Incomplete Profound Meaning · Eight-Armed Asura

The next morning, Ye An went to the Inner Sect Scripture Repository.

At this moment, a middle-aged deacon was on duty. Ye An presented his certificate for ranking third in the Inner Sect Grand Competition. The deacon confirmed that it was correct and allowed him to go up to the second floor.

The Inner Sect Scripture Repository has three floors: the First Layer of the Spirit Grade, the second floor is of the Mystic Grade, and the third floor contains Earth Grade and Secret Method.

The second floor was half the size of the First Layer. Bookshelves were arranged against the wall, with only four or five books on each shelf, all of them containing Mystic Grade Martial Techniques.

Ye An walked around the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the spines of the books: Mystic Grade low-grade "Mountain-Splitting Sky-Piercing Fist and Mystic Grade low-grade " Wind-Chasing Shadow-Cutting Sword ", Mystic Grade mid-grade " Thousand-Pound Mountain-Suppressing Palm ", and Mystic Grade low-grade "Cloud -Cloud-Treading Moon-Chasing Steps ".

Ye An read through the books one by one without stopping.

His gaze then fell upon a booklet with a line of text printed on its spine. "Mystic Grade, Upper Rank: The Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Finger - Part 1".

Ye An recognized this Martial Techniques; it was a finger technique from the Vermilion Bird Hall.

The Four Symbols Sect's core division into Four Halls does not represent a monopoly on Cultivation Method Martial Techniques; rather, it means that after joining, one can directly learn the Cultivation Method and accompanying Martial Techniques of that hall.

Ye An had an idea for this Martial Techniques, but not now.

Ye An pulled out the booklet and opened it. It was said that the core Martial Techniques of the Four Halls were all at the Earth Grade level. The first part had already reached the Mystic Grade level, and the complete part would be at the Earth Grade.

Ye An merely flipped through a couple of pages before closing the book and putting it back in its place.

The Martial Techniques and Cultivation Method of the Four Halls are matched. If you only Martial Techniques without practicing the corresponding Cultivation Method, you cannot unleash your full strength, at most 70%. But if you combine them with the "Vermilion Bird Nirvana Heart Sutra", you can unleash 120% of its power.

He's not at the Qi Condensation Realm yet, and he hasn't learned any Cultivation Method. Even if he chooses one, he'll just leave it for later and waste this opportunity.

The core Martial Techniques of the Black Tortoise Hall are also quite good. Although they are not finger techniques, their grade and level are the same as those of the Vermilion Bird Hall. "Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm - Part 1" is Mystic Grade high-grade technique, and "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art" will also be released after Qi Condensation.

He didn't need to rush to pick a Martial Arts from the Scripture Repository that he couldn't use right now; there was still enough time. He could max out the Meridian Opening Formula first.

Ye An's gaze swept across the corner and he noticed a Cultivation Method without a rank.

But this is not Cultivation Method, but Profound Meaning!

In the corner sat a thin booklet, with no label on its spine and no title on the cover. It looked like it had been flipped through many times before being carelessly put back. The edges of its cover were more worn than the books next to it.

Ye An pulled it out and flipped through it. On the cover and inside the page, there was a line of small handwritten words: "Secret Technique: Profound Meaning - Eight-Armed Asura (Incomplete)".

Below is a smaller line of text, which seems to have been added later, "This incomplete Profound Meaning can only be cultivated up to the arms. The complete version is included in the third level. Choose carefully." The handwriting is different from the previous one, and the ink color is also darker, indicating that it was not written at the same time as the line above.

Ye An opened the inner pages. The preface contained only a few lines, describing the core effect of this Profound Meaning: condensing True Essence into arms, gradually increasing in number and strength as one's cultivation level increases. One can cultivate two arms in the Qi Condensation Realm, six arms in the Gathered Origin Realm, and ultimately eight arms.

The page after the fourth is blank; the subsequent content is not here but is included in the third level.

But he can learn first, figure out the path first, and doesn't need to wait until he Qi Condensation before he starts to learn.

After Ye An finished flipping through those pages and confirmed that this book would be of great help to his future, he took the thin booklet and walked back to the counter, placing it in front of the butler.

The deacon glanced down at the cover. "This profound Profound Meaning is incomplete; only the first three pages contain the content. If you want to learn the whole thing, you need to go to the third level."

Ye An didn't say much about the steward's kindness, but simply replied, "I'll take this one."

After registering the borrowing information, the deacon returned the booklet, stating, "Borrowing period is three months; exceeding this period will result in a deduction of Contribution Point."

Ye An took the booklet, thanked him, and turned to go downstairs.

As he went downstairs, he saw Zhou Heng still flipping through booklets on the second floor. The two exchanged a glance, nodded, and didn't talk much.

Ye An returned to his residence in the Black Tortoise Hall, closed the door, sat on the bed, and turned to the first page.

The preface is very short. "True Essence manifests externally, gathering into the shape of arms. Initially, it is single; at first, it is double; six represents advancement; eight represents completeness. When cultivation and Profound Meaning are cultivated to their peak, True Essence can transform into a thousand arms, integrating offense and defense."

The last two pages depict the path of True Essence condensing into an arm and explain several key points. There are no moves or usage instructions, only "how to condense it" and "how to make it move after condensation".

Ye An finished reading the first three pages, closed the booklet, reviewed the path in his mind, and slowly began to try it out.

On the third day after Ye An settled in the Black Tortoise Hall, Zhou Zhong came by and said that the Medicine Field was short of a manager, and the hall master had named him.

After Ye An agreed, he became the steward of the Medicine Garden. He no longer needed to patrol the Medicine Field every day as before, and he had more time to cultivate than before.

After the news reached the Medicine Field, Lin Qiushui, Ye An's former subordinate, heard about it.

She stood at the edge of the Medicine Field, her back to the ridge, looking towards the Black Tortoise Hall in the distance, without saying a word.

She had also watched the Inner Sect Grand Competition. Although she was far away, she saw the scene where Ye An severed Shen Li's arm. She felt that the person standing on the stage was somewhat different from Ye An, whom she usually passed by when inspecting the Medicine Field, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Ye An did not neglect his cultivation; he had already completed most of the Second Layer of the Meridian Opening Formula, and his progress in Micro Realm of the Star-Shattering Finger was also advancing.

After circulating his energy for several Greater Celestial Circuit while sitting cross-legged, he stopped and flipped through the incomplete book of profound Profound Meaning again. He had memorized the path diagram, but his True Essence energy was still insufficient to condense an arm. He was currently in the Mid-Meridian Opening Realm and would have to wait until at least the Late Meridian Opening Realm before he could attempt to condense a tangible arm. Although its effect would be limited, he would only be able to truly unleash the power of this Profound Meaning when he reached the Qi Condensation Realm.

At the same time, in Cangwu Prefectural City, at the Song Family residence.

The main hall door was closed, and the guards at the entrance had been moved to the outside of the courtyard.

A person sat inside the hall, wearing a black mask that covered most of his face, revealing only his eyes.

He sat in the main seat, his back straight, his hands resting on the armrests, his knuckles thick.

He neither drank tea nor spoke; he simply sat there, watching the two people standing before him.

At this moment, Song Yuanshan was standing two steps below the main seat, with his hands hanging at his sides, without sitting down.

Behind him stood a steward, head bowed, like a standing decoration.

Song Yuanshan's voice was a few octaves lower than usual. "I was unaware of your presence, senior. I have failed to greet you properly."

The Masked Man didn't respond to the polite remark. He glanced at Song Yuanshan, his tone flat but devoid of emotion. "Your Song Family has been rather restless these past few years."

He didn't specify anything, but his gaze, through the mask, fell on Song Yuanshan, as if to determine whether he could handle the situation.

Song Yuanshan didn't dare to answer, much less argue; his body just felt a little unresponsive.

The Masked Man continued, "The matter of the Medicine Garden, and the matter of Shen Li, require answers."

He took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the table. The paper contained a list of Cultivation Resources and information about the recovery of some of the Song Family's resources.

Song Yuanshan's gaze fell on the paper on the table, and he remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Song Family will definitely handle it."

After listening, the Masked Man stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door.

He didn't stop or turn back when he reached the threshold, but his words were clear. "If the Song Family isn't going to hold it, then there's no need to."

Song Yuanshan stood still, neither moving nor sitting down.

After a long silence, the steward finally spoke, his voice low. "Master, should we... comply?"

Song Yuanshan finally made a move. He turned around and glared angrily at the steward. "Otherwise? Unless the Song Family produces a Gathered Origin Realm right now, what else can we do?"

So what if the Song Family is one of the Two Great Lineages? They are not Four Great Sects of Cangwu Prefecture, let alone the Four Symbols Sect, which is the First of the Four Great Sects.

The manager was rebuffed and didn't ask any more questions.

Song Yuanshan ignored the steward, turned and walked to the desk, picked up the paper that had been left behind, unfolded it and looked at it for a long time without reading it aloud.

After Song Yuanshan left, the steward's eyes darkened.

"What a worthless wretch! You've lost your daughter and the Lineage's resources, and your son is even more useless, only interested in women. The Song Family will be ruined in your hands sooner or later."

After an unknown amount of time, a carrier pigeon landed in his hand...

Rather than slowly succumb to defeat, it's better to take a gamble.

The Liu Family Council Hall in Cangwu Prefectural City.

The main hall door was open. Several elders of the Liu Lineage and heads of collateral branches sat on either side, while the main seat in the middle was empty. Liu Zhengtang's body could no longer withstand such a long discussion.

Liu Ruyan sat in the first chair on the left side of the main seat, with a scroll of documents open in front of her. Cuiwei stood behind her, looking straight ahead.

This was the first time she had sat in this position at a clan meeting. She didn't read anything, didn't make any statements, and was just an observer, but everyone knew what that meant.

The conversation started with the Song Family.

One of the branch leaders spoke first, saying that the Song Family had recently been severely manipulated by the Four Symbols Sect. Several of their properties had been taken back, and they had also lost a considerable amount of Cultivation Resources. Although they were still one of the Two Great Families of Cangwu Prefecture, they were already struggling. If things continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before they were overtaken by the other major Lineage, the Lin Lineage.

After a moment of silence, someone asked, "What did the Song Family do to provoke the Four Symbols Sect to take such drastic measures?"

An insider chimed in, "I heard it's about the Four Symbols Sect's Inner Sect Grand Competition this year. The Song Family had a disciple they were supporting who tried to ambush an inner disciple, but he was killed instead. You've all heard of that person, Ye An. He's already a disciple of the Four Symbols Sect Black Tortoise Hall, and he has a high chance of reaching Qi Condensation in the future."

At this point, several pairs of eyes simultaneously turned towards Liu Ruyan.

Liu Ruyan sat there, her gaze, which had been fixed on the documents in front of her, paused slightly. She didn't look up or reply, but that name lingered in her mind.

Ye An, a disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall, was almost killed by the Song Family.

She thought of the mine, and the sentence Ye An had written, "Leave everything to me," came to mind.

"Bang!" A sound of someone slamming their hand on the table broke the brief silence.

The elder at the very end of the table stood up, his wrinkles deepening with excitement. "I said long ago that the marriage alliance with the Song Family was inappropriate! That Song Family brat Song Yan, only knows how to think about women all day long. What kind of future can he have? How can he be worthy of our clan's proud daughter!" He looked towards the main seat, his tone firm, as if he were seeking a belated explanation for his initial opposition.

The room fell silent for a moment. Some people responded in hushed tones, while others lowered their heads to drink tea. No one raised any objections.

The meeting quickly adjourned, and everyone rose from their seats, some whispering amongst themselves, others silently leaving the hall.

Liu Ruyan didn't rush to leave. She sat on the chair and waited until the last person's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor before slowly standing up.

Cuiwei followed behind her and took a few steps toward the courtyard gate. Liu Ruyan suddenly stopped and looked over the courtyard wall, landing in the direction of the north of Cangwu Prefecture, where the Four Symbols Sect was located.

Cuiwei stood behind Liu Ruyan, watching her stop and look north.

She had followed Liu Ruyan since childhood, and had seen Liu Ruyan calmly accept the difficulties posed by the collateral branches during the Liu Lineage's meetings, had seen her alone in the study flipping through account books until late at night, and had seen her casually laughing while drinking tea with Zhao Wan in the pavilion in the backyard. But she rarely saw Liu Ruyan standing there silently, her gaze fixed in one direction for a long time without moving.

Cuiwei remained silent, several thoughts racing through her mind: Was her mistress thinking of Ye An? Or was she thinking about the Song Family? She didn't ask aloud, but simply waited quietly.

Ye An was unaware of Liu Ruyan's actions; all his energy was focused on the incomplete Profound Meaning.

At this moment, he began to try to condense True Essence into his arm, mobilizing his Internal Energy according to the path diagram, and forming a blurry outline on his back.

He didn't continue. His True Essence was too thin at the Mid-Meridian Opening. It started to become unstable when it condensed to about five inches. If he tried to maintain it, it would dissipate.

Ye An only tried once to confirm that the direction was correct.

In the following period, Ye An devoted all his time to cultivating the Meridian Opening Formula, as improving his cultivation level was the most important thing.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Ye An received a letter from home, written by his eldest brother Ye Ping, saying that everything at home was normal, his father was still in good health, and his second brother Ye Ning had opened a small Martial Hall in Anping County, where he had already reached the Early-Meridian Opening Realm and business was doing well.

After reading the letter, Ye An laid out paper and wrote a reply. He didn't write much, only letting her know he was safe.

A few days later, Liu Ruyan's letter arrived.

The letter first mentioned that his retainers' treatment had been improved, and that he was now Liu Family Guest Elder.

Then comes the main text, asking Ye An if he has any free time lately, and if so, if so, to go together to admire the plum blossoms in the south of Cangwu Prefecture.

Admiring plum blossoms? Are you kidding me!

Ye An's incomplete Profound Meaning is about to be returned; I need to quickly break through to the Late Meridian Opening and try to enter the basics.

Ye An replied with only one line, "My cultivation is at a crucial juncture, and I cannot leave. I apologize for this."

In mid-to-late February, Lu Xingzhou and Shen Qing visited the Medicine Garden.

When the two arrived at the gate of Ye An's residence, they saw Lin Qiushui sitting on the stone steps at the gate, holding a booklet in her hand, as if she were guarding the gate.

Lu Xingzhou spoke first, "Junior Sister Lin, is Brother Ye still cultivating?"

Lin Qiushui nodded. "Senior Brother Ye said he's currently cultivating, and unless it's something serious, he asked me to refuse on his behalf."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Lu Xingzhou's face. He turned to look at Shen Qing Shen Qing, who was standing next to him. She didn't say much, but just glanced disappointedly at the closed gate in the courtyard before looking away.

The two stood there for a while, but did not linger.

Lu Xingzhou sighed, "It seems Brother Ye won't have the good fortune to enjoy this meal."

Lin Qiushui watched their figures disappear around the corner, then turned back to look at the closed door in the courtyard.

She recalled that when she first arrived at the Medicine Field, Ye An was already in this state, doing nothing but cultivation, and he still is now.

As early March approached, the grass at the edge of the Medicine Field began to turn green, and the wind was gentler than it had been in the previous two months.

Ye An sat on the bed in the room, closed his eyes, and circulated his Internal Energy along the designated path.

[Meridian Opening Formula: Second Layer): 191/200]

[Meridian Opening Formula: Second Layer): 195/200]

[Meridian Opening Formula: Second Layer): 199/200]

The final point of the Second Layer of the Meridian Opening Formula was pushed through during this cycle, and the Internal Energy completed its final path, forming a complete cycle within his body. He opened his eyes and sensed the thickness of his True Essence — Late Meridian Opening!

In the Mid-Meridian Opening, one can project True Qi one inch outwards, while in the later stage, it can be one foot.

Ye An opened the incomplete copy of "Eight-Armed Asura" again, and according to the path diagram, he mobilized his True Essence to condense the outline of an arm behind his back.

This time it's much more stable than a month ago, extending from five inches to more than a foot.

Looking at the blurry outline, Ye An knew that this thing was not of much use right now; it would only be truly effective after he condensed his Qi Condensation.

[Eight-Armed Asura (Two Arms): 1/1000]

[Meridian Opening Formula (Third Level): 1/500]

[Star-Shattering Finger (Micro): 145/200]

[Rosy Cloud Sword Technique (Micro): 135/200]

He had been focusing on improving his cultivation level during this time, and his Martial Arts had fallen far behind. However, the improvement in his cultivation level brought about a tremendous increase in his strength.

The next goal is to Qi Condensation.