Chapter 616: The List
Chapter 616: The List
An encrypted diary...
What secrets could it hold? Mo Hua's eyes lit up, his curiosity piqued.
Elder Jiang was the kind of person who hid unspeakable information within a pile of rambling handwritten notes.
And by sealing it first and then encrypting it, he had gone to great lengths to keep others from discovering its contents. There must be something valuable hidden within!
A sly smile curved Mo Hua's lips. He was determined to unravel the mystery.
As Zheng Fang had explained, encryption was different from sealing.
Sealing involved creating indeterminate magnetic patterns to form a blank "mist-like magnetic ink" that obscured the text.
Encryption, on the other hand, was a form of "disguising" the text.
To be more precise, it involved distorting the secondary thunder patterns, altering the magnetic flow, and tampering with the conventions of determinacy and indeterminacy, causing the presented text to change and create a "disguise."
The text visible to the eye was not the true content inscribed on the jade slip.
"In order to decrypt it, one must decipher the 'encrypted pattern' and correct the distorted 'secondary thunder pattern' to restore the original text on the jade slip..."
In other words, it was a process of rectifying the "agreement" between the deterministic and indeterminate magnetic patterns.
The key still lay in the secondary thunder patterns...
Everything a cultivator did left traces, and the encryption of the jade slip was no exception.
As long as Elder Jiang had used the "encrypted pattern" to view the true contents of the jade slip, that encrypted pattern would generate a magnetic flow, leaving traces.
While other cultivators might not be able to perceive these traces, Mo Hua, with his transformed spiritual sense and integration of enigmatic and derivative calculations, was capable of sensing them.
This was the same principle he had used to "unseal" the jade slip.
By perceiving the traces, inferring the secondary thunder patterns, and then comparing and matching them with the known secondary thunder patterns, he could decipher the true encrypted pattern.
However, decryption was more complex than unsealing.
It required visualizing the jade slip and perceiving the magnetic patterns without deriving them on the Dao stele, and thus, it couldn't be done for too long.
Otherwise, the spiritual sense would be torn apart by the enigmatic and derivative calculations due to overload, causing damage.
Consequently, the process would also be more time-consuming.
Mo Hua patiently and meticulously worked through the magnetic flows one by one, slowly performing the calculations.
Fortunately, the "diary" jade slip's sealing pattern and encrypted pattern belonged to the same category, so after about half a month, Mo Hua successfully deciphered the true "encrypted pattern."
Mo Hua breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Following his first breakthrough in deciphering the "sealing pattern," he had now, for the first time, successfully cracked the "encrypted pattern"!
His library of secondary thunder patterns had also become more robust.
His understanding of thunder-magnetic array formations had taken another solid step forward.
He wondered what he would be able to achieve if he continued to study and master this art to its utmost limits.
Mo Hua furrowed his brows in thought.
By comprehending magnetic flows and completely mastering secondary thunder patterns, it would be as if he had countless keys at his disposal.
Would that mean that all the sealing and encrypted patterns of the jade slips containing the legacies of the entire world would be rendered useless to him?
Would he then be able to acquire all the legacies in the world?
"That's too frightening..."
Even Mo Hua dared not contemplate such a possibility.
Shaking his head, he pushed aside these "wild fantasies" and continued to tamper with Elder Jiang's "diary."
Zheng Fang had already explained the decryption process to him in detail.
Mo Hua recalled the steps and immersed his spiritual sense into the jade slip, using scattered magnetic ink to condense a secondary thunder pattern that had taken him a great deal of effort to decipher.
Using this secondary thunder pattern as the "encrypted pattern," he superimposed it one by one onto the texts that bore traces of magnetic flow.
The secondary thunder flow generated by the encrypted pattern penetrated the surface magnetic ink, seeped into the indeterminate magnetic pattern, and flowed into the underlying layer, correcting the distorted magnetic flow caused by the "disguise," "setting right what was wrong," and thus constructing a true bridge.
Within the jade slip, Elder Jiang's diary text began to deform and distort, finally settling into its true form beneath the disguise.
Mo Hua eagerly scanned the contents.
As he read, his expression became intriguing.
These texts...
Were a "list"?
And on this list were a string of aliases from the cultivation world:
"Poison Rakshasa, Fire Artisan, Golden Arhat, Floral Gentleman, Man Butcher, Blood Woodcutter, Yin Thunder Child, Enchanting Madame, Ghost-Faced Asura, Dragon Crossing the River..."
They exuded a strong aura of the martial world and were quite unorthodox.
The cultivators associated with these aliases were likely at the very least rogue cultivators, and many of them could even be evil cultivators or demonic cultivators.
Mo Hua was astonished, wondering to himself:
"You can't judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought Elder Jiang had such a wide social circle?"
"But that doesn't seem right either..."
These aliases sounded ruthless, and the cultivators they represented didn't seem like good people. How could they possibly be associated with someone like "Elder Jiang," whose name was so ordinary and unremarkable?
"These people may not necessarily be acquaintances of Elder Jiang..."
"Perhaps he obtained this list by chance?"
"Or maybe... when he ventured down the path of evil, committing arson and murder, deception, and other misdeeds, he heard about them from the underworld?"
"Or could it be that they are all part of the same organization?"
"But what organization could that be?"
...
Mo Hua couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Moreover, there was one crucial question that remained unanswered.
What use would this "list" be to him?
"Should I turn it in to the Dao Court Office in exchange for merit?"
Without capturing any villains, it wouldn't be considered an actual achievement, and even if he turned it in, he might not be able to exchange it for merit since there was no assigned task for this.
Perhaps he could claim that he was kidnapped by human traffickers, then killed them, slaughtered Boss Jiang, looted his storage bag, took his Duan Jin Jade Slip, and with his expertise in Yuan Magnetic Arrays, unsealed the 'seal pattern' and broke the 'encrypted pattern' to uncover this 'list'.
However, this entire chain of events seemed too far-fetched to disclose to the Dao Court.
If he were to lie, he would have to concoct a meticulously crafted story, or his deception would be exposed.
Even if his actions were deemed self-defense, the Dao Court might not pursue the matter, but they would undoubtedly label him as a 'dangerous individual' and treat him with heightened caution.
That would make his future endeavors more challenging.
"But if I don't hand it over to the Dao Court, what's the point of putting in so much effort to decipher this list?" Mo Hua mused, lying on his bed with his arm as a pillow, staring at the ceiling as his eyes sparkled with contemplation.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, and his eyes lit up.
Names, aliases...
As the saying goes, "A man's name reflects his true nature."
There's truth in nicknames, even if given in jest.
Take the vulture for example.
Although Mo Hua didn't know his real name, his nickname, 'Vulture,' likely indicated that he was bald, and he indeed had the Four Symbols Eagle Pattern Array engraved on his bald head.
'Vulture' described him perfectly, without a single word of falsehood.
Thus, the aliases on this list were probably based on these cultivators' appearances, cultivation techniques, magical abilities, their activities in the cultivation world, or their preferred methods of dealing with matters.
For instance, 'Poison Rakshasa' clearly suggested expertise in poisons;
'Fire Artisan' undoubtedly cultivated fire-based techniques and excelled in fire-elemental magic;
'Golden Arhat,' with the word 'Arhat,' implied a robust physical body, and the prefix 'Golden' suggested the cultivation of a golden-elemental defensive art, possibly something like the 'Golden Bell Cover.'
'Floral Gentleman' was likely a suave and handsome rogue who cultivated a deviant art focused on 'harvesting'...
...
In other words, these cultivators must possess remarkable 'legacies'!
To have made a name for themselves in the vicinity of Qian Xue State, a place brimming with geniuses, established sects, and profound heritage, they must possess exceptional legacies.
Boss Jiang's list was not only a record of criminal cultivators but could also be considered a...
'Legacy List!'
Mo Hua's train of thought broadened.
One should think with a broader perspective.
There was no need to limit oneself to shearing only the sects.
The legacies of criminal and deviant cultivators were equally worth pursuing!
As long as he captured them, 'reasoned' with them, and inquired about the whereabouts of their legacies, he wouldn't need to spend any more merit points on purchasing magical techniques.
Moreover, capturing them would earn him merit points!
It was a lucrative deal!
As for choosing which legacy to pursue...
Mo Hua already had a plan.
He would decide based on the type of magic he wanted to learn or the legacy he desired and then target criminal cultivators with similar attributes.
For instance, if he wanted to learn fire-elemental magic, he would look for criminals on the list with aliases related to 'fire,' 'flame,' or 'blaze.'
If he wanted to learn golden-elemental magic, he would seek out evildoers with nicknames containing 'gold,' 'golden,' or 'golden Arhat.'
For water-elemental magic, he would hunt down baddies with names like 'water,' 'wave,' 'river,' 'fish,' or 'flood dragon.'
...
It was like finding a needle in a haystack, but with the right alias, he would zero in on his target.
Finding a suitable magic might depend on luck to some extent, but even if he didn't find the perfect match, he could still earn merit points.
Mo Hua's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Boss Jiang is a saint!"
This list was like discovering another 'Merit Record!'
As for which magic to learn first, which criminal cultivator to target, how to accept the mission, and the specifics of carrying it out...
He needed to carefully consider the details.
Once everything was in place, he could begin 'calling out their names'...
Holding the jade slip, Mo Hua couldn't help but smile.
The late Boss Jiang had no idea that even in death, his diary would become a 'diary of death.'
...
But which magic should he learn first?
After much contemplation, Mo Hua felt that he should prioritize learning a more advanced stealth technique.
It would be useful for both offense and defense, and it could even save his life in dire situations.
The stealth technique he currently practiced was too inconvenient.
The technique Mo Hua had learned was originally intended for cultivators with single-attribute water spirit roots.
Although he possessed a small five-element spirit root, which included water, the mixture was impure, making his invisibility imperfect, occasionally revealing a hand or his head.
Combining it with the stealth array for dual invisibility improved the effect, but now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and joined the prestigious Tai Xu Sect, one of the Eight Great Sects, his future opponents would be either exceptional geniuses or formidable criminal and deviant cultivators.
Thus, he needed to 'upgrade' and enhance his stealth capabilities.
Mo Hua began scanning the list for criminal cultivators skilled in stealth techniques.
Most thieves or robbers tended to use such techniques, and their aliases might include words like 'invisible,' 'mysterious hand,' or 'star-plucking.'
There was no introduction, only a name, but Mo Hua's intuition told him that this person was definitely a master of concealment!
Now that he had a name, the next step was to find this Yin Lao'er...
But how?
Mo Hua furrowed his brows. Should he start with the Dao Court Office? As a mere disciple of Tai Xu Sect, the Dao Court officials might not recognize him...
He had a bronze waist token from the Dao Court.
However, this token was an unofficial one from Tongxian City, a distant second-rate immortal city in Lizhou Prefecture. It might not be recognized in Qianzhou.
Moreover, even if he found Yin Lao'er, he would still need help capturing him.
After all, he was just a small cultivator at the early Qi Refining stage, and he might not be able to handle a slippery character like Yin Lao'er by himself.
Mo Hua pondered his options and concluded that there was only one feasible approach: accepting a mission.
He needed to take a chance and hope that the sect's bounty list would happen to offer a mission to capture Yin Lao'er.
All the names on Elder Jiang's list were of rogue cultivators near Qian Xue State.
If Yin Lao'er was causing trouble, the Dao Court Office would definitely take an interest in him.
With their limited manpower, they would likely post a bounty for his capture and send it to the sects.
This way, Mo Hua could 'naturally' take on the task of capturing Yin Lao'er, plucking his 'wool' to obtain the inheritance of the concealment technique.
It would require a bit of luck and 'opportunity.'
In the following days, whenever he had free time after meals or classes, Mo Hua would take out the Tai Xu Token and focus on the bounty list, flipping through the missions one by one.
He paid close attention to any missions involving thieves, concealment, or invisibility.
However, such bounties were rare, and after searching for eight or nine days, he still hadn't made any progress.
One afternoon, after a filling meal, Mo Hua sat with several fellow disciples in the disciple's residence, chatting leisurely.
Among them were the burly Cheng Mo, the talented sword cultivator Si Tu Jian from Lizhou, Zheng Fang from Zhen State, and a few other disciples he got along with.
Mo Hua entertained them with stories.
He told them about the powerful beasts in the Great Black Mountain.
He described the thrilling and dangerous adventures of demon hunters.
He explained the differences between zombies, walking corpses, iron corpses, copper corpses, and how they could become corpse kings.
He painted a vivid picture of the tide of corpses flooding the mountains.
He also shared tales of evil cultivators luring souls in remote mountains and demon cultivators devouring humans.
These stories left the sheltered scions of noble families, who had rarely ventured beyond their homes, enthralled and wide-eyed.
Cheng Mo's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Mo Hua, you're not pulling my leg, are you...?"
"Believe it or not," Mo Hua said, taking a swig from his teapot.
Cheng Mo still seemed skeptical. "How old are you? You talk about demon hunting, tides of corpses, and evil cultivators... If you're not exaggerating, then I'd be surprised!"
"Believe what you want!" Mo Hua said, too lazy to argue.
"I don't believe it..."
"Then why were you listening so intently just now?"
Cheng Mo paused, a bit flustered. Although he didn't believe Mo Hua, the stories were so vividly told that they seemed genuine.
Si Tu Jian was also captivated by the tales but was reminded of something else. "Speaking of demon hunting... I think our sect also has something similar."
"The sect? Demon hunting?" Mo Hua was taken aback. "Is there such a thing?"
Si Tu Jian furrowed his brows in confusion. "You didn't know?"
Mo Hua nodded. As a wandering cultivator who had recently entered Qian Xue State and joined a sect for the first time, no one had informed him about this.
Although Wen Ren Wan had given him some instructions, it was impossible for her to explain every detail, and some things were bound to be overlooked.
"Where can we hunt demons?" Mo Hua asked.
"In Qian Xue State, there's a place called 'Lian Yao Mountain,' which is filled with various demons and beasts," Si Tu Jian explained. "Senior cultivators intentionally leave them there to provide a place for sect disciples to temper their techniques and collaborate in slaying demons..."
"However, it's a bit far away."
"Disciples who have just joined the sect are prohibited from entering Lian Yao Mountain. You need to be at least at the middle stage of Qi Refining."
"Lian Yao Mountain is said to be home to many rare demons and beasts. The materials obtained from their bodies are extremely valuable and are specifically used for refining spiritual tools, especially spiritual swords..."
"Sword forging?!"
Mo Hua's eyes lit up at the mention of sword forging.
Si Tu Jian also looked eager. "Indeed, it is said that some spiritual swords can only be forged using the bones of certain demons and beasts from Lian Yao Mountain in Qian Xue State..."
Mo Hua nodded slightly, recalling that among the inheritance of the Duan Jin Yu Jian Jue in his possession, there was a category dedicated to "Sword Forging Techniques."
It detailed the process of forging the swords needed for sword flight.
He wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly, his heart skipped a beat as if something he had been anticipating had finally happened.
Concealment technique! Mo Hua immediately flipped open the Tai Xu Token and found that several new missions had indeed been added.
One particular mission, which seemed ordinary at first glance, caught his eye:
"The Dao Court Office of Qian Xue State is offering a bounty...
"A bizarre case of robbery and murder..."
(End of Chapter)
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