Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

The jade scroll was cool to the touch, inscribed with the words, "Little Divine Technique [Star-Picking Hand]".

Song Changsheng was a bit taken aback. He wasn’t surprised by the technique itself, as Dongtian Xie had used it back in the Griffin Mountain Range.

This Little Divine Technique was one of the most widespread in the Daqi Cultivation World, common among Loose Cultivators and minor powers.

The Song Clan hadn’t collected this technique for one simple reason: they looked down on it.

Currently, the Song Clan possessed five Little Divine Techniques: the [Xunfeng Finger] left by Ancestor Song Taiyi, the [Mountain-Flipping Seal] left by Song Yungui, the [Celestial River Water] obtained by chance in the past, the [Celestial Spirit Shield] that Song Changsheng got from Bai Zhengchun, and the [Soul-Slaying Golden Saber] that Song Xianming comprehended when he broke through to the Purple Mansion realm.

These were all top-tier Little Divine Techniques, countless times more profound than a run-of-the-mill technique like the [Star-Picking Hand], which had already been studied to death.

What Song Changsheng coveted more was the [Azure Peak Finger] Dongtian Xie had used. It was his signature Divine Technique.

Unfortunately, that one hadn’t been left behind.

’Better than nothing.’ Song Changsheng set the jade scroll down with some regret and turned to inspect the others.

Among them, three jade scrolls recorded Tier Three Heart Methods. Interestingly, they came from the Yu Clan, Li Clan, and Qiu Clan respectively. The Earth Fire Sect’s Tier Three Heart Method was not here; it must have been taken.

’He just didn’t know why they would leave these behind.’

Little did Song Changsheng know, Du Huating had prepared all of this behind the others’ backs. He had only selectively taken and made copies of a few scrolls, fearing it would arouse their suspicion.

Although the Qiu Clan and the others treasured these Heart Methods to an extreme degree, wishing they could have someone guard them day and night, they weren’t nearly as valuable to the Song Clan. They merely served to enrich the Scripture Pavilion’s collection.

What truly surprised and delighted Song Changsheng was a jade scroll that recorded a Combined Attack Skill. Judging by its origin, it likely belonged to the Li Clan.

What is a Combined Attack Skill?

It combines the strength of many to allow the weak to overcome the strong.

Song Changsheng had once seen disciples from Luoxia City use a Combined Attack Skill, and his eyes had lit up with envy.

Disciples from the Lieyang Sect had also used the Little Four Symbols Formation against him, nearly leading to his utter defeat.

There were many restrictions to cultivating a Combined Attack Skill. For instance, the scroll in his hand was for the Three Talents Heavenly Star Array. It required three Foundation Establishment Cultivators who practiced the same Heart Method to execute, allowing them to fight opponents of a higher realm.

Of course, even three cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection stage would find it difficult to defeat a single Early-stage Purple Mansion Cultivator. After all, the two were on completely different levels.

These requirements alone blocked most minor powers from ever being able to cultivate it. Take the Li Clan, for example; they had never had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the same generation. For all these years, it had just been collecting dust in their Scripture Pavilion.

Even after the clans merged, still no one could learn it.

The Martial Spirit Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators came from diverse backgrounds and practiced a motley collection of Heart Methods, making it impossible to gather three who shared the same one.

It was the definition of a white elephant.

But now, it had fallen right into the Song Clan’s lap.

However, none of these problems applied to the Song Clan.

With a few exceptions, most Song Clan Cultivators practiced the Moonlight Technique. Song Chang’an and Song Changxuan, for instance, both did, which meant they could cultivate this Combined Attack Skill.

For the Song Clan, this was undoubtedly a massive leap forward.

Song Changsheng placed it directly into his Storage Bag. ’The spoils need to be divided, yes, but I have to be careful about what gets shared and what doesn’t.’

In addition, Song Changsheng also found a Little Divine Technique, [Riding the Wind Home]. It was an Escape Technique, a type whose rarity was comparable to defensive Little Divine Techniques, making its value inestimable.

Most importantly, it filled a major gap in the Song Clan’s arsenal.

’The Earth Fire Sect has never produced a Purple Mansion Cultivator, yet their foundation is truly impressive.’ Looking at the jade scroll in his hand, Song Changsheng was somewhat stunned. The Earth Fire Sect had a surprising number of good things, far more than he had anticipated.

After placing a few of the jade scrolls into his Storage Bag, Song Changsheng went down to the second floor. He found Song Chang’an already leading people to take inventory of the Cultivation Technique Manuals on that level, occasionally pocketing a scroll himself.

Song Changsheng and he shared a knowing smile. Nothing needed to be said.

’The clan’s interests are paramount.’ This was the motto of every Song Clan member.

"Young Clan Leader, the Martial Spirit Sect’s Scripture Pavilion is nearly as large as our own! The collection is incredibly extensive."

Song Changsheng nodded. "It makes sense. After all, it contains most of the prized collections of four different powers: the Earth Fire Sect, the Li Clan, the Yu Clan, and the Qiu Clan.

Tell our people to speed up. Screen everything carefully. Not a single scroll that shouldn’t get out is to leave this place."

Just then, Song Luyun, who had been in charge of sealing the Martial Spirit Sect’s Treasure Vault, hurried over. "Young Clan Leader, we’ve finished taking stock of the Treasure Vault. It’s almost empty. However, we found a large amount of resources in the Storage Bags of Qiu Tianyang and the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators."

"Have someone collect all the Storage Bags. No one is to keep any for themselves.

Be mindful of our clansmen’s feelings during this process. Tell them the clan won’t mistreat anyone. Once everything is tallied up after the battle, the spoils will be distributed according to merit."

’You can’t have order without rules. Uneven distribution is the quickest way to cause trouble. Forcibly collecting everything might upset a few people, but not collecting them would upset everyone.’

’It’s a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.’

’Besides, there was something else he left unsaid. Truly selfless people were always in the minority. As long as no one went too far, he could turn a blind eye. They were all family, after all. There was no need to be unforgiving.’