Jiang Liu invited Old Man Tianhun into the mansion and had tea served. Afterward, the two began to talk in detail.
"In fact, according to the historical records of our Soul Valley, our Soul Valley already existed during the Qin Dynasty," Old Man Tianhun said.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu realized that the history of Soul Valley was indeed very long. The Great Qin Dynasty was the dynasty before the Great Zhou Dynasty, which in turn was the dynasty before the Great Qian Dynasty.
The history of Soul Valley is at least over a thousand years.
Legend has it that the Qin Dynasty was the golden age of cultivation, with Grandmaster everywhere.
Most importantly, there were Saint Realm cultivators in the Qin Dynasty.
Perhaps it's because of the inevitable decline after reaching its peak, but since the fall of the Qin Dynasty, no Saint Realm cultivator has ever appeared in the entire world again.
However, back then, cultivators weren't called martial artists, but rather Qi Refiner.
Because martial artists cultivate by absorbing vital energy, they are called Qi Refiner.
As for why they are now called martial artists, Jiang Liu didn't know the reason.
"Moreover, strictly speaking, Corpse Valley, Ghost School, Exotic Beast Valley, and our Soul Valley are all from the same sect."
When Jiang Liu heard Old Man Tianhun say this, he was taken aback. He never expected that there was such a connection between these forces.
"What? Does that seem incredible?" Old Man Tianhun smiled and asked.
Jiang Liu nodded, expressing his question.
"You don't need to be surprised. Any powerful sect or faction that has existed for a long time has a deep connection with each other."
"It's just that due to various reasons, we've split into our own sects and factions."
"Putting everything else aside, aren't the current Exotic Weapon Valley and Hundred Craft Hall both established by disciples who came from the Weapon Forging Sect? So, fundamentally speaking, they can be considered fellow disciples!"
Jiang Liu nodded, indicating his agreement with this statement.
Jiang Liu himself knew that the Flowing Cloud Sect and the Star Moon Sect belonged to this category.
They split into two factions for certain reasons, and have remained hostile to each other ever since.
The Old Man Tianhun continued, "Actually, as things have developed to this point, we can say that we have no connection with those forces at all. It's just that there are still some similarities between our cultivation techniques."
"For so long, our Soul Valley has only focused on cultivating the soul, while neglecting the foundation of the physical body, which is why we are in this situation now," the Old Man Tianhun said with a sigh.
"This is the reason why our Soul Valley has declined to this point. It's just a flaw in our cultivation technique, and there's nothing I can do about it."
Now Jiang Liu understood why Soul Valley, despite being a power with a history spanning millennia, was declining.
For a martial artist to advance to the Peak Grandmaster or Saint Realm, the cultivation of spiritual power, vital energy, and physical body is indispensable, and these three aspects must be maintained in balance to advance.
Soul Valley, on the other hand, focuses solely on cultivating spiritual power, with vital energy as a secondary consideration, and physical body as the least important.
This results in the people of Soul Valley having the shortest lifespans among martial artists, at least much shorter than those of martial artists of the same level.
The main reason for this is that the physical training of the Soul Valley warriors is not keeping up.
In fact, the initial training and body tempering for ordinary martial artists is actually aimed at prolonging their lifespan.
Extending one's lifespan is also a preparation for advancing to a higher realm.
After all, how can one advance to a higher level of skill without long-term honing? Where are there so many people with unparalleled talent?
The cultivation methods of Soul Valley are reversed, leaving Jiang Liu speechless.
Suddenly, Jiang Liu thought that if Soul Valley and Corpse Valley were of the same origin, then could the cultivation techniques of Corpse Valley be complementary to those of Soul Valley?
After all, the cultivation techniques of Corpse Valley make one's physical body extremely powerful. Jiang Liu still envies the Corpse King's physical strength to this day.
However, the thought of the evil cultivation methods in Corpse Valley sent a chill down Jiang Liu's spine, and he decided it was best not to mention it.
The Old Man Tianhun thought Jiang Liu was also lamenting the fate of Soul Valley, and continued, "Now our Soul Valley is being targeted by this unknown force, and we don't know why."
"Since our Soul Valley began to decline, we have slowly hidden ourselves away. We don't know who put our Soul Valley's name into the folk songs of the Jianghu."
"After all, in terms of the power in the Jianghu songs, our Soul Valley is definitely at the bottom."
"So now I suspect that this is definitely a deliberate act targeting our forces. If I find him, I will skin him alive."
After the Old Man Tianhun finished speaking, a fierce expression immediately appeared on his face.
This matter is probably the main reason why Soul Valley is currently in turmoil, which is why Old Man Tianhun is acting this way.
Jiang Liu nodded and said, "Soul Old, since even you have no clue, then you should stay here for the time being!"
"After a while, the forces behind it will naturally come to light. After all, they have been planning for so long, they certainly won't give up halfway."
"Alright! That's all we can do for now. Please keep an eye on things. I'll be relying on you a lot during this time." The Old Man Tianhun nodded to Jiang Liu and said gratefully.
Afterwards, Old Man Tianhun bid farewell to Jiang Liu, as he needed to keep an eye on so many disciples and followers who were new to Yuncheng.
Moreover, the presence of unknown enemies lurking in the shadows made Old Man Tianhun even more uneasy.
Jiang Liu didn't try to keep him any longer, and immediately arranged for people to take Old Man Tianhun to the accommodation arranged for Soul Valley.
Because he also needed to make arrangements for some people in the courtyard where Soul Valley and the others were to live.
Although Jiang Liu can be said to have completely controlled Yuncheng now, there are almost no blind spots in the surveillance of the entire city.
However, who knows what crazy things those forces in the shadows might do? So it's best to be cautious in everything you do.
Furthermore, he instructed Listening Wind Pavilion to strengthen security and early warning systems throughout Yuncheng during this period.
After all, now that Soul Valley, this unstable factor, has entered Cloud City, who knows what kind of crisis it will bring to Cloud City?
Then, Jiang Liu called over the messenger from the Listening Wind Pavilion and asked her to call Qin Bailian and Yi Yue over.
Qin Bailian and Yi Yue had led their team back to Yuncheng two days ago. After making proper arrangements for the injured, they came to report to Jiang Liu.
Not long after, Qin Bailian and Yi Yue arrived at Jiang Liu's place.
"My lord! You were looking for us?" Qin Bailian and Yi Yue bowed to Jiang Liu together.
Jiang Liu waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, please sit down!"
The two smiled and then sat down.
Then, Jiang Liu told the two about Soul Valley.
After hearing this, both of them immediately frowned.
Seeing that the two seemed to know something, Jiang Liu quickly asked, "Do you know what happened?"