looked past the dilapidated doorway of the temple and towards the east.

On the horizon, the thick clouds were tinged with a faint, vibrant, fish-belly white.

The first faint ray of dawn is struggling but determined to pierce the darkness, announcing the end of the long night.

Dawn is approaching.

"Get up." Qin Chuan's voice softened slightly. "From this day forward, you are my disciple, Qin Chuan."

The young Taoist priest was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed again: "Disciple greets Master! Thank you, Master!"

Qin Chuan looked at him: "What's your name?"

The young Taoist priest lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "My parents thought I was ugly, so they abandoned me at the entrance of the Taoist temple after I was born. No one named me... I call myself 'Xiao Fan'."

“The name ‘Xiao Fan’ is good, but now that you have joined my sect, you should have a formal title.”

Qin Chuan looked at the dawning light, then at the disciple before him who carried both humble and grand aspirations, and slowly said:

"As dawn breaks and the light of day breaks through the darkness, you shall be called 'Qin Li'."

"Qin Li..." the young Taoist priest murmured, his eyes instantly filling with tears.

This name was given to me by my master!

No longer "ugly monster", "servant", or "bastard born but not raised"!

It was like a ray of light, instantly illuminating his bleak life.

"Qin Li...Li Ming..."

As he pondered this, he suddenly understood his master's deeper expectation—that humans and demons would eventually break through the darkness and coexist in harmony!

And he, Qin Li, will be a part of this dawn, a practitioner!

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this name upon me! Your disciple, Qin Li, will certainly live up to 'Dawn's' expectations!"