Chapter 214 - 206: Secret Skill
"The Foundation Establishment Chapter... of Basic Sword Qi?" Curiosity flashed in Qi Yun’s eyes.
He couldn’t have been more familiar with Basic Sword Qi.
He had now reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, where his Magical Power was born anew. Its strength was on a completely different level.
But this "Foundation Establishment Chapter of Basic Sword Qi," which combined the two, was something he couldn’t quite wrap his head around.
Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, Cultivators pursued more profound and powerful Great Daoist Techniques.
’Who would go out of their way to study and enhance the most fundamental of arts, Basic Sword Qi?’
Such an anomaly had to mean trouble.
A thought struck Qi Yun. He walked up to the stall and asked, his voice transmitting via his Divine Sense:
"Friend, how much for this scroll, the ’Foundation Establishment Chapter of Basic Sword Qi’?"
The stall owner was shrouded in a roiling mist, obscuring their face and form. Even their voice was altered, resulting in a featureless, androgynous tone:
"One Foundation Establishment Object."
"That expensive?" Qi Yun looked astonished.
Even for an esteemed Foundation Establishment Master like himself, a Foundation Establishment Object was still a rare and precious item—a natural treasure of Heaven and Earth, crucial to one’s very foundation on the path of cultivation.
’An obscure-sounding technique in exchange for a Foundation Establishment Object?’
This wasn’t just expensive; it was outrageous.
"What do you know?" The stall owner in the mist sounded displeased, their tone laced with arrogance and mystery.
"This is a secret art of the Cyan Sect!
I went to enormous trouble to sever its karmic ties to the Cyan Sect.
Otherwise, the moment you start cultivating it, those lunatics from the Cyan Sect would sense it from a world away, follow the causal link right to your door, and then... heheh."
"A Cyan Sect secret?" Qi Yun’s gaze narrowed.
He did have two Foundation Establishment Objects on hand, originally prepared for achieving the Primordial Heaven Extreme Skill Dao Foundation.
Though he had since chosen a different path, the objects themselves were no less valuable.
’Is it worth trading one of them for this supposedly miraculous "Basic Sword Qi"?’
As Qi Yun was weighing his options, a flicker of movement beside him caught his attention. A figure, also shrouded in a blurry mist, had appeared silently at his side. A subtle transmission, a wisp of Divine Thought, was sent precisely into his ear:
"Don’t buy it. This ’Foundation Establishment Chapter of Basic Sword Qi’ is indeed a lost art of the Cyan Sect, but it’s missing the most crucial part: the ’Sword-Nourishing’ technique.
It has the form, but not the essence.
Progress is decent at first, but later on, you’ll find it impossible to advance even a single step.
Too useless to practice, too valuable to discard.
Intrigued, Qi Yun turned in surprise to look at the person beside him.
Here in the Holy Sect Treasure Market, it was common practice for everyone to remain disguised and mind their own business.
’Who would be so kind as to warn a complete stranger?’
"Friend, you’re crossing a line, aren’t you?"
The stall owner had clearly detected the telepathic message. The mist around them churned, and their voice turned hostile.
"If everyone goes around sabotaging me like you, how am I supposed to do business?"
The newcomer ignored the stall owner’s protest, simply giving Qi Yun a small wave and beckoning for him to follow.
They then turned and walked toward a more secluded corner of the Treasure Market.
After a moment’s thought, Qi Yun decided there was no harm in hearing them out and followed.
The two arrived at a quiet spot where the hazy light and shadows seemed to muffle the clamor of the market.
Seeing that they were alone, the newcomer swiped a hand across their face. The shrouding mist receded like a tide, revealing a face Qi Yun knew quite well—with pleasant, open features and a familiar, shrewd smile in his eyes. It was Qian Xin Master!
"Uncle-Master Qian Xin?" Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected to meet him here, much less for him to reveal himself just to give a warning.
Qian Xin Master chuckled and waved a dismissive hand. "Heh, I had some free time and came to wander the Treasure Market. Just happened to see you, kid, about to get swindled by that crook.
That incomplete manual has already duped a number of our fellow disciples.
The stall owner is a slippery one, preying specifically on newly-ascended Masters.
There haven’t been any new Foundation Establishment Masters for a while, so when I saw someone stop at his stall, I figured it had to be you."
"If you want to buy things, especially key resources needed for the Foundation Establishment Realm, it’s best not to come to this Treasure Market."
Qian Xin Master grimaced.
"This place is eighty, ninety percent resellers, scalpers, and shady brokers. Most of what they sell is fake, and it’s a total crapshoot.
Without a sharp eye and plenty of experience, it’s easy to get taken in by their silver tongues and waste your treasures for nothing.
This place is only for seasoned veterans with a razor-sharp eye for detail to hunt for hidden gems."
He paused, looked at Qi Yun, and casually took something from his sleeve and handed it over:
"Here, take this."
Qi Yun took the object. It was a palm-sized copper flask, surprisingly heavy, with a simple yet elegant design. Its light-green body was etched with cloud patterns from which a faint Daoist Intent seemed to flow.
"What is this?" Qi Yun asked, turning the flask over in his hands as he looked up at Qian Xin Master.
"Most items needed by those in the Foundation Establishment Realm are precious and hard to find. Very few circulate in the open.
That’s why, long ago, a True Monarch intervened, using their immense Magical Power to construct a special trading dimension—a Realm Heaven—open only to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. It’s called the Pot Heaven Workshop."
Qian Xin Master explained.
"This copper flask is the key and proof of entry for the Pot Heaven Workshop.
Connect to it with your Divine Sense, infuse it with Magical Power, and your consciousness will be transported inside.
The goods there are pricey, to be sure, but you’ll find far fewer fakes, and the variety is much greater than anything in this Treasure Market."
Qi Yun ran his fingers over the flask’s cool surface, his understanding dawning.
’So this is the real marketplace for the Foundation Establishment Realm.’
He put away the copper flask and looked at Qian Xin Master once more.
"Uncle-Master, you went out of your way to guide me today and even gave me such a generous gift... Is there something you need from me?"
Hearing this, Qian Xin Master paused, then chuckled and shook his head, pointing at Qi Yun.
"Hahaha, you kid. Still as sharp as ever. Quick on the uptake."
Called out so directly by Qi Yun, he didn’t feel the least bit awkward. Instead, he admitted it frankly.
"Indeed. There is a matter I was hoping you could help me with."
His smile faded, and his expression grew serious. "I have an old friend who suffered... an injury, many years ago. It never fully healed, and in fact, it’s started to worsen.
Several of our fellow disciples in the Sect who specialize in healing have already taken a look, but to little effect.
So, I wanted to ask if you would take a look, to see if you might be able to treat it."
"Treat it? Me?" Qi Yun looked stunned. "Uncle-Master, are you sure you haven’t got the wrong person?
I may have been fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment, but I’m completely clueless when it comes to healing.
If even the Masters in the Sect who specialize in this field are helpless, what could I possibly do?"
This wasn’t just an excuse; it was the truth.
His path was that of Commanding All Skills.
It had nothing to do with healing the sick and saving the wounded.
But Qian Xin Master simply waved his hand. He looked at Qi Yun with a profound gaze and said pointedly:
"This isn’t a case for ordinary healing. My old friend’s injury... it’s quite unique. It’s not simple damage to the body or Divine Soul. Rather, they were tainted by an exceptionally insidious kind of Daoist Intent, and it’s constantly eroding their Dao Foundation.
Conventional methods are of little use."
He paused, a hint of barely concealed anticipation in his voice.
"Your Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation is immensely powerful and domineering.
It holds the supreme concept of Commanding All Skills.
Your Divine Technique, Mastering All Skills, in particular... perhaps it could have some effect against that foreign Daoist Intent."
"Of course, I’m not forcing you," Qian Xin Master added. "I’m just asking you to take a look. If you find it too troublesome, or simply don’t wish to get involved, just say so. I won’t hold it against you.
Success or failure, consider the key to the Pot Heaven Workshop a gift from your Uncle-Master."
Now, Qi Yun understood.
He considered for a moment. Qian Xin Master and his teacher, Deng Yin, were close friends, and the man had secretly looked out for him on several occasions.
This was a favor worth returning.
"Since Uncle-Master has asked, I will certainly do my best," Qi Yun finally agreed with a nod. "But I can’t make any promises about the outcome."
"Excellent! That’s all I needed to hear!"
A wide smile instantly appeared on Qian Xin Master’s face.
"There’s no time to lose. If you’re free, shall we depart now?"
"Very well," Qi Yun replied simply.
Without further delay, the two flickered out of existence, disappearing from the Holy Sect Treasure Market and returning to the real world.
Qian Xin Master then appeared at the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple. He collected Qi Yun, and together they transformed into two streaks of Escape Light, shooting off in a specific direction.
Before long, they arrived at a personal domain, a place of magnificent and ever-changing phenomena.
This domain was vastly different from the tranquil cultivation spots of ordinary Masters. Inside, countless overlapping shadows and phantasmagorical lights shifted and swirled.
One moment, it would conjure the clamor of a marketplace, with its taverns and gambling dens; the next, it would reveal deep palace courtyards or the chaos of a battlefield. Countless mortal scenes cycled through life and death, suffused with a unique Dao Rhyme that wove together the essence of mortal life and the haze of illusion.
This was the Thousand Illusions of Red Dust, the domain Qian Xin Master had constructed from his own Dao.
Descending into the domain’s core and passing through several pavilions that flickered between illusion and reality, Qian Xin Master led Qi Yun to the back courtyard of an ordinary-looking tavern in what seemed to be a mortal town.
Unlike the boisterous illusions outside, this area was exceptionally quiet.
The yard was empty save for a single, enormous, pitch-black wine vat lying on its side—so large it would take several people to wrap their arms around it.
A thick aroma of wine and an indescribable aura of Demonic Energy emanated from the vat’s opening.
Inside the vat was not fine wine, but a massive, pitch-black ox, submerged within!
The ox’s eyes were shut tight, its aura feeble. The demonic glow around its body was dim, and only a few murky bubbles would occasionally rise with its breath. GURGLE. GURGLE.
"A Foundation Establishment Great Demon?" With a single glance, Qi Yun sensed the fluctuations of Demon Power coming from the ox. Though faint, its essence was undeniably powerful.
It was, without a doubt, a Great Demon that had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Its condition, however, was terrible. Its Demon Essence was scattered, and its life force flickered, threatening to go out at any moment.
"Yes," Qian Xin Master said, looking at the ox in the vat. A flicker of pain crossed his eyes as he sighed. "Old Black here has been with me for centuries.
He was grievously injured in an incident a few years back. I’ve had many friends, both inside and outside the Sect, take a look, but all of them left empty-handed."
He pointed to the massive vat and explained:
"In my desperation, I could only resort to this stopgap measure: collecting the four worldly impurities of ’wine, lust, wealth, and wrath’ to envelop him and slow the corrosion.
But this is merely drinking poison to quench a thirst. It’s no long-term solution."
With that, Qian Xin Master’s gaze fell upon Qi Yun.
"Nephew Qi, I won’t beat around the bush. If you can cure him, I will give you a truly grand Secret Skill!"
Qi Yun’s eyebrow twitched at his words. His curiosity piqued, he asked:
"Oh? And what Secret Skill would that be, Uncle-Master?"
Qian Xin Master took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, solemn, and mysterious whisper as he spoke, enunciating every word:
"Have you heard of... the Celestial Court?"