Chapter 176: Chapter 175: Bai Ke’s Transformation

"What the...!?"

Gu Zhao stared in astonishment at the little beauty before him.

She had a round, oval face, adorable big eyes, a delicate nose, and ruby-red lips. To top it all off, she had a pair of playful little canine teeth. In the modern world, she would be a little charmer cute enough to kill.

"I’ve undergone Transformation!" Bai Ke spun around in place, showing off her slender figure, then leaned in close and said excitedly to Gu Zhao, "I can mate with you now, too!"

"AHEM, ahem, ahem..."

Gu Zhao nearly choked on his own spit. He tapped Bai Ke on the forehead with one finger, pushing her back two steps. "You’re only sixteen, still a little girl. Have some modesty."

Bai Ke pouted, then had a sudden realization. "Oh, I remember now! The old Daoist Yan Song said that Daluo Palace’s rules state you can only mate after you turn eighteen."

Silk Embroideress He lowered her head, silent.

Zhuo Qingyan couldn’t bear to watch.

Li Qingshuang wore a faint, unreadable smile.

Gu Zhao couldn’t help but sigh. He held up his index finger. "One roast chicken."

Bai Ke raised her own small, fair hand, a triumphant look on her face as she clearly gestured, "Five!"

Last time in Xiuyue County, right after he and Zhuo Qingyan had finished ’mating’, Gu Zhao had paid a price of five roast chickens to put an end to the topic. She certainly wouldn’t settle for less now.

"Deal!" Gu Zhao reached out, closed her five outstretched fingers into a fist, then took hold of it and pushed it down. He then spun her around. "Go on, head down the mountain and play." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Bai Ke took two steps, then suddenly realized something. She turned back and said, "Wait, wait, we came up here for a reason!"

The Silk Embroideress picked up the conversation. "Two Mages have returned, escorting about ten cartloads of gold and silver to replenish Daluo Palace’s treasury. They also said they have a written order from Martial Uncle Yi Hong to strike against the bandits and pirates in the Changping Prefecture area."

"They’re here already?" Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow.

The old Daoists were handling affairs in various places. While the Golden Wind Divine Sect headquarters in Changping Prefecture was being repaired, another secret vault filled with gold, silver, and jewels had been discovered.

So, Taoist Yi Hong had dispatched the two Mages who possessed no Evil Qi. Their orders were to first deliver the gold and silver back to the Daluo Palace headquarters, and then find time to deal with the local bandits and pirates who were terrorizing the countryside.

These two Mages only had twenty to thirty years of Cultivation. In the Golden Wind Divine Sect, they were little more than lackeys who did odd jobs. They were naturally no match for powerful Demons and Ghosts, but dealing with ordinary bandits and pirates was a sure thing.

Taoist Yi Hong had only told him about this yesterday afternoon. He hadn’t expected the group to arrive this morning.

"The two of them used their Magical Power to empower the oxen and horses, traveling through the night. They just arrived," the Silk Embroideress said.

"Have someone receive the carts. I’ll go down and meet them," Gu Zhao said.

Back in Changping Prefecture, Taoist Yi Hong had assigned them tasks, so Gu Zhao had never met them. Since they had come all this way, it was only natural to meet them now.

It was rare for someone to remain free of Evil Qi in a place like the Golden Wind Divine Sect.

The Silk Embroideress led Gu Zhao down to attend to business. Zhuo Qingyan and Li Qingshuang didn’t follow, instead deciding to tour Cuiluo Mountain together.

The main courtyard of Daluo Palace was now complete, and construction had already begun on several side courtyards. Zhuo Qingyan pointed things out to her, causing Li Qingshuang’s eyes to flicker with contemplation as she listened.

This grand atmosphere and large-scale layout, while not yet on par with the Xuanwei Divine Sect or the Spiritual Court Headquarters, was far beyond what an ordinary local power could manage. It was at least the work of a major, world-renowned sect. This showed that Daluo Palace’s ambition and vision were anything but small.

...

Meanwhile, Gu Zhao returned to Daluo Palace and granted an audience to the two Mages.

"Wu Ming (Duan Yang) greets the Sect Leader!" the two Mages, who looked to be in their thirties or forties, said as they knelt and kowtowed.

"Rise," Gu Zhao said, lifting a hand slightly. The two men felt a gentle force lift them from under their arms, helping them to their feet.

Unlike The Golden Dog of Bond’s Huang Yuan, the Golden Sheep of Ghost’s Yang Chi, and Zhang Yuelu’s Lu Yue, who were Guardian Star Officials, these two Human Mages, who possessed no Evil Qi, had been temporarily accepted by Taoist Yi Hong as Registered Disciples of Daluo Palace. They could now be considered disciples of the Daluo Palace.

"To be part of the Golden Wind Divine Sect yet refrain from evil deeds is truly commendable," Gu Zhao praised.

"We come from ordinary families. We dare not forget our roots," Wu Ming replied.

"Unfortunately, our Cultivation is shallow. The spirit was willing, but we lacked the strength," Duan Yang said, shaking his head.

"You may have been unwelcome in the Golden Wind Sect, but things are different in Daluo Palace." Gu Zhao sat in the main seat. "Daluo Palace punishes the wicked and suppresses demons. We need people who carry righteousness in their hearts."

Looking at the two of them, Gu Zhao continued, "Doing Good Deeds and Accumulating Virtue, Eradicating Evil and Accumulating Merit. This mission is a test for you from Martial Uncle Yi Hong. If you can quell the bandits and pirates who plague the common people, Martial Uncle Yi Hong will formally accept you into the sect and teach you the Daluo Palace’s Cultivation Method."

Wu Ming and Duan Yang couldn’t help but look up, their eyes gleaming.

They were Mages from a simple master-disciple lineage, with an ordinary heritage and weak Magical Power. They were later defeated and subdued by disciples of the Golden Wind Sect. Although they were indignant about the sect’s actions, they didn’t dare resist for fear of their lives. The most they could do was refuse to partake in the corruption.

As a result, they were ostracized within the sect and could only perform menial tasks, like displaying miraculous feats of Magical Power to dupe commoners into offering Incense to the Golden Wind Sect.

They had also been in the Golden Wind Hall that night and had witnessed the old Daoists display their Divine Power. Whether it was the Taiyi Wind and Fire, the Qi-Body Unity, the Ghost Prison Manifestation, or the summoning of a Divine General, these were all techniques that were unimaginable to them.

’Hearing Gu Zhao’s words, does this mean we also have a chance to practice such methods?’

"Of course," Gu Zhao nodded, as if it were a matter of fact.

Gu Zhao and the old Daoists had discussed this before. The number of Thunder Seeds was limited. If one couldn’t activate their Innate Qi and then use a Thunder Seed to assist their Cultivation, it was simply too dangerous for an ordinary person to come here. Therefore, the number of people who could come over would ultimately be very small.

Thus, if they were to pass on the glory of the Taoist Sect in this world, they naturally had to pass on the Taoist Sect’s scriptures here as well.

Besides philosophical texts like the *Supreme Sensing Chapter* and *Laozi’s Xiang’er Annotation* to guide people’s hearts, they would of course also need various Cultivation Methods of Conserving Spirit and Refining Qi to serve as a means of protecting the sect.

But this was an Extraordinary World, after all, and powerful techniques could not be taught lightly. If they were passed down to the wrong person, it would only create evil.

Therefore, they had made preparations in three steps.

First, concerning the inheritors: besides being free of Evil Qi, they must also perform good deeds and eliminate evil. Their understanding of principles and their overall character would be observed daily.

Second, concerning the Cultivation Methods: the old Daoists had adapted some Cultivation Methods based on the Taoist Sect’s heritage and their own knowledge, creating a progression from introductory to advanced levels.

Third, concerning the system of management: based on the actions of the inheritors, the Cultivation Techniques would be taught to them step by step, from the simple to the profound.

They had basically copied the management system from web novels, with tiers like Registered Disciples, Outer Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and True Disciples.

Of course, this was a management system for the initial expansion phase, when they were recruiting people who were already adults. Once Daluo Palace’s fame spread throughout the world, some of the talented disciples they raised and taught from childhood would naturally be able to skip these steps.

’Hmm... this is getting more and more like a web novel.’