Chapter 77 - 76: Profound Celestial Finger and Fish Dragon Transformation
"Sir, these people from Qingyang Palace really deserved to die!"
Lu Wenxing approached with a ledger, his voice grave. "They were even smuggling goods to the Grassland, including a significant amount of contraband."
Ning Province bordered the Grassland to the west. The vast Northwest Grassland was still dominated by tribes.
The only truly powerful force there was the Hachal and Lin Khanate, which clashed with Great Xia from time to time.
Therefore, Great Xia had placed an embargo on items like medicinal herbs, minerals, Elixirs, and cloth.
But precisely because of Great Xia’s embargo, there was no shortage of factions secretly smuggling these forbidden goods.
The stretch of Grassland bordering Ning Province wasn’t within the Hachal and Lin Khanate’s sphere of influence, but once goods reached the plains, who knew where they’d end up?
The biggest reason the Great Xia Court chose to pacify the Celestial Martial Alliance instead of annihilating it was that Ning Province needed order.
With unrest in Ning Province, if the Celestial Martial Alliance were to fall, God knows how many new warlords would rise to claim dominance. The province would descend into even greater chaos, and the Court wouldn’t be able to manage it.
So it was better to pacify the Celestial Martial Alliance and reorganize it as Zhenwu Hall. The Court ceded authority to Zhenwu Hall, allowing it to grow and stabilize Ning Province on the condition that it would strictly investigate smuggling by the various Jianghu forces.
So, the fact that the Daoists of Qingyang Palace engaged in dual cultivation and "blessed" women with children didn’t technically break Zhenwu Hall’s rules. One could only say their actions were immoral.
Zhenwu Hall wasn’t the Court; it couldn’t be bothered to manage that sort of thing.
But they used their Daoist Temple to smuggle contraband into the Grassland. Now *that* was a crime punishable by death.
Chen Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Just gather the evidence."
Lu Wenxing was surprised, but Chen Yuan seemed unfazed.
’Plenty of factions throughout Ning Province are involved in this kind of racket. Zhenwu Hall’s discipline has grown lax over the years, and it’s already becoming too much to handle.
And it isn’t just Zhenwu Hall. Some high-ranking officials within the Great Xia Court are running smuggling operations themselves.
Ning Province isn’t the only place bordering the Grassland. Some Dukes and Marquises from the Great Xia Military, and even relatives of the imperial family, hold shares specifically in these kinds of smuggling enterprises.
The Court’s decision to bring Zhenwu Hall into the fold had been a brilliant move, saving military resources while also cracking down on smuggling.
But you can’t stop your own people from digging up the foundations. If they can’t smuggle through Ning Province, they’ll just go through other provinces.
So, in my eyes, the Great Xia Court is basically rotten to the core.
Although there are still some capable people and powerful experts, they can no longer turn the tide.’
After some more searching, Lu Wenxing handed over a key. "Sir, we’ve found the Qingyang Palace Treasure Vault. Please, enter and inspect it."
He was a veteran from the days of the Celestial Martial Alliance, so of course he knew the proper etiquette.
Chen Yuan took the key and opened the door to the underground Treasure Vault. He was momentarily blinded by the sight.
Everlasting flames lit the Treasure Vault, revealing floors covered in gold, silver, and jewelry—a glittering, shimmering sea of wealth.
Chen Yuan searched carefully through the Treasure Vault. ’I didn’t expect a Minor Sect like Qingyang Palace to have so many good things,’ he thought.
The Grassland needed certain specialties from the Central Plains, and the Central Plains, in turn, needed specialties from the Grassland.
Qingyang Palace had a stock of Spiritual Medicines that were abundant in the Grassland. These medicines were so rich in Spiritual Qi that they could be consumed and refined directly, without any processing.
Of course, if an Alchemist developed an Elixir Recipe to refine them, the effects would surely be even better.
In addition to these Spiritual Medicines, Chen Yuan also found the Profound Celestial Temple’s Spiritual Jades.
There were three Spiritual Jades in total, though one of them was slightly damaged.
Chen Yuan inspected them. One of the three Spiritual Jades contained the *Profound Celestial Finger*, a Celestial Level Lower Grade technique. It was the one the Cyan Yang Master had tried to use, but it was clearly a technique so difficult he could barely scratch the surface.
Another contained a Secret Technique that could also be used as a Lightweight Skill; it was the very move the Cyan Yang Master had used to dodge his Shocking Swan Slash.
This Secret Technique was called the *Fish Dragon Transformation*, an Earth Level Upper Grade art.
The most valuable of all, of course, was the Profound Celestial Temple’s core Inner Power technique: the *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture*, also an Earth Level Upper Grade art.
Cultivation Techniques are more valuable than Martial Techniques; an Earth Level Upper Grade Cultivation Technique is, in fact, more precious than a Celestial Level Lower Grade Martial Technique.
However, because its Spiritual Jade was damaged, part of the Cultivation Technique was missing.
The Cyan Yang Master’s failure to even grasp the basics of the Profound Celestial Temple’s techniques, however, had nothing to do with any missing parts.
The *Profound Celestial Finger* and the *Fish Dragon Transformation* were both complete, yet his cultivation of them was a total mess. He had barely scratched the surface.
He was just plain incompetent.
After stowing away the techniques, Chen Yuan continued to look around.
Aside from these items, the other treasures held little value for him.
Chen Yuan called over Lu Wenxing and the three other Captains, as well as the rest of the White Tiger Guards present. "Take stock of all this gold, silver, and jewelry. Twenty percent is for you, brothers, to be divided by rank. You four Captains will take the largest cut. Crate up the remaining eighty percent and send it to Master Feng, along with Huo Tianying’s body."
The words had barely left his mouth when the White Tiger Guards erupted in excitement. They bowed in unison and shouted, "Our thanks, Sir!"
They were used to superiors who feasted while their men drank the broth.
But how many superiors would tear off a huge chunk of meat for them to eat?
Previously, they hadn’t known Chen Yuan and had felt apprehensive.
But after this battle, it had taken only a single day for him to win their complete loyalty.
They’d known Huo Tianying, and it was precisely because they knew him that they were sure he would never have been so generous.
Chen Yuan suddenly turned to Lu Wenxing, a faint, unreadable smile on his face. "Your son, Lu Li, is a steady worker. Let him escort the gold, silver, and jewelry to Master Feng’s estate in Lujiang Prefecture. What do you say?"
Looking at his son, who was practically vibrating with eagerness, Lu Wenxing sighed and cupped his fists. "Thank you, Sir, for placing your trust in my son."
Lu Li, however, said excitedly, "Don’t worry, Sir! I will not fail!"
"When you get to Master Feng, just tell him that Huo Tianying was executed for insubordination, and that this is the spoils from the annihilation of Qingyang Palace. Tell him it is his to dispose of as he sees fit."
’Feng Wushang is an insatiably greedy man, but that greed also makes him easy to handle.
What are rules? Nothing more than the whims of those in power.
As long as you keep your superiors well-fed, you can ignore most of the rules.’
After the destruction of Qingyang Palace, Chen Yuan left all the cleanup work to Lu Wenxing and his men.
Meanwhile, Lu Li took a few of his White Tiger Guards, loaded the vast quantities of jewelry onto carriages, and set off for Lujiang Prefecture.
Upon returning to Linyuan City, Lu Wenxing immediately bustled about, arranging accommodations for Chen Yuan.
’My son, in his youthful ignorance, managed to catch Chen Yuan’s eye,’ he thought. ’Now, I have no choice but to be tied to Chen Yuan’s side.’
The previous Guardian Envoy had died a violent death, making his former residence inauspicious, so Lu Wenxing arranged a new room for Chen Yuan.
Back in his room, Chen Yuan simply told Lu Wenxing he was entering seclusion and to wake him only when Lu Li returned.
The Cyan Yang Master had struggled to practice the Profound Celestial Temple’s techniques because he was, frankly, incompetent.
For Chen Yuan, however, they weren’t that difficult.
Of the three techniques, the Spiritual Jade for the *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture* was damaged. It was still possible to cultivate from it, but only fragments of the scripture were usable.
For example, it recorded certain dual cultivation Secret Techniques. The Cyan Yang Master had gleaned some Replenishing Techniques from them, but in reality, he hadn’t even scratched the surface and had simply gone down a deviant path.
Chen Yuan considered for a moment, then decided against cultivating the *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture*.
’A complete technique would have been worth considering, but a mere fragment isn’t worth my time.
I already have the *Inner Vision God Observation Method*, and my Cultivation is effectively a combination of the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon paths already.’
Of the two remaining Martial Techniques, the *Profound Celestial Finger* was the signature skill of the Profound Celestial Temple.
Xuantian, the Profound Heaven, was the sky of the north, one of the Nine Heavens.
To unleash the true power of the *Profound Celestial Finger*, one had to mobilize an immense amount of Inner Strength True Qi in a sudden burst. A single point of the finger could contain the Power of the Nine Heavens.
It was an incredibly majestic Finger Technique, but the Cyan Yang Master’s own foundation was too weak; he hadn’t even managed to grasp the fundamentals.
As for the *Fish Dragon Transformation*, it was neither a Cultivation Technique nor a Martial Technique. To be precise, it was a Secret Technique for altering the form of one’s True Qi to enhance explosive power.
A fish leaping the dragon gate undergoes a divine transformation.
Cultivating the *Fish Dragon Transformation* required achieving the pinnacle of control over one’s body, Meridians, and Inner Strength.
One used the *Fish Dragon Transformation* Secret Technique to ferociously compress their True Qi, then unleash it in a single, explosive instant.
Only then could one "leap the dragon gate," transforming a given amount of True Qi into a force that was far more powerful and explosive.
This Secret Technique could directly enhance one’s power in combat, and it could also function as a Lightweight Skill.
By releasing True Qi, compressing it with the *Fish Dragon Transformation*, and then suddenly bursting it, one could achieve astonishing speed, rivaling any Lightweight Skill of the same level.
Its only drawback was that it wasn’t suited for long-distance travel. While using the *Fish Dragon Transformation* to compress True Qi didn’t consume the True Qi itself, it was incredibly draining on one’s stamina and concentration.
On a long journey, even if one’s True Qi held out, their physical stamina would not.
After carefully studying the three techniques, Chen Yuan finally understood why the Profound Celestial Temple had so few disciples.
’These three techniques... each one is more difficult to practice than the last.
Daoist Cultivation Techniques already require a deep foundation and high comprehension. The *Profound Celestial Dao Scripture* is exceptionally complex; one might manage to practice a single section in isolation, but the difficulty skyrockets when trying to put it all together.
The *Profound Celestial Finger* is majestic, but that majesty comes at the cost of requiring an incredibly deep foundation.
Without that foundation, the result is a clumsy, awkward imitation, just like the Cyan Yang Master’s.
And as for the *Fish Dragon Transformation*, it requires such supreme control over one’s own body to perform that insane compression of True Qi.
Even I am only capable of it because I cultivated the *Inner Vision God Observation Method*. Most Martial Artists of my level would find it impossible to meet the requirements for the *Fish Dragon Transformation*.
Currently, all the top Sects in the Jianghu pursue a philosophy of progressing from simple to complex.
They have their own powerful techniques, of course, but a technique is only considered truly mastered by a Sect when it can be simplified enough for even a Body Tempering Realm Martial Artist to practice.
Take the Vajra Prajna Temple, one of the Three Buddhist Temples, for example. The introductory Little Novice Monks practice the Vajra Fist, and even the Grandmaster-level experts who have reached the Primordial Pill Realm still practice the Vajra Fist.
A single Fist Technique that can be practiced throughout one’s entire life—that is how a Sect truly prospers and grows.’