Chapter 5: Fiancée (Part 1)
Faced with the elder's angry shout, any other disciple would have been trembling with fear, but Li Qiye merely smiled. He said with composure, "There's no need to be angry, Elder. Junior Brother Nan has already told me the details. If I do pass the assessment, it will be a great service to the Xiyan Ancient Sect. Since rewards are given for merit, it's only right that I state my conditions."
"That's only if you pass!" the elder said coldly, greatly displeased by Li Qiye's provocative behavior.
"That condition is acceptable." The Great Elder simply nodded. "Rest assured, as long as you pass, you may choose any of the sect's Cultivation Techniques, with the exception of the Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill and the Core Immortal Emperor Techniques. The prerequisite, of course, is that you pass the assessment! On this point, I don't believe any of the elders will object."
The other elders in attendance exchanged glances. If Li Qiye could actually pass, such a request wasn't unreasonable. However, the chances of him passing were virtually zero!
"We can discuss the other conditions after I pass," Li Qiye said with a smile. "However, there is one condition I must raise now, and I hope the elders will be prepared. Once I reach a certain stage of the Yun Body Realm, I will require a dose of Holy Body Ointment!"
"What an outrageous demand!" Hearing Li Qiye's words, the expressions of all Six Great Elders changed. One of them shouted sharply.
Li Qiye remained unfazed. He replied calmly, "Elder, that is an overstatement. Consider this: securing a marriage alliance with the Nine Saints Demon Gate is a service of immense proportions. Though the Holy Body Ointment is precious, I believe this is a worthy exchange!"
"Hmph! Holy Body Ointment is easier said than done!" the elder snorted, his dissatisfaction clear.
The Great Elder studied Li Qiye for a long moment before finally saying in a heavy voice, "If you succeed, a dose of Holy Body Ointment would not be an excessive reward. However, the sect cannot fulfill your request at this time. We are still missing many of the Spiritual Medicines required to concoct a new batch!"
Looking at the Great Elder, Li Qiye couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart. 'Looks like I overestimated the Xiyan Ancient Sect of today. It really has declined. Back in the day, when Mingren Immortal Emperor founded the sect, its treasury was so vast... Forget a mere Holy Body Ointment, even an Immortal Body Ointment wouldn't have been a problem.'
"Fine, I'll take a step back," Li Qiye said, settling for the next best thing. "I want Emperor's Body Ointment—the best you have!"
The Six Great Elders exchanged a look. Finally, the Great Elder nodded. "I can promise you that, on the condition that you succeed!"
Li Qiye simply smiled at the Great Elder's words. "However, before I go to the Nine Saints Demon Gate, I have one more small request. No one knows if this trip will mean life or death, so I need to learn a Cultivation Technique and have a weapon or two for protection."
"Quite the little opportunist, aren't you? Squeezing out every advantage you can," Elder Xiong, one of the Six Great Elders, snorted with displeasure.
The Great Elder, proving to be impartial, nodded and said, "How about this: you may choose one Cultivation Technique and one weapon from anything below the Hall Master tier. What do the other elders say to that?"
Although the other elders disliked Li Qiye's bargaining, they agreed to the Great Elder's proposal. They all understood that the chance of him passing the assessment was zero. Giving him a weapon and a technique would be a complete waste, like tossing a meat bun to a dog. Still, they hadn't completely given up and were willing to take the gamble.
"You worry too much, Elders. I wouldn't dare make an outrageous demand." Li Qiye, of course, knew what the Six Great Elders were thinking. He smiled and said calmly, "I've heard the sect has a technique called the 'Qimen Saber' that can be mastered quickly. Therefore, I will choose this technique. As for the weapon, how about a pair of sabers that complement it?"
At Li Qiye's words, the six elders present couldn't help but exchange looks. They had expected him to make an outrageous demand, perhaps even for an Emperor Technique. They never imagined he would ask for a technique like this.
"'Qimen Saber'?" The Great Elder mulled over the name for a moment.
Another elder spoke up. "Brother Gu, that is merely one of the sect's Martial Techniques, nothing worth mentioning." This elder was in charge of distributing the sect's Cultivation Techniques, so he was quite familiar with them.
Upon hearing this, even the elders unfamiliar with the "Qimen Saber" were stunned. For Cultivators, Martial Techniques were indeed insignificant; any ordinary Cultivation Technique was stronger than a Martial Technique! The fact that Li Qiye had actually chosen a Martial Technique left them dumbfounded. 'A waste is a waste,' they thought. 'He can't even tell what's valuable!'
"No problem," the Great Elder immediately approved. "Huairun, take the Secret Manual for the 'Qimen Saber' to Lonely Mountain. Also, pick out the best pair of dual sabers for this technique and give them to him."
"Do you have any other small requests?" Somewhat satisfied that Li Qiye hadn't made an outrageous demand, one of the elders asked.
"I have none for now," Li Qiye said with a smile.
"Good. Go back and prepare. You will depart in three days! When you return, we will hold the ceremony for you to pay respects to the founder!" the Great Elder said in a deep voice.
Of course, whether he would return alive was another matter entirely.
After Li Qiye returned to Lonely Mountain, Nan Huairun delivered the "Qimen Saber" Secret Manual and a well-balanced pair of dual sabers.
Li Qiye weighed the short, crescent-shaped sabers in his hands, satisfied. Their blades had a gentle curve and glinted with a cold light. While they were not True Artifacts or Treasure Artifacts used by Cultivators, they were crafted for mortals and had a small amount of Red Moon Gold mixed in during their forging. In the mortal world, such a blade would be considered a priceless treasure, sharp enough to sever a falling hair. To a Cultivator, however, it was nothing special.
After Nan Huairun left, Li Qiye slowly began to flip through the "Qimen Saber," reading it word by word. As he did, the principles of the technique began to surface in his mind.
In a past era, in his incarnation as the Yin Ya, he had used an earth-shattering scheme to escape the Immortal Demon Cave's control. However, his own state remained unstable, and he was still susceptible to the cave's influence. Thus, whenever he felt himself losing control, he would seal himself away and fall into a deep slumber.
He had endured hardships through one lifetime after another, traversing countless ages. He had entered Immortal Lands and delved into Burial Grounds. In desolate eras, he had fallen into the hands of Wudi-level experts and suffered innumerable tribulations. Because of this, he had come into contact with countless Cultivation Techniques, some of which were even Emperor Techniques and Immortal Secrets.
He feared that one day, his instability would cause him to lose control and be dragged back to the Immortal Demon Cave. Therefore, in each lifetime, he would erase his own memories concerning various Secret Techniques, lest those world-shaking arts fall into the hands of the Immortal Demon Cave. However, he, along with the Medicine God and the Blood Seal Immortal Emperor, had devised an extremely mysterious method. Although the memories were erased, if he ever had the chance to read those techniques again, all of their profound truths would resurface in his mind!
As Li Qiye read the "Qimen Saber," the long-erased Mystical Meaning of the technique slowly began to resurface in his mind!
After spending a considerable amount of time recalling the erased Mystical Meaning of the "Qimen Saber," Li Qiye took a deep breath. He carefully compared the knowledge in his mind with the Secret Manual in his hands. To his dismay, he discovered that the sect's version of the "Qimen Saber" was incomplete, which made him worry.
In truth, it was normal for a technique like the "Qimen Saber" to be incomplete. After all, a mere Martial Technique was considered an insignificant, petty trick in the eyes of Cultivators. In the millions of years since the Xiyan Ancient Sect's founding, the number of disciples who had practiced the "Qimen Saber" was likely minuscule!
It didn't take long for Li Qiye to fully comprehend the entire Mystical Meaning of the "Qimen Saber" that had resurfaced in his mind. Once he had, Li Qiye simply smiled.
It was true that his physique, Life Wheel, and Life Palace were all at the level of a Mortal, utterly insignificant and no match for a true genius. However, his memories from lifetime after lifetime, his exposure to countless Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals and even world-shaking Immortal Secrets—even though they were erased—had given him insights, comprehension, and a perspective on Cultivation that no genius could ever hope to match.
More importantly, as the Yin Ya, he had experienced endless suffering. He had even been imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, never seeing the light of day. After enduring countless tortures, he had forged a Dao Heart that was beyond compare—a Dao Heart as solid as a boulder, which nothing could ever shake.
Gently stroking the "Qimen Saber" manual, Li Qiye sighed softly, a wave of memories washing over him. The "Qimen Saber" held an unknown secret, one that likely no disciple of the Xiyan Ancient Sect was aware of.
Before Mingren Immortal Emperor began his path of Cultivation, he was just a young boy passionate about martial arts. The very Martial Technique he practiced was the "Qimen Saber." Later, after he shouldered the Celestial Mandate and reigned supreme over the Nine Realms, he would sometimes grow nostalgic for his carefree youth and even took the time to polish and refine the "Qimen Saber" he had practiced back then.
Naturally, this Martial Technique could not compare to the Emperor Techniques Mingren created, let alone a Heavenly Destiny Secret Skill. The Immortal Emperor also didn't wish for future generations to focus on Martial Techniques, so the "Qimen Saber" was tossed casually into the Scripture Pavilion of the Xiyan Ancient Sect. In the millions of years that followed, exceedingly few disciples ever practiced this saber art, and even fewer comprehended its true Mystical Meaning.
Back when Mingren Immortal Emperor was refining the "Qimen Saber," Li Qiye, in his form as the Yin Ya, had even joked with him, "Your Qimen Saber might be able to slay a Prince if practiced to its peak, but it's still just a mere Martial Technique. I'm afraid none of your descendants will ever be willing to practice it!"
Mingren Immortal Emperor had only smiled at his words. As it turned out, however, Li Qiye had been right. In all the years that followed, very few in the Xiyan Ancient Sect ever practiced the "Qimen Saber."
Li Qiye reined in his thoughts and took a deep breath. Holding the short sabers in a reverse grip, he slowly began to practice the Qimen Saber Technique. He went through the art one move at a time, not seeking a quick result. He was incredibly strict with his execution, ensuring that each and every move was performed to perfection.
It's the weekend, so here's an extra chapter as a small bonus. As you enjoy the read, please don't forget to vote and support the author!