From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

When it comes to things related to holding a pearl, the first thing that comes to Jiang Liu's mind is the Sudhana Dragon Girl under the seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva, who is also known as the Pearl-Holding Dragon Girl.

In this world, the image of the Dragon Girl holding the pearl is not something that people came up with on a whim. It is likely that in ancient times, there was indeed someone who was born with a deficiency in the Ren and Du meridians. However, in order to help him cultivate, his elders hunted down a dragon-like snake, took the dragon pearl, and taught him to open up the Ren and Du meridians, thus embarking on the path of cultivation.

[The universe is inherently imperfect, and human effort is often insufficient to achieve it, but can it be perfected with things created later?]

Did Nuwa mend the sky?

At this moment, Jiang Liu began to re-examine the principles contained in the myths and legends of the land of China.

Li Muxuan put away the dragon pearl, took the gall bladder of the black dragon snake, and generously gave the rest of the corpse to Chen Yulou.

He was not naive or ignorant of worldly affairs.

Chen Yulou suffered such heavy losses during his trip out of the mountains that the other bandits of Changsheng Mountain will surely make some moves. However, if we can bring this Xuanjiao snake back, it will be able to appease the people.

Upon hearing that Li Muxuan was going to give him the corpse of the Xuanjiao serpent, Chen Yulou was extremely grateful.

Afterwards, the group returned to the mortuary with the corpse of the Xuanjiao Serpent. After resting for a while, they went to the South Village of Old Bear Ridge, intending to rest there for a few days before setting off again.

Since most of the people in Qinghe Village had already packed their belongings and fled to the deep mountains, the rule of "not letting outsiders stay overnight in Nanzhai" was no longer valid.

Jiang Liu then found the Great Gu Master and reported the situation of the Three Evils of Ping Mountain to her, saying: "The Earth Dragon King has been eliminated by us, and its shell, flesh, and centipede pearl are in the bamboo cage; the Ink Pipa has also been eliminated, and the female is left with only an empty shell, while the male's corpse is placed in the alchemy furnace we brought; the corpse of the Xuanjiao Snake is in the hands of Chen Yulou and the others."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Master of Gu nodded hesitantly and asked a question: "Then can you tell me how you managed to collapse that mountain?"

"It has nothing to do with us; the main problem is that they dug up the barbican..."

Jiang Liu revealed his speculation that the hollow interior of Ping Mountain was caused by Chen Yulou and others digging out the barbican. This made the Great Gu Master sigh, "It's good that it collapsed. Most of the poisonous insects in the mountain will die. Moreover, the chickens can take root there, reproduce, and gradually reach a new balance with the poisonous insects. In the future, when the Dongmiao population grows, they may be able to establish a new village there."

This is all thanks to you.

"I wouldn't dare say that, we've also gained quite a bit of benefit." Jiang Liu shook the bamboo cage on his back, then touched the Angry Sun Chicken that followed him, as well as the alchemy furnace placed not far away, and chuckled.

The Grand Gu Master examined the Angry Sun Chicken and sighed, "With this chicken, you won't have to worry about any Gu poisons or other harmful substances in the future, as it can sense them at any time."

"Giggle!"

As if hearing the Grand Gu Master's praise, the Angry Sun Rooster raised its already proud neck even higher, crowing as if it were proud of itself.

Subsequently, the Grand Gu Master purchased some dried meat from the Earth Dragon King and the corpse of the male Mo Pipa from Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Li Muxuan.

Jiang Liu took out the twenty-four centipede beads and asked, "Great Gu Master, what is the use of these twenty-four centipede beads?"

# Chapter 168 Learning about the Heavenly Craft Hall

"Ordinary centipede beads can remove scabs from the skin, and the centipede beads of the Earth Dragon King also have the same effect."

The Grand Gu Master picked up a centipede bead and examined it closely. A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he said, "However, these beads were generated spontaneously by the Earth Dragon King during his cultivation of the inner core. Although the centipede's cultivation method is completely different from the Quanzhen inner core method, and it truly uses its own body as a furnace to refine the herbs and trees that allow it to grow continuously, there is probably some truth to it. This makes the centipede bead contain a universe within it, and it is a natural carrier for inscribing runes, which can be used to make permanent talismanic artifacts."

Jiang Liu's eyes lit up.

In other words, as long as the talisman is inscribed in these twenty-four centipede beads, you can use the talisman's power by simply injecting Qi in the future, and it can be used multiple times!

"In addition, if you can find a master craftsman, you might be able to use the principles of the universe to make him have the ability to store things."

The Grand Gu Master sighed, "Magic artifacts that can store objects are rare indeed. The Earth Dragon King cultivated for hundreds of years and could be said to have comprehended the changes of the twenty-four solar terms and understood the myriad phenomena, which is why he possessed these twenty-four centipede pearls. And yet you obtained them—truly a stroke of good fortune!"

It's a pity—

I don't know how to forge weapons, nor can I draw talismans. You'll have to find someone else to help you.

"Thank you for informing me, Master Gu."

Jiang Liu expressed his gratitude.

"Aside from the three scourges in the mountains, I am the one who should thank you."

As the Great Gu Master spoke, he handed a letter to Jiang Liu, saying, "When I was young, I also ventured out into the world and had a past relationship with a weapon refiner from the Heavenly Craft Hall. If you want to refine magical artifacts, you can take this letter to him."

"I am extremely grateful."

Jiang Liu thanked him again.

The Grand Gu Master casually waved his hand, then wrote two more letters and gave them to Lu Jin and Li Muxuan, saying, "If you want to refine weapons, you can take these letters to the Heavenly Craft Hall."

"Thank you, Master Gu!" x2

They both spoke in unison.

Jiang Liu then thought of another question: "Master Gu, if the Heavenly Craft Hall can help people refine magical artifacts, then wouldn't everyone in the world of supernatural beings be able to seek help from the Heavenly Craft Hall?"

"You're asking why magical artifacts aren't rampant in the world of supernatural beings, right?"

The Grand Gu Master smiled and explained, "You all know how difficult it is to forge magical artifacts."

Normally, a weapon refiner can only refine one magical artifact that accompanies them throughout their life, and the Heavenly Craft Hall is no exception to this rule.

The so-called "helping others refine magical artifacts" simply means they will teach you the methods step by step, and you can refine them yourself.

"What?"

Li Muxuan was surprised, "They don't mind if others learn their magic?"

"Tiangongtang created things for the benefit of the people. Its ideas were passed down to the Mohists and later combined with those of the Gongshu School and others."

The Great Gu Master sighed, "That is to say, most people do not have the aptitude for refining Qi, and it also depends on whether the cultivator has the talent to engage in crafts, carpentry, blacksmithing and other skills. Otherwise, the Heavenly Craft Hall would be the most powerful sect in the world, and other sects, including Taoism and Buddhism, would have to give way."

Most extraordinary individuals don't seek them out because they know that to craft magical artifacts, one must first master the art of manipulating and transforming objects, and ultimately, one must craft them oneself. However, this prevents extraordinary individuals from focusing on their own skills.

It depends on each person's choices.

Therefore, whether or not you choose to go to Tiangongtang is up to you.

"With your cultivation level, even without learning the methods of controlling, transforming, and refining objects, you can subtly influence the weapons you carry with your own Qi over time, allowing them to be directly controlled by your Qi. However, without the methods of controlling and transforming objects, your efficiency will definitely be lower than that of those who truly master these two arts. It all depends on your own exploration."

No wonder the future Ma Xianhong had that kind of idea! It turns out it's a direct descendant, and even a "greater" version of it!

Despite the Grand Gu Master's lengthy explanation, Jiang Liu's focus was on "benefiting the people," rather than on the methods of controlling, transforming, and refining objects.

While the energy of extraordinary individuals is limited, Jiang Liu possesses innate supernatural abilities: the ability to become a god. He has also constructed a unique Qimen framework that integrates the reversal of the eight directions and the rebirth of the nine realms into one method. Furthermore, the cultivation of innate talismans can actively strengthen his bones and muscles, allowing him to cultivate multiple methods simultaneously.

Lu Jin gradually integrated the Eight Directions Reversal and the Ninefold Reversal, and had the energy to cultivate more object manipulation and transformation techniques. Li Muxuan, on the other hand, did not have much energy left. At present, having one more laurel staff for self-defense was already the limit, and he could not cultivate another technique.

"Thank you for the advice, Master Gu. We will make our own decision."

Jiang Liu, Lu Jin, and Li Muxuan thanked them again.

thereafter.

The three stayed in Qinghe Village for three days before bidding farewell to the Great Gu Master and her three disciples, Wei Shufen, Zhang Shuying, and Luo Shuning, and departing with Chen Yulou and the others.

Wei Shufen was indignant because Jiang Liu and his group killed the Earth Dragon King and made its flesh into jerky, which prevented her from refining it into her own natal Gu and the "Heavenly Dragon Gu" technique.

"Alright, don't be angry. The Heavenly Dragon Gu technique only exists in legends. Even if you subdue that Earth Dragon King, you still can't refine it into a Heavenly Dragon Gu."

The Grand Gu Master stroked Wei Shufen's head, his eyes full of affection. "That centipede has hundreds of years of cultivation and has harmed countless people. How could a human possibly subdue it? It's not a deity worshipped by the shamans of Northeast China. It mainly cultivates the 'life' aspect of destiny; it's a demon. Even if you were to subdue it, how would you feed it? It's not a 'deity' that can survive simply by offering incense."

Even though Wei Shufen knew these principles, she was still angry: "Then I should be the one to kill the Earth Dragon King! Jiang Liu, just you wait! I'll make you pay later!"

"Ah~ sneeze!"

Jiang Liu, who had already left Old Bear Ridge with Chen Yulou and the others, suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and couldn't help but ask, "Who's talking about me behind my back?"

"No need to think about it? It must be Wei Shufen."

Li Muxuan chuckled and said, "During the three days in Qinghe Village, she kept looking at you with resentment, after all, you severed the foundation for her to cultivate the 'Heavenly Dragon Gu' technique."

"You can't blame me alone, can you? You two also helped kill the Earth Dragon King!" Jiang Liu said speechlessly.

“You can’t say that, Brother Jiang. It’s true that Junior Brother Mu Xuan and I put in a lot of effort when dealing with that Earth Dragon King, but in the end, those twenty-four centipede beads went to you.” Lu Jin chuckled, mimicking Li Mu Xuan’s manner, clearly having already learned to be “bad.”

"You little rascal—"

Jiang Liu laughed, but wasn't annoyed. He and the two teased each other along the way, and they managed to keep up a good camaraderie.

Upon returning to Changsheng Mountain, the bandits of the Unloading Ridge and Luo Laowai's soldiers who remained there, seeing that Chen Yulou had returned defeated and Luo Laowai was nowhere to be seen, indeed became agitated.

However, the good news was that Chen Yulou was still alive and had brought back the corpse of a Xuanjiao snake, which stabilized the morale of the troops. The soldiers left behind by Luo Laowai did not rebel, but instead went directly to Changsheng Mountain.

This finally put Chen Yulou at ease...

# Chapter 169 It's all or nothing.

After dealing with the matter at Changsheng Mountain, Chen Yulou found Jiang Liu and the others, thanked them again for saving his life, and taught Jiang Liu the four-character method of "observation, listening, questioning and palpation," saying, "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so I can only teach you this four-character method to express my gratitude."

Jiang Liu was not one to be pretentious. After accepting the four-character method and examining it, he understood its essence:

Observe the air with your eyes; listen to the sounds with your ears; ask questions to hone your eloquence; and analyze the information obtained from the first three methods to determine the result.

In short, this four-character method is easy to learn, but to master it requires constant practice. Just like a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, the older one gets, the more experience one has. Chen Yulou was able to master the four methods by constantly practicing them in the field of tomb raiding after learning them, and gradually integrated them into his understanding.

"Thank you for taking care of my head these days, Mr. Chen."

Jiang Liu resigned.

Seeing that the three were about to leave, Chen Yulou could not persuade them to stay, so he asked Jiang Liu, "Brother Jiang, is it true that a great change, unprecedented in history, is taking place in China?"

"It is true."

Jiang Liu nodded.

How can this be proven?

"Let's go and prove it together."

Jiang Liu laughed and said, "It's either success or death."

Chen Yulou remained silent for a long time before saying, "These words... don't seem like something a mountain deity would say."

"I can't survive on air, and I don't deserve the title of 'god'."

Jiang Liu smiled and then extended an invitation to Hong Guniang in front of Chen Yulou, saying, "Sister Hong, would you like to come with us? You need to rebuild the Moon Gate, so you'll need to practice your ancient magic tricks a lot to avoid becoming rusty. Staying here on Changsheng Mountain won't give you much room to showcase your skills."

"Ha ha!"

Before Hong Guniang could speak, Chen Yulou burst out laughing and said, "I'm starting to believe you're not a god. What kind of god would come to a mountain stronghold to poach someone's partner?"

So be it—

He said to the girl in red, "You should go with this young brother Jiang Liu. Staying here on Changsheng Mountain will definitely ruin your skills."