Nine Yang Art

Thankfully, they were inside the market. If they'd been outside, the other party wouldn't have wasted time talking. They would've attacked outright.

It seemed the root of all this was simply that his strength was too poor.

His cultivation realm was indeed too low. He was only at Qi Refining Layer Four, and his progress was painfully slow.

But he hadn't stopped to consider that when he'd left Green Bamboo Peak, he'd only been at Qi Refining Layer One. Now, in just over two short years, he'd reached Qi Refining Layer Four.

In other words, he'd advanced through three minor realms in a mere two years.

He'd once been stuck at Qi Refining Layer One for more than ten years. If he hadn't been able to obtain Entries, he wouldn't have made any progress at all. He might not even have made it to Yangmei Market—he'd probably have been intercepted and killed on the way.

Of course, with someone this arrogant, he couldn't sleep at night unless he taught the other party a lesson.

His cultivation realm might be inferior, but his "good little brother" was only at Qi Refining Layer Six.

For an eighteen-year-old youth to reach this level was certainly something to be proud of. He was about to enter Late Qi Refining, and that was another reason he had every right to feel proud.

But as long as the other party hadn't reached Late Qi Refining, he wasn't afraid. After all, he had Entries at his disposal and plenty of ways to attack.

So he took stock. Several Entries still remained in his mind:

One Fire Control Art Entry.

One Sky Thunder Seed x3 Entry.

Three Concealment 2 Hours Entries.

Three Fire Attribute Magic Power Amplification 2x Entries.

Four Strand of Spiritual Qi Entries.

Four Great Accomplishment Spirit Rain Technique Entries.

The key was that he could combine these Entries, and the resulting power would be tremendous.

Just three Concealment 2 Hours Entries paired with one Sky Thunder Seed x3 Entry made for a perfect sneak attack. He could probably take out his target without anyone noticing.

If that didn't work, he could use three Fire Attribute Magic Power Amplification 2x Entries with Fireball Spell. Even a fellow at Qi Refining Layer Eight would likely have to give ground.

He also had Thorn Spell and Earth Shield Spell for support and defense. Those would be enough to keep him alive.

And then there was his ultimate move: blowing up a High-grade Magic Tool. That would surely take the other party's life. In any case, he was cultivating the Minor Five Elements Art now, and the spiritual power in his Dantian was enough to rival a Qi Refining Layer Five cultivator.

As long as he acted quickly, he could get away unscathed!

After all, ever since he'd obtained the "High-grade Magic Tool x6" Entry, he'd exchanged for the items. He'd originally meant to distribute them to his younger siblings.

He'd worried they would show them off and get themselves into trouble, so they were still lying in his Storage Ring.

After all, what would other high-level cultivators think if a cultivator who hadn't even reached the middle stage of Qi Refining already had a High-grade Magic Tool?

No one said a word along the way. Most of all, Lu Wanyuan remained silent the entire time.

He was busy figuring out how to give his "good little brother" a proper welcome. After all, the man had traveled all the way to Yangmei Market as a guest. As the host, he'd feel guilty if he didn't show him some hospitality.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wanchang stood with his hands before his chest, one hand cupping his chin as his eyes darted about. No one knew what he was thinking.

Every so often, he glanced at Lu Wanyuan and the others as they walked away.

The pretty young woman beside him, dressed in a yellow skirt, noticed and hurriedly asked, "Eldest Brother, why don't we follow them now and see how they're living here in Yangmei Market?"

The girl was Xiao Wanhong. She was sixteen, at Qi Refining Layer Four, and had Three Spirit Roots. She was Xiao Wanchang's younger sister, and he doted on her.

"Wanhong, our purpose in coming here is the Auction. The Ice Grass is a spirit herb I'm determined to obtain, so don't stir up trouble or cause any complications. We're outside now, not at Green Bamboo Peak!"

"The Ice Grass is vital to my Cultivation Technique, so we can't afford to be careless. That 'good big brother' is pathetic. If I want to make trouble for him, it'll be as easy as crushing a bug. I can squeeze him however I like, and I'll make sure you get your fill of squeezing him, too!"

Xiao Wanchang glanced at Xiao Wanhong and offered her a cold reassurance.

Before they knew it, Lu Wanyuan and the others had returned to 9572 Chunfeng Road. There stood the imposing Lu Mansion.

Over the past two years, the Lu Mansion had undergone numerous repairs. The entire facade had been renovated, restoring it to its former appearance.

"Husband, what have you been thinking about all this time? Everyone's afraid to speak, and even Lei'er fell asleep."

Baili Qiuyue tugged at his arm and asked.

"Huh? We're home already? That was fast!"

Lu Wanyuan ran a hand through his hair, looking surprised.

"I was thinking about something the whole way. I didn't realize we'd be back so soon!"

"Now that we're home, dear, you and Third Brother can get everyone settled. They all look like they're starving!"

"They look as if they're about to collapse. They'll need a good rest before they recover."

Lu Wanyuan glanced at the people behind him.

"Exactly. They're practically skin and bones. I'm genuinely worried they'll keel over any second!"

Baili Qiuyue agreed.

Lu Wanyuan nodded, then walked over to the slave he'd bought for 150 Spirit Stones.

"Hello. My name is Lu Wanyuan. What's your name?"

"My name is Jiang Yun." Jiang Yun looked at the man who'd bought him, unsure what he had in mind.

"At the Tooth Agency, I had no choice but to use that method to bring you here."

"You seem like a man of character, and I know you have great ambitions. You'd surely never want to remain in a small place like mine."

"So I can give you a chance and set you free!"

Jiang Yun's eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope. He'd thought he would have to spend the rest of his life as a servant, but who could've imagined that a twist of fate would come so suddenly?

"Are you serious?"

Jiang Yun's face trembled with excitement, and his eyes glistened. After being tormented by the people at the Tooth Agency for so long, he'd finally met someone kind!

"Of course. But you know, 150 Spirit Stones could buy me quite a few servants. I don't want to lose money, so you understand what I mean, right?"

Lu Wanyuan looked at him and spoke coldly.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, just say what you want. As long as you set me free, I'll give you whatever you ask!"

"Well, Fellow Daoist Jiang, I think highly of you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have paid 150 Spirit Stones to buy you from the Tooth Agency."

"I'll give you two choices. First, serve me for fifty years, and I'll set you free. The other option is to copy your Cultivation Technique for me, without keeping anything back. Then I'll set you free right away!"

"Which one will you choose?"

At the Tooth Agency, he'd learned that although Jiang Yun was only a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator, his strength rivaled that of a Qi Refining Layer 9 cultivator.

That showed just how powerful the Cultivation Technique he practiced was.

And so he'd come up with the idea of obtaining Jiang Yun's Cultivation Technique.

Of course, seeing the man's bearing, he knew this idea was a good one.

Jiang Yun wasn't a fool. He wouldn't give up a lifetime of freedom and make himself a servant just to keep a Cultivation Technique.

The choice was obvious.

Jiang Yun fell into thought. Before long, he'd made his decision.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I choose the second option. I hope you'll keep your word. Bring me some brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and I'll copy the Cultivation Technique for you!"

"Ha, then I'll trouble you with it!"

Lu Wanyuan immediately took brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone from his pocket. He also brought out a small stool and table and set them beside him.

Jiang Yun took the writing materials, sat on the stool, spread the paper across the table, and began copying the Cultivation Technique from memory.

Baili Qiuyue and Lu Wanhe watched him from the side. Only then did they understand why Lu Wanyuan had ignored their protests and paid such a high price to buy this man.

Lu Wanyuan paid Jiang Yun no further attention. Instead, he went over to the others and spoke loudly.

When they heard what Lu Wanyuan had said, they were deeply moved by his generosity. They saw a glimmer of hope for freedom.

"It's the same for all of you. As long as you can pay the price, I'll set you free too!"

"Of course, you're all on the verge of death right now. Even if I let you go, you might just be captured again. At the moment, you can barely even survive!"

"I think it'd be best if you rested here for a while."

"Once you've rested or recovered from your injuries, if you decide you're uncomfortable staying at the Lu Mansion, you can offer me something in exchange. I'll set you free."

Everyone lowered their heads. What he said was true.

"Third Brother, take them back and get them settled. Make sure they eat their fill, then have them wash up!"

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I've finished copying it. Please check it over!"

Jiang Yun stood and handed him several sheets covered in densely packed writing. There were at least tens of thousands of characters on them.

Fortunately, cultivators had good memories. Otherwise, no one could've remembered so much.

Lu Wanyuan took the sheets and began reading them carefully.

At the top of the page were four large characters: "Nine Yang Art"!