Chapter 85: A Challenge Indeed

“A killing intent!” Qian Ye suddenly jolted awake, reaching out to grip the Eastern Peak sword placed before his knees.

But his reaction was just a split second too slow; a sharp, icy breath already pricked at the back of his neck. For any ordinary warrior, this would have been enough to make them freeze in place. After all, it was their vital spot being threatened, and with that sharp breath, their neck could easily be severed.

However, Qian Ye turned his head and smiled bitterly, “This kind of joke isn’t very fun.”

Behind him stood Li Kuanglan, who had once again donned the attire of a swordsman. Although his Cold Moon Sword remained sheathed, a strand of sword energy had already escaped and pointed at Qian Ye’s neck.

Even as Qian Ye turned, Li Kuanglan did not retract the sword energy, shifting it to point at Qian Ye’s throat instead.

Qian Ye frowned slightly. No matter how strong his body, his throat was a relatively weak spot, and Li Kuanglan’s sword energy was notoriously sharp. Even Qian Ye found it hard to bear the sword energy of Cold Moon pointing at his throat.

Li Kuanglan stared at Qian Ye, his gaze truly murderous. This left Qian Ye utterly bewildered. In a stern voice, he asked, “Kuanglan, what do you mean by this?”

Unexpectedly, Li Kuanglan flared up, roaring, “Kuanglan? Is that how you call me?”

Qian Ye was even more confused. He had called Li Kuanglan by his name more than once. Since Li Kuanglan had participated in the battle against the Wolf King, Qian Ye had regarded him as a comrade, and thus addressed him differently.

Seeing Li Kuanglan’s intense reaction, Qian Ye changed his tone, “Young Master Li, what is your intention? I let you know my whereabouts, not to give you an opportunity to ambush me.”

Li Kuanglan snorted, gritting his teeth, “Do I need to ambush you? Can’t I cut you down with just my sword?”

Qian Ye, completely ignoring the sword energy at his throat, stood up and said, “I’m afraid that’s not necessarily true. And what exactly have I done that makes you want to cut me down?”

“You…!” Li Kuanglan was momentarily at a loss for words, his face flushing red before turning into anger, “I can’t explain it to you!”

Qian Ye was even more puzzled. With the sword energy threatening his throat, Li Kuanglan still couldn’t explain clearly. How much clearer did it need to be? A decapitation?

Li Kuanglan, realizing his own loss of composure, composed himself, retracted the sword energy, and said, “Forget it, I’ll remember this for now and we’ll settle it later. I’m asking you, are you determined to save Song Qi?”

“Of course.”

“What if I wanted to kill him?”

Qian Ye was thoroughly confused, unable to help but ask, “Why do you want to kill him? Has he offended you?”

Li Kuanglan hesitated, then bit his lip, “He… Hmph! I only ask, if I want to kill him, what will you do?”

Qian Ye’s expression darkened, “Of course, I would stop you! Young Master Li, it’s best not to make such jokes in the future.”

Li Kuanglan took a deep breath, gradually calming down, “That’s how it should be… Alright, since you want to save him, there’s an opportunity now. Learn this.”

Qian Ye caught the book Li Kuanglan tossed over and opened it. It was a set of martial arts instructions. Though the finer details were not clear, it was obvious that it was a cultivation method related to divination.

“By cultivating this ‘Heart Insight Mantra’, you can sense those who also practice it and determine whether they are telling the truth. Luo Bingfeng gave this to you.”

“Why did he give me this?”

“Luo Bingfeng intends to trade the ‘Muddied World Clarity’ with Song Zining for the method to cultivate Dawn’s Illumination. I’ve already agreed on your behalf. This ‘Heart Insight Mantra’ is the key to the transaction.”

“You! How can… Alright, the terms are fair enough.” Qian Ye’s mood shifted rapidly, ultimately accepting the situation. This was the result he had been waiting for, possibly the best he could hope for.

“Have they done anything to Zining?”

“Luo Bingfeng guaranteed that Song Qi is alive and unharmed, with no hidden illnesses. As for whether he’s well-fed or if he’s suffered physical pain, he didn’t say.”

Qian Ye sighed with relief, “If that’s the case, it’s the best outcome. When will the exchange take place, and how long will it take to learn this ‘Heart Insight Mantra’?”

“One day to master it. The exchange will be two days from now, at noon, at the place where Song Qi was captured.”

Qian Ye pondered for a moment, “At that place, will Luo Bingfeng come?”

“As far as I know, he probably won’t.”

Qian Ye breathed a sigh of relief, “Best if he doesn’t.”

Li Kuanglan’s expression was odd, “Are you planning to give him a fake version? If it’s incomplete, I advise against it. The ‘Heart Insight Mantra’ is incredibly powerful. If not for the high threshold and great consumption, everyone might want to learn it. If you lie, the ‘Heart Insight Mantra’ will react.”

Qian Ye shook his head, “If they release Zining, why would I break my word? It’s just that my techniques have some issues, and I fear they might change their mind after seeing them. It’s better if Luo Bingfeng doesn’t come. Something so important, if he doesn’t open it himself, no one else would dare to peek.”

Hearing Qian Ye’s explanation, Li Kuanglan’s curiosity was piqued, “What’s wrong with the techniques you cultivate? Can’t you practice them?”

“Of course I can, it’s just… somewhat difficult.” Qian Ye’s face turned slightly red, consoling himself that it wasn’t really a lie. The ‘Soldier Conquest Mantra’ required some difficulty to reach the ‘Great Mystic Soldier Conquest Mantra’, just a little more challenging than fifty tides. The Song Ancient Scroll was also just “somewhat difficult”. The Xuan and Yao chapters weren’t that hard, the difficulty was just that both had to be cultivated simultaneously…

And that’s it.

Li Kuanglan felt relieved, “So that’s it. Such supreme techniques, of course, have their difficulties. Don’t worry. I’ve seen many secret methods passed down through generations, each with its own peculiar requirements, some as difficult as ascending to the heavens. With Luo Bingfeng’s knowledge, he wouldn’t make things difficult for you over this. If he can’t cultivate it, it’s just a sign of his insufficient talent.”

Qian Ye felt much more at ease, praising, “That makes perfect sense!”

Li Kuanglan, however, grew inexplicably irritated, snapping, “Stop the flattery! Get ready. Copy your techniques and seal them properly, so you don’t show up empty-handed during the exchange.”

With that, Li Kuanglan threw a backpack to Qian Ye, “Everything you need is inside. I’m off now.”

Without waiting for a farewell, Li Kuanglan vanished instantly, disappearing without a trace.

Qian Ye opened the backpack and saw special paper, ink, and several sealed boxes, silently admiring Li Kuanglan’s thoroughness.

Copying secret techniques had many nuances. Simple reproductions were low-grade copies, mostly useless, and not suitable for truly high-level secrets. High-level techniques often contained subtle, indescribable subtleties, and the scribe would often infuse their understanding with primal force when drawing the instructions.

Thus, the value of the family’s secret manuals lay in the fact that they were often drawn by either the founder, the revivalist, or one of the greatest masters in the family’s history. Their understanding of martial arts was a precious treasure for future generations.

To better preserve the primal force, countless people have tried various materials, resulting in a wide array of carriers. It was said that the imperial family’s national treasures, several volumes handwritten by the First Emperor, were inscribed within several pieces of top-grade primal crystals.

Both the ‘Muddied World Clarity’ and the ‘Crimson Gold Dawn’ that Qian Ye had seen were personally written by Luo Bingfeng and the mysterious woman, making them impossible to forge.

Now, for Qian Ye to write his own secret manual, he needed special paper, ink, and seals. Ordinary paper simply wouldn’t suffice.

However, Li Kuanglan didn’t know that while the Song Ancient Scroll was fine, the ‘Soldier Conquest Mantra’ could be copied on any paper. Using these special, primal-force-bearing papers would be a waste.

As for the ‘Great Mystic Soldier Conquest Mantra’, it was purely intuitive and untranslatable. Not only could Qian Ye not write it down, but he also lacked a carrier capable of holding its immense power.

So, preparation was much quicker than Li Kuanglan anticipated. In just over two hours, Qian Ye had finished copying three secret manuals. Copying the Song Ancient Scroll took two hours, while the ‘Soldier Conquest Mantra’ took only ten minutes. This was despite Qian Ye deliberately slowing down to write neatly. If speed was the priority, he would have only needed to write ‘Soldier Conquest Mantra’ in large letters.

Across the world, anyone who practices martial arts knows the ‘Soldier Conquest Mantra’.

In Tidal City, Luo Yun was reporting the agreement with Li Kuanglan to Luo Bingfeng. Upon hearing that Li Kuanglan had agreed to the trade, Luo Bingfeng couldn’t hide his joy, praising, “Well done!”

Luo Yun, however, looked worried, “Lord, Lady might not agree to this, right?”

“This mustn’t reach her ears,” Luo Bingfeng warned, relaxing only after Luo Yun agreed.

But his relief was short-lived.

Luo Bingfeng began pacing, “Still, Song Zining is in the Wolf King’s hands, which is a bit tricky. Have we heard anything from him?”

“Not yet,” Luo Yun replied.

Luo Bingfeng narrowed his eyes, “Not yet, huh? Such audacity! It seems my years of seclusion have made people underestimate me.”

The words carried a hint of menace, and Luo Yun dared not respond, standing quietly by. The Wolf King was a formidable fighter, evident from his challenge to Zhang Bu Zhou. A careless word could lead to a needless conflict, and the consequences would be severe.

Luo Bingfeng continued, “When you last met the Wolf King, how were his injuries?”

Luo Yun cautiously replied, “I couldn’t tell, but from the details of the Ancient Totem Fortress, it seems he used a lot of ancestral power and is preparing for a larger ritual.”

Luo Bingfeng sneered, “Using ancestral power means either combat or healing. It seems the Wolf King is seriously injured. That simplifies things. Go to the Ancient Totem Fortress and tell the Wolf King that if he doesn’t hand over the person, I’ll come and get him myself!”

Luo Yun was startled, “Lord, you…”

“It’s fine. A half-day absence won’t cause any major problems.”