Chapter 187: Qi of the Mysterious Whale

Han Han Chuijun sat casually, his tone calm:

"You can think it over first; this old man is not in a hurry."

Li Yuan felt a chill in his heart; after his qi, blood, and internal strength had completed a perfect cycle, even without the Five-Step Spirit Snake Belt, his perception far surpassed the past.

In his perception, the figure before him was not a person at all, but a savage beast of the wilds that had retracted its claws and fangs.

Regardless of whether there was malice, as long as his presence was detected, one could not remain at ease.

"Disciple does not know how to say it..."

Li Yuan gave a bitter smile; he knew he could not deceive Old Han, but if he spoke the truth, he did not know how to explain.

Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing recognizing a master is not achieved in one step; he had only learned of this recently, but Old Han was obviously aware long ago, so there was no way to brush it off.

"Your temperament is even more cautious than this old man was in his youth."

Glancing at him, Han Han Chuijun felt a slight sigh; in his own youth, had he not been just as cautious?

"Hmm, where is the hammer?"

Han Han Chuijun came straight to the point.

"After Disciple climbed the mountain, I did find that hammer; afterwards, I was thrown down by a tremendous force..."

Li Yuan bowed and answered, omitting only the part concerning the Command of Arms Talisman.

Omitting that part, there was nothing noteworthy; it was purely climbing, climbing, and climbing again.

"Did you find it?"

Han Han Chuijun was slightly dazed, seeming joyful, yet unwilling, and also somewhat melancholy:

"Generations of ancestors sought it bitterly; this old man desired it for decades yet could not obtain it, while you, ignorant and unaware, instead easily gained its recognition.

Such is the strangeness of fate in this world."

In his view, if Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing had not recognized a master, others could not even see it, let alone touch it.

How could that be easy?

Li Yuan's broken ribs still stung slightly, but after thinking it over, compared to the generations of ancestors who sought it in vain, it could indeed be called 'easy'.

Han Han Chuijun stood stunned for quite a while, while Li Yuan poured him another cup of tea, waiting quietly for his question.

"With such a cautious temperament, the fact that you could speak of it makes this old man gratified; it was not in vain that we became master and disciple."

Han Han Chuijun lifted his teacup, looking at Li Yuan who was bowing beside him; his eyes were slightly complex, but soon returned to calm:

"Disguise and concealment, stealth and hiding, are not merely changing one's appearance; one's own scent must also be altered."

"Scent?"

Li Yuan's heart trembled: "You could even smell that?"

He had swum for several li in the cold pool water; how could one still smell that?

"What else?"

Han Han Chuijun took a sip of tea, swallowing the tea leaves along with it, and a wave of annoyance rose in his heart again.

These past few days, he had guarded Li Yuan without leaving his side even an inch, yet he had not detected any clue, and finally had to admit that he might truly lack that affinity.

But knowing it was right before him, yet unable to see it...

"Thank you, Master, for holding back."

Li Yuan felt somewhat dry-mouthed; he discovered that Old Han's intimidation seemed even stronger than before.

Was it that he had completed the Yi Bai Xing, or had he opened his meridians?

"Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing is seen only by those with affinity; this old man taking you as a disciple was originally related to this mouthful of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing."

Seeing his cautious appearance, Han Han Chuijun found it both amusing and heartbreaking.

If one cannot even see it, how could one even form thoughts about it?

Li Yuan shifted the topic following his words: "Master, I wonder what the origins of the Yu Xuanjing Liehai Hammer are?"

Records regarding Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing in the Library Tower were scarce, but the Divine Weapon Valley must have extremely deep knowledge of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing.

It was simply that they were not in the inner or outer towers, so others could not access them.

"The origins of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing can be traced back several thousand years; since they rarely appear in the world, besides the imperial court and the Dao Sect, who can say clearly?"

Han Han Chuijun shook his head, yet did not conceal anything, recounting to Li Yuan the intelligence collected by the Divine Weapon Valley over generations.

"Regarding the origins of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, there are various theories; the most widely known are roughly 'Divine Creation', 'Heavenly Descent', and 'Fortune Formation'."

Li Yuan listened silently.

The theory of Divine Creation comes from the Xieshen Sect; they believe Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing was forged by deities from the essence of heaven and earth, thus possessing unimaginable power.

Some believe that martial arts fortune gave birth to these peerless treasures that transcend the mortal world.

As for Heavenly Descent...

"Some also believe that Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing falls from the sky, which is why it cannot be inherited; once the weapon master dies, it vanishes without a trace."

Han Han Chuijun was familiar with these theories but had little interest in them; he was more concerned with finding the Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing and its power:

"It is said that Great Fortune Emperor Pang Pang Wenlong obtained a mouthful of Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing, which allowed him to create these unprecedented merits."

"Disciple has also heard of this."

Li Yuan nodded.

"That you could gain the recognition of a Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing is an unprecedented blessing, but you must be cautious in speech and action; you must not eliminate anyone!"

Han Han Chuijun's expression turned serious; seeing his strange look, he added another sentence: "Except for this old man."

"Disciple will remember!"

Li Yuan naturally understood the principle that wealth should not be displayed, and asked again about the records of the Liehai Yu Xuanjing Hammer.

"This, however, is beyond this old man's knowledge."

Han Han Chuijun shook his head:

"The last person suspected of obtaining the Shan Xuan Whale Hammer was an ancient figure from two thousand years ago. Unless he left behind a lineage, who knows?"

"Did none of the Ancestors ever come into contact with this hammer?"

Li Yuan was somewhat doubtful.

Over more than fourteen hundred years, such a long time, did the Divine Weapon Valley not have a single person who met the conditions?

This...

"Most likely, there truly was none."

Han Han Chuijun sighed; he had once suspected this himself, even feeling somewhat unwilling to accept it.

But after using blood to refine and activate the Crimson Flame Naga Armor, his thoughts changed.

A divine weapon that recognizes its master can unleash power no less than a Marrow-Refining martial artist; what terrifying power should a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing possess?

"This disciple understands."

Seeing Li Yuan somewhat lost in thought, Han Han Chuijun took another sip of tea, feeling slightly bitter: "Can you sense it?"

Li Yuan shook his head.

He was not lying; since storing the Sea-Splitting Shan Xuan Whale Hammer into the Palm Weapon Register, he had fainted and hadn't yet had the chance to try sensing it.

"It seems what the ancient texts say is true."

Han Han Chuijun pinched his beard.

Li Yuan looked up.

"According to the ancient texts, a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing recognizing its master is extremely difficult and cumbersome, and it also has requirements for Wu Gong and physique."

In the room, the master and disciple chatted for most of the day; during this time, guards from a merchant ship brought wine and dishes.

After the sky gradually darkened, Han Han Chuijun stood up and left, while Li Yuan bowed to see him off.

The merchant ship's wine and dishes were quite good; Li Yuan ate until half-full, then consumed a few Zeng Xue Dan pills before slightly closing his eyes and entering the Palm Weapon space.

Buzz!

Almost simultaneously, Li Yuan heard the familiar buzzing sound; black light covered the gray Dingxin Dingxin Shitai.

He almost thought he had fallen into an abyss.

"Hah!"

Li Yuan steadied his mind, looking at the red, fiery, and highly spiritual hand hammer hanging high above several incense burners.

【Sea-Splitting Shan Xuan Whale Hammer (Tier 11)】

【... Star Core... Sea-Splitting Star Core... Spirit of the Shan Xuan Whale...???...】

【Control Condition One: Perfect Mastery of a Supreme Art Hammer Technique, Body of Yi Bai Xing, Form of Yi Bai Xing】 (Spirit of the Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing has not recognized a master)

【Control Condition Two:???】

【Control Effect One: Tier 11 (Black): Hammer Technique Talent, Flesh Talent, Cultivation Talent, Power of Moving Stars】

【Control Effect Two:???】

Star Core!

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat; was this hand hammer actually forged from the star core of a planet?

Moreover, the core of a star was likely just one of the materials?!

"If this hammer is truly forged from a star core, De Duo Zhong?"

Li Yuan reached out to touch the red hand hammer; inside the Palm Weapon Register space, everything froze, and this Shan Xuan Whale Sea-Splitting Hammer remained in the state it was in upon entry.

He could even feel the anger of this hammer.

"Two layers of control conditions, two layers of control effects?"

Li Yuan was somewhat surprised in his heart, unable to help but recall what Han Han Chuijun had said earlier: that a Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing cannot be inherited, and if the Weapon Master dies, the Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing hides.

Could it be that those Weapon Masters never truly controlled the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing?

"Is it truly created by gods?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself; focusing his mind to perceive and observe at close range, this hand hammer still appeared perfectly unlike anything made by humans.

"The control conditions for this hammer are too high; can recognizing a master waive the control conditions? But recognizing a master is also troublesome..."

Li Yuan felt somewhat of a headache; setting aside Yi Bai Xing, he had never even seen a Supreme Art Hammer Technique, let alone one with Perfect Mastery.

As for recognizing a master, thinking of the various conditions that surged forth on the stone stele earlier, he was somewhat speechless.

Not to mention, the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing has already been destroyed; even if he wanted to continue, he had no chance.

Buzz!

In the next instant, Li Yuan felt a flash before his eyes; when he suddenly snapped back to his senses, he discovered he had actually arrived beneath the Inverted Hanging Mountain again?

"As long as one senses the Spirit of the Shan Xuan Whale for a long time, one can actively enter this place?"

Li Yuan looked around.

This Fang Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing Mi Jing had not disappeared, but had been 'retracted' by the Sea-Splitting Shan Xuan Whale Hammer in a way he could not yet understand?

"This, this is possible?!"

Li Yuan looked down at his body, composed entirely of true qi; his bones, muscles, skin, and membranes were all intact, and he was shocked beyond words in his heart.

This hammer's application of true qi was simply at a level he could not comprehend.

"Roar!"

Before Li Yuan's thought could even flash through, he felt darkness before his eyes; Seems weighed down by a heavy hammer, and before he could react, he was blasted out of the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing.

"..."

On the gray Dingxin Dingxin Shitai, Li Yuan looked speechless; this hammer held a grudge quite well.

"Having too much spiritual awareness in a weapon is not a good thing."

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly. He tried once more to enter the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, and as expected, was driven out again.

"Tch, what a temper."

Li Yuan wasn't annoyed either—the meat was already in the pot, he could eat whenever he wanted.

……

"Hoo!"

In the room, Li Yuan opened his eyes, about to read a book for a while, when he suddenly felt his palm grow hot and cold. Then, a stream of Qi, vast beyond imagination, surged into his body.

"Qi from the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing?!"

Li Yuan's face changed. With a thud, he dropped to the ground—he heard the roar of a Shan Xuan Whale.

In a daze, he seemed to see a magnificent 'planet,' its surface entirely Wang Yang,

with inverted mountains piercing straight into the clouds, and amid those mists, a Shan Xuan Whale large enough to blot out the sky and sun was swimming.

"Ugh!"

A high-pitched whale cry echoed in his mind. Li Yuan groaned, nearly crying out from the pain.

"Because of that wisp of Qi? Or the benefits of the initial recognition?"

Li Yuan was breathing heavily, gritting his teeth to endure. This wisp of Qi was unimaginably dense—not only altering his root bone,

but also pushing him toward Body Transformation.

"…Sea-Splitting Shan Xuan Whale, the form of the Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing—that counts as a form, right?"