Enshrinement as a God

"Yes, I am the Sword Immortal, Taoist Lingbao, as the common people call me."

Lingbao, who was grinning, stared at the startled Agong, who looked like a rabbit.

"Now, are you willing to learn my humble martial arts?"

"If you are such a great person, why are you interested in me?"

As Agong had heard, the Sword Immortal was one of the strongest in the world, and he was a strange person who would be sad if he were second to none in terms of his cranky personality.

He couldn't understand why such a person would show him such unconditional kindness.

"Do I have to explain every single reason why I am paying attention to a humble brat like you? This immortal is helping you out of my sky-like generosity."

"I've already been through it once, so I'm trying to cross the stone bridge after tapping it."

A cool energy shone in Lingbao's eyes.

"You piece of dog crap, you've only learned to be impudent. Is this the mouth that ate my expensive elixir and is spouting such insolent words?"

"But it's strange! Why would such a great person help me and teach me martial arts?"

In fact, the reason Lingbao had even taken out his secret ultimate skill for Agong was largely due to his consciousness of the Tongtian Cult Master.

When he had checked Agong's pulse while he was unconscious, he had found that Tongtian had not formally taught Agong the Manifest Demon True Art.

If so, if Lingbao trained Agong with the Nine Gates True Scripture, even if he used the Heavenly Demon Hand, its root would eventually become the Nine Gates True Scripture, so whatever Tongtian was thinking and whatever he taught Agong would all be in vain.

Along with the deep-rooted rivalry between the Mountain Peak Sect and the Sea Isle Sect, Lingbao's hostility towards Tongtian was unfolding around Agong.

"You won't be able to learn all of the Nine Gates True Scripture with your head anyway, so I will only teach you the internal energy cultivation method. If you forget that useless Heavenly Demon Hand, I will also teach you the Nine Gates Harmonious Sword Art."

"I don't want to! The Heavenly Demon Hand is so great!"

If he didn't practice the Heavenly Demon Hand, how was he supposed to fish in the lake?

But whatever Agong's thoughts were, praising Tongtian's Heavenly Demon Hand in front of Lingbao was one of the things he should never do.

Lingbao became so angry that it seemed as if fire would shoot out of his eyes.

"How dare you!"

To praise the Heavenly Demon Hand of the demonic cult in front of him was no different from an unparalleled insult to Lingbao.

He was Lingbao, who had mastered the eight gates of the Nine Gates True Scripture and had lived boasting that he had no rival in the world.

This was like a child who hadn't even lost all his baby teeth grabbing his beard in a bunch and shaking it.

"Can't I just go back?"

At Agong's single word, Lingbao's anger, which he could no longer hold back, finally exploded.

"You brat! Learn the Nine Gates True Scripture right now and feel for yourself which one is greater!"

Agong, feeling a sense of crisis as Lingbao urged him on with his eyes turned upside down, shook his head without realizing it.

"What a stubborn brat for a young one!"

Lingbao picked up the Nine Gates Harmonious Heart Art that had fallen on the floor and threw it at Agong.

Thwack!

Agong was startled to see the book, which had grazed his head, get stuck in a pillar of the house.

How could a book made of paper get stuck in a wooden pillar?

"W-wait a minute!"

"If you want to make an orchid bloom, you must treat it harshly."

"I'm not an orchid!!"

Agong's screams echoed through Lingbao's residence until he answered that he would learn the Nine Gates True Scripture.

* * *

"Tsk, tsk. You have to completely break the vessel to fill it with new water... You've done a useless thing."

Hongjun, who saw Agong return to the tavern led by Lingbao's hand, said this one word and clicked his tongue.

Lingbao, facing the very displeased Hongjun, seemed to be about to say something but held it back.

After Lingbao left, Agong, who had been recuperating at Lingbao's residence for a few days, greeted Master Gongsun.

"Huh... you were sick?"

"Yes. I'm much better now."

"Your complexion certainly looks better than before. I should thank the Taoist Lingbao."

Although he didn't know the whole story, Master Gongsun, who had been closer to Agong than anyone else, also knew that Agong's condition was not very good.

However, since Master Gongsun was a layman when it came to martial arts, he hadn't been able to do anything special for Agong.

"Come to think of it, Cook Li was also very worried."

"Cook Master?"

He had been treated like a piece of luggage so much that he thought Cook Li wouldn't even bat an eye if he disappeared, but the words that Cook Li had been worried about him came as a great comfort to Agong.

Of course, Cook Li would never admit it even if a knife were at his throat...

"I heard you'll be exploring the Hermit's Valley soon."

"Yes... I have to catch some prey in ten days."

Although he had recuperated at Lingbao's residence and had been taught the general outline of the Nine Gates True Scripture, the Nine Gates Harmonious Heart Art, which could be said to be the cultivation method of the Nine Gates True Scripture, was the most difficult and abstruse martial art that Agong had ever learned.

In the first place, Agong did not have good bones and muscles or a brilliant mind for learning martial arts.

Moreover, since he had never laid the foundation of martial arts from a young age, it was perhaps natural that it was difficult for him to learn a supreme internal energy cultivation method.

Even with Lingbao's teaching, he had only paved a rough path, and he had not even been able to properly try to circulate his energy and accumulate it.

With the situation being like this, it meant that not only the Nine Palaces Divine Steps but also the training of the Heavenly Demon Hand had reached a major crisis.

Master Gongsun, who had been watching Agong's worries, quietly put down his brush and stood up from his seat.

"Let's go somewhere together today."

"Where?"

Master Gongsun would often be away.

But he always disappeared alone and returned to the tavern with strange objects or books.

In the first place, it was surprising that Master Gongsun, who was an ordinary scholar who had not even learned martial arts, was strolling through the Hermit's Valley as if it were his own home.

"Let's also take the fishing rod you received from Master Sorin before and go together."

"Are you going fishing?"

Master Gongsun smiled without a word and prepared to leave.

Agong, although he didn't know why, did as he was told, packed his fishing rod and simple preparations, and followed him.

The direction Master Gongsun was going was the direction of the valley of the Hermit's Valley.

Although Agong had already passed through the valley when he returned to the tavern with Lingbao, that was when he was dangling from Lingbao's armpit and had arrived at the tavern in an instant with his lightness skill.

In fact, this was the first time Agong was entering the Hermit's Valley on his own two feet.

"From here on, you must stick close to me."

A thick fog that made it impossible to see an inch ahead was blocking Master Gongsun and Agong.

In Master Gongsun's hand was a strange tool with a needle, and around his neck was a wooden board with characters from the West written all over it.

As they took one step and then another, things like will-o'-the-wisps flashed past them in the thick fog.

Sometimes, a grating cry would be heard, and even though there was nothing, he felt something that made his back feel chilly.

Agong was curious about what they were, but he didn't have the courage to ask Master Gongsun.

If those were the beasts of the Hermit's Valley that he had to hunt, his vision would go dark.

Although he couldn't see them, his skin was tense, and without realizing it, he recalled the Nine Gates True Scripture he had learned from Lingbao and Cook Li's Nine Palaces Divine Steps in his head.

As Agong made his way through the fog for about an hour, he soon smelled a strong scent of grass.

"Huh?"

The scenery that was revealed in the gradually thinning fog was quite different from the appearance of the Hermit's Valley he had seen so far.

The fog that had covered the Hermit's Valley was gone, and a lush forest with tall trees that seemed to have no end was spread out before his eyes.

"Master, have we left the Hermit's Valley?"

"No. This is also a part of the Hermit's Valley. To be precise, from here on is the territory of the Non-Duality Gate."

"Non-Duality Gate..."

He had said that the three people who had visited the tavern before were from the Non-Duality Gate.

It seemed that was why Master Gongsun had told Agong to bring his fishing rod.

Vibrate!

As he entered this place, Agong could feel a faint vibration from his fishing rod.

It was a very strange experience, but in case the fishing rod escaped from his grasp, Agong put more strength into the hand holding the fishing rod.

As they walked a little further, they found a huge tree standing in a place like a swamp with a muddy bottom.

"We're here."

"Is this it?"

Agong looked around, but except for the strange noises he heard from a distance sometimes, he could only see trees.

Master Gongsun held the wooden board he had been wearing around his neck and quietly whispered something.

Rumble! Thump!

"Ah!"

At Master Gongsun's action, the roots of the huge tree in front of Agong's eyes tangled and parted, and soon a large entrance leading to the underground was revealed.

Leaving the startled Agong behind, Master Gongsun went down to the underground with familiar steps, and Agong, not wanting to be left behind, quickly followed him.

"Master, did we just enter a tree?"

"To be precise, it would be half tree, half underground."

After passing through a dark and winding tunnel, a light soon began to appear.

Agong had never seen such a sight in his life.

"My goodness..."

A rock as large as a mountain, emitting a white and smooth glow as if it had snowed, revealed itself.

It was surprising enough that there was such a rock deep underground, but the huge stone gate located in the lower center of the rock was slowly opening as if to greet them.

"Sorin."

Master Gongsun lightly bowed his head and greeted Sorin, who had come out to meet them.

Sorin, after receiving Master Gongsun's greeting perfunctorily, saw Agong and his eyes widened.

Sorin looked Agong up and down and then nodded.

"Not dead."

And he turned around with a gesture to follow, and Master Gongsun and Agong moved their feet.

The inside of the rock was no different from a huge blacksmith's shop.

Inside, a considerable number of people from the West were looking at Master Gongsun and Agong with curious eyes.

Agong glanced at their shiny armor and weapons and then stuck close to Master Gongsun.

Seeing so many people from the West, he felt as if he had entered a goblin's den.

Sorin guided them to the largest and hottest furnace.

The numerous weapons and armor decorating the walls, although he had never seen their shapes before, looked so beautiful and excellent that they captivated Agong's eyes.

"You're faster than usual this time. What's wrong?"

Sorin looked at Master Gongsun and asked in his native language.

It had been a long time since Master Gongsun had continued to exchange his knowledge of the Central Plains and his own knowledge.

In particular, Master Gongsun was well-versed in the knowledge of sorcery displayed with oracle bone script, and thanks to that, Sorin had been able to restore the lost runic language, and in return, he had taught Master Gongsun runic sorcery.

"I didn't come for myself today."

"Then is it because of this child?"

Agong, looking at Master Gongsun and Sorin conversing in a language he couldn't understand, was looking around.

But when the two's gazes turned to him, he immediately showed an awkward smile.

"The child has to hunt in the Hermit's Valley. Could you help him a little?"

"With those weak limbs? Hah! He'll die!"

Although the inhuman beings who were stirring up the Hermit's Valley, whether they were from the Sea Isle Sect or the Mountain Peak Sect, did not have great muscles, Agong did not seem to have the ability to freely wield the same strange power as them.

Sorin looked at Agong and made a light gesture.

"A gift to commemorate your survival. An honor for you. My grace."

Listening to his conversation with Master Gongsun, he spoke the language of the West fluently, but his Chinese was still extremely clumsy.

But Agong, who had roughly understood the meaning, first bowed his head to express his gratitude.

"Thank you, Master Xiaoren."

"Give me that."

Sorin gestured for the fishing rod that Agong had brought.

And after connecting the fishing line on the fishing rod to the end of the rod, he took out a complicated-looking hammer from his pocket.

Agong, worried that he might break his fishing rod, looked at Sorin with an anxious heart.

Sorin held the hammer and began to hammer the middle of the fishing rod in one go.

Clang! Clang

(End of Chapter)