Cultivating in a Bizarre World

’A tree?’

Ren Qing was taken aback. Why would Song Zongwu use a tree to describe the Magic Techniques of the Ghost Envoy Realm? It couldn’t help but remind him of the Mutated Tree in his mind.

The Mutated Tree currently had only three trunks, representing the three directions of his mutation.

But as his Cultivation increased, many of the trunks had already begun to sprout new shoots, showing a tendency to branch out and spread.

’As for whether it’s closely related to the Ghost Envoy Realm, I’ll find out after I break through.’

Song Zongwu explained, "The direction of mutation in the Half-Corpse Realm is just choosing the main road. The Ghost Envoy Realm will present you with countless forks in that road."

"Forks in the road..."

Ren Qing’s brow furrowed.

’Could it be that the direction of mutation will become even more uncontrollable? How can I be sure I’m taking the safest path?’

’I can only pin my hopes on the Divine Powers of the Information Flow. They should still be useful.’

Song Zongwu seemed to have guessed Ren Qing’s concerns.

He shook his head and said, "The direction of your mutation was already set when you advanced to the Half-Corpse Realm. The Ghost Envoy Realm is mainly about undergoing three transformations."

"These so-called transformations are also known as Deceitful Transformations. They are a necessary process to completely shed your mortal shell and attain the Great Dao."

Ren Qing felt that coming from a six-eyed, four-armed Demon Fiend Cultivator like Song Zongwu, all this talk about the Great Dao wasn’t very convincing.

’But I don’t need to think too much about that right now. The priority is to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm.’

Song Zongwu continued, "Don’t think that just because you advanced to the Half-Corpse Realm with a Magic Technique less than a month old, it’ll be the same for the Ghost Envoy Realm. That stage requires slow, meticulous effort."

Ren Qing understood. The Martial Artist Realm was just about getting a preliminary grasp of a Magic Technique, the Half-Corpse Realm was barely stepping through the door, and only the Ghost Envoy Realm was where one truly built their Dao foundation.

’And according to the trend of the Information Flow consuming ten times more Lifespan with each advancement, the next realm, the Yin Messenger Realm, will probably require around a hundred years.’

’The Life Extension limit of the No-Eyes Technique probably isn’t that high, so I must find a new Magic Technique, or cultivate on my own.’

But the risks of advancing a Magic Technique on his own were too great. Even Song Zongwu back then hadn’t been completely confident, which was why he had entered seclusion with no guarantee of survival.

Song Zongwu asked, "Ren Qing, have you considered joining the Forbidden Guard?"

After what happened with Song Rong, he was even more determined not to let Ren Qing repeat the same mistakes, so he had come to see the young man as his own junior.

"Elder Song, I’d like to ask about the pros and cons of being in the Forbidden Guard."

Ren Qing neither rushed to refuse nor agree.

’I still have some reservations, especially since my original plan was to just lie low until I reached the Ghost Envoy Realm.’

Song Zongwu answered vaguely, "Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Forbidden Guard belongs to the Government Office. In reality, they are independent of each other."

"Although the Forbidden Guard faces more dangers, they are all confirmed to be non-lethal. The organization is also fairly relaxed internally, and you can conveniently obtain resources."

He hinted with a hidden meaning in his words, "Missions also take the Forbidden Guard’s wishes into account; they aren’t mandatory."

Ren Qing was stunned. ’Why does the treatment of the Forbidden Guard seem so different from what I imagined?’

’Shouldn’t they be doing the dirty, exhausting work, constantly facing life-or-death crises, and ultimately sacrificing themselves for the greater good?!!’

’Wait a minute...’

He suddenly realized the biggest difference between the Forbidden Guard and the Government Constables.

’Because a Forbidden Guard will turn into a Mysterious Object after death, the Government Office actually employs a conciliatory policy. How would they dare send them to their deaths?’

’You can tell from how they handle the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area. They choose the safest method of sealing it off, not even letting the Forbidden Guard come into direct contact with the area.’

’The relationship between the Government Office and the Forbidden Guard is more like a mutually beneficial one, not direct subordination.’

"The Forbidden Guard also controls a considerable number of Mysterious Objects, which is why Cultivators who rely on consuming them to advance are desperate to get in."

Ren Qing’s interest was piqued. This point seemed useless, but in reality, for him, there wasn’t much difference between a Mysterious Object and a Magic Secret Manual.

’If I could get access to them, I could definitely pick out a suitable Magic Technique. Even the problem of Life Extension could be easily solved.’

Seeing that Ren Qing was tempted, Song Zongwu continued, "For someone like you, the Forbidden Guard has even rarer resources, such as using more effective Beast Eyes to aid in cultivation."

Song Zongwu said no more, not pressuring Ren Qing to join the Forbidden Guard.

But Ren Qing quickly made a decision. Logically speaking, the Forbidden Guard really did seem to have only pros and no cons. It was even safer than being a Fireworker.

’Isn’t this even cushier than a government job?’

"Elder Song, how can I join the Forbidden Guard?"

A slight smile appeared on Song Zongwu’s face. "There aren’t many spots each year, and they have to be allocated among the other towns. You’ll have to wait until we return to Sanxiang City and ask the Government Office for the specifics."

The two chatted for a long time, and Ren Qing took the opportunity to ask for information about the Sutra of Planting Demons.

Song Zongwu had heard of this Magic Technique. The two known directions of mutation both involved blood.

One was the "Heart Controller," which used blood to control the Heart Spirit of others. The other was the "Blood Drinker," which imbued blood with Spiritual Wisdom to summon Puppets.

Ren Qing was still somewhat interested in the Sutra of Planting Demons. Besides, at his current rate of Life Extension, he could recover thirty days of Lifespan in about two days.

’But since the Forbidden Guard has a large number of Mysterious Objects, there’s really no need to force the issue.’

’If I get a chance to get close to the stone statue, I’ll use the Information Flow to master it. If a good opportunity doesn’t arise, I’ll just shelve the idea for now.’

Seeing that it was getting late, Ren Qing prepared to return to the camp to rest.

Song Zongwu reminded him in a deep voice, "This person, Water Hyacinth, is moody and unpredictable. When he gets close, I will use the Blood Heart to summon you all."

"Don’t worry, Elder Song."

Ren Qing instantly grew wary, but with Song Zongwu present, he figured it wouldn’t be a major problem.

When he returned to the camp, he found only Mu Yi holding down the fort; there was no sign of the other Forbidden Guard members.

Seeing this, Ren Qing focused his attention on cultivation, mainly on the Contemplation of the Eyeless Method and the Taotie Technique.

’Even if I don’t plan to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm on my own, cultivating can still strengthen me.’

The Taotie Technique was mainly for expanding the space inside his Abnormal Stomach.

Although the expansion wasn’t large, the daily accumulation was still substantial. Soon, it would be able to hold the Great Miao Blade.

As Ren Qing’s mastery of the No-Eyes Technique deepened, he could clearly feel his Soul being urged to wander the outside world.

’This is probably related to the Twin Nightmare Ghosts of the Ghost Envoy Realm. My Soul entering the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area is likely connected to this.’

As for the Divine Sutra, since he couldn’t use it openly, it was a secondary Magic Technique for his cultivation. However, by consuming Wolf Blood, its progress was the most obvious.

Ren Qing was already able to cover his entire body with the Werewolf Transformation, completely turning into a silver-furred snow wolf, though he could only maintain it for about half an hour at most.

His body in its Werewolf Transformation form would receive an all-around enhancement, especially his Double Pupils’ "Anticipating the Enemy" ability, which seemed to further heighten his perception of danger.

Several days passed for Ren Qing in peaceful, secluded cultivation, until the beating of the Blood Heart in his clothes suddenly quickened.

He knew the operation in the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area was about to conclude, which also meant Water Hyacinth was arriving.

Ren Qing immediately set off, as did Mu Yi. As for the Mysterious Object, it had been buried deep beneath the camp.

As Ren Qing approached the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area, he discovered that Camel Peak Mountain had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation, one that simply couldn’t have occurred in just a few short days.