Chapter 15: Dao Canon

His challenge mission didn’t end here. Letting the temple lord escape after killing so many, would have a serious impact on the mission’s completion rate.

Chen Ming checked his mission. ‘Storyline challenge mission: The Regent’s Prince’s wrath was ignited from being the target of an assassination. Only a ruthless and merciless counterattack could wash away this humiliation.

Obliterate the Murdering Temple. Reward is based on the rate of Murdering Temple’s destruction. Completion: 67%.’

The generals knew of this and followed Chen Ming, inside the tomb to search for the temple lord.

Not long after, a soldier came to report, “We have found the Temple Lord.“

Chen Ming followed along, with the army in tow, and arrived to see the crown prince sitting in the mausoleum, holding a glass of wine.

He began, “Chen Ming, I lost, lost completely. You won alright, but it doesn’t matter. You think I will kneel before you like a dog, and beg for my life?”

Chen Ming found it odd that the crown prince was here, but he did not care. Killing you would allow Chen Ming’s mission to have a higher completion rate, “No, I…”

Crown prince cut him off, “Spare me, don’t think you can make me lower myself with your bloody appearance. I am Yan Empire’s Crown Prince. I don’t beg for mercy!”

He downed his wine glass and his face turned red, then blood flowed from his mouth as he pointed at Chen Ming and laughed, “Ha-ha-ha, Chen Ming, I will wait for you below. Pitfall Mount(1) will send you to me!”

Chen Ming walked towards him, but the crown prince never stopped laughing, “There’s use, you can’t save me. This piercing powder has no cure!”

Chen Ming stabbed his chest, but he was still a Dao Initiation realm cultivator, and such a hit wasn’t enough to kill him on the spot. The crown prince watched Chen Ming with confusion, then his eyes drifted towards the sword in his chest, not understanding what Chen Ming has done.

Chen Ming muttered, “Have you finished?”

When he rose, crown prince’s chest had seven more wounds, and it satisfied him to know that the completion rating was at 97%.

Chen Ming sheathed his sword, “I’ll go wash, burn all the bodies.”

…

Chen Ming lied down in the hot spring, feeling relaxed from the warm water. He played around here for half a month and it was high time to return to his well-behaved disciple.

Right, let’s see this mission’s reward. Submit the mission!

“Ding! Mission completion: 97%. Submit?”

“Yes!”

“Because the Murdering Temple’s strength increased, the reward increased as well. Mission evaluation: perfect. Determining reward…

Reward: 250 fame, 3000 spiritual knowledge.”

With 3000 spiritual knowledge, he was missing just a few until he could reach the 5th stage of Dao Initiation realm. But only 250 fame. Chen Ming felt that his identity needed a thousand fame to reach high-level cannon fodder. The path of a cannon fodder was full of hardships!

He wasn’t interested in cultivation and whatnot stage promotion, as he was undecided whether he should increase his spiritual cultivation or hardship cultivation. Spiritual cultivation was ever-changing, capable of using countless magical arts. Hardship cultivation was unmatched in body strength. With one hit he could defeat ten, and in one sword strike, all magical arts broke.

He had the Limitless Dao Body, something unheard of, but these three words assured Chen Ming that he could practice all arts and methods in the world. What kind of concept was that?

A normal Dao Initiation realm cultivator trained in a cultivation method to form their Dao Seed. Only when the Dao Seed formed could he attempt breaking through to the Dao Comprehending realm.

And a normal cultivator used a single cultivation method. If he were to train in two cultivation methods or two hardship cultivation manuals, then he would suffer changes. These changes came from the cultivation method in which he trained the most. If not then he would have two different spiritual power and, like fire and water, they would fight each other constantly, resulting in having much lower power. The outcome could also lead to madness.

Therefore, all common cultivators used a single cultivation method until they found a higher cultivation method. After comprehending the new one, it would allow them to transform their spiritual power into a much stronger one of the same attribute.

Therefore, a cultivator could train in a spiritual cultivation method and a hardship cultivation manual at the same time, since spiritual power and body strength have no conflicting areas.

Yet he could train in all of them. Would doing this make the spiritual power inside him transform, or would he be able to use all types of spiritual powers?

Anyway, he now had enough merits and spiritual knowledge allowing him to train another cultivation method and test this theory. But he wasn’t looking for a profound method, as it would take too many of his points to learn.

He recalled a method that all common people in this world knew. It was the most ordinary method of them all, the Dao Canon.

This plain method was something Chen Ming had no trouble getting it. He opened then spoke, “Comprehend the Dao Canon!”

“Ding! The Dao Canon has 18 volumes. To comprehend it requires ten thousand merits. Host currently has 60 merits. You can comprehend 7 volumes. Continue?”

“What, the most common Dao Canon needs ten thousand points to comprehend? Is it of the same grade as the Nine Nines Mysteries Art?”

The Dragon Form Art was a profound cultivation method that could form a Dao Seed, and it only needed around a thousand merits. How come this Dao Canon required so much?

Chen Ming detected the problem as he recalled the information related to this Dao Canon. The requirements to cultivate it were very low. In other words, a person, no, an intelligent being, whether he was a man, a fiend, or a beast, could train in it. The one cultivating the Dao Canon would find it extremely hard to advance, and his spiritual power would be very weak since it had no attribute.

His Dragon Form Art had a strong and dense spiritual power for example. He would use seventy percent of spiritual power on a strike when his opponent would use a hundred percent. Its origin was also much more powerful than other cultivation methods. Someone like Chen Ming who trained it to this stage would also have a trace of dragon power.

And this Dao Canon was neutral so that one who cultivates it could use any attribute with no problems.

But the Dao Canon, needed ten thousand merits to learn. It showed that there was a secret behind it. In the entire world, there has never been one who cultivated it to the Dao Initiation realm. He wanted to try it and see just what changes would it have once he reached the Dao Initiation realm with it.

(1)    Reference to Journey to the West. A mount with a bottomless cave and filled with monsters.