Azure Origin Technique

With the tenth level of the Azure Origin Technique mastered, the refinement of his true qi far surpassed that of cultivators at the same stage, and Lin Ye's cultivation level naturally broke through, stepping into the sixth stage of Body Tempering.

He raised his hand, true qi swirling in his palm to condense into a cyan vortex, with eleven faint lines emerging at its center.

According to the records of the Azure Origin Technique, the True Qi Realm is divided into nine stages, with each stage capable of undergoing "nine revolutions" of tempering; nine stages of perfection equate to eighty-one revolutions. Yet, the technique he had deduced still had a tenth, eleventh, and twelfth level beyond the ninth, meaning his path was far from reaching its end.

"A hundred revolutions of true qi, condensing liquid into steel—this has long since exceeded the scope of the ordinary True Qi Realm." Lin Ye whispered to himself, dissipating the vortex at his fingertips. "It's just that I am still trapped in the Body Tempering Realm; it is too early to dwell on such things."

Having broken into the top hundred in the outer sect competition, he had gained a bit of fame among the thousands of outer sect disciples in the Qingyun Sect, but he dared not be the least bit careless. Showing off one's edge too much inevitably invites disaster; only by keeping a low profile and hiding his true strength could he develop steadily.

The Mission Hall was noisy and chaotic, with disciples scrambling for tasks. He blended into the crowd, appearing completely unremarkable. He did not pick up any tasks, merely pausing before the mission board for a moment to silently memorize a few suitable ones before stepping out.

He then headed straight for the Chuangong Hall, where the atmosphere was quiet and solemn, a stark contrast to the clamor of the Mission Hall. The elderly deacon on duty glanced at him, speaking in a flat tone: "One contribution point per day for miscellaneous books. How many do you want to borrow?"

"Three books, for three days." Lin Ye's attitude was respectful as he handed over his disciple token with both hands.

The old man swiped his finger, deducted three contribution points, tossed the three books to him, and added casually: "Be sure to return them in three days. Overdue returns will incur double the penalty."

"Yes, this disciple will keep that in mind." Lin Ye caught the books, tucked them away, and turned to leave, heading toward a remote area in the back mountain.

The cave he was heading to had been discovered three days ago. Its entrance was hidden by vines and scattered rocks, making it extremely concealed and the most suitable place for him to hide and cultivate at the moment. Upon reaching the entrance, he vigilantly scanned his surroundings. After confirming no one was there, he set up a warning formation at the mouth of the cave before stooping to walk into its depths.

The cave was dim, so Lin Ye lit an oil lamp and sat on a stone to flip through the books in his hand. The Qingyun Sect Topography Overview contained detailed records of the terrain distribution of the outer sect, inner sect, back mountain, and forbidden areas. He noticed a hidden valley deep in the back mountain where the spiritual energy was thirty percent denser than outside, but since it was frequently haunted by demonic beasts, he immediately decided not to venture there for now.

Opening the Eastern Region Beast Compendium, the habits, weaknesses, and exchange values of hundreds of demonic beasts were laid out before him. He read through them one by one, focusing on targets suitable for hunting: the mid-stage level one Shadow Wolf, which was swift with a weak abdomen—its fur could be exchanged for ten points and its beast core for twenty; the late-stage level one Poison-Patterned Python, highly venomous with a fatal spot at its seven-inch mark—its gall bladder was worth thirty points and its skin fifteen; and the peak-stage level one Iron-Armored Bear, thick-skinned and incredibly strong, with weaknesses in its eyes and anus—its paws and gall bladder could fetch ninety points. He calculated silently that with his current cultivation, he could hunt these beasts alone without much pressure.

Afterward, he opened the Common Herb Identification and memorized the values of various herbs. Mortal-grade low-tier Blood-Coagulating Grass was worth one point per stalk; mid-tier Qi-Gathering Flower was five points; and the high-tier Purple Ginseng was the most valuable, worth twenty points per stalk. Lin Ye pondered; if he could stumble upon a few Purple Ginseng, he could accumulate contribution points rapidly, though such things were rare. As for the early-stage level two Green-Scaled Python, its strength was comparable to the first or second stage of the True Qi Realm, far beyond what he could handle now; he would make plans for that once his strength was sufficient.

Having committed the contents of the three books to memory, Lin Ye sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to circulate the Azure Origin Technique.

When Lin Ye finished his cultivation and walked out of the cave, it was already evening. He suppressed his aura and walked slowly to the pine forest on the west side of the back mountain, a place where Shadow Wolves frequently came to drink.

He hid behind a large tree, waiting for his prey to appear. After about half an hour, a rustling sound came from the forest, and a Shadow Wolf stepped out. This Shadow Wolf was robust, with strength comparable to the peak of the fifth stage of Body Tempering.

Shadow Wolves are naturally vigilant, sniffing and looking around. After confirming there was no danger, it lowered its head to the stream to drink. Lin Ye took out a short bolt, loaded it onto his hand crossbow, aimed at the wolf's abdomen, and pulled the trigger. The bolt tore through the air.

The Shadow Wolf had keen hearing and jumped to dodge the moment it heard the sound, but Lin Ye had already anticipated its movement. He fired two more bolts in quick succession, completely sealing off all its escape routes. With a soft "pfft," one bolt struck the Shadow Wolf's hind leg, and the anesthetic quickly seeped into its body. The Shadow Wolf let out a low growl in pain and turned to flee into the dense forest.

Seeing this, Lin Ye rushed out from behind the tree, channeled his true qi into his legs, and instantly reached the Shadow Wolf. Gathering all his strength, he slammed a punch into its abdomen. A loud thud echoed as the Shadow Wolf let out a shrill howl; its spine shattered, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, unable to struggle any further. Lin Ye drew the short blade from his waist and stabbed it into the wolf's throat, ending its life once and for all.

Confirming the Shadow Wolf was dead, he quickly processed the carcass, peeling off the complete pelt, extracting the beast core, and cutting off the most valuable fangs and claws, stuffing all the loot into a cloth bag.

Carrying his spoils, Lin Ye took a long detour, observing vigilantly the entire way. Only after confirming he was not being followed did he quietly return to the cave.

After stowing away his loot, Lin Ye sat cross-legged once more to cultivate, not daring to slack off in the slightest. For the next three days, he maintained a low profile, staying in his dormitory during the day and acting as if he were in seclusion to heal his wounds, rarely interacting with other disciples. When night fell, he would quietly slip into the back mountain to hunt. He deliberately rotated his targets—hunting Shadow Wolves one day and dealing with Poison-Patterned Pythons the next, occasionally picking a few herbs along the way—acting with caution and never being reckless. Over three days, he had accumulated eighty-nine points, neither too many nor too few, just enough to avoid attracting attention.

The next morning, Lin Ye changed back into his ordinary disciple robes, restored his unremarkable appearance, and headed to the Mission Hall to exchange his contributions. He did not hand over all his spoils at once, but exchanged them in batches.

The deacon in charge of exchanges handled countless tasks every day and did not notice this ordinary outer sect disciple at all. After receiving the materials and verifying them, he deducted the points and tossed the token back to Lin Ye. He caught the token and looked down; it clearly displayed his contribution points: 327.

It's time to change to a new technique, Lin Ye thought to himself. He put away the token and, instead of heading to the Chuangong Hall immediately, returned to his living quarters first.

As soon as he pushed the door open, a scent of blood wafted over. Lin Ye looked up to see Zhou Ming sitting on his bed, his face pale and his right arm bandaged; his injuries looked quite severe.

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

Zhou Ming shook his head and said, "Don't mention it. I wanted to hunt a Crimson Flame Tiger to earn some points, but I ended up getting injured by it instead and almost lost my life. Fortunately, Senior Brother Chen Feng happened to pass by and saved me, otherwise you wouldn't be seeing me now."

Hearing this, Lin Ye turned his gaze to the side. Chen Feng was sitting on his bed, cultivating. Hearing their conversation, he opened his eyes, his tone flat and emotionless: "I just happened to pass by; it was no trouble at all."

"It may have been no trouble for Senior Brother Chen, but it was a life-saving grace for me!"

"Lin Ye, you didn't see it—Senior Brother Chen's swordsmanship is incredible! With just one strike, he pierced the eye of that sixth-stage Body Tempering Crimson Flame Tiger, straight through to its brain, killing the beast on the spot!"

Chen Feng said nothing more, closed his eyes again, and continued his meditation.

Lin Ye glanced at him, a chill running through his heart. With only fifth-stage Body Tempering cultivation, he could kill a sixth-stage Body Tempering Crimson Flame Tiger with a single sword strike. This Chen Feng was low-key and steady, yet his strength was formidable and his mind deep; he was certainly not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Lin Ye walked to his bed without changing his expression, casually told Zhou Ming to take good care of his injuries, and assumed a posture of cultivation, though he had already made his own plans.

Tomorrow, I'll go to the Deacon Hall to request a change of residence.