flstandardbreds Chapter 109 Clone
Chapter 109 Clone
Lin Fan was taken aback, wanting to see what other words would appear in the book, so he waited in silence. The words on the book gradually disappeared, returning to calm, with no further reaction.
Lin Fan picked up the book, shook it, and sighed, "How do you use this thing? Miao Zhuzi didn't even leave me an instruction manual."
No sooner had he finished speaking than words appeared on the page: “Eat me.”
Lin Fan was so startled he almost threw the book away.
"Could this thing be alive and able to communicate?"
The wordless book did not answer that question; it lay there quietly.
Lin Fan carefully flipped through the book and found that many pages had indeed been torn out from the beginning. He immediately understood that if he just tore off a page and ate it, he would probably obtain this Dao technique.
Lin Fan tentatively asked, "What would happen if I tore it all up? What would happen if I ate the whole book?"
The pages remained silent and unresponsive.
Lin Fan wasn't sure if it didn't want to answer or felt it was being impolite, so he changed the question, "Please enlighten me, senior, what are the wonders of cultivating 'cloning'?"
The words that appeared on the book were, “Each person holds a single root.”
It's that line again. What does it mean? Does it mean that everyone gets different results?
He then asked, "Senior, are there any taboos associated with practicing 'cloning'?"
"One must not lose one's original Yang and Yin, otherwise true Qi will be difficult to circulate. One must not use iron weapons in combat, otherwise metal Qi will invade one's Qi and blood."
Lin Fan had heard these words from the Dog-Skin Taoist and Wan Shou, but they didn't seem to be so absolute. It just meant that if one lost their primordial yang or fought with iron weapons, it would have an impact.
Lin Fan asked the question that concerned him most, "Senior, what is the price of cultivating 'cloning'?"
He wasn't a complete novice anymore; these mystical methods, seemingly capable of rapidly increasing strength, all had side effects. In other words, every gift from fate came with a hidden price.
The words in red gradually appeared on the book: "Those who practice 'cloning' will inevitably die from 'cloning'."
Lin Fan's pupils dilated as he recalled what Doctor Lei had said: "The nun from Linglong Temple was cleaved in two and died, and she was split vertically in the middle."
Lin Fan felt a chill run down his spine and a wave of nausea wash over him just imagining how Miao Zhuzi had died. He took out the Soul-Suppressing Pearl and held it in his hand to calm himself down. "She may not have died for me, but she certainly died for me. I..."
Lin Fan's lips trembled slightly, and he did not utter another word.
He forced himself to stop thinking about it and focused his attention back on the wordless book.
As expected, the things from the Xuanmen sect weren't all that good. However, Lin Fan still planned to cultivate. Cultivation would eventually lead to death, but everyone dies eventually. Being afraid of this and that, without improving his strength, would only hasten his demise.
She only said he died from a "clone," without specifying when. Miao Zhuzi had said, "If there's anything I want to do, it's not to die as a tool, but to die for my atonement." Only now did Lin Fan begin to understand what she meant. Before, Lin Fan refused to believe a single word she said, but now, piecing together the dots, he could certainly understand.
It's better to die from a "clone" than to die in some unknown way. If one could die the way one wants, like Myojuko, that would be nice too.
Lin Fan wasn't in a hurry to eat the book right away. He figured that if he ate it, he wouldn't have the chance to ask any more questions. He wanted to take this opportunity to ask all the questions he needed to know.
"Senior, could you please enlighten me? Can many people cultivate together using 'clones'?"
The words emerged: “Each person holds a seedling.”
That line again? Are you stuck on something? Actually, Lin Fan had a rough idea. If every Dao technique could be practiced by many people, then why bother with human techniques and immortal techniques, or inner and outer sect techniques?
It is now basically confirmed that the one who cultivated the "clone" was Miaozhuzi. Only after Miaozhuzi died can the "clone" be cultivated by the next person.
"Senior, please enlighten me: if I cultivate 'avatars,' will I still be able to cultivate other Taoist techniques in the future?"
The words emerged: “Each person holds a seedling.”
You're such a broken record! Basically, it means it won't work, but you can try again if you encounter it again in the future.
Lin Fan suppressed the urge to tear the book apart. "Senior, is this precious book of yours indestructible? If I put it in front of my chest, can it serve as a breastplate?"
This time it's finally different; not a single word in the wordless book is printed.
Lin Fan stroked his chin. It probably wouldn't work. The book felt strange to the touch; it was probably waterproof, but it lacked any sense of sturdiness, so it wouldn't be suitable as a shield. He wondered if it could be destroyed by fire or a knife, and what would happen after that.
If Taoist scriptures could be destroyed, wouldn't there be fewer and fewer practitioners of the Xuanmen school? That shouldn't be the case.
Although Lin Fan was curious, he wouldn't use this only book of Taoist magic to conduct such an experiment.
Lin Fan then asked some other questions, but the wordless book either didn't answer or repeated a few sentences it had said before. He racked his brains but couldn't think of any more questions.
Deciding not to ask any more questions, he immediately tore off a page from the book, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth.
The large clump of book pages was really hard to swallow, and the material of the pages seemed special, as if they wouldn't dissolve even if soaked in water. Lin Fan picked up the leftover chilled tea from the teapot next to him and forced down many mouthfuls before finally swallowing it.
After swallowing, he immediately sat cross-legged on the bed. No one had told him to meditate; he just felt he should, since it was a form of spiritual practice.
In no time, Lin Fan suddenly felt pain all over his body, as if a thousand knives were stabbing him inside and out in an instant.
"My God! That fucking hurts!" Lin Fan grimaced and gasped for breath.
Suddenly I tasted something rusty in my mouth. When I spat it out, it turned out to be a razor blade.
Lin Fan then realized, "You can't fight with iron weapons, otherwise the metal energy will invade your blood and qi." It turns out that this taboo is not only necessary after cultivation. Before, when he fought with weapons, his blood and qi were boiling, and he absorbed the metal energy of the weapons. Now that he is circulating true qi in his body, the metal energy is solidifying and will be expelled from his body.
"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Lin Fan's skin was constantly being pierced, and large and small blades sprouted all over his body, making him look like a hedgehog covered in blades. Blood stained his clothes and bed sheets.
"Stop, stop, stop! I... I'm vomiting..."
Lin Fan wanted to stop, but the pages he had swallowed kept spinning inside his body, completely ignoring his life or death. Lin Fan spat out a handful of iron nails, his mouth full of blood.
Lin Fan held the Soul-Suppressing Pearl in his hand; without it, he would have fainted from the pain long ago.
I initially thought that since the Taoist priest in the dog-skin robe also used an iron sword, there wouldn't be any major problems. How could an ordinary person endure this without a Soul-Suppressing Pearl? How did the Taoist priest in the dog-skin robe manage to survive?
As the pages turned, more and more blades appeared on Lin Fan's body. Some blades fell off, leaving bloody holes from which blood gushed out.
Lin Fan rolled off the bed, and the blades on his skin pierced his body even more deeply.