Free Web NovelChapter 212: Chapter 162: Ancient Scripture (2)
Yu Fei’s gift was a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Unity Jade Pendants he had selected from the Ping Tianxia platform. They were worth 5,000 merit points—two thousand more than the Void Wind Shadow Sword.
The Jade Pendants were exquisitely crafted; the dragon and phoenix shapes could be joined into a single piece. When separated, a crimson gleam on each pendant would point toward the other. The seller claimed this feature would function even in the borderlands, allowing the wearers to determine each other’s location from thousands of miles away, which was the reason for their high price.
Su Yue was overjoyed with Yu Fei’s gift. She immediately hung one from her waist while also putting the other one on Yan Sea.
The couple was incredibly busy on their wedding day, so Su Yue specially instructed the butler to look after Yu Fei.
Yan Sea and Su Yue had many old friends, a number of whom arrived at Cyan Deer Manor early, including Chen Yu. The couple had to greet each of them personally.
Three Martial Saints attended the wedding in person, and Su Junche personally received them.
Yu Fei activated his Reversing Destiny Vision and glanced at them from a distance. The talent levels of these three didn’t even reach silver; they were all a uniform red.
Martial Dao talent is a nebulous concept. While it’s nearly impossible to progress without aptitude for cultivation, talent only represents potential. A Martial Artist’s path to growth is fraught with too many unexpected turns.
Moreover, a talent’s effect doesn’t always correlate with cultivation. Of the many second-realm prodigies at the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition, half possessed orange-level talent. Ye Feng was also orange-level, yet his cultivation progress was mediocre. Of course, in terms of looks, Ye Feng could easily rank among the top ten prodigies.
With his Reversing Destiny Vision active, Yu Fei observed the numerous guests at the event. The vast majority possessed blue or purple talent. Orange and red were relatively rare, and he hadn’t seen a single person with silver talent.
Cyan Deer Manor was bustling with activity. After having a single celebratory drink at the banquet, Yu Fei began to wander the manor grounds by himself.
’Yan Sea’s life was always meant to follow this path. If not for a twist of fate, our lives would have never crossed—and that goes double for Su Yue.’
Yu Fei thought about the dilapidated martial arts environment in his hometown. Here, nearly every guest was at the Inner Qi Realm or higher. The world of the extraordinary truly had its own circles.
His journey since the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition had broadened his horizons immensely. Having met so many prodigies of his generation, and even Martial Saints, a heroic pride naturally swelled within him.
’There are over a thousand guests at Cyan Deer Manor, representing the upper echelons of the Yu Kingdom’s martial arts circles. In terms of realm, I’m the weakest here, but when it comes to talent, even the three Martial Saints present can’t compare to me.’
As he was wandering, he came face to face with a kind-looking old man with salt-and-pepper hair.
’I spoke too soon.’ This old man who just appeared out of nowhere also had a bright silver gem above his head.
"Are you Yu Fei, young friend?"
Though the old man posed it as a question, his tone was one of certainty.
Yu Fei couldn’t discern his intentions. Though he sensed a faint goodwill from the man, he replied curtly, "No. Excuse me!"
’The less trouble, the better. These senior martial artists have incredibly sharp minds. To this day, I still don’t know how I slipped up and let Honglian the Martial Saint sense that something was off about me. I have no idea what she discovered, and I don’t dare ask, nor do I dare speak of it.’
’This old man has silver talent. He’s no ordinary person. It’s best not to get involved.’ As he spoke, he turned to leave.
Tang Shengquan was stunned speechless by Yu Fei’s reply. ’Is this kid always so aggravating?’ he thought.
"Ahem! I am Tang Shengquan, Su Yue’s maternal grandfather. I’m not a stranger!"
Yu Fei stopped in his tracks. He suddenly recalled Su Yue mentioning that the twenty-year-old Enlightenment Tea he had used was provided by her maternal grandfather. If that was the case, he owed this old man a great debt. A smile immediately spread across his face as he said respectfully, "Greetings, Mr. Tang!"
Tang Shengquan couldn’t help but chuckle. "Ah, you kid..."
He gave a wry smile and said, "Walk with me. There’s something I’d like to ask you."
Yu Fei quickly fell in step behind him. "Please, sir, ask away!"
After a long moment of contemplation, Tang Shengquan chose his words carefully. "You’re the only person in the last decade to successfully cultivate the Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation. What are your thoughts on the technique?"
Yu Fei was confused. "In what respect, sir?"
"Tell me anything. Any feelings you have about the Cultivation Technique are fine. However, I need your objective evaluation—your true thoughts."
For the past six months, Tang Shengquan had been carefully piecing together clues about all the techniques of the Tribulation Sword lineage. The more he researched, the more he felt that the series of skills couldn’t have been created by Mr. Lanren, Sima Hong. It seemed more akin to a much older, ancient style of martial arts.
Yu Fei thought for a moment before deciding to honestly share all of his insights, holding nothing back. He didn’t know the full extent of Su Yue’s grandfather’s background or power, but a man who could so easily procure a large quantity of twenty-year-old Enlightenment Tea had to possess astonishing influence.
’I already learned my lesson with Honglian. It’s best not to play little games in front of people like this.’
"The techniques of the Tribulation Sword lineage, starting from the introductory Cyan Lotus Sword Seal and the sword sacrifice, are completely different in style from modern Cultivation Techniques..."
This was certainly true. Yu Fei often browsed the descriptions of Cultivation Techniques in the Scripture Pavilion, but he had never come across another one that involved a blood sacrifice of a sword in the first martial realm, let alone controlling it via a sword seal. The style was difficult to describe, as distinct as the culinary cultures of different nations.
The bluestone path wound its way toward a lakeside pavilion, flanked by undulating seas of flowers that filled the air with their fragrance.
Yu Fei walked half a step behind, his clear voice articulating his understanding of the Cultivation Technique.
"The Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation is more like a method for defying heaven and changing one’s fate. Once mastered, a Martial Artist can use the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus to gain the ability to smelt the five elements. Its Formless Sword Qi is incredibly destructive, which lays a solid foundation for the Martial Artist...
...However, it’s also incredibly difficult to cultivate. The struggle against the Sword Intent Grandmaster in one’s spiritual space is extremely dangerous. If... someone’s spirit is a bit weak, they might become an imbecile."
’I didn’t mention anything about soul quality. That would be too difficult to explain, so I just chalked it up to spiritual strength.’
Tang Shengquan looked pensive. "Spirit, you say?"
’But I doubt it has much to do with Spiritual Power. I’ve had Martial Artists with naturally high Spiritual Power test it before, and the results were the same.’
’I think Yu Fei himself has some special quality. The boy probably doesn’t even realize how different he is.’
Yu Fei continued his explanation, "The Formless Sword Qi is even more unique. This Sword Qi technique perfectly adapts to and empowers the user’s own Sword Intent. Within its effective range, it’s incredibly damaging and extremely fast. During the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition, I never saw an attack more potent than this Sword Qi—relative to its realm, of course."
Tang Shengquan nodded. Of all the traits Yu Fei had described, he felt one point, in particular, had hit the nail on the head: the style of the Tribulation Sword techniques was completely different from contemporary martial arts. It was more like an unorthodox path, one where only the most adaptable could thrive.
The Frenzied Blood Spirit that Yan Sea cultivated was fundamentally similar to the techniques of the Tribulation Sword lineage, both sharing characteristics of ancient demonic cultivation methods. However, the Tribulation Sword techniques seemed more subtle and sophisticated.
After obtaining Yan Sea’s technique manual, he had studied it for a long time and detected its hidden dangers. He had originally planned to resolve the issue during this visit, but unexpectedly, the young lady, Zhuo Feiming, had also noticed the problem. In fact, the solution she proposed was even better than his own.
Frenzied Blood Spirit requires one to condense Evil Qi into the body, which gradually alters a Martial Artist’s temperament over time. Cultivating this technique is also extremely dangerous. It allows for rapid advancement but comes with numerous hidden risks. Yan Sea’s own innate talent is average. By relying on immense willpower and the condensed Evil Qi, he made rapid progress after the fourth realm, but his foundation was left somewhat unstable.
The Eight Celestial Dragons Purification Skill is a symptomatic treatment. Mastering the basics allows one to dissolve their own Evil Qi, hostility, and so on. This doesn’t eliminate their power; rather, through a process of transformation, their aura becomes more refined and controllable. The Evil Qi no longer causes a backlash, and in some ways, this can actually enhance Yan Sea’s strength.
The Mahaprajna Sutra, however, is the real key. Cultivating it is a profound test of one’s fundamental nature, requiring one to grasp the sutra’s essence through their life’s experiences and attain realms such as "Mind Without Dwelling," "Non-Duality of Form and Emptiness," and Observing the True Reality. This allows the Blood Evil Dragon Aspect to be transformed into the Vajra Dragon Aspect, a being of infinite power.
