Daqian Martial Saint

Within the Canglong Mountain Range, lush, verdant trees stood tall and straight like silent, mysterious sentinels guarding the tranquility of the Clear Pool. In the distance, birds occasionally flew past, their cheerful chirps breaking the silence. Farther still, mountain peaks rose and fell in endless, overlapping layers, wreathed in mist and clouds like a magnificent scroll painting.

Chen Ping’an stood atop a large rock, his mood light and cheerful as he gazed at the deep, secluded pool before him.

SPLASH!

Without the slightest hesitation, he dove into the pool. The water was icy, yet it held an inexplicable freshness and vitality.

Just then, a faint light flickered between Chen Ping’an’s eyebrows. A soft golden glow radiated from his body, enveloping him like a thin membrane.

As Chen Ping’an descended, the water grew increasingly tranquil. The Clear Pool was quite large, and the world beneath the surface was far more vast than it appeared from above. Strands of aquatic grass swayed gently as schools of colorful fish darted past.

’Where is it?’

The depths of the pool were pitch-black, but the golden light flickering between Chen Ping’an’s eyebrows illuminated his surroundings, so the darkness had little effect on him as he searched.

Based on the Treasure Map’s records and his own deductions, the so-called Treasure Land had to be here.

After searching underwater for the better part of an hour, Chen Ping’an had found nothing. Just as he was wondering if he should try searching at a different depth, an unusual patch of shadow caught his eye.

It was a massive boulder, completely covered in moss and aquatic vines.

’This is the place?’

A thought struck Chen Ping’an, and he swam toward the boulder.

Sure enough, when he looked from a different angle, he saw an extremely narrow passage at the base of the boulder. The entrance was mostly blocked, choked by a thick growth of vines.

’Found it!’ A jolt went through him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Ping’an headed for the passage.

With a flash of golden light, the vines blocking the entrance were cleared away.

Gazing into the dark, bottomless underwater passage, Chen Ping’an’s eyes glinted with resolve.

’I have to go in and see.’

He’d come this far; there was no turning back now.

The passage was so narrow that Chen Ping’an could barely squeeze through. It was completely flooded and pitch-dark.

Fortunately, the golden light flickering from the spot between his eyebrows provided some illumination.

Chen Ping’an moved quickly, but it still took him nearly an hour of twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passage before he reached the other side.

Chen Ping’an pulled himself out of the water, and his surroundings suddenly opened up. He looked around and realized he was in a stone chamber. He glanced back at the opening he had just emerged from.

It turned out that the passage exit was another pool, this one crystal clear. However, compared to the first Clear Pool, this one was significantly smaller.

’This must be the place.’ Chen Ping’an surveyed his surroundings, a thrill of excitement running through him.

It appeared the chamber was carved into the mountain’s interior, connected to the outside world only by the underwater passage. Inside, there was a stone table and various everyday items.

’Someone lives here?’ Chen Ping’an was instantly on guard. Noticing that the chamber connected to another room, he moved toward it cautiously.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a shift in his viewing angle revealed the contents of the adjacent chamber: a stone bed, and upon it, a skeleton sitting cross-legged, clearly having passed away during meditation.

At the sight, Chen Ping’an’s pupils contracted sharply.

...

"Hahaha! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

Back in the stone chamber, Chen Ping’an’s expression was one of delirious excitement; he looked almost unhinged.

But who could blame him? The haul from this venture was so immense, it felt like a dream.

A moment ago, before the skeleton, Chen Ping’an had found a yellowed letter, a Jade Scroll, a Token, and a few assorted bottles and jars.

Chen Ping’an had already read the letter’s contents carefully. It was less a letter and more of a final testament.

After finishing the letter, Chen Ping’an finally had a clear picture of the story behind this fortuitous discovery.

The owner of the skeleton was called the Mountain Elder, an Absolute Master who had once earned a spot on the Dragon and Tiger Chart!

Profound Light Penetrating Objects, Armor Unlost—only by reaching the Profound Light High Realm could one be called an Absolute Master!

As for the Dragon and Tiger Chart...

Chen Ping’an had heard of it before.

Unlike the Rising Star Chart, which was confined to Canglong Province, the Dragon and Tiger Chart was a list that covered the entire Daqian Dynasty.

The Dragon and Tiger Chart ranked all the Martial Arts Masters of the Profound Light Realm within the Daqian Dynasty, regardless of age or background, judging them solely on their combat achievements. The chart listed only the top three hundred and sixty experts of the Profound Light Realm.

Across the entire Daqian Dynasty, prodigies emerged in every generation, yet the vast majority of them would be stuck for life in the Profound Light High Realm, unable to take another step forward!

The Dragon and Tiger Chart featured all kinds: old monsters who had survived for ages, former prodigies who had spent years mastering Secret Techniques and deepening their foundations, and phenoms with an astonishing talent for Magical Combat. The list was varied, but one thing was certain: every Profound Light Realm master on it possessed terrifying combat strength.

To even think of getting on the Dragon and Tiger Chart, being an Absolute Master was merely the first step!

The fact that the Mountain Elder had not only made it onto the Dragon and Tiger Chart but had also been ranked one hundred and seventy-third spoke volumes. His accumulated foundation, talent in Magical Combat, and Martial Arts Realm were all, without a doubt, extraordinary.

What a pity that such a formidable figure ultimately met his end during an expedition. He returned grievously injured and, after finding that neither famous doctors nor Major Medicines could cure him, finally passed away in meditation here.

He was the one who had intentionally scattered the two Treasure Map Fragments, hoping to lead a worthy successor here to ensure his legacy would be passed on!

A legacy! Yes, that’s what this was—a legacy!

At that thought, the excitement that Chen Ping’an had just managed to suppress began to bubble up again.

A Divine Skill: Vajra Unbreakable!

The Mountain Elder’s legacy was a true, bona fide Divine Skill!

This very Divine Skill was recorded within that Jade Scroll. Its pages detailed the Cultivation Method, Internal Cultivation Methods, and the variations of its stances. Every single page radiated the extraordinary and profound nature of the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill.

Furthermore, a faint Spiritual Light flowed within the Jade Scroll—this wisp of light was the manifestation of the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill’s Martial Arts Realm.

Without this wisp of Spiritual Light, the Jade Scroll’s effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

The barrier to entry for cultivating a Divine Skill is already extremely high. Without the aid of its Martial Arts Realm, achieving even the introductory level of cultivation is nearly impossible.

Even with the aid of a Martial Arts Realm, not just anyone can achieve mastery of a Divine Skill.

To truly learn a Divine Skill, one must first comprehend its Mental Realm. Without that comprehension, one might learn the physical forms but never grasp their essence, dooming them to never reach the Entry Level.

According to historical accounts, there was once an individual blessed by fate, who by a stroke of incredible luck obtained the legacy of a complete Divine Skill, including its Martial Arts Realm. However, their talent for the Martial Dao was merely average. They spent their entire life unable to achieve even the introduction to the Divine Skill and ultimately died full of regret.

For any given legacy, the Martial Arts Realm can only manifest a limited number of times. Once the Spiritual Light is depleted, the Mental Realm dissipates forever, and the legacy is considered utterly lost.

The only way to renew it is if someone later cultivates the Divine Skill to the Perfection Realm and is willing to expend their very lifeblood, spirit, and Martial Arts Will to leave the legacy behind once more!

This was why the Top Level factions who possessed Divine Skill legacies were cautious beyond measure when choosing their successors!

They were terrified of wasting even a single opportunity for the Martial Arts Realm to manifest!

There have been successors who needed to perceive the Divine Skill’s Martial Arts Realm several times in a row before they finally comprehended the Mental Realm and achieved Divine Skill Introduction!

But these were prodigies with powerful backing. An ordinary prodigy could never afford such a luxury.

In any case, it was common knowledge that achieving the entry level for a Divine Skill was exceptionally difficult.

Chen Ping’an, however, wasn’t the least bit worried about this.

With his Golden Finger Panel, achieving Divine Skill Introduction wouldn’t be difficult at all.

Inside the stone chamber, Chen Ping’an sat cross-legged and slowly opened the Jade Scroll.

As Spiritual Light flickered across the Jade Scroll, the Mental Realm of the Divine Skill, Vajra Unbreakable, began to slowly manifest.