Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology
Chapter 185 - 174: Appointing the Land God, The Great Refining Divine General’s Meeting Convenes (Two in One)_2

Chapter 185: Chapter 174: Appointing the Land God, The Great Refining Divine General’s Meeting Convenes (Two in One)_2

Actually, it’s not overly complicated. Mana, to put it simply, is the power of rules. When one cultivates to a certain extent, natural phenomena will occur. This is, in essence, a reflection of powerful mana.

The Core Formation Stage is divided into three phases: early, middle, and late, with distinct transformations occurring in each.

Thus, forming a Golden Core is not an end but merely the beginning.

Each phase may require hundreds of years of effort, along with an enormous expenditure of manpower and resources.

Many cultivators who reach this stage have already hit their ceiling—either their potential is depleted, or their foundations are too shallow.

Some cultivators at the stage of Qi Refinement and Divine Establishment absorbed Heaven and Earth Essence Qi of poor quality, leaving them virtually no room for advancement at this level.

This is why high-quality True Qi in earlier stages is necessary.

The higher the grade early on, the greater the potential ceiling later.

As Song Lin was cultivating, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Temple master! It’s me!"

The voice belonged to Shi Yinhua.

It wasn’t the door to the secret chamber that had been knocked, but the door of the main hall, with the sound transmitted from there via a special device.

Song Lin rose and headed toward the main hall.

Shi Yinhua, who rarely visited without a reason, must have encountered a problem. Upon entering the hall, Song Lin noticed two figures in the dimly lit space.

One was Shi Yinhua, and the other was an elderly man he didn’t recognize.

The condition of the elderly man appeared extraordinarily poor.

Pale skin covered in dark spots, an aura of impending death surrounding him, and his feeble state gave the impression that a gust of wind would send him straight into the Netherworld.

Why would Shi Yinhua bring someone who’s practically half-buried to see him?

"This is Yun Lian, Temple Master of Yunze Temple." Hearing Shi Yinhua’s introduction, Song Lin immediately broke into a smile.

"Greetings, Temple Master!" Yun Lian bowed deeply, his attitude exceedingly humble.

"Welcome, honored guest."

Almost dead? Being almost dead is actually a good thing! Song Lin preferred visitors with major dilemmas in need of his help.

"Someone, bring tea, quickly!"

Song Lin hurriedly called for tea to be served and gestured for the two to sit down.

"Oh no, Temple Master is far too kind!" Yun Lian perched awkwardly on the edge of his seat, looking particularly uncomfortable.

"This is proper; fellow Taoist, you are the guest. Please don’t be so restrained."

After exchanging pleasantries, Yun Lian finally stated his purpose for coming.

"It’s like this: how many positions remain for the Land Lord officials listed in the temple master’s registry?" Yun Lian said, revealing his reason for the visit.

Yun Lian was the Temple Master of Yunze Temple in nearby Ze County.

Yunze Temple was a small Taoist temple. Its temple master’s cultivation was only at Perfect Divine Establishment. Yun Lian had lived for 365 years, and his death was likely only a few months away.

After hearing Yun Lian’s words, Song Lin looked troubled. "I’m afraid it won’t work. There are indeed spots available, but they’ve already been reserved..."

"Temple master, I’m willing to exchange fifty thousand dharma coins for one."

Song Lin showed a flicker of interest, but before he could respond, Shi Yinhua stood abruptly, his tone exaggerated: "Temple master, you mustn’t! Giving good things to outsiders will chill the hearts of your brothers!"

Song Lin smacked his forehead. "Right, we need to raise the price!"

"Eighty thousand! Plus two bottles of top-grade Feather Transformation Pills, and Yunze Temple will henceforth answer the temple master’s orders, going east at your command without ever turning west!" Yun Lian gritted his teeth.

He had no other choice; this was his last opportunity.

Two hundred extra years of life—for him, even exhausting all his savings would be worth it.

Song Lin and Shi Yinhua exchanged a glance and smiled. "In that case, I will reluctantly save one spot for you. When would you like to begin?"

"Thank you, Temple Master! Let’s start now." Yun Lian said excitedly.

Of course, the sooner, the better—there was no telling how much time he had left. Better to act quickly.

"Very well. Yinhua, prepare the altar!"

Song Lin handed the official certificate for the Land Lord position to Shi Yinhua.

Disciples bustled outside, preparing fruits, incense, yellow cloth, and other items needed to construct the dharma altar.

Song Lin and Yun Lian waited inside.

"Fellow Taoist, please wait a moment." Song Lin was curious about how exactly this Land Lord position was conferred, as he had never granted it to anyone before.

Before long, the incense was lit, copper gongs struck, and the offerings—three sacrifices—were ready.

Song Lin donned his dharma robe and began chanting incantations.

"Boundless saints be offered, the incense spreads to Great Luo. Saints of infinite heavens, sun and moon across the stars..."

As the incantation was recited, the official Land Lord certificate radiated light and released a stream of purifying energy from the Nine Heavens.

The purifying energy merged with the light, gradually solidifying into a rectangular jade tablet similar to those used in court audiences.

"Yun Lian, your birthdate!" Song Lin called out sharply.

Yun Lian quickly provided the information.

Song Lin formed his fingers into a sword gesture and traced in the air, inscribing Yun Lian’s name and birthdate onto the tablet.

"Command!"

Song Lin pointed with his fingers.

The jade tablet transformed into white light that darted into Yun Lian’s forehead.

"Ahhh!!!"

Yun Lian was suddenly suspended mid-air by an unknown force, his body enveloped by white light.

The white light corroded his flesh, then his bones, leaving him entirely dissolved into void.

From the void, flesh, bones, and organs regenerated.

Yun Lian reappeared before everyone, alive and entirely free of corpse-spots.

Watching this scene, Song Lin felt it looked oddly familiar—was this not akin to the Taiyin Refining technique used by Underground Masters?

However, Land Lords lived much shorter lives compared to Underground Masters. While any Underground Master could live for a thousand years, Land Lords had the advantage of being able to move freely.

Yun Lian observed his own hands, brimming with excitement.

"It’s done! Finally done! Thank you, Temple Master."

"You’re welcome. Later, go settle the payment with Yinhua."

Additionally, Song Lin realized he could sense the Land Talisman within Yun Lian’s body, allowing him to revoke it at any time—so he wasn’t worried about Yun Lian defaulting on payment.

All things considered, winning over a new Taoist temple was quite advantageous.

Although it was a small addition, it brought the tally to four temples under his control.

The Taoist had previously paid little attention to scattered smaller groups.

One must remember that the Three Cities, Five Masters, and Eighteen Heads already made up the majority. However, due to Chi Hai causing disruptions, the Taoist was now prioritizing these efforts.

"Just make sure you don’t blame me later." Song Lin subtly warned.

Once the body is fully remodeled, it remains stagnant, incapable of further progress.

The additional 200 years come at the cost of forfeiting all future potential.

This limitation is why Song Lin had always refrained from granting this position within his Taoist temple unless someone was truly at their wit’s end and needed it for survival.

Besides, he had the Taiyin Refining Technique—but the Taoists under his care were always physically robust, so he had never needed to use it.

"Haha, I have no lofty aspirations. I’ll be perfectly content living for two hundred more years and enjoying prosperity during that time," Yun Lian said cheerfully.

Two hundred years were enough for mortals to pass through ten generations. Who knows? Rare life-extending medicines might emerge in the future.

"That’s good to hear."

Under Shi Yinhua’s guidance, Yun Lian proceeded to pay the agreed amount.

Since becoming the temple master, Song Lin hadn’t added much personal wealth, utilizing almost all of his resources to develop the temple.

The temple’s current strength was now comparable to that of the Nine Nether Era.

There were still five Divine Establishment masters, and the number of Qi Refinement Taoists had doubled to seventy-five, supported by over four hundred disciples and eight hundred servants.

Additionally, the invention of the Yang Thunder Captain-level Taoist soldiers brought Divine Establishment combat strength back to the temple, gradually restoring its foundational vitality.

The main constraint was the shortage of time, but given a few more years, several elder cultivators might break through to Divine Establishment, making Xuanke Temple the preeminent Taoist temple in the region.

"It’s been a while since I’ve seen Guu Yuchan." Song Lin thought to himself.

With that, he headed toward the higher terrain of the rear mountain.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening roar of a waterfall echoed not far away.

A hundred-foot waterfall poured down with thunderous force, sunlight casting rainbows into the mist.

Next to the waterfall, twelve white-robed Taoists were seated cross-legged.

Through their rhythmic breathing techniques, their voices resonated like rolling thunder, faintly overpowering the sound of the cascade.

The Taoist meditating in the center, whose face resembled white jade with unremarkable features, emitted an even more awe-inspiring aura.

Guu Yuchan opened his eyes and, upon spotting Song Lin, immediately stepped forward to salute.

"Greetings, Master!"

The others ceased their cultivation and followed suit.

"Greetings, Temple Master!"

"Not bad. You’ve recruited quite a number."

"Master, this disciple has advanced to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement and is only one step away from Nourishing Yuan Stage."

"Later, I’ll pass you the secret manual for Nourishing Yuan Stage."

Song Lin nodded in satisfaction.

Guu Yuchan had led Thunder Department cultivation with great results; all his disciples practiced cultivation focusing primarily on Sword Thunder, Palm Thunder, and other Thunder-related techniques.

It wouldn’t be surprising if this eventually formed a new branch of magic vein practices.

At the very least, cultivation methods up to the Core Formation Stage were guaranteed.

Beyond that, it all depended on Guu Yuchan’s talent.

Though he had spent less than a year cultivating, Guu Yuchan had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement—a testament to his extraordinary aptitude despite prior accumulations.

Perhaps in due time, he might even reach the ninth layer of Nourishing Yuan Stage.

The Nourishing Yuan Stage corresponds to the Divine Establishment Period, signifying the qualitative transformation of True Qi.

After instructing the group, Song Lin returned to his chamber for further cultivation.

Not long after, as the Phoenix Platform Dragon Throwing approached its fourth month, the Great Refining God General Ceremony commenced.