Chapter Twenty-Four: Demon Aura Tempering the Body, An Elder Arrives at the Grand Ancestral Temple

Anle gazed at the piece of white jade before him. Nine gray lines of varying thickness and depth were etched across its surface, neatly arranged. Perhaps it should not be called white jade, but rather patterned jade.

“Demon-Tempering Treasure Jade…”

Anle murmured softly. Truth be told, he was surprised. He had not expected the Fruit of the Dao of Time to manifest as a physical object.

This Demon-Tempering Treasure Jade was somewhat akin to a cultivation artifact, and a precious one at that—a supplemental treasure aiding in cultivation.

Having learned about cultivation from Lady Hua, Anle was no novice. The path of cultivation was like crossing a river; the higher one climbed, the fiercer the competition became.

Naturally, such competition led to conflict and bloodshed, making weapons essential. Artifacts served as the weapons of cultivators, and even among them, there were offensive and auxiliary types.

He caressed the Demon-Tempering Jade. Within the nine gray lines, it seemed to hold a vast and turbulent demonic energy. Using this energy to temper the body could make one’s physique as robust as that of a demon!

For a demon to take human form, it required a century of cultivation. The tempering of time rendered their bodies naturally resilient. Though formidable martial artists could rival great demons in physical strength, tempering the body with demonic energy was indeed a highly efficient path.

Anle’s interest was piqued. Since the courtyard was empty and the flowers and potted plants had been tidied, he decided to practice the Tiger Form.

He focused his mind, sending his consciousness into the jade. One of the gray lines on the jade began to boil and writhe, unleashing a torrent of demonic energy.

His blood surged beneath his skin. Anle commenced the Tiger Form.

As his blood circulated, the generated demonic energy seemed to be drawn in through every pore, flooding beneath his skin and through his meridians. A sharp pain followed.

Anle furrowed his brow but endured the discomfort, continuing the Tiger Form practice.

When he finished, his body was drenched in hot sweat, tinged with streaks of blood.

He could feel his skin and constitution had grown much tougher.

So this was the effect of demonic energy tempering the body!

Anle was elated. The Five-Beasts Body-Tempering Technique was designed to be practiced with medicinal baths, which accelerated physical refinement.

Now, with the addition of demonic energy, the results seemed even more remarkable than the medicinal baths.

Delighted, Anle tirelessly continued his practice, switching to the Bird Form.

Among the Five-Beasts, Bird and Tiger Forms were what Anle excelled at most. He had learned much from observing Fourth Master Lin temper his body beneath the waterfall.

…

Though yesterday’s spring rain had ceased, puddles still lingered in the depressions of the bluestone alleyway. Fallen leaves, brought down by yesterday’s rain, floated atop these pools, spinning slowly.

A soft slap sounded as a cloth shoe stepped into a puddle, shattering the mirror of water and sky. Droplets splashed, then fell again, muddying the water. Leaves, caught by the shoe, stuck to its sole, rustling with each step.

An elderly man in plain clothes emerged from the ancestral temple, his gait unhurried. Two long eyebrows fluttered in the breeze.

Sensing demonic energy drifting in the air, the old man’s expression remained indifferent. He soon followed the scent down the alley, arriving at its source.

The courtyard gate stood ajar, and within, the rolling sound of blood and energy could be heard, accompanied by the forceful wind of martial practice.

Peering inside, the old man was surprised. “Oh? Not a demon, but a human.”

“Using the Five-Beasts as foundation, drawing demonic energy to temper the body... quite an idea. But demonic energy is hard to harness. This youth’s jade pendant must be the source. Intriguing.”

“Compared to medicinal baths, tempering the body with demonic energy is far more efficient,” the old man mused, stroking his beard. He began to appreciate Anle’s Five-Beasts Body-Tempering, his eyes growing brighter as he watched, even tinged with nostalgia.

“The Five-Beasts Body-Tempering Technique is a secret of the Forestwave Lin Estate, using the forms of five beasts to refine the flesh. It’s not the most supreme method, but it’s respectable. This youth’s Tiger and Bird Forms bear traces of Fourth Master Lin’s style.”

The old man smiled, clear interest showing in his eyes.

He had come to subdue a demon, but to find a youth the source of the demonic energy—there was no need to reprimand him.

Tempering the body with demonic energy was rare but not unheard of. In the Yuanmeng Empire, some martial fanatics even hunted millennia-old demons, bathing in their blood filled with grudges and rage to refine themselves. Compared to that, drawing demonic energy was nothing.

“Practicing the Five-Beasts, with a spirit touched by Swordfall... Could this youth be the one who, at Quiet Street yesterday, caused Flower Xiaoniang of the Lin Estate to intervene?”

The old man pondered, soon guessing Anle’s identity.

Yesterday’s confrontation had been fleeting, but the Jade Guanyin’s flick of the mind, turning three thousand raindrops into swords, was a display that had drawn the attention of many experts.

Within the courtyard, as Anle practiced the Bird Form, he suddenly felt a chill—a sense of being watched by a pair of deep, probing eyes.

Completing his practice, his body was drenched in sweat and blood, a sign of transformation.

But he had no time to dwell on it. Looking toward the gate, he saw a long-browed elder in plain robes standing there, regarding him with interest.

The sensation of being watched vanished. The old man now appeared utterly ordinary—no leaking blood, no visible power, nothing but a frail elder.

Yet to Anle’s perception, strands of temporal force emanated from him, as dense as seaweed and swaying with the wind.

Even Lady Hua could not compare to this man’s aura of time!

Anle could not even begin to estimate how many years of force the old man possessed.

A true expert of cultivation!

He was the strongest being Anle had ever encountered, far surpassing Lady Hua.

A thought flashed through Anle’s mind—could this elder be the guardian of the ancestral temple he had passed earlier?

Faced with such a presence, seeing the countless strands of time around him, Anle did not hesitate. He began to draw upon them.

Yet after a hard-fought struggle, Anle failed.

He could not draw even a wisp of temporal force from the old man.

It had been difficult enough to draw from Lady Hua, and now, with someone even stronger, failure was no surprise.

This only confirmed Anle’s suspicion: to draw from the truly powerful, he would first have to elevate his own cultivation, or risk being unable to take even a strand.

“You must have just moved in today, young man. Your face is unfamiliar. I too live in this temple alley—we are neighbors, it seems,” the old man said with a smile.

He squinted, a mysterious glint in his gaze. When Anle had stared at him, there was something odd in his eyes. What had this youth seen?

“Junior Anle, from Chongzhou. I’ve come to Lin’an to sit the spring examinations and purchased this courtyard for study and cultivation. I hope I have not disturbed you, senior,” Anle replied respectfully, fists cupped in salute.

The old man paused, understanding that Anle must have sensed his strength.

“A newly awakened cultivator, just opening his blood and spirit, yet able to glimpse my cultivation? Even that hapless Luo Qingchen, whose mind has been toyed with so often, would hardly notice my concealment.”

The old man’s interest in Anle only grew.

No wonder the Jade Guanyin from the Lin Estate would act on his behalf.

“There’s no need for such formality. I wasn’t mistaken—you’ve moved to this temple alley, so we are neighbors now. Since fate has brought us together, from now on, whenever you temper your body with the jade’s demonic energy, stay within your courtyard. I will suppress any escaping energy, lest unreasonable demon-hunters from Lin’an cause trouble and disrupt the peace.”

Anle was startled by this—he had not considered the matter of demon-hunters.

“Thank you, senior,” he said, bowing in gratitude.

The old man waved a hand. “No need. I simply wish to keep the alley quiet, free from meddlesome demon-hunters.”

“You practice Five-Beasts with the style of Fourth Master Lin and study Flower Jie Bing’s ‘Swordfall Scroll.’ You must be the painter who recently joined the Lin Estate. I myself have some skill in painting; perhaps we might exchange ideas, young friend.”

Anle was not surprised to have his identity recognized. A person of this caliber was surely on par with the matron of the Lin Estate.

“I dare not presume to instruct, only to exchange thoughts,” Anle replied humbly.

“Hahaha, an exchange it is. Wait here—I just finished a painting this morning. I’ll fetch it now.”

The old man was brisk, really intending to retrieve his work.

But Anle paused and said, “Senior, I must go to the Lin Estate to paint for the young lords about to depart. I promised them and have not yet requested leave. I cannot delay.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. “You refuse me now? Are you not afraid I’ll take offense?”

As he spoke, a vast pressure of mind and spirit surged forth, like thunderclouds and lightning filling the sky, the weight crashing down like a mountain.

Yet under this terrifying oppression, Anle, fortified by the Fruit of the Fearless Heart, stood as steady as a pine, neither servile nor arrogant, and replied solemnly, “Words without constancy are untrustworthy, actions without constancy are unchaste. If one bends only for benefit, such is a petty man.”

“Perhaps currying favor with you, senior, would be to my advantage. But since I have promised the Lin Estate, I must fulfill my duty.”

The old man’s eyes flashed with surprise. The oppressive force and mighty spirit vanished in an instant, as if after rain the sky cleared.

He smiled with approval. “To face a mountain’s collapse without flinching—such composure! You have courage, young one. A gentleman values his word, and you are right.”

“Go, then. I shall seek you out this evening.”

With that, the old man turned and left the courtyard.

Anle smiled, cupping his hands in farewell.

“After work, I’ll buy a jug of old rice wine, and we can drink and discuss painting together.”

The old man’s plain robe fluttered as his cloth shoes splashed through the puddles and fallen leaves. Only his fading voice drifted down the alley.

“Ah, there will be wine... Painting with wine, eh? The young fellow knows his manners. Very good, very good.”