Wu Yunhe

Ping Qi stopped and called out, "Elder Wu, your junior brother Ping Qi has something to discuss with you. Please open the door so we can talk."

A moment later, the cave door opened, and a voice came from within. "Junior Brother Ping, what a rare visitor. What wind has blown you here?" The voice was ice-cold, with not a hint of welcome.

Ping Qi didn't take offense and walked inside. He saw an old man sitting within. The man's cheeks were sunken, and there wasn't four ounces of flesh on his body; he looked like a skeleton. This old man was Wu Yunhe. His cultivation had reached the late stage of Qi Gathering, second only to the sect master, Tian Lingzi.

Wu Yunhe pointed to a stone chair. "Please sit, Junior Brother Ping. What brings you to my place today?"

Ping Qi smiled faintly and took out the Hidden Dragon Staff. "Elder Wu, take a look. Do you know what this is?"

Wu Yunhe looked up. His gaunt face immediately changed. "This is the Hidden Dragon Staff. Where did you get it?" As he spoke, he reached out to take the staff.

Ping Qi drew the Hidden Dragon Staff back behind him. "I'm glad you recognize it, Elder Wu. It's a spoil of war my disciple, Yan Chihuo, obtained after killing the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. My disciple is quite filial, so he offered the staff to me."

Wu Yunhe withdrew his hand. "Junior Brother Ping, you're truly remarkable. You've taught such an extraordinary disciple—truly, a distinguished teacher produces an outstanding pupil. But why have you brought me this staff? Surely you aren't showing off in front of me."

Ping Qi laughed heartily. "Though my disciple's filial devotion is admirable, it would be rather disrespectful to Elder Wu for the Hidden Dragon Staff to end up in my hands. If I were to show it off, anyone in the sect with a little experience would recognize it as something that once belonged to you."

Wu Yunhe said, "And what of it?"

"Elder Wu, think about it. Once they recognize it, word will spread. With so many mouths talking, who knows what they might say? It could damage your good name."

"A few spiteful rumors from petty men are beneath my notice."

Ping Qi laughed again. "In that case, the Hidden Dragon Staff shall be my first personal Dharma Tool."

Wu Yunhe glanced at Ping Qi. "Junior Brother Ping, I know what you're after. You simply want some benefit. As long as you don't make an outrageous demand, I'll agree."

"Elder Wu is certainly straightforward. The Hidden Dragon Staff is of little use to me, but it was hard-won by my disciple. He doesn't even have a suitable Talisman Artifact yet. As his master, I have to make some arrangements for him."

"Junior Brother Ping, you're joking. How could your fine disciple not have even one Talisman Artifact?"

"My disciple is ambitious. He only took one Talisman Artifact Primordial Embryo from the sect—the Soul-Breaking Sword—and he happens to be interested in artifact refining. So I'd like to ask Elder Wu to teach him the art, so he can refine the Soul-Breaking Sword into a Talisman Artifact."

Wu Yunhe nodded. "That's easy enough. My skill at artifact refining may not be very high, but I can certainly teach your disciple. I can guarantee that he'll be able to refine the Soul-Breaking Sword into a Talisman Artifact."

"The Hidden Dragon Staff is, after all, a Dharma Tool. If I trade it for only one Talisman Artifact, people might not say I'm blind to its value, but they'll certainly say Elder Wu is stingy. So I have a second condition: I want my disciple to learn the secret technique River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique."

Wu Yunhe's expression changed. "Though the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique is an earth-type secret technique, it's not particularly useful and is rather difficult to learn. Your fine disciple needn't waste his time on it. Junior Brother Ping, choose another condition."

"Only you, Elder Wu, know the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique in our sect, and my disciple has long yearned to learn it. As his master, I have to help him fulfill that wish."

Wu Yunhe's expression shifted several times before he finally nodded. "Very well. I'll teach him the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique just once. Whether he masters it will depend on his talent."

"Thank you, Elder Wu." With that, he handed over the Hidden Dragon Staff. Wu Yunhe took it and said to Ping Qi, "Have your fine disciple come here tomorrow to learn the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique and the art of artifact refining. I won't see you out."

Seeing that Wu Yunhe was showing him the door, Ping Qi stood up. "Elder Wu, get some rest. We'll take our leave."

Wu Yunhe sat upright without saying a word. Ping Qi turned and left, and Yan Chihuo hurried after him. Once the two of them had gone, a blade-sharp gleam suddenly appeared in Wu Yunhe's eyes. His right hand clenched tightly around the Hidden Dragon Staff, as if he feared losing it again—or as if he were struggling to contain his anger.

Once they were far from Wu Yunhe's cave, Yan Chihuo said to Ping Qi, "Master, you really are impressive. Just one Hidden Dragon Staff, and you made Elder Wu bleed heavily."

"I could see you'd never give up on artifact refining, so I took the opportunity to grant your wish. If you still can't learn anything from Wu Yunhe, then you needn't waste any more effort on artifact refining."

"Yes, Master. What is the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique? And why is it called a secret technique?"

"Regardless of the type of cultivation art, there are four categories of spells. Do you know what they are?"

"This disciple knows. The four categories are offensive spells, defensive spells, restraining spells, and escape techniques. The four low-level earth-type spells are Falling Rock, Stone Armor, Imprisoning Earth, and Earth Shrinking Step."

"Correct. But the earth attribute also has a spell called River-to-Land Art, which is a secret technique of the earth attribute. A secret technique isn't something everyone can master. The River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique is a water-dividing art. It can part the waters of rivers, lakes, and seas, revealing dry land. Its power grows as your magic power increases. Once cultivated to a high level, it's no weaker than Minor Divine Abilities or even Spirit-Passing Divine Abilities."

"Master, don't you know the River-Dividing Land-Creating Technique?"

Ping Qi shook his head. "Since it's a secret technique, it isn't something everyone knows. In our sect, only Wu Yunhe knows the River-to-Land Art. It's mainly used to break through water-type escape techniques. But if you master it, you'll gain an even deeper understanding of earth-type cultivation arts, which will also help your cultivation. By the way, although Wu Yunhe agreed to teach you this secret technique, he's certainly not happy about it. Be prepared. If you don't memorize it all, you'll have wasted this opportunity."

He glanced at Yan Chihuo and continued, "The River-to-Land Art has another use. Once your cultivation is deep enough, it can help you master supreme divine abilities. That realm is still far beyond you, but the technique will also be quite useful in helping you master other divine abilities in your day-to-day cultivation."