Chapter 653: Sword Techniques and Breaking Through to the Innate

Ye Qin had already braced himself; he immediately grasped the hidden meaning in Old Huang's words. He nodded and promised, 'Even if you don't say it, I'll take care of this. It's just because of your arrival that I have to abandon some of my original plans.'

Ye Qin said with a resentful face.

Hearing this, Old Huang's mouth twitched, and he snapped, 'So you're blaming me, kid?'

And you're ruining my plans—isn't his daughter more important?

Old Huang glared fiercely at Ye Qin and muttered, 'This time I'm letting you off, only because I don't want to see Rong'er upset. But between you two, nothing's settled yet—I have only this precious daughter; I don't want anyone barging into her life, yet I want her to live well.'

Perhaps this is the contradiction most fathers-in-law feel.

'I understand,' Ye Qin said with a wry smile.

Old Huang's thoughts are simple and easy to guess, no different from any father in the world.

'As long as you understand, that's fine,' Old Huang said, curling his lip with a cold expression. 'Enough, no more talk about other things—just seeing you annoys me.'

Ugh!

Ye Qin stared, unable to stop a bitter smile, '……'

He knew that even Huang Yaoshi was no exception.

As a father who raised his daughter with his own hands, this inner contradiction is even more complex. He may be both righteous and wicked, but he's still a father, not much different from ordinary parents everywhere.

Ye Qin understood Old Huang's conflicted psychology and could sympathize, but since it concerned him personally, he felt a bit embarrassed. He said, 'Uncle, rest assured—in about a year and a half I'll break through to the Innate Realm, then I'll go to Peach Blossom Island to propose.'

'Oh?'

Old Huang stared, thinking: some people can't break through within three to five years, some can't even after ten or more years, and some never get the chance in a lifetime.

He looked at Ye Qin and couldn't help but sneer, 'Break through to the Innate Realm in a year and a half? What are you going to use to do it?'

He automatically ignored Ye Qin's last sentence.

Breaking through one's cultivation level is hardly that easy.

'Propose? Hah, don't even think about it!'

Old Huang sneered inwardly, his face cold: 'You can't even break through to the Innate Realm, yet you talk about proposing? Unless you break through to the Innate Realm, I will never agree.'

He reckoned that Ye Qin probably wouldn't manage a breakthrough in these few years. If he made Ye Qin's cultivation breakthrough a condition, then if Ye Qin failed, he could justifiably take charge of his daughter's affairs.

Ye Qin, however, was full of confidence, patting his chest and promising, 'Uncle, rest assured—I'll break through to the Innate Realm within a year at most, and the proposal will certainly not be delayed.'

He believed he could do it; others' inability didn't mean he couldn't. The Innate Realm is just a matter of gathering more secret manuals and leveraging official fortune—breaking through shouldn't be a problem. He then added, 'Uncle, you and Rong'er just wait for me on Peach Blossom Island.'

Old Huang didn't believe it, which is understandable—rapid cultivation with strength steadily rising like this has never been seen before.

'What if you can't break through?' Old Huang glanced at him with a strange look, 'Anyone can talk big.'

Ye Qin had anticipated this; he saw through the goading tactic at once. Still, given Old Huang's special status, he didn't want to compete with him for superiority.

He brushed off the dust, stood straight before Old Huang, his breath calm, and said solemnly, 'If I don't break through to the Innate Realm, I won't set foot on Peach Blossom Island even half a step—does that work?'

Old Huang just wanted to hear him say that.

He shook his head helplessly, thinking, 'The older this person gets, the sharper he becomes; Old Huang must have learned some tricks over the years, otherwise how would he come up with such an idea to deal with me?'

'Alright, kid, you better keep your word.' Old Huang smirked triumphantly, inwardly pleased, 'This time your affair with Rong'er is as good as settled.'

That suited him just fine.

He waved his hand, gathered his true qi, slipped the jade flute into his waist, as if nothing had happened.

'Dad, can I return to Peach Blossom Island later?' Huang Rong lowered her head, pleading with Huang Yaoshi. 'Isn't going back like this too soon?'

Upon hearing this, Old Huang's face darkened and he scolded, 'No, you've been out for several months, you've had enough fun—if you don't go back with your father, what else do you want to do out there?'

He glared at Huang Rong; when it came to being serious, he didn't hold back. Without letting her speak, he added, 'Besides, your mother's memorial day is coming up—you should head back to offer incense.'

'I…'

Huang Rong was about to explain, but Old Huang's words left her with nothing to rebut, so she nodded and agreed, 'Alright, I'll go back with you in two days.'

Old Huang's face sank as he said sternly, 'What tomorrow? Leave this afternoon—I don't want to stay overnight here.'

This isn't his home, and besides, he dislikes Ye Qin.

No sooner had he spoken than his eyes flashed like lightning, seizing Huang Rong, and he said lightly, 'To keep you from sneaking off, I'll seal your cultivation first.'

Huang Rong froze—her father was being extreme, actually sealing her cultivation.

Meanwhile, Ye Qin said lightly, 'Rong'er, you and Uncle go back to Peach Blossom Island first; after a year, when I break through to the Innate Realm, I'll come find you and propose at the same time.'

A year isn't long for cultivation; he can wait.

'But I'll miss you,' Huang Rong said unhappily. Faced with this clever, lively girl, Ye Qin could only smile wryly: 'Our parting now is so we can reunite better later. You should also train hard, aiming to reach Acquired Perfection before I arrive.'

Hearing Ye Qin's words, Huang Rong, though utterly reluctant, had no choice but to agree: 'Alright then, remember—I'll be waiting for you on Peach Blossom Island, even if it's a year, or five, or ten years!'

This love, this life—she vowed to guard it unto death, never to abandon!

'Good!'

Ye Qin also nodded deeply, sighing inwardly, 'To win one's heart is enough for a lifetime. But after I break through to the Innate Realm, I'll still need a foolproof plan, for I will eventually leave this world—what will become of Huang Rong?'

For now, there's no way to resolve it.

The one-year agreement being set, Ye Qin began to scheme in secret: 'Whether it's Shi Miyuan or Jia Sidao, I can use the assassin organization against them—I don't believe they can't be killed. As for myself, I'll probably have to go out hunting for treasure.'

Without secret manuals, he couldn't break through in a year. Although the Nine-Grade Dao Skill has already reached the Innate threshold, breaking through is still difficult; otherwise, Innate masters would be everywhere.

That afternoon, Old Huang silently led Huang Rong away. As for Ye Qin, he wasn't optimistic—he didn't think Ye Qin could break through even in three years, let alone one; it was basically a pipe dream.

A breeze stirred, Old Huang's blue robe swaying gently. With his hands behind his back, he strolled off like a carefree wanderer of the jianghu.

Huang Rong followed behind Old Huang in tiny steps, looking back every three steps, her eyes full of reluctance. She wore a pale yellow dress embroidered with a few plum blossoms, a small satchel slung over her shoulder containing the secret manuals Ye Qin gave her and some money.

Although Old Huang would never shortchange his daughter, as a man Ye Qin had still made preparations out of habit.

!

Watching the retreating backs of Huang Rong and Old Huang, Ye Qin slowly closed his eyes and mused, 'This is fine too—saves anyone from targeting them. After I break through to the Innate Realm, I'll go to Peach Blossom Island to make plans.'

Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan can't withstand the endless pursuit of the assassin organization, and they couldn't possibly have martial arts masters or guards protecting them at all times, so there's nothing to worry about here.

Besides, the Jin are already waning; even if I don't act, the court ministers will ally with Mongolia to destroy them, and since Mongolia is the main force, there's nothing to fear. Once this battle ends, the Mongols will need several years to recuperate before they could advance south.

After settling the matters on Peach Blossom Island, I'll go to the grasslands to deal with Tiemuzhen; at the very least, I cannot let him lead his army southward.

He reorganized all his plans from scratch, and his mind suddenly cleared.

He originally wanted to gain more power, then cooperate with the Emperor step by step to carry out his plan, which included destroying the Jin and the Mongols. But the appearance of Old Huang clearly disrupted his plan.

"Next, I will go outside Xiangyang to look for the Dugu Nine Swords; perhaps I can evolve a second move." The flaws of the Dugu Nine Swords shouldn't be many; combining many secret manuals, I should be able to fuse another move.

Meanwhile, the two great villains of Lin'an Prefecture, Jia Sidao and Shi Miyuan, remained oblivious; the person they intended to deal with had already left before they could act.

The Emperor issued a decree to inspect the realm, while Ye Qin quietly packed his belongings and left. Yet the city fell into chaos: everyone on the blacklist was hunted by the assassin organization, be they nobles or court officials, none could escape their wanton slaughter. After all, assassins care nothing for slaughter or nature; as long as they can kill and profit, that's enough.

Half a month later, Ye Qin found the Dugu Nine Swords!

Outside Xiangyang, amidst a lush mountain wilderness, thorns and tangled trees overgrow, blocking the path to the summit tightly. For ordinary people, without sufficient preparation, ascending the mountain is nearly an impossible task. But for martial artists versed in lightness skill, this is nothing but a trifle.

Ye Qin gazed at the towering, perilous peak before him; since ancient times, this place has been where monkeys struggle to climb, and one can often hear their mournful cries when they fall from cliffs. The reason he came here is because this land hides a strange serpent kind that can augment internal strength, which is also a crucial clue for him to judge the location of Dugu Qubai's cave abode.

Dugu Nine Swords—he is determined to obtain it. Only by fusing the second sword move and refining the Nine Grade Dao Technique can he then smoothly break through to the Innate Realm.

Now, he has ample resources, the cultivation technique in hand, and moreover a faint, ineffable qi fortune serving as the breakthrough opportunity. Qi fortune, in Ye Qin's view, is precisely that crucial luck during a breakthrough. With this luck, the breakthrough opportunity naturally falls into place.

"Dugu Nine Swords is the ultimate pursuit of the sword way by Dugu Qubai throughout his life; he devoted his entire life's energy to perfecting this sword style, so that even after a hundred years it still shines brilliantly. I believe its flaws are few, nearly perfect!" Ye Qin pondered silently, full of anticipation for the Dugu Nine Swords.

He knows well: the more perfect the secret manual, the fewer its flaws, the higher the efficiency of fusion and optimization. By then, he will not only gain more benefits, but the sword techniques will also become more refined and powerful.

"The cave is right before us!" Ye Qin gazed at the nearby cave concealed by thorny trees, secretly sighing in relief. For the past month and a half, he had been searching for this cave; now at last he has a result.

Not seeing that spiritual divine eagle, Ye Qin guessed it had gone out to forage. He therefore hesitated no longer, his body giving a slight leap as his white brocade robe fluttered in the wind. He lightly tapped the treetops a few times with his feet; the branches merely dipped before springing back, and Ye Qin, borrowing a breath of true qi, shot away. After a few somersaults in midair, he swiftly darted toward the cave.

Weeds and moss grew thick around the cave, with traces of water flow. It was clearly long uninhabited, appearing desolate. But Ye Qin paid no heed; he stepped into the cave and began searching for the secret manual of Dugu Nine Swords.

After an hour, when the primordial power on the Dugu Nine Swords manual turned into a golden light that flew into the Vajra Bracelet inside his dantian, the text of the Cultivation Technique manifested in the form of primordial power, gradually forming concentric arrangements like city walls within the bracelet. Some characters disappeared, while others recombined with other characters.

This is the process of improving, reorganizing, and optimizing the Cultivation Technique, during which a portion of the primordial power is absorbed by the Vajra Bracelet itself.

"I hope the second move can be successfully fused." Ye Qin mused silently, "The first move is pure attack, a preemptive strike. If I could have a countermeasure that strikes after the opponent, my strength would surely advance to a higher level."

He understood the current situation: all sects and schools regard Cultivation Techniques as treasures, keeping them secret. Relying on the Imperial City Guard to obtain techniques has become increasingly difficult; he must rely on his own strength to compete, whether by stealing or seizing.

"Let the fusion begin!" Ye Qin, controlling the Vajra Bracelet with his consciousness, felt a strange power arise, swiftly stirring the space inside the bracelet and rearranging the characters within.

This process lasted a full three days and three nights. After three days, Ye Qin joyfully discovered that the second sword move had been successfully fused. It is a countermeasure that strikes after the opponent, equally sharp and uncanny, difficult to master, yet of tremendous power.

"If the martial arts of the world combine their respective advantages, they can indeed produce marvelous effects. Next, I will obtain the secret manuals of the Daoist sects and even the Esoteric Buddhist sects; breaking through to the Innate Realm should then be no difficulty." Ye Qin thought silently.

However, the difficulty lies in the fact that, whether Daoist or Buddhist sects, if he is discovered he will face enormous threats and challenges. Although the grade of the Nine-Grade Daoist Cultivation Technique has given him the foundation to gradually cultivate to the Innate Realm, he feels he may not have that much time.

"Let us start with a minor Daoist sect." Ye Qin decided to begin with the Taiping Sect. The Taiping Sect has been passed down since the Three Kingdoms period, evading suppression for over a thousand years and not accepted by the orthodox imperial court. The formidable powers of the Daoist and Buddhist sects, as well as the people of the jianghu, have only increased their ostracism of it.

In Ye Qin's view, he only needed to obtain a few more secret manuals to possibly break through to the Innate Realm. Thus he leapt forward, his white robe fluttering in the wind, charging toward the remnants of the Taiping Sect. The Taiping strategy of that era had once been all the rage, driving countless people to pursue it. He chose the Taiping Sect precisely because they are relatively weak.

Five days later, someone trespassed into the Taiping Sect's Sutra Pavilion, but no Cultivation Technique manuals were lost. After Ye Qin once again refined the Nine-Grade Daoist Cultivation Technique, he let out a slight sigh of relief: "Now it seems the time to break through has arrived." (End of chapter)