Chapter 506: Advent (Part 2)

Chapter 506: Chapter 335: Advent (Part 2)

“Sigh, the show’s over. What a pity. Let’s go. We’re about to get busy.”

“But the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. When it does, it’ll be my home turf.”

The Jiuyin Child said with a smile.

…

…

「Meanwhile.」

In the Divine Capital, inside the resplendent Imperial Study of the majestic imperial palace.

A tall and imposing figure sat upon the Throne.

The man wore a Dragon Robe and had a fine, flowing beard. His eyes were impassive, exuding a sense of lofty detachment. His towering figure gave off an immense pressure, as if he were the sky itself, looking down upon the world.

The Son of Heaven of Great Wei, Emperor Hengyang.

At the foot of the dais stood a figure, hands clasped and body bowed. He wore a Purple Xiezhi Robe. His build was sleek, not at all burly, and his face was fair and androgynous. However, his charming, almond-shaped eyes were filled with a murderous apathy, creating a stark contrast.

Within the Celestial Net Department’s hierarchy, ranks were divided by seven colors, with purple being the highest and red the lowest. In the entire Celestial Net Department, only one person was qualified to wear the Purple Xiezhi Robe: one of the Six Pillars of the Court, the Director of the Celestial Net Department, Yi Star.

“Yi, what is the situation in Heqing Dao? Is there still no news from the National Preceptor?”

Emperor Hengyang spoke slowly, his voice booming and echoing throughout the hall.

“The National Preceptor’s progress is not going well. It seems the enemy has a Divination expert who has obscured the Celestial Secret, making further investigation difficult.”

Yi Star replied.

“What about your Celestial Net Department’s investigation?”

Emperor Hengyang asked again.

“We have some leads. We’ve confirmed someone is secretly spreading the faith of an Evil Cultivation and recruiting followers. However, these people are hidden very deep and also possess the ability to obscure the Celestial Secret. So far, we’ve only identified insignificant small-timers and have yet to find any concrete clues about the mastermind. But the traces we’ve found suggest these people have likely been active in Heqing Dao for a long time and are planning something significant. If not for the accidental exposure of the Evil Cultivation operation in Guming County, we might never have discovered them at all.”

Yi Star said gravely.

“To be able to evade the National Preceptor’s Divination… they are indeed no ordinary individuals. Have Marquis Xuanping and Marquis Wei Lie set out?”

Emperor Hengyang asked.

“A Tunneling passage is being constructed between the Observatory Tower and the Heqing Dao Garrison Command. It will be completed tonight.”

Yi Star replied.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the Yin Qi is growing. There can be no trouble this time.”

Emperor Hengyang was silent for a moment, then slowly asked.

“Understood. With two of the Six Pillars, three of the Celestial Stems, four of the Earthly Branches, plus Yang Zhongyuan from the Heqing Dao Garrison Command and all the Innate masters from the Five Sects of Heqing, it should be foolproof.”

Yi Star said.

“Let’s hope so.”

Emperor Hengyang nodded slightly.

…

…

「Guming County.」

Zhao Xuanqi was unaware of the undercurrents moving behind the scenes throughout the Great Wei Dynasty. That level was still far too high for him. Even his strength at its peak in his previous life could not compare to the most powerful Martial Artists of this world.

He still had a long way to go.

After finishing a day of lessons and tasks, he returned to his room and began to think about matters related to the Hundred Beasts Fist.

Without practicing the True Essence Skill, he had used the body forged by his Hundred Beasts Fist, along with several Secret Techniques, to break a limit that even members of the Red Heart Sect could not. He had actually condensed Golden Fire. This realization was a great source of inspiration for him.

‘If I can use the Hundred Beasts Fist to perform a Technique from the Red Heart Sect, then I can also perform Techniques from other Schools. The Hundred Beasts Fist is like a foundation, a pillar. With its support, I can build all sorts of different structures.’

‘I shouldn’t limit myself to just the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill. Before this, I never truly understood the Hundred Beasts Fist, nor did I unleash the full potential of this Fist Technique.’

As Zhao Xuanqi thought, many things became clear to him.

The Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill was just one type of ‘Magic’. For practitioners from other Schools to use their powerful Secret Transmission Techniques, they had to cultivate the corresponding Cultivation Technique to a very high level. This was because many factors—body modification, Force Release skills, Qi and Blood circulation, Spirit guidance, and more—had to meet the specific conditions for the Technique to be executed.

The more powerful the heritage, the stricter the requirements.

However, with the help of the Hundred Beasts Fist, he seemed to be able to bypass this restriction.

In other words, while he was mastering the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill, he could still master other top-tier Techniques. Once he became completely proficient, he might even be able to switch between two Techniques at will.

Or even… stack them.

If two complementary Techniques were channeled and combined through the terrifying body forged by the Hundred Beasts Fist, no one could possibly know what kind of power would be unleashed.

The only thing that would limit him would be the limits of his own body.

If his body was strong enough to support it, he could even develop his explosive power to an unimaginable degree by continuously learning a vast number of Techniques.

It was… as if there were no limits.

‘Limitless? To surpass everything, a freedom without restraint.’

A smile touched the corners of Zhao Xuanqi’s mouth as his consciousness connected to the Rebirth Jade.

He had been wondering how to use his remaining Merit Points, but now he no longer had to think about it.

‘Perfect. The Red Heart Sect’s Golden Fire is a bit too conspicuous. In the future, when I’m out and about, I’ll need a better way to hide my identity.’

Merit Points: 27

He began to search within the vast ocean of information on Cultivation Techniques provided by this world’s Celestial Dao.

He was currently practicing the Hundred-Star Pill Battle Cultivation Technique and had intended to learn its corresponding Techniques. However, he later discovered that this Cultivation Technique’s Techniques were not to his liking, so he had to search again.

After a full night of searching, he finally found a Technique that caught his interest.

This Technique was called the “Formless Array Plate.”

In the Blood Strengthening Realm, this Technique didn’t have any particularly outstanding features. It could only condense the body’s Primordial Qi to enhance Physical Ability.

But upon reaching the Refining the Internal Organs Realm and opening the Five Internal Organs Secret Realm, it grants a powerful ability.

It allows one to condense the Primordial Qi required for a single use of a Technique and store it within the corresponding internal organ.

When needed, one only has to activate the condensed Primordial Qi, which allows one to bypass the process of circulating Force and mobilizing Qi and Blood, thus rapidly executing the corresponding Technique.

In a way, it was almost equivalent to storing a Technique inside the body.

This ability perfectly suited Zhao Xuanqi’s needs.

He was about to step into the Refining the Internal Organs Realm. With the Hundred Beasts Fist as his foundation, he could perform Techniques from many different Schools. If he could use this method to store Techniques and call upon them at will, his power would increase dramatically.

‘Exchanging for both the Blood Strengthening and Refining the Internal Organs parts at once requires Eight Merits?’

This exchange price surprised Zhao Xuanqi a little. It was almost as expensive as the first two parts of the Golden Fire Heavenly Ding Skill. This indicated that even if this Cultivation Technique wasn’t a top-tier one, it wasn’t far off.

However, considering the Cultivation Technique’s miraculous effects, the price didn’t seem expensive.

‘I’ll use the remaining Merit to exchange for some individual Techniques. During this time, I’ll focus on my research…’

Zhao Xuanqi thought to himself.

Two months passed quickly.

During this time, Zhao Xuanqi led a very full life. He trained and carried out missions with He Xijun every day. When he returned at night, he would spend half his time recovering his strength and the other half studying and mastering the various Techniques he had exchanged for with the Rebirth Jade.

He didn’t make too much of a show of his progress. In two months, his apparent strength had merely reached the point of igniting his Blood Fire, and he was now advancing toward Crimson Fire. Even so, he had gained Qiu Qing’s attention, and his treatment within the sect improved steadily.

After the Ghost City incident, everything seemed to calm down. There were no more major disturbances in Guming County, and Zhao Xuanqi’s life seemed to have fallen into a routine.

But throughout Heqing Dao, the surging undercurrents were growing ever more intense.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was drawing near, the Ghost Gate was opening, and Yin Qi was flourishing. As the Celestial Net Department’s investigation deepened, more and more clues about the mysterious organization began to surface.

One day, after Zhao Xuanqi and He Xijun finished their sparring practice, He Xijun told him a piece of news: “Master is preparing to have us go to the South Mansion together.”

“The South Mansion?”

Hearing this, a look of confusion appeared on Zhao Xuanqi’s face.