I picked up skill fragments in the demon world

#382 - Test

Chapter 379: Testing the Waters

Zhang Chen's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he unconsciously tapped the book in his hand against his palm. After a while, he said, "The most important thing for me is to first comprehend the key to the connection between Yin-Yang energies and the five innate energies, and then restore my cultivation of magical power. Only by regaining my magical power can I refine the Blood Transformation Divine Saber and then disrupt Ancestor Changsheng's plot. So, I need to think of a way to go to the back hall to see that mirror and find an opportunity to make a deal with that Innate Peacock."

"I can't help you with this kind of thing; you'll have to plan it yourself," the Great自在Heavenly Devil said.

He wasn't omnipotent. All he could do was provide Zhang Chen with strategies and references. As for what means Zhang Chen would use to achieve it, that was beyond his control.

Zhang Chen put down the book and said, "I'll test the waters first."

The next day, after Ancestor Changsheng finished his lecture, Xu Erniu winked at Zhang Chen and then left with Ancestor Changsheng. Seeing this, Zhang Chen also dispersed with the crowd, pretending to wander aimlessly around the Taoist temple.

He passed through layers of halls and walked through palace after palace, finally arriving at the back courtyard of the Taoist temple. Just as he reached the entrance of the back courtyard, he saw eight disciples dressed in Taoist robes standing guard at the gate. Seeing Zhang Chen approaching, one of them blocked his path, "This is a forbidden area in the back courtyard; disciples are not allowed to enter. Please return, junior brother."

Just as Zhang Chen was about to turn around and walk back, he suddenly heard a burst of laughter behind him, "Zhang Chen, what are you doing here, kid?"

Zhang Chen turned his head and saw that it was the little fatty Zou Wenlong, looking smug at this moment.

"I'm just wandering around the Taoist temple, having nothing to do," Zhang Chen said, not annoyed.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zou Wenlong sneered, "This is a forbidden area in the back courtyard. Only core disciples who have received the Ancestor's secret teachings can enter. How could a mere outer disciple like you enter?"

After saying that, Zou Wenlong walked into the back courtyard with his head held high, leaving Zhang Chen standing at the gate, lost in thought.

"I seem to have an idea," Zhang Chen looked at the departing figure of the little fatty Zou Wenlong, an idea forming in his mind. He just needed to find an opportunity to implement it.

In the blink of an eye, another three months passed. Zhang Chen had recently stopped going to the library because he had read all the books in the library. Going there again would only be a waste of time.

Zhang Chen was too lazy to squeeze together with the other disciples in the dormitory, so he simply built a thatched hut in front of the medicine field and lived there.

One day, Xu Erniu came to visit again, her face full of curiosity, "Zhang Chen, why did you move here? Did someone bully you? If anyone dares to bully you, tell me, and I'll avenge you."

"No one bullied me; I just prefer to be alone and quiet," Zhang Chen replied. Now, Xu Erniu's skin was delicate, and her figure was well-proportioned, looking like a porcelain doll. She was no longer the withered version of herself from down the mountain.

However, as Zhang Chen looked at Xu Erniu's transformation and thought about the Grass Returning Pill, a cloud seemed to hang over his heart.

"Zhang Chen, I've recently mastered a new divine ability," Xu Erniu said, looking at Zhang Chen, her eyes full of joy and pride.

"Oh? What divine ability?" Zhang Chen asked curiously.

The next moment, Xu Erniu picked up a stone and then shouted, 'Transform!', and then the stone flashed with golden light, actually turning into a piece of gold.

"Zhang Chen, we'll never be short of money again. I'll support you in the future," Xu Erniu said, holding the gold in her hand, full of pride.

Zhang Chen was shocked to see this, "Material transformation!"

Alchemy is all about material transformation, understanding the interactions between materials. This divine ability is not simple; it can be considered a great divine ability. No wonder Zhang Chen was so shocked.

"Oh, you're quite knowledgeable," Xu Erniu looked at Zhang Chen in surprise.

"I've read all the books in the library. If we're talking about cultivation progress, I'm not as good as you, but if we're talking about knowledge, you're not as good as me," Zhang Chen said.

"Have you cultivated any Qi?" Xu Erniu asked.

Zhang Chen shook his head upon hearing this. Xu Erniu's smiling face suddenly turned bitter, and she couldn't smile at all anymore, encouraging Zhang Chen, "It's okay, I'll protect you in the future. I'll definitely refine an elixir of immortality for you so that even if you can't cultivate, you can still live forever."

Zhang Chen looked at Xu Erniu upon hearing this, seeing her genuine sincerity, and then opened his mouth, "I have something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Xu Erniu said.

"In the future, you should shut yourself up in your room every day to cultivate, acting like a cultivation maniac, telling everyone that you're too busy with cultivation, can't eat well, can't sleep well, and can't take care of yourself," Zhang Chen said.

This matter concerned whether he could enter the back courtyard, so the expression on Zhang Chen's face was extremely serious.

Xu Erniu was stunned, asking blankly, "Why?"

"Just do it," Zhang Chen said mysteriously.

Xu Erniu nodded upon hearing this. Although she didn't know why Zhang Chen was asking her to do this, she would just do as Zhang Chen instructed.

Then, after the two of them talked for a while, Xu Erniu turned and left, leaving Zhang Chen standing in front of the thatched hut, staring blankly at Xu Erniu's back.

Of course, he could ask Xu Erniu to see if he could get her to arrange for him to have a chance to go to the back courtyard, but Zhang Chen didn't do that because what he was going to do later was earth-shattering. If things were exposed, he could still retreat to the material world, but Xu Erniu would probably be implicated and die.

The best candidate Zhang Chen had in mind was Zou Wenlong. Not only was he young and easy to fool, but he could also enter the back courtyard, making him the core of the core. If he could manipulate him, he might be able to achieve his goal.

After staying in the Taoist temple for several years, he knew that Zou Wenlong held a different weight in the Ancestor's heart.

Sure enough, in the following month, Zhang Chen occasionally heard Xu Erniu complaining to people that she was busy with cultivation all day long, unable to take care of many things in her life, which delayed her too much time.

Seeing that the rumors had spread, Zhang Chen got up and strolled around the Taoist temple. In the afternoon, he met the little fatty Zou Wenlong.

Seeing Zou Wenlong, Zhang Chen started to greet him from afar, "Senior Brother Zou! Senior Brother Zou!"

Zou Wenlong turned his head and saw Zhang Chen coming, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "What do you want from me, kid?"

"I heard that Xu Fu is busy with cultivation in the back courtyard all day long, unable to eat well and unable to sleep well, so can you think of a way to transfer me to Junior Sister Xu Fu's side so that I can take care of her residence?" Saying this, Zhang Chen shed two tears emotionally, "Xu Fu and I have relied on each other since we were young down the mountain. Now I am a useless person who can't cultivate, and all my hopes are pinned on my junior sister. I only hope that my junior sister can achieve something. Now that my junior sister is young, how can she be without someone to take care of her?"

"You want to go to the backyard too? Are you worthy?" Zou Wenlong frowned and rebuked, "Do you know what kind of place the backyard is? Only four or five people can enter the backyard. Even those old ancestors who have cultivated to the twelfth level cannot enter the backyard casually. Look at yourself, what makes you worthy of entering the backyard?"

Zhang Chen listened to the mockery in Zou Wenlong's words and cursed inwardly, "What a wolf cub! I shouldn't have saved you from the foot of the mountain. Just wait, I'll make you take the blame for me later."

Then, Zhang Chen put on a smiling face and said, "This little brother is just worried about my little sister. I once found a strange object at the foot of the mountain and studied it for a long time without finding a way. Today, I am willing to give it to Senior Brother and ask Senior Brother to think of a way."

As he spoke, Zhang Chen took out an invisibility talisman from his bosom and handed it to Zou Wenlong.

The invisibility talisman was his natal talisman, refined through cultivation. No matter where he was, he could directly retrieve it with a thought. Giving it to Zou Wenlong was only a temporary measure. When he wanted to retrieve it in the future, he only needed a thought.

When Zou Wenlong saw the invisibility talisman, his eyes couldn't move away. He took the invisibility talisman and, after a little research, already knew its wonderful use. Then, Zou Wenlong put the invisibility talisman into his sleeve without showing any emotion, and looked at Zhang Chen with his eyes: "You little brat really have good luck, to actually obtain such good fortune. Considering your sincerity, I can intercede for you, but whether it will work depends on whether the old ancestor agrees."

"Wait for my news." After Zou Wenlong finished speaking, he took the talisman and turned to leave, disappearing into the backyard, leaving Zhang Chen looking at Zou Wenlong's back in silence.

If he could enter the backyard through Zou Wenlong's connections, that would naturally be for the best. If he couldn't get it done, he would have to think of another way, and that would probably add a lot of trouble.

That Zou Wenlong was also a clever person, and he quickly thought of an excuse. He came all the way to the place where the Ancestral Master cultivated, and respectfully bowed to the Ancestral Master: "Greetings, Master."

"You're not cultivating, what are you doing here?" The Longevity Ancestor looked at Zou Wenlong who had walked in and asked.

Zou Wenlong said, "Disciple and Junior Sister Xu Fu are too young to take care of themselves. I wonder if Master can transfer Zhang Chen to the backyard to serve us?"

The Longevity Ancestor's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. After a little pondering, he asked, "Is that Zhang Chen who can't cultivate any magic power?"

"That's him," Zou Wenlong said.

"Has he cultivated any magic power yet?" The Longevity Ancestor asked.

"Disciple has never seen such a dull person," Zou Wenlong scratched his head and said, "He hasn't cultivated any magic power to this day."

He secretly sighed in his heart, "Zhang Chen, ah, Zhang Chen, you can't blame me for not helping. It's just that you're not up to par. If you could cultivate magic power, wouldn't you be able to enter the backyard directly today? You can only blame yourself for not being up to par."

Just when Zou Wenlong thought that the Longevity Ancestor was嫌弃 Zhang Chen's dull aptitude, he heard the Longevity Ancestor say, "That Zhang Chen is truly rotten wood. Since he hasn't cultivated any magic power, it's okay for him to enter the backyard. However, he still needs to be carefully examined tomorrow. You may leave now."

Zou Wenlong was stunned when he heard this: 'How can he enter the backyard if he hasn't cultivated any magic power? Then what are Xu Fu and I?' However, he didn't dare to ask his doubts. He vaguely felt that something was wrong. After all, he was a clever person, and a very clever person at that.

"Something's not right!" Zou Wenlong muttered after walking out of the Ancestral Master's Hall, and then returned to cultivate.

The next day

After the Ancestral Master finished preaching, he said to Zhang Chen, "Zhang Chen, stay behind."

The disciples left, leaving only Zhang Chen standing in the hall. He quickly came to the Longevity Ancestor and respectfully bowed: "I wonder what instructions the Ancestral Master has?"

The Ancestral Master beckoned to Zhang Chen: "Come forward."

Zhang Chen quickly stepped forward and knelt in front of the Ancestral Master's futon. The Ancestral Master stretched out his palm and placed it on top of Zhang Chen's head, and then used his divine power to sense Zhang Chen's body. After a moment, he retracted his palm and sighed softly: "I have never seen such a stupid person. There isn't even a trace of the prelude to the birth of Qi in your body."

He had already investigated and found that there were no traces of magic power flowing through Zhang Chen's body.

It should be known that magic power is the power of law. As long as it flows through, it will leave traces. Even he himself cannot erase those traces, so Zhang Chen cannot deceive him about whether he has cultivated magic power or not.

However, he didn't know the mystery of the innate Yin and Yang Qi, which obliterated all the Qi in Zhang Chen's body, making it difficult for even the Ancestral Master to detect it.

"You will go to the backyard tomorrow to do things like fetching water and washing clothes, and take care of Xu Fu and Zou Wenlong," the Ancestral Master instructed, not giving Zhang Chen any chance to refuse: "The backyard also needs someone to clean and tidy up, are you willing?"

"Disciple is willing," Zhang Chen hurriedly kowtowed.

The Ancestral Master nodded when he heard this: "If you can perform well, when you die in the future, I may consider refining you into a follower ghost, which can be considered a different kind of longevity for you."

Hearing the Ancestral Master's words, Zhang Chen secretly spat 'What kind of longevity is this? Isn't this the same as raising a personal ghost? You can't even enter reincarnation, and if you're not careful, you'll end up dying. When I find a chance, I'll overturn your Wuzhuang Temple', Zhang Chen sneered inwardly, but showed an excited look on his face: "Disciple thanks the Ancestral Master!"

"Go!" The Ancestral Master waved his hand, signaling Zhang Chen to retreat.

Zhang Chen went back to pack his luggage, and then came all the way to the backyard. Sure enough, this time there was no obstruction, and the gatekeeper let him walk in.

At this time, Xu Erniu was already standing in front of the door waiting. When she saw Zhang Chen coming to the backyard, a hint of joy appeared in her eyes: "The Ancestral Master has already issued the task. I will take you to familiarize yourself with the environment and tell you the work you need to do every day. Do it well and look forward to the Ancestral Master leaving your soul behind in the future, so that you and I can be immortal together. We can be considered a pair of immortals."

Then, Xu Erniu led Zhang Chen to a remote courtyard to live in, and then began to lead Zhang Chen to familiarize himself with the backyard. There were dozens of rooms of various sizes in the backyard, and each room enshrined a memorial tablet or a statue.

"The Ancestral Master said that you are responsible for cleaning the Taoist temple every day, as well as wiping the statues and memorial tablets. In addition, you are responsible for washing the clothes of me and Zou Wenlong and other chores." Xu Erniu said here, and said to Zhang Chen: "I know it's委屈 you, but being able to enter the backyard and enter the Ancestral Master's eyes is an opportunity. You must seize it and never be angry."

She knew Zhang Chen, and the other party had a sense of pride in his heart.

At the same time, she was also strange in her heart. Zhang Chen had once displayed mysterious methods at the foot of the mountain and had also trained someone like Xiu Liu. How did he become a waste when he arrived in the mountains?