Spirit Master Secrets, Exchanging Cultivation Methods

Under Wu Si'an's guidance, Li Yuan arrived at a three-story stone building, the designated place for exchanges within the Special Capture Division.

The stone walls of the building were covered in runes, intricately connecting to form various formations.

"This is where the Special Capture Division exchanges items for contributions," Wu Si'an explained.

At the entrance of the stone building stood a long desk, behind which sat two stewards. Anyone interested in an item needed to approach them for an exchange.

As Li Yuan and Wu Si'an entered, the two stewards at the entrance recognized Wu Si'an and chuckled, "Wu Si'an, here to exchange something again?"

Wu Si'an grinned back, "Went on a mission yesterday and earned a little something."

Inside, rows of wooden shelves were filled with all sorts of items.

Walking past the shelves, the sheer variety of goods dazzled Li Yuan. The stone building had three floors. The first floor displayed various weapons, talismans, and elixirs. The second floor housed different martial arts techniques, including mid-grade and low-grade ones.

The third floor, however, contained the truly exceptional items. These included high-grade martial arts, which Li Yuan had been longing for, Rune Soldiers with incredibly potent abilities, and even Spirit Arts used by Spirit Masters were available for exchange!

Li Yuan, astonished, picked up a book titled "Spirit Light Curse." It was a relatively simple Spirit Art that could convert spiritual energy from the heavens and earth into flames.

"They even have Spirit Arts for exchange here?"

"Don't the Spirit Masters have a problem with this?"

Li Yuan knew very little about Spirit Masters. He had heard before that their lineages were passed down through families, with their Spirit Arts kept secret within the family.

Yet, here were Spirit Arts openly displayed on a shelf.

Wu Si'an walked over, "What problem could they have? These Spirit Arts were placed here by them."

After some explanation, Li Yuan understood the situation.

The talent for Spirit Arts was often hereditary, passed down through bloodlines. Descendants of Spirit Masters had a high probability of also being Spirit Masters, which was why their legacies were typically kept within the family.

However, there were always exceptions. Occasionally, individuals outside of Spirit Master families would exhibit Spirit Art aptitude. If they discovered this potential, they could come here to exchange for Spirit Arts to cultivate.

If they achieved some success, they might even be accepted into a Spirit Master family, perhaps as a son-in-law.

The world had changed drastically, with malevolent entities rampant. Spirit Masters were constantly busy dealing with these threats, and their family members had suffered heavy casualties. Consequently, they had made some adjustments, needing to recruit fresh talent from the outside.

"It's quite rare for them to recruit new Spirit Masters from the outside, at least not in our Nine Rivers region."

"It seems there were two new Spirit Masters in Willow Township to the north, and they were absorbed into a Spirit Master family."

Wu Si'an knew many secrets related to Spirit Masters. After his detailed explanation, Li Yuan's understanding of Spirit Masters deepened.

The means to test for Spirit Art aptitude were also available within this stone building. The two of them returned to the first floor entrance. The stewards retrieved a crystal-like stone from a cabinet behind them. Within it, a clear, milky white spiritual energy swirled.

A Spirit Stone!

"Young man, this is your first time here, isn't it?" the steward at the stone building asked Li Yuan with a smile, not recognizing him.

Li Yuan nodded, "Yes."

The steward shook his head helplessly. Almost everyone who came to the building, upon seeing the Spirit Art legacies, would eagerly rush to test their Spirit Art aptitude.

Spirit Arts possessed an extremely high floor for power. Even the weakest Spirit Master, as long as they could master a Spirit Art, could rival a True Qi Realm martial artist in combat strength. It was an irresistible allure.

They had seen countless people rushing to test their aptitude, so they were unfazed. The steward handed the Spirit Stone to Li Yuan, "Then, give it a try."

Taking the Spirit Stone, Li Yuan noticed a swirling rune on its surface. The rune emitted a faint glow. Through this rune, he felt a special connection established between himself and the Spirit Stone.

With this connection, if he could stimulate the wisp of spiritual energy within the stone and cause it to change, it would indicate that the tester possessed Spirit Master aptitude.

Li Yuan tried several times but, to his dismay, found himself unable to elicit any reaction from the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stone.

"It seems I really don't have Spirit Art aptitude."

Disappointed, Li Yuan returned the Spirit Stone, deciding to stick to practicing martial arts diligently.

His [Divine Wisdom] talent could elevate his martial dao wisdom to its peak, but it didn't mention anything about elevating Spirit Art wisdom to its peak. Even if he possessed some aptitude for Spirit Arts, it was unlikely to receive the boon of [Divine Wisdom].

His foundation remained firmly in the martial dao. Not being able to cultivate Spirit Arts didn't bring him significant regret. If he could walk far enough on the path of martial arts, his achievements would not be inferior to the most elite Spirit Masters.

Li Yuan returned to the second floor, beginning to select suitable items for exchange.

After the recent trip to Changgan, where he fiercely battled numerous zombies and evil ghosts, Li Yuan had identified several critical issues. He intended to specifically acquire some martial dao cultivation methods to address them.

After careful selection, Li Yuan chose a martial art: [Water Dripping Condensing Ice Meditation Method].

This was a secret martial dao technique that involved the spiritual domain. The martial art contained two visualization diagrams. Visualizing these diagrams could not only temper spiritual power but also cultivate a special type of internal energy: Ice Force!

This was a technique Li Yuan had chosen after much deliberation. During his fight against the half-step Blood-Robed Evil Ghost in Changgan, other martial artists, due to their weak spiritual power, had fallen prey to its illusionary attacks.

Only Li Yuan was immune to the evil ghost's illusions. He had mastered the Martial Dao True Intent [Dragon's Bloodshed], which provided extremely high resistance to attacks originating from the spiritual domain. Martial Dao True Intent was a very rare and precious power.

It was incredibly difficult for martial artists to cultivate Martial Dao True Intent. Cultivation in the spiritual domain was essential; without strong spiritual power, it was impossible to achieve Martial Dao True Intent. This [Water Dripping Condensing Ice Meditation Method] was a secret technique specifically designed to temper the spirit.

However, spiritual power was a mysterious and elusive concept. It was extremely difficult for ordinary martial artists to cultivate such methods; only individuals like Li Yuan were qualified.

Li Yuan's spiritual power was already not weak. Combining it with a meditation method was a deliberate choice. After days of exploring [Dragon's Bloodshed], he discovered that the stronger his spiritual power, the more potent [Dragon's Bloodshed] would become. In turn, the growth of [Dragon's Bloodshed] would enhance his spiritual power. The two were mutually reinforcing.

Furthermore, Li Yuan had a premonition that if he could continuously strengthen his spiritual power, elevating it to a level unimaginable to ordinary martial artists, there would undoubtedly be unexpected benefits!

Li Yuan had earned 160 contribution points from this mission. This meditation method cost 120 points. After this exchange, his remaining contribution points would be quite limited.

During his time in Changgan, Li Yuan had selected a Rune Soldier longsword for himself. He intended to learn swordsmanship, but his current contribution points were insufficient. High-grade martial arts, often costing over a thousand points, were out of reach. Even a mid-grade martial art would cost over a hundred points, which he also couldn't afford at the moment.

But none of that mattered. Sword techniques were taught at the martial arts school, so he could go back and learn from Qi Zhengyang. This way, he could save his contribution points for learning swordplay.

With forty contribution points remaining, Li Yuan wandered around the second floor. He exchanged his points for another low-grade martial art: Ground Rolling Fist!

Li Yuan had given considerable thought to why he chose this particular technique.

Ground Rolling Fist earned its name because its punches often involved rolling and falling. It used grappling and tumbling moves to lure enemies into a trap, allowing one to snatch victory from defeat.

Simply put, the characteristic of Ground Rolling Fist was its extremely low center of gravity. It could be executed even while lying on the ground, specifically targeting an opponent's lower body. Even Chen Haihuang would have praised its effectiveness!

This world was so dangerous. Who could guarantee they wouldn't encounter trouble or end up in a bad situation?

As long as he learned Ground Rolling Fist, no matter if he was forced to his knees or knocked to the ground, what difference would it make?

As long as he wasn't killed, he could still fight while lying down!

After acquiring Ground Rolling Fist, Li Yuan felt a surge of satisfaction. He now had another trump card for survival.

With the last twenty contribution points, Li Yuan went to the first floor and exchanged them for some commonly used talismans for exorcism and detoxification for when he went out.

Having spent all his contribution points, Li Yuan was content. Beside him, Wu Si'an had also finished exchanging for what he needed.

The two of them set off together, heading towards the martial arts school.

Next, it was time for some enjoyable martial arts practice.