The young cultivator seemed to realize he might have caused some trouble and said, "Senior Sister, I’ll take full responsibility for my actions, I..."
The woman stopped his words, took a breath, and comforted him, "Junior Brother, do not panic. Brother Shen has ties with Madam Lian of Water Country. This matter might not be as dire as you think. Let’s wait until we see Brother Shen to discuss further."
Her gaze lingered on Zhang Yan’s departing back. Her delicate brows furrowed as she bit her lip tightly, thinking to herself, "I’ve heard Zhang Yan wasn’t even a Lower Court Disciple before, yet from the turbid Qi emanating from him, it’s clear he’s already at the Ming Qi Second Realm, and might soon break into the Third Realm. I thought with Master Yue Huan’s full support, I could reach Ming Qi First Realm within half a year, and my cultivation speed was extraordinary. But now, it seems Zhang Yan is even faster than me. Could he truly be a genius blessed by the heavens? When will I be able to avenge Brother Shen?"
Just as Zhang Yan stepped out of the posthouse’s gate, he saw a cultivator walking in from outside. The two locked eyes briefly and nodded toward each other. That person only stayed his gaze on Zhang Yan momentarily, but paused longer upon Luo Xiao before walking past them.
"What is this person’s cultivation?" Zhang Yan asked solemnly. He could vaguely discern some resemblance between this person and Shen Jingyue. Moreover, their attire was exactly the same as the two Nanhua Sect disciples earlier—it was certain this individual was also one of Nanhua Sect’s disciples. Still, Zhang Yan couldn’t discern this person’s cultivation level.
"This person’s cultivation is similar to mine, both at the Second Realm," Luo Xiao said. After seeking refuge to heal using the Shell King True Dew, her long-stagnant progress had recently broken through another layer, making her now a cultivator of the Xuan Guang Second Realm "Day-like Night." She glanced back at the person and added, "Young Master, is there something peculiar about them?"
Zhang Yan lightly shook his head, thinking to himself, "From what that woman said earlier, Shen Jingyue is already dead. This person appears to bear some familial relation to Shen Jingyue. Should we meet again, conflict may be inevitable. I must quickly elevate my cultivation level."
As for the young cultivator, someone who could be slain with a mere flip of the palm, Zhang Yan didn’t take him to heart. Allowing Water Country to deal with him seemed sufficient. Whatever methods they used, Zhang Yan was uninterested in asking further.
Biyun Pavilion was situated east of South Palace, on an isolated Lake Heart Island. On the island, there was a partly submerged Water Pavilion. By evening, tree shadows danced, the bright moon hung high, and the shores were bathed in glistening white frost. The distant rippling waves shimmered with fragmented light, rendering the scenery dreamlike.
The posthouse soldier led Zhang Yan and Luo Xiao to the location, handed over a Prohibition Token, and then excused himself.
Taking a few steps on the island, Zhang Yan felt faint strands of Yin nature emanating from underneath his feet. His heart stirred as he thought to himself, "This place is chill-laden with abundant water energy; it’s well-suited for me to condense the ’You Yin Heavy Water.’"
The Lan Yun Secret Volume recorded that upon reaching Ming Qi Second Realm, one could condense You Yin Heavy Water using sixteen breaths of clear and turbid energy.
A single drop of You Yin Heavy Water bore the force of a thousand pounds, unstoppable when unleashed. If one could gather ten drops, opponents of the same tier would be scarce. With a hundred drops, armies would scatter. With a thousand drops, waterfalls could reverse course, and rivers could change their path.
Yet this method had one drawback: sixteen breaths of clear and turbid energy had to constantly reside within one’s chest, and each day during the hour of Hai, one must absorb the Yin You Qi emanating from the Earth Veins deep within cold waters. This painstaking process required 108 days to condense a single drop, and during refining, it couldn’t be used in battle, or all efforts would be wasted.
Moreover, condensing You Yin Heavy Water depleted the breaths of clear and turbid energy, which had to be trained anew. This inevitably delayed one’s progression toward Ming Qi Third Realm.
The Lan Yun Secret Volume, after all, followed "Dharma Dao," emphasizing spiritual energy transformation and refinement over the acceleration of cultivation advancement.
On the other hand, those who pursued the "Qi Dao," as in the Taibai Golden Book, relied solely on tempering Mysterious Skills and nothing else in their methodology.
However, Zhang Yan believed that while he possessed many Dharma Treasures, he could never have enough means for dealing with opponents.
With nine months remaining until the Elixir Conference, if he could break through Ming Qi Third Realm within six months, having accumulated eighty-one breaths of spiritual energy, he could then cultivate You Yin Heavy Water without many concerns.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Yan instructed Luo Xiao, "For the next three months, I will enter seclusion for cultivation. Unless summoned by Lord Ji, I am not receiving any visitors."
Luo Xiao nodded agreeably and replied, "Young Master, rest assured. With me standing guard outside, you can cultivate without worry."
Zhang Yan stepped into the Water Pavilion, waved the Prohibition Token, and activated Biyun Pavilion’s restrictions. The array surged, ensuring that even a Hua Dan Cultivator couldn’t enter without the owner’s permission.
Seating himself cross-legged in the quiet room, Zhang Yan didn’t rush into cultivation but instead retrieved three Life Extending Pills from his sleeve. He inspected them briefly and tossed one into his mouth. Upon ingestion, the elixir pill was enveloped by spiritual energy, preventing the poison from activating. He then quietly operated his Mysterious Skill to purify it and stored the refined elixir Qi into the Qi Acupoint he had opened in his chest.
Having refined the first pill, he swallowed the second and repeated the process.
After eliminating the poison of the Yin Yang Elixir Pills, he drew a spiritual energy-filled flying sword from his Qiankun Pouch, examined it carefully, and opened his mouth to expel a breath of turbid Qi onto the sword. A "hiss" echoed—a sound akin to dye being poured into clear water. The sword’s spirit light dimmed in an instant, its brilliance corrupted, transforming into a mundane piece of metal. Even the blade showed signs of corrosion, with mottled scars appearing.
Zhang Yan nodded in satisfaction, affirming his hypothesis.
Encasing heavy evil with condensed turbid Qi was indeed capable of defiling flying swords, though some limitations persisted.
For instance, during his previous duel against Wu Zhen, even though Wu Zhen’s flying sword had been slightly corrupted by heavy evil, he was still able to command it and injure Zhang Yan. However, if mixed with Yin Yang Poison, its effect would increase severalfold.
At present, should his opponents lack the Xuan Guang Seed, their flying swords commanded against him would be easily countered. With a single turbid breath, Zhang Yan could corrupt spiritual energy and Qi alike. Even he himself wouldn’t be able to fend off such methods without his treasures.