True Essence Sword Finger

Gold, a full chest of glittering gold.

Inside the Storage Bracelet of Mountain Crossing Wind, the most eye-catching item was a chest of shimmering gold. Each ingot was a ten-tael Jin Yuanbao. A rough estimate suggested fifty ingots per layer, with about six layers, totaling approximately three thousand taels of gold.

Three thousand taels of gold was a massive fortune of thirty thousand taels of silver, nearly rivaling all the wealth Ye Zhen currently possessed.

However, this most eye-catching chest of gold was not the most valuable item in the Storage Bracelet of Mountain Crossing Wind; the most valuable things were the bottles of medicinal pills.

Ye Zhen did a rough count. There were five bottles of Condensing True Pill alone, each worth ten thousand taels of silver. These five bottles alone were worth a staggering fifty thousand taels.

There was only a little over one bottle of Blood Origin Pill, worth two thousand taels of silver per bottle; it seemed Mountain Crossing Wind had little use for them and didn't keep much in stock. What puzzled Ye Zhen was that the most abundant item in the Storage Bracelet of Mountain Crossing Wind was a type of pill called the Essence Tempering Pill.

The Essence Tempering Pill was a supplementary pill; consuming it did not directly increase cultivation, but it helped a martial artist temper their True Essence, making it more refined.

There were as many as ten bottles of these Essence Tempering Pills in the Storage Bracelet of Mountain Crossing Wind, even more than the Condensing True Pills that increased cultivation, which left Ye Zhen somewhat confused.

However, when Ye Zhen's gaze fell upon the two manuals in the corner of the Storage Bracelet, he understood immediately.

Two cultivation manuals, one named the True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger!

The other was the Flowing Water Cotton Palm mentioned by Commandery Guard Captain Guan Ping. After flipping through them briefly, Ye Zhen understood that the Essence Tempering Pills in the Storage Bracelet of Mountain Crossing Wind were all prepared for the True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger.

After finishing the True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger, a cold sweat broke out on Ye Zhen's back. It was fortunate that Mountain Crossing Wind had not mastered this True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger; if he had, Ye Zhen might have already become a cold corpse.

The True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger, was a special method for utilizing True Essence. It was said that the Qi Yun Sect had similar methods, but True Essence Secret Techniques were extremely powerful and precious; let alone an Outer Disciple like Ye Zhen, even Inner Disciples were not easily taught them.

Once mastered, the True Essence Sword Finger was very simple: by using a special method to stimulate True Essence, one could condense a True Essence Sword Finger at the tip of the finger.

Depending on one's cultivation, the condensed True Essence Sword Finger could not only be adjusted in length at will, but its power was comparable to a divine weapon. Most importantly, once mastered, this True Essence Sword Finger could be used in conjunction with any martial art.

Take Ye Zhen's Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand as an example. Originally, when he pointed a finger at an opponent, the opponent's defense would revolve entirely around that incoming finger.

But if he mastered this Finger Sword Art, the moment he was two feet from the opponent's throat and the opponent moved to block, the True Essence Sword Finger would erupt in an instant, and there would only be one result!

The throat would be pierced!

If mastered, this True Essence Sword Finger was simply ghostly and unpredictable, making it impossible to guard against.

However, to master this True Essence Sword Finger, besides requiring a deep reservoir of True Essence, it had extremely high requirements for the purity of the True Essence, demanding it be as pure as mercury.

Mountain Crossing Wind kept a large quantity of Essence Tempering Pills in his Storage Bracelet specifically to temper his True Essence, with the intention of mastering the True Essence Sword Finger as a killing move.

"It requires extremely pure True Essence. I wonder if the purity of my True Essence is enough?"

After reading the manual for the True Essence Sword Finger, Ye Zhen couldn't help but feel eager to try.

Without delay, Ye Zhen followed the cultivation methods recorded in the True Essence Sword Finger manual step by step, attempting to practice it.

Don't let the simplicity of the steps fool you; the method of stimulating the True Essence was extremely cryptic, involving several meridians Ye Zhen didn't even know existed in the sequence of True Essence circulation.

After more than half an hour, Ye Zhen suddenly felt a tightness at the tip of his index finger. Chi!

A visible, pure cyan True Essence sword aura emitted a faint sound of breaking air, appearing abruptly at the tip of Ye Zhen's index finger, flickering in and out as the strength of his True Essence stimulation varied.

Swish!

With a light flick, a spear made of refined steel standing in the military tent was sliced into two by Ye Zhen's True Essence Sword Finger, the cut as smooth as jade and clear as a mirror.

Hiss!

Ye Zhen gasped in shock.

He wasn't surprised that he had mastered the True Essence Sword Finger in a short time; the Essence Blood Origin Body Art he practiced previously and the Primal Chaos Unity Art he practiced now both placed great emphasis on tempering True Essence.

Furthermore, he possessed a rare treasure like the Mirage Dragon Pearl within his body, which could continuously temper his True Essence, making it incomparably pure. Therefore, mastering the True Essence Sword Finger now was a logical and natural progression.

What surprised Ye Zhen was the power of this True Essence Sword Finger.

If this sword were to strike a person, there would be no chance of survival. In an attack, if he launched a surprise strike, who could block it?

Perhaps only an existence at the third level of the True Essence Realm who had condensed a Body-Protecting True Gang could block it. However, even for such an existence, to block this True Essence Sword Finger, their True Essence would have to be as pure as Ye Zhen's.

"A True Essence Secret Technique, truly powerful!"

The power of this True Essence Secret Technique, True Essence Sword Finger, was too great. If used properly at a critical moment, it would be a trump card to defeat the enemy.

The only drawback was that the consumption of True Essence was too high. Ye Zhen had only maintained this True Essence Sword Finger for a hundred breaths, and more than half of the True Essence in his dantian had been consumed.

However, in the face of such immense power, this drawback of the True Essence Sword Finger was no drawback at all.

Putting this manual back into the Storage Bracelet, Ye Zhen was exceptionally happy. Compared to that chest of gold and all those medicinal pills, the most valuable harvest was this True Essence Sword Finger.

This kind of True Essence manual was of immeasurable value; it was something one could only hope to encounter, not seek out.

Calming his mood, Ye Zhen picked up the Flowing Water Cotton Palm to look at it.

The Flowing Water Cotton Palm, a Human-tier Low Grade martial art, had a momentum as continuous as water. Once unleashed, the force was endless and its power immense. If cultivated to a high level, its fist momentum would be like a whirlpool in water; once caught in it, it would be extremely difficult to break free. It was a rather sophisticated fist technique that focused on striking after the opponent.

After flipping through it, although he hadn't practiced it, the subtleties of the Flowing Water Cotton Palm were already clear to Ye Zhen.

The strength and subtlety of many martial arts lay in the opponent's ignorance. If one understood them, like the Flowing Water Cotton Palm, which relied on its continuous fist momentum, it would be extremely difficult to deal with before obtaining the manual.

Now that Ye Zhen knew all the subtleties of the Flowing Water Cotton Palm, although he hadn't practiced it, breaking it would be as easy as turning over his hand.

Ye Zhen believed that if Mountain Crossing Wind were standing in front of him again, relying on his pure True Essence, defeating him would be effortless.

The next day, Ye Zhen returned to Wuan Commandery City with the Commandery Guard Captain Guan Ping.

"Brother Ye, could you perhaps rest in the commandery city for a few days?" As Ye Zhen was taking his leave, the Commandery Guard Captain Guan Ping suddenly spoke up.

"Why?"

"Brother Ye, it's like this: for killing Mountain Crossing Wind, besides the Military Merit, there is also a bounty from the commandery. However, the issuance of the commandery bounty requires the Commandery Governor's approval and seal. As it happens, the Governor is out inspecting the various counties, so you would need to wait a few days, Brother."

"A bounty? The brothers suffered heavy casualties; I don't need this bounty, just distribute it among them!" Ye Zhen was still young and hot-blooded; after spending the better part of the day together, he had already grown close to this group of soldiers from the commandery office.

Commandery Guard Captain Guan Ping's old face flushed red, and he shook his head hurriedly: "Brother Ye, you've already done more than enough by sharing your Military Merit with the brothers. If we were to take this bounty, would we even be human?"

After a pause, Guan Ping added: "Brother Ye, why not stay for two or three days? The Commandery Governor will be back by then. Besides, the brothers were hoping to get drunk with you..."

"Brother Guan, I am truly eager to return home..." Ye Zhen looked apologetic.

Guan Ping frowned: "Since that's the case, I'll hold onto this bounty for you. With me here, it definitely won't go anywhere. Come, let me see you out of the city. Brother Ye, if you ever run into any trouble in Wuan Commandery, just mention my name. In this Wuan Commandery, there isn't a soul who wouldn't give me some face..."

Halfway through his sentence, Guan Ping suddenly stopped: "Look at me, with Brother Ye's cultivation, what could you possibly fail to handle in Wuan Commandery?"

"I'll remember Brother Guan's kindness, but I actually do have one thing I'd like to trouble you with!"

As he spoke, Ye Zhen handed over the several Monster Beast hides he had been carrying on his back, along with various scraps from the beasts, including the skin of the Phantom Snake King, to Guan Ping.

"Brother Guan, I am in a rush to return and really cannot wait. I'll have to trouble you to handle these Monster Beast hides for me. Also, for this Phantom Snake King skin, please find a craftsman to make me two sets of fitted leather armor."

"Brother, rest assured. With me here, I will definitely sell these for a good price. Come, let me see you out of the city!"

Upon reaching the city gate, Guan Ping suddenly pulled Ye Zhen aside and said: "Brother Ye, I heard that when you raided the bandit lair that day, He Bancheng offered a bounty of half his family fortune. Now that his daughter has been rescued, he seems to have forgotten all about it.

How about it? Do you want me to help you lean on He Bancheng and make him cough up the bounty he promised?"

Hearing this, Ye Zhen laughed magnanimously: "When I raided the lair of Mountain Crossing Wind that day, it was only for the sake of justice, simply because those people were too cruel—they didn't even spare young children.

Even without He Bancheng's bounty, I would have charged into Half-Step Many without a second thought.

Blood splashing three feet, how could it be for a bounty?

Brother Guan, I take my leave now!"

With a flick of the reins, the Silver-Horned Horse beneath Ye Zhen bolted forward like the wind, leaving the Commandery Guard Captain Guan Ping standing there in a daze. A long while later, Guan Ping gave a distant thumbs-up to Ye Zhen, who was now nothing more than a black speck in the distance!

************

PS: A quick word to the brothers: Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a real nuisance, so I can't guarantee the timing of updates for the next two or three days. However, Pig Three guarantees two chapters every day.

Finally, I have to ask the brothers for some recommendation votes.

We have the Sanjiang plane, and our collection count has broken through the 8,000 mark, so why are our stats so much lower than other books with fewer collections? I won't go into the reasons; you brothers all know. I ask that you lend Pig Three a helping hand!

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