"The Ghost Baby Altar?"
"Follow me." Liu Hee led Song Lin into the grand hall.
As they moved closer, they saw hundreds of Black Altars of varying sizes and designs.
Some were adorned with yellow talismans, some white, and others were covered with stones, willow boards, or yellow paper.
The different Black Altars were categorized into distinct zones.
In front of each zone stood Eight Immortals tables, offering sacrifices of livestock, fruits, incense, sandalwood, and dharma tokens inscribed with characters.
"Ghost Baby Altar," "Ear-Reporting Child Altar," "Wandering Soul Altar," "Soldier Soul Altar," "Water and Fire Ghost Altar"...
Song Lin was now led to the front of the Ghost Baby Altar, where there were twenty-five small altars.
Liu Hee and Lin Yang, both Advanced Taoists stationed nearby, were tasked with assisting Taoist Wude in the Yin Yang Altar's affairs.
"Simply follow the rules. Feed the Blood Pills once every three days, come at noon daily to light incense and candles, and replace the wine, fruits, and livestock offerings at the beginning and end of the month."
"Where do I get these materials?"
He was worried they'd be on his dime, which would be a big loss.
"Seek Taoist Lin Yang for supplies." Liu Hee gestured toward a plump Taoist nearby.
"Alright, if there are any issues, feel free to find me. Work at the Yin Yang Altar is pretty idle; it's not as terrifying as the outside rumors claim. If you follow the rules, you won't die."
Liu Hee patted Song Lin's shoulder before leaving.
Song Lin glanced around. Every dharma altar had Taoist disciples like himself guarding it.
He stepped forward to light the incense and placed the sticks into the incense burner.
While working, he took in his surroundings.
The place was thick with yin energy and ghostly aura. Prolonged exposure would undoubtedly have an effect on him.
"Hey, fellow Taoist."
At the Ear-Reporting Child Altar nearby, a tall, gaunt figure suddenly turned to him.
Song Lin looked over. The tall figure spoke:
"You must've been set up by Li Xuan, right? The Ghost Baby Altar was originally under his watch, but after Taoist Wude saw potential in him, there was an opening..."
He had someone else cover for him, but the replacement was inexperienced and ended up killed by the ghost babies just earlier. When Song Lin arrived, he took up the position in his place.
"I know."
Song Lin sighed inwardly.
His former self had been rather weak-willed and honest, taking on burdens simply because others told him to. He'd been exploited for a lot of tough, thankless work.
Otherwise, no one would have targeted him.
In this world, the meek and kindhearted did not last long.
The tall man, named Zhou Xuan, related to his plight and assumed Song Lin was disheartened. He offered consolation:
"Li Xuan thinks talent allows him to do as he pleases. The wheel of fortune turns—we may yet have our chance."
"Thank you for your encouragement, Taoist Brother. By the way, what are these altars for?"
Song Lin changed the topic. He was no longer his former self, ready to display every thought on his face. Reacting rashly here could easily land him in someone else's trap.
"Oh, these dharma altars are meant for the Spirit Hall."
The altars were used for sacrificial rituals lasting forty-nine or eighty-one days. Upon completion, they produced offerings that could be sent to the Spirit Hall for Taoists to command.
Zhou Xuan glanced around before lowering his voice. "These unfinished works are extremely unstable. Don't listen to Liu Hee's nonsense. I suggest preparing some defensive measures for your safety."
He raised his right arm as he spoke.
Revealed was a pitch-black scar—a chunk of flesh had been gouged out.
"Thank you for the advice," Song Lin said sincerely.
After finishing his incense ritual, Song Lin returned to his quarters.
The Yin Yang Altar was indeed fraught with danger, but the workload was relatively light.
Burning incense, lighting candles, and offering feed took less than an hour each day.
Once back, Song Lin successfully broke through to the Constant Realm.
It took him two hours.
He began gathering materials for the Hidden Dragon Breath Emission Powder, preparing to advance to the Fetal Breathing Stage.
He calculated his resources: he had eleven Taoist Merits in total. Purchasing alchemy tools would cost six of them.
The remaining merits would allow him to prepare eight sets of Breath Emission Powder ingredients.
Based on his experience in the Lao Mountain World, he estimated needing six servings of the powder and five Qi Nourishing Pills.
If all went well, he could reach the Fetal Breathing Realm within two months at most.
Five days passed.
Song Lin alternated between daytime cultivation and nighttime exploration of the Lao Mountain World.
Whenever he entered the Lao Mountain World, his physical body outside entered a dormant state akin to sleep.
During this period, he took time to visit the Grand Commissioner Institute to purchase alchemical tools and materials.
He still avoided the Ghost Market—not worth the risk or trouble.
Five days in the real world equated to five years in the Lao Mountain World.
One day, Song Lin woke again from the Lao Mountain World.
Feeling the surging True Qi within him, he struggled to adjust to the dissonance between different realms and states.
Over those five years, his True Qi had doubled.
His mastery over the Eight Great Secret Skills had become increasingly refined.
Among these, the Qi Refining Skill proved to be an impressive divine technique, enhancing his cultivation of the Peace Guide Song significantly.
Stepping out of his room, Song Lin encountered a middle-aged Taoist.
"Greetings, Senior Brother." Song Lin greeted him with a smile.
"Greetings, Ninth Junior Brother," Xuanqing replied. "Are you going to the Dharma Hall to meet Master as well?"
"Indeed."
"Alright, let's go together."
The two began chatting as they walked.
Along the way, they crossed paths with other fellow disciples.
When they arrived at the largest building of the Taoist temple, the doors opened on their own.
Inside, an elderly man with a white beard sat in the center of the room.
Seeing his nine disciples, the elder smiled in satisfaction. His gaze then fell on Song Lin, and he asked, "How goes your training in the secret arts?"
"I'm nearly proficient."
Song Lin flicked his sleeve, and a circular sheet of white paper flew out.
The paper transformed into a radiant moon, from which a fairy gracefully emerged.
He then seamlessly demonstrated his Wall-Penetrating Skill, moving back and forth through walls.
His execution of the Eight Great Secret Skills flowed as smoothly as water.
"Good. Continue your cultivation. Once you've broken through to the Fetal Breathing Stage, you'll be ready to graduate."
The Lao Mountain Taoist looked at him with approval.
He had no idea that Song Lin had already broken through that stage.
In just five years, Song Lin's talents had surpassed his peers, and his skill with spells rivaled even his master's.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother," Xuan Tong said with a smile, cupping his hands. Yet his gaze carried heavy thoughts, a detail that Song Lin caught without fail.
The disciples dispersed and returned to their own tasks.
Song Lin made his way to the dense forest of the back mountain.
Rustle!
Leaves fluttered down as eighteen figures descended silently.
Their leader was none other than Yangg Xing.
"Greetings, Master!" Yangg Xing clasped his hands in respect.
The subordinates behind him gazed in reverence at the "immortal" before them.
All eighteen were Grandmasters, having earned fearsome reputations in the Jianghu. They were known as the "Yan Yun Eighteen Riders."
No sect in the Jianghu dared to stand against them.
The Yan Yun Eighteen Riders cared only for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, as well as ancient texts.
"So, how did it go with the task I assigned you?"
"Master, the medicinal herbs have arrived. Additionally, we discovered an ancient book at a hunter's home in Xuzhou. Upon further investigation, it was confirmed to be a relic from the ancient Yunzhong Temple. Following its clues, we located another book."
Besides gathering herbs, the Yan Yun Eighteen Riders also bore the task of collecting divine techniques and spells.
In his more than ten years in this world, Song Lin had discovered its scarcity of spiritual energy. Divine skills and spells had almost entirely disappeared.
Reaching the Fetal Breathing Stage was nearly the ceiling for cultivation, with little hope of advancing further in Qi Cultivation.
Most Taoist temples had fallen into ruin, with the remaining ones largely reduced to trickery and fraud. Thus, Song Lin had tasked them with seeking out ancient relics.
After five years, they had unearthed two spells.
Taking the ancient books from Yangg Xing, he saw their titles: "Summoning Birds Technique" and "Blood Stopping Spell." The spells were fairly mundane, but their discovery confirmed the existence of residual spells in this world.
"From now on, forget searching for herbs. Focus solely on investigating ancient texts."
"Understood." Yangg Xing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Master, there's another matter."
"Spit it out. No need to beat around the bush."
"In the course of my investigations, I uncovered a secret about your Senior Brother."
"What secret?"