Two-Armed Asura
Before the news of Ye An's breakthrough to Qi Condensation could reach the Liu Lineage, the Liu Lineage's meeting began.
Several elders from collateral branches gathered together, and someone spoke first, mentioning the recent loss of resources to the Black Tortoise Hall.
Then it is mentioned that Song Qinglin of the Song Family became the Chief Disciple the Azure Dragon Hall, and Song Qinglin is also Song Yan's cousin.
The implication was that these elders still believed that associating with the Song Family would be profitable for the Liu Lineage.
Then he said that Ye An was a disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall, and there would inevitably be a struggle between the two halls. At that time, Ye An would definitely be targeted, and the Liu Lineage might be implicated. He observed Liu Ruyan's reaction while speaking.
Some say that although the Song Family has lost some resources and influence recently, its foundation remains.
The Liu Lineage couldn't afford to offend the Song Family. The Song Family was inside the city, while the Four Symbols Sect was outside. It seemed that an alliance with the Song Family would be more prudent, so they proposed to resume the marriage alliance.
Those who spoke were only about 30% of the group, all of whom had some connection with the Song Family. The remaining 70% remained silent, waiting for the head of the family's daughter's reply.
Over the years, Liu Ruyan has helped the Liu Lineage secure many mining sites, and the Liu Lineage's profits have been steadily increasing. She has earned the respect of most people.
Liu Ruyan showed no respect to this elder. Now wielding considerable power within the Liu Lineage, she declared directly, "Master Ye is Liu Family Guest Elder. Are you going to sever ties with him for the sake of the Song Family? I, Liu Ruyan, will be the first to disagree."
She didn't add anything after she finished speaking, making her stance clear.
The elder from the collateral branch didn't speak again, and the room was quiet for a moment before the topic was changed.
Ye An had no idea what had happened to the Liu Lineage.
He sat in the room and opened the two Martial Arts, one on internal energy cultivation and the other on external Martial Techniques.
"Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art: Qi Condensation Chapter" is an internal skill that can only be practiced at the Qi Condensation Realm. Its circulation path is more than twice as wide as that of the Meridian Opening Formula. When the True Essence flows in the meridians, it no longer travels along a narrow path like in the Meridian Opening Formula, but spreads out, like a stream turning into a body of water.
Ye An followed the path in the booklet, his True Essence moving a little slower than before, each step firmly planted on the walls of his meridians.
The first run of "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art: Qi Condensation Chapter" was successful.
[Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art - Qi Condensation Chapter (First Layer): 1/800]
Ye An exhaled a breath of stale air, then opened the "Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm - Part 1" and tried it out according to the path in the book. After learning the Qi Condensation Realm Energy Cultivation Method, his True Essence had increased. A thin barrier slowly condensed in his palm. He did not forcefully activate it, but slowly sensed its shape and feedback.
[Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Palm - Part 1 (Initial Glance): 1/800]
It's done!
With his talent as a [Sage of Martial Dao], breaking through to the next level was easy for him; the difficulty lay in his cultivation speed, nothing more.
After experiencing the Martial Arts provided by the Black Tortoise Hall, Ye An turned his attention to the incomplete Eight Arms Cultivation Manual that he had previously exchanged for.
When I was Meridian Opening before, I had too little True Essence, which was not enough to sustain me for long, so I was never able to bring this profound technique to its full Profound Meaning.
He tried to activate the path of the Eight-Armed Asura, and his True Essence condensed behind him. The outlines of the two arms were formed at the same time, with clear edges, as if real arms were stretching out from the void.
Ye An tried to make them move slightly, raising his left arm slightly and holding his right arm horizontally in front of him, ready to attack or defend.
The movements of the arms were much smoother than before.
Ye An quickly withdrew his arms. The rate at which both arms consumed True Essence was faster than expected, and nearly 20% of his True Essence was used up in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Ye An tried again, maintaining only one arm. The consumption of energy was significantly less with one arm, making it more reliable in actual combat. Both arms could be used as a trump card, but they couldn't be kept active for long periods.
[Eight-Armed Asura (Two Arms): 15/1000]
Ye An dispersed his True Essence from his arm and began circulating the "Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Art" again to replenish his depleted True Essence.
When the news of Ye An's breakthrough to Qi Condensation reached the Azure Dragon Hall, Sun Hong was the first to know.
He walked up to Song Qinglin, his voice much lower than when he had provoked Black Tortoise Hall: "Chief Song, that guy you asked me to provoke last time, he... he's reached Qi Condensation."
Sun Hong had only Meridian Opening, while Ye An had already reached the Qi Condensation. When he said this, his tone was very tense and fearful. He recalled his earlier boasting and was worried that Ye An would come looking for trouble.
Song Qinglin was consolidating his cultivation with his eyes closed. Upon hearing this news, he neither opened his eyes nor spoke, but simply said, "It's only the initial stage. Later on, he will understand why Zhou Zhong is at the Early-Stage Peak instead of the middle stage."
After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and continued to regulate his breathing, without saying another word.
At the same time, at the Song Family residence.
Song Yuanshan stood in the hall without sitting down. In front of him sat a person wearing a dark robe, whose face was hidden in the shadow of the hood, making it impossible to see his features.
Black Crow.
The Deputy Altar Master of the Cangwu Sub-Altar of the Heaven Overturning Cult Sect, who took over after the previous leader was killed by Jiang Shuying, Late Qi Condensation.
Song Yuanshan asked tremblingly, "Lord Black Crow, I've already started doing what you arranged. But is this really alright?"
Black Crow sat in the chair, tapping his fingers lightly twice on the red armrest. "Just do what you're supposed to do, the rest is none of your concern."
His tone wasn't enthusiastic; to him, the Song Family was merely a tool.
Black Crow spoke again, "You only need to do what I tell you, and then your Song Family can make up for the resources that were taken from you by the Four Symbols Sect."
Black Crow left after speaking. He had only come to confirm whether the Song Family had been obediently following his instructions. At this point, the Song Family was already at its end.
Soon, Black Crow transformed from a large, tall man into an ordinary civilian and disappeared into the night.
Song Yuanshan knew he was walking a path with no way back, but if he didn't take this path, the Song Family would be surpassed by the Lin Lineage sooner or later, and then the Lin Lineage family would become the number one Lineage in Cangwu Prefecture. He didn't want the Song Family to become second in his hands, so he took this step.
Time flies, and a period of time passes in the blink of an eye.
Ye An stopped cultivating.
He sensed that his cultivation speed after Qi Condensation was much slower than when Meridian Opening. In the past, when he was Body Tempering, it took him twice as long as others to catch up with their progress.
The difference in cultivation speed becomes more pronounced as the level of one's Root Bone structure increases. If one's innate Root Bone structure level is too low, this is something that needs to be addressed.
However, there is also good news.
Ye An glanced down at the time display that only he could see; the next talent extraction would take 153 days.
Ye An was very much looking forward to what he would draw next time.
Thinking back on this journey, it was this thing that helped me.
He remembered that when he first drew the Sage of Martial Dao, he chose it without hesitation, and looking back now, he realized that it was the right choice.
Ye An didn't know what he would draw next time. If the second talent could solve his cultivation speed problem, that would be great.
[Next talent draw: 153 days]