Chapter 3 Practice
Walk out of the lobby, enter the inner courtyard, walk along the corridor, and arrive at the exorcist department's warehouse.
There is a stone tablet as high as one person outside the warehouse door, with densely packed text engraved on it:
“…
“Guiyuan Jue”, a low-grade technique, Exchange price: five hundred meritorious deeds;
""Lightning Whip", low-grade martial arts, exchange price: 500 merit points;
""Dog Beating Stick Technique", low-grade martial arts, exchange price: 500 merit points;
"... …
“Cloud-piercing bow, low-grade magic weapon, exchange price: 1,100 merit points;
“Bone-crushing hammer, low-grade magic weapon, exchange price: 1,000 merit points;
"...
"Spirit Gathering Pill (one piece) can temper the true essence and strengthen the soul. It is necessary to break through the first to second realms. Exchange price: one hundred meritorious deeds;
< br>"Jingxin Dan (one bottle) can stabilize the mind and assist in practice. It is suitable for first-level monks. The exchange price is: three hundred meritorious deeds;
"..."
In Daqi In the Exorcism Department, you can obtain merit rewards in varying amounts by completing ghost-killing missions, collecting intelligence, and doing chores in the logistics department - of course, killing ghosts is the most efficient way to obtain merit.
With meritorious deeds, you can exchange them for various items.
As an ordinary small county, the Yishui County Exorcism Department does not have magical weapons or peerless martial arts in its warehouse, only some mediocre but indispensable resources in the practice process.
If you want higher-level secrets or magic weapons, you have to go to the nearby "big city" - Qingzhou Prefecture to redeem them.
For example, one of Gu Xu's colleagues once spent two thousand merit in exchange for a mid-grade machete in Qingzhou Prefecture. He carried it on his back every day and showed it off when he saw others.
It is said that in the treasure house at the capital headquarters of the Exorcist Department of the Da Qi Dynasty, as long as you have enough merit, you can even exchange for extremely rare high-grade skills, peerless magic weapons, etc.
For example, the protective amulet hand-drawn by the Imperial Master.
For example, the "Tai'a Sword Technique" pioneered by Emperor Taizu.
For example, the relics left by those who ascended in the past.
Gu Xu stared at the price list for two seconds, and couldn't help but lament his poverty again.
The exorcist department’s night shift worker in the warehouse is a hunchbacked old man.
As soon as he saw Gu Xu, he frowned and said impatiently: "Why is it always you?"
"Because I am a model monk who actively eliminates harm for the people, and my merits are naturally better than others. A little more." Gu Xu replied with a smile and handed the note with "Jingxin Pill" to the hunchbacked uncle.
The old man glanced at the note, then took out a white porcelain bottle from the drawer and threw it towards Gu Xu without raising his head.
Gu Xu stretched out his hand and caught it steadily.
"It's late, it's not safe, go home quickly!" The old man started to chase people away.
But Gu Xu still stood where he was.
He opened the white porcelain bottle and smelled the smell inside first - it was the beautiful fragrance of Three Hundred Merits. Then he shook out the elixirs one by one and put them in the palm of his hand to make sure there were enough. Just put them back on.
"You brat, hurry up and leave! Don't stand here and affect my work!" The hunchbacked man waved his hand and urged again with a straight face.
Gu Xu finally turned and left.
With a relieved smile on his face, the old man took out the storybook "The Oil Seller Monopolizes the Oiran" hidden in his arms again, and read it with relish.
.........
After getting the elixir, Gu Xu returned to the lobby, took the eggs, white fungus and wolfberry given to him by Chen Jisheng, then left the Yamen and returned to his home.
Gu Xu’s home is only two streets away from the exorcism department’s office, and can be reached in five minutes’ walk.
This is a small courtyard house, a legacy left by the parents of the original owner of the body.
Although the area is not large, it is more than enough for Gu Xu to live alone.
Eight years ago, Yishui County suffered a large-scale attack by ghosts within a thousand miles. The original owner of the body once watched helplessly as his parents were chewed and eaten alive by a huge basilisk, leaving no bones left.
Since then, the seeds of hatred have been buried in the heart of the original owner.
So, when he turned sixteen, the original owner angrily joined the exorcism department, determined to avenge his parents, and gritted his teeth to "kill all the ghosts and drive them out of the world."
…………
Gu Xu unlocked the door, crossed the threshold, walked around the screen wall, walked through the narrow yard, and walked straight into the main house facing north and south.
The candles in the room all lit up, dyeing the entire courtyard a bright orange color.
"Master, you are back!" A little book boy in a gray shirt stood at the door and bowed slightly to him.
"Go and pour me a cup of tea, I'm going to start practicing." Gu Xu ordered.
"Yes, Master."
When Gu Xu took off his shoes and changed clothes and sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat, a cup of steaming tea had already been placed in front of him.
But the little book boy had disappeared without a trace. On the screen behind Gu Xu, a portrait appeared at some point - the little book boy in the portrait was smiling, and his appearance was exactly the same as the book boy in cloth shirt standing at the door just now.
The ways of talismans are ever-changing.
It can drive away ghosts and can also give spirituality to the characters in the painting.
It’s a pity that Gu Xu’s strength is low now. The little book boy he drew can only serve tea and pour water.
Gu Xu picked up the tea cup, took a sip, then took out the small white porcelain bottle containing the "Jingxin Pill", took out a round light green pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
Then he closed his eyes.
A sweet taste started from his throat and quickly spread throughout his body.
The distracting thoughts in my mind disappeared instantly.
He also became calm and peaceful, as if nothing in the world could cause the slightest fluctuation in his emotions.
He began to recite scriptures silently and perform the exercises.
Different from what was described in the novels about cultivating immortals in previous lives, there is no such thing as "spiritual energy of heaven and earth" in the wilderness -
There is only the ubiquitous aura of death.
Yin Qi is the source of the power of demons and ghosts, but it is harmful rather than beneficial to the human race.
Until the cultivation method appeared.
People use cultivation techniques to try to force Yin Qi into the meridians, and after thousands of tempers, condense it into "true essence".
But this process is also extremely dangerous.
If you are not careful, your mind will lose control, your soul and body will be swallowed up by the Yin Qi, and you will eventually turn into an irrational monster.
Therefore people often say that practicing is to live toward death.
Every step forward is a crazy test under the eyes of the Lord of Hell.
Initial perception of yin energy, opening of body acupoints, and condensation of true energy are the first realm of practice - [Ghost Pass].
"Ghost Pass" is the legendary first pass through which souls enter the underworld after death.
Advancing to the realm of "Ghost Gate" means officially embarking on the path of spiritual practice of narrow escape and death, and there is no turning back from now on.
Gu Xu also jokingly called it "the first step to commit suicide".
The "Jingxin Pill" can help him stabilize his mind during this process and avoid being eroded by Yin Qi.
As Gu Xu softly recited the exercise scriptures, the Yin and Death Qi between heaven and earth instantly turned into a whirlpool and surged into his body.
His face became extremely pale, like a corpse.
And there was a faint whisper in his ears, illusory and blurry, which seemed to be tempting him to open his heart, fall into the darkness, and embrace a more powerful power.
But under the protection of the Jingxin Pill, his mind remained as calm as still water.
After an hour, the effect of the Meditation Pill disappeared.
The turbid Yin Qi has been filtered out of impurities and turned into pure essence, flowing through his meridians like the first melting snow in spring.
Then he took out another pill and swallowed it in one gulp...
When the third pill was exhausted, it was dawn.
The golden sunlight passed through the window, casting mottled light spots on the ground, and also illuminated the young man's pale and clear face.
Later stage of the first realm.
This is the result of Gu Xu's practice so far.
He only needs to spend a few more days to solidify his foundation, and then he can try to break through to the second realm.
Anyone else would definitely be excited about this progress that is far faster than ordinary people.
But Gu Xu was not happy at all.
A bottle of Jingxin Dan contained nine pills, and he used three of them in one night.
This is equivalent to him using up one hundred merit points in one night, and he needs to kill ten more monsters to earn it back.
"It seems that we have to find a few more lucky ghosts today," Gu Xu stood up from the bamboo mat and stretched, "I hope the ghosts I encountered today can be a little more durable. , otherwise my experiment will not be completed."
Thinking of this, he put on his green shirt, shoes, and scarf again, and went to work in the Exorcism Department in high spirits.
(End of this chapter)