Transforming the false into the true, I am the only one in the world who possesses the true Dharma.

Besides Xu Yan, all that remained inside the cave were corpses scattered on the ground.

Now that the wooden box was in front of him, Xu Yan's curiosity was immediately piqued.

Since there's no one around, I might as well take a look first.

The wooden crate had been opened, and the padlock on it was broken and tattered.

Xu Yan simply flicked the lid of the wooden box to one side with his longsword.

The box contained a large amount of gold and silver.

In terms of sheer numbers, it's enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime.

However, Xu Yan did not believe it was only gold and silver.

If it were just gold and silver, it wouldn't have made Yu Yingyue lower herself to beg for help.

There's definitely something more important here.

Xu Yan pondered for a moment, then kicked the wooden box.

The wooden box lay overturned to one side, its gold and silver spilling onto the ground, revealing empty wooden planks.

Xu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as he scanned the wooden board and noticed that its color was slightly different.

"There is a hidden layer."

Xu Yan raised his hand and pressed it on the wooden board, then gently pushed it to the side. The board immediately loosened and was lifted into Xu Yan's hand.

Inside was a narrow, hidden compartment containing a book and a letter.

There was no sealing wax on the letter.

Xu Yan picked up the envelope, casually tore it open, and glanced at it.

"I see."

The letter was simple: the Xia family wanted to curry favor with the powerful families in the prefecture, so they offered a treasure to a certain family in the prefecture.

This treasure was a martial arts technique that the Xia family obtained by chance, and it was called the Gale Swift Sword.

Although it was just a Five Elements Realm sword technique, which was not of interest to the forces in the prefecture city, the family that the Xia family wanted to join was different.

That family was known as the number one swordsmanship family in the prefecture. Coincidentally, the old patriarch was troubled by the terror of life and death and wanted to use the world's best sword techniques to overcome the terror.

It was this demand that gave the Xia family an opportunity.

"Before sending it back, why not give me a break first?"

Xu Yan pondered for a moment, then picked up the Gale Sword and began to carefully peruse the text.

To trigger the True Scroll, one must first read it; only after reading it can it be triggered. Therefore, Xu Yan does not intend to leave immediately.

As Xu Yan read through the book, he gradually came to understand the Whirlwind Swift Sword.

After he finished reading, the smoke in front of him condensed into words.

[The Gale Sword technique has been detected as fake. Consuming ten taels of life coins will transform it into the Sudden Rain Sword Technique.]

[Convert or not?]

"Transformation".

Xu Yan silently recited a sentence in his heart.

After the smoke dissipated, it transformed into new characters.

[Sudden Rain Sword Technique (Five Elements Realm): Initial Mastery]

[Two similar martial arts techniques have been detected. The Sudden Rain Sword Technique can absorb the Gentle Breeze Sword Technique to increase its progress.]

[Whether to devour]

Upon hearing the word "devour," Xu Yan was not surprised and silently repeated "devour" once more.

Then, the smoke condensed into words once again.

[Successfully devoured]

[Sudden Rain Sword Technique (Five Elements Realm): Initial Mastery]

[Cultivation can continue after consuming ten taels of life coins]

"As expected, the life money was reduced by half after being devoured."

Xu Yan rubbed his chin, intending to continue improving.

Today's battle seemed simple, but in the final battle against Shi Quan, Xu Yan's other techniques were ineffective, and he only won by relying on the Gale Breathless Kick.

If he had a cultivation technique for the Five Elements Realm that excels in offensive power, things wouldn't be so troublesome today.

Therefore, Xu Yan plans to continue improving.

Subsequently, the ten taels of life money disappeared, and was replaced by new text.

[Sudden Rain Sword Technique (Five Elements Realm): Initial Understanding → Minor Success]

[You can continue cultivating after spending 100 taels of life coins.]

Another hundred taels.

Xu Yan's lips twitched slightly; this expense was quite a lot for him.

The smoke dissipated, transforming into a massive amount of information that entered Xu Yan's mind.

The next moment, a phantom image appeared in my mind.

The phantom figure, wielding a long sword, was slowly wielding it in the bamboo forest.

A gust of wind blew by, scattering bamboo leaves everywhere.

The phantom suddenly shook its longsword, and in an instant, it transformed into a sky full of sword energy, passing through all the bamboo leaves at an extremely fast speed.

By the time the phantom figure sheathed its sword and stood still, Xu Yan had already mastered all the essentials of the Sudden Rain Sword Technique.

The Sudden Rain Sword Technique is known for its speed. Even at the minor mastery level, one can unleash a hundred sword strikes per second and can also generate sword energy.

It is several times stronger than the Qingfeng Sword Technique.

"A good deal."

Xu Yan's lips curled up slightly.

Ten taels of life money for a sword technique that reaches the minor stage of the Five Elements Realm—it couldn't be more amazing.

"I have 146 taels of life-saving money left. I'll cultivate my inner strength first."

Xu Yan did not leave immediately, and set his sights on the Profound Heart Technique again.

It takes one hundred taels of life money to cultivate from the initial stage to the final stage, which he currently has just enough for.

Thinking of this, Xu Yan's heart stirred slightly, and the hundred taels of life money disappeared.

【Mysterious Heart Technique (Five Aggregates Realm): Minor Success → Major Success】

[Consuming 500 taels of life coins allows you to continue cultivation]

Xu Yan didn't have time to lament that five hundred taels of life money was too much, because after he mastered the Xuanxin Technique, his true energy surged into his spleen.

At the same time, the liver is also filled with vital energy.

In the blink of an eye, only the kidneys and lungs remained without any vital energy being injected.

The smoke in front of me gathered again.

[Realm Level: Late Stage of the Five Aggregates Realm]

"Is this already in post-production?"

Xu Yan stroked his chin, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

However, when he saw that it would take another five hundred taels of life money to upgrade, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"That's more than doubled, but it's not a big problem. We can save up slowly."

"Moreover, I also need to cultivate other techniques to steadily improve and leave no weaknesses."

Currently, the Sudden Rain Sword Technique, the Profound Heart Technique, and the Vajra Dry Zen Skill are all at the Five Aggregates Realm, while the Corroding Bone Palm and the Gale Breathless Leg are still at the Transcendent Realm.

Xu Yan wants well-rounded development, not specialization in one subject.

After all, in a battle like today's, if he had been even slightly unbalanced, he would have been the one to die.

"it's over."

Xu Yan got up and searched the cave.

Apart from some silver coins found on Shi Quan, there was nothing else of value here.

He prepared to leave Golden Hook Mountain, take the goods to find Yu Yingyue, and finish their transaction first.

But just as he took two steps, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

The middle-aged man, dressed in gray, glanced around the cave before his gaze fell on Xu Yan.

"It's already in post-production? So fast?"

Xu Yan gripped the longsword at his waist, raised an eyebrow, and said, "We meet again. This time, may I reveal my identity?"

The middle-aged man snapped out of his daze and looked Xu Yan up and down with interest: "You've reached the late stage so quickly, in just a few days. How did you cultivate like that?"

Xu Yan did not answer, but his brows furrowed slightly.

He could sense the middle-aged man's powerful aura; even at the late stage of the Five Elements Realm, there was still a strange pressure emanating from him.

When I encountered the middle-aged man before, he claimed to be at the Five Elements Realm, but now it seems that he is definitely not.

Perhaps even higher.

Seeing that Xu Yan did not answer, the middle-aged man fell into deep thought.

His trip was purely by chance. He happened to hear fighting sounds from the top of Jingou Mountain when he passed by, so he ran over to take a look.

Who would have thought I'd run into Xu Yan?

However, when Xu Yan asked the question at this moment, he had a new idea.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed in a direction.

"There is a mountain in the north called Crane Mountain, and I am the head of the crane on Crane Mountain."