Chapter 170 - 106: A Prefecture’s Talent, a State’s Prodigy, a Genius on the Juvenile Dragon Stele, Righteous Men of Old, a Promise Worth 1000 Gold

Chapter 170: Chapter 106: A Prefecture’s Talent, a State’s Prodigy, a Genius on the Juvenile Dragon Stele, Righteous Men of Old, a Promise Worth 1000 Gold

[The Tutor searched the five-hundred-li Earth Dragon Cave for Earth Treasure and ancient remains, exercising the ’Mountain Search’ authority!]

[Skill Dao Divine Technique: ’Mountain and Sea Search’ progress has increased significantly!]

[Current Progress: 26% → 40%!]

[Mountain Search talents ’Spiritual Sense’ and ’Qi Observation’ have become more potent!]

Riding his Jade Deer along the mountain path, Ji Xiu saw that Lianhuan Mountain Town and its many Hunting Manors were all covered in a silvery frost. ’My Skill Dao, ’Mountain and Sea Search’, has progressed again thanks to this trip into the Treasure Mountain.’

Ji Xiu looked back toward the five-hundred-li Earth Dragon Cave and couldn’t help but reflect:

"To the average person, it would look like a Dragon’s Pool and Tiger’s Den."

"But to me, it’s a land overflowing with treasure!"

"The first time, I obtained Demon Blood to temper my muscles and forge my bones. The second time, I earned a Demon Pill, scored a greatbow for free, and even gained a Mansion Maid as an attendant."

"And this third time was even more incredible."

"The Earth Treasure, ’Jade Marrow Cold Lotus’, and the Secret Martial technique, ’Ye Longxiang’s Head’!"

"Even in the Prefecture City, if word of this ever got out, countless people would scramble to seize them. I doubt even a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster could remain seated!"

Gently rubbing the Sun and Moon Jade Pearl in his pouch, Ji Xiu licked his lips.

’I just wonder what the background of this Elder Ye Wenjiang, the creator of ’Ye Longxiang’s Head’, really is.’

’I wonder if Master Duan or Miss Jiang Li would know?’

’I can ask them when I get back. If I don’t, and I actually master this Secret Martial Dao, others will see me as no different from a disciple of that School. I’d essentially be branded.’

’If I happen to run into any of its enemies, I could get dragged into their conflict. I don’t have to worry about that here in Anning County, but the Great Xuan is vast. Who knows who I might run into someday.’

He mused to himself.

Meanwhile, Ye Ningzhi, who stood to the side, was a far cry from her clean appearance before they entered the mountain; she was now stained with Demon Blood.

She carried a rapier that radiated a chilling, murderous aura, yet was completely unstained by blood. Upon closer inspection, her entire bearing was vastly different from when she had first arrived.

Seeing Cai Ling’Er’s dejected expression, Ye Ningzhi found it a bit strange.

"What’s wrong with you?"

Cai Ling’Er, trailing behind Ji Xiu, looked up at the sky.

"You don’t get it. You have no idea what you missed."

She clasped her hands behind her back, gazing out at the vast, snowy expanse with an expression of utter despair. Then, she turned to Ye Ningzhi, her face a mask of grief.

"Just now, we found a stone stele inscribed with a Secret Martial Dao! Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. It vanished before we could even copy it down."

"You have excellent talent for the Martial Dao. If you had been there, you might have... actually been able to comprehend some of it!"

Ye Ningzhi raised an eyebrow and looked toward the back of Ji Xiu, who was riding the Jade Deer.

"Just because you couldn’t comprehend it doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t."

Following her gaze, Cai Ling’Er frowned and protested loudly.

"Hey, Eldest Miss Ye, did you get beaten stupid? A Secret Martial Dao! We’re talking about a Secret Martial Dao, not some basic ’Nourishing Stance and Concealing Martial Arts’!"

"Could you find anyone in the entire Prefecture City who could grasp the very essence of a Secret Martial Dao after just a few glances?"

"What kind of monstrous talent would that take!"

"Someone on par with the geniuses of a Prefecture or the Heroes of the State? A heaven-blessed prodigy who could leave their name on the Juvenile Dragon Stele, destined to become a Martial Saint and Immortal?"

"Maybe someone of that caliber could pull it off."

"But... how could someone like that possibly emerge from a small place like this?"

Disbelief was written all over Cai Ling’Er’s face.

But Ye Ningzhi saw Ji Xiu’s calm and unbothered demeanor, showing no sign of frustration over gains or losses. She just shook her head and spoke frankly.

"If it’s Senior Brother Ji, I think it’s possible."

Her youthful face was earnest. Her pockets were stuffed with Demon Pills, and vials full of Demon Heart Essence Blood were tied around her waist, stripping her of any noble air she once had as a Mansion Maid.

However...

...the edge she projected had sharpened, and the young woman seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

If the Ye Ningzhi from before was a treasured sword with its edge concealed—impressive, but lacking tempering—

—then the blade hidden deep within the scabbard had now been partially drawn, its chilling sharpness enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Just a single glance from her made Cai Ling’Er’s heart skip a beat. She vigorously rubbed her own arms—smooth as jade and impeccably cared for despite the elements—and grimaced.

"Have you already achieved the Sword of Slaughter?"

As the saying goes: carry a sharp blade, and the intent to kill will arise.

The first trial of armed combat, ’Ten Steps One Kill,’ embodies this very principle. That is why the first trial for any Martial Artist learning a weapon is called ’Ten Steps One Kill,’ also known as the Sword of Slaughter, the Blade of Slaughter, or the Intent of Slaughter.

The second trial is ’Martial Stance.’ Ye Ningzhi had already cultivated her Sword Stance long ago, even bringing it to the stage of Perfection.

In other words,

the main reason her master, Ye Luan, had not passed down the mantle of the Jinghong School’s Secret Martial Dao, ’Startled Swan from the Sleeve,’ was because Ye Ningzhi’s swordsmanship was flawed.

But...

...after this single journey of tempering outside the mountain, the current Ye Ningzhi had been stripped of her naivete. Her Sword of Slaughter and Sword Stance had reached a profound level, and she had also crossed the two thresholds of ’Golden Muscle and Jade Veins’ and ’Mercury Blood Silver Marrow.’

As soon as she returns to Jiangyin Prefecture, she will likely be able to inherit the Secret Martial technique ’Startled Swan from the Sleeve’ and become a true core member of the School—a true inheritor of its secret legacy!

"It’s all thanks to Senior Brother Ji and the guidance of Elder Duan."

Ye Ningzhi’s eyes sparkled like a field of shattered starlight, bright and luminous.

They say traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. At sixteen, she hadn’t understood this principle, but now, she finally did.

That look gave Cai Ling’Er a massive headache. ’This damn woman is so one-track-minded!’ she screamed internally. ’What the hell does this have to do with those two, master and disciple? It’s just that your granny and your Master protected you too damn well and never let you see any real bloodshed!’