Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

The voice wasn't loud, just enough for two people to hear.

"You're not really involved in Han Ji's death, are you?"

Yi Yang paused for a moment, then turned around. The voice came from behind him; it was Jiang Zhongtian.

The deputy governor of Hengyue, a key town, had somehow caught up with him and was walking alongside him, looking ahead as if asking a casual question.

Yi Yang gave a perfectly timed wry smile, shook his head, and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice:

"Lord Jiang, you flatter me too much."

"Although I was fortunate enough to enter the Profound Realm, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move from Elder Han, who is in the Dharma Body Realm."

He neither admitted it nor denied it too vehemently.

When dealing with an old monster who has lived for over a hundred years, making too many promises can easily expose your weaknesses.

Even though the person standing in front of him was Jiang Zhongtian, who had helped him several times, he still did not choose to tell the truth.

The reason is simple: killing an elder of the Tianxin Sect is too much of a burden for him to bear, and the two are not yet on that level of friendship.

If word gets out that Han Ji was killed, the Heavenly Heart Sect will not let it go. It's a large sect with a thousand-year history, boasting countless experts at the Transcendent Realm, at least two or three Grandmaster-level monsters, and rumored to have hidden masters among them.

With such a powerful force, if questioned, who knows if Lord Jiang could withstand it alone? So it's best to keep some things to yourself.

Yi Yang denied it, and Jiang Zhongtian didn't press him. He simply turned his head away, his deep gray eyes lingering on Yi Yang's face for a moment.

"I've seen you kill two cultivators at the Manifestation Realm."

He stated a fact.

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang's eyelids twitched, but he didn't reply.

Jiang Zhongtian then said, "Your method of storing breath is not at the required level."

"The technique you're using now might fool those in the True Qi Realm, and it'll barely get you through the first three stages of the Profound Realm, but against those at the peak of the Profound Realm—"

The other person tilted their head slightly, not finishing their sentence, but even without finishing, Yi Yang understood that everything was clear.

Yi Yang stopped, turned around, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Jiang Zhongtian, and this time his expression was much more sincere as he asked:

"Then...Does Lord Jiang have a solution?"

Jiang Zhongtian's lips twitched slightly, revealing a very faint smile.

"There is a solution."

"I have a technique for concealing one's aura. It is of a high grade. Once mastered, let alone reaching the Profound Realm, even a Grandmaster in person will not be able to see through your secrets unless the other party deliberately probes with their divine sense."

Yi Yang's breath hitched.

Even grandmasters can't see through it?

This level of skill, if placed anywhere, would be a treasure capable of causing bloodshed and chaos.

"However," Jiang Zhongtian changed the subject, "I certainly won't give away this technique for nothing."

"After this, I need you to do something for me."

"I can't tell you what it is right now. You can think about it first, and I'll come back to you with an answer in a while."

Yi Yang was still hesitant, worried that accepting the favor would be a mistake and he might be taken advantage of.

Now that I hear it, I'm not so bothered anymore. If I give him a reply after a while, wouldn't that be like kicking the ball back to him?

If they really come knocking on my door and things get too outrageous, I can just say I didn't think it through.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Jiang." Yi Yang bowed.

Jiang Zhongtian nodded, seemingly satisfied with his reaction.

He took out several jade bottles from the storage bag at his waist and casually tossed them over.

"Take it."

Yi Yang reached out and caught it; it felt slightly heavy in his hand, and three small characters were engraved on the bottle.

Blood-Returning Elixir.

He uncorked a bottle and brought it close to his nose to smell it. A strong, bloody medicinal scent wafted out. The pill inside was crimson, like congealed beast blood, with a dark sheen on its surface.

Yi Yang's pupils contracted slightly. He had pondered this matter when he was cultivating the "Divine Bone Blood Refinement" technique—the core of Iron Bone Realm cultivation lies in repeatedly tempering the bones with one's own flesh and blood. Each round of cultivation consumes a great deal of blood and energy, and one must wait for the physical body to recover before continuing.

Blood-Replenishing Pill, as the name suggests, is used to quickly replenish blood and qi.

This thing was a godsend for him.

"I've heard of the six great inheritances of body refinement." Jiang Zhongtian's voice was calm. "The book you bought, 'Divine Bone Blood Refinement,' consumes a great deal of qi and blood when you cultivate it. Use these few bottles of pills sparingly; they should be enough for you to successfully enter the initial stage of cultivation."

After he finished speaking, he didn't linger any longer. He turned around, and with a few leaps, disappeared at the end of the street.

Yi Yang stood there, clutching the jade bottle in his hand, the bottle still warm from the other person's body.

He glanced down at the spot, then looked up again in the direction where Jiang Zhongtian had disappeared.

That old fox, sending the pills was both a gesture of goodwill and a warning.

Yi Yang put away the jade bottle, and his opinion of Jiang Zhongtian rose even higher.

The identities of the bidders in Box 17 at the auction were supposed to be kept confidential according to the rules. But Jiang Zhongtian clearly knew everything; obviously, there were probably no secrets in Hengyue, this important town, right under his nose.

Yi Yang shook his head, not dwelling on the matter, and turned to leave.

Tianyun Yage was razed to the ground, but Qizhen Pavilion still had to continue its business.

They also have a branch in Xicheng, which is not large, but it has everything you need.

When Yi Yang entered the shop, the shopkeeper was doing accounts. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, paused for a moment, then his face lit up with a smile, and he quickly came out from behind the counter.

"Lord Yiyang, what brings you here?"

It seems that the news of my breakthrough to the Profound Realm has already spread.

Yi Yang nodded and, without much pleasantries, asked directly:

"I'm here to look something up."

"Do you have any records of strange and unusual events related to the Profound Realm here?"

The shopkeeper was surprised that this newly promoted Transcendent Realm expert was not buying pills or weapons, but instead was interested in these miscellaneous books that no one read.

He dared not be negligent and quickly nodded and bowed, saying:

"Yes, yes. This way, sir."

The shopkeeper led him to a row of dusty bookshelves in the back room.

"My lord, these are all. This book, 'The Hundred Explanations of Profound Understanding,' records the characteristics of the five realms of Profound Understanding and some cultivation insights. This book, 'The Record of Strange Tales of the Dharma Body,' includes various peculiar Dharma bodies that have appeared in Qingzhou since records began. And this scroll, 'The Divine Register - Fragment,' records some of the deities worshipped by ancient families and sects..."

Yi Yang glanced at them, took down all three books, and then randomly picked up two other books and handed them to the shopkeeper.

"How many spirit crystals?"

"No, no, not at all." The shopkeeper waved his hands repeatedly. "It's just a few miscellaneous books. It's an honor for our shop if you, sir, would like them."

Yi Yang didn't stand on ceremony with him, put away the book, and turned to leave.

Back in the courtyard, he locked himself in his room and first opened the book "One Hundred Explanations of Profound Mysteries".

The book's contents corroborate some of what Jiang Zhongtian had said before, and also add many details.

But what really caught Yi Yang's attention was the book "The Record of Strange Tales of the Dharma Body".

He turned the pages of the book, and lines of text came into view.

It turns out that the first stage of the Profound Realm, "Enlightenment," which involves condensing the Seed of Profound Light, is not static.

Martial artists can "visualize" the Seed of Profound Light according to their own techniques and wishes.

The so-called visualization is to imprint one's consciousness and will on the seed of mysterious light, giving it a specific form.

There are three common forms of visualization.

The first category is exotic beasts.

Visualize ancient mythical beasts, such as dragons, tigers, turtles, and phoenixes. If one is fortunate enough to break through to the Dharma Body Realm, one can manifest the Dharma Body of these mythical beasts. Once the Dharma Body is manifested, the martial artist's physical body will be greatly strengthened, and they may even be able to grasp a trace of the beast's inherent supernatural abilities, such as the poison of certain demonic beasts, the speed of certain ferocious birds, or the brute strength of certain giant beasts.

The second category is weapons.

Visualize the type of weapon you wield, such as a sword, spear, or halberd, and mold the Seed of Mystic Light into a weapon. Once completed, your Dharma Body resonates with your weapon, allowing you to unleash some of the power of a spiritual weapon onto an ordinary treasure. Most disciples of Ten Thousand Swords Valley follow this path.

The third type is also the most mysterious and powerful.

Gods.

Only those ancient families and top sects that have been passed down for thousands of years are qualified to contemplate "deities".

Because they truly worship the gods.

These deities were either founders of sects or ancient powerful beings with ties to their respective sects. The statues, visualization diagrams, or even a wisp of divine thought they left behind can serve as a basis for contemplation by later generations.

Once one cultivates the divine body, one can gain a sliver of the divine "supernatural power" in the Profound Realm.

Yi Yang recalled Han Ji's three-zhang-tall blue-faced divine general—three eyes, black armor, and a long halberd.

That wasn't a strange beast, nor was it a weapon.

It is a deity worshipped by the Tianxin Sect.

No wonder Han Ji's avatar not only doubled in combat power upon its emergence, but also carried a strange mental suppression. That suppression was not simply the pressure of true energy, but rather the "divine might" emanating from the divine image itself.

At the end of the book, the word "supernatural power" is described in just a few strokes.

"Those with supernatural powers borrow the great power of heaven and earth to perform unpredictable feats."

"It may summon divine thunder from the heavens, or scorch a thousand miles of barren land, or cause rebirth through a drop of blood, making the physical body immortal..."

"This is a legendary realm, unattainable even for grandmasters. However, a divine being's Dharma body can attain even a fraction of it."

Yi Yang closed the book and let out a long breath.

He finally understood what kind of background Han Ji's three-zhang-tall blue-faced divine general was.

And finally understood where the Blood Illusion Venerable's six-armed, eight-eyed monster form came from.

What they were contemplating were the "gods" they worshipped.

The green-faced general of Tianxin Sect.

The Blood God of the Nine Evil Sects.

No wonder there's such a huge gap between the Dharma Body Realm and the Enlightenment Realm.

One is still using its own power, while the other has already begun to borrow the power of "God".

Even the slightest change is a qualitative leap.

Yi Yang leaned against the headboard, feeling a chill on his back.

Fortunately.

Fortunately, he killed quickly enough that night, not giving Han Ji a chance to use his trump card.

He carefully put the books away, and his mind began to have a clearer plan for his future path of cultivation.

One's own seed of mysterious light, the form of which is oneself.

This road wasn't mentioned in the book.

But Yi Yang vaguely felt that this might be a more difficult and powerful path than visualizing strange beasts, weapons, or even gods.

Visualizing external objects is ultimately a way of borrowing power.

By contemplating oneself, one is cultivating one's own "Tao".

He suppressed these thoughts and took out the book "Divine Bone Blood Refinement" from his storage ring.

The most urgent task is to enhance our hard power.

No matter how mysterious the Dharma body is, or how unpredictable its supernatural powers are, it's always right to first refine your own bones into divine weapons.