Void Form Writes Furiously

Within half a day, news of Ghost Butcher's death had spread throughout the area around North Spring Mountain.

This already counted as a major event in the martial world. Which of the top ten on the Black List did not possess a formidable reputation?

To carve out a name for oneself while under pursuit by the Imperial Court, one naturally had to be a master among masters.

Those who had originally been itching to make a move felt as though a basin of cold water had been dumped over their heads upon hearing the news.

No matter how good the prize, one had to be alive to claim it!

There truly was a Grandmaster on North Spring Mountain; this deduction had practically become a consensus.

Yet no one left, because another piece of news swiftly spread: someone had seen a Flying Sword tear through the air within North Spring Mountain from across the ravine the previous night!

Like a massive bomb, this stirred ten thousand waves around North Spring Mountain.

If everything before had merely been rumor, then now it was almost confirmed!

Above Hongyan Mountain Waterfall, this place had nearly become Dragon Gallbladder Mountain's base. From here, they could see parts of North Spring Mountain in the distance. It was one of the finest locations in the surrounding mountains.

The six brothers were all high-level True Martial cultivators. In terms of strength, they were enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with some ordinary great sects.

No one was willing to make enemies of them over this matter.

"Big Brother, it was fortunate that your calculations were so brilliant. Otherwise, it would not have been Shen Tu Hong who died, but us brothers." Fan Tianjun, ranked third among Dragon Gallbladder Mountain's men, felt endlessly relieved.

Second Brother Yi Pinglin burst into laughter. "Otherwise, why would you be Third Brother while Eldest Brother is our big brother? To survive in the martial world, cultivation alone isn't enough—you need brains too."

"Heh. Last night, when I said we should sneak into North Spring Mountain to investigate, I wonder who was echoing me from the side. If we're talking about lacking brains, you're not much better!"

"Enough. Don't bring up last night anymore. There is definitely a Grandmaster on North Spring Mountain now. We should discuss what to do next. Do we leave or stay? Speak your minds, brothers."

"Big Brother, you decide. We'll all listen to you."

"That's right, we'll listen to you."

Miao Wanlin pondered for a moment. "If you ask me, we should stay and wait a little longer. The Imperial Court killed Shen Tu Hong and hung his head from a tree. They're killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. I think there's a hint of guilty nerves in this. Otherwise, why not conceal the matter and wait for an opportunity to catch everyone in one net?"

"Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. If it were me, I'd be hoping that those harboring ill intentions would come up, so I could kill them all at once. Trespassing into a Forbidden Ground would give me every justification, and I wouldn't have to worry about other great sects wagging their tongues."

The others also chimed in with agreement.

"The Secret Sword Grandmaster of North Spring Mountain will be tempted as well. When the time comes, Grandmasters will clash. Even if we gain nothing from it, it would be a pity to miss such a grand spectacle. And if there is an opportunity..."

Miao Wanlin did not continue. Everyone knew that once Grandmasters truly made their moves, the odds were slim. Even though he himself was at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer, he might not be able to withstand a casual strike from a Grandmaster.

On North Spring Mountain, within Gu Yuanqing's courtyard.

Gu Yuanqing leisurely drank tea, holding a sheet of paper as he examined the copied Cultivation Method written upon it. Beside him lay more than a dozen similar sheets, all densely filled with text and diagrams of cultivation circulation.

Void Form was writing furiously inside the room. The brush in his hand left behind afterimages, and at this moment, his title of Ghost Hands truly lived up to its name!

Gu Yuanqing had promised him that if he could write out two complete Grandmaster cultivation methods, or twenty Cultivation Methods leading directly to high-level True Martial, or superior Movement Techniques, peerless sword arts, and the like, he would spare his life.

Naturally, he did not possess any complete Grandmaster cultivation methods. His only way out was through high-level True Martial methods and some exceptional arts.

He did not understand why a Grandmaster—or even an expert beyond the Grandmaster realm—would want True Martial Cultivation Methods. But to him, this was the last straw that could save his life, and naturally he clung to it for dear life.

He even dared not tamper with the cultivation manuals in the slightest. In his eyes, Gu Yuanqing's attainments in cultivation were far beyond his own. If Gu Yuanqing saw through him, would that not be seeking his own death?

Feng Tao brought Gu Yuanqing his lunch. She noticed that there was an additional person in the courtyard, but her expression did not change in the slightest, as though she had seen nothing.

Only after Gu Yuanqing had finished lunch did he slowly stroll into the room.

Seeing Void Form scratching his ears and rubbing his cheeks, he asked, "How is the writing going?"

Void Form's eyes were bloodshot. He had been writing continuously since the previous night.

Cultivation methods capable of reaching high-level True Martial were no ordinary goods. They were enough to found a sect upon; even the sect-defending arts of some renowned martial world sects were no more than this.

Fortunately, he had stolen quite a few over the years and had carefully studied many of them. But even so, who would commit all these Cultivation Methods entirely to memory?

"Young Master Gu, how about you let this humble one leave first? Forget twenty Cultivation Methods—even fifty, I'll find them for you."

Gu Yuanqing folded his arms and leaned against the doorway. "If I let you down the mountain, who knows where I'd have to look for you? You're a great thief of the martial world. The Imperial Court searched for you for so many years, yet haven't you still lived free and easy?"

"You are a Grandmaster. How would I dare deceive you? The Imperial Court failed to find me because they did not take me too seriously. This humble one knows which things can be done and which cannot."

"Then why did you come here? Are you saying it was acceptable to steal from me?"

Void Form's expression froze.

"Wasn't this humble one merely blinded by greed for a moment?"

"Then write properly. When you finish, I'll spare you. Here, have these two fruits. I forgot to have them send an extra person's meal today."

As he spoke, two wild fruits flew to Void Form's side.

Then Gu Yuanqing slowly returned to the courtyard and began studying the manuals again.

Among the methods here, two were particularly interesting: the Vast Void Horizontal Technique and the Vast Void Breath Concealment Technique. These were Void Form's personal methods. His ability to enter and leave heavily guarded places as though they were empty relied on these two exceptional arts.

They were also the two methods that interested Gu Yuanqing the most. He studied them carefully, and whenever he encountered something unclear, he went inside to question Void Form.

Void Form was under another's eaves and had no choice but to bow his head. Whenever Gu Yuanqing asked, he answered without fail, showing even more patience than when teaching a disciple.

At night, Void Form, so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back, finally got a meal.

As for after eating, naturally, he continued writing.

A complete Cultivation Method contained at least ten thousand words, sometimes several tens of thousands. Void Form felt that he had never written this much in his entire life. His wrist was sore and numb, and his head swam.

Fortunately, he was at the Profound Martial Ninth Layer, and his hand was extraordinarily fast. Had it been an ordinary person, they could not have finished even in ten days or half a month.

Near dawn, Void Form, who had already been staring blankly for half an hour, finally could not help saying again, "This humble one truly cannot recall the last cultivation method."

"Think harder. People have to push themselves before they know their own potential."

Was this a matter of potential? Void Form wanted to curse, but he did not dare.

"This humble one truly cannot remember any more methods that lead directly to high-level True Martial. However, I once obtained a Fragmentary Text of a cultivation method. It is quite wondrous, though this humble one's aptitude was dull and I never comprehended it. Could this Fragmentary Text count in place of one cultivation method?"

Gu Yuanqing was intrigued. "Write it out first and let me see."

Void Form returned to the room and picked up his brush once more. After the time it took an incense stick to burn, the fragment of more than three thousand words was delivered into Gu Yuanqing's hands.

Gu Yuanqing had only read a few lines when his eyes lit up. It read: "To know what Heaven does, and to know what man does—this is the utmost! He who knows what Heaven does lives by Heaven... Such a one, climbing heights feels no trembling, entering water is not soaked, entering fire feels no heat. Thus does one who knows ascend and merge with the Way..."

Void Form did not even dare breathe too loudly beside him, afraid that Gu Yuanqing would say it was unacceptable.

Gu Yuanqing read for a full half hour before finally raising his head.

"Not bad! It can count as one cultivation method."