[The Dignitary Bull Demon explained to you that the yokai arts contained within these scrolls were all created by mighty yokai of great power.]

[There was no need for years of arduous training to master these arts, so long as you were sufficiently devout toward the Chaotic Origin Dragon, you could learn them by expending Incense Power.]

[While none of them were overwhelmingly powerful techniques, each scroll held its own profundity…]

[For example, the Art of Qi Divination allowed you to observe the fortune or misfortune of enemies, judging the relative strength between friend and foe based on the color of the vapors.]

[Or the Art of Bringing the Dragon to Life, which would grant your eyes supernatural perception, able to see through petty concealment techniques.]

[…]

After the Bull Demon’s detailed explanations, Lin Xun understood the specific functions of several skills.

All of these yokai arts had to be activated using Dragon Embryo Power, they were essentially skills exclusive to the yokai race.

Among them, the Art of Qi Divination was an extremely rare detection skill, able to assess the disparity in strength between opponents.

Touch of Transmutation was similar to a disassembly skill, capable of breaking down unused equipment with a chance of obtaining high-quality materials.

The Art of Transmitting Voice could send messages over a distance, though with Lin Xun’s current number of Calamitous Fallen Dragon Embryo stacks, the range wouldn’t be very far.

What Lin Xun valued most, without a doubt, was the Art of Qi Divination.

Detection skills were exceedingly rare in the game and extraordinarily valuable. The ability to gauge an opponent’s strength was effectively a god-tier skill that conserved soul strength.

Even in reality, such skills had remarkable applications and were considered essential abilities.

Skills for revealing stealth and for disassembly were actually quite good as well, but with only 1500 Incense Power, he couldn’t learn everything.

[Seeing the conflicted look on your face as you hesitated so long without choosing, the Dignitary Bull Demon simply pushed all five scrolls into your hands.]

[With great respect, it said that if the Dragonborn Lord found it hard to decide in the moment, you could take all the scrolls with you and contemplate them carefully. Once you had learned the yokai arts within, you could return the scrolls.]

“This old bull is really an honest fellow.”

With 1500 Incense Power in total, if he learned the Art of Qi Divination, he would only have 500 left.

Touch of Transmutation needed 800, the concealment-piercing art needed 700, both were out of reach for now.

At present, he could only choose one between the Art of Transformation and the Art of Transmitting Voice.

“No rush to learn skills yet. I’d better go see what the Calamity Mage has to offer first…”

[You accepted the yokai art scrolls, waved farewell to the Dignitary Bull Demon, and left the shabby dwelling…]

[The dwelling of the Temple Master – Calamity Mage still had its light burning. Do you want to visit?]

[You approached the dwelling on the side and knocked on the wooden door. Before long, an aged voice called from within: “Please come in, Divine Offspring…”]

[You pushed the door open and saw the Calamity Mage still sitting in a wooden basin, staring blankly at a small censer in the dim candlelight.]

[It was a bronze censer the size of a palm, its outer wall engraved with a flood dragon coiling and leaping among the clouds. From its mottled surface alone, you could tell it was quite ancient.]

[Seeing that you were interested in the censer as well, the Calamity Mage explained that while the Night Escort Dog had gone into the city during the day to purchase ritual supplies, it had discovered this little censer at an antique vendor’s stall.]

[The censer, covered in verdigris, didn’t look worth much, but the Night Escort Dog had smelled something strange upon it and sensed something unusual, so it bought it.]

[After returning to the temple, the Calamity Mage learned of this and used a technique to restore the censer’s original appearance.]

[A censer engraved with dragon patterns was undoubtedly an implement for offering incense to the Chaotic Origin Dragon. Most such items left in the mortal world had been destroyed by the followers of the New God. The Night Escort Dog had been fortunate to find it.]

[However, the Calamity Mage suspected the censer was more than just an antique vessel.]

[The dragon-patterned censer faintly emitted a peculiar fluctuation, but no matter how long it studied it, it couldn’t unravel the mystery.]

[Since the Dragonborn Lord was here, perhaps you could see whether there was any hidden marvel within it…]

[Saying this, the Calamity Mage handed you the dragon-patterned censer…]

[You have obtained the Coiling Cloud Dragon-Patterned Censer (Junk)]

[Coiling Cloud Dragon-Patterned Censer (Junk): An ancient bronze censer engraved with a design of a flood dragon coiling among clouds. Selling this item to a certain pawnshop merchant will yield some Spirit Essence.]

[…]

[You examined the censer for a long time but sensed nothing unusual. It seemed to you like an ordinary antique, something that could probably fetch a little silver if pawned.]

[You returned the censer to the Calamity Mage and explained your assessment…]

[It frowned deeply, saying the censer definitely held some hidden power, it simply hadn’t yet been able to decipher it.]

[The Calamity Mage resolved to stay up through the night studying old texts to search for clues about the censer.]

[It carefully set the censer aside and continued speaking, explaining that the last time’s offering ritual had been too rudimentary, so the Dragonborn Lord hadn’t received any response from the Dragon God.]

[These past few days, the Night Escort Dog had been buying ritual supplies. In another day or two, everything should be ready. When the time came, a grand ritual would be held in the temple, and it asked the Dragonborn Lord to prepare well.]

[The Calamity Mage’s expression was earnest, its faith in the Dragon overflowing.]

[Do you wish to tell it the true situation of the Chaotic Origin Dragon?]

The Calamity Mage, this ally faction elder, had treated him well. To keep it in the dark forever felt rather improper.

After all, when the time came to face the faction of the Extreme Delusion Fruit, he would surely need the support of these allies.

Besides, if he kept silent, once the offering ritual began in a few days, he couldn’t risk offering more Incense Power to draw the Extreme Delusion Fruit’s attention again, otherwise the ritual would become a death wish.

[You sighed heavily and confessed everything about how you had secretly offered incense to the Chaotic Origin Dragon…]

[The Chaotic Origin Dragon had been corrupted by a terrifying god called the Extreme Delusion Fruit, now mired in a swamp of malevolent thoughts, awaiting salvation from its children.]

[Not only the Chaotic Origin Dragon but even the New God Ancient Heavenly Enma had not escaped the control of that terrifying deity.]

[At Ishiyama Shrine, you received a commission from Amateru Sakiina. To resist the Extreme Delusion Fruit and save your Father God, you would need to unite the powers of both divine factions.]

[Saying this, you took out Amateru Sakiina’s Harvest Sickle to prove your words were true.]

[The Origin-Tracing Temple Master – Calamity Mage stood frozen in place when it heard this, staring blankly for a long time as two streams of murky tears rolled down its cheeks.]

[The Calamity Mage murmured that it was no wonder that in ancient times the aura of the Dragon Embryo had been a clear blue, yet now it carried a trace of black malevolent intent and had turned an inky blue-black.]

[They, the children of the Dragon God, had thought it was the Chaotic Origin Dragon being corrupted by the New God, never realizing that the corruption of the New God itself did not originate from within, but from an evil god lurking in the darkness.]

[While the Dragon God was mired in a swamp of malice, they as its children remained ignorant, wasting countless years in vain…]

[The Calamity Mage began to sob uncontrollably at this point. Only after a long while did it manage to stifle its choking grief and speak in a low voice…]

[The conflict between humans and yokai had lasted for ages. The generations of hatred were irreconcilable. Even if the yokai were willing to set aside their grievances for the sake of the Chaotic Origin Dragon, there was no guarantee that humanity would unite to resist the common enemy…]

[The yokai race was prepared to fight the evil god with all their strength, to die a thousand deaths without regret. But to join forces with the New God’s followers… that would be all but impossible.]

[The Divine Offspring was a descendant of the Dragon God’s bloodline. What you said represented the will of the Chaotic Origin Dragon itself.]

[If the Divine Offspring truly insisted on uniting the New God’s followers, then there was only one path left… you would have to go to the Kyoto Imperial Palace and find Sakura Falls’ supreme ruler, the Shogun!]

[The Shogun’s martial prowess had already reached a transcendent state, and it was by that power alone that centuries of daimyo warfare had been effortlessly suppressed.]

[Under the Shogun’s rule, no regional daimyo dared to raise troops. All the lords kept themselves in check.]

[If the Divine Offspring could persuade the Shogun of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, then it would truly count as rallying the forces of the New God’s followers.]

A thought rose in Lin Xun’s mind, this so-called ‘persuade’… surely it wouldn’t be persuasion by force, right?

“Damn it, of course a Legendary+ weapon isn’t going to be so easy to get!”

[You and the Calamity Mage discussed the matter at length before you finally waved and took your leave…]

[You left the dwelling and returned to the temple courtyard…]

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