46: Deal Done

Upon seeing the Sect Leader appear, Gu Chang immediately withdrew his imposing aura; after all, his purpose in coming here was to obtain the Divine Image Sect's Internal Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique, not to show off or cause trouble.

"I am Gu Chang, and I have come specifically to pay my respects today. The only reason for this is that your Disciples seem to have some misunderstanding about me."

Then, Gu Chang directly cupped his hands towards the other party and said so.

"So it is Gu Senior. A guest is a guest. It is indeed our Divine Image Sect's inadequate hospitality. I hope Senior will forgive us."

Seeing Gu Chang's attitude, Yue Buzhou, the Sect Leader of the Divine Image Sect and an experienced Jianghu veteran, immediately understood the situation. He then apologized to Gu Chang and invited him into the Divine Image Sect for tea.

Although Gu Chang appeared to be only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth, being an Innate Expert meant he was a Martial Dao Senior; this held true throughout the entire Jianghu.

Moreover, Gu Chang did not seem to be here to seek revenge on the Divine Image Sect, otherwise he would not have been so polite.

Therefore, after understanding this, Yue Buzhou immediately readjusted his mindset.

In the Divine Image Sect's reception hall, both parties took their seats. After finishing a cup of hot tea, Gu Chang finally stated the purpose of his visit.

"I hope to borrow your School's Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Technique for a look. For this, I am willing to grant you one thing within my power."

Setting down his teacup, Gu Chang looked at the other party's aged face and the few anxious Disciples standing beside him, then spoke these words.

"You!"

"This is impossible!"

"Senior!"

"..."

As soon as these words were uttered, they immediately drew glares from the Disciples. Although Gu Chang's strength was terrifying, Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Techniques were the foundation of a School; if they lost these, the Divine Image Sect would be finished!

Hence, their reactions were so strong, yet, due to Gu Chang's formidable strength, they ultimately dared not utter anything unpleasant.

Only the Sect Leader, Yue Buzhou, seemed not to have heard, calmly continuing to drink his tea.

"Since Senior has already achieved the Innate Realm, you should not be lacking in Cultivation Techniques, so why do you wish to borrow my Divine Image Sect's Cultivation Technique?"

Only when all the voices had quieted down did he slowly speak.

"The reason is simple: the Divine Image Sect's Cultivation Technique has elements that I can learn from, so I wish to borrow it for reference."

"Of course, I will only reference it myself and will absolutely not spread it. If you are unwilling, then I will simply seek out other Schools."

Gu Chang had no intention of forcing the issue. It was best if both parties were willing. Unless there was absolutely no other way, he would not resort to direct action.

"So that's how it is. Junior naturally trusts Senior."

"This Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Technique, Junior is naturally willing to lend it. After all, Junior doesn't have many days left to live. When I die, these things will likely fall into the hands of other forces, perhaps even the Divine Image Sect's old enemies!"

"So, rather than benefiting them, it's better to lend it to Senior in exchange for a favor."

He said these words both to Gu Chang and to the other Disciples beside him.

The highest strength among these Disciples was only at the Second-rate Realm. If he were to perish, these alone would absolutely not be able to preserve the Divine Image Sect's Legacy.

"Sect Leader, we are incompetent!"

"Yes, if only we could Breakthrough, it wouldn't be like this!"

"Master! Wuwuwu."

As expected, upon hearing these words, the Disciples immediately felt a surge of shame, regretting their insufficient talent and lack of strength.

"It's good that you understand, but I don't like owing favors to others. I can only agree to one thing at most!"

"You must think carefully about this matter. If I can do it, I naturally will. If I cannot, then it can only be abandoned."

Gu Chang nodded slightly, agreeing with Yue Buzhou's thoughts, and reiterated his conditions.

"Thank you, Senior, for the reminder. Then Junior has only one request: please take in my female Disciple. If she can achieve success in martial arts, that would be best, and she will naturally be able to guard the Divine Image Sect's foundation. If not, then let her serve by Senior's side; that would also be a chance for survival."

Then, Yue Buzhou immediately rose, bowed in gratitude to Gu Chang, and presented his request.

"Master!!!"

"Sect Leader!"

"..."

Everyone else was stunned by Yue Buzhou's request, never expecting him to propose such a condition.

"..."

Even Gu Chang himself hadn't anticipated this, so he couldn't help but glance at the female Disciple.

It must be said that she was indeed a beauty, the kind with heroic spirit. In the Jianghu, she would surely be a chivalrous woman.

However, Gu Chang currently had no intention of finding a woman. After all, his secrets were significant, and if someone were to follow him long-term, problems might easily arise.

"Taking her in is out of the question, but I can teach her for a period of time. If her strength Breaks through to the First-rate Realm, then your condition will be met. If she cannot Breakthrough, I will also try to ensure her safety. How does that sound?"

So, after some thought, Gu Chang continued to speak.

"That works too!"

Yue Buzhou felt a slight disappointment upon hearing Gu Chang's conditions, but this was already quite good. With this connection, their Divine Image Sect could be considered to have a backer.

"Wan'er, why don't you come and greet Senior?"

"Yes! Xie Wanling greets Senior!"

This female Disciple also knew the importance of this matter, so she showed no pretense, but rather came forward generously to Gu Chang and bowed in salute.

"Mm, then so be it!"

"Next, I will stay in Fengbo Du for a few days. Once I have finished reading the Divine Image Sect's Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Technique, I will begin to instruct you."

"At that time, you must be prepared for hardship. If you are negligent, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Gu Chang did not waste any more words with the woman before him, as this was merely a transaction.

"Xie Wanling understands!"

The young girl's face showed no displeasure upon hearing this; instead, she nodded in agreement, which made Gu Chang regard her with slightly higher esteem.

After settling this matter, Yue Buzhou continued to explain the overall situation of the Divine Image Sect to Gu Chang.

After all, now that even the most important Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Technique was willingly handed over, it was better to openly disclose other information. This would both demonstrate his sincerity and allow him to build a closer relationship with Gu Chang.

After a period of casual conversation, Gu Chang gained a clearer understanding of the Divine Image Sect's overall situation.

Simply put, the entire Divine Image Sect had completely declined. Its sphere of influence was greatly diminished, only able to control a few surrounding market towns, barely better than a small Gang like the Great Green Gang.

A shrinking sphere of influence meant fewer resources available for cultivating Disciples in martial arts. Fewer resources led to slower strength improvement, and weakening strength would result in an even smaller sphere of influence.

This became a desperate death spiral. Unless they could find a Disciple with exceptional talent who could reach a higher Realm using scarce resources.

In this generation, Yue Buzhou had only encountered Xie Wanling, a Disciple with decent talent, who reached the Second-rate Expert level at eighteen. However, his own time was running out, and he had previously suffered severe Internal Skill injuries, making him unable to engage in combat.

His only current concern was the complete decline of the Divine Image Sect after his death, making it difficult to even preserve its Legacy. This was the key reason why he made such a choice.

In the evening, all of the Divine Image Sect's Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Techniques were handed over to Gu Chang by Yue Buzhou.

This also included Cultivation Techniques collected by the Divine Image Sect's ancestors and Seniors throughout history. Although not of high grade, they were comprehensive in variety and held good reference value.

"This old man is quite clever. Even though I clearly showed no intention of deepening our relationship, he was still willing to offer everything to curry favor with me."

Looking at the large pile of books before him, Gu Chang couldn't help but feel a bit helpless, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

He immediately picked up the Divine Image Sect's Martial Arts Mind-Cultivation Technique and began to read and memorize it diligently.

In reality, his choice of the Divine Image Sect was not solely due to the School's decline; more importantly, this School's Cultivation Technique truly aligned with his needs.

The Divine Image Sect's Cultivation Technique was called Divine Statue Skill, a powerful Body Refinement Cultivation Technique, primarily divided into four Realms.

They were Bronze Statue Skill, Iron Statue Skill, Gold Statue Skill, and the Divine Statue Skill, which could only be achieved at the Innate Realm!

Bronze Statue Skill required Refining Bone a Copper Skin, with strength comparable to a Third-rate Expert. Iron Statue Skill required achieving an Iron Bone Body, with strength comparable to a Second-rate Expert. Gold Statue Skill required Refining Bone a Vajra Body, with strength belonging to a First-rate Expert.

Finally, and most crucially, was the Divine Statue Skill. Upon achieving it, one would possess a Vajra Iron Bone, an Immovable Battle Body, and a Martial Dao Divine Body, possessing Innate strength, unparalleled Body Refinement, enough to withstand various weapons!

The entire set of Cultivation Techniques seemed somewhat similar to the Xuanbing Blood Fiend Skill, especially the content regarding Refining Bone the skin and bones, which highly overlapped. Only the transformation into Martial Dao Divine Will required after reaching the Innate Realm left Gu Chang puzzled.