Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi were suspicious, but considering that they hadn't seen the young man use altars or similar methods before, and they hadn't heard of any ennobled Daoists being out and about in recent generations, they didn't dwell on it.

Because Wei Yuan had previously saved Xuan Yi's life,

the first few floors of the Daoist temple's library were open to Wei Yuan.

As for the top two floors, they were guarded by elders of extremely high seniority and advanced age from the Wei Ming Sect. Inside were the core techniques of the Wei Ming Sect and the magical artifacts passed down from the ancestral master through the generations. Even disciples of the Wei Ming Sect were not allowed to set foot there easily.

Firstly, true teachings cannot be lightly passed on.

Secondly, when one's Daoist cultivation is not profound enough, contact with overly advanced material

is like a castle in the air. Not only might one fail to achieve profound Daoist cultivation, but one might also easily suffer a collapse and die.

Therefore, this arrangement was both to protect the true teachings and to protect the disciples. Xuan Yi led Wei Yuan forward to pay respects to the two old Daoists guarding the閣樓 (gé lóu) [pavilion], and then descended the pavilion, pointing to the scrolls of Daoist scriptures stored in the bookshelves on the first and second floors, saying:

"This is the Sutra Collection Pavilion of my Wei Ming Sect. 館主 (guǎn zhǔ) [curator], you are free to read the scriptures on these two floors."

"Basically, all the commonly used altars and grand sacrificial ceremonies of the Zhengyi lineage are here. There are also some records of the unique skills of various branches, but the true techniques of the sect are generally very well hidden by each family. Some are even passed down orally, so that even those who belong to the Zhengyi Alliance don't know about them."

Still passing things down orally? Aren't they afraid of losing them...

Wei Yuan thought to himself. Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi then pointed out the small house on the side of the閣樓 (gé lóu) [pavilion] to Wei Yuan.

"館主 (guǎn zhǔ) [curator], this is where the disciples of the sect stay when they are studying the Daoist scriptures. If you don't mind, you can rest here temporarily."

Wei Yuan looked at it. It was very simple, with just a bed and a cabinet.

The bed was very clean, and there seemed to be clean Daoist robes in the cabinet for changing.

After Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi left, Wei Yuan casually pulled out a book from a bookshelf and sat down at the nearby table to read it. These were sect classics, different from the records in the Special Operations Team. They were more ancient, and there were many notes and opinions left by senior true cultivators beside them, with a strong sect style.

The first floor of the閣樓 (gé lóu) [pavilion] was mostly filled with basic classics.

Wei Yuan read with the intention and purpose of solving problems, unknowingly becoming engrossed. He didn't know if it was the effect of the敕令 (chì lìng) [imperial decree] talisman on the back of his hand, but he found it easier to calm down when reading Daoist classics. Gradually, he gained a clearer understanding of the modern Daoist system.

The cultivation system of Shenzhou can basically be divided into the Daoist school, the Buddhist school, and the martial school, which was honed from military strategists' battle formations and Jianghu (martial world) brawls. The three cultivation systems influence and change each other. The modern Daoist system can basically be divided into three categories.

The Zhengyi Alliance, which commands the southern Daoist sects of Shenzhou, has recently shown a faint trend of becoming the leader of the Daoist sects.

It focuses on imperial decree talismans and is skilled in altars and sacrificial ceremonies.

Disciples of the sect often descend the mountain to travel, subduing demons and eliminating evil.

After the true disciples of the sect are ennobled, it is said that their names are left in the Heavenly Court and they have the rank of immortal officials.

As long as they set up an altar and perform rituals, they can invoke the power of heaven and earth and perform many supernatural powers. In addition, the Divine Firmament Lightning Method is also a technique that the Zhengyi sect is good at. Lightning is upright, subduing demons and eliminating evil, and is always successful.

The Quanzhen school.

Although it is said to be formed by incorporating Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, it is more like the style of the Qi refiners before the Qin and Han dynasties. It focuses on internal cultivation, eliminates external things, and basically does not use talisman ennoblement techniques. However, the requirements and precepts for the disciples of the sect are correspondingly stricter. The two characters "Quanzhen" themselves represent a certain weight.

Different from the Zhengyi Alliance, which enters the world to subdue demons and specializes in techniques mainly for subduing demons, the Quanzhen sect pursues longevity and carefree life, refining internal elixirs, and cultivating both nature and life. Therefore, there are many rules and precepts.

In addition, there is the Wudang lineage, which combines the Daoist school and the martial school, cultivates Qi internally, and is excellent in both elixir and sword.

According to Wei Yuan's understanding, if the three Daoist systems all encounter situations where they need to subdue demons and eliminate evil, the Wudang lineage can unleash the strongest killing power in close combat. Quanzhen cultivators can maintain a certain level of strength no matter what situation they are in, without being overly reduced in strength by external interference.

The Tianshi Dao lineage is not good at encounters.

However, as long as you dare to give the Tianshi Dao time to prepare, set up an altar, and arrange a magic altar,

the power exerted by the Zhengyi Dao is the strongest.

The three families have been constantly influencing each other for thousands of years, but there are still obvious distinctions. Taking the magic sword as an example, the Tianshi Dao magic sword is for subduing demons, the Quanzhen magic sword is for beheading one's own inner demons, and the Wudang elixir sword is good at fighting with demons that have flesh and blood.

Then there were some books that recorded basic magic altar ceremonies.

The records show that different altars require different steps, and the scriptures recited in the mouth are also different. Wei Yuan already knows the foundation of the talisman system. After a little thought, he understands why the talismans and magic altars are becoming more and more complicated. It is because the functions are constantly refined, but they are all borrowing the majestic power in the sky.

The magic altar is the connection with the power above.

First verify your identity, and then decide what talisman to use, what method to perform, and what divine generals to invite. There are respective rites and rules, like password doors. If you make a mistake, you will go through the wrong door, and you will not be able to borrow power. The magic altar ceremony will be considered a failure.

And the talisman imperial decree on the back of Wei Yuan's hand

is probably equivalent to a master key.

Those password doors can be opened directly.

Of course, the ceremony symbolizing the 'opening the door' step is necessary.

It's just not so strict, not so cumbersome, just needs to be completed symbolically.

Correspondingly, the Daoist cultivation of the person performing the spell is equivalent to how much strength they have. The higher the Daoist cultivation, the greater the strength, the more power can be invoked, and the stronger the Daoist techniques and supernatural powers can be performed.

Wei Yuan flipped through the classics, saw a simpler ceremony, and silently memorized it in his heart. He didn't know how long he had been reading. The sky outside had completely darkened. He turned on the light, intending to continue reading the classics, but suddenly felt something was wrong.

A faint fluctuation flashed in the distance.

The reason why he felt this fluctuation was because a sword in the qin box behind him trembled slightly. It was Zhang Daoling's former magic sword. Wei Yuan's expression changed slightly. After pondering for a while, he seemed tired and returned to the place for people to rest. He took out the food from the food box that Xuan Yi had sent earlier.

He lined them up in a row.

The Daoist temple had no shortage of incense.

He took three sticks of incense, shook his wrist, and inserted the three sticks of incense into the ground.

He only used a simple magic altar.

Stepping on the Xuan Yuan sword Yu steps, he whispered the Daoist incantation, and there was a burning sensation on the back of his hand. He pinched the Three Mountains Finger. The three sticks of incense burned spontaneously without wind. Wei Yuan felt that the imperial decree on the back of his hand had completely formed a connection with the sky. It was a small magic altar passed down from a branch of the Zhengyi Alliance, the Heavenly Vision Earth Hearing Method.

Wei Yuan felt his own aura rise, as if he was overlooking the main peak of the Wei Ming Sect from a high place.

And that faint fluctuation came clearly.

He identified it.

The fluctuation came from the Wei Ming Sect disciples' residence, where Xiao Yu'er and the others were. Wei Yuan's footsteps moved slightly. He took a yellow talisman and swept it across the three sticks of incense. The smoke rising straight from the three sticks of incense was drawn onto the yellow talisman. He closed his eyes and swept it across his eyes.

This time Wei Yuan 'saw' that small courtyard.

He saw a faint, twisted, swirling black aura flowing.

.....................

Several young Daoists finished their evening practice and lay on their beds to rest.

But they were too young, and they had practiced the Daoist techniques of consolidating the foundation and nourishing Qi, so they were full of energy, and they were often not so honest. In the past, their masters and uncles would watch over them, but today they seemed to be discussing important matters. The master only told them to rest early and left.

So the young Daoists began a night talk.

They talked about some small stories they knew.

Soon it was the turn of one of the young Daoists with a round face who was very cute. She thought for a while and said:

"Have you heard the story of the shadow?"

"The story of the shadow?"

"What's so strange about the shadow?"

The young Daoist saw that she had aroused the interest of her fellow disciples, and her eyes curved up as she said, "But this shadow is not ordinary. Can your shadow communicate with you? Can it be your friend?"

"This story is about..."

.....................

The era in which the story took place is no longer verifiable.

But it must have been ancient, in the very distant past.

Because ancient immortal mountains like Yuci Mountain still existed in such stories.

And the beginning of the story starts with a man living alone. The man was called Deng Yi. He was already thirty years old and still hadn't found a wife. He was fine during the day, but every night, he would turn off the lights early, and there would only be him alone in the house, sighing endlessly. One day, he said to the shadow:

"Shadow, oh shadow, you and I have been inseparable for thirty years. I am now alone and miserable. Can't you come and talk to me?"

He was just complaining, but who knew that the shadow under the moonlight would jump out.

This scared Deng Yi badly. He sat down on the ground shivering, making the shadow somewhat unhappy. It said, "You begged me, so I appeared to accompany you. How can you treat me like this? Are you also a hypocrite who likes dragons only in pictures?"

Deng Yi barely raised his head and asked his shadow, "Then what can you do to accompany me?"

The shadow said:

"I am your shadow, without substance. I can become whatever you want."

So Deng Yi hoped that the shadow would transform into a knowledgeable young man who could talk to him all night long. The shadow swayed and actually turned into a handsome young man, elegant in temperament, knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. Deng Yi and the young man talked happily every night. One day, he sighed regretfully:

"You can transform into a friend, but I am almost thirty years old and still alone."

"Can you transform into a beauty?"

The shadow only smiled and said that this was not difficult. In the blink of an eye, it actually transformed into a rare beauty. Deng Yi was moved and never let the shadow transform into any other form again. Every night after lighting the lamp, the beauty would come out to accompany him. Gradually, even in the daytime, the shadow could appear.

Deng Yi was no longer lonely and was immersed in communicating with the shadow.

But only he could see the beauty transformed by the shadow. Others only regarded him as having gone crazy. Deng Yi didn't care. But suddenly one day, the shadow beauty sighed to him, "I have accompanied you long enough. Now I am going to Yuci Mountain tens of thousands of miles away. I will never be able to return in this life."

Before Deng Yi could try to keep it, the shadow rose into the air and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

From then on, whether he lit the lamp at night or basked in the sun during the day, Deng Yi had no shadow. His whole person gradually became crazy and foolish, and he was even given the nickname Deng Wuying (Deng No Shadow).

So, be careful, everyone should be careful.

Shadows are not appendages of people. When you are facing the light, the shadow may be behind you, silently staring at you, thinking of ways to separate from you. As soon as you turn your head, it pretends to be motionless.

Light a lamp between the mirror and yourself.

Then look at the mirror.

Through the mirror, you may see that the shadow is also staring at you.

................

The young Daoists shrank their necks after hearing this story.

"This is fake."

They muttered twice.

The round-faced young Daoist said, "Who said it was fake? I also saw a book called *Youyang Zazu* that said that people have nine shadows, each with a name. As long as you light the lamps in order according to the rules, they can all come out."

Lin Ling'er of the Maoshan School couldn't help but say:

"This kind of method similar to a magic altar, how could it be so easy to do?"

The round-faced young Daoist retorted unconvinced, "Who knows if it will work?"

"Anyway, the masters are not here. Let's try it secretly. Maybe we can see our nine shadows..."

ps: Sleep, sleep..., lying like a corpse...