"Ugh... This is truly something."
Inside the quiet cave dwelling, Wang Ping pressed firmly on his glabella. It took him quite a while to regain his composure and detach from the massive volume of memories belonging to his predecessor, Pingjiang Zi.
This was a situation that hadn't occurred before.
With previous new identities, the accompanying memories were merely "background settings"—simplified to the extreme, nowhere near enough to shake his personality.
This time, however, Pingjiang Zi's memories were remarkably profound. Although the finer details remained extremely blurry, at crucial nodes in his life, the memory scenes and the accompanying emotions were incredibly realistic, so much so that he was immersed in them for a while before coming back to his senses.
"Is it because... my identity is higher now?"
Wang Ping pondered. Compared to 【Lishi】 and 【Chores Disciple】, this time, the identity of 【Rogue Cultivator】 within the immortal sect had undoubtedly crossed a certain threshold.
Consequently, the details in the background setting had increased.
This led Wang Ping to a rather unpleasant possibility— perhaps the mighty power of 【The Taiping Classic】 wasn't limitless, at least restricted within the immortal sect.
In Great Shun, 【The Taiping Classic】 can unconditionally provide me with a new identity, even one as prestigious as a Gilded Cavalry Guard, the Emperor's personal guard, without breaking a sweat. But in the immortal sect, if an identity crosses a certain threshold, 【The Taiping Classic】 has to add more background details when providing it.
If it doesn't do this, could it be discovered by the immortal sect?
If that's truly the case...
At this thought, Wang Ping couldn't help but swallow hard. He then temporarily shelved the conjecture. Given his current strength, overthinking it was useless anyway.
Since I am here, I might as well make the best of it.
The current priority was still to rapidly improve his strength.
Wang Ping quickly adjusted his mindset. Setting his worries aside, a feeling of joy regained the upper hand, because the value of this set of memories was immense.
"Orthodox immortal methods!"
Wang Ping carefully reviewed the recollections. From the torrent of memory, he dug out Pingjiang Zi's experiences as a rogue cultivator, which included the immortal sect cultivation method he practiced.
It was named the 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】.
This was a cultivation method so common among the immortal sect's rogue cultivators that it could be considered a dime a dozen. As the name implied, it achieved a physical transformation by eliminating the Three Corpses and Nine Worms within the human body.
When cultivated to great perfection, one would master all four cultivation traits of the first stage of Tribulation Transcendence.
It might not sound impressive, since perfection only meant reaching the first stage of Tribulation Transcendence. However, among the billions of rogue cultivators in the immortal sect, barely a hundred could cultivate it to perfection.
Pingjiang Zi practiced it for half his life and barely managed to master 【Spiritual Consciousness】 and 【Flawless True Body】—the same as Wang Ping, who had cultivated for less than a year. Although part of the reason was that Pingjiang Zi was busy working after adulthood and neglected his cultivation, the fundamental reason was that the difficulty of the cultivation method was simply too high.
No wonder so many people fought over the 【Thief of Life】...
Wang Ping recalled his previous experience in the immortal sect and understood perfectly. No wonder the 【Thief of Life】 was classified as a prohibited cultivation method there.
After all, if everyone practiced the 【Thief of Life】...
...no one would work honestly and peacefully. Everyone would constantly scheme to rapidly increase their cultivation by slaughtering each other. The entire order of the immortal sect would collapse into chaos.
But then again.
What is the price?
Wang Ping wasn't blinded by the convenience of the 【Thief of Life】. After all, behind such immense convenience, there had to be equally immense hidden dangers.
Unfortunately, this thing is already deeply embedded in my sea of consciousness.
This was the difficulty of starting from scratch. There are some things you clearly know are poisoned bait, yet to accumulate initial capital, you have to swallow them anyway.
Wang Ping sighed and turned his attention to the 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】. Compared to the 【Thief of Life】, this cultivation method was undoubtedly much cruder—only slightly more profound than the 【Sovereign Attainment Method of the Six Desire Heavens】. However, after comparing the two, Wang Ping, viewing it from a higher perspective, actually learned it very quickly.
"The Three Corpses and Nine Worms entrench themselves within the human body."
"The Three Corpses govern the three human desires—upper is greed, middle is appetite, lower is lust. When the Three Corpses are severed from the body, the three desires cease to exist, and one can approach the Dao."
"The Nine Worms reside in the nine orifices of the human body: Fu, Long, Rou, Bai, Chi, Ge, Fei, Wei, and Qiang. They are the origin of myriad diseases."
"When the Three Corpses are completely severed, the nature becomes perfectly clear."
"When the Nine Worms are entirely eliminated, the life force naturally reaches fulfillment."
Sitting on the meditation cushion, Wang Ping sighed: "Cultivating both nature and life. If one can reach the realm where both form and spirit are wondrous, they can be considered to have survived the Human Tribulation of the first stage of Tribulation Transcendence."
Thus, one could become an outer sect disciple.
"Should I say, as expected of an immortal sect?" Wang Ping was somewhat surprised: "Although difficult to practice, the underlying concept of this 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】 is actually not low."
Upright and peaceful, following the natural course of the Dao.
If someone could truly overcome its cultivation difficulty, practice it to perfection, and survive the Human Tribulation, their aptitude for cultivation would undoubtedly be unquestionable.
According to Pingjiang Zi's records, there was no shortage of rogue cultivators with Flawed Spirit Roots who, relying on world-shaking comprehension, mastered this method and survived the Human Tribulation in a mere two and a half years.
The day they succeeded even alarmed several Qi Refiners.
Later, those chosen children of heaven among the rogue cultivators were exceptionally accepted as disciples by the 【Dharma Protector Institute】, one of the Three Great Institutes. From then on, they ascended to other realms, and no further news of them was ever heard.
Thinking of this, Wang Ping felt a bit excited.
I wonder how my talent measures up?
Without further delay, he immediately sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state, attempting to practice the 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】 by visualizing the Three Corpses and Nine Worms described in the method within his sea of consciousness.
This was also the reason he concluded his transmigration was not possession.
In his memories, Pingjiang Zi had long learned the 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】. However, in this regard, his memories were incredibly blurry.
Not only that, but my body shows no signs of having practiced immortal methods. Instead, it is thoroughly tempered by the 【Thirteen Grand Protectors Body-Tempering Art】, inheriting entirely my own cultivation base. Rather than saying I possessed Pingjiang Zi, it's more accurate to say I merely obtained his identity.
Therefore, practicing the cultivation method had to start entirely from scratch.
This situation was different from when he was a Lishi.
Wang Ping guessed it was likely because a Lishi was merely a tool of the immortal sect, while Pingjiang Zi was a true human being, resulting in different outcomes.
But I am no longer that immortal cultivation novice from back then.
Wang Ping was full of confidence. He currently mastered two spiritual arts and had cultivated 【Spiritual Consciousness】 and 【Flawless True Body】. He possessed a sufficient understanding of immortal cultivation.
It's a mere rogue cultivator's cultivation method; could I possibly fail to learn it?
—Three days later.
"【The Taiping Classic】!"
Wang Ping unhesitatingly entered the Morgue, then focused his consciousness on 【A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold】, unleashing his peerless loan-taking talent.
The next second, as the light of 【A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold】 dimmed, a massive volume of knowledge and insights instantly surfaced from the bottom of Wang Ping's heart, like a surging fountain.
Immediately after, shadows gradually drifted around him. Within them, countless pale, fat worms the size of human heads seemed to crawl recklessly, converging into a sea of worms enough to trigger trypophobia. And beneath this sea of worms sat three indiscernible figures in a cross-legged position.
"Hoo... Haa!"
Wang Ping inhaled deeply, swallowing all the surrounding shadows into his mouth. He then exhaled fully, sending billowing black qi scattering across heaven and earth, accompanied by ghost-wailing and wolf-howling sounds.
In an instant, Wang Ping felt a wave of lightness in both body and mind.
This inhalation and exhalation was the true essence of the 【Secret Record of Resolving the Three Corpses and Nine Worms】— inhaling the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, exhaling the murky qi of the Nine Worms, thereby cleansing the mortal body.
During this process, the three desires represented by the Three Corpses would constantly generate various distracting thoughts, bombarding his sea of consciousness and interfering with his breathing rhythm and frequency.
If his breathing faltered, the Three Corpses would exploit the vulnerability. Conversely, the Three Corpses would be suppressed, thereby tempering his spiritual sense and mental fortitude.
Right at that moment.
Outside the cave dwelling, the formation sounded a warning. Following that, a voice drifted in leisurely: "I am Qingyuan from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. Is Daoist Pingjiang Zi here?"
"Heaven and Earth Pavilion..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ping, who had inherited Pingjiang Zi's identity, reacted instantly: "Is he here to collect debts? That's not right, it's only..."
Filled with doubt, Wang Ping walked out of the cave dwelling.
The next second, he saw a familiar figure. The person was tall and thin, with a horse-like face, and his eyes squinted into slits when he smiled.
It's the guy who delivered goods to Daoist Nun You...
In his previous-previous life as an immortal sect Lishi, two immortal sect disciples had delivered goods to Daoist Nun You, only to be ruthlessly extorted by her.
The person before him was one of those two.
The Heaven and Earth Pavilion is an organization established by a true legacy disciple of the immortal sect. Similar factions are numerous within the immortal sect; it's a common sight.
As the saying goes— a sect is a sect, but within a sect there are factions, all bizarre and strange.
While digging out his impressions of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion from Pingjiang Zi's memory, Wang Ping forced a smile onto his face and said, "So it is Daoist Qingyuan."
"May I ask what brings you here?"
"Hehe."
Seeing this, Qingyuan spoke with a kind expression: "It's like this. I recently heard that Daoist has left the 【Soul-Descending Abode】, and I felt a bit concerned about the spiritual contract for your cave dwelling."
As soon as he spoke, Wang Ping's face turned cold, and he simultaneously remembered—when Pingjiang Zi bought the cave dwelling on a mortgage, he did so through the Heaven and Earth Pavilion as an intermediary.
Therefore, the down payment was significantly cheaper than through official channels, but the subsequent interest was correspondingly higher.
"It's not time for repayment yet, is it?"
Wang Ping said deeply: "I have already paid this month's principal and interest in full. Even if Daoist wants to demand payment, you should come back next month."
"Daoist misunderstands."
Qingyuan's expression didn't change as he continued: "I am not here to demand payment, but to plan ahead and recommend an exceptionally suitable blessed land job to Daoist."
"This way, Daoist can start working as soon as possible, saving you from worrying about next month's repayment, and your cultivation can quickly return to the right track. As for me, by recommending Daoist, I can earn a bit of commission. It's a great matter that benefits us both. Why wouldn't Daoist happily agree?"
Really?
Wang Ping's expression remained calm, and he only asked one question: "Then regarding the job Daoist recommends, how is the spiritual coin compensation? Is it the same as the 【Soul-Descending Abode】?"
"It will definitely be a little bit lower."
Qingyuan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "After all, Daoist left the 【Soul-Descending Abode】 because you made a mistake. If you take a new job, the other party will definitely lowball you."
Of course they would.
Not only would they lowball, but they would lowball him to a degree where he could barely make his loan repayments but struggle to maintain his daily life, forcing him to continue seeking loans.
This way, the debt wouldn't decrease.
Instead, it would keep growing.
The result would be him, like countless other rogue cultivators, working to death burdened by massive debt, never able to pay it off even when he died.
Then, when he died, the Heaven and Earth Pavilion would come knocking to legally and reasonably confiscate the cave dwelling he fought so hard to keep, only to sell it to the next unlucky rogue cultivator just like him... This operational logic was known to everyone, yet impossible to resist. Everyone could only endure it silently.
Bastard!
At this thought, Wang Ping couldn't help but curse loudly in his heart. Just which heartless bastard created these rules designed to sustainably drain the pond to catch all the fish?
"Anyway, Daoist should consider it carefully."
Seeing the "Pingjiang Zi" before him lower his eyes and say nothing, Qingyuan didn't find it strange. Instead, he smiled and took out a talisman paper.
"I will take my leave first. Once Daoist has made a decision, simply send me a letter."
With that, Qingyuan activated a flying light and departed.
After watching the other party leave, Wang Ping looked down at the talisman paper.
Engraved clearly on the talisman paper was an emblem and the three characters 【Yangyuan Ridge】 l. This was a blessed land within the immortal sect specialized in forging Cauldrons.
The new job wants me to act as a Cauldron for the fairies of 【Yangyuan Ridge】?
...Should I go for a trial period first to see?
"Hiss!"
The next second, Wang Ping sucked in a sharp breath of cold air: Dammit, it's the lower corpse governing lust among the Three Corpses. It actually dared to mess with my Dao heart and shake my resolve!
At this thought, he hurriedly inhaled spiritual qi to suppress the evil thoughts of the Three Corpses. It took him quite a while to recover.
He then re-evaluated Pingjiang Zi's situation, finally reaching a conclusion: It's hopeless. This Pingjiang Zi looks alive, but in reality, he's practically already dead.
The only difference was whether he died early or later.
Rather than wasting time as a human sacrifice in the immortal sect, it's better to die early and transmigrate back to the Great Shun Dynasty as soon as the 【Otherworldly Heavenly Demon】 cooldown ends.
At least in Longxing County, he had the capital to struggle.
At this thought, Wang Ping began analyzing his opponents in Great Shun.
But right at that moment, an alluring figure walked out from another quiet room in the cave dwelling. She had a beautiful face, wearing a gentle smile.
"...Yuerou?"
Wang Ping turned his head. The woman was the Dao companion Pingjiang Zi found after his parents died. However, since both of them were very busy with work, they spent little time together.
Yet with just one glance, Wang Ping noticed something was wrong—in Pingjiang Zi's memories, Fairy Yuerou was a rogue cultivator similar to him. She came from an ordinary background, was entirely devoted to the immortal Dao, wasn't keen on dual cultivation, and had no divorce records. Only after conversing multiple times did he finally become her Dao companion.
No matter how you looked at it, there was no problem.
But in the very moment he made eye contact with Fairy Yuerou, Wang Ping felt a slight pain in his glabella—this had nothing to do with cultivation base, spiritual sense, or cultivation methods.
It was the martial artist's divine intent.
Without seeing or hearing, the martial artist's divine intent to sense danger and avoid it automatically sounded a warning, telling him the woman before him was highly dangerous, enough to threaten his life!
The next second, the other party spoke:
"Pingjiang, you don't want to end up without a job, having your cave dwelling and spiritual artifacts confiscated either, right?"
The alluring female cultivator's tone was gentle, yet her words were incredibly sinister: "Since things have reached this point, do you want to try... becoming a rogue bandit?"