The two brothers, born of the same parents, were worlds apart: one was the pride of the Dao Academy, while the other lived in seclusion in a corner of the family estate.
The chasm between them might have driven others to madness, but there was not a trace of resentment on Wang Changji’s face. From beginning to end, he ate his meal with complete composure.
It was as if eating were the most important thing in the world.
He ate at a steady pace, with meticulous care.
Once he had finished his share of the pig’s trotter and greens, and swallowed the last mouthful of rice, he looked at his younger brother and asked in a gentle voice, "Changxiang, is something the matter?"
"Nothing major. I just finished a mission and thought I’d come by to chat with you, brother."
"Be a good boy and eat your greens. You can't just eat meat," Wang Changji said, gently coaxing the orange cat that was gnawing on a pig’s trotter. He then turned back to Wang Changxiang. "Go on, you seem to have a lot on your mind."
"We went to investigate the disappearances in Xiaolin Town. When we arrived, we found the place shrouded in a thick fog that even a Gale Tornado couldn't disperse. The entire town was crawling with wandering spirits, arranged into a Nine Palaces Wandering Spirit Formation based on the Nine Palaces... Orange!" Wang Changxiang suddenly barked in anger.
It turned out that the fat orange cat, impatient with Wang Changji’s constant attempts to feed it greens, had swiped at him with its claws, leaving three bloody scratches on the back of his hand.
"You’re so fierce," Wang Changji sighed helplessly. Giving up on his efforts to make Orange eat its vegetables, he used his left hand to gently cover the wound on his right, then said to Wang Changxiang, "You talk to me about these Daoist techniques and formations, but I don't understand any of it."
Wang Changxiang lowered his head, his voice dropping as well. "I don't know why, but I just wanted to tell you about it."
Wang Changji rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "Go on, then."
"Do you know, brother? Someone used all the living souls in Xiaolin Town, combined with the wandering spirits gathered in Fenglin City over the years, to condense a phantom of the Ghost Gate Pass and escape before City Lord Wei arrived!" At this moment, Wang Changxiang looked like a child seeking praise.
"A phantom of the Ghost Gate Pass? Is that very powerful?"
"To pay such a heavy price, it must be extraordinary! With a phantom of the Ghost Gate Pass in hand, one can communicate with the Netherworld anytime, anywhere. The power of Netherworld Daoist techniques would be boosted by at least half! Techniques like ghost-driving could even transcend their current grade." At this point, Wang Changxiang’s brows furrowed. "I don't know what kind of havoc that monster behind this will wreak next."
"The Inspection Division will handle this. If Wei Quji can't, there’s the Prefect. If the City Dao Academy can't hold the line, there’s the Prefecture Dao Academy, and behind them, the National Dao Academy. Don't you worry about it," Wang Changji comforted him.
By now, Orange had finished the pig’s trotter. Without even glancing at the dish of greens, it licked its paws and strutted away with its head held high.
Wang Changji stood up to clear the bowls and chopsticks.
"I won't keep you," he said before stepping inside.
Wang Changxiang watched quietly as his brother’s back disappeared into the room, then turned to leave. However, as he passed the recliner where Orange was lying, he flicked his little finger.
An imperceptible blade of wind flashed past.
Orange bolted upright, looking around in shock and suspicion. Half of its long whiskers drifted away in the breeze.
"If you dare scratch my brother again... hmph." Wang Changxiang left with a smirk on his face.
Yet, he remembered how much his brother had once yearned for Daoist techniques and how he had loved that extraordinary world when they were young. But now, no matter what he said in front of him, he could no longer see that spark.
It was as if he had become content with a life like this.
Wang Changxiang’s steps, in the end, could not feel light.
...
Today, the instructor taught the Grade D, Mid-tier Daoist technique: Flame Blade. It was considered an advancement of the Grade D, Low-tier technique: Flame Infusion, and was one of the foundations of Fire-element Daoist techniques.
It involved gathering flames into a blade, using the scorching power of Fire-elemental energy to strike the opponent, and it was quite effective against filthy things like evil spirits.
In truth, once a Daoist technique reached this level, it was already superior to weapons forged from ordinary iron.
Jiang Wang had already memorized the hand seals and precautions for this technique, but he suddenly thought of Wei Yan’s long blade. That blade was exceptionally sharp and certainly not an ordinary weapon. Given Wei Yan’s strength, ordinary iron would be nothing but a burden to him.
He then thought of the sword Li Jianqiu always wore at his waist, thinking it must be extraordinary.
He felt a pang of envy. His own sword had been half-ruined after hacking at a vengeful spirit; he had spent money to replace it, but it was still just an ordinary wrought-iron sword. He couldn't afford truly powerful sword artifacts, nor did he have the connections to acquire them.
He wondered, what kind of power did the weapons of those great martial artists who entered the Dao through martial arts possess?
He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the atmosphere in the classroom. It wasn't until Ling He quietly nudged him that he snapped back to reality.
The instructor was a man of nearly sixty, quite rigid and stern, surnamed Xiao. The students called him "Iron-Faced Xiao" behind his back.
The situation was that Iron-Faced Xiao had finished teaching the techniques and was randomly calling on students to demonstrate. When Fang Heling was called, he managed to complete the technique, albeit stumbling; although the flames of his Flame Blade were flickering, he had completed it nonetheless.
Even Iron-Faced Xiao seemed somewhat satisfied, but then that fellow suddenly said, "Senior Brother Jiang Wang opened his meridians before I did, so why not let him try this technique as well? If there’s anything he’s struggling with, he can ask our instructor for guidance."
With that, Iron-Faced Xiao’s gaze fell upon the distracted Jiang Wang.
*I’m done for,* Jiang Wang thought. He stood up from his meditation cushion and said honestly, "I haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet."
Fang Heling, who had entered the inner sect at the same time, was already able to perform Daoist techniques, while he hadn't even succeeded in Foundation Establishment. The looks from the other students became rather strange.
"Do you not need to listen to the lecture just because you haven't reached Foundation Establishment?" Iron-Faced Xiao glared. He hated students who cut corners. They had stepped onto the path of the extraordinary, yet they didn't know how to cherish it, treating it only as capital to show off in front of commoners.
"I was wrong," Jiang Wang admitted, bowing his head straightforwardly.
Iron-Faced Xiao said coldly, "Go back and copy the *Purple Void Scripture* one hundred times. You don't need to come to my class until you're finished."
"Yes." Jiang Wang bowed his head in agreement, groaning inwardly. The full name of the scripture was the *Purple Void High-Subtle Supreme Scripture*, the fundamental Daoist canon of the Yujing Mountain lineage. Every Daoist of the Yujing Mountain lineage could recite it by heart. There was truly no need to copy it; this was purely a punishment from Iron-Faced Xiao.
Most importantly, the entire canon was nearly thirty thousand characters long... how long would it take to copy that?
But he knew he couldn't refuse, or given Iron-Faced Xiao’s temper, he might just roll up his sleeves and beat him.
For the rest of the class, Jiang Wang tried his best to stay focused, not daring to slack off. When he finally endured until Iron-Faced Xiao left with his hands behind his back, Fang Heling swaggered over.
"Oh, Junior Brother Jiang, I’m so sorry. I didn't know you hadn't reached Foundation Establishment yet!" In the path of cultivation, seniority was determined by one's level of attainment, so Fang Heling very naturally changed "Senior Brother" to "Junior Brother," his tone sounding very regretful. "After opening my meridians, it took me fifty-three days to succeed in Foundation Establishment. I felt that was already too slow and was ashamed. I thought that with your past prestige, Junior Brother, you would have reached Foundation Establishment long ago... Sigh, what a mess."
The Guiyuan Formation, the standard Foundation Establishment formation map used by the Zhuang Kingdom Dao Academy, had eighty-one formation points. Given the gain of two Dao Origin points per day from twice-daily meridian-clearing practice, fifty-three days could hardly be called slow. This was especially true considering the progress stalls caused by errors in shifting formation points.
Currently, the fastest Foundation Establishment record in the entire City Dao Academy was held by Zhu Weiwu, who succeeded in nine days, surpassing all previous records. Judging by this incredible speed, his Dao Meridian True Spirit could not possibly be at the level of Jiang Wang’s "Earthworm" True Spirit. But what level of True Spirit it actually was involved personal privacy and could not be known.
Returning to the point, for the average disciple of the Fenglin City Dao Academy, sixty to ninety days was the norm.
It was no wonder Fang Heling was so smug.
He didn't hide the provocation in his eyes, and he very much wanted to see this proud fellow become angry from embarrassment. He had even simulated in his mind how he would use brilliant Daoist techniques to resolve this bumpkin who could only rely on swordsmanship in their next fight.
But Jiang Wang just smiled and turned to leave.
Without a hint of anger, completely indifferent.