Chapter 584: The Seventh Yin Fu Technique, the Demon-Slaying Sword, the Feast of a Hundred Flowers Arrives!

Lu Hua's gaze held disbelief as she pressed: "When did you break through to the seventh realm, Spirit Wandering?"

This was simply unimaginable—in less than three months, you leapt from having no cultivation of the Primordial Spirit to the seventh realm of the Primordial Spirit.

It was utterly unbelievable!

You smiled: "Just luck."

That day, while playing Go with Chen Jiuyan, every one of the ten games was heart-stopping; her final move—the so-called Dao of Heaven—let me seize a sliver of breakthrough.

Your astonishing progress completely extinguished Lu Hua's earlier enthusiasm.

Could this really be what they call a cultivation prodigy?

The Lu Yu Ancestor, recorded among the Three True Ancestors as born for the Dao, ultimately shattered the void with his fist—perhaps only thus.

She herself took a full year and a half to break into the Spirit Wandering realm, shaking the entire Mount Zhongnan, and had her Master so excited he kept praising her Master for taking such a fine disciple.

If Master knew about Xie Guan's potential, he wouldn't sleep for three days and nights.

Lu Hua, at least, was the fastest and youngest Tian Shi in the Three True Sect in a hundred years.

And now you casually say, "Just luck."

It filled her with the same crushing helplessness a grizzled old man feels seeing a beautiful widow—earlier, when fellow disciples marveled at her own progress,

she always boasted, "Lu Hua? Just a bit of natural talent."

Now she finally understood how her fellow disciples had gritted their teeth.

She realized she'd been downright asking for a beating.

You asked softly: "Do you think my cultivation speed is fast?"

Lu Hua stared at the boy's humble, earnest expression and wanted to summon a bolt of heavenly lightning and strike him with the Three True Ten Thousand Talisman Sword.

Lu Hua cleared her throat: "It's decent enough—but don't get complacent."

"Have you mastered the seventh technique of the Yin Fu?"

The seventh realm is called Spirit Wandering—here, the Primordial Spirit grows more stable, and the Yin Spirit can transform the intangible into the tangible; for instance, you can now lift the large blue stone slab in the courtyard with your Yin Spirit, while Xie Yuan can barely manage it with his forged bones.

The Yin Spirit possesses the strength of an ox.

The Yin Spirit can pass through walls or any solid object, unharmed, shifting between real and illusory—making it impossible to guard against.

When fighting, just avoid sunlight, dog's blood, and boy's urine—things of strong yang.

If your opponent lacks a method to counter or suppress the Yin Spirit, you are invincible.

But the duration of transforming intangible into tangible is limited and drains immense Primordial Spirit energy.

In comparison, the fifth realm of the Martial Body, Spring Thunder, allows one to generate thunderous roars through skin, sinew, and bone—capable of suppressing evil spirits and countering the Yin Spirit's real-illusory shifts.

From the lower three realms to the middle three realms, the Martial Body crushes Primordial Spirit cultivators; their physical strength overwhelms the latter's defenses.

But!

The eighth realm of the Primordial Spirit, Spirit Fire, once ignited, brings explosive growth—as if reborn, utterly different from the previous realm.

Practitioners of Spirit Fire can begin merging with the Five Elements, commanding thunder, rain, and wind—the forces of heaven and earth.

Inner and outer realms truly begin to unify!

Lu Hua excels in Thunder Art—this method is the most potent among all Dao arts, especially amplified during thunderstorms.

After Spirit Fire, even upper-three-realm Martial Bodies struggle to match a Primordial Spirit cultivator of the same realm.

Lu Hua was curious: you've broken into Spirit Wandering—but have you mastered the Yin Fu's seventh technique?

The seventh technique was the masterwork of the one who created the Yin Fu Scripture.

The first four techniques of the Yin Fu Scripture—"Still Spirit," "Seek Fortune," "Control Water," "Control Earth"—each correspond to a divine object.

"Spirit Turtle," "Five Dragons," "Flying Snake," "Crouching Bear."

These five techniques can be learned similarly once reaching Spirit Fire—but the genius lies in mastering partial Spirit Fire abilities while still in the middle realms.

Usually, Spirit Fire cultivators specialize in only one or two mainstream Five Elements arts, since each requires years to perfect; otherwise, they learn without mastery.

If you master only fire, you're easily countered by a Primordial Spirit cultivator skilled in water.

The Yin Fu Scripture essentially lays the groundwork—once you reach Spirit Fire, you already possess four distinct Dao arts.

The fifth technique, "Vulture Feeding on Corpse Talisman," is a sinister art that steals others' cultivation while ensuring your own advancement.

The sixth technique, "Illusory Butterfly Circle," is an illusion art, adding further tactical versatility.

Aside from the Yin Fu Scripture's sinister nature, this path is nearly a direct route to the Primordial Spirit realm.

You listened to Lu Hua and nodded slightly.

Lu Hua was eager to test the seventh technique—it was notoriously difficult; even senior masters in the Three True Sect had secretly tried and failed to learn it.

Without warning!

Lu Hua lightly tapped her fingertip—a thread of lightning formed. Her left hand rose from her wide Daoist robe sleeve, index finger pointing; blue lightning coalesced into a tiny sphere.

"Watch closely!"

As the lightning sphere moved, Lu Hua shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving afterimages in her wake.

A streak of lightning arrived instantly, hurtling straight at you.

So fast!

You had no time to react.

In an instant, Lu Hua's fingertip lightning seemed to pierce your entire body,

Yet strangely!

Your figure slowly faded away.

As the lightning at her fingertip dissipated with a soft *puff*, she saw a yellow talisman slowly drifting down before her.

Lu Hua smiled faintly—she was certain you had truly mastered this technique.

The seventh technique of the Yin Fu is called "Shan Dui Fa Ling Ti"—a substitution technique.

As the scripture says: "Use the power of dispersing influence to reveal the Dui's might, its danger—then make your decision. Thus, those skilled in Shan Dui are like breaching a thousand-ren dam to release water, or turning a round stone atop a ten-thousand-ren cliff."

"Shan Dui is the decision made at the moment of danger—used for substitution."

Lu Hua was certain you had no time to react just now.

Yet, at that critical instant, you activated the seventh technique, "Shan Dui Fa Ling Ti," using this talisman as a substitute and escaping the danger.

This was precisely why the Three True Sect's ancestors were helpless against the elder who created this offshoot of the Yin Fu Scripture.

The ability to substitute oneself is utterly unpredictable and nearly impossible to counter.

This was also the very reason the elder who created this technique had the audacity to confront the Master himself—like a man who'd gone mad.

When Lu Hua turned back, you reappeared calmly in her line of sight.

The boy's face remained composed.

Lu Hua smirked: "How many times can you use this 'Ling Ti Shan Dui Talisman' in a day?"

After a moment's thought, you replied: "At most four times—if I use more, my Primordial Spirit won't hold."

"Four times!"

Lu Hua had assumed you could manage only two—you could use it four times in a single day!

Such a monstrous technique, and you're only at the seventh realm—already able to substitute four times? What would happen when you ignite Spirit Fire?

Lu Hua felt a chill—what kind of demon had she trained?

Lu Hua couldn't help recalling her earlier speculation: Could Xie Guan be the one destined to face this calamity?

The great calamity of three thousand years was rising again; the chance for transcendence reappeared in the world.

Three thousand years ago, three ascended—how many will ascend this time?

As Lu Hua pondered, she suddenly sensed a sword intent rising in the courtyard—pure and luminous as moonlight.

"This is…"

She saw you close your eyes again; a deep blue star pattern slowly emerged on your forehead, like a vermilion jade gem embedded in your brow, dazzlingly brilliant.

This was the supernatural sign of the sixth realm, Star Opening.

Between the boy's brows, a transparent sword tip slowly emerged—as if being drawn from within his skull.

The sword intent stirred; a gentle breeze brushed the courtyard, and the moonlight seemed to brighten further.

The boy suddenly opened his eyes—and the sword shot forth from his brow.

"No!"

Lu Hua flashed away, landing atop a wutong tree five or six zhang high.

She raised her left hand, forming a sword seal, whispering softly: "Through the changes of heaven and earth, tread the four yang lights… Jade Cover arises!"

As she spoke the final four words, a barrier as thin as a cicada's wing, shaped like an inverted gourd lid, descended over the courtyard, sealing it off from the outside.

After completing this!

A vast, illusory sword materialized from empty air and plunged diagonally into the courtyard.

Silent. Calm.

The illusory sword existed only briefly before fading back into nothingness.

Lu Hua looked around the courtyard—everything appeared unchanged, yet her heart trembled.

"You've learned the Second Master's Demon-Slaying Sword!"

If there had been any evil spirits in the courtyard, they'd be dead now.

The Demon-Slaying Sword cuts down all demons under heaven.

She knew you'd eventually master the Second Master's two sword intents—but you learned them in three months?

Isn't that too shocking?

The seven techniques of the Yin Fu Scripture are complete—and you've learned the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Lu Hua asked, somewhat nervously: "Have you also learned the Demon-Slaying Sword?"

You merely shook your head.

Lu Hua finally exhaled in relief. "If you'd learned the Demon-Slaying Sword too, it would've been truly crushing."

Suddenly!

Lu Hua remembered something; two golden "Ren" characters flared in her eyes, then transformed into two "Ding" characters.

This was the Daoist Six Ding Art, capable of detecting yin spirits and ghosts, and also revealing a person's vital essence.

She used this art to examine you closely: your entire body resembled a blood-red map of meridians, with vigorous blood qi contained within the internal meridians, and every bone shimmering with a crystalline luster.

What startled Lu Hua most was that within your dantian, a small wisp of white qi had formed, only to be evaporated by the blood qi and scattered throughout the extraordinary meridians and countless acupoints.

She asked in astonishment: "Have you broken through the Three Minor Gates of martial cultivation and entered the Refining Womb realm?"

You nodded lightly. You had captured the qi sensation and found that elusive, mysterious primordial qi within your body in just about a day.

Neither of the two methods recorded by Sima Ting had been needed.

You simply followed the stance-posture techniques in the Grand Ancestor Holy Monkey Scripture, smoothing the meridians and blood qi pathways—and the primordial qi arose naturally.

It required almost no effort at all!

But each time, you had to recapture the qi sensation to cultivate.

Only today had you finally grown familiar enough that the qi no longer needed to be seized—it now turned spontaneously within the dantian.

It could constantly refine your bones and marrow.

Lu Hua remembered that in her own martial path, it had taken her a full half-year to move from capturing the qi sensation to spontaneous circulation.

How long have you taken?

On both the martial and primordial spirit paths, you possess such extraordinary talent.

In three months, you reached the seventh realm of primordial spirit cultivation—"Spirit Travel"—and the fourth realm of martial cultivation—"Refining Womb."

What a monster!

Lu Hua pondered briefly, then reached into the opening of her chest garment and pulled out a small amber-yellow jade tablet, hollowed within, engraved with three interlocking yin-yang fish.

"Take this. You haven't ignited your divine fire yet—you can't conceal your primordial spirit cultivation."

"After reaching the Star Opening realm, you gain your own form. To those with deep primordial spirit cultivation, you shine like a beacon in the dark. The Gathering of Beauties is coming soon—many true experts will be present."

"This tablet is a yin spirit treasure cultivated by multiple ancestors of the Three True Sect. It can conceal your primordial spirit aura and also steadies the mind and calms the spirit."

You took the jade tablet Lu Hua tossed to you, opened your palm, and looked down at it.

The three yin-yang fish were lifelike, as if rippling with a faint green glow, and the tablet radiated a gentle warmth.

This object, capable of concealing aura, was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Seeing your expression, Lu Hua suddenly realized she had always kept this tablet pressed against her chest—and now she'd given it to a young man. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

Fortunately, beneath her wide-brimmed hat, Xie Guan could not see.

You sincerely said: "Thank you!"

"Don't overthink it. I'm only lending it to you. Before I leave, you return it to me."

Lu Hua smiled: "If after the Gathering of Beauties you wish to join the Three True Sect, everything I said before still stands—I can even give you this tablet as a gift."

You merely shook your head.

Yet you became interested in the ancestors of the Three True Sect—Lu Chen and Lu Yu—who had ascended to heaven.

The Three True Sect holds such great prestige not only because Lu Chen founded the first unified dynasty, Yan, as its first Emperor, influencing the world for three thousand years.

But also because the Three True Sect is the only surviving sect with verified records of "ascension in broad daylight."

The Yin Kui Sect, where the Demon Master Huang Dao resided, was long ago wiped out by the Blood Demon Sect and vanished from history.

The supreme demonic scripture, the Heavenly Demon Strategy, has disappeared into the martial world.

The Qianyuan Dynasty left by the Empress Qianyuan was overthrown by the Tang, and the Qianyuan imperial lineage was slaughtered to the last by the "Red Emperor" of the Long Life Heaven.

Empress Wu Ying's War Against Heaven Diagram has long lost its lineage.

Of the three ascended masters' lineages, only the Three True Sect remains flourishing today.

A true three-thousand-year human great sect!

You watched Lu Hua's retreating figure, lost in thought.

The Three True Gate on Mount Zhongnan—this great sect standing for three thousand years—what hidden secrets does it truly hold?

Time flowed like water; before you knew it, five or six days had passed.

You continued reading, practicing calligraphy, and observing the Demon-Slaying Sword—life remained uneventful.

Tomorrow is the Gathering of Beauties.

(End of Chapter)