Visualization diagrams

In the stillness of the night.

Qi Dian sat on the ground, gazing intently at Yue Wen, his eyes flickering and his face slightly flushed.

Yue Wen quietly took a step back.

Lately, he had kept coming across rumors about cultivators from Heavenly Prefecture online, so he was understandably a little sensitive.

After a long while, Qi Dian sighed. "Brother Yue, I owe you an apology. I looked down on you before because you were an independent cultivator. I never imagined that not only would your cultivation be so profound, but you would also step in to save my life. I really am ashamed of myself."

Oh.

So he was blushing out of embarrassment.

I thought he was feeling shy.

That almost gave me a scare.

Only then did Yue Wen relax. He smiled. "It's fine. You treated me to dinner, too."

He wasn't worried that revealing too much of his strength would make Qi Dian suspect he possessed some treasure and covet it.

That was a favorite plot device in novels. In reality, too many things affected a cultivator's combat strength: magical artifacts, cultivation methods, supernatural abilities, pills, talismans, spirit pets... Qi Dian hadn't even seen the fight, so he was unlikely to get any such ideas.

Besides, this was a society governed by law. Maintaining public safety in urban areas was a top priority. Murdering someone for their treasures wasn't something that could happen so easily.

If he were in the lawless wilderness, Yue Wen would certainly have kept a lower profile.

"How could a meal of fried chicken ever repay you for saving my life?" Qi Dian's expression turned serious. "Fellow Daoist Yue, is there anything you need? As long as it's within my power, I'll do everything I can to repay you."

Oh?

Hearing that, Yue Wen perked right up.

If Qi Dian hadn't insisted, he wouldn't have demanded repayment for saving him. After all, killing the man in black had already yielded plenty of rewards. But since Qi Dian was offering...

Heh heh heh...

Yue Wen thought for a moment, then said, "We're both righteous cultivators. Helping each other is only natural. I certainly didn't save you for a reward, but if you really want to put your mind at ease, Brother Qi, there's no need to give me anything expensive. I'm quite interested in those techniques you used when you first appeared."

Qi Dian's entrance had been spectacular, all flashing light and rumbling thunder, startling even that evil cultivator into bracing himself for a formidable opponent.

Later, Yue Wen had discovered that Qi Dian's cultivation was nowhere near enough to produce such grand effects. Without a doubt, he had used some supernatural ability or technique to create them.

His cultivation might have been questionable, but he certainly knew how to show off.

"Those?" Qi Dian gave a slightly stiff smile. "They're two supernatural abilities that every disciple of the Riverside Gate has to master as soon as they join. Master says our disciples must use them first whenever we face an enemy, to display the sect's prestige. One is the Thunderclap Art, and the other is the Flash Technique."

"So that's how it works."

No wonder, Yue Wen thought. When genuine experts made an entrance, the rapid circulation of their true qi stirred the surrounding spiritual energy and produced phenomena such as lightning, thunder, and dazzling radiance. The Thunderclap Art and Flash Technique let them switch those effects on manually, creating artificial effects with the same audiovisual impact.

The Riverside Gate really had something going for it. No wonder it had become so successful in Jiangcheng.

"Since you're interested, Brother Yue, let's exchange contact details. I'll send you the visualization diagrams for both techniques." Qi Dian took out his phone.

"No problem." Yue Wen scanned his QR code.

A contact profile named "Young Hero Qi, Roaming the World with Sword in Hand" promptly appeared on his phone. After sending a friend request, Yue Wen glanced up and saw that Qi Dian's face had gone even redder.

Brother Qi really is into that fantasy-hero stuff.

But Qi Dian soon noticed that the friend request had come from someone whose username was "AAA Proprietor of Yue Cultivation Services." He, too, looked up at Yue Wen.

Now it was Yue Wen's turn to blush.

Sure enough, nobody could stand having their online handle scrutinized in public.

The two digital codes Qi Dian sent finally broke the awkward silence. "I forwarded these from our sect's scripture library. Brother Yue, just log in with my access key, 9527."

"All right." Yue Wen nodded.

The cultivation methods and supernatural abilities of this world were all passed down through "visualization diagrams."

Drawn with Dao resonance, these visualization diagrams contained the underlying truths of their techniques. Only by comprehending them thoroughly could one master the cultivation method or supernatural ability within. The more advanced the diagram, the greater the insight required to comprehend it.

Making a copy of a visualization diagram also required a very high level of cultivation.

Although Qi Dian had mastered these two supernatural abilities himself, he clearly lacked the ability to copy their diagrams. All he could do was forward links to the diagrams in the scripture library. Neither ability was highly restricted, so disciples of the Riverside Gate could freely view and share them. However, whoever owned the access key used to log in would be charged for the time spent studying them.

That was right.

After opening a link, Yue Wen discovered that every second he spent comprehending the diagram incurred a continuous charge.

He quickly backed out.

"Don't worry about it, Brother Yue. Just keep studying until you've mastered them completely," Qi Dian said.

"As you know, I'm an independent cultivator, so I don't have much experience comprehending supernatural abilities." Yue Wen smiled apologetically. "It might take me a little longer."

"That's fine." Qi Dian generously flicked his bangs aside. "Compared to saving my life, what does that matter?"

As soon as Qi Dian had woken up, Yue Wen had called the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. By the time they finished their conversation, the bureau's cleanup team had arrived.

Yue Wen and Qi Dian each gave a brief statement, then went their separate ways.

The man in black had been a genuine evil cultivator, and his name might even have been on Thunderfall Province's wanted list. Not only did Yue Wen face no legal consequences for killing him, but he would also receive a cash reward if the identification was confirmed. Even if the man hadn't dropped any evil-suppressing coins, killing him would still have brought Yue Wen plenty of rewards.

He really had been valuable from head to toe.

Yue Wen rode his little electric scooter back to the office. There were still no commissions or messages, only a new utility bill on the door.

He tidied up briefly, then sat cross-legged. First, he logged in through the link, opened the visualization diagram within, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, immersing himself in contemplation.

In an instant, his spiritual sense entered the world inside the diagram without the slightest resistance.

The Thunderclap Art's visualization diagram resembled a pool of thunder, filled with constant, strange rumbling. Overhead, the Thunder God and Lightning Mother seemed to be endlessly opening up heaven and earth.

The Flash Technique's visualization diagram was filled with dazzling colors and radiant light, endlessly brilliant and ever-changing, making his spiritual sense dizzy despite himself.

Twenty minutes later, he had thoroughly comprehended both the Thunderclap Art and the Flash Technique.

He hadn't learned many supernatural abilities or techniques, but the very first cultivation method he had practiced was the True Dragon Method.

After comprehending the visualization diagrams for the True Dragon Method and the Sword-Controlling Technique, studying the diagrams for these two minor abilities was like having fought Taro and Zero, only to be told that today's opponent was Kirara Asuka.

Not only was it easy, it was even a little dull.

Finishing in twenty minutes had been a breeze.

Afterward, he couldn't help reflecting that having an immortal sect's resources behind you really did make things easier. Those twenty minutes of practice had cost, at most, a few hundred yuan. But buying the visualization diagrams for two minor abilities like these on the open market would have cost tens of thousands at the very least.

Cultivators certainly had an easy time making money, but everything related to cultivation was also terribly expensive. Those who managed to save were either well-connected or simply no longer interested in spending money to improve.

Only after mastering the abilities did he put away his phone and sort through the day's gains.

He would put the cash aside for now. He had no idea what the half-piece of black-gold skull was used for, so he would visit an Immortal Goods Exchange later and ask. If nothing else, melting it down and selling it as material would still fetch a decent sum.

As for the piece of purple hide, he took it out and examined it closely under the light, but still found no clues.

There was only that emblem.

After a long while, he opened a drawer and took out a black card.

The card seemed to have been polished from some kind of crystal. It didn't feel like plastic, and its frosted surface had a deep, bright sheen. The back was entirely black, while an emblem had been painted on the front in gold.

Countless long snakes flicking their tongues surrounded a ferocious tiger with vicious fangs!

The emblem was identical to the one on the hide.

Three years earlier, Yue Wen's parents had taken him on a trip by car. Suddenly, there had been a deafening crash, and then the world had spun around them.

An enormous pitch-black rift had appeared directly ahead, exerting a powerful pull like a vortex. Vaguely, a pair of gigantic eyes seemed to be looking through from the other side.

Even now, remembering that ancient, terrifying gaze sent a shudder through Yue Wen.

Inside the tumbling car, his father had suddenly grabbed him and said gravely, "There's a black card tucked into the book I gave you for graduation. You must keep it safe, and don't let anyone see it. Once you're strong enough, look into it."

Yue Wen hadn't understood what his father meant. After the car crashed into a building beside the road and stopped, he had dazedly watched his parents climb out and walk toward the black mist spreading from the rift.

His consciousness had gradually failed him, and he had passed out.

When he woke again, half a year had already gone by.

When he returned home, he found signs that many things had been disturbed, probably during a search by the Supernatural Affairs Bureau. But the card tucked into his graduation gift was still there. There was nothing visibly mysterious about it, nor did it give off any spiritual fluctuations. It seemed to be made of an ordinary material.

That was precisely why it had escaped the search.

Yue Wen had searched all over the internet for the emblem. The small lead he eventually found had, unexpectedly, come from a paper his father had once published. It stated that the emblem came from a certain place.

Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb.