However, if you don't complete the body tempering stage before mastering the Ape Strike Technique, you won't be able to complete the daily and monthly training. Just like Lu Xuan lamented when he first practiced the Ape Strike Technique, this technique has a threshold. And the invisible threshold is actually quite high. The little fox is the first disciple who meets the requirements and inspires Lu Xuan's desire to pass on his knowledge.
"Master, what's our sect called?" The little fox suddenly asked this question, leaving Lu Xuan stunned. He realized that he had never even considered giving his sect a name. To be precise, before taking Xin Shisi Niang as his disciple, he had never thought about establishing a sect.
"A name?" Lu Xuan thought for a moment, preparing to casually name one. But just as he was about to speak, he felt a vague unease creeping over him. It was subtle, a perception at the level of his soul.
A vague realization dawned on Lu Xuan. Over the years, he had traveled the world, slaying demons and monsters, punishing evil and promoting good. But now, thinking back, one thing seemed strange: he had never sensed the existence of merit. The world of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* definitely had things like merit and fortune, and these permeated the entire cultivation world. Yet, Lu Xuan felt nothing of it.
Correspondingly, he had killed many officials of the Great Jin Dynasty. Even if those people were corrupt officials, they were still legitimate officials of the Great Jin Dynasty at their core. However, he never suffered any so-called backlash from his luck.
The fortune and merits of this world seem to have nothing to do with him. However, if he were to establish his own sect and set forth his lineage today, the situation might be different.
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Chapter 376 You're Not Qualified
Lu Xuan ultimately did not decide on a name for the sect, but simply told Xin Shisi Niang that the name was not important. He added that if she were to achieve success in her cultivation in the future, she could naturally establish her own sect.
Strangely enough, Lu Xuan had already taken concrete steps to spread his teachings. However, the Heavenly Dao gave no feedback whatsoever. It seemed that as long as one did not explicitly establish a lineage, one would not be tainted by the karma of this world. This standard of judgment left Lu Xuan somewhat dumbfounded. It felt quite like the various unspoken rules of later generations.
Xin Shisi Niang inherited the Ape Strike Technique, and Lu Xuan also taught her various complete supporting spells. He also gave her an early-forged magic sword. The little fox was overjoyed and didn't know what to do, so she kowtowed three times to Lu Xuan. Then she reluctantly went home.
Lu Xuan returned to his manor to continue his game with the Imperial Advisor.
The case of the haunted capital was solved. The three wandering ghosts were publicly executed. The emperor was overjoyed and richly rewarded the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice. Then he returned to his happy life.
"Master, this is our golden opportunity. If we do it again tonight, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice will completely lose the Emperor's favor. We can seize this chance to reclaim these two crucial departments."
Once Li Donglai reveals his true nature, he's nothing but a schemer. Completely disregarding the emperor's life and death, he demands that Lu Xuan perform the act on the emperor again.
"It is indeed the best time. However, nothing is ever perfect. Let's wait two more days and give the emperor a couple of days to relax. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good if he collapsed too quickly after being constantly frightened."
Lu Xuan actually had a reason he didn't mention. They couldn't underestimate the Grand Preceptor. Although the Grand Preceptor was at a crucial moment and couldn't act directly, his cultivation was too high. Even if he attacked secretly, the little ghost Lu Xuan had temporarily raised probably wouldn't be able to withstand it. Therefore, he decided to wait two days, because the full moon would be in two days.
There's a scene in the movie where the Imperial Advisor reveals his true form during the full moon. Since ancient times, it's been quite normal for demons to reveal their true forms during the full moon. Even a powerful demon like the Imperial Advisor needs to exert considerable effort to conceal his true form. This is actually a sign that their cultivation is not yet complete.
If it were to truly steal the dragon energy of the Great Jin Dynasty and transform it into its own cultivation, the giant centipede might be able to directly transform into a dragon, becoming a demon immortal-level being. Then the problem of the full moon uncontrollably transforming into human form would no longer exist.
Therefore, Lu Xuan chose to take action on the day of the full moon, so that the Grand Preceptor would have no experience in dealing with it.
For the emperor, these past two days had been quite relaxing. Although the shadow in his heart hadn't completely disappeared, the fact that those ghosts had been utterly annihilated before his eyes had restored most of his energy. He then resumed indulging in the blissful life of the harem.
He increasingly felt that the world was at peace, and the people lived in contentment. Even if a few ghosts were causing trouble, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. Sometimes he even thought that he should hand over the affairs of state to the Grand Preceptor and hide in the inner palace to enjoy himself.
However, what the emperor did not expect was that the nightmare would descend once again.
The scene was exactly the same as last time, but this time it was even more thrilling. The emperor, in the middle of his sexual activity, suddenly discovered that his concubines' heads had been severed.
"Holy crap!" That was the emperor's only thought. He didn't even notice that the concubine's neck wasn't bleeding.
At this moment, the concubine was speechless. Why him again? That's right, it was the same painted-skin ghost from last time. After Lu Xuan removed his head from his previous identity, he changed his identity and infiltrated the harem again. As luck would have it, he was once again targeted by Lu Xuan's tool ghost.
The emperor fell ill, a serious one. To make matters worse, despite his illness, he went to court and first launched a furious attack on the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, the very institutions that had wronged him. He also conveniently dismissed the heads of both ministries.
The Imperial Advisor went into seclusion to deal with the commotion on the night of the full moon. Before he could even react the next day, Lin Donglai suddenly launched an attack. He not only lashed out at the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, but also brought the chief constable of the Six Doors to the imperial court.
"Your Majesty, the Six Doors have made a lead on the haunting case that the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review have been holding incompetent positions without solving. However, it has been suppressed by the Court of Judicial Review and has not been reported."
The emperor, who had been listless, suddenly perked up.
"speak."
Lin Yuanshan, who had just taken office, then stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the reason why the Six Doors were able to solve this case is because they recently recruited a highly skilled Taoist priest. At this time, the Six Doors have already captured the mastermind behind the three major tragedies in the capital."
"The mastermind behind the capital's massacre, that's the one in the palace, haven't you caught him yet?"
"This... Your Majesty. The Six Doors have no authority to enter the palace to investigate cases."
The emperor then regained consciousness; he had a fever and was currently delirious. For a moment, he didn't even remember that the Six Doors were responsible for cases in the martial arts world.
"Is that so? In that case, I will grant the Six Doors special permission to enter the palace to apprehend the ghosts. Your steward will also be brought in. If he can truly capture the ghosts committing crimes within the palace, I will certainly reward him handsomely."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...........
"So, I'm going to the palace tomorrow?"
"No, we'll go tonight. His Majesty has a persistent high fever, and the imperial physician says it's caused by inner demons. If this case isn't solved, His Majesty's illness may not improve anytime soon."
"Inner demons, hahaha. Very well, I will enter the palace tonight to subdue demons and cure His Majesty's inner affliction."
Lu Xuan entered the palace as a court official of the Six Doors. However, before entering the palace, he received more than twenty invitation cards, all inviting him to visit. But Lu Xuan ignored all of them and went directly to the capital.
Entering the inner palace was not something one could do casually. Even with the emperor's decree, there were countless restrictions. Even how one could look was subject to special rules.
"There's no need for such trouble. The ghost is not in Your Majesty's harem, but in Your Majesty's bedchamber."
Lu Xuan intended to vanquish the demon in front of the emperor. After all, a live broadcast would deepen the emperor's understanding. He wasn't aiming for instant success; this was simply to leave a lasting impression on the emperor. That way, if any problems arose in the palace that couldn't be solved, the emperor would naturally think of Lu Xuan first.
On his way to the emperor's palace, Lu Xuan suddenly stopped. Not far in front of him, a figure dressed in a yellow monk's robe stood quietly.
Lu Xuan smiled slightly and took the initiative to greet him.