"Oh?"
Qin Jiu heard this.
Yet he showed no reaction.
He didn't know whether the other party had said it deliberately or merely mentioned it in passing. If it was the former, then what did the Mystic Firmament Sect—or rather, Zheng Dahai and these two—think of him?
Seeing him as unmoved as a still well, Qi Yuan looked at him again, deeply.
"For hundreds of years, our sect and the Divine Fist Sect have been at odds, and the rivalry between our disciples has never ceased. Even when you have no case, you should still argue for three parts; when you have a case, you must fight for it to the end. Your family lives in the Inner City, and Elder Zheng and the rest of us are staying here, so the Divine Fist Sect will inevitably seize on that to make trouble."
"And I went out of my way to find you this time..."
"In truth, Elder Zheng instructed me to. Though your name hasn't yet been entered into the sect register, the moment you took up the Mystic Firmament token, you became an inner disciple. If you run into the Divine Fist Sect, you mustn't back down and bring shame upon our sect."
As he reached the end, his expression turned utterly solemn.
"When it comes to the sect's reputation, a disciple may bleed, may lose his head—but he must never let the sect's dignity fall."
"I hope you'll keep that in mind, Junior Brother."
"Yes."
Qin Jiu nodded gravely.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan's expression softened. "There's one more thing."
"This morning, three Willow Tendon experts from the Divine Fist Sect hurried out of the city and went into Songshan. Elder Zheng has already gone after them, while our Divine Guard Army has yet to arrive. At present, only Senior Brother Jinghua and I, both at the Internal Strengthening level, are in the Qin Mansion. Have your people keep an eye on the movements of the Divine Fist Sect disciples in the city, in case they take advantage of our absence."
"Elder Zheng went out?"
Qin Jiu was taken aback.
But he quickly understood.
Those three from the Divine Fist Sect must have been heading for the so-called rare treasure. Zheng Dahai had likely pursued them for fear something might go wrong there.
Sure enough.
Qi Yuan nodded.
"Since you've joined the inner sect, I don't mind telling you about this, but remember not to let it spread."
"Songshan County is named after Songshan. The mountain range stretches without end, and the mountains contain Earth Vein Qi. The people of a great sect altered this vein with their immense power, using the turbid qi of demons to shape a Land of Fortune that holds a rare treasure. On the day the treasure takes shape, an omen will appear in the heavens."
As he spoke,
Qi Yuan reached out beyond the pavilion and caught a snowflake.
Then he pressed his fingers together and crushed it.
"Snow falling in Songshan in the seventh month is the work of that rare treasure. But according to Elder Zheng's estimate, the treasure still needs another year or two to mature before it emerges."
"He went after them"
"because he was afraid those men would ruin that blessed place."
"What kind of rare treasure is it?"
Qin Jiu asked curiously.
Qi Yuan shook his head. "We don't know yet, but Elder Zheng once said it has something to do with condensing true qi and is extremely precious."
"Condensing true qi?" Qin Jiu asked, puzzled. "Senior Brother Qi, though I have no master, I know that after breaking through Three Refinements into Internal Strengthening, one can cultivate a secret art to nourish the organs and produce Mystic Power. Then one can transform inner force into qi and break through to the Willow Tendon level, beyond Internal Strengthening."
"Could transforming inner force into qi require an external aid?"
Three Refinements Meridian Clearing.
At this level, all the body's meridians were opened, allowing inner force to fill them. When martial arts were unleashed, their power was more than ten times that of someone who had perfected Bone Forging.
After breaking through to Internal Strengthening,
one could use inner force to nourish the organs, prolong life, and keep the body strong and vigorous.
As for the martial arts realms beyond Internal Strengthening,
Qin Jiu had heard only a few scattered details about the Willow Tendon level. He couldn't find any other information, even after turning the whole county upside down, so he was deeply puzzled.
"It's only natural for you to wonder about this."
Qi Yuan mused, "To advance from Internal Strengthening to Willow Tendon, you truly need only cultivate Mystic Power through a secret art, then transform inner force into qi. But the Willow Tendon realm is an extraordinarily special one. It concerns the foundation of the martial path and is also key to achieving Grandmasterhood in the future."
"Its importance lies in true qi."
"Of all the martial arts under heaven, those that imitate beasts and things are the best. That's why martial arts are divided into lower, middle, and upper grades. True qi at the Willow Tendon level also differs in quality. The higher its quality, the greater the hope of Condensing Qi into Pill in the future. Its quality also determines how strong you are when fighting others."
"Yet aside from those born with extraordinary talent,"
"most martial artists have lower-third-grade true qi after breaking through to Willow Tendon. If they want to improve its quality, they can only use external aids to refine it."
"I see."
Qin Jiu's expression shifted slightly.
If the rare treasure nurtured by Songshan's Earth Vein truly had something to do with this,
then just what kind of priceless treasure was it?
After all, merely taking shape had already caused such an omen in the heavens...
"You're only at Three Refinements right now, Junior Brother."
"There's no need to think so far ahead."
Seeing him lost in thought, Qi Yuan couldn't help reminding him.
Far ahead?
Qin Jiu didn't argue. For an ordinary martial artist, advancing through Three Refinements Meridian Clearing really did take time.
After all, it involved the meridians throughout the entire body.
No amount of caution was excessive.
But he was different.
With Withered Wood Meets Spring, any improvement related to his physique could be forced through by Qin Jiu. He didn't need to fear injuring himself. What took others three years or even more than a decade to accomplish, he could finish in just a few months.
Before long,
Qi Yuan took his leave.
Qin Jiu sat alone in the pavilion and quietly activated Ghost Illumination.
"The Baili Clan... a prodigy..."
He recalled what Qi Yuan had said earlier. With a shift of thought, he swept from the Inner City to the Outer City—and in the end, he really did find a wisp of black light.
In the western part of the Outer City,
inside a four-courtyard residence,
several imposing figures had gathered. At their head stood a woman holding a bright silver Six Harmonies spear. She wore gleaming silver armor, her brows and eyes alight with Baleful Intent, and she looked bold and striking.
"One of my Baili Clan's people shouldn't have died in Songshan County without a sound. Speed up your investigation. Those two outer disciples, and Baili Ce—find out everywhere they went and everyone they met after entering the city. Do you hear me?"
"Senior Sister Baili, we haven't yet joined the Divine Fist Sect, so we don't have that status as disciples. Many forces in the city don't think much of us, and the Demon Suppression Bureau is watching us..."
"Useless!"
The woman's brows shot up as she rebuked them. "In this county, the Divine Fist Sect is the law of Great Zhou. What force would dare question your identity? Stop making excuses for your incompetence."
"I only care about results."
"If you still have nothing to show by sunset, you can all get lost."
In the East Wing of the Qin Mansion,
Qin Jiu finished listening to their conversation. His brows creased slightly. He first shut off Ghost Illumination, then turned toward the doorway.
The next moment,
Qin Xuanzhou walked in.
"Reporting to the family head."
He came before Qin Jiu and bowed slightly. "Qin Jingzheng sent someone to deliver a Fire Kylin Pearl."
"A Fire Kylin Pearl?"
"It's the core of a special fourth-rank spirit-beast king. An ordinary person who carries one will be immune to cold and heat, free of illness, and blessed with beauty and longevity. A martial artist who takes it can strengthen his qi and blood, nourish his physique, and gain the bone-forging effect. Qin Jingzheng said the three of them pooled their efforts to redeem it from the Demon Suppression Bureau, especially for the Old Madam."
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