Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

The White Lotus Sect, a notorious rebel faction in Changle Commandery, had once swept across the entire region. The commandery government had expended massive effort just to suppress them.

Afterward, the sect vanished into the shadows. Ceasing all public activity, they slipped into the gaps between noble clans and remote rural villages. This tactic of scattering their forces made them one of the few rebel groups that, despite lacking formidable strength, proved nearly impossible for the imperial court to exterminate, remaining a constant thorn in the government's side.

'But... that's as far as they can go.'

Wang Ping had transmigrated to this world twenty years ago and already knew the current era like the back of his hand. From his perspective, the Great Shun Dynasty clearly wasn't destined to fall just yet.

The imperial court's control over the local regions remained intact.

Although public resentment was boiling over, it remained strictly confined to the rural villages. The noble clans within the county towns were actually quite satisfied with the court; they harbored no real grievances.

As a result, the "hearts of the people" still belonged to the imperial court.

Under these circumstances, the White Lotus Sect could only take the bottom-up route, swindling the black-headed commoners in the countryside. The sect might not perish, but it would struggle to expand any further.

So when the government secretly contacted him, Wang Ping—who had originally joined the White Lotus Sect just to make a living—immediately chose to abandon the darkness and embrace the light.

'Even though being a good little rebel in the White Lotus Sect isn't a bad gig, joining the imperial court offers much broader horizons.'

Inside the courtyard, having finished his meal, Wang Ping slowly stretched his limbs. Forming a lotus seal with his hands, he pressed them firmly against his lower abdomen and gently massaged his dantian with his fingertips.

"Oh, not bad at all."

Nearby, the young Daoist priest Xie Shi pushed open a door and walked out. He looked at Wang Ping and nodded in appreciation. "Junior Brother, you've mastered planting a lotus in fire quite well."

"Tortoise and snake coil, life and nature hold firm, yet within the fire a golden lotus is planted."

This was the foundational martial art of the White Lotus Sect. By using the lotus hand seal to massage the acupoints around the dantian and stimulate the qi and blood, a practitioner could vastly improve their physical stamina over time.

Wang Ping patiently maintained the massage for a full hour until he was drenched in sweat and his stance felt a bit weak. Only then did he stop, marveling inwardly: 'There's actually something to these hand seals. It's a simple massage, but it provides the results of a high-intensity workout. My years of bitter training haven't been in vain.'

"Let's stop here."

Not far away, Xie Shi smiled. "Too much of a good thing is harmful; practicing any further will just damage your body. Conveniently, Master plans to see you this afternoon. It's time to teach you martial arts."

"...Martial arts?"

Wang Ping blinked. Recalling the profound mysteries of planting a lotus in fire, a swell of anticipation rose in his heart. Could this run-down place actually be a low-level martial arts world?

Soon, the two returned to the Daoist temple.

Over a dozen cult members suspected of being traitors were still under house arrest in the main hall. The old Daoist priest, however, had come outside and was currently stretching his limbs in the temple courtyard.

Seeing Wang Ping and Xie Shi approach, a smile appeared on the old Daoist's face.

"You're here?"

Wang Ping didn't hesitate in the slightest. He immediately knelt and offered a salute. "Greetings, Lord Sect Master."

The old Daoist narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, then waved his hand dismissively. "How many times have I told you? Pay no mind to these empty formalities. I don't care for them."

"This subordinate understands."

Wang Ping lowered his head without actually getting up. His tone and expression remained as respectful as ever.

"I told you, there's no need for that," the old Daoist said, shaking his head helplessly, his voice gentle. "I called you over this time because I plan to teach you our sect's peerless martial art."

"My Daoist title is Shouchong. From now on, you shouldn't call me Sect Master anymore."

Wang Ping blinked at the words.

Not Sect Master? Then what should he call him?

"You," Xie Shi chuckled, seeing Wang Ping's bewildered expression. "Outside these doors, you can call him Sect Master, and he won't fault you for it."

"But inside these doors, what should you call our master?"

"..."

Wang Ping knew the score perfectly well. This was an attempt to win him over. But wasn't this old geezer dreaming a bit too beautifully? Did he think a single martial art was enough to buy his loyalty?

Admittedly, he had a sliver of anticipation for this so-called martial art, but no matter how powerful it was, what could it really do?

My lord, times have changed!

Talk about martial arts? Better to talk about weapons!

The way he saw it, unless the old Daoist pulled out a Maxim Heavy Machine Gun with infinite ammunition right this second, rebelling alongside him offered zero future.

"This child... he really is an honest one."

Unbothered, the old Daoist reached into his robes and pulled out a palm-sized, gleaming silver knife, weighing it in his hand.

"The secret peerless martial art of our White Lotus Sect is called the Plain Moon Lotus Blade. It is a throwing knife technique. If you can train it to the realm of consummation, you can attain an Art of War known as flowers bloom with a single thought. Master this, and there will surely be a place for you across the eight circuits and twenty-four prefectures of Great Shun."

Wang Ping was entirely unimpressed.

What Plain Moon Lotus Blade? The name sounded nice enough. And an Art of War? And flowers bloom with a single thought? No matter how fast a throwing knife flew, could it outspeed a bullet?

It was all nonsense...

"BOOM!"

The next second, an earth-shattering blast shattered Wang Ping's wandering thoughts. The deafening roar left him rooted to the spot in a daze.

A moment later, waking as if from a dream, he turned to look behind him.

A decorative rockery several men tall had previously stood there. Yet at this moment, it had been completely blasted apart, reduced to a scattered pile of shattered rubble.

And on the shadow wall behind the ruined rockery, the throwing knife that had just been in the old Daoist's hand was firmly embedded dead center. A dense web of cracks spread out in all directions with the knife at its epicenter. It looked as if merely plucking the blade out would reduce the entire wall to rubble!

'What the fuck...'

The very next second, finally realizing what had happened, Wang Ping abruptly whipped back around. His eyes blazing with fervor, he stared intently at the smiling old Daoist Shouchong.

The old Daoist asked softly, "How is it? Do you want to learn?"

"This disciple pays his respects to Master!"

Without a single sliver of hesitation, Wang Ping acted purely on instinct, throwing himself into a full prostration on the spot to formally acknowledge this windfall of a master.

Because at this moment, he knew perfectly well:

'Ancient feudal era my ass! A casual toss shatters a boulder, and a throwing knife hits like a damn missile. Conservatively speaking, this has to be a mid-level martial arts world! How could I possibly let such a golden opportunity slip by!'

Times had changed right back!

Besides, becoming the White Lotus Sect Master's disciple didn't stop him from continuing as the court's mole. Rounding it off, he was basically getting everything for free. How could he pass up such a sweet deal?

"Heh, you're finally done playing dumb... Get up."

Shouchong patted Wang Ping's shoulder with deep satisfaction, then pulled a thick book from his robes. "Go back and practice hard. I have high hopes for you."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!" Wang Ping kowtowed once more.

Shouchong smiled faintly and continued his instruction: "Once you learn it, remember not to use it casually. But if you do, it must draw blood. You cannot leave a single person alive."

"After all, your master's old face is on the wanted lists across Changle Commandery, and the nearby Longxing County actively hunts for me all day long. Being exposed would be exceedingly troublesome."

"But as you know, I haven't actually been spreading our doctrine here in Front Village, much less inciting rebellion. I am merely doing my part to heal the sick and save lives... However, as I saved more people, the incense offerings to our temple grew more prosperous, and the number of people voluntarily following me steadily increased."

At this point, the old Daoist's expression abruptly sank.

"This is not because I am particularly capable, but because of the state of the world... It is that tyrannical emperor far away in the Eastern Capital! His cruelty has reduced the realm to this state!"

"Two campaigns against the Demon Nation have bled the eight circuits and twenty-four prefectures dry."

"Constructing palaces and temples has torn families apart across three hundred and sixty provinces and counties."

"Meager fields and heavy taxes have impoverished the people of the realm, all to feed a single family and a single state."

The more the old Daoist spoke, the angrier he became, looking a picture of righteous indignation. Yet for Wang Ping, it went in one ear and out the other. His mood didn't fluctuate in the slightest.

After all, this had absolutely nothing to do with him.

As the saying went: cross the river in whatever shoes you have, and wear pants tailored to your own ass. I'm just a farmer; why are you talking to me about the grand affairs of the realm?

On the surface, however, he put on a display of absolute loyalty and declared firmly, "That is why only you, Lord Sect Master, can save everyone from this abysmal suffering and lead us into the Homeland of True Emptiness to enjoy eternal life... Lord Sect Master, to me, you are the one and only sun in my heart!"

"...Too far. That's a bit too far."

Shouchong's eye twitched slightly. If a newly recruited sect member said something like this, his first reaction would be that the man definitely had ulterior motives.

But Wang Ping was different.

This kid had been in the sect for five years and had always spoken this way... Truth be told, it had been a bit awkward to hear at first, but lately, the more Shouchong heard it, the more pleasing it sounded.

"Alright, alright, go back and practice first."

"Finish reading the manual, prepare the necessary items, and come ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Shouchong said evenly, "Investigating the mole isn't urgent right now. I plan to take a trip to River Village in three days. I can guide your training until then."

"Thank you, Master!"

Wang Ping left with effusive thanks, leaving only the master and disciple, Shouchong and Xie Shi, standing there. The atmosphere between them gradually shifted from gentle to deadly serious.

After a moment of silence, Xie Shi spoke, "Congratulations, Master, on accepting a fine disciple."

"A fine disciple? Not necessarily."

Shouchong lowered his eyelids, his expression as placid as an ancient well. "Actually, I quite liked what Wang Ping suggested earlier... Kill everyone, and the mole dies too."

"Unfortunately, we cannot kill them."

"If we really kill them all, the hearts of our people will scatter... By deliberately proposing that plan and offering to commit suicide, it's possible he predicted I would step in to stop him."

Xie Shi blinked. "So he might still be the mole?"

"That's not the point."

Shouchong glanced back at Xie Shi and said softly, "If you want to achieve an extraordinary enterprise in today's world, you sometimes need extraordinary methods."

"Therefore, who the mole actually is doesn't matter. What matters is the scale of the damage they inflict on the organization. The greater the damage, the more likely they are to be the mole... Even if they aren't, they must be dealt with as if they are. Only then can we minimize our risks."

"...I understand," Xie Shi said, cupping his hands in a bow.

"As long as you understand."

Shouchong nodded slightly and continued, "Keep an eye on Wang Ping. I want to know his every move over the next few days. I will decide the next step of our plan after that."

"Yes." Xie Shi acknowledged the order and departed.

...

Early the next morning, just as the sun crested the horizon, Wang Ping woke from his slumber. Brimming with energy, he grabbed the manual for the Plain Moon Lotus Blade and started flipping through it.

"Power rises from the earth, is born in the feet, channeled through the legs, governed by the waist, and executed through the ten fingers..."

In the courtyard, Wang Ping assumed the proper stance. Holding the manual in one hand and grasping a leaf in the other, he gave a vicious flick of his wrist according to the instructions in the book.

"Crack!"

In an instant, a crisp, explosive snap rang out. The leaf flew forward like a stone for nearly a meter, but then quickly lost its rigidity and fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

Seeing this, Wang Ping's face lit up with excitement. Even though the leaf had reverted to its original state less than a meter after leaving his hand, he could sense it. Driven by the techniques of the Plain Moon Lotus Blade, the leaf's sharpness the instant it left his fingers was no different from a real blade! And this was just his first attempt!

"Keep going!"

Right now, Wang Ping was like a kid who had just gotten his favorite toy. He couldn't wait to keep practicing, tirelessly throwing leaf after leaf with endless delight.

By the time he was completely exhausted, the morning sun was already hanging high overhead.

Unwittingly, he had practiced for the entire morning—several hours straight—yet his physical fatigue was completely masked by the joy in his heart.

'My talent seems pretty good!'

Or rather, this Plain Moon Lotus Blade manual was incredibly well-written. It was written entirely in vernacular language, practically teaching him step-by-step how to practice.

Generally speaking, martial arts consisted of three methods.

The refinement method, the striking method, and the breathing method.

Wang Ping understood the striking and breathing methods. The former focused on moves and was the art of combat and killing. The latter focused on the foundation and was the method of nourishing life and replenishing vitality.

In short, the striking method was an External Art, and the breathing method was an internal art.

Only this refinement method was different.

This "refinement" didn't refer to the cultivation of the body, but rather to forging and crafting—as the name implied, the refinement method referred to the art of blacksmithing and casting weapons.

"The striking and breathing methods are secondary. The true focus of martial arts in this world is the refinement method. The practitioner must personally forge the weapon that corresponds to their cultivation method, establishing a spiritual connection and synchronizing their body and mind with it. Then, they use the weapon to nourish themselves in return. Rather than calling it practicing a martial art, it's more like forging a weapon..."

And a practitioner's progress in their martial art would directly reflect upon their weapon.

"Weapons are divided into four grades, and techniques are divided into four layers: entry, minor mastery, major mastery, and consummation... The higher the level of the martial art, the higher the grade of the corresponding weapon will rise."

"And if one can train a martial art to consummation, its corresponding weapon will manifest a special Art of War. For instance, the knife the old Daoist Shouchong used to blow up the rockery earlier was the Art of War unlocked after the Plain Moon Lotus Blade reaches consummation. It is known as flowers bloom with a single thought, and its power is extraordinary."

What was flowers bloom with a single thought?

As the name implied, the blade would strike with a single thought, and the target locked onto by the martial artist's mind would violently explode like a hundred blooming flowers. To describe it in a single sentence:

"One look, and you explode."

Recalling the devastating power of Shouchong's knife from yesterday, a wave of fiery excitement washed over Wang Ping's heart once again. He fantasized about it for a while, until his legs suddenly gave out.

"Ugh!"

Having held his stance all morning, Wang Ping collapsed to his knees. His pores were wide open, sweat poured down his body, and he nearly failed to catch his breath.

Immediately after, a muffled rumble echoed from his stomach.

"Grr-rumble..."

Accompanying the sound was an intense pang of hunger. However, according to the records in the manual, he absolutely could not eat just any random food at this time.

"I have to eat rice!"

It couldn't be brown rice or coarse grains. It had to be that insanely expensive refined white rice. Otherwise, eating it would not only be unhelpful for his martial arts, but actively harmful.

And that was just to replenish his body's basic wear and tear. If he wanted to accelerate his progress in the martial art, he had to eat meat in addition to the rice. By the same logic, he couldn't eat regular wild game from the mountains. It had to be high-quality meat refined with secret methods, or better yet, the meat of demonic beasts. The better the meat, the better the effects of his training.

These conditions certainly couldn't be met out here in a rural village.

"...Which works out perfectly."

Thinking back to the message he had received yesterday, Wang Ping braced his spirit. 'Using this excuse to go to the county town makes perfect sense. It's the perfect opportunity to meet up with my handler.'

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