Chapter 9 My Name is Heavenly Master

The scene that followed would haunt Wu Xiong for the rest of his life.

Xu Xuan took out a Yellow Talisman.

The talisman spontaneously combusted, and the flames gradually consumed the paper.

At first, Wu Xiong wanted to laugh. It was just a trick of a charlatan, smearing some white phosphorus on it and then fooling some foolish men and women.

But he couldn't laugh after what happened next.

After the talisman paper burned away, the flames did not extinguish. Instead, they formed a fist-sized crimson fireball, calmly floating in the man's palm.

The sacred hue of his complexion was set off by the crimson light.

Xu Xuan spoke slowly, "Those who honor me shall enjoy glory and wealth."

Whoosh!

The fireball grazed past Wu Xiong's cheek.

Boom!

The trees behind instantly exploded into two sections.

"Is this...?"

"An Immortal?"

"An Immortal!"

Whoa!

The crowd erupted into an uproar, truly witnessing such a miraculous phenomenon, first they were panicked, then they became fervent.

These vagrants and riffraff fell to their knees, continuously kowtowing.

Wu Xiong felt his hair stand on end, his heart initially filled with inexplicable terror, and then excitement.

An Immortal! The Technique of Immortality.

At this moment, the Wu Family, Chenzhou, and the three thousand elite soldiers all seemed fake, nothing but passing clouds.

What was the use of great power anyway?

After a hundred years, it would be just a handful of dust.

Life in this world, let's say eighty years.

The first fifteen years are weak; the last twenty, old and ill; during the decades in between, entangled in worldly affairs, there are not many good times.

But if one became an Immortal, wouldn't they live freely and unrestrained?

Here and now, Wu Xiong knelt down and knocked his head on the ground repeatedly, saying, "This lowly one, Wu Xiong, had no intention of offending the Heavenly Countenance, truly deserves death a thousand times over. I beg the Immortal for forgiveness, and henceforth, I will work like an ox or a horse to repay the Immortal's grace!"

Wu Xiong might never be able to cultivate what are called immortal techniques in this lifetime.

Actually, it was just something Xu Xuan said offhandedly.

There weren't enough Spirit Stones for his own cultivation, let alone to spare for this fellow.

"Rise," Xu Xuan put away his longbow.

"Yes!"

The eight people in front stood up; from now on, they would be Xu Xuan's subordinates.

This was the intimidation of mysterious powers in this Magicless World.

Not to mention this ancient world, even in his previous life on Earth, if you could create a small fireball before everyone's eyes and prove it was a technique, and not a magic trick.

Those wishing to become apprentices would be enough to circle the Earth.

Of course, Xu Xuan was still not at ease, so he pointed to someone's water pouch at their waist and asked, "What is that?"

"Water."

"Hand it over."

The person obediently handed the item over.

Xu Xuan took out another piece of talisman paper; the paper ignited by itself and soon, all that was left in his hand was ash.

He cut a large slit on top of the water pouch with a knife, poured the ashes in, and shook it well.

"Drink this, one mouthful each."

The people did as they were told.

After everyone had finished their drink, Xu Xuan finally said:

"This talisman is the Three Corpse Brain God Talisman, if you dare betray me, with just a thought, your insides will burn and you shall die. Does anyone wish to try it?"

This was purely a scam, a carrot and stick approach; that's enough to fool these illiterates.

"I dare not!"

"I will definitely serve the Immortal with my life!"

The crowd held no resentment in their hearts.

This was appropriate, the punishment of the Immortal upon them.

"I am not an Immortal, just call me Heavenly Master."

"Yes! Heavenly Master!"

The crowd exclaimed in unison.

If one had to find a historical figure that Xu Xuan could be compared to, it would be the ancient Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao could only spread talisman infused water to heal diseases, and his followers would die for him; Xu Xuan could create fireballs, which placed him far above where Zhang Jiao could ever reach.

If this happened in broad daylight, with just a wave of his hand, he could incite a peasant uprising.

Of course, such an action would be irrational.

Though Xu Xuan had reached the martial arts peak, this peak was still a mortal body, incapable of even blocking arrows. A small contingent of elite troops armed with crossbows could besiege him.

At present, it was only suitable for infiltration and establishing influence on a small scale.

"Follow me."

Xu Xuan led his followers to Pear Manor; he had some instructions to give.

Within Pear Manor.

Xu Yong and his sister, along with the various protectors, returned to the hall, while Li Hu paced anxiously to one side.

"What's the situation?" Li Hu asked as he saw the group.

"Brother has taken care of it," Xu Yong said with a smile.

"Who was pursuing you?"

"The Wu Family, the Third Young Master Wu Xiong."

"It's over…" That was Li Hu's first thought.

Wu Xiong was the third son of Wu Lan, the Pacification Envoy of Chenzhou.

The eldest son had died early, and among the second and third sons, one had to be the successor.

The victor would inherit the position of Pacification Envoy of Chenzhou; even the loser could choose to be the county magistrate of either Chenxi or Crane City.

To kill a direct descendant of the Wu Family was unthinkable.

The Xu Family would definitely not protect this neglected son to the death.

"Quick, pack up and leave right away!"

The pressing matter was to flee; Li Hu planned to cover their retreat, considering he didn't have many years left anyway.

"Where to?"

Squeak!

The main entrance swung open, and Xu Xuan walked in with Wu Xiong.

"This is Teacher Li Hu."

"Greetings, Teacher!" Wu Xiong bowed respectfully.

"This is…"

"Wu Xiong is now under my command, but I hope this information won't be leaked by anyone here."

Li Hu stayed still for a moment, then ultimately relaxed into a smile. He was becoming increasingly out of touch with the world of the young. Well, he could entrust the future to them.

Xu Xuan asked everyone to wait for a moment while he returned to his room.

He soon came out with two secret manuals: the Iron Armor Technique and the Iron Leg Technique.

These were the methods previously offered by Li Qingshi and others, also capable of maneuvering qi and blood to reach the peak of physical strength.

Practiced to a high level, the Iron Armor Technique could form a membrane beneath the skin, akin to donning a layer of armor. With abundant qi and blood, one could possess the strength of five hundred catties.

The same held true for the Iron Leg Technique.

Xu Xuan had initially wanted to cultivate these techniques, but as they were hard techniques requiring practices like striking and soaking in medicinal baths, training them would alter his physical appearance and stature to some extent, so he abandoned the idea.

The group passed around the manuals.

"Maneuvering qi and blood, what a mystical method," Li Hu exclaimed.

"You can all learn it, Wu Xiong."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"From now on, you'll unify all underhand powers within the city and recruit more fighters from the displaced populace."

Xu Xuan then brought out two jars of tiger bone wine.

This was wine brewed with the blood of White Tigers and Green Foxes, causing a hot sensation throughout the body when drunk, suitable for cultivating qi and blood.

Li Hu took one jar, and Wu Xiong took the other.

"Yes!" Wu Xiong took it respectfully.

Li Hu watched curiously, wondering what kind of sorcery this lad had performed to command such reverence from someone like Wu Xiong.

"Alright, go and rest. If you need anything, Wu Xiong, send someone to inform me on the mountain."

"Yes!"

Xu Xuan proceeded to the courtyard.

He closed the door firmly, sat on the bed, and couldn't contain his excitement.

Sigh! "I've finally succeeded in my cultivation," he said joyfully, feeling a warm current in his Dantian.

Name: Xu Xuan

Lifespan: 22/85

Cultivation Level: Martial Arts Peak.

Cultivation Technique: Chenzhou Talisman Method (Entry 3%)

Technique: Fire Summoning Talisman (Entry 5%), Mount-breaking Blade Technique (Complete), Squatting Skill (Complete), Eagle Claw Technique (Complete), Li Family's Divine Archery Technique (Complete).

The so-called Cultivation Technique was the Calming Talisman from the Chenzhou Talisman Method, fundamental to cultivating True Qi.

"True Qi has been generated; am I now at the initial stage of Qi Nourishing?"

However, I'll need to use it sparingly, for True Qi cannot be replenished from the outside world and can only be restored using Spirit Stones.