The Four Sacred Beasts Body Tempering Technique — Azure Dragon in the East, affiliated with wood.
Jiang Wang immersed himself in the vitality, sensing the growth of his qi and blood. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the newly birthed Dao Essence in the Tongtian Palace seemed a bit more spirited, which somewhat eased the difficulty of arranging the formation nodes.
Being able to directly nourish the body with wood-element energy before even opening the Gate of Heaven and Earth was undoubtedly one of the advantages of the martial cultivation path.
The Four Sacred Beasts Body Tempering Technique used metal-element energy to refine bones, fire to temper the body, water to nourish the flesh, and finally, wood to stimulate the growth of qi and blood — a comprehensive and complete system, a path not deviating from the Dao.
Jiang Wang had no intention of switching to the martial path, nor did he plan to rush through his meridians with qi and blood. But enhancing his qi and blood would, in turn, nourish his Dao Essence, speeding up his process of condensing the Dao Core.
Originally, he could only perform two to three rounds of meridian-piercing cultivation each day. The rest of his time had to be spent honing his swordsmanship and studying Daoist scriptures. But now, since his Purple Qi from the East Sword Technique had also reached a bottleneck — at least for his current stage — shifting some attention to body tempering wouldn't delay his overall cultivation progress.
The prospect of the Zhou Tian Star Dou Foundation Formation Diagram was promising, but indeed, far too difficult and slow.
Still, Jiang Wang wasn't anxious. His father had once told him when he was very young: a 99-year-old ginseng could sell for 100 taels of silver, but if you waited just one more year, a century-old ginseng would be worth its weight in gold.
Waiting is not in vain. Some futures are worth the wait.
So even though rumors swirled around the Dao Institute — about how Fang Heling was close to condensing his second Dao Core, or how someone else had already opened their meridians and would soon surpass others — Jiang Wang remained calm and methodical. Morning bells and evening drums, never ceasing.
October, also known as the Month of Dew, ushers in winter with the fall of autumn, giving rise to heavy dew — hence the name.
To the residents of Maple Forest City, the most significant event of this October was undoubtedly the Three Cities' Dao Debate.
As the name suggests, the Dao Debate of Three Cities was a joint demonstration and competition among the Dao Institutes of the three neighboring cities, aimed at mutual learning and sharpening of skills. In reality, it served as a warm-up for the annual prefectural Dao Institute examination held every November. Similar events occurred across the country under different names.
For instance, in Daishan Prefecture, there was the famed "Northern Wind Performing Snow," organized by Qinglan City and White Deer City, inspired by the phrase "In the tenth month of early winter, the northern wind lingers." Its refined elegance even turned it into a local cultural highlight, drawing many visitors yearly. In essence, it was still just a five-city joint Daoist competition.
By contrast, "Three Cities' Dao Debate" sounded much plainer. But it couldn't be helped — the three neighboring cities were Wangjiang, Maple Forest, and Sanshan.
Maple Forest City needed no further elaboration — simplicity was its hallmark. Though its red maples outside the city burned bright like fire and offered some beauty, the only famous poem about it had been penned by a Qinglan cultivator just passing through.
Wangjiang City, at its core, was driven by profit and cared little for refinement. Sanshan City was even more direct — people there were still derogatorily called "mountain barbarians."
Given such roots, the three cities lacked grandeur. However, over the years, this event had evolved beyond student sparring. It gradually came to represent the relative strength of the three cities and had begun to influence the distribution of royal resources — hence, it carried increasingly fierce undertones.
This year, it was Maple Forest City's turn to host, and everyone from the city lord down to common folk paid close attention. Major restaurants had already put up celebratory decorations, and public security was tightened — even petty theft had vanished for the time being.
Within the Dao Institute, a selection process was naturally underway.
"That's the situation." Wei Quji and Dong A appeared together — a rare occurrence — yet neither took a seat, both choosing to stand on stage.
"As per custom, we select two students each from the first, third, and fifth years to participate in the Dao Debate," Wei Quji said. His dark skin and sharp eyes made him quite intimidating when not smiling. "I'll be blunt — you're allowed to win, not lose. If you lose, don't blame me for making life hard for you later."
The term "first-year student" referred to those who had trained at the Dao Institute for roughly a year, mostly selected from last year's batch, meaning they had trained for over a year already. The same logic applied to third- and fifth-year students. Those who had studied for over five years without entering a prefectural Dao Institute had typically given up on cultivation to enjoy a secular life of wealth and comfort.
With the city's top figure putting things so plainly, the students standing below the stage couldn't help but feel nervous. Some who had planned to shine during this Dao Debate began to reconsider.
"One win for a first-year gets you ten Dao Merits. For third-years, twenty. Fifth-years, fifty," Dong A added, his face still stern despite the seemingly motivational statement.
The two — one stern, one cold — complemented each other perfectly. That the two most powerful figures in Maple Forest City were both emphasizing the importance of this event underscored how serious it was.
This wasn't just about resource allocation — it reflected their political leadership, and more importantly, their reputation.
Especially now that the entire Xiaolin Town had become a wasteland — Maple Forest City desperately needed to make a strong statement.
"I'll now call names. If you feel you're not strong enough and wish to withdraw, speak up now." Given how critical this Dao Debate was, Dong A skipped voluntary sign-ups and went straight to assigning participants: "This time, Zhang Linchuan will lead the team..."
Below the stage, Zhang Linchuan pressed his forehead with frustration and muttered, "So much pressure…"
"You feel pressure?" Dong A's gaze immediately locked on him. With the cultivation of a fifth-rank powerhouse, even a whisper — or a fart — couldn't escape his detection.
"But I'm full of confidence!" Zhang Linchuan instantly replied.
Only then did Dong A move on, continuing to read the rest of the names.
"Senior Brother Zhang truly lives up to his name — even the dean acknowledges you as the top of our Dao Institute!" Huang Azhan flattered in a low voice beside him.
Zhang Linchuan had arrived at the institute rather late today and deliberately avoided the front, standing instead with Jiang Wang and the others — perhaps hoping to be overlooked. But of course, he was still the first one picked.
"If Zhu Weiwo and Wei Yan were available, you think I'd be the one suffering?" Zhang Linchuan glared at Huang Azhan. He didn't want Wei Yan coming after him with a blade tomorrow morning.
Then he suddenly covered his nose with a handkerchief. "When was the last time you bathed?"
"A true man doesn't waste time bathing!" Huang Azhan replied righteously, then lowered his head to sniff himself. "No smell at all…"
Zhang Linchuan shuffled a couple steps away in disgust.
Wei Yan was from the Ministry of War — it was normal that he couldn't participate in an inter-institute Dao Debate. But what about Zhu Weiwo? Shouldn't someone like him show up for an event like this?
Jiang Wang wondered aloud, "Why isn't Senior Brother Zhu participating?"
"Oh, he's off hunting the Heart-Devouring Demon," Zhang Linchuan casually replied.
"!!!"
"!!!"
Jiang Wang, Ling He, and Huang Azhan were stunned in unison.
Hunting?
The Nine Great Human Demons were infamous — rampaging through kingdoms, committing endless atrocities. Calling them the most wicked villains under heaven was no exaggeration. Even though Xiong Wen, ranked lowest among them due to his brutal methods, was still a sixth-rank powerhouse who had opened the Gate of Heaven and Earth — a true Soaring Dragon cultivator!
A ninth-rank cultivator lays formation nodes with Dao Essence and condenses the Dao Core — the Foundation Realm.
An eighth-rank cultivator constructs three Dao Cores and forms a Minor Cycle in the Tongtian Palace — the Minor Cycle Realm.
A seventh-rank cultivator completes Heaven, Earth, and Human Minor Cycles to form a Major Cycle, then purifies the body and the Tongtian Palace, awakening the Great Dragon of the Dao Vein — only then can they see the Gate of Heaven and Earth — the Tongtian Realm.
This Gate is also called the First Threshold of Cultivation. Only by breaking through it can one find their true self and let the Dao Vein soar like a dragon.
Before the sixth rank, all Dao Institute disciples wore standard hemp robes, symbolizing their hardship-enduring, thorn-clearing spirit.
Upon reaching the sixth rank and entering the Middle Three Realms, one could don the Soaring Dragon Robe. This robe had subtle variations across Soaring Dragon, Inner Palace, and Outer Tower stages, but all signified elite status and tangible honor.
Anyone qualified to wear the Soaring Dragon Robe was a recognized powerhouse.
And now, someone like Xiong Wen — a demon with such fearsome renown, a master among sixth-rank Soaring Dragon cultivators — was being hunted down by Zhu Weiwo, a mere city-level Dao Institute student?