91: My Godly Father (Twenty-Two)

"Who exactly are you?"

"What... have you done to little Quan Yun?"

The moment those words fell, Quan Yun understood.

The Cripple thought he had been subjected to Possession.

That made sense.

A ten-year-old child, slaughtering indiscriminately amidst the Imperial Guard's encirclement. And finally, facing a Spirit King, still daring to swing his sword proactively.

This series of actions, whether it was the combat skill or the experience of disregarding life and death, was unnaturally seasoned.

This was simply not something a child could do.

No wonder The Cripple was suspicious.

Just as Quan Yun was about to explain, an irresistible and terrifying Soul Sense surged into his body, probing every corner of his Physical Body, every inch of his Meridians, and even attempting to delve into the Origin of his Soul.

Quan Yun did not resist.

He knew he couldn't resist, and there was no need to.

He was still Quan Yun, and Quan Yun was still him; nothing had ever changed.

Time passed little by little.

That domineering Soul Sense swept through his body several times, searching inch by inch for any possible anomalies.

After a long while, the killing intent on The Cripple's face gradually faded, replaced by deep confusion.

Nothing.

There was nothing at all.

The Soul of this Physical Body was pure beyond compare, perfectly integrated with the Physical Body, with no trace of ever having been subjected to Possession.

But if it wasn't Possession, then how could the earth-shattering changes in this child be explained?

The oppressive Aura weighing on Quan Yun slowly dissipated.

"I am still me."

"I merely experienced a lot... gaining some insights between life and death."

He chose the simplest and most easily accepted explanation.

The Cripple fell silent, his cloudy eyes fixed on Quan Yun, seemingly discerning the truthfulness of his words.

Quan Yun met his gaze openly.

Finally, The Cripple let out a long breath, and the suffocating Aura on his body completely vanished, turning him back into that lazy, limping drunkard.

"Alright then."

He didn't press further.

"Let's go, home."

The Cripple turned and limped forward.

Quan Yun silently followed.

The two walked in silence all the way back to the dilapidated small village.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a strong smell of medicine assailed them.

On the bed, Sister Yu lay quietly, her face, which had once held some color, was now sallow, and her breathing was so faint it seemed it could cease at any moment.

Quan Yun's heart clenched fiercely.

He hurried to the bedside, carefully took out the jade bottle containing the huitian elixir from his embrace, poured out the Medicinal Pill, and gently placed it into his sister's mouth.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering her mouth, and a vast essence of life energy dispersed.

An unnatural blush quickly appeared on Sister Yu's withered face, and her breathing also became stronger.

But Quan Yun's expression grew even uglier.

Who was he?

He was once Si Yun, the Emperor of the Dao of Alchemy.

With just one glance, he saw through the true problem with Sister Yu's body.

Her Foundation was damaged, and her Origin was depleted.

Although the huitian elixir was a fifth-rank Spirit Medicine with extraordinary medicinal power, for this situation, it could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

It could sustain life, but not save it.

Quan Yun's fists clenched tightly.

A feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart.

He settled his sister, then walked alone into the courtyard, sat down cross-legged, and immersed his consciousness within his body.

He wanted to thoroughly understand what was going on with him in this life.

Upon internal inspection, his Meridians were blocked, and his Dantian was small; indeed, it was the purest Mortal Body.

"System, did you embezzle my attribute points?"

Quan Yun complained inwardly.

Four thousand Aptitude points, and it only produced this kind of thing?

His consciousness finally focused on the dim, small pagoda deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

Previously, his memories were chaotic, and he hadn't had time to look closely, but now, calming down and investigating carefully, he immediately noticed something was amiss.

Inside this small pagoda, he captured an extremely faint Aura, yet one that shared the same root and Origin as his own Soul.

A thought instantly exploded in his mind.

"So it was you who swallowed it!"

Quan Yun understood.

It wasn't the System embezzling, but rather that the Origin of his Physique had been entirely devoured by this mysterious, broken pagoda.

No wonder he had become a mere Mortal Body.

However, Quan Yun also vaguely felt that his Mortal Body seemed somewhat different from ordinary Mortal Bodies. What exactly was different, he couldn't quite pinpoint at the moment.

He cautiously brought his consciousness closer to the small pagoda and began to carefully examine its body.

Soon, on the ancient pagoda body, he discovered some intricate, hair-thin etchings.

They were not decorations; they were words.

An ancient script he had never seen before, containing some profound Heavenly Principle.

"Cultivation Technique..."

Quan Yun's mind was completely drawn in.

The Origin of this pagoda was definitely not simple, capable of suppressing his memories and devouring his Physique. Thus, the Cultivation Technique engraved on it was probably of an unimaginably high grade.

He immediately began to try to decipher and comprehend it.

One incense stick of time.

One hour.

One day.

Quan Yun opened his eyes, which were filled with shock.

With his Comprehension Ability, he was actually completely unable to comprehend this Cultivation Technique.

The Cultivation Technique was like a vast starry sky; he didn't even have the qualifications to gaze upon it.

However, it wasn't without any harvest at all.

After expending immense mental effort, he still managed to grasp a superficial understanding.

Just this superficial understanding left him immensely shocked.

Most importantly, he discovered that this superficial understanding of the Cultivation Technique seemed to have an ineffable compatibility with his Mortal Body in this life.

It was as if this Cultivation Technique was born for such a Physique.

Light reignited in Quan Yun's eyes... Spring went and autumn came, cold and heat alternated.

In a flash, five years passed.

In the courtyard, a tall and slender youth, holding a wooden sword, slowly wielded it.

The youth was fifteen years old, with delicate features, but his eyes held a depth and serenity that did not belong to his age.

It was Quan Yun.

In five years, using the superficial understanding of the pagoda's Cultivation Technique as his Foundation, combined with countless Cultivation Techniques he had cultivated in previous lives, he refined and perfected, finally creating a Cultivation Technique most suitable for this Mortal Body.

He estimated that the grade of this Cultivation Technique was probably at the Void-Grade, which meant the Cave Heaven level.

Relying on this Cultivation Technique, his cultivation also advanced by leaps and bounds during these five years.

At fifteen, he reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.

This speed, in the Cang Yun Empire, would undoubtedly make him an unparalleled top Genius.

But in Quan Yun's own view, it was merely passable, just barely acceptable.

After all, in this life, he had 4000 Aptitude points; he should at least have a Celestial Body, or even a Divine Body was possible.

Five years ago, after settling him, The Cripple had disappeared again.

Before leaving, The Cripple only left him a tattered page of paper.

From the paper, he could only see two words.

"Thrust" and "Sever."

Compared to the ultimate penetration of "Thrust," "Sever" pursued ultimate dominance and sharpness.

In five years, he had completely mastered the "Sever" Art.

On this day, after Quan Yun finished practicing his sword, a familiar figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

The Cripple had returned.

He was still his slovenly self, limping, holding a wine gourd in his hand.

He walked into the courtyard, his gaze falling on Quan Yun, and a hint of shock flashed in his cloudy eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.

"Spirit Transformation Realm, not bad," The Cripple nodded, a form of praise.

He walked up to Quan Yun and took a swig of wine.

"Having stayed in this small place for so long, it's time to go out and explore."

The Cripple looked at him and said slowly.

"It's time to take you to see the wider world outside."

Quan Yun put down his wooden sword and nodded.

He knew this day would come sooner or later.

He had also been ready for a long time.

He looked back at the room; Sister Yu's breathing was still stable under the nourishment of the huitian elixir.

But Quan Yun knew this was only temporary.

To truly save her, he had to find higher-grade Medicinal Pills, or the legendary Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Treasures.

And such things would definitely not be found in a small place like the Cang Yun Empire.

Quan Yun followed The Cripple out of the village, leaving the Empire where he had lived for fifteen years.