After wiping the blade clean, Duàn Yì put away the Ten Refinements Sword. He then walked to the bedside, took out the Cold Jade he had obtained from Qū Dōng Liú from beneath his pillow, and held it in his palm. A chill washed over him, filling him with delight.
This was the greatest gain from his battle with Lin Bohui, something Duàn Yì valued even more highly than the Black Silkworm Treasure Robe.
The Black Silkworm Treasure Robe was merely a fixed piece of armor. Though it could withstand blades and swords and dissipate heavy force, its effect became negligible against truly powerful experts, especially those skilled in soft, yielding martial arts, where its defensive power would likewise be greatly diminished.
Some Divine Weapons could also tear apart the Black Silkworm Treasure Robe through their sheer sharpness. This was no exaggeration. In the end, it was still an external object—he could borrow its power, but he could not rely on it too heavily.
The Cold Jade was different. It could aid Duàn Yì's qi cultivation and tangibly strengthen his own power, much like the Cold Jade Bed of the Ancient Tomb Sect in The Return of the Condor Heroes.
If he wore this piece of Cold Jade on his person, he could use the powerful chill it emitted to stimulate his body to circulate internal energy at every moment. One day of cultivation would equal ten days for an ordinary person.
Combined with the shortcuts and methods for qi cultivation that Duàn Yì had explored through the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts, along with his formidable Innate Talent and natural gifts, one year of his qi cultivation could match more than a dozen years of an ordinary person's cultivation. This was no exaggeration.
This was a true treasure. The reason Duàn Yì had agreed to duel Lin Bohui in the first place was largely because he coveted the marvelous effects of this Cold Jade, allowing him to catch up head-on with the disciples of those great sects and schools in the path of internal energy.
Besides accelerating internal energy cultivation, the Cold Jade had another marvelous effect—it was of immense benefit to the Ice True Qi Duàn Yì cultivated.
This Ice True Qi had been created by Zuo Lengchan through painstaking effort. Its power was naturally not outstanding when placed within the vast history of martial arts fiction, but within Smiling, Proud Wanderer alone, it was indeed striking and left a deep impression.
The cold yin power contained within this true qi could be strengthened by absorbing cold energy, and there were several sources of such energy.
The first was the cold yin energy drifting between heaven and earth. It accumulated bit by bit, advancing slowly and steadily; only through long years of grinding effort could one achieve Great Accomplishment.
The second was cold yin energy contained within certain external objects, such as the most common ice, or cold yin objects like this Cold Jade. And in terms of value, Cold Jade was naturally the finest.
Thinking of today's duel, when his true qi had surged wildly and improved further, Duàn Yì took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat cross-legged.
He held his palms level before his chest, the Cold Jade clamped between them, and silently circulated his cultivation method.
A strand of cold, sinister true qi rose from his dantian, darting like a swimming fish as it wound its way into the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. Since he had not yet undergone Meridian Unblocking, there was much loss and obstruction.
It then coursed repeatedly through the six yin meridians. The yin energy gradually rose, cold air leaked outward, and faint white mist curled and circulated from his mouth and nose, accompanied by a low humming sound.
As time passed, Duàn Yì's body became like a mass of ice. It was bone-piercing and prickling to the touch; even his heartbeat and the flow of his blood slowed considerably, until he gradually became an ice man.
This was not an ordinary cultivation method, but a special technique recorded within the Ice True Qi. It allowed him to absorb the cold energy contained in external objects, yet it was also exceedingly dangerous. With one careless mistake, his true qi would scatter in disorder, and Duàn Yì would be frozen shut by it, greatly harming his body.
Only Duàn Yì, with the aid of the Tower of Hidden Martial Arts and after many trials, had the confidence to cultivate it in reality.
Before long, an extremely pure cold yin energy drifted out of the Cold Jade in mist-like form. It was immediately drawn into his body through the Laogong acupoints in his palms, then flowed like rivers returning to the sea into the Ice True Qi Duàn Yì had cultivated, making that true qi ever colder and more sinister...
Meanwhile, Liu Zhiwei and Zhào Yù arrived at Qū Dōng Liú's study within the Golden Cauldron Hall atop the mountain and reported the outcome of the arena match.
"In my view, Duàn Yì's martial arts are indeed quite good. He may not be a match for Zhào Yù, but among the inner disciples of our Golden Cauldron Sect, he already ranks among the noteworthy ones. It is truly hard to imagine that he has practiced martial arts for less than a month.
"Even so, however, he could not possibly have been Lin Bohui's opponent. I suspect he used some underhanded means in secret, causing Lin Bohui to suffer Qi Deviation, lose his senses midway through the fight, and be defeated by Duàn Yì."
Though Liu Zhiwei's martial arts were inferior to Bái Xī Wén's and also to the uninjured Qū Dōng Liú's, they were still beyond the imagination of ordinary people. From the few moves exchanged at the beginning of the fight, he could deduce the two men's respective strengths.
In his judgment, under normal circumstances, Duàn Yì would have been defeated by Lin Bohui in around eleven or twelve moves. Yet somehow, through some scheme or trick, he had won.
Zhào Yù, however, looked thoughtful. He cupped his hands toward Qū Dōng Liú and said,
"Duàn Yì defeated his opponent without cultivating the Invincible Treasure Codex. Perhaps it had something to do with his trip to the apothecary. Lin Bohui would not have suffered Qi Deviation for no reason. Master, Duàn Yì must have used poison."
Liu Zhiwei's words had been derived purely from his own martial knowledge, while Zhào Yù's speculation was based on the information they had previously gathered regarding Duàn Yì's movements down the mountain.
"No matter what method Duàn Yì used to win this battle, a win is a win. Facts speak louder than eloquence.
"Zhiwei, afterward, go soothe the Ruan family again and resolve this matter completely. Do not let people say that our Golden Cauldron Sect uses its power to bully others and tarnishes its name.
"Also, tell Ruan Xiang that a wager must be honored, and that from now on, he is not to trouble Duàn Yì again. This matter was the Ruan family's unreasonable fuss from the beginning. You may bring Sun Zhi's head to Ruan Xiang; presumably, it will ease much of his resentment."
Qū Dōng Liú had indeed been quite surprised upon receiving the news that Duàn Yì had defeated Lin Bohui, but he did not find it impossible. After thinking for a moment, he gave these instructions.
What had originally been a small sword match had led to a death and only continued to escalate, truly costing him no small amount of thought.
This showed that Sun Zhi—or rather, the person who had planted Sun Zhi in the Golden Cauldron Sect—truly wished to leave the Golden Cauldron Sect covered in dust and ashes, or even split into four and fall apart, before being satisfied. Being able to contain the situation within bearable limits was already quite good.
After hearing this, Liu Zhiwei cupped his hands in salute and withdrew with a grim expression. Ruan Dong was, after all, his disciple, and there was still much aftermath waiting for him to handle.
Only after Liu Zhiwei had left did Qū Dōng Liú say to Zhào Yù,
"Today is the second day of the ninth month. In another five days, it will be the day of my wedding. Do you think my wedding can be completed smoothly?"
Zhào Yù was not merely clever; he even possessed a touch of shrewdness. Connecting this with Liu Pan, who had been on excellent terms with Bái Xī Wén, being assassinated in his home while Qū Dōng Liú kept the matter secret, as well as the turmoil stirred up by Ruan Dong's death, he faintly came to an understanding.
"Master means that the mastermind behind all this intends to act against you on your wedding day, so he is doing everything possible to draw away Martial Uncle Bái, whose martial arts are the strongest, or to make him harbor misgivings toward you and even break with you?
"But what use would that serve? You are, after all, the sect master of the Golden Cauldron Sect. The sect is full of skilled disciples and experts. This disciple does not believe the other side can fight one against many."
It was not that Zhào Yù could not think of that crucial point; he simply did not dare to speak carelessly because of Qū Dōng Liú's position.
Qū Dōng Liú gave a cold laugh. Looking at his prized disciple, he said icily,
"Those who know of Liu Pan's relationship with Bái Xī Wén, who also have the influence to plant spies within my Golden Cauldron Sect, and who even possess the ability to threaten me, can only be the upper echelon of the Golden Cauldron Sect.
"Liu Zhiwei, Shi Jian, Gu Ming, Xue Tao, Hé Shū Huái, Wu Feng, Zhang Guzhi—among them are deputy sect masters and elders. Yet they are all martial brothers under the same master as me. Only they possess the qualifications and strength to pull me down from my position.
"I had long expected this. The position of sect master belongs to the capable. I was severely injured in the battle at Moon Worship Palace, so it is only natural that they would harbor certain thoughts. I simply did not expect matters to have reached such a point of irreconcilable fire and water."
As Zhào Yù listened to Qū Dōng Liú recite those names in a calm yet heavy tone, his heart could not help but tremble.
These men represented the highest level of combat power within the Golden Cauldron Sect on Shalu Mountain.
"External enemies are not to be feared. What concerns me most are traitors within, so I need you to do something for me in these remaining days—something sufficient to stabilize our internal troubles.
"You must see this matter through for me. No matter what, you cannot fail.
"If I am truly dragged down from the position of sect master, then as my chief direct disciple, you will inevitably find it difficult to preserve yourself. So you must weigh the gravity of the matter. Do you understand?"
Zhào Yù naturally understood. He and Qū Dōng Liú shared glory and disgrace, prosperity and ruin. He immediately bowed deeply and said,
"This disciple understands. I will obey all of Master's instructions."
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