Chapter 1 The Zongshi Examination

The Zongshi examination was within Old Liu's expectations.

Before the Four Zongshis arrived, Old Liu had studied their personalities and instructed Butcher Wang on how to respond.

Butcher Wang, not intending to antagonize anyone, naturally exuded affability, grasping the pulse of two Zongshis with a few simple moves, winning their favor.

At least, Tang Banxia and Ma Kuang no longer intended to pose further questions.

Old Liu had said that the most difficult to deal with among them was Tie Anzi, who appeared to be simple and honest.

He would definitely make things difficult for Butcher Wang.

Sure enough, Tie Anzi stepped forward. "Sister Wang, you should know why the Five Great Zongshis are so closely connected, right?"

Strictly speaking, the Tumen, who made a living by slaughtering ghosts and monsters, wasn't qualified to be among the Zongshis. Because this area was too specialized.

The reason why the Tumen could occupy a place among the术道(Shu Dao) Zongshis (Masters of Taoist Arts) was that all术道(Shu Dao) Zongshis, whether from inheritance or self-creation, needed something from the Tumen.

Tang Banxia's hidden weapons, Tie Anzi's forging of evil weapons, Ma Kuang's brewing of wine, and Guan Tianya's crafting of qin all required organs from妖兽(yao shou – demon beasts) as raw materials.

They couldn't obtain these things without damaging their spiritual properties. However, the Tumen Zongshis could.

This was the real reason for "Flowing Zongshis, Iron Tumen."

Seeing Butcher Wang nod, Tie Anzi continued, "It's not too much to ask you a question within the scope of the Tumen, right?"

Butcher Wang nodded slightly, "It's reasonable."

"Refreshing!" Tie Anzi first gave a thumbs-up, then immediately said, "If Sister Wang can't do it, how about you serve the four of us for ten years?"

"Alright!" Butcher Wang nodded again.

Overjoyed, Tie Anzi took off a package from his back. "My question is in here. I want the heart in the middle. The time limit is one incense stick."

With a wave of Butcher Wang's hand, a Tie Wei (Iron Guard) moved a table to the open space and slowly opened the package.

Butcher Wang's expression changed slightly—the package contained a strange worm about the length of a human arm and as thick as a bowl, covered in colorful poisonous spines.

Butcher Wang walked to the table and sat down. Tie Anzi smiled and said, "Sister Wang, are you ready? I'm going to light the incense."

Butcher Wang nodded gently. Tie Anzi immediately lit a yellow incense stick and said in a deep voice, "No one is allowed to disturb Sister Wang. Anyone who dares to say a word, this old man will exterminate their nine generations."

Butcher Wang faced the strange worm motionless, letting time slowly pass with the burning of the yellow incense.

Fei Sha in the crowd couldn't help but transmit his voice secretly, "Commander, I don't understand. How can there be a cultivation test like this?"

"Ignorant! Learn more in the future, don't ask everything!" Jun Jixue scolded his subordinate, then explained, "The Zongshi examination is not about cultivation, but about境界(jingjie – realm), or the height that can be reached in a certain field."

"It's like a literary Zongshi who can create a literary genre and be remembered for thousands of years. But if you ask him to fight, he can only be beaten. Because that's not his field, and he doesn't have any martial arts cultivation."

"Butcher Wang comes from the Tumen. If she wants to be recognized by other Zongshis, she can only prove herself in the field of slaughtering妖兽(yao shou – demon beasts)."

"However, this Tie Anzi has indeed given Butcher Wang a difficult problem!"

Fei Sha asked curiously, "What exactly did Tie Anzi take out?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be a Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon)!" Jun Jixue explained, "A Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) is actually a type of Gu worm. However, it doesn't appear in its true form, but rather drills into the body of some domineering poisonous worm, wrapping around their bones to control their actions."

"In other words, the poisonous worm you see is just a tool manipulated by the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon)."

"The brain of a poisonous worm parasitized by a Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) is already dead, but it doesn't affect their growth. Their body will still hunt, absorb nutrients and continue to grow, even better than when they grow naturally."

"When the inner丹(dan – core/essence) forms in the other party's body, the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) will devour the poisonous丹(dan – core/essence), and only then will it abandon the poisonous worm and move on its own."

"The Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) only eats venomous kings. The poisonous worms that can be parasitized by it are all kings among venomous kings. They are already extremely fierce. Once the venomous king is shattered, the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) will break free and attack its opponent."

"At that time, the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) will eat people!"

Fei Sha whispered, "If you're careful, killing a Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Jun Jixue said, "Killing a Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) is not difficult! Any one of you brothers can take a divine weapon and kill it with proper protection. The difficulty lies in extracting its heart."

"The name Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) makes you think it's a big worm, but in reality, the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) that hasn't left the poisonous worm is only as thick as a chopstick. Moreover, it's wrapped around the host's bones or in the gaps of its carapace."

"The color of its body is also the same color as the host's blood. Even if you dissect the host, you won't be able to find the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) unless you look closely."

"This is how the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon) got its name!"

"Moreover, not being able to find the Xue Gu Long (Blood Bone Dragon)'s location is not the most difficult part."