Chapter 27: The Sorcerer's Ability, Continuing the Dragon Hunt

Luo Zhou arrived at the Dao Academy.

He had arrived in good spirits, but after wandering too much, he had become a "socialite."

He had left that place, yet he had no desire to go home.

The academy had actually already dismissed for the day, but Luo Zhou came to visit anyway.

He hoped his teacher would be...

Lost in confusion, he longed for a relative to guide him...

As expected, Dean Zhao had not yet left. Seeing Luo Zhou, he frowned and asked

"Where have you been these days? Instead of cultivating properly, you've been wandering around all day!"

"Your realm has increased by one level? You weren't wandering?"

"Don't be in a hurry; the Ascension Assembly is still a year and a half away. Even if you advance to the Qi Refining stage, they will reset you back to the Body Tempering stage."

Luo Zhou nodded and said, "Yes!"

"What's wrong? Did something happen? You look so sorrowful, as if you've lost all interest in life. Did your girlfriend run off?"

As he spoke, Dean Zhao's eyes lit up, as if he were using some kind of spell.

Then, he flew into a rage!

"You little brat! Not learning good things, you're actually learning to get tattoos! Do you think you're some mountain savage, learning to get tattoos!"

With that, he picked up a ruler, intending to fulfill his duty as a teacher and educate this little brat.

Luo Zhou hurriedly shouted, "Teacher, I've been wronged! It's like this, please listen to my explanation..."

"Explanation? More like an excuse!"

"No, it's like this: yesterday I encountered a mountain savage. He was selling various mountain goods, and one of them was a piece of skin. When I picked it up, it automatically attached itself to my body. I naturally didn't want it, but I couldn't beat him, so I let him escape..."

Upon hearing this, Dean Zhao frowned and said

"Take off your clothes, let me see!"

He hadn't made him undress just now, even though he had finished scanning him with his spells; now he remembered to ask him to undress.

Luo Zhou honestly took off his clothes.

Dean Zhao inspected them carefully.

"What kind of tattoo is this? It's a mess..."

"So ugly!"

After saying this, he took out an ointment and began rubbing it vigorously onto Luo Zhou's back.

The ointment stung intensely, causing sharp pain across his back.

"Remember this: no matter what, never tell anyone how you got this tattoo. If someone sees it, tell them that when you were a child, your parents died and you were bullied. Tell them you got it to look like a street thug to scare your classmates. Tell them you didn't have money back then, so you hired a tattoo apprentice, which is why it's so ugly..."

Luo Zhou didn't know what to say. Was this even reasonable?

"Take this ointment. Apply it three times a day for three consecutive days. Once the skin and flesh have solidified, others won't be able to tell that this is a Spirit Tattoo!"

Luo Zhou asked hesitantly, "A Spirit Tattoo?"

"Your cultivation is weak right now; don't go poking your nose into social affairs. This thing is worth a fortune, but as for its specific use, even I don't know. I only know that Spirit Tattoos are extraordinary. They were originally a specialty of this region; back in the day, the big shots of the Jellyfish Heavenly Palace were all of the Spirit Race and created countless Spirit Tattoos. After the Jellyfish Heavenly Palace was destroyed, Spirit Tattoos frequently appeared here as well. It is said that Perfected Master Cuiling once obtained a Spirit Tattoo—both his arms were covered in massive floral patterns! However, don't be afraid of this; tattoos are everywhere in the world nowadays. If you don't say anything, others won't notice."

The teacher did not know the Nine Paths of Cultivation; only the City Lord knew.

Luo Zhou nodded and carefully put away the ointment. He suddenly said

"Teacher, I have awakened the Immortal Profession: Curse Master!"

"Impossible! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Teacher, look!"

With that, Luo Zhou attempted to demonstrate the Curse Master profession.

"This is damn near supernatural. A Curse Master requires powerful mental strength, or dark power, or a ghostly/underworld aura—they must radiate hatred and death with their entire being. You look so silly and cheerful; how could you possibly advance to a Curse Master? Could it be that your inner self is dark, hiding a second dark personality?"

Luo Zhou shook his head and said, "Teacher, as soon as I obtained this Spirit Tattoo, I inexplicably awakened as a Curse Master."

Since Dean Zhao didn't know what the Spirit Tattoo was for anyway, this explanation seemed quite reasonable.

Dean Zhao nodded and stopped questioning him.

"Teacher, what abilities does a Curse Master have, and how are they used?"

The Hinomatsu Warrior increases lifespan, possessing two major characteristics: "Pine and Cypress Wither" and "Bamboo Clarity, Pine Thinness."

"A Curse Master allows you to deeply perceive powers such as darkness, ghosts, and evil. Additionally, a Curse Master has nine incantations: The Hex Curse, The Effigy Curse, The Nightmare Curse, The Lost Path Curse, The Misfortune Curse, The Stomachache Curse, The Headache Curse, The Five-Illness Curse, and the Death Curse!"

"I'll give you this manual; study it slowly on your own. But remember, the most hated thing about being a Curse Master is that killing a thousand people results in three hundred self-inflicted injuries. When you curse others, you are actually cursing yourself; there will inevitably be a backlash. If the opponent resists your curse, the backlash can be up to three times as much! Finally, remember: sincerity brings spirit; the specific meaning of the incantation matters little. A curse from the heart, a curse with your whole soul, and hatred exerted with all your might—that is the strongest incantation!"

Luo Zhou carefully put away the Curse Master manual and said, "Thank you, Teacher!"

"Mm, you finally look like a living person now. When you first came in, you looked half-dead."

"Alright, now that you're fine, get lost. Remember, don't play around; cultivate properly!"

"Yes, Teacher!"

Luo Zhou's mood improved significantly as he returned home.

After a moment of thought, he contacted Uncle Cheng Yu to hunt dragons tomorrow.

Upon receiving the message, Uncle Cheng Yu let out a long sigh of relief; it seemed Luo Zhou had recovered!

Luo Zhou continued to cultivate at home and then examined the Nine Methods of the Curse Master.

He looked it over, then casually tossed it aside.

It was all dawdling and superstitious nonsense; it wasn't as sharp as the *Dragon Slayer Spike*, nor as exhilarating as *Turning the Rivers and Seas*.

Furthermore, being a Curse Master would consume one's own Yang energy, luck, and even lifespan. Luo Zhou shook his head; he would just look at it; it wasn't of much practical use.

He silently felt the Spirit Tattoo on his back.

However, he felt nothing; it truly felt just like a regular tattoo.

His Dantian was full of Qi. If he went dragon hunting, the spiritual energy rewards from punishing evil would go to waste.

Luo Zhou began refining the Dragon Slayer Spikes. He refined three spikes in one go.

This consumed twenty-seven strands of Heavenly Water Qi, making room!

He originally had two Dragon Slayer Spikes left, which, combined with these, made five, all hidden within his Eyebrow-Height Staff.

Once a Dragon Slayer Spike is successfully refined, it must be used as soon as possible, otherwise, it will automatically dissipate.

If he weren't about to hunt dragons, he wouldn't have refined them like this.

If it doesn't rain, then let it not rain.

Time to go dragon hunting!

The Dragon Tooth Gang had now upgraded their equipment. They no longer relied solely on Lu Yue for reconnaissance; they had sent out many scouts.

They had intelligence on four different Crocodile Dragon hunting grounds!

Uncle Cheng Yu led the team, accompanied by Luo Zhou and twelve gang members.

They didn't use the double horses; they drove a carriage directly, no longer hiding, heading out openly to hunt dragons.

The group set out with great prestige.

Scouts had moved ahead to the first hunting ground where a Crocodile Dragon was located.

Eighty-five miles away, within a swamp, they arrived at the Crocodile Dragon hunting ground.

One look told them this was an old Crocodile Dragon, as there were Deathly Spirits surrounding it.

There were a total of sixteen Deathly Spirits from treasure hunters; Luo Zhou communicated with them one by one.

Luo Zhou nodded and said, "You all leave. I will use the Death Curse on it!"

Uncle Cheng Yu immediately led the men away, but Luo Zhou sneered.

One scout quietly hid in the surroundings and did not leave.

He wanted to see exactly what kind of curse Luo Zhou possessed that could kill a Crocodile Dragon.

The new gang members were not like the veterans of the old Dragon Tooth Squad; they did not follow the rules.

Luo Zhou did not care. He silently sensed the approaching Crocodile Dragon and felt the presence of the hidden scout.

He suddenly unleashed his divine ability, *Turning the Rivers and Seas*.

Consuming one strand of Heavy Water Qi, he unleashed the ability around the scout—the rivers and seas turned, and massive waves surged!

With a roar, it was as if an endless flood had appeared, forming giant waves that carried a frantic, chilling, and domineering force, destroying everything in their path.

The waves were half-real and half-illusory. Wherever they went, trees were pulverized, grass was uprooted, and rocks were shattered. The hidden scout let out a scream of agony before being ground into powder, turning into a mist of blood.

Then, Luo Zhou turned his attack toward the approaching Crocodile Dragon!

"Turning the Rivers and Seas, massive waves surge!"

He felt the sensation finely, testing it repeatedly.

"Turning the Rivers and Seas, massive waves surge!"

After four consecutive strikes, he could no longer unleash a fifth!

In the Body Tempering stage, *Turning the Rivers and Seas* was invincible among peers, but in the Qi Refining stage, it wasn't necessarily able to kill.

However, under the continuous bombardment, the Crocodile Dragon could not hold out. It died!

Looking closer, the Crocodile Dragon had been beaten to death.

In truth, it had been killed by the shockwaves; its skin and flesh were torn, but there wasn't much major damage, so it was about ninety percent intact.

Luo Zhou was testing his divine abilities to prepare for dealing with the old Crocodile Dragon in the future.

At this point, his True Qi stood at: fifteen strands of Heavenly Erosion Qi, fifteen strands of Earth Borne Qi, nine strands of Heavy Water Qi, eighteen strands of Heavenly Water Qi, and ten strands of Tide Qi!

Looking at the results of the battle, Luo Zhou nodded. The effect was good; he could continue!

(End of Chapter)