“I always thought Young Master Yao was a child fully devoted to martial arts cultivation. Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, he’s no longer that little kid with a topknot.” Zhang Yuanshan maintained a calm expression while watching Yao Xingliu’s back, sighing slightly, “After the engagement banquet, I hurried down the mountain and indeed encountered him. Probably because I looked unwell, and he was concerned about the matter, he secretly followed me. Yet I was so distracted that I failed to notice him all along.”
Meng Qi thought carefully, recalling that he had indeed noticed Yao Xingliu before, but had never met him. Seeing Yao’s short stature and youthful appearance, Meng had assumed he was merely some runaway child.
Observing Zhang Yuanshan’s expression, clearly different from earlier, Meng Qi smiled and asked, “Brother Zhang, have you figured things out?”
“Yeah,” Zhang Yuanshan slowly nodded, gazing at the distant undulating mountains as if to emphasize his point, “These days, I must focus more on matters concerning my family.”
Understanding the deeper meaning behind Zhang’s words, Meng Qi wisely refrained from asking for specifics, chuckling instead, “Then let’s go see Miss Zhenzhen. She should have calmed down by now and won’t be so impulsive.”
“Alright,” Zhang Yuanshan nodded firmly, not waiting for Meng Qi to urge him, and sped off toward the small hill where the nunnery lay.
A gust of wind passed by, leaving Meng Qi standing there with a stunned expression. This was simply too much—could he really be so easily forgotten for a woman?
He sighed with mock sorrow and started chasing after, but even with his Wind God Leg technique at full power, it still couldn’t match the “Bagua Astonishing Steps” passed down in the Zhenwu Sect, and he remained a step behind.
When they arrived in front of the nunnery, Zhang Yuanshan stopped, looking anxious and uncertain as he turned to Meng Qi, “Do you think Zhenzhen still won’t see me? Brother Meng, why don’t you go in first and talk to her?”
Meng Qi replied with a pained expression, “Since you’ve come chasing after her, as long as she truly loved you before, she must still be holding onto some hope, hoping to hear your explanation. Especially since I spoke with you and didn’t stop you from coming in, she might be even more expectant. Go on, go in quickly—she’s waiting for you.”
Like hell would he go in and get involved in such a messy, emotional drama!
Zhang Yuanshan, usually steady and capable, now suppressed his inner anxiety and uncertainty, nodded at Meng Qi, and turned to step into the nunnery.
Meng Qi clicked his tongue twice, then turned and walked behind a Bodhi tree, quietly listening for a while. Finding no loud noises or arguments, he finally relaxed and sat cross-legged to begin cultivating the sixth stage of the Golden Bell Shield.
Once one enters this stage, the Golden Bell Shield not only becomes stronger in defense but also gains a counterattack capability. Moreover, the practitioner’s inner energy becomes as powerful and substantial as if they had cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique.
However, the Golden Bell Shield is a cultivation method known for its slow progress, solid foundation, and vast potential in later stages. Without extraordinary opportunities or direct energy infusion from the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation, Meng Qi had been cultivating it since leaving Tianhaiyuan but still hadn’t entered the sixth stage, let alone refining the related acupoints of the nasal cavity.
As his qi circulated, transforming his muscles and meridians, Meng Qi was deeply immersed in his practice when he suddenly felt a slight dizziness.
He opened his eyes, and before him appeared swirling white clouds, an elegant celestial plaza, various divine beasts in different postures, and that unforgettable massive beam of light.
“Another cycle mission has begun…” Meng Qi murmured with mixed feelings.
He looked around but didn’t see Jiang Zhimei, Zhang Yuanshan, or others, causing a slight alarm in his heart. He speculated whether this mission might be another solo task, possibly with the additional responsibility of guiding a new participant.
A beam of misty light descended from the clouds, revealing a figure within. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, a tall and muscular build, exuding a heroic and awe-inspiring aura. This was Luo Shengyi, known as the “Invincible Iron Fist,” ranked higher than Meng Qi on the Human Rankings.
They weren’t familiar with each other, so they merely nodded in greeting before each moving to stand on opposite sides of the central beam of light.
While waiting for Jiang Zhimei and the others, Meng Qi seized the opportunity to throw the loot he had gained from raiding the bandits into the light beam to exchange for Virtue Points. He had been eager for this moment, as the loot was worth at least one or two thousand Virtue Points!
“Bloodthirsty Sword, a weapon, can be exchanged for ninety Virtue Points.”
“Icy Slash Saber, a weapon, can be exchanged for one hundred Virtue Points.”
“The Hengqu Sword Technique, an Awakened-stage sword method, can be exchanged for one hundred and thirty Virtue Points.”
…
“The Triple Waves of Yang Pass,” an Awakened-stage ultimate move, can be exchanged for two hundred and twenty Virtue Points.”
…
“The Cold Wind Saber Technique,” an Awakened-stage saber method created by Luo Hui, of medium quality, with added value due to incomplete exchange criteria, can be exchanged for three hundred and thirty Virtue Points.”
…
In total, Meng Qi had obtained eight Awakened-stage secret manuals, one Awakened-stage ultimate move, five Qi-storing manuals, and two weapons from the bandits, amounting to one thousand eight hundred and thirty Virtue Points. The biggest surprise came from “The Cold Wind Saber Technique,” created recently by the bandit leader Luo Hui. Since it wasn’t yet recorded in the Six Dao Reincarnation Master’s system, its Virtue Point value had increased significantly.
“One thousand eight hundred and thirty Virtue Points…” Although he had mentally prepared for this, Meng Qi still felt excited. This was the largest amount of Virtue Points he had ever earned, significantly alleviating his current shortage.
“If it weren’t for my grudge with Ze Luoju’s gang, I’d really consider going back to the Hanhai Desert,” he muttered through clenched teeth. If he could sweep the area once more, he might gather enough Virtue Points to exchange for the Purple Lightning Seven Strikes, along with the Qi-storing and Awakened-stage chapters of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art.
He took a deep breath to steady himself, then made up his mind to also cast in the Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade (Xie Dao).
“Red Sun Subduing Saber, a weapon, can be exchanged for eighty Virtue Points.”
This time, Meng Qi intended to acquire a new saber. After all, he had inherited part of the “Shenxiao Jiulie” technique and bore the Thunder God Mark. Not making full use of this would be a shame, so he planned to exchange for a thunder-element saber to enhance his abilities. Thunder and lightning were symbols of righteousness, brightness, and strength, making them natural enemies of evil and filth—qualities that aligned with the Red Sun Subduing Saber’s purpose.
Of course, he didn’t immediately exchange for a new weapon but instead browsed through the “Shenxiao Jiulie” section under the Divine Body-level techniques.
“Shenxiao Jiulie,” a Divine Body-level martial technique created by an ancient Thunder God. When mastered to the extreme, a single slash can destroy a world. However, it can only be fully utilized by someone with the Thunder God Body; otherwise, it’s merely a set of techniques with significantly reduced power. Value: 130,000 Virtue Points.
Meng Qi carefully read the Six Dao Reincarnation Master’s description and found that the “Shenxiao Jiulie” core principles required 30,000 Virtue Points, the final move “Destroy Heaven and Earth” required 20,000 Virtue Points, and each of the remaining eight moves, including “Heavenly Five Thunder Strike,” required 10,000 Virtue Points each.
He stepped into the light beam and requested the completion of the technique.
“Shenxiao Jiulie’s true essence is incomplete; only the first move ‘Heavenly Five Thunder Strike’ can be learned. Completing the true essence lineage requires 120,000 Virtue Points.”
“Completing the incomplete ‘Heavenly Five Thunder Strike’ requires 5,300 Virtue Points.”
“Insufficient Virtue Points to complete.”
Meng Qi had merely tested the system without any real hope, so he wasn’t disappointed. He began selecting the appropriate saber weapon he needed.
Because he feared the mission might start at any moment, Meng Qi didn’t spend much time comparing options and focused only on the best choices, disregarding “cost-effectiveness.” Soon, he found a very suitable long saber:
“Evil Calamity,” a weapon worth 670 Virtue Points, forged from Thunder Pool Metal. The blade is extremely hard, unbreakable except by treasures, and its edge is sharp enough to cut through iron like mud. It can injure most Awakened-stage physical hardening techniques. When used, it emits threads of electric sparks, embodying the purest, brightest, and strongest qualities of thunder and lightning, repelling darkness and causing physical numbness.
This was a long saber entirely black in color, ancient in shape, covered with wild and ancient thunder marks, occasionally glowing with a bluish hue, shifting from black to dark green.
With sufficient Virtue Points, Meng Qi didn’t hesitate and chose to exchange for it, pulling the saber into his hands.
As soon as the saber touched his hand, Meng Qi felt a slight numbness, but it didn’t activate the Golden Bell Shield. Instead, it gave him a feeling of a blood connection, as if the saber was an extension of his own body.
On the back of his left hand, a faint purple lightning mark appeared briefly before fading away.
“What a great saber!” Meng Qi felt a surge of joy. Just as the saying goes, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do his job well. With “Evil Calamity” in hand, his strength had increased by at least thirty percent.
After sheathing the saber, Meng Qi continued browsing through the exchange list without much hesitation, as he had already decided what enhancements he needed.
For him, a single World-level sword technique could indeed compensate for the shortcomings in swordplay when facing stronger opponents. Relying solely on saber techniques in non-life-threatening situations would be inconvenient. However, unless he directly opted for true essence transmission or infusion, he wouldn’t instantly grasp the sword intent and preliminary mastery as he had with the first two moves of the A’nan Breaking the Precepts Saber Technique. Instead, he would need to practice step by step to comprehend the artistic conception (jing jie). Given that he already possessed other trump cards and life-saving techniques, it wasn’t an urgent necessity.
—Choosing true essence transmission might not cost much more than exchanging for the manual, but it might not guarantee any insights—it would depend entirely on the individual. Perhaps he’d spend the Virtue Points and still fail to comprehend the essence, wasting them. Direct infusion would cost two or three times as much, which he couldn’t afford with his remaining Virtue Points. Moreover, techniques not personally cultivated and understood would always feel unstable and unreliable.
The Purple Lightning Seven Strikes was also one of Meng Qi’s goals, as few World-level saber techniques suited him better. However, the issue was similar to the sword techniques—he already had the A-nan Breaking the Precepts Saber Technique, so it wasn’t an urgent necessity at the moment. If there were other pressing areas for improvement, he could delay this choice.
Meng Qi had already decided—he would definitely exchange for the Qi-storing chapter of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art. Before reaching the World-level stage, he needed to have his primary cultivation technique ready, preferably one he cultivated step by step on his own.
The Eight-Nine Mystical Art required time to cultivate, so Meng Qi wouldn’t abandon the Golden Bell Shield just yet. Before reaching the World-level, the Eight-Nine Mystical Art mainly enhanced physical strength and resistance to dark and impure forces, increasing strength and agility without involving transformations. It didn’t conflict with the Golden Bell Shield. Meng Qi could prioritize the Golden Bell Shield while practicing the Eight-Nine Mystical Art as a supplement until the latter caught up, then shift focus. This was a temporary strategy to cope with the dangers of the cycle.
“I’ll first cultivate the Qi-storing chapter thoroughly, then exchange for the Awakened-stage chapter,” Meng Qi thought to himself, spending one hundred Virtue Points to exchange for the Qi-storing chapter of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art. The Awakened-stage chapter required one thousand Virtue Points, and since he couldn’t cultivate it yet, he would leave it for next time.
After carefully storing the Qi-storing chapter of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, he slightly pondered and decided not to consider replacing the Divine Steps of a Hundred Changes for now, as his fighting style had already solidified, and techniques emphasizing agility and flexibility weren’t an urgent need.
He muttered to himself, “Ever since I mastered the Solitary Sword of Solitude, there’s been little need to exchange for Awakened-stage sword techniques. However, my saber techniques still have many shortcomings. Even though I’ve learned the ‘Cold Wind Saber Technique,’ without using ‘Severing Purity’ or ‘Falling into the Red Dust,’ my saber techniques still can’t match my sword skills.”
“Therefore, I need an Awakened-stage saber technique or insights that touch the principles of saber cultivation, something like the Solitary Sword of Solitude, to guide my saber training comprehensively…”
“Moreover, given my fighting style, I urgently need a control technique…”
He habitually used certain phrases from his past life.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage