Chapter 115: Deadly Yin Energy Art, Master's Breakthrough

Deadly Yin Energy Art.

This was the technique recorded on the human leather parchment.

To be precise, it was a secret art.

The cultivation method of this secret art was also rather unique.

It involved a peculiar method of visualization, imagining oneself in a state of deathly stillness, almost as if one were on the brink of death.

Then, from that state, one had to comprehend and unleash a deadly yin energy capable of slaying all things.

According to the description in the secret art, this deadly yin energy was incredibly powerful and had a destructive effect on the vitality of any living being, earning it the title of a true killing technique.

It sounded deceptively simple, but in reality, cultivating this secret art was extremely dangerous.

Particularly, when it came to visualizing oneself in a deathly still state, the slightest mishap could lead to actual death, with no chance of awakening again.

To kill others, one must first kill oneself.

This was the sinister aspect of this secret art.

After understanding the key points of cultivating this art, Lu Qing confirmed his previous suspicions.

The technique recorded on the human leather parchment was indeed sinister and unorthodox.

It was a radical and extreme secret art that focused on maximizing offensive power.

However, this secret art did complement his Four Directions Knife Technique perfectly.

The Four Directions Knife Technique emphasized slaughter and the mastery of knife techniques from all directions.

The Deadly Yin Energy Art, on the other hand, allowed one to cultivate the purest form of deadly yin energy.

If Lu Qing could integrate the two, his knife techniques would instantly reach a terrifying level.

"However, the Deadly Yin Energy Art has extremely high requirements for one's physical constitution. Otherwise, the body won't be able to withstand the burden of the formidable deadly yin energy."

"According to the secret art's description, only those who have reached the Great Perfection of the Internal Organs Realm in terms of body strength can attempt to cultivate it. I still have a long way to go before reaching that realm."

After unraveling the mysteries of the Deadly Yin Energy Art, Lu Qing set it aside for the time being.

Currently, he hadn't even reached the initial stages of the Sinew and Bone Realm, and even with the aid of pills, it would take some time before he could enter the Internal Organs Realm.

In the short term, he wouldn't be able to cultivate this secret art.

From the secret art's legacy, Lu Qing also learned why he hadn't been able to decipher the human leather parchment before.

It turned out that the art was inscribed on the parchment using a special kind of ink.

Only after cleansing it with a specially prepared solution would the content be revealed.

No wonder Wang Qingshan had never been able to comprehend the parchment's secrets—he probably didn't know about this requirement.

After examining everything, Lu Qing put away most of the items, keeping only the two bottles of Bone and Sinew Refining Pills.

Then, he glanced at the sky and noticed that dawn was approaching.

He didn't bother returning to bed, as his current physical condition allowed him to go without sleep for several days and nights without any adverse effects.

After some thought, Lu Qing took out the Bone and Sinew Refining Pill that he had already unsealed, removed the layer of beeswax, and swallowed the pill.

Soon after ingesting the pill, he felt a domineering medicinal power rising from his abdomen.

Without hesitation, Lu Qing lightly jumped into the courtyard and began practicing the Health Preservation Fist under the cover of night, refining the pill's power.

As he practiced, the medicinal power of the Bone and Sinew Refining Pill was rapidly refined and absorbed by Lu Qing.

He could clearly feel his sinews and bones strengthening bit by bit.

As expected of a pill produced by the Great Sect, its efficacy was remarkable.

Lu Qing praised inwardly before calming his mind and focusing on his cultivation.

As he repeatedly practiced the Health Preservation Fist, the sky gradually brightened, and by the time a pale white light appeared on the horizon, he had refined all the medicinal power.

Slowly, he concluded his practice and exhaled a turbid breath.

Lu Qing sensed the changes within his body and couldn't help but feel delighted.

After refining this Bone and Sinew Refining Pill, his sinews and bones had strengthened further.

At this rate, it would take a maximum of ten days for him to officially reach the initial stages of the Sinew and Bone Realm.

And it had only been a few days since he had broken through to the Sinew and Bone Realm.

In just half a month, he had progressed from the initial entry to the small achievement stage of the Sinew and Bone Realm.

Even Lu Qing was astonished by his own cultivation progress.

At this moment, he finally realized how significant the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid had been for him.

It was evident that after consuming the Earth Vein Spirit Liquid, his talent had increased to an astonishing level.

This was the reason why his cultivation speed had not decreased but increased after entering the Sinew and Bone Realm.

Of course, this was a good thing, and Lu Qing's mood was excellent because of it.

Just as Lu Qing was rejoicing over his progress...

In a certain residence within the county town, a group of martial artists stood in a courtyard, their faces pale with fear.

Before them lay two bodies covered with white cloth.

Chapter: Mystery of the Deaths

Under the lamplight, the scene was rather frightening.

If Lu Qing had been there, he would have recognized the bodies as those of the young wolf, Tong Canglang, and Wang Qingshan, whom he and Xiao Li had slain.

"Senior Brother, what happened? Why did Senior Brother San and Senior Brother Qi meet their end in the mountains?"

At this moment, a burly man with a bear-like build asked in a deep voice.

"I don't know either, Senior Brother." The white-robed youth who had been in the valley before replied with a bitter smile, "Senior Brother San, Senior Brother Qi, and I split up. When we rushed over, we only found their corpses, and didn't even see any traces of the enemy."

"Senior Brother Qi had his head chopped off, and Senior Brother San had his heart dug out. These two methods are vastly different, and it's obvious that they weren't killed by the same person. Could they have been surrounded and killed?"

The burly man, who had already examined the bodies, speculated.

"I checked the valley, and aside from Senior Brother San and the others, there were indeed traces of two other people." The white-robed youth replied.

"According to what you said, Senior Brother San and the others didn't separate from you for long. To be able to easily kill them in such a short time, the assailant's strength must be much stronger than theirs."

"I was thinking the same thing, so I didn't dare to stay in the mountains any longer. I brought everyone out immediately." The white-robed youth quickly agreed.

The burly man nodded, not blaming the white-robed youth for fleeing.

Now that Senior Brother San was dead, there was no point in Senior Brother Er and the others remaining in the mountains.

If they hadn't left, perhaps they would have met the same fate.

But who was the attacker?

Who could easily kill Senior Brother San? Their strength must be no weaker than his.

Among the Wei Mansion, only Wei Xinghe had such strength.

But Wei Xinghe would never leave the Wei Mansion unless he abandoned the ancestral home.

Could it be someone Wei Family hired, or has another force intervened, wanting a share of the pie?

At this thought, the burly man felt a chill in his heart.

If that were the case, they would have to be careful.

What if, in the end, they were the ones who labored, only for someone else to reap the benefits? In that case, their entire Tiancang Sect would become a laughingstock.

"Senior Brother, isn't Master in the city?"

The white-robed youth asked cautiously at this point.

"Master went outside the city to meet someone."

"Who is so important that Master had to go out and meet them personally?" The white-robed youth's eyes widened in surprise.

The burly man glanced at him and said, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Is Master's business something you can inquire about? You should be thinking about how to explain Senior Brother San and the others' deaths to Master when he returns."

The white-robed youth's heart turned cold, and he dared not ask any further questions.

He knew that although he was the second disciple among Master's personally taught disciples, his status in Master's heart was far inferior to Senior Brother Yi's.

He was even less favored than Senior Brother San, who was Master's adopted son.

Senior Brother Yi was well-informed about many things, but he was kept in the dark.

For example, this time, they were forcing the Wei Family to hand over their treasure, but he had no idea what the treasure was.

On the other hand, Senior Brother Yi seemed to know a lot about it.

Jealousy rose in the white-robed youth's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

Time passed slowly. When the sun rose, a figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard, but no one noticed his arrival at first.

It was a thin, eagle-eyed old man with a fierce-looking face, like a bald eagle.

"What happened? Senior Brother Er, what about Senior Brother San and the others?"

A hoarse voice startled the burly man and the others, causing them to shudder.

That was when they noticed the thin, small figure.

Everyone quickly bowed and greeted, "Master (Second Elder)!"

It turned out that this person was none other than the white-robed youth's master, Wang Cangyi.

Wang Cangyi, however, paid no attention to their greetings. His sharp, fierce eyes fixed on the white-robed youth:

"I'm asking you, how did Senior Brother San and the others die?"

Under the pressure of Master's gaze, cold sweat broke out on the white-robed youth's body.

"M-Master, it's like this..."

The white-robed youth stuttered and repeated what he had told Senior Brother Yi before.

After listening, Wang Cangyi looked at the others.

He casually pointed at one of them and asked, "Is that what happened?"

"Y-Yes, Second Elder. It's just as Second Senior Brother said. When we arrived, Senior Brother San and the others were already dead," the disciple who was pointed at stuttered in fear.

Chapter: Mystery of the Deaths

"So you're saying that not only did you fail to bring back Wei Xinghe's wife and child this time, but you also lost Senior Brother San and Senior Brother Qi's lives?"

The white-robed youth trembled and lowered his head, "Yes, Master."

Wang Cangyi glared at his second disciple.

The white-robed youth shivered violently, and just as he was about to collapse, he finally felt his master's gaze shift away.

"Useless!"

Wang Cangyi coldly hmphed.

With a wave of his hand, he lifted the white cloth covering Wang Qingshan and the other's heads, revealing their gruesome remains.

His gaze turned icy as he stared at the wounds on his disciples' bodies, and his face grew colder than ever.

"Good, very good. No matter who you are, daring to kill my disciples, I, Wang, will remember this grudge."

Hearing Wang Cangyi's chilling words, the white-robed youth and the others trembled even more violently.

But no one dared to speak and risk incurring his wrath further.

Even the burly man remained silent and stood quietly to the side.

After a while, sensing that his master's emotions had calmed somewhat, the burly man said, "Master, should we first take care of Senior Brother San and the others' remains? As for the person who killed Senior Brother San, he's extraordinarily skilled. I suspect that another force has intervened, so we may need to adjust our plans."

Hearing this, the chill in Wang Cangyi's eyes gradually faded as he began to ponder his disciple's words.

After a moment, he said, "Xiong'er, come with me. Senior Brother Er, you take care of Senior Brother San and the others' remains."

Seeing the senior master and their master head inside, the white-robed youth finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had managed to get through this ordeal.

Just now, he had even feared that his master would take action against him.

However, after this moment of relief, jealousy and resentment rose in his heart once more.

Time and time again, it was the same. No matter what happened, his master only consulted with the senior master.

Even though he was also a personally taught disciple, he always felt like an outsider, only ever given the menial tasks and never earning his master's trust.

Suppressing the emotions in his heart, the white-robed youth began arranging for people to take care of Wang Qingshan and the others' remains.

Inside the house, the burly man asked Wang Cangyi, "Master, did you meet the person you were waiting for?"

"Yes, I was planning to borrow the strength of this friend of mine and have him assist you in crushing the Wei Family. But from what you've said, it seems like we'll have to put our plans on hold for now."

Wang Cangyi's gaze remained icy.

The death of his two disciples made him suspect that another force had secretly intervened.

But who could it be?

Who would dare to provoke him, Wang Cangyi? They must have the support of another Precelestial Realm expert.

Could it be one of the rivals of their Tiancang Sect?

But no matter who it was, whoever dared to stand in his way was an enemy of his. Even if they were Precelestial Realm cultivators, he would cut them down!

Thinking of the Wei Family's treasure, Wang Cangyi's determination only grew stronger.

That treasure was crucial to his martial arts journey, and he was determined to obtain it.

At this critical juncture, even if it meant breaking the rules and taking action himself, he would do so without hesitation.

"Xiong'er, go and find out who killed Senior Brother San. I want to see who dares to pull a tiger's tooth!"

"Yes, Master!"

...

Lu Qing had no idea that by killing Tong Canglang and Wang Qingshan, he and Xiao Li had inadvertently caused the people of Tiancang Sect to make many speculations.

Indirectly, they had saved the Wei Family once again.

In the following days, Lu Qing's life returned to its usual peaceful routine.

To avoid any trouble, he even stopped going to the town market.

Every day was spent either cultivating or learning medicine from his master.

His days were fulfilling and productive.

With this routine, and taking one Bone and Sinew Refining Pill each day, his cultivation progress was astonishingly rapid.

Before he knew it, he was about to step into the Small Achievement stage of the Sinew and Bone Realm.

One morning, Lu Qing arrived at the Half-Mountain Courtyard to ask his master for two days of leave so that he could focus entirely on breaking through to the next stage.

As he entered the courtyard, he saw his master sitting at the stone table where he usually sat.

Just as he was about to greet him, Lu Qing suddenly sensed something unusual.

He realized that his master's aura seemed to have undergone some kind of strange transformation.

It was as if his master had become one with the courtyard, blending in perfectly with the surroundings.

At that moment, the old doctor heard Lu Qing's footsteps and turned to look at him.

His eyes were clear and piercing, as if they could see right through him, causing Lu Qing to shudder.

His face showed his surprise, "Master, have you... broken through?"

"Indeed." The old doctor smiled.

Lu Qing was overjoyed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end