Chapter Thirty-Three: Great Stability, Constant Stability-Becoming a Dao Master After Starting as a Spirit Walker and Tomb Raider(The Fireworks of Bygone Years)

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A corpse-bearer by profession is someone hired to carry the dead to their burial when the deceased’s relatives dare not approach the body themselves. This is because corpses—especially those who met a violent end—are highly prone to causing trouble or attracting evil. Thus, corpse-bearers are often possessed of a unique destiny, their fates unusually resilient. Some with particularly potent destinies can even force malevolent corpses that have already transformed into vengeful spirits to remain inert, suppressing them to the point of annihilation.

Yet this particular corpse-bearer, though his fate was strong, met his match with a death even grimmer. Upon entering the water, instead of subduing the corpse, he was dragged to the bottom and nearly drowned. Even after being rescued, the spirit clung to him relentlessly, as if regarding him as a sworn enemy.

Desperate, he sought out Li Chao for help. At the time, Li Chao had only accumulated two sticks of incense worth of spiritual cultivation, and even so, it was only by performing a ritual and invoking the altar’s power that he managed to resolve the matter.

“Opening the altar to perform a ritual—this must mean lighting incense and deploying techniques available only to those with spiritual cultivation who walk between the worlds of the living and the dead,” Chen Yushu mused.

Having nearly finished reading the “Record of Li Chao’s Encounters with Spirits,” Chen Yushu had only seen Li Chao open the altar seven times; this incident was one of them. As for the corresponding rituals and methods described within, he knew them by name but not their specific applications.

Clearly, the inheritance he had received as a walker between worlds was incomplete. He possessed methods for cultivating spiritual power, but lacked the practical techniques to accompany them: no knowledge of how to open the altar, and none of Li Chao’s commonly used skills like the Yin-Yang Sword, Spirit-Summoning Arts, or the Yin-Yang Eye...

Chen Yushu’s eyes flickered with longing and curiosity at these abilities. Yet within the White Tiger Visualization Method, there were only cultivation techniques—no practical applications. In other words, he was at a stage where he had the ‘Dharma’ but not the ‘Techniques;’ and even if he had the latter, his lack of sufficient cultivation would prevent their use.

Still, it was better than nothing. For now, he could only glean descriptions from Li Chao’s records to gain a sense of how such techniques might be employed.

After finishing the account, Chen Yushu did not immediately turn the page. Instead, he sat in silent contemplation, carefully pondering the metaphysical principles within, imagining how he might handle such an incident were it to befall him.

Of course, he knew he could not truly resolve it. Lacking both the means and the knowledge, he would be helpless. But it was like studying at school: only by thoroughly understanding the knowledge and grasping the underlying formulas could one hope to solve similar problems when they arose. Even if the solution eluded him, he might at least find a way to cope—and perhaps, by doing so, escape disaster.

Encounters with such things were no laughing matter.

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A single misstep could mean death and a journey to the underworld.

Reading +3

At that moment, a sudden clarity flooded his mind. Problems that once seemed complicated now appeared simple. Truths previously elusive became clear with only a moment’s thought.

Without hesitation, he turned his attention to his attribute panel.

Reading: Insightful Comprehension (1/400)

“As I thought! My reading comprehension has advanced, from Clear Understanding to the third tier: Insightful Comprehension. Insightful... as in increased perception? And unless I’m mistaken, my mental strength has also grown significantly. It feels as if, should I wish it, I no longer need to rely on hand seals or the quiet of night to meditate. I could enter a state of focus at will and begin cultivating my visualization.”

Chen Yushu was delighted, his eagerness mounting.

Meditation, too, has its layers. Entering meditation while asleep or through guidance is considered ‘shallow focus’—easily disturbed and quick to dissipate. To be able to enter focus anywhere, even while moving, is called ‘minor focus.’

Minor focus is, in fact, the foundation for drawing talismans. Only by attaining this level can one concentrate fully, anywhere, to draw talismans with a real chance of success. Otherwise, even if the lines are correct, they are but meaningless scribbles—often used for show, but devoid of any real effect.

With his improved reading comprehension and strengthened spirit, Chen Yushu sensed his meditation had also advanced, rising from ‘shallow focus’ to ‘minor focus.’

Naturally, there are higher levels: ‘major focus’ and ‘constant focus.’ However, even Li Chao himself never attained those stages, so the “Record of Li Chao’s Encounters with Spirits” contained no descriptions.

“What an unexpected surprise. I never thought my throwing technique would lag behind, while my reading progress advanced first.”

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A faint smile appeared on Chen Yushu’s face. Still, it was only natural. After reading that story and deeply reflecting on it, he had experienced a breakthrough: his reading experience had increased by three points, allowing him to advance a level all at once. Judging by past progress, he would have needed until the next morning to reach the next stage.

“Hmm? Why is he back again?”

Just then, Chen Yushu noticed a figure rushing toward him in the distance. It was the boy, around eleven or twelve years old, who had just recently recovered from his brush with death. This time, he was alone.

Dressed in black homespun clothes with his trouser legs rolled up, the boy hurried over and came straight to the spot where Chen Yushu had earlier burned incense and laid out offerings. He did not touch the offerings or the half-burned incense sticks. Instead, he bypassed them and went to the riverbank.

Holding a net, he stood at the water’s edge, scanning the surface as if searching for something.

Chen Yushu watched in curiosity. This whole affair struck him as increasingly odd.

Suddenly, the boy’s eyes lit up—he had spotted something. He quickly lowered the net into the water.

The surface churned, and a large, mottled fish with a bright orange tail leapt from the water, narrowly escaping the boy’s net.

“What’s this? A treasure fish? How is this boy so lucky?”

Chen Yushu’s eyes widened in shock.

He recognized it as a treasure fish because when it jumped from the water, it performed a mid-air flip, producing a crisp snap as it struck the air—a second leap. Such a movement, such power, was far beyond that of an ordinary fish.

Especially the way its tail snapped in the air, making a sharp sound—it reminded him of the noise his senior brothers made when practicing their martial arts, a sound that could only be produced through both strength and a special technique.

With that second leap, the treasure fish easily evaded the boy’s attempt and plunged back into the water.