CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: TRUE SKILL BIG SALE

The flickering flame of the oil lamp danced. Curling wisps of blue smoke drifted upwards.

Qi Xiu sat beside the table, his sleeves drawn in. Five complete True Cultivation Powers lay spread out before him.

He really hadn’t expected that the True Cultivation Powers he had painstakingly searched for before were now a dime a dozen in front of those Initiate Realm cultivators. Looking at the True Cultivation Powers before him, Qi Xiu couldn’t help but reveal a wry smile. This was the stark difference a change in status brought to one’s world.

The five True Cultivation Powers collected from the West Wind Army were all secret manuals passed down within the military. Yuan Baiyi had made it clear beforehand—they could be viewed but not disclosed to others.

The five True Cultivation Powers were: the "Square True Skill Chart," the "Elephant Swallowing Spirit Transformation True Skill Chart," the "Water-Fire True Skill Diagram," the "Immortal Ape Plum Blossom True Skill Chart," and the "Purple Sun True Purple Golden Skill Diagram."

Unlike ordinary martial arts, the core content of a complete True Cultivation Power was its True Intent Diagram. Cultivators of True Cultivation Powers began by envisioning the True Intent Diagram from the Tempering Power Realm onwards. This differed from martial skills that only trained specific parts of the body; a Tempering Power Realm True Cultivation Power involved tempering the entire body directly. Through breathing techniques, tendon-altering postures, alchemical medicines, external power forging, and other methods, one’s whole body was to be thoroughly suffused. The difficulty and complexity of this process far exceeded even top-tier martial arts.

And in the Condensation Realm, practitioners of True Cultivation Powers would condense an Inner Qi Spring within their body. This allowed Inner Qi to circulate throughout, their breath becoming ceaseless and their Inner Qi inexhaustible. This Qi Spring was also key to later realms.

Upon reaching the True Intent Realm, practitioners of True Cultivation Powers first solidified their True Intent, fully mastering its power. They would then highly condense their True Intent with the Qi Spring, refining it into a single point. And that point was the gateway to the Initiate Realm. That was the so-called Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength!

As for how to step into the Ancient Gathering of Celestial Strength and how to knock open the door of the Initiate Realm, those were secrets that transcended True Cultivation Powers. They weren’t included in this exchange. In fact, Yuan Baiyi couldn’t even use them as bargaining chips.

No wonder all martial practitioners covet True Cultivation Powers so ardently. Those who practice True Cultivation Powers and those who engage in ordinary martial training exist on completely different levels. In the Tempering Power Realm, one might still manage by relying on external factors such as experience and awareness. But in the Condensation Realm, with an Inner Qi Spring, a True Cultivation Power practitioner’s Inner Qi is ceaseless, recovering with each breath. Even the most top-notch martial skills can barely achieve recovery in three breaths. In a fight between these two types, a True Cultivation Power practitioner would constantly unleash Inner Qi. An ordinary martial artist, on the other hand, would struggle to withstand ten moves. Not to mention the subsequent True Intent Realm.

After skimming through the five True Cultivation Powers, Qi Xiu was secretly astounded. The disparity between people really was quite tremendous.

Overall, the five True Cultivation Powers were similar. If speaking purely of power, the "Water-Fire True Skill Diagram" could be considered the ultimate. With its two distinct streams of Inner Qi, one ice-cold and one scorching hot, its power was astonishing. The collision of water and fire could generate terrifying destructive force.

Yet Qi Xiu was less enthusiastic about this True Cultivation Power. His approach was one of silent growth, holding steady and not getting ahead of himself. Sheer power alone didn’t entirely suit him.

His gaze wandered over the five True Cultivation Powers for a moment, and ultimately, Qi Xiu’s eyes settled on the one on the far left: the "Purple Sun True Purple Golden Skill Diagram."

Among the five True Cultivation Powers, this particular True Cultivation Power wasn’t outstanding. Its power paled in comparison to the "Water-Fire True Skill Diagram," and its speed was less than that of the "Immortal Ape Plum Blossom True Skill Chart." Additionally, its body tempering didn’t match that of the "Square True Skill Chart" or the "Elephant Swallowing Spirit Transformation True Skill Chart." However, this True Cultivation Power had one advantage that the other four did not possess: Qi Xiu had an inexplicable premonition about it. It seemed like it could merge with the martial skills he currently practiced. If that were the case, then this True Cultivation Power was essential for him. Because if they could be integrated, he could save a vast amount of time re-cultivating this True Cultivation Power, even skipping past the first two realms and stepping directly into the third. Nowadays, the situation is chaotic, and Demons frequently appear. Strengthening one’s power a bit earlier provides an extra layer of protection.

Yuan Baiyi is urging me so forcefully; formal cultivation will likely have to wait until I return. Let me copy these five True Cultivation Powers for now. This Lv Shuai is still rather young. Does he think that because the core of a True Cultivation Power is the True Intent Diagram, I can’t replicate it? Heh, underestimating this Qi Someone can lead to trouble.

Under the dim lamplight, the scholar with his sleeves drawn in chuckled softly and turned to retrieve a roll of white paper... and several boxes of pigments.

「Three days later.」

At the gate of Baohe County Town, Yuan Baiyi stood with his hands behind his back. He was dressed in dark, robust attire, a longsword at his waist. Beside him, Nie Xun held three fast horses, a Gold-Plated Tiger Head Spear tied to one of the saddles, looking around vigilantly.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Qi Xiu appeared. He wore a green shirt and cloth shoes, carried a gray-blue bundle on his back, and had a bamboo staff dangling from his waist, looking like a scholar on his way to an exam.

"You two are quite early?" Qi Xiu clasped his hands in salute upon seeing Yuan Baiyi and Nie Xun already there. The agreed time was the Hour of the Dragon, and he had arrived a quarter of an hour early, so he wasn’t late.

"Good morning, Daoist Qi," Nie Xun grinned broadly. He had a good impression of this Daoist who had saved several of his brothers and helped the Lv Shuai remove demonic poison.

"It seems your master isn’t completely neglectful of you, Brother Qi," Yuan Baiyi remarked, his gaze fixed on the bamboo staff hanging from Qi Xiu’s waist, a strange look in his eyes.

Such a strong demonic aura! Savage and malevolent, bloodthirsty and cruel. This Magic Artifact must have been refined from an Osseous Realm Demon. To give such a dangerous Demonic Artifact to a Disciple who hasn’t even reached the Initiate Realm... Was it intentional, or was his master too careless and simply forgot? It seems the latter possibility is more likely.

Because they were already acquainted, and the upcoming journey into the mountains posed considerable danger, Qi Xiu, after much thought, had decided to bring out the Autumn Phyllostachys staff.

An extra tool meant extra safety. Although Yuan Baiyi had said the two Demons were critically injured and near death, with almost no ability to resist, compared to relying on others, Qi Xiu still preferred to trust himself.

"Since everyone is here, let’s set off," Yuan Baiyi said, withdrawing his gaze. "Nie Xun, give Brother Qi a horse."

Staring blankly at the reins Nie Xun handed him, Qi Xiu scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "I... I don’t think I know how to ride a horse?"

"You don’t know how to ride?" Yuan Baiyi and Nie Xun exchanged a glance. Yuan Baiyi could only say, "Then I’m afraid Brother Qi and Nie Xun will have to share a horse."

"No problem, Daoist Qi! I’m really good with horses. Come on!" With a chuckle, Nie Xun proudly patted the horse’s back, signaling for Qi Xiu to mount.

Looking at Nie Xun’s robust chest muscles and his "expectant" smile, Qi Xiu inexplicably felt a shiver run down his spine. "No need, I’ll just follow you using Qinggong."

"Using Qinggong?" Remembering the Qinggong Qi Xiu had used before, which had flung even frenzied Exotic Beasts hundreds of meters away, Yuan Baiyi nodded. "Alright. The distance isn’t that far, and we’ll need to dismount and proceed on foot once we enter the mountains anyway."

"Let’s set off quickly then." Avoiding Nie Xun’s "forlorn" gaze, Qi Xiu coughed lightly, straightened his sleeves, and looked straight ahead.