With such rumors circulating, and Yang Hao needing to retreat for cultivation, the situation was naturally quite significant. Steve was especially eager to pry the secrets of the divine race from Yang Hao, but Yang Hao kept fobbing him off. Eventually, when he could no longer endure it, Yang Hao simply suggested Steve visit the divine realm himself, since the dragons there were in desperate need of manpower.
Naturally, Steve dared not go. However, a steady stream of people still approached Yang Hao, hoping to learn the secrets of the divine race. Surprisingly, Hude, who was obsessed with martial arts and had always been regarded as the pillar of martial techniques, never asked a single question, as if Yang Hao’s journey to the divine realm had nothing to do with him.
Yang Hao suspected in his heart that Hude had likely also visited the divine realm before and had reaped considerable benefits, hence his silence.
Regardless of the outside commotion, Yang Hao announced his intention to retreat into seclusion for seven days. Although his leadership was only nominal, no one dared to refuse such a minor request.
Now, Yang Hao was hiding inside an abandoned silicon mine shaft in the Sanjing Sea. The surroundings were in ruins, and although there was a long tunnel overhead, Yang Hao had the entrance sealed with stones to prevent prying eyes.
At the bottom of the mine shaft, only Master Hunyuan and his disciple Yang Hao were present, so there was no need to maintain appearances. Flying swords and medicinal herbs were scattered everywhere, and even the precious cauldrons used for refining pills were piled together like junk.
Although it was supposed to be a retreat for cultivation, Yang Hao seemed to be playing around, moving a few wooden sticks around, sometimes in deep thought, sometimes dancing with excitement.
“Like this?” Yang Hao arranged the sticks in a certain formation. “It’s a great array, offensive and defensive, with continuous flow of energy, a rare formation that can go anywhere between heaven and earth.”
“Junk!” Master Hunyuan bluntly exposed him. “The King’s Formation of the Wang family is already junk. How can you expect to evolve your own formation from theirs without it also being junk?”
Yang Hao didn’t get angry but slightly adjusted the sticks, making the formation look more compact. “How about now? Be serious.”
Master Hunyuan had rarely seen his disciple so serious. Usually, Yang Hao only showed such focus when helping others.
“Advance one step at the Qian position,” Hunyuan muttered.
Yang Hao slightly adjusted the sticks, and indeed, the formation on the table exuded a much more formidable aura, gradually developing its own unique momentum.
This momentum was not derived from energy or martial skills but something more profound, as if these lifeless objects had combined into a vortex of power, capable of injuring anything that approached.
“It’s done!” Yang Hao clapped his hands. “My Sword Injury Formation is complete.”
Hunyuan said nothing outwardly, but inwardly he felt pleased. He had taught this disciple for a long time, always scolding him, but in reality, Yang Hao was extremely talented, grasping concepts quickly and making connections across disciplines. Moreover, Yang Hao was inherently kind-hearted, always thinking of others first.
Whether it was seeking revenge for his sect or completing the divine race’s mission, both were extremely dangerous tasks with the potential to cost his life. Therefore, he discussed with Hunyuan the idea of teaching the cultivation methods of the Dan Ding Sect to the members of the Sword Injury Group. This way, not only could the Dan Ding Sect expand its influence, but even if something happened to Yang Hao, the Sword Injury Group would still be able to protect themselves.
The so-called Sword Injury Formation was also Yang Hao’s idea. Ever since he had previously seen the sword formation of the Wang family, he had felt that every sword group should have its own unique technique. Therefore, during this retreat, he pressured Hunyuan to dig out all his hidden knowledge and together they developed the Sword Injury Formation.
The Sword Injury Formation had a total of nine variations. Its brilliance lay in its ability to combine people with shallow cultivation into a unified and powerful force. Since the members of the Sword Injury Group followed similar cultivation paths, practicing the formation should not be a major issue. In the future, they would train in groups of eight, each group mastering the Sword Injury Formation, rapidly enhancing the overall strength of the Sword Injury Group.
Another reason for grouping them in eights was that members of the Dan Ding Sect inevitably consumed certain pills, many of which had aphrodisiac components. The issue of Yin energy balance had been a persistent headache for Yang Hao. Fortunately, most members of the Sword Injury Group were just over sixteen years old, so pairing them up in advance should not be a major problem.
Three full days were spent on this complicated formation work. Now that it was finally completed, Yang Hao couldn’t help but stretch comfortably, fatigue finally setting in.
However, Master Hunyuan didn’t seem to intend to let Yang Hao rest, as sleep was no longer a necessity for someone who had entered the Yuan Ying stage.
“Do you want to become an expert like Situ Hai?” Hunyuan asked.
“Nonsense!” Yang Hao shook his head. “You’re stating the obvious. Who wouldn’t want to become an expert? I even wish to find the power at the center of the universe overnight and become invincible in the world.”
“Want… self. Speak. Ah!” Yang Hao almost slammed his head against the stone wall. “Self… self-castration…”
“Hmm…”
Yang Hao looked down at his little buddy, which was quietly there, never imagining someone might have it in for him. Suddenly, Yang Hao slapped his head, realizing the truth. “What self-castration! The Dan Ding Sect has always been called a heretical sect since ancient times. If everyone had to castrate themselves, how could we even be considered heretical?”
“Haha, so you’re not that stupid after all,” Master Hunyuan, this teacher, was indeed quite absurd. “If you had actually listened and castrated yourself, then this teacher would have no choice but to find another disciple to teach.”
“With a genius disciple like me, you’re thinking of moving on to someone else?” Yang Hao angrily pressed a flame of true energy into his dantian and sent it toward Hunyuan.
However, Hunyuan was no longer what he used to be. After becoming a loose immortal, his power had naturally increased significantly. Those true flames weren’t even enough for him to blow away with a breath.
“From today on, this teacher is going to teach you some real cultivation techniques,” Hunyuan said loudly and arrogantly. “Although they won’t make you a god, at least in this era, you can be invincible for a little while.”
“What do you mean by real cultivation?” Yang Hao frowned. “Don’t tell me you’ve been fobbing me off all along? Hey, old man, time is precious and youth is fleeting. If you keep delaying me, I’ll even get gray hair soon.”
“What’s a few gray hairs? Your master here is thousands of years old, and every single part of me is white. Do you want to take a look?”
“No thanks.” Yang Hao really didn’t want to imagine what he might see and immediately steered the conversation back on track. “Tell me, what am I going to cultivate?”
“Your master didn’t teach you before because there was a reason. The Dan Ding Dual Cultivation Sect naturally focuses on cultivating immortality. In our time, everyone practiced diligently, hoping to ascend to the immortal ranks as soon as possible. In contrast, the spells and martial techniques used in combat became secondary skills. Before achieving immortality, people rarely practiced them, leaving such minor techniques for disciples to learn and use to deceive others.” Master Hunyuan spoke with great authority, though it was indeed the truth. From his level of cultivation, the martial arts techniques of the Empire were merely secondary, even the sword techniques of the Ten Sword Streams were just minor techniques.
Yang Hao remained silent as Master Hunyuan continued. “Only cultivators who have broken through the Yuan Ying stage, having already achieved significant success and no longer fearing the waste of time, begin to study the advanced techniques used in combat and duels.”
“So, does that mean the sword techniques you taught me before were all second-rate stuff?” Yang Hao widened his eyes. He had always thought that the Flying Sword Technique, the Severing Sword Technique, and the Five Dragon Severing were super powerful moves.
“The Five Dragon Severing is somewhat impressive. The others are decent in the eyes of those who haven’t broken through the Yuan Ying stage, but at your current level, they’re far from sufficient.”
At first, Yang Hao was somewhat incredulous, but after thinking carefully, he nodded. This was because he recalled his recent duel with Situ Hai. The eleventh and twelfth sword techniques used by Situ Hai were simply extraordinary. It was clear that Situ Hai had no cultivation of true energy, yet solely relying on sword techniques, he had pushed Yang Hao into a desperate situation.
In contrast, Yang Hao had many tricks up his sleeve but still lacked sword skills. He even used others’ sword techniques but still struggled to resist Situ Hai’s rusty sword.
If others were told that he, Yang Hao, was already a master at the Yuan Ying stage, they would laugh him out of the room. Yang Hao now had immense power but lacked effective martial techniques to wield it.
“Do you have anything good to introduce from the Dan Ding Elixir and Aphrodisiac Sect?” Yang Hao rubbed his hands together, sounding like he was talking to an old madam. “Bring out all the good stuff for this young master.”
“There’s so much good stuff that one person can’t learn it all,” Hunyuan was also somewhat excited. Previously, he had only taught Yang Hao basic immortal cultivation. However, after breaking through the Yuan Ying stage, there was an entirely new world of possibilities. “First, you need to choose a cultivation path.”
“A cultivation path?”
Hunyuan seemed to return to his own era, his voice becoming louder. “Whether it’s the Dan Ding Dual Cultivation Sect or other immortal cultivation sects, cultivators who break through the Yuan Ying stage must choose a cultivation path.”
“What kind of path?”
Yang Hao had always been directionally challenged and had little sense of direction.
“Technique or sword?”
“What’s the difference?” Yang Hao, for the first time, felt that cultivating immortality was a complex matter. Previously, he thought the Dan Ding Sect was merely about refining pills and seducing women. He hadn’t realized there were so many developments ahead.
“Technique refers to magical arts, such as the Dan Ding Barrier Technique I previously taught you. If you choose magical arts as your primary cultivation path, then this teacher will train you to become an unparalleled grand sorcerer.” Hunyuan wasn’t shy about boasting. “As for sword, it refers to sword techniques. The sword techniques of our Dan Ding Sect were also formidable in their time, especially the cultivation methods. Hehe, others could only dream of matching us.”
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