The Origin of the Clear Heart Art

Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai were wed.

Every notable figure in Qingshi County came, and even a few Rogue Cultivators showed up to offer congratulations.

The banquet stretched across several streets; anyone who came could eat, and even passing dogs were stuffed with two bowls of leftovers.

This was the grandest wedding Qingshi County had seen in years.

Of course, one transcendent presence paid Yang Shi no mind—the Xiang Manor.

That towering estate was like a monastery of monks who paid no heed to worldly affairs; the people of Qingshi County had rarely seen anyone from the Xiang family over the years.

Perhaps too much time had passed, or maybe the surname Yang was too common, so to this day no one knew that Yang Shi was the surviving child of the once-massacred Yang Family.

The wedding ended amidst bustle and noise. Yang Shi, who never drank, had too much today.

Back in the room, the two clasped hands tightly before the bed, gazing into each other's eyes.

The scrawny, dirty girl of before had grown into a graceful young woman, her eyes brimming with love as she looked at Yang Shi.

"Older Brother, from now on we're family, right?"

"We always were."

Yang Shi embraced Jiang Xiaobai. Two solitary souls finally found their anchor in this moment.

It all felt so natural.

"Older Brother, I want to hear the story of the day you brought me home."

"Alright."

"It's finally done. You two work hard now, and try to have a few little ones."

Though Yang Genshuo had pushed this marriage through with ulterior motives from the start, in the end, the two still came together.

Two lonely souls found resonance in so many ways.

[Ding~]

[Your descendant has tied the knot, unlocking a new blessing—Spiritual Blessing: May bless pregnant Yang Family members, improving the initial talent of Yang Family fetuses. Cost: 200 Incense Value per use (each fetus may only be used once).]

"Two hundred!?"

Yang Genshuo shouted outright.

That number startled him.

"Damn, pay-to-win talent, huh?"

"But how am I supposed to save up that much Incense Value?"

That much Incense Value was enough for Yang Shi to train in martial arts for two hundred days under [Vitality]!

It was also enough for Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai to use [Heart Calm] for a hundred days when breaking through realms.

If Jiang Xiaobai couldn't cast Spirit Rain Technique herself to tend the spirit fields, his limited Incense wouldn't even be enough for rainfall.

He glanced at the remaining Incense.

[Incense: 168]

"Not enough for even one use of the new blessing."

That was still counting the big income of 150 from Yang Shi's two consecutive rank-ups last year; the rest was just a few dozen points annually from farming spirit fields.

"To bless one child, I'd need to save up one or two years of Incense income."

That meant he couldn't keep giving Yang Shi special treatment to speed up his body refinement.

"Save up 200 first, try it once, and see the effect. If it gives the kid an edge in spiritual roots, it'll be worth it. Even if it's not a Heavenly Spiritual Root, just Three Spiritual Roots would be strong."

He filed that thought away for now.

Yang Genshuo stopped watching the newlyweds and pressed the Time Acceleration button.

[4 years, 120 days: Master Liu Wuhen brings his daughter Liu Zihan to visit, chatting happily with Yang Shi and his wife.]

[4 years, 185 days: The Yang Family's Spirit Rice and Spirit Wheat ripen. Because Jiang Xiaobiao frequently uses the "All Things Growth Technique" to nurture the fields, and her Wood Cultivation Method aligns with the growth attributes of Spirit Rice and Spirit Wheat, the spirit fields' yield improves noticeably.]

[4 years, 204 days: Jiang Xiaobai makes initial progress in the "Clear Heart Art," sensing a faint internal qi. Her talent 'Wood Affinity' upgrades to 'Wood Affinity+'.]

Yang Genshuo opened Jiang Xiaobai's Character Card.

[Wood Affinity+ (Earth Grade): Wood Cultivation Method training speed +13%, Wood Spell power +13%]

"Sure enough, after cultivating this internal qi, Jiang Xiaobai's talent evolved too. This is a powerful technique. Cultivation is all about time—a 3% increase in training speed makes a huge difference over the long years."

"With 3% more power, farming and fighting other cultivators will both be slightly stronger."

If the upgrade to Yang Shi's Mortal Grade talent [Laugh-Cry++] felt normal to Yang Genshuo, the boost to a cultivation talent's attributes made him realize this Internal Qi Cultivation Method was no simple thing.

[Divine Manifestation].

"Go ask your master—who created the 'Clear Heart Art'? What's its origin?"

"Yes, Old Ancestor!"

Yang Shi had never really looked into the origins of this technique before; he only knew that after learning it, his heart felt calm, he stayed unflustered in crises, and he could focus more on whatever he did.

Once they arrived at Liu Wuhen's home, Liu Zihan came out first.

"Senior Brother, here to see Junior Sister?"

"Uh, I'm here to see Master."

"He's busy. How about we go on an outing together? By the time we're back, he'll be done."

"Then I'll come later."

"Hmph~ boring. He's inside."

Liu Zihan stomped off in a huff.

Yang Shi smiled wryly. His master's daughter was perfect in every way, except that ever since he saved her, she'd always harbored a... special fondness for him, even after he'd married Jiang Xiaobai.

"Still don't understand my Zihan's feelings for you? You disappoint me greatly, Master."

Liu Wuhen shook his head as he walked out.

Yang Shi clasped his hands: "Master! Zihan is the jewel of your palm, and she's outstanding in her own right. Why must she entangle herself with someone already married?"

"Hmph! No ambition!"

Liu Wuhen snorted coldly: "A real man born between heaven and earth—taking three wives and four concubines is true capability. What does marriage matter!"

"Then why have you stayed single all this time, Master?"

Liu Wuhen: "..."

"Come, let me see how your Traceless Sword Technique is progressing. I'll see if your swordplay can match your tongue."

"Master, no sword practice today. I have serious business!"

Yang Shi quickly asked about the "Clear Heart Art."

Liu Wuhen showed no surprise.

"This Internal Qi Cultivation Method wasn't created by me. I obtained it by chance in my youth.

This technique has benefited me greatly. Only after reaching the Innate Grandmaster realm did I truly grasp its secrets, and that led to the good fortune of meeting your Master's Wife."

"Oh? I have a Master's Wife?"

"You really are itching for a beating, boy. Otherwise, where do you think Zihan came from?"

"Then Master's Wife..."

Yang Genshuo asked cautiously, afraid of stirring up painful memories.

Liu Wuhen gave him a speechless glance:

"Stop overthinking. Your Master's Wife is alive and well. She'd outlive you even if you died."

"Master's Wife is a Cultivator?"

"Not as dumb as you look." Liu Wuhen's gaze grew distant, as if recalling past events.

This was the first time Yang Shi had heard his master speak of his wife's identity.

"Forget it. Let's not talk about your Master's Wife. Let me tell you about the 'Clear Heart Art' instead. It was created by a remarkable man. Though an Innate Grandmaster, he could slay Qi Refinement cultivators!"

"Sss—that powerful?"

It was plausible for an Innate Grandmaster to handle a few Fetal Breath stage cultivators, but Qi Refinement meant truly stepping onto the immortal path!

Immortal arts were infinitely mysterious. An Innate Grandmaster, with only brute strength, would likely be slain from a hundred meters away before even touching his foe.

At best, he could flee.

After all, he was tough and sturdy, and his legs weren't slow.

"Who was this man?"

"His real name is unknown. In the martial world, they called him the Great Nigh Martial God, the number one Innate Grandmaster under heaven."

Yang Genshuo recorded this clue in his notebook.

"If there's ever a chance, I could have Yang Shi study under him. Maybe he could learn a few martial arts on par with the 'Clear Heart Art.'"

Based on information gathered at the last marketplace, especially from chatting with those four disciples of the Xuan Shi Sect, a person without a spiritual root had almost no chance of stepping onto the path of cultivation.

Unless they found a legendary Innate Spiritual Treasure that could reshape the body—but even the Xuan Shi Sect didn't have one of those.

Yang Genshuo felt that if such a treasure, unattainable even by the Xuan Shi Sect, didn't fall into his lap by sheer luck, Yang Shi wouldn't be worthy of pursuing it in his entire lifetime.

And if it did fall into his lap by luck? Even less likely. Yang Shi's luck was only 10 points, an utterly ordinary level—barely enough to keep life normal and avoid misfortune.

So the path of martial arts came first. As for cultivation... let the descendants handle it.

Just as Yang Genshuo was thinking this, an exciting message popped up in the game.

[Day 265, Year 4: Jiang Xiaobai is pregnant.]

[One month remains until the Qingshi Marketplace opens.]

One more chapter coming soon.