"Song Lin!"
Just as Song Lin stepped through the mountain gate of the Taoist temple, someone called out to him.
Turning his head, he saw a green-clothed Taoist disciple around his own age.
However, the clothing this person wore was far superior to his own.
"Daoist Li? What business do you have?"
Song Lin frowned as he thought, recognizing the person in front of him.
The man glanced him over from top to bottom, then smiled faintly and said, "Oh, nothing really, I just wanted to check in on you."
"If that's all, then I'm relieved. By the way, three days from now, Taoist Wude wants you to go to his place to tend to the altar," Li Xuan said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Song Lin froze mid-step, staring at Li Xuan and asking, "Not you?"
"How could it be me? This is Taoist Wude's arrangement; it's not up to me. Well, I've delivered the message—you handle it as you see fit."
Li Xuan smiled, patted Song Lin's shoulder, and then walked out the door.
Having just killed someone, the murderous aura around Song Lin had not yet fully dissipated. Watching the departing figure of Li Xuan sparked a sudden surge of killing intent in his heart.
He couldn't help but recall the reason for his predecessor's death. Li Xuan was deeply favored by Taoist Wude, and there were even rumors that he would be taken on as a disciple.
Because of this favor, Li Xuan frequently exploited the relationship to shirk his responsibilities, which often fell onto Song Lin's predecessor. This was how the predecessor had been set up to die.
The mortality rate for medicine gathering boys was quite high, but it was still leagues safer than being an alchemy apprentice.
The dangers of gathering medicine mostly came from wild beasts and demon beasts in the wilderness, but such encounters weren't frequent. After all, much of the mountainous area nearby had already been exploited.
With proper preparation, bringing along some tools for self-defense and scouting out the destination in advance, it was possible to survive for years, just like Zhang Jin, who managed to eke out eight years.
The "altar" referred to was actually a dharma altar used for ghost cultivation. Ghosts couldn't solely rely on absorbing Sun Essence and Moonlight to survive; they also required a variety of materials to grow stronger.
Dealing with ghosts was extremely dangerous. The predecessor had died by accidentally inhaling some moss spores, which might have been the result of ghostly sabotage.
The risks were evident.
Resolving himself further, Song Lin became even more determined to break through the "fetal breath" stage. His current cultivation was too weak; even if he was in the right, no one would stand by him.
Those with significant cultivation could simply slap Li Xuan across the face—what could he possibly do to retaliate?
Returning to his room, Song Lin carefully hid away his wooden sword. Then, he went to the Grand Commissioner Institute to hand over the Plague Demon Moss and received two Taoist Merits in exchange, converting five dharma coins into additional merits along the way.
He also traded a She Mountain Stone Fish for five Jiachen Qi Nourishing Pills.
Originally, he'd planned to go to the Ghost Market, where prices were potentially higher, but he reconsidered. The Ghost Market was filled with all kinds of people, and he didn't want to risk running into the wrong crowd.
In typical novel scenarios, visiting such places often attracts envious and predatory eyes. Someone takes action to rob you, and next thing you know, you're fighting wave after wave of stronger opponents—small fry, then bigger fish, then even bigger elders, and so on.
Song Lin was unsure how long he could hold out in such situations. It was much safer to conduct trades at the Grand Commissioner Institute.
The Taoist Merits were recorded on the talisman tied at his waist. After roughly calculating, Song Lin realized he'd accumulated a total of eleven merits.
Having completed his errands, he turned back toward the Capital Management Courtyard.
"Dead? How did he die? Which hall does he belong to?" Within the loft, an elderly Taoist holding a thick ancient tome looked at Song Lin.
"The deceased's name is Zhang Jin, a Taoist disciple under the Warehouse Steward Taoist Wude. Zhang Jin accidentally fell off a mountain cliff while picking medicine in my company," Song Lin reported.
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist clapped his hands. A gust of green Yin Wind swirled behind him, and from it emerged a ghost with large ears and a pale blue face.
The ghost stared at the old Taoist's book, where Zhang Jin's birthdate was recorded, then crouched on the ground to listen for a moment. Finally, it nodded and disappeared.
"That's all, you may leave now."
Using a vermillion pen, the old Taoist drew a large red cross over Zhang Jin's name without further questioning. The death of a Taoist disciple was an all-too-common occurrence.
After all, the one thing a Taoist temple never lacked was disciples. Every year, people seeking to enter the temple formed lines stretching from its gates all the way up the mountain.
By the time Song Lin wrapped up these matters, it was nearing midnight.
The sky was dark and foreboding, yet the stars shone brightly.
The Taoist temple's narrow paths were deeply shadowed, their eerie stillness broken only by rustling branches on either side, clawing at the air like malevolent demons.
Occasionally, a few green-eyed ravens would fly past, their piercing stares unnervingly human-like.
Song Lin paid no attention to any of this.
Reporting deaths was merely a procedural task.
The Five Elders Xuanke Temple had a history stretching back centuries, founded over 300 years ago by the temple's True Person master.
But the operation of a Taoist temple was more than a senior Taoist leading juniors to solely focus on cultivation.
It was a miniature society unto itself.
Beneath the temple master were the Three City Lords: the managers of general affairs, tasked with handling mundane duties, recording merit-based tasks, and managing the distribution and sale of cultivation techniques and provisions.
Beneath these Three City Lords were the Eight Deacons: overseeing warehouses, accounts, public duties, patrolling dormitories, mountain supervision, guest welcoming, the Ghost Market, and estate management.
The deacons themselves were supported by small managers overseeing daily necessities like food and sanitation.
The temple's operations outside their mountain base included farmland, tenant farmers, and shops, all designed to generate the necessary income to keep the temple functioning.
And this was considered a relatively simple structure. Larger organizations like the Ten Directions Forest had "Three Cities, Five Masters, and Eighteen Heads" and an even more rigid hierarchy of duties.
"The Taoist School..." Song Lin muttered as he walked along the shadowed streets, mulling over the term.
This was a world plagued by demons and monsters, where the line between the living and the dead often blurred.
Mundane humans relied on Taoist temples for protection, offering their support to these temples in exchange for safety.
As a result, almost every state, county, and district had at least one Taoist temple standing guard.
The proliferation of Taoist temples inevitably led to competition and conflicts of interest between them.
These organizations were divided by cultivation techniques, geographic locations, lineages, and even ethnic ties.
Taking Xuanke Temple as an example, it governed Shanyin County, which had a population of 800,000, and its influence could not extend beyond the county's borders.
Temples at the county level were typically "Descendant Temples," where teachings were passed down among masters and disciples, akin to a family inheritance.
Above Descendant Temples were larger organizations like the Ten Directions Forest. Successors from Descendant Temples had to undergo the "Three Altar Precepts" within these organizations before they could formally take up leadership roles.
Above the Ten Directions Forest was the overarching Taoist School, and above that was the Taoist Alliance.
The Taoist Alliance was vast, with influence spanning multiple states and overseeing the lives of hundreds of millions of people.
If the Alliance Hierarch were ever appointed as State Preceptor by the royal family, they would become the "Dragon Head," wielding ultimate authority over the magic veins of the land.
(It bears emphasizing, however, that being appointed by the royal family did not necessarily mean the royal family was the most powerful force.)
Xuanke Temple was subordinate to Mei Mountain Jungle, which itself was under the Southern Sect of the Sacred Might Dao from Yin Mountain, and above that was the Heaven and Earth Xuanmen Alliance.
The system was strict, with one tier firmly linked to the next.
Achievers of the Great Dao were revered, worshipped by the masses, and feared by monsters and demons.
"I have the Monster Chronicles. Through it, I can gain Taoist skills. Do I have a chance to one day become a Taoist Alliance Heavenly Master?" Song Lin wondered to himself.
Then he shook his head. The goal was far too ambitious.
Better to start small: earn the Grand Commissioner Talisman and become a True Taoist.
He returned to his residence, finding it to be late into the night.
Though weary, Song Lin could not bring himself to rest and instead entered the world of the Lao Mountain Taoist.
While hours passed outside, six months had already gone by inside the story.
The causal illusion state remained much the same as when he'd left.
Song Lin opened the ancient text to check his status and immediately froze in shock.
"Hmm? Items from the outside world can be brought in?"
Name: Song Lin
Realm: Meditation Stage
Taoist Realm: Six months
Divine Skill: Bat Bright Eyes Technique
Items: Three Yang Fire Sword, Qi Nourishing Pills, Hidden Dragon Breath Emission Powder
The Hidden Dragon Breath Emission Powder was a elixir meant to enhance latent potential, something he'd taken from Zhang Jin.
Its recipe was simple, but extremely dangerous. It required blending the venom of 18 poisonous snakes and toads to stimulate potential through toxins.
A single misstep would turn it into a deadly poison instead.
Even in the Ghost Market, no one dared to buy such a thing—it was impossible to know if it was poison or treasure medicine.
"Ah, even here it only exists as part of the illusion. Wait, no—I can experiment here first. If I succeed, I can replicate the process in the real world," Song Lin realized with a touch of excitement.
He had uncovered a deeper utility of the Monster Chronicles, and his heart raced with anticipation.
Not only could he acquire Taoist skills from the fictional world, but he could also test real-world Taoist techniques within the confines of this safe, time-abundant illusion. Failure and danger held no consequences for this virtual body.
Though he couldn't directly take items out, he could at least acquire the experience.
And if all else failed, he could build up fulfillment of karma and use it to extract knowledge and skills from the illusion.