Although the information contained within that scroll was fragmented and blurry, Sevrin still managed to glean several important pieces of intelligence.
One of them was that beyond that single, deserted Side Hall, the Kiyou Grotto in its complete state actually possessed many other buildings and zones.
According to the information, these buildings and areas included the front hall, main hall, materials storehouse, weapon armory, secret treasure vault, cultivation manual archive, exotic curios storehouse, martial arena, forest park, gardens, medicinal garden, beast park, alchemy room, prison, torture chamber, courtyards, terraces, and a vast number of residential quarters.
However, all of these structures and areas had long since vanished without a trace, their current locations unknown.
Sevrin felt a great sense of regret over this.
Just think about it: a relatively unimportant Side Hall already contained three powerful techniques: the "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor", the "Moon Marrow Body-Refining Art", and the "Evil Yin Arts".
So, how many genuine treasures must be hidden within places that sounded so valuable just by their names, like the weapon armory, secret treasure vault, cultivation manual archive, and exotic curios storehouse?
Then there were the medicinal garden, beast park, and alchemy room; those surely held incredible things as well.
Just imagining it filled Sevrin's mind with intense curiosity and greed.
Furthermore, contrary to his earlier assumption, the shattering of the Kiyou Grotto was caused neither by an external invasion nor internal strife within the Naeaie Mansion.
The true cause was a battle against a world-shaking enemy that the Naeaie Mansion had encountered long ago. During that conflict, the Naeaie Mansion suffered a series of piteous defeats. Finally, on the brink of extinction, the senior leadership reached a decision.
That decision was to preserve a fire-seed for the Naeaie Mansion, so that it might one day experience a rebirth from the ashes and rebuild its former glory.
The Naeaie medallion in Sevrin's hand was that very fire-seed.
And since it was a seed, it could naturally grow, expand, and bear great fruit. According to the information in the scroll, the Kiyou Grotto could be successfully reactivated. Once active, it could be replenished, bit by bit, until it reached completion.
To replenish it, to put it plainly, meant one had to continuously hunt ghostly entities of various levels. Using their soul-remains as a medium, one could recall all the architectural zones scattered across the mortal realm.
Strictly speaking, this was a brilliant open scheme devised by the former upper echelons of the Naeaie Mansion. To rebuild the Mansion, the successor inevitably had to possess formidable strength. And the best way to verify that strength was through slaying enemies.
However, recklessly killing various masters of the mortal world would be too conspicuous and detrimental to the survival and growth of a new generation's successor. Therefore, hunting ghostly entities was the best and safest choice.
Of course, Sevrin didn't overthink it to that extent.
In his eyes, this so-called replenishment of the grotto was not much different from a player topping up their account in a mobile game to buy items. The only difference was that while games took money, the grotto's top-ups were ghosts.
As for whether other medallions existed in the vast mortal world beyond this one, Sevrin had no idea. Because the information in the scroll was so fragmented, he couldn't even determine if other grottos existed. But judging from the clues, he leaned toward the belief that they did.
But that was a matter for later.
The most important thing for Sevrin right now was how to activate the Kiyou Grotto. Fortunately, the scroll contained clear instructions on this point; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how to proceed.
According to that information, there was only one way to activate the Kiyou Grotto:
One had to find the descendants of former Naeaie Mansion members and use their blood to drench the Naeaie medallion; only then could the Kiyou Grotto be activated.
As for why the senior leadership of the Naeaie Mansion had devised such a cruel requirement, and specifically one that targeted their own people, Sevrin didn't much care.
He only knew he had to go and kill people.
His targets were the two Geo family daughters-in-law married to the Second Leader of the Black Wolf Bandits.
Indeed, Huin's lineage were descendants of former Naeaie Mansion members.
As for why Asell, an outsider by marriage, had been able to obtain the "Evil Yin Arts" from the Kiyou Grotto either before or after her death, that was a mystery whose answer Sevrin might never know. He could only guess it was perhaps related to the Geo bloodline she carried in her womb.
"Huin had three daughters and one son," Sevrin thought. "The youngest son passed away from illness after leaving behind Schture. The eldest daughter was married off far away years ago. Only the twin sisters, the second and third daughters, remained. Twenty years ago, Huin arranged for them both to marry Coeu, and they've since borne him a son and a daughter."
"Hmm~"
He mused, "Old Dog Huin's two daughters must be in their late thirties or early forties by now. Women of that age usually stay deep within their manors and aren't easy to kill, so... I'll just kill Coeu's son instead."
Having made his decision, Sevrin tucked the Naeaie medallion into his pocket. He transformed into a sinister ghostly shadow and hurtled rapidly toward the junction.
As for whether Coeu himself would have any objections, that was entirely outside his considerations.
Someone at the Steel Tendons and Iron Bones realm already didn't fear common firearms, although getting hit would still hurt. But Sevrin, having mastered the "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor" to its peak, predicted that he likely wouldn't even feel pain from such an attack.
So why the hell should he be afraid?
If I want to kill someone, I'll kill them. What are you going to do about it?
...
"Eh?!"
At a certain spot within the ash-covered forest ruins, the daoist holding the divination banner suddenly stopped. His expression turned tense as he spoke, "How strange, how very strange. That flickering evil Qi... why is it coming toward me?!"
Heaven was his witness, he only wanted to quietly scout for information. He had neither the intention nor the ability to deal with such a ferocious ghostly entity.
"Could it be that the ghost sensed my presence from such a distance? This... this..."
A piteous, tearless expression formed on the daoist's face. "What level of ghost is this? How can it be so absurdly powerful?! It's over, it's all over this time."
He didn't even think about fleeing. How could he? Could a man's two legs outrun a flying ghost?
"Better to fight to the bitter end. Even if I die, it's better than being eaten by a ghost."
The daoist gritted his teeth and immediately pulled a stack of long yellow talismans from his sleeve, preparing to face the impending evil spirit.
But right then, the evil Qi he sensed hurtling toward him from afar abruptly vanished into thin air.
While the daoist was looking around suspiciously, a thick, powerful hand reached out from behind and clapped heavily onto his shoulder:
"Fortune teller, what are you doing here?"
"A GHOST!!"
The daoist jumped three feet into the air in terror. Spinning around, he frantically hurled the stack of talismans at the person behind him.
But with a blur before his eyes, those dozen or so talismans were snatched out of the air by a large hand moving with heavy afterimages.
"Eh?! You..."
The daoist stared blankly at the bald, brawny man before him. "You're not a ghost... you're a human."
"Nonsense," Sevrin said with a smirk. "Of course I'm a human. A good one, at that."
"Uh... a good human?"
Looking at Sevrin's fierce, aggressive face and his excessively burly frame, the daoist stammered, his voice trailing off, "You... you don't exactly look the part, sir."
"Stop stalling," Sevrin said bluntly. "What are you doing here? And..."
He brandished the large handful of talismans before the daoist's eyes: "What are these things?"
"Ah, bro, let's not be so aggressive with our words."
The daoist gave a strained smile and explained slowly, "This place is haunted, you should know that."
"I know," Sevrin nodded. "I already exterminated them."
"So I planned to... Eh? What did you say!"
The daoist had barely gotten a few words out before he was stunned into silence by Sevrin's nonchalant remark.
Immediately, he pressed for details: "Bro, did you just say you already... exterminated the ghostly entities of this demonic land? Truly?"
"Truly," Sevrin said indifferently. "There's no reason to lie about it."
"Phew~" The daoist let out a long sigh of relief. "That is good. That is very good indeed."
Having said that, he adjusted his robes and bowed deeply and respectfully to Sevrin.
"Eh?" Sevrin asked in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"This humble daoist is Mistu Canji."
The daoist looked up and spoke sincerely, "On behalf of the common folk of this region, I thank you, bro."
"No need, no need~"
Sevrin waved a hand and laughed boisterously. "HAHAHA! I was just passing by and happened to see them, so I took care of it. I didn't put much thought into it."
"Is that so? It seems there are many things you may be unaware of, bro."
Canji explained, "As the saying goes, both Wandering Souls and Vengeful Spirits possess a dormant feral nature. If they are not provoked and haven't tasted blood, it's not so bad; such entities usually stay at the place of their death for long periods without leaving.
However, once they harm a human and taste blood, or are provoked by the living, their feral nature will surge. Then, during the night when Yang is weak and Yin is strong, they will leave the site of their death and embark on a murderous rampage, taking lives across the surrounding area."
He then pointed to his surroundings: "And a demonic land such as this is particularly prone to breeding a vast number of ghostly entities.
If they stayed here, it would be fine, but today, the person managing this Fortress territory seemingly suffered some kind of brain malady and launched a deranged arson attack upon this Yin land."
At this point, Canji shook his head and sighed: "All ghosts loathe fire. Once the inferno begins, if even a single vengeful ghost survives, the terrifying feral nature triggered within it would bring a great catastrophe upon the people of the surrounding region."
Hearing this, Sevrin mused, "So, I essentially averted a ghost-calamity in advance?"
"More than that."
Canji stroked his beard and said, "This humble daoist conducted some observations earlier and speculated that the entity surviving here might have been one that retained its specific ghostly consciousness. Such a sober ghost is far more terrifying than any mindless or dull spirit."
"Hmm~"
Sevrin casually stuffed the dozen or so yellow papers into his pocket, rubbed his bald head, and said, "Alright then... if there's nothing else, I'll head out first."
He had already learned all of the daoist's skills anyway; there was no reason to stay. He was quite satisfied with the amount he had picked up.
"Ah, wait!"
Canji hurried forward and grabbed Sevrin's arm, saying with an eager smile, "Bro, don't be in such a rush to leave. We still have things to discuss."
"Discuss what?" Sevrin pursed his lips and turned back. "Make it quick; I'm busy."
"Easy to say, easy to say. Bro, it's like this."
Canji explained, "Do you intend to slay more ghostly entities in the future?"
"Eh?" Sevrin's hairless brows twitched. "What do you mean by that?"
"HAHA."
Canji let out a soft laugh. "I observe that while your appearance is somewhat fierce, your heart possesses a towering righteous Qi. Otherwise, you wouldn't have dared to charge in here single-handedly to exterminate the ghosts and bring such a blessing to the local commoners.
Furthermore, your martial arts have likely reached the Steel Tendons and Iron Bones realm, haven't they? Otherwise, it would be impossible for you to defeat a fierce Vengeful Spirit."
"And?" Sevrin said flatly. "Continue."
Canji straightened his robes once again and said solemnly:
"This humble daoist, Canji, is also an external 'talent-recruitment official' for Graew's Demon-Slaying Bureau. I hereby officially invite you to join our Bureau, to slay monsters, and to bring blessings to all living beings under heaven."
Having finished, he bowed once more.
"Demon-Slaying Bureau?"
Sevrin asked in surprise, "You're an official of Graew? How did you end up here at Mount Qing? Isn't this an ungoverned zone?"
In response, Canji merely smiled:
"You are mistaken. 'Ungoverned' doesn't mean it 'cannot be governed'; it means the authorities are simply too lazy to do so. If my Graew truly wished to govern, no one in this Mount Qing range... would dare disobey."
At this point, he added: "Most importantly, the Demon-Slaying Bureau essentially ignores mortal affairs. Border defense, political changes, none of that concerns us. We only care about slaying and killing ghosts."
"Ah~" Sevrin nodded in realization. "Quite a pure organization, then. So you must have a lot of intelligence regarding ghostly entities across the lands?"
"Naturally," Canji said with a smile. "That is specifically what we do."
"Mhm. And what about the benefits?" Sevrin asked.
After hearing the daoist's words, he was quite tempted, particularly by the prospect of intelligence on ghostly entities.
"Regarding the benefits," Canji explained, "once you enter our Demon-Slaying Bureau, even a Wood-rank Lieutenant, the lowest rank, receives a monthly salary of nine hundred Ducan!"
Sevrin had no idea what nine hundred Ducan represented, but given how proudly the man spoke, he guessed the purchasing power of the Ducan was quite high.
"Money isn't the point," Sevrin said. "What matters most is whether there are many masters in your Demon-Slaying Bureau. I love nothing more than fighting against experts."
The presence of masters meant new skills and the growth of his own strength. Sevrin had to be sure; if the Bureau was full of weaklings, joining would be a waste of time and energy.
"Then you've asked the right person!"
Canji laughed proudly. "The Demon-Slaying Bureau is the premier martial arts organization in the world. It is a place where masters are as common as clouds and the talented are as numerous as the sands, far beyond anything those martial sects can compare to.
Not only that, when it comes to resources like cultivation manuals, weapons, and medicinal pills, our Demon-Slaying Bureau is equally abundant. As long as you can successfully slay monsters, everything is within your reach..."
"Enough! No need to say more."
Sevrin raised a hand to cut off Canji's speech, saying decisively, "I'll join the Demon-Slaying Bureau. Fine."
"Haha, wonderful!" The daoist beamed with joy. "It wasn't easy, but I've recruited another great talent."
With that, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a pre-written letter, handing it to the puzzled Sevrin:
"This is a letter of recommendation. Bro, head southwest for about eighty miles until you reach Nina Town at the Xin Family Fortress. There is a tea-stall there; find a man named Tea Master and give him this letter."
"Ah~" Sevrin took the letter, glanced at it, and tucked it into his pocket. Then he asked, "And what about you? Where are you headed?"
"Me?"
Canji adjusted his divination banner and said with a smile, "I shall continue to wandering, seeking out talents and recruiting the wise, of course."
"Xin Family Fortress, eh?"
Upon hearing that name, Sevrin's eyes flashed.
What a coincidence; wasn't that the territory of Coeu, the Second Leader of the Black Wolf Bandits?
Hmm... more accurately, it was the territory of the Xin clan, the family Coeu hailed from.
From that fat Black Wolf Bandit, Sevrin had learned plenty about the Xin family's vile deeds, how they oppressed the common folk and bullied their neighbors. The reason he knew so much was precisely because that fat man had personally participated in those evil acts many times.
So, much like Huin, the Xin family was the kind of rot that oppressed those under its rule while colluding with mountain bandits and outlaws.
In short: they deserved to die!
"Bro," Canji said, cupping his hands. "Once we part now, I don't know when we shall meet again."
"Why 'bro'?" Sevrin waved a hand. "I'm only eighteen."
"Eighteen?!"
Canji's face was filled with shock. "You... you don't look eighteen at all. People would believe you if you said you were thirty-six."
"What can I do if I look mature?" Sevrin pursed his lips. "Besides, you're in your thirties or forties yourself, yet you're calling me old."
"Now, there you are mistaken."
Canji pointed at his own aged face and laughed. "Don't let my appearance fool you; I'm actually only twenty-three this year."
"And I think you look forty-six," Sevrin said, looking him up and down. "Are you practicing some technique that drains your lifespan?"
"Eh?" Canji was stunned. "You actually guessed it? You're brilliant!"
He even gave a thumbs-up.
In truth, Sevrin was so certain because he had learned all of Canji's skills. Combined with the man's words, the answer was obvious.
As for that skill, it was neither martial arts, nor Ghost Path, nor divinity, it was an occult technique: "Lifespan-Draining Power-Gathering Art".
The effect of this technique was exactly as its name suggested: it allowed one to gain a temporary surge in magical power by cutting away their own lifespan. The duration was fifteen minutes. The ratio of power increase to lifespan loss was two-fold for every three years of life sacrificed.
Sevrin surmised that the reason Canji looked so old was likely because he had found his magical power insufficient while exterminating ghosts or enemies in the past, forcing him to reluctantly sacrifice his lifespan to use that technique.
Wait... magical power?
Yes, magical power.
From Canji, Sevrin had unexpectedly learned the fourth cultivation system of this world, the Way of Occult Techniques.
This system was the polar opposite of martial arts and divinities; it focused more on the cultivation of the human soul. In this regard, it shared some similarities with the Ghost Path.
However, the difference was that while the Ghost Path cultivated sinister Yin energy, occult techniques cultivated pure Yang energy, or simply, Yang Qi.
The primary focus of an occult practitioner was to gather Yang Qi from the outside world through various methods, concentrating it within their form and spirit. They would then refine it into Yang magical power through specific techniques, allowing it to saturate their soul and body to continuously optimize its nature, eventually leading to a transformation and greater strength.
As for the man before Sevrin, Mistu Canji, the self-proclaimed external talent-recruitment official of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, his personal interface was:
[ Character Name: Mistu Canji
Level: Occult Techniques → Soul-Restraining Spirit-Gathering, Mainstream Martial Arts → Force Circulation
Mastered Skills: "Bone-Shrinking Disguise Art" "Ghost and Monster Tracking" "Yin-Yang Eyes" "Qi Observation Technique" "Heavy Wave Palm" "Primal Breath Yang-Refining Method" "Lifespan-Draining Power-Gathering Art" "Heavenly Incision Yang-Guiding Art" "Stuacn Spirit-Suppressing Talismans (Damaged)"
Special Traits: [Level 1 Intuition] [Level 1 Yang-Absorption] [Level 1 Spirit-Concentration] [Level 1 Magical Power]
Expert Shards: None ]
One could say that Canji possessed the most skills of anyone Sevrin had encountered so far, with a staggering total of nine.
Furthermore, his Special Traits were also numerous, totaling four. Yet a person of this caliber was merely an external staff member of the Demon-Slaying Bureau.
This inevitably fueled Sevrin's anticipation for the mysterious organization. He believed it would be home to countless experts, which meant a vast number of never-before-seen skills awaited him.
After a brief farewell to Canji, Sevrin pinpointed the southwest direction. He hurtled through the mountains and rivers at a speed of hundreds of meters per second.
As he ran, he didn't hesitate to push all the skills he had just learned from Canji to their peak levels.
Consequently, Sevrin's personal interface information became even more extensive:
[ Host: Sevrin
Level: Mainstream Martial Arts → Steel Tendons and Iron Bones, Bloodline Divinity → Mid, Ghost Path → Vengeful Spirit, Occult Techniques → Soul-Restraining Spirit-Gathering
Mastered Skills: "Five Animal Yale" "Beastly Intent Demonic Claw" "Blood-Soaked Sunken Heart" "Ghostly Body, Soul Remains" "Evil Yin Arts (Damaged)" "Vile Slaughter Yin-Descent" "Resentful Slaughter Yang-Extinguisher" "Savage Bull Boxing" "Iron Fan Palm" "Iron Barrel Coiled-Bell Armor" "Moon Marrow Body-Refining Art" "Bone-Shrinking Disguise Art" "Ghost and Monster Tracking" "Yin-Yang Eyes" "Qi Observation Technique" "Heavy Wave Palm" "Primal Breath Yang-Refining Method" "Lifespan-Draining Power-Gathering Art" "Heavenly Incision Yang-Guiding Art" "Stuacn Spirit-Suppressing Talismans (Damaged)"
Special Traits: [Level 2 Robust Physique] [Level 2 Sharp Nails] [Level 2 Berserk] [Level 2 Wild Nature] [Level 2 Ethereal Body] [Level 2 Ghostly Visage] [Level 2 Twin Slaughter] [Level 2 Iron Body] [Level 2 Stone Heart] [Level 1 Intuition] [Level 1 Yang-Absorption] [Level 1 Spirit-Concentration] [Level 1 Magical Power]
Expert Shards: None ]
Perhaps because these Occult Techniques focused primarily on the cultivation of soul consciousness, Sevrin's sudden mastery of so many skills produced little change in his outward appearance.
Only his gaze and aura became sharper and more expansive.
However, from Sevrin's own perspective, after reaching the peak of these mysterious techniques, his sensitivity to the intangible and mystical energies weaving through the mortal world had heightened dramatically.
Simultaneously, his soul, which had previously felt somewhat vague and indistinct, suddenly became incredibly clear. A gentle, ethereal power now surged and saturated the space between his spirit and soul.
This power was magical power.
Under the support and empowerment of this magical power, Sevrin felt his soul become so vibrant and fluid that it seemed as if it could leap out of his body at any moment, soaring through the world in a formless, shadowless state.
However, Sevrin knew this was actually a dangerous illusion.
Before reaching the next occult realm, [Astral Travel], he absolutely could not allow his soul to leave his body, as the consequences would be catastrophic.
At best, he would barely return to his body only to suffer a severe illness from exhausted essence and spirit; at worst, he would be unable to return and turn into a wandering, lonely ghost.
"Let's test the art of talismans."
In the deserted wilderness, Sevrin slowed his pace to that of an ordinary person. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, narrow yellow talisman, faintly inscribed with dragon-and-phoenix-like calligraphy.