Azure Origin Technique

After completing the tenth level of the Azure Origin Technique, his True Qi had become far purer than that of cultivators at the same stage. Lin Ye's cultivation had also broken through in the process, reaching the sixth level of Body Tempering.

He raised his hand. True Qi swirled in his palm, gathering into a small green vortex, and eleven faint markings appeared at its center.

According to the Azure Origin Technique, the True Qi Realm had nine levels, and each level could be tempered through "nine turns." At the ninth level, that made a total of eighty-one turns. But the technique he had derived went further: beyond the ninth level lay a tenth, eleventh, and twelfth. The road ahead was far from ending.

"A hundred turns of True Qi, condensing into liquid and forming a protective aura—that's already beyond the scope of an ordinary True Qi Realm cultivator." Lin Ye murmured, letting the vortex dissipate from his fingertips. "But I'm still stuck in the Body Tempering Realm. It's too soon to worry about any of that."

By making it into the top hundred of the outer sect competition, he had gained a little renown among the Qingyun Sect's thousands of outer disciples. But he didn't dare grow careless. Those who shone too brightly were bound to invite trouble; only by keeping a low profile and hiding his true abilities could he develop in peace.

The Mission Hall was noisy and bustling, with disciples jostling to claim tasks. Lost in the crowd, he attracted no attention. He didn't take a task, merely pausing in front of the mission board long enough to memorize a few suitable ones before leaving.

He headed straight for Chuangong Hall. It was quiet and solemn inside, a stark contrast to the commotion of the Mission Hall. The elder on duty glanced up at him and said flatly, "Miscellaneous books cost one contribution point a day. How many do you want to borrow?"

"Three books, for three days." Lin Ye answered respectfully and offered his disciple token with both hands.

The elder swiped a finger over it, deducted three contribution points, then casually tossed him the books. "Make sure you return them in three days. You'll be charged double if they're late."

"Yes, I'll remember." Lin Ye caught the books, put them away, and left, heading for a secluded spot in the rear mountain.

The cave he was going to had been discovered three days ago. Its entrance was concealed by tangled vines and scattered rocks, making it exceptionally well-hidden—the most suitable place for him to hide and cultivate for now. When he reached it, he first looked around warily. After confirming no one was nearby, he set an alarm formation at the entrance, then ducked inside and went deeper into the cave.

The cave was dim. Lin Ye lit an oil lamp, sat on a rock, and began leafing through the books. The Qingyun Sect Topography Overview detailed the layout of the outer and inner sects, the rear mountain, and the forbidden grounds. He noticed a hidden ravine deep in the rear mountain, where the spiritual energy was thirty percent denser than outside, but demonic beasts often roamed there. He immediately decided to stay away for now.

He opened the Eastern Region Beast Compendium. The habits, weaknesses, and exchange values of hundreds of demonic beasts were laid out before him. He studied them one by one, focusing on several suitable targets: the mid-stage, first-level Shadow Wolf, swift and vulnerable around the waist and abdomen, whose pelt could be exchanged for ten contribution points and whose beast core was worth twenty; the late-stage, first-level Poison-Patterned Python, venomous and fatally vulnerable at its seventh scale, whose gall was worth thirty points and skin fifteen; and the peak, first-level Iron-Armored Bear, with hide as tough as iron and formidable strength, vulnerable at the eyes and anus, whose paws and gall could fetch ninety points. He quietly calculated that with his current cultivation, he could hunt these beasts alone without much difficulty.

Then he opened Common Herb Identification and committed the value of each kind of herb to memory. A low-grade mortal-level Blood-Coagulating Grass was worth one contribution point per stalk; a mid-grade Qi-Gathering Flower, five; and a high-grade Purple Ginseng was the most valuable, worth twenty points apiece. Lin Ye considered the matter. If he happened upon a few stalks of Purple Ginseng, he could quickly build up his contribution points, but the herb was hard to come by. As for the early-stage, second-level Green-Scaled Python, its strength rivaled that of a cultivator in the first or second level of the True Qi Realm. He couldn't hope to face it now and would have to wait until he was strong enough.

After committing the contents of all three books to memory, Lin Ye sat cross-legged and began circulating the Azure Origin Technique with his eyes closed.

When Lin Ye finished cultivating and left the cave, it was already evening. He concealed his aura and made his way to the pine forest on the western side of the rear mountain, where Shadow Wolves frequently came to drink.

He hid behind a large tree and waited for prey to appear. About half an hour later, a rustling came from the forest, and a Shadow Wolf emerged at a leisurely pace. It was powerfully built, with strength comparable to the peak of the fifth level of Body Tempering.

Shadow Wolves were naturally wary. It looked and sniffed about, and only after making sure there was no danger did it lower its head and approach the stream to drink. Lin Ye took out a short bolt, set it in his hand crossbow, aimed at the wolf's waist and abdomen, and squeezed the trigger. The bolt shot through the air.

The Shadow Wolf had keen hearing and immediately sprang aside at the sound. But Lin Ye had already anticipated its movement. He fired two more bolts in rapid succession, sealing off every possible escape route. With a soft thud, one bolt struck the wolf's hind leg. The anesthetic quickly seeped into its body. Howling low with pain, the wolf turned and tried to flee into the dense woods.

The moment Lin Ye saw this, he rushed out from behind the tree. He channeled True Qi into his legs and lunged after the wolf in an instant, then gathered all his strength and slammed a fist into its waist and abdomen. A loud crash rang out. The Shadow Wolf let out a piercing howl as its spine snapped, its massive body smashing heavily to the ground, unable to struggle any longer. Lin Ye drew the short knife at his waist and drove it into the wolf's throat, ending its life for good.

After confirming the Shadow Wolf was completely dead, he quickly set to work on the carcass. He skinned it carefully, removed its beast core, then cut off its most valuable fangs and claws, packing all the spoils into a cloth bag.

With the spoils on his back, Lin Ye deliberately took the long way around. He kept a wary eye on his surroundings the entire way and only slipped back to the cave after confirming no one was following him.

After stowing the spoils, Lin Ye sat cross-legged once more and devoted himself to cultivation, not daring to slack off for even a moment. For the next three days, he kept an especially low profile. By day, he stayed shut inside his dormitory, pretending to be recovering from injuries in seclusion, and rarely spoke with the other disciples. After nightfall, he quietly slipped into the rear mountain to hunt. He deliberately rotated his targets, hunting Shadow Wolves one day and Poison-Patterned Pythons the next, occasionally gathering a few herbs along the way. He acted cautiously and never pushed his luck. Over the three days, he accumulated eighty-nine contribution points—not too many, not too few, just enough to avoid drawing attention.

The next morning, Lin Ye changed back into the ordinary uniform of a sect disciple, once again looking utterly unremarkable, and went to the Mission Hall to exchange his spoils for contribution points. He didn't turn everything in at once, but exchanged it in batches.

The deacon responsible for exchanges handled countless missions every day and paid no attention to an ordinary outer disciple like him. He checked the materials, credited the points, and tossed Lin Ye's token back. Lin Ye took it and glanced down. The contribution points displayed clearly: 327.

"It's time to exchange for another technique." Lin Ye thought to himself. He put away the token and didn't head straight to Chuangong Hall, returning to his lodgings first.

As soon as he pushed the door open, the smell of blood drifted out. Lin Ye looked up and saw Zhou Ming sitting on his bed, his face pale and his right arm wrapped in bandages. His injuries looked serious.

"Senior Brother Zhou, what happened to you? How did you get so badly hurt?" Lin Ye asked.

Zhou Ming shook his head. "Don't ask. I wanted to hunt a Crimson Flame Tiger for some contribution points, but it wounded me instead. I almost lost my life. Luckily, Senior Brother Chen Feng happened to pass by and saved me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me now."

At that, Lin Ye looked to the side and saw Chen Feng sitting cross-legged on a bed, cultivating. Only after hearing their conversation did he open his eyes and say in a flat, emotionless voice, "I happened to be passing by. It was nothing."

"It may have been nothing to you, Senior Brother Chen, but to me, it was a debt for saving my life!"

"Lin Ye, you should've seen how incredible Senior Brother Chen's swordsmanship is. With just one strike, he pierced the eye of a sixth-level Body Tempering Crimson Flame Tiger and drove his sword straight into its brain, killing the beast on the spot!"

Chen Feng said nothing more. He closed his eyes again and continued meditating.

Lin Ye glanced at him, his heart tightening. With the cultivation of the fifth level of Body Tempering, Chen Feng had killed a sixth-level Crimson Flame Tiger with a single strike. He was quiet and steady, yet astonishingly powerful, with a deep and calculating mind. He was clearly not as simple as he seemed.

Lin Ye walked over to his own bed without showing what he was thinking. He casually told Zhou Ming to rest and recover, then struck a pose as though he were about to cultivate, though he had already begun making plans.

"Tomorrow, I'll go to Deacon Hall and apply to change rooms."