Half an hour later, Jiang Liu lifted the lid, and an even richer aroma wafted out.
Jiang Liu took a sniff and his appetite was whetted. He immediately threw down the lid, picked up the stone pot with both hands, and prepared to feast.
Suddenly a loud shout rang out, "Boy, put that pot of stuff down and let this old man have a taste first!"
Jiang Liu ignored him and gulped down the soup in one go. Just as he was about to continue eating the Rainbow Tail Bird Meat and Jade Bamboo Shoots, a disheveled old man appeared in front of Jiang Liu.
He was wearing clothes covered in patches, his hair was a mess and tied up with a rope, and his shoes were so worn that his toes were sticking out. A strange odor emanated from him.
Jiang Liu frowned, feeling nauseous at the sight, and said coldly, "Get lost." Anyone would be in a bad mood if an old man like this suddenly appeared just as they were about to eat.
"Hey kid, can't you be a little more polite when you talk to an old man?" the disheveled old man said with a laugh.
"Do I know you? Why should I be polite to you?" Jiang Liu said, dissatisfied.
"What an rude brat. Alright, enough with the nonsense. How about I take that pot of soup you're holding?"
"Not good? Get lost, don't ruin my appetite."
"How about I trade you something?"
Jiang Liu looked him up and down, the meaning clear: You're so poor, what good stuff do you have left?
The disheveled old man was immediately enraged by Jiang Liu. His finger trembled as he pointed at Jiang Liu and said, "Don't look down on me! Let me tell you, I have plenty of treasures."
"Oh! So what?" Jiang Liu said indifferently.
"Well, well, I'm just asking you, are you going to exchange it or not?" The disheveled old man's tone softened considerably.
Jiang Liu ignored the disheveled old man, sat down anywhere, and prepared to eat.
Seeing that Jiang Liu was ignoring him, the disheveled old man became anxious. He immediately took out his belongings, threw them to Jiang Liu, snatched the stone pot from Jiang Liu's hand, and ran away in a flash.
Jiang Liu stared blankly at his Kong Kong hands, then at the disheveled old man and the small cloth bag lying on the ground. He hadn't expected this old man to be so formidable. He had actually managed to snatch something from his hands, and he hadn't even been able to fight back.
It turned out that when the disheveled old man snatched the stone pot, Jiang Liu felt a slight tingling in his head, which was why he was momentarily stunned. He only came to his senses after the old man had taken the stone pot away.
Jiang Liu picked up the cloth bag the disheveled old man had tossed aside and found a book and a jade pendant with a unique pattern inside. The book bore the inscription: "Annihilation by Thought," and nothing else.
He opened the book and read it through. "Ding! Heaven Grade, Peak Rank cultivation technique, Annihilation by Thought, have been discovered. Do you wish to add it?" Yes! The system immediately updated: Cultivation Technique: Annihilation by Thought (Heaven Grade, Peak Rank 0/800).
Jiang Liu was startled. This was the most difficult introductory technique recorded so far, even harder to learn than the Soul Technique. This disheveled old man was no ordinary person.
Then he took out the jade pendant and looked at it. One side had the ancient seal script character for "soul," and the other side had a strange pattern.
While Jiang Liu was examining the things the disheveled old man had left behind, the old man was already feasting on his food. Between bites, he complained, "This kid ruined all these Jade Bamboo Shoots. They taste much better stir-fried!"
"I didn't expect that kid to have reached the Seventh Grade at such a young age, and even mastered the basics of the Soul Technique! Haha, it seems I can finally relieve myself of this burden! Kid, the important task of developing Soul Valley is entrusted to a young man like you! It's time for this old man to enjoy himself."
Jiang Liu, who had been tricked, was still secretly delighted to have obtained Heaven Grade, Peak Rank cultivation technique!
Following the operating method of "Annihilation by Thought," he first extracted a wisp of spiritual power from his mind, solidified it, and controlled it to fly towards a large tree on one side.
"Whoosh!" It passed right through. This spiritual power can transform from intangible to tangible! And it can even control its shape at will. This technique is amazing!
However, after using it only once, I could feel my mental energy decreasing. This technique consumes a lot of mental energy.
Wait a minute, something feels off. This technique seems to be used in conjunction with the Soul Technique. Otherwise, how could it have been executed so smoothly in one go?
Jiang Liu immediately realized he had been tricked. That slovenly old man was definitely from Soul Valley. He must have had a way of detecting that Jiang Liu had cultivated the Soul Technique and even reached the basics. He must have taken a liking to Jiang Liu's talent, otherwise Jiang Liu would be in grave danger by now.
He felt a chill run down his spine; the mystery of Soul Valley was truly everywhere. Next time, if he encountered martial arts from another sect, he would have to be more careful when trying to learn them.
Actually, Jiang Liu was overthinking it. In the entire Jianghu, only Soul Valley specializes in cultivating the soul, which is why it has a unique "scent." Anyone from Soul Valley can be recognized as soon as they get close. Jiang Liu couldn't smell the slovenly old man's scent because he was initially drawn to him and didn't notice him.
As for martial arts from other schools, if you don't use them, who will know you've learned them? Or you could eliminate anyone who does know. Who else would know?
This is practically the sixth brother's signature technique! His energy attacks have Ice Blade, and his soul attacks have the Annihilation by Thought. Jiang Liu chuckled as he imagined this wonderful scenario!
Jiang Liu began to absorb the beast core for cultivation using his inner energy cultivation technique. The Jade Bamboo Shoots soup he had drunk earlier had already taken effect, indeed increasing his spiritual power, and his proficiency in the Soul Technique was gradually increasing. Thinking that he still had two Jade Bamboo Shoots in his bag, he felt quite pleased.
The next morning, Jiang Liu, who had been cultivating with beast cores all night, slowly stood up. Looking at the 300+ Qi increase on his Data Panel, he nodded in satisfaction. It seemed he would soon reach the eighth rank.