Nine-Turn Golden Body Art!

"What's the Imperial Preceptor's background? What's his title?" Li Qingshan asked in a low voice.

"The Imperial Preceptor's Daoist title is Xuanming. He's extremely mysterious. As for his background... no one knows. It's as if he appeared out of thin air. His Majesty follows his every word, and nowadays, even on important matters of state, he often seeks the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion's counsel." A trace of worry crept into Li Yun's voice.

Xuanming? Demonic qi? Li Qingshan's gaze sharpened.

It seemed the waters in the capital of the Yan Kingdom ran deeper than he'd imagined.

This suddenly appearing Imperial Preceptor, and his connection to the demonic qi, surely concealed a tremendous conspiracy.

He pondered for a moment, then took several jade bottles, two jade slips, and a small bag of Spirit Stones from his storage pouch and handed them to Li Yun. "Gouwa, keep these safe. The bottles contain pills that strengthen the body and consolidate one's foundation. They'll improve your health and prolong your life.

"One of the jade slips contains a simple regimen for nourishing the body, which you can cultivate on your own. It won't make you an immortal, but it'll keep you free of illness and disaster. The other contains a cultivation method. If any of the Li Clan's descendants can step onto the path of immortality, they can cultivate it. As for the Spirit Stones... store them carefully. They may come in handy someday.

"Remember, you mustn't tell anyone about what happened today—not even your wife. For now, play along with the Imperial Preceptor. Don't investigate him too deeply. Leave everything to me."

Li Qingshan sighed inwardly. The moment he touched Li Yun, he had checked him, and Li Yun didn't have a spiritual root.

Otherwise, as his only grandson, Li Qingshan would naturally have done everything he could to help Li Yun step onto the path of immortality.

Li Yun accepted the items solemnly. Feeling the extraordinary energy within them, he was both excited and weighed down. "Your grandson understands! Grandfather, please be careful!"

"I know what I'm doing."

Li Qingshan cut him off and gazed toward the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, his eyes profound. "Just do your job as an attendant minister. Don't worry about anything else."

After leaving his instructions and supplies, Li Qingshan didn't linger. His figure blurred, and he vanished from the study like a ghost, leaving Li Yun alone. Clutching the chance at immortality in his hands, he stared in the direction his grandfather had disappeared, his heart tangled and bitter.

Outside the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.

Li Qingshan appeared like an ordinary old man, without the slightest trace of magical power, and walked past at an unhurried pace.

He didn't rush to act. Like the most patient of hunters, he stayed hidden around the perimeter of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion, using the Lesser Heaven-Veiling Secret Art and his powerful spiritual sense to observe in silence for several days.

Normally, even if the Imperial Preceptor had been up to something, Li Qingshan wouldn't have gotten involved.

But the man had dared to target his only grandson, touching Li Qingshan's Reverse Scale and stirring a trace of killing intent within him.

No matter what, he had to eliminate the threat completely.

Arrays shone and flowed through the mansion, but they weren't particularly profound or mysterious. At least, to a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator like him, they had plenty of flaws.

After observing for several days, he finally figured out the backgrounds of the main figures in the mansion.

That reclusive "Imperial Preceptor Xuanming" had a cold, obscure aura, but his true cultivation was only at the peak of the Qi Refining Realm!

The three disciples under him were even weaker, hovering between the early and middle stages of Qi Refining.

"The peak of Qi Refining, and he dares to usurp the position of Imperial Preceptor, bewitch the Human Emperor, and meddle in court affairs?" Li Qingshan was filled with questions. "And what happened to the Spring Autumn Sect disciples who were stationed here before? Were they transferred elsewhere, or... did something happen to them?"

The bizarre situation reeked of conspiracy.

Where had a Qi Refining cultivator found the nerve and the means to replace the Spring Autumn Sect's guards? And where had the demonic qi on him come from?

Although there were many mortal kingdoms within the Spring Autumn Sect's territory, anyone who wished to become a kingdom's stationed cultivator had to be at least in the late stage of Qi Refining, and often at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The Yan Kingdom's stationed cultivator definitely wouldn't have been weak. He should have been at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Yet now, in this strange turn of events, the Foundation Establishment cultivator had vanished, while a demonic cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining had taken the Imperial Preceptor's position?

This made Li Qingshan exceedingly cautious.

During breaks in his surveillance, he finally had time to sort through the gains from his trip to the Mysterious Sky Secret Realm.

A small pile of spirit herbs, ores, and demon beast materials brimmed with spiritual energy. He gave them a rough sort, then put them away.

The top-grade magical treasure pill furnace he'd obtained from the Heritage Ancient Hall glimmered with inner light, its Dao patterns intricate. Unfortunately, with his current cultivation and spiritual sense, he couldn't even begin to refine it, much less open it and examine the pills inside. He could only sigh and carefully put it away again.

What he valued most were the dozens of jade slips containing cultivation methods and secret arts.

As his spiritual sense swept over them, one powerful spell after another, each requiring the Foundation Establishment Realm to cultivate, appeared in his mind: the Sword Light Differentiation Technique, the Mind-Capturing Technique, the Earth Dragon Technique, the Wind Evasion Technique...

They were all at least Foundation Establishment spells. Some were even Golden Core spells.

"The Mysterious Sky Sect really is powerful. Even these leftover jade slips contain such formidable techniques!"

Li Qingshan marveled to himself.

Finally, his gaze settled on the mysterious jade slip he'd obtained from the core of the Heritage Ancient Hall.

A restriction had been placed on it.

For the past several days, he'd been using his exceptionally powerful spiritual sense, far beyond that of others at his level, to slowly wear down the ancient restriction.

"Crack..."

A faint sound, perceptible only to him, came from within the jade slip. At last, the stubborn restriction shattered and vanished like a sheet of ice.

Li Qingshan took a deep breath. With anticipation and solemnity, he sent his spiritual sense into it.

Boom!

A vast stream of information flooded his sea of consciousness, transforming into countless golden ancient characters before finally condensing into five powerful words: the Nine-Turn Body Refining Art!

As he studied it closely, Li Qingshan's heart began to race!

It was the body-refining chapter of the Mysterious Sky True Scripture, the Mysterious Sky Sect's supreme sect-protecting cultivation method!

The method was complete, extending from the Qi Refining Realm all the way to the Spirit Transformation Realm. It described a supreme path of tempering the body with boundless resources and unlocking the hidden treasures within the human form!

According to the method, if one cultivated it to the perfection of the ninth turn, one's body could withstand attacks from Spirit Transformation experts, tear through the void with bare hands, regenerate from a single drop of blood, and remain untouched by all techniques!

"A supreme body-refining secret art that reaches the Spirit Transformation Realm! The Mysterious Sky Sect... truly is an ancient giant!"

Li Qingshan was so excited he could barely contain himself. Even his breathing grew heavier.

Cultivating both the body and the Dao—that was the true path to immortality!

Perhaps this cultivation method was the greatest gain from his trip to the secret realm, greater even than those pills and magical treasures!

A wild thought came to him: could the Wish-Fulfilling Gourd take it a step further?

Without hesitation, he tossed this priceless jade slip into the Yellow-Skin Gourd at his waist. With a trace of unease and enormous anticipation, he waited through the night.

The next day, when he took out the jade slip, it felt smooth and warm in his hand, and seemed to have grown slightly heavier.

Its material had become neither metal nor jade, and the cracks on its surface had disappeared. It now had a dark golden sheen, with fine, profound patterns—seemingly formed by nature itself—slowly flowing across its surface.

He sent his spiritual sense into it again.

The Nine-Turn Golden Body Art!

Its name had changed! Its contents had undergone a complete transformation. It was not only more profound and vast, but its methods for tempering the body, gathering vital blood, and unlocking the body's hidden treasures had become several times more ingenious!

It also carried a trace of the highest Daoist resonance: imperishable, eternal, and utterly free! Its potential seemed to have already surpassed the bounds of the Spirit Transformation Realm!