Monts later.
Fang Qing once again piloted the white jade boat in flight and began inspecting the storage bags of Lu Qianfan and Zhou Mingjing.
Recalling the battle just now, he felt a surge of emotions.
Lu Qianfan was, after all, a late-stage Foundation Establishnt cultivator. Even though he had only recently broken through, with his nurous second-rank puppets his combat strength was certainly not weak. Yet in the end...
During the fight, those second-rank puppets had been cut down one after another by Fang Qing's sword as easily as chopping wood.
In desperation, Lu Qianfan had tried to flee on his flying bird puppet, but it could not match the speed of sword escape at all.
Aside from his exceptional puppet mastery, this man's personal combat ability was diocre. Fang Qing had taken his head with just a few sword strikes. He died so easily that he hardly seed like the renowned late Foundation Establishnt great cultivator famous across the Minor Huan Sea.
If a late-stage sword cultivator had co instead, it might not have been so effortless to slay him.
"Ancient Shu sword cultivators truly are formidable."
Fang Qing first opened Zhou Mingjing's storage bag and imdiately discovered a considerable number of spirit stones.
"As expected, the hexagram did not deceive . When gold is scattered, it returns. Most of these should be the spirit stones I used to purchase the Qionghua Branch."
Beyond that were the mid-grade spiritual artifact silver mirror, along with so worthless magical artifacts, pills, and several jade slip booklets.
"Hmm?"
Fang Qing rummaged and found a spirit shell. When he opened it, several small insects erged and began circling his own storage bag.
He pondered for a mont, then took out the jade box containing the Qionghua Branch.
Sure enough, the small insects imdiately crawled toward it.
"So that is how it was."
Fang Qing now roughly understood how he had been tracked. He turned to Lu Qianfan's storage bag next.
This man's wealth turned out to be even less than Zhou Mingjing's—only so puppet materials and half-finished products.
"What a fraud!"
Fang Qing cursed in irritation. He found a jade slip, swept it with his divine sense, and discovered it was the Puppet True Scripture!
"This is... a second-rank puppet technique inheritance? Tianxin Linked Islands has always been renowned for puppets. It seems most of Lu Qianfan's fortune went into puppets."
Fang Qing had so interest in puppet arts. After a quick scan, he saw that the Puppet True Scripture was originally a secret transmission from Tianxin Linked Islands, once a third-rank inheritance.
Unfortunately, Lu Qianfan's skill back then had been insufficient to receive the true transmission, though he had reached roughly second-rank superior level.
Within the Puppet True Scripture, aside from a large number of first-rank puppet blueprints and more than a dozen second-rank puppet designs such as Giant Cannon Turtle, Swift Wind Wolf, Flying Sky Dove, and Burrowing Rat, the most important part was the core transmission: the Puppet Control Art, also known as the Thousand Hearts Puppet Control Secret Technique. This was a divine sense secret thod, detailing everything from the initial one heart dividing into two uses, up to one heart dividing into ten uses.
It was said that the third-rank transmission included thods for one heart dividing into a hundred uses or even a thousand uses, but unfortunately those were absent from this jade slip.
"This Lu Qianfan... in truth he did not possess the full strength of a late Foundation Establishnt great cultivator. After all, he had only recently broken through. Most of his wealth was invested in puppets."
If he had possessed one more superior-grade defensive spiritual artifact, Fang Qing might not have been able to slay him so easily. At the very least there would have been a prolonged entanglent, and in terms of mana consumption Fang Qing would have shown so weakness.
Several months later.
After making a circuit through other marketplaces to fence his spoils, Fang Qing returned to his loyal Blue Sea Sect.
He did not enter through the grand array entrance. Instead he circled around to a remote spot, took out a talisman, ford hand seals, and cast the spell.
A breach imdiately appeared in the array, allowing him to slip inside.
Everything in the Mystic Jade Cave remained as before.
Fang Qing returned to his own cave residence, then leisurely erged from seclusion and went to the outer spirit herb fields.
"Martial Uncle Fang? Congratulations on erging from seclusion. Your mana has advanced greatly."
Xiang Dahu hurried forward to bow.
Previously Fang Qing had bestowed upon him so Sweet Rain Spring Water to repair his foundation and given him a few pointers on cultivation experience.
Now Xiang Dahu had broken through his bottleneck and advanced to the late seventh layer of Qi Refining.
He harbored no suspicions whatsoever about Fang Qing's months-long seclusion.
After all, Foundation Establishnt cultivators often secluded themselves for years at a ti.
In fact, within the entire Blue Sea Sect, aside from Qin Ruxue, no one even knew Fang Qing had left the sect.
"Has anything major happened in the sect recently?"
Fang Qing asked casually.
"Nothing in particular. Only that Martial Uncle Tianding ca once, saw that Martial Uncle's cave residence was closed, left a letter, and departed."
"Aside from that, since Hall Master Cui returned to the sect to recover from injuries, it is said that the Sea-Destroying Alliance outside has intensified its offensives. Our sect has suffered several small losses. Martial Aunt Qin ca a few tis but left no voice transmission talismans or the like."
Xiang Dahu reported everything one by one.
Fang Qing was not surprised by the Blue Sea Sect's setbacks. In fact, having seen things more clearly from the outside, he understood the situation even better.
That Heiyuan True Personage was indeed worthy of being a Core Formation demonic cultivator. He had passed down a host of demonic techniques, drawn in nurous Foundation Establishnt aristocratic families and rogue cultivators, and capitalized on the resentnt that had accumulated when the Blue Sea Sect previously unified the Minor Huan Sea through sowhat overbearing actions. Now that resentnt had erupted all at once, it truly ca crashing down like a landslide or tidal wave.
Fang Qing had visited several marketplaces. In one of them he even witnessed Foundation Establishnt raiders breaking through a market's defenses and plundering it wantonly.
Of course, no matter how chaotic things beca outside, as long as he avoided running into either of the two Core Formation ancestors, his self-preservation was assured.
With the Plum Blossom Divination assisting his calculations, it was impossible for him to be so unlucky.
For example, before returning this ti he had divined a hexagram. There was no chance he would blindly charge into a gap in the array and run headlong into Ruan Zhixuan.
"Bring Martial Uncle Tianding's letter."
Fang Qing accepted the letter, unfolded it, and read. "Hmm? He wants to refine pills now?"
Tianding's injuries had fully healed. Naturally it was ti to prepare for refining that third-rank Great Barrier-Breaking Pill.
This pill ranked as third-rank and required third-rank spirit herbs as the main material, all supplied by Ancestor Ruan Zhixuan.
Beyond that, many second-rank mid-grade and superior-grade auxiliary materials needed to be gathered one by one.
However, Tianding had only recently recovered from grave injuries and still required ti to regain his peak condition.
Now that ti had passed, he was nearly ready.
"This ti we only need to produce one pill—even an inferior one will do. We do not need many people. Just a few second-rank pill masters to assist."
"Tianding has indeed chosen . The capable bear the burden. Truly bullying the honest one."
Fang Qing curled his lip. If he were the lead refiner, he could skim a bit of materials here and there. As a re assistant he had no such convenience.
Once Tianding takes charge, the sect's third-rank spirit spring will no longer be mine to use.
Perhaps... I should apply to guard Taibai Island? That Ice Soul Cold Spring could be modified into a third-rank cold spring as well.
There was still so ti before Elder Tianding began refining. Fang Qing simply returned to his cave residence and entered seclusion once more.
This ti there was no covert maneuvering. He genuinely intended to digest the gains from his trip outside.
Inside the seclusion chamber.
Fang Qing held the jade slip recording the Xun Wind Shadowless Escape and silently comprehended it.
This escape technique jade slip contained only four layers. The first layer suited early Foundation Establishnt cultivators to practice. A Body-refining Qi Refining cultivator with exceptional physique could also barely manage it.
"The first layer's thod increases escape speed by several tenths and allows cultivation of two shadow clones to flee together."
These shadow clones were rely illusory phantoms at first, able only to confuse the enemy's senses.
But as cultivation deepened, they could gradually imitate a cultivator's aura and blood-qi, achieving a near-perfect deception.
"Truly an excellent life-saving escape art!"
With Fang Qing's current mid Foundation Establishnt cultivation and relatively powerful divine sense, he quickly comprehended the first layer completely.
Then he moved to a more open area inside the cave residence and ford hand seals with both hands.
Monts later, nothing happened.
"I should already have entered the first layer. It seems the technique's requirents are not t."
Fang Qing felt no disappointnt. This had been within his expectations.
With a thought, the Dao-Genesis Pearl spun once. His entire Blue Sea mana instantly transford into [Ji Water]!
"Qi Ingestion path's ingestion of true cultivation should also alter one's constitution."
He ford hand seals again. A clear sound like wind seed to brush past his ears. His figure instantly split into three hazy shadows that flew in different directions.
Monts later the three figures rged back into one, revealing Fang Qing once more.
"Hmm. In terms of straight-line speed this wind escape falls short of sword escape. But for confusing senses and short-distance maneuvering, it possesses its own profound subtlety."
"After converting to [Ji Water] mana, I do not seem to have gained any wind spiritual root. Yet my body may have beco a sort of wind-affinity spiritual body? At least it leans in that direction, allowing to perform this Xun Wind Shadowless Escape?"
"Why does [Ji Water] favor wind?"
Fang Qing pondered silently, attempting to comprehend further and elevate his own attainnt.
"This cannot be explained solely by the five elents. It concerns the transformations of heaven and earth's circulation."
Abruptly he recalled Li Rulong's situation, accompanied by scenes of wind, frost, rain, and snow.
"[Ji Water] favors wind, [Bi Moon] favors rain—thus the saying: Ji wind, Bi rain… This attainnt is quite mysterious. It seems it does not exist independently, but instead requires joint comprehension."
"Hmm. On the Ancient Shu side, I should find more immortal calendars to read."
With the enhancent of [Ji Water], Fang Qing felt that cultivating two or three layers of this escape technique would pose no difficulty.
After testing the escape art, he returned to the seclusion chamber and took out the Puppet True Scripture.
He had so interest in puppet techniques.
Of course, what truly intrigued him was the accompanying Thousand Hearts Puppet Control Secret Technique. This was a path of divine sense application that offered slight assistance in stimulating and strengthening divine sense.
"Now that I lack good body-refinent or divine sense techniques, this secret thod can serve as a temporary substitute."
Moreover, Lu Qianfan's storage bag still contained so first-rank and half-finished puppets that could be put to direct use—not bad at all.
Several days later.
Fang Qing exhaled a long breath. "One heart dividing into two uses... even this is sowhat difficult. Fortunately, I have never been a talent-flow player. I am a resource-flow player!"
Qi Refining path required resources. With sufficient resources, even a pig could reach Core Formation!
Back in his early Qi Refining days he had been extrely poor while accumulating contributions. His advancent speed had lagged far behind fellow disciples of similar aptitude.
But once he completed his initial accumulation and began trading between the two worlds, his cultivation had soared, allowing him to reach Foundation Establishnt swiftly.
He took a jade box from his storage bag and opened it. Imdiately a wave of chill spread outward.
"Second-rank Ice Soul Cold Heart—a spiritual item for divine sense. It assists in strengthening divine sense."
Fang Qing placed the Ice Soul Cold Heart against the niwan palace between his brows, circulated his mana to refine it, and instantly felt an icy current enter his sea of consciousness. His whole body shivered, becoming much clearer and more awake.
User Comments
0 comments from readers