Mystery

Shi Xuan pondered repeatedly, and from various pieces of information, he could basically confirm that the Innate Realm of Shattering the Void was indeed the Qi Induction Stage in cultivation. But how could this realm possibly lead to ascension? Setting aside the fact that there was no such thing as ascension in this great world during ancient times, even this level of cultivation was still very far from that of a Golden Core Grandmaster. What could be used to ascend?

In the past few hundred years, all recorded or rumored Innate experts (Qi Induction Stage) shattered the void and departed when they broke through to this realm, without exception. This suggested that either the rules of this world had changed, or it was more like a "reception." Who it was that could sense people breaking through to the Qi Induction Stage on a large scale and then take them away, and what their purpose was, remained unknown.

Shi Xuan sighed softly. If he still couldn't find any traces of the Daoist sects or gather any news after traveling the world, he would have to break through to the Qi Induction Stage. No matter who he faced or what the situation was after "ascending," it would be better than slowly aging to death here. After all, for the first three layers of the Treasury Records, with the foundation taught by Old Daoist Xu, he could still understand the cultivation well. However, starting from the Qi Induction Stage, there were many parts he couldn't understand, including some terminology and the meaning of some sentences. Cultivation techniques often contained multiple meanings in their terminology and phrasing. If he misunderstood one layer or a certain term, it might not be a big problem, but if it was a major issue, who would he cry to?

Furthermore, he lacked the most basic knowledge in artifact refining, pill refining, and formations. Therefore, he had to go to a major cultivation environment to seek advice or consult ancient texts.

He Dahai and his daughter He Yuqing stood beside Shi Xuan, not daring to move rashly. Although they really wanted to glimpse the contents of the Longevity Treasury, seeing Shi Xuan lost in thought and not opening the manual, they didn't dare to urge him, only feeling anxious in their hearts.

Shi Xuan quickly snapped back to reality. He casually opened the manual he had on him and read quickly, only skimming through it. From this manual and some of the manuals collected by Old Daoist Xu that he had flipped through before, it seemed that martial arts development encountered a bottleneck after reaching the Subtle Realm (Soul Departure Stage). Shi Xuan knew why: martial arts manuals lacked direct cultivation content for the soul. Although there was indirect enhancement, it was still insufficient. Starting from the Subtle Realm, the different influences of physical and soul cultivation began to appear, and there were no methods that only cultivated the body without the soul (Shi Xuan was also unclear about this, only mentioning it briefly in the Treasury Records), so the growth of cultivation was slow.

The Longevity Treasury contained methods for soul cultivation, namely the eight Qi circulation diagrams on the last few pages of the manual. The postures were strange, requiring a clear mind, and there were other peculiar requirements. However, in Shi Xuan's opinion, this was a very, very rudimentary method of soul cultivation. Despite its rudimentary nature, it didn't prevent the Longevity Treasury from becoming a peerless martial arts manual capable of achieving the realm of Shattering the Void, nor did it prevent it from being a difficult manual to start practicing.

There was very little useful content in the Longevity Treasury for Shi Xuan, at most some exquisite moves and the Qi circulation pathways for injuring opponents in the secret palm technique "Cloud-Dispelling Palm." He memorized them with just a glance, so Shi Xuan didn't intend to take it. He said to He Dahai beside him, "Chief Escort He, could you please unblock Mr. Liang's acupoints?"

He Dahai said happily, "I am honored to serve, Senior." Then he walked towards Liang Shenglou.

"Senior, may I ask if there is anything else you need us to do?" He Yuqing asked Shi Xuan with a mix of respect, fear, and a hint of flattery after her father had left.

Shi Xuan shook his head. "There is nothing else. You don't need to stand here. Some friends are injured; it would be better to rest by the campfire."

He Yuqing signaled for the others to return to their campfire, while she remained standing, waiting for her father's return. Her heart was still very unsettled; the shock of what she had seen and heard today far exceeded her twenty years of life. Various emotions intertwined, making it difficult to describe.

The two escort leaders and the remaining six or seven escorts and porters slowly walked back to the campfire. Seeing that Shi Xuan was not paying attention to them, they began to whisper among themselves.

"Escort Leader He, who do you think this senior is? His martial arts are terrifyingly high."

"No need to ask Escort Leader He. I think the senior is practicing the Diamond Shield technique of the Zen sect. Didn't you see that move? Tsk, tsk. If I tell this story when I get back, no one will believe me; they'll think I'm dreaming."

"Zhang Laosan, what Diamond Shield are you talking about? Didn't you see the senior is dressed as a Daoist? How could he be one of those bald donkeys from the Zen sect?"

"Li Mazi, come, come, come, tell us what kind of martial art that was, to bounce back like that with a bang."

"Maybe it's some secret martial art from the Xuanwu Sect. I think their sect is the most powerful among Daoists."

"Alright, stop guessing. If the senior hears you and gets unhappy, then what?" He Xiangshan smoothed things over.

Everyone immediately fell silent, but after a moment, they began to sigh in low voices, "If I had the senior's martial arts, all the Three Fair Maidens of the Jianghu, and many beautiful female knights, hehe."

"I wonder if the senior is accepting disciples."

He Dahai spent a lot of effort and a long time to unblock Liang Shenglou's acupoints, as his martial arts were far inferior to Gao Wenqi's. Then, he pinched Liang Shenglou's philtrum to wake him up.

Liang Shenglou was severely injured. Not to mention the various knife and sword wounds he had sustained earlier, Gao Wenqi's two sword strikes alone made him miserable. Although these two strikes were mainly aimed at acupoints, the internal force attached to the swords had already ruptured many of his meridians. He was in unbearable pain now, and coupled with the shattering of his dream of revenge, his mind was also somewhat unclear. He sat up and looked at He Dahai, confused, and after a moment of daze, he asked, "Who are you?" He had seen He Dahai before but didn't recognize him.

"I am He Dahai. The Daoist senior has invited Mr. Liang to have a chat. Please!" He Dahai said respectfully.

Liang Shenglou, having been unconscious earlier, did not know what had happened later. He was somewhat confused as he followed He Dahai towards Shi Xuan. His steps faltered, and he saw Cao Chuyu's corpse. He was shocked and a little sad. He had known Old Fourth for over twenty years, only to end up facing each other with swords. Now he was still alive, but Old Fourth had become a corpse. Life is unpredictable.

Walking a few more steps, he saw Peng Tianxiao's corpse. Liang Shenglou's shock turned into fright. He didn't know who had taken action.

He Dahai, who had reached him, moved aside. Liang Shenglou then saw a young Daoist in a black Daoist robe sitting calmly cross-legged by the campfire. This was someone he had completely overlooked before. Moreover, he had never heard of such a person in the Jianghu.

Liang Shenglou cupped his hands and said, "Esteemed Daoist, may I ask why you summoned Liang?"

Shi Xuan smiled. "Mr. Liang, you are too polite. This humble Daoist merely has a few questions for Mr. Liang. Please sit."

Liang Shenglou was still very distrustful of Shi Xuan and said, "Liang prefers to speak standing."

Shi Xuan raised the Longevity Treasury in front of him and shook it twice. "May I ask where Mr. Liang obtained this manual? Do you have any other words left by Guangyang Hermit, or any other belongings?" Shi Xuan would not miss this opportunity to gather information about the people who had Shattered the Void.

Seeing the manual he had dreamed of, which had belonged to him before, in Shi Xuan's hands, and thinking his dream of revenge was shattered, only to have hope placed before him now, a malicious thought arose in Liang Shenglou's heart. His already hazy mind became even more unclear, with only one thought echoing repeatedly: Take it back! Take it back!

Furthermore, Liang Shenglou had not seen or heard Shi Xuan kill Gao Wenqi and the other two. He subconsciously placed Shi Xuan's strength at the level of an ordinary Subtle Realm expert, or perhaps even lower, as he hadn't seen Gao Wenqi's corpse and it was possible he had escaped. If he could snatch the manual when the opponent wasn't paying attention and then find an opportunity to escape into the rain, there was a high chance of repeating Gao Wenqi's success.

His mind was muddled, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. This might be the last sliver of opportunity given to him by heaven amidst severe hardship. He had often heard storytellers talk about "contending for heavenly opportunities." Indeed, without contending, how could there be an opportunity? If he let it go now, his state of mind and martial arts would definitely regress. With a surge of heat in his head, Liang Shenglou made up his mind and slowly began to speak, "Guangyang Hermit..."

Seeing Liang Shenglou remain silent for a while without answering, and noticing his hands trembling slightly, Shi Xuan's existing vigilance increased by another level. As he heard Liang Shenglou finally speak slowly, he was fully on guard. Even if he had no ill intentions, it was better to be prepared.

As Liang Shenglou spoke slowly, he suddenly kicked the campfire and lunged at Shi Xuan. However, as soon as his foot moved, he saw a pair of fists with slender fingers smash fiercely into his ankle. Already severely injured, his protective true qi was almost nonexistent. He immediately felt a sharp pain in his ankle; it had been shattered. His lunge towards Shi Xuan was also thrown off course. Although his mind was unclear, his experience remained. He quickly used one foot to push off the ground, twisting like an eel, and then fearlessly attacked Shi Xuan with both fists.

From the previous punch, Shi Xuan had already discovered that Liang Shenglou was severely injured and his martial arts cultivation was less than one-tenth of its former strength. Seeing Liang Shenglou still attacking, he steadily stepped forward, gathered his energy, and unleashed "Earth Dragon Shakes Ground." From top to bottom, his fists struck Liang Shenglou's fists, causing Liang Shenglou's fists to crack and bleed, his bones to break.

In pain, Liang Shenglou retreated a step in his frenzy, forgetting that his other foot was already broken. He immediately fell to the right, then felt a cold sensation in his right rib as a long sword pierced through his chest cavity. Unwillingly, he looked to the right and saw a beautiful young girl standing there with a tense expression, holding a long sword. Seeing him look, she quickly dropped the sword and leaped back several steps.

Shi Xuan had only intended to subdue Liang Shenglou and still had questions to ask him. As for He Yuqing, who was nervously pacing the sidelines with her sword, she was also completely within his control. But when he saw Liang Shenglou fall onto He Yuqing's sword tip, it was too late to shout "Hold your hand!"