NABC Chapter 25 Saving the world, may heaven and earth bless us!
Chapter 25 Saving the world, may heaven and earth bless us!
"Fortune teller, how can I improve my spiritual cultivation?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao was overjoyed.
Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven, but unknowingly I embarked on a path of cultivation!
The fortune teller said, "There are two ways to cultivate oneself."
Li Xiao asked, "Which two?"
The old woman said, "The first method is ascetic cultivation, like myself, meditating in the mountains to comprehend the profound Dao of Shangqing, living on the wind and dew, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, and gathering the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers. Using the Mountain-Backing Seal as a guide, one's mind and spirit sink into the earth's veins, breathing and exhaling with Fragrant Mountain, sitting quietly by a clear spring, watching the clouds rise and the mist disperse, listening to the sound of pines and the chirping of birds..."
Li Xiao thought this was too arduous; it was true asceticism...
Rather than spending my life like a fortune teller, stuck in the mountains for hundreds of years, I'd rather be killed...
"What about the second one?"
After patiently listening to the whole thing, Li Xiao hurriedly spoke.
The fortune teller glanced at Li Xiao and said, "The second way is to cultivate in the mortal world, doing good deeds and accumulating merit. Since the Mountain Goddess cannot enter the mortal world, your backer is the Fragrant Mountain Goddess, who is her representative. The good deeds you do in the mortal world will increase her cultivation, and she will reward you. This way, you can improve your cultivation faster."
Without a second thought, Li Xiao laughed and said, "I choose the second option: to do good deeds for Lady Xiangshan. Isn't that too simple? Does it mean that as long as I act chivalrously and do good deeds, I can increase my cultivation level?"
The fortune teller smiled and said, "There are different levels for doing good deeds and accumulating merit."
"The barefoot doctor saving one person is a small act of kindness, like adding water to a stream, causing no ripples."
"To alleviate the urgent needs of drought and flood in a region, this is the essence of China and Germany, like a surging river, its vitality palpable."
"To quell a great upheaval, avert a war, or vanquish a monstrous evil spirit that plagues a hundred miles, thus saving countless lives, this is a great virtue, as boundless as the ocean..."
"If this can save all living beings, the merit will be immense, and heaven and earth will respond in kind!"
"If it really comes to that, Lady Xiangshan can transform into a dragon vein to suppress all evil spirits in the world!"
"And you too can accumulate merit to become an immortal, attain eternal life, and shine as brightly as the sun and moon!"
"hiss......"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao took a deep breath.
The temptation of achieving immortality through accumulating merit is too great...
As she spoke, the fortune teller smiled and looked at Li Xiao, saying:
"You don't think that Lady Xiangshan chose you just so you could perform acts of chivalry and charity? Why not just choose a righteous martial arts hero or a kind-hearted wealthy merchant? Why choose you?"
Li Xiao took a deep breath and said, "Master asked me... to save the world?"
The old woman tapped her cane and laughed, "That's right!"
Li Xiao voiced his doubts: "But I am just a laborer, what merit do I have to be chosen by Master..."
The fortune teller said, "It was my strong recommendation."
Li Xiao looked at the fortune teller: "Just because I can eat?"
The fortune teller said irritably, "Of course not, it's your eyes... The eyes are the gateway to a person. The first time I saw you, I could tell that the underlying tone of your eyes was calm and wise, that you are destined for great things!"
After a pause, the old woman said, "I've lived for hundreds of years and seen countless people... I certainly wouldn't be wrong!"
Li Xiao thought to himself, "Could it be that they've figured out I'm a time traveler?"
That being said, having knowledge that transcends this era does indeed give me a significant advantage.
Now that he has entered the path of cultivation and mastered spiritual techniques, he will surely be able to make a name for himself in this chaotic world.
Thinking of this, Li Xiao laughed and said, "You have a really good eye for people!"
Mingpo: "..."
The fortune teller reached into her pocket and pulled out a newspaper.
Li Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you were someone who didn't understand worldly affairs, someone who reads newspapers?"
"We need to keep up with the times, don't we?"
The fortune teller pointed to the front page of the newspaper and said, "Look, the world has only been peaceful for a few years, and Luo Keding has signed a humiliating treaty and wants to return to the imperial system. The world is about to descend into chaos..."
Li Xiao nodded: "It'll definitely be chaotic, and a huge chaos at that!"
The fortune teller said, "The dragon vein of the previous dynasty has been severed. Besides benevolent deities like the Goddess of Fragrant Mountain, there are countless evil gods in the world, as well as chaotic foreign gods. If those things gain power, it will be all over..."
Li Xiao hissed and said, "Granny, I'll go down the mountain now to develop my strength!"
The old woman nodded with satisfaction: "It seems you understand what you should do... Remember, before you've grown up, don't act impulsively, and don't dwell on temporary successes or failures... Over the years, I've accumulated some connections and put many spirits to serve human families. When the time is right, they can all be used for your purposes!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiao was overjoyed, not expecting to have a helper like the Fate Woman.
It seems that the master must have sensed the chaos beforehand and had planned ahead.
There are many families like the Rat Spirit's, where members serve each other, but Brother Rat was tricked by that scoundrel Huang Shoucai...
Li Xiao felt sorry for Brother Rat; otherwise, the two could have been teammates!
After thinking for a moment, Li Xiao said, "Then I'll go down the mountain and start by doing business. Everything requires money, and without money, nothing is easy. In this chaotic world, I must first accumulate wealth to buy guns and cannons!"
The fortune teller said, "No, you should practice martial arts to increase your strength first."
Li Xiao asked in confusion, "Practice martial arts? I've already cultivated immortality, why would I need to practice martial arts?"
The fortune teller said, "Your cultivation is too shallow. The world is not what it used to be. Without the dragon vein to suppress them, the demons and monsters that were suppressed before will reappear. Your meager cultivation is simply not enough. Even if you accumulate a lot of wealth and power, what can you do if a powerful figure comes alone to take your life?"
Li Xiao nodded: "That's true, then let's practice martial arts to increase our strength!"
The old woman said with relief, "You really understand so quickly. You don't need to worry. Your master has opened the 'Backer Seal' for you, acting as your support. Your martial arts training will naturally progress by leaps and bounds, and you will achieve something in no time."
Li Xiao said happily, "Then I'll go down the mountain now and find a martial arts school to practice."
"Don't rush."
The fortune teller said irritably, "What's the rush? Since you're here, make the best of it. You might as well stay on the mountain for a month and learn some spiritual techniques from your fellow disciples. That way, you'll have a trump card to protect yourself."
Li Xiao looked at the group of children who were still crying: "Learn spiritual magic from them?"
"Yes," the fortune teller explained.
"Heaven has spirit, earth has spirit, mountains have spirit, water has spirit, all things in heaven and earth have spirit, and all things can become spiritual laws. Only humans do not have their own spiritual laws, but humans possess transcendent wisdom and can learn the spiritual laws of all things."
"You can't learn the magic of the Lady of Fragrant Mountain for now, but you can learn the magic of these mountain spirits. They are all different, so it depends on which one you want to learn, as a way to protect yourself."
Thinking of the white fox spirit's auspicious cloud flying magic from yesterday, Li Xiao was quite tempted: "Okay."
If I could train myself to be as powerful as martial arts master Zhao Liqun, and be able to fly and teleport...
Just like a warrior with a powerful physique in a game, possessing the magic of a mage, they are simply invincible!
"Children..."
The old woman turned and called out to the children, who, with tears still in their eyes, ran over and kept calling out, "Mother, Mother!"
The fortune teller said, "This is your junior brother, Li Xiao. He is human and can descend the mountain to cultivate. This time, he will go down the mountain to avenge the little mouse. Would you like to teach him spiritual techniques?"
Upon hearing that they could avenge the mouse, the children were filled with righteous indignation.
They then surrounded Li Xiao, chattering and making a ruckus.
The fortune teller smiled slightly and took the opportunity to slip away...
I guess they'd been bothered by these kids a lot, so this was a welcome respite.
Li Xiao felt his head was about to explode from all the noise, and said, "Senior brothers, why don't you each demonstrate your supernatural abilities, so I can see which one I should learn from, okay?"
Upon hearing this, the children all agreed and dispersed.
A three-year-old child exclaimed, "Junior brother, watch closely! This is the Flying Needle Technique!"
As he spoke, he transformed into a two-meter-tall hedgehog that could walk on fire. He condensed air in mid-air, turning it into needles, and shot them out, snapping a distant tree in half.
"A hedgehog spirit!" Li Xiao's eyes were wide open.
Another four-year-old said, "Don't copy him, he's not good. Watch me."
As he spoke, he transformed into a large deer with antlers, spewing water from his mouth. The powerful water pressure surged forward, snapping a large tree in half.
"A deer spirit!" Li Xiao exclaimed.
"Learn from me, learn from me."
Last night, the seven-year-old girl turned into a white fox and breathed out blue flames.
"White fox spirit, you can do this too?" Li Xiao praised.
"Instead of playing with fire, learn my True Fire Spirit Technique!"
An eight-year-old boy emerged, but he could use his magic without revealing his true form, clearly indicating a higher level of cultivation. He breathed fire, which burned the forest to the ground, the flames surging like waves.
Fortunately, a large deer nearby sprayed water to extinguish the fire, otherwise the mountain would have been burned down.
Li Xiao was dumbfounded.
These mountain spirits are truly like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities.
"Watch me!"
Another eight-year-old boy stepped forward, pointed his finger, and a bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere, striking and turning a large tree in the distance into charred remains.
"Thunder Magic!"
Li Xiao exclaimed in surprise, "I'll learn this!"