14: Chapter 14: Secret Techniques

[Plans cannot keep up with changes.]

[You originally planned to make a commotion within the sect, act like you had been bullied terribly, and then go to Lin Bufan to complain, letting things naturally fall into place.]

[Who would have thought that the cannon fodder would arrive so quickly, catching you somewhat off guard? This silly boy even knew to protect himself in advance.]

[You felt that selling yourself off so muddle-headedly like this was too much of a loss.]

[Therefore, you decisively exposed your physique to see if the other party's golden finger old grandfather could pull out any good things, while also taking advantage of it yourself.]

["What's wrong, Teacher? Didn't you seal off your senses?"]

[Lin Bufan felt suspicious in his heart. Could this old fellow be peeping?]

["Nonsense, how could this old man do such a thing?"]

[Vaguely sensing Lin Bufan's thoughts, the old man was so angry that he directly cursed:]

["It's just that a burst of aura suddenly erupted from that young girl, which merely startled this old man."]

["Hehe, sorry Teacher, please go ahead."]

[Lin Bufan sheepishly scratched his head. Looking at the young girl beneath him with tear-blurred eyes, he very reluctantly retracted his wandering hands resting on her waist.]

["Brother Lin?"]

[You looked at him doubtfully, your gaze clearly asking: 'What's wrong with you?']

[Yet in Lin Bufan's eyes, it translated to: 'Can it be that you are no good?']

[He almost spat blood on the spot, his resentment towards his master growing a bit heavier.]

["There is no mistake, this female actually possesses the Jade Marrow Physique. Why didn't I sense it earlier? Could it be that the dense spiritual Qi within the Xuantian Sword Sect stimulated her physique?"]

[The Ring Old Man seemed to be explaining to Lin Bufan, yet also seemed to be talking to himself.]

[You dared to expose your physique like this naturally because you knew that the conditions for awakening a special physique were bizarre and varied, lacking any concrete standard whatsoever.]

["What is the Jade Marrow Physique?"]

[Lin Bufan hurriedly asked.]

[The old man carefully explained the functions of the physique to him again.]

[Hearing this, Lin Bufan fell silent instead. After a moment, he suddenly asked:]

["Can Qingyu also obtain some benefits? It's impossible for me to stay by her side all the time; she needs the ability to protect herself."]

[The events of the day still had quite an impact on him. Your appearance was too eye-catching, and your strength couldn't be too weak; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to face those flies alone.]

["Naturally there is. The essential function of this physique is to enhance the spiritual root aptitude of a dual-cultivation partner, but if there is a suitable secret art, it can also enhance the spiritual root aptitude of the physique's owner."]

["Then, Teacher?"]

[Lin Bufan's eyes were filled with a pleading expression.]

["You brat actually turn out to be a romantic fool. Fine, to let you cultivate with peace of mind, this old man will put in a bit more effort. Relax your body."]

[The next moment, the originally ordinary youth's gaze suddenly became profound.]

[Your mind trembled violently. Could this be the legendary divine-tier skill—Ghost Possession?]

[The next moment, his finger pressed against the space between your brows, and a massive amount of information flooded into your mind.]

[In your mind, the Twin Luminaries Spirit-Evolving Chapter was actually completed. The limit of this secret art was not three spiritual roots, but a true Heavenly Spiritual Root, though the time required was extremely long.]

[Not only that, another secret technique appeared in your mind.]

[Movement-type secret technique Mirror Image Water Moon: Upon reaching mastery, one's figure becomes ethereal, like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water, with the true body hidden behind seven layers of illusions.]

[Fleeing and preserving one's life both handled correctly—this was the trump card you needed most right now. After all, with the simulator, the most important thing for you was to ensure your own safety in reality.]

[Moreover, after the two secret techniques were imparted, they actually directly reached the entry level.]

[You almost wept tears of joy. Having an old person at home is like having a treasure! You really envied such a treasure of an old grandfather.]

["Thank you! Big Brother Lin~"]

[You looked at Lin Bufan, who had returned to normal, with dazed eyes, the affection in your eyes almost spilling over.]

[The pleasant surprise was huge, and you very readily decided to give it to him.]

[If it weren't for not fitting your current persona, you would have shouted at least:]

[Come on~ You beast! Please don't hold back just because I am a delicate flower.]

[How could Lin Bufan withstand this kind of scene? After receiving the voice transmission from the old man that he needed to rest for a while, he raised his hand to cast several restriction seals, activating the cave dwelling's formation array.]

["Giggle giggle~ Big Brother Lin, don't be impatient~!"]

["Hey? Clothes aren't unbuttoned like that."]

["Rip!"]

[The sound of fabric being torn apart rang out.]

[Your expression stiffened. Damn it, you actually quite liked this outfit.]

[But soon you no longer had the mind to consider these things, as the ambiguous sounds inside the cave dwelling gradually drowned out everything else...]

[The next day, you rubbed your sore waist and cursed inwardly:]

[Beast!]

[You hadn't expected that with your Qi Condensation Layer 2 physical body, you would still be defeated once more.]

[However, the benefits gained were not small either; this fellow's primordial yang actually made the speed at which you absorbed spiritual Qi increase significantly.]

[A Son of Destiny is truly terrifying to this extent.]

[You casually draped a thin gauze over yourself, glanced at Lin Bufan who had already entered deep meditation, quietly got up, and walked over to the stone table inside the cave dwelling.]

[On the stone table were neatly placed quite a few items:]

[Two sets of Tianxuan Sword Sect inner disciple garments, an identity token, fifty low-grade spirit stones, a storage bag, and a cultivation manual.]

[In addition, you could also go to the Artifact Forging Pavilion to claim a first-rank mid-grade longsword spiritual tool.]

[This was the basic treatment for an inner disciple of the Tianxuan Sword Sect, and fifty low-grade spirit stones could be collected every month.]

[You slipped off the thin gauze and changed into the inner disciple garments of the Xuantian Sword Sect.]

[The cyan-jade robe matched with sword-patterned cloud sleeves, bound at the waist with an ink-black spirit-patterned belt, outlined a slender and upright figure.]

[Long hair tied high into a ponytail, the originally lazy aura instantly retracted, replaced by a chilling, frost-like sword cultivator character with inner sharpness.]

[You stood before the bronze mirror, clicking your tongue in wonder. Truly, clothes make the man.]

[After admiring for a moment, you focused your attention on the cultivation manual, which was precisely the Tianxuan Sword Sect's town-protecting cultivation manual—the Xuantian Sword Scripture.]

[Of course, it only contained the Qi-Guiding and Qi-Condensation chapters.]

[For the Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation manual, one needed to hand over a wisp of soul aura and set up a soul lamp within the sect before being able to study it; secondly, one's cultivation level needed to reach the Qi Condensation peak.]

[Switching cultivation manuals was not difficult; one only needed to change the circulation route of the cultivation manual, which would not cause any loss in cultivation base.]

[However, after all, this was a cultivation method long familiar to your heart; fully adapting to the new manual would still take time, and the lingering aura from the Joyous Yin-Yang manual could only be gradually worn away through cumulative daily practice.]

[Moreover, right under the nose of that unknown old monster, it wasn't convenient to cultivate directly.]

[You were not in a rush. As a Son of Destiny after all, he couldn't possibly stay obediently within the sect and cultivate with peace of mind.]

[You leisurely brewed a pot of tea, picked up the Xuantian Sword Scripture, and carefully perused it.]

[For a time, the fragrance of tea curled within the cave dwelling, unexpectedly revealing a hint of tranquility isolated from the world...]

[...]