As his cultivation broke through, Ling Xiao fully absorbed the medicinal power of the century-old Nine Dragon Quenching Essence Pill, leaving not a trace.
This time, he’d used it up completely and would need to gather materials to refine a new one.
“Now you understand why I brought you out here, right? Only these limit-pushing battles can stimulate your body to break through its boundaries. Staying in the sect would make you a fragile flower under a tree’s shade, unable to grow strong,” Yuan Zun’s voice sounded again.
Ling Xiao nodded. “Master’s words are etched in my heart. These past few days of continuous battles have truly benefited me greatly.”
His previous fights were mostly one-on-one or one-against-many on a stage.
Those couldn’t hone true combat experience.
But the battles these past days were entirely different.
The Fulong Mountain Range was a complex environment. Not only did he face enemies, but he also had to watch for sudden beast attacks, demanding constant caution.
He opened his eyes and stood, beginning to inspect the cave.
Earlier, in his rush to cultivate, he’d only glanced around. Now, he noticed the cave was quite beautiful.
The light-absorbing array at the entrance was new, likely set up by Master Yuan Zun.
It seemed someone had lived here before, but their fate wasn’t kind—Ling Xiao spotted a dried corpse on a bed.
Drained of blood and essence, the corpse remained intact due to the dry environment.
What had happened here?
Was this person one of Green Valley’s former residents?
Or a martial artist who’d strayed in from outside?
“That guy was a Mortal Realm Ninth Layer martial artist, killed by having his blood and essence drained. The scariest part is he had no wounds, meaning his attacker was far stronger. Otherwise, he couldn’t have been killed like this,” Yuan Zun said.
Ling Xiao’s hair stood on end.
No wonder rumors said only Heaven-Human Realm experts dared explore the Thousand Ghost Forest. Other martial artists who came here were essentially walking to their deaths. Today’s encounter proved it.
“Master, why exactly did you bring me to the Thousand Ghost Forest?” Ling Xiao asked.
“Two reasons. First, to keep gathering materials to refine the century-old Nine Dragon Quenching Essence Pill, aiming to raise your cultivation to Mortal Realm Sixth Layer—the Fusion Stage—before returning to the sect. At that point, even a breath from you could carry ten thousand jin of force!” Yuan Zun replied. “Second, to investigate the Thousand Ghost Forest’s secrets. I forgot to mention, this is a Level Ten mission from your Moonlight Sect, meaning only Heaven-Human Realm experts qualify to take it. If you complete it, you can earn a favor from Guanghan Heavenly Venerable to help you find *Heavenly Lotus Divine Art*!”
*Heavenly Lotus Divine Art*!
Ling Xiao hadn’t forgotten. Before joining the Moonlight Sect, Master Baiyun had mentioned this defensive martial art, related to *Nine Transformations Golden Body Art* and *Heavenly Dragon Golden Body* but of a higher grade.
Recently, Ling Xiao noticed his *Nine Transformations Golden Body Art* had stalled at the fifth layer.
He suspected the key to breaking through lay in *Heavenly Lotus Divine Art*.
The problem was, he hadn’t found it in the Moonlight Sect’s inner sect Moonlight Tower. He’d mentioned this to Master Yuan Zun, never expecting him to still remember.
“If I take first in the Tower Ascension Ceremony, I can become the disciple of Her Highness the Moon Lady. Wouldn’t getting *Heavenly Lotus Divine Art* be easier then?” Ling Xiao said.
Honestly, he doubted Guanghan Heavenly Venerable could obtain it. Though her status in the Moonlight Sect was high, she paled compared to the Moon Lady.
“You really think you can take first?” Yuan Zun asked.
“If I don’t even have that confidence, how can I, Ling Xiao, keep going?” Ling Xiao replied.
His confidence stemmed from his powerful Mountain River Martial Soul and the Primordial Golden Dragon hidden within it.
It wasn’t arrogance but grounded in his strength.
“Alright, if you’re that confident, skip the Thousand Ghost Forest investigation. Focus on cultivating. Once your cultivation reaches Mortal Realm Sixth Layer Fusion Stage, it’ll be about time to return to the Moonlight Sect,” Yuan Zun said after a moment’s thought.
“Since I’m here, how can I not investigate? I’ll do it on the side. Guanghan Heavenly Venerable has been kind to me, so repaying her with a favor is good. Plus, I doubt she’ll take it for free—she’ll likely give me something in return,” Ling Xiao said with a grin.
“You sly kid, always scheming. But during cultivation, don’t neglect your array and alchemy skills. You’ll refine all your pills yourself. Next, I’ll teach you a few simple ‘secret technique scroll’ crafting methods. After hunting beasts, extract their divine runes and fuse them using array techniques,” Yuan Zun said, chuckling.
“Secret technique scrolls, huh.”
Ling Xiao’s eyes lit up.
The scrolls used by Zhan Liu and the others had truly opened his eyes.
Since almost no one on the Heavenly Dragon Continent could craft them, learning this skill would ensure he’d never lack for money.
Over the next two days, Ling Xiao had his main body consolidate his cultivation while splitting off two sword soul clones—one to continue training, the other to learn scroll crafting from Yuan Zun.
The crafting process for secret technique scrolls was surprisingly simple.
Three main materials were needed:
First, a medium for divine runes, such as cloth, beast hide, leaves, or paper. The material affected the scroll’s power, with those carrying special attributes being the best. Ling Xiao chose beast hide, abundant in the Thousand Ghost Forest after hunting a single beast.
Second, divine runes—the most critical component. These were extracted from the bodies of demon or ferocious beasts, or even certain plants. Their power varied by the creature’s strength and age, typically tied to its attack abilities.
Third, an inner core. Not mandatory, but including a suitable beast core enhanced the effect. A skilled array master wouldn’t omit it.
With these materials, various arrays could fuse them into a secret technique scroll.
Over those two days, Yuan Zun didn’t assist. Ling Xiao handled everything—hunting beasts, extracting runes and cores, and crafting—alone.
Watching Ling Xiao work tirelessly, Yuan Zun’s eyes often flashed with shock.
He could hardly believe this was his disciple’s first time crafting secret technique scrolls.
