Chapter 41: A Surprising Transmission of the Secret Arts

The secret realm was collapsing. Cliffs were crumbling, and beasts were howling in chaos; the once-tranquil sanctuary now bore the visage of a world meeting its end.

Hiding behind a massive boulder, Qin Lingxue and Qin Youqin watched the unfolding catastrophe in terror. They had never witnessed such a sight. Cliffs that had stood firm for ages fell in an instant, and ground that seemed solid as bedrock split apart as if cursed. The water level in the reservoir, where they often caught fish, plummeted rapidly, forcing the frantic fish to leap violently from the depths. The beasts that had been safely sealed away now roamed aimlessly, some even exploding into nothingness for no apparent reason.

Qin Anyu, however, remained indifferent to the carnage. He felt both fortunate and deeply unlucky. He was fortunate to have achieved a breakthrough, finally reaching the level of an Immortal Realm newborn after three months of grueling suffering. Yet, he was unlucky because the secret realm had begun to collapse before his cultivation could stabilize. If he could not find an area rich in vital energy immediately, his months of agony would have been in vain, forcing him to start all over again.

Starting over was not the issue, but he lacked the magnetic stones for another attempt. His gold and silver were almost entirely spent, and most of his human-grade and aged mortal-grade medicinal herbs had been consumed. He simply had no opportunity for a second chance in the near future. Moreover, he did not have the time. Qin Jue and his wife had been abducted over a hundred days ago, and their fate remained unknown. An obsessive thought kept surging within him, urging him to find them. As the parents of this current body, he had to rescue them, or he would be haunted by regret forever.

Suddenly, he felt his internal true energy beginning to dissipate. Instead of drawing in energy from the surroundings, his own energy was leaking out, and noxious miasma began to seep into his pores. He was gripped by alarm. He could not afford to regress; he could not allow this to happen.

Searching his storage ring, he found a stroke of luck: two human-grade red ginseng roots remained. Previously, when searching for herbs in the qi-refining beast zone, he had gathered five human-grade roots and seven three-hundred-year-old mortal-grade ones. After rescuing Qin Lingxue from the sect, he had given her one mortal-grade root, and the rest were sold to acquire the magnetic stones. The five human-grade roots had been kept back.

He pulled out a root and took a large bite, then began to circulate the "Opening Heaven Primordial Art." This was his family’s ancestral heritage, a technique that could only be practiced by those whose willpower had been tested; even direct descendants could not cultivate it unless they met the requirements. As the bitter taste of the ginseng hit his taste buds, a surge of potent vital energy entered his body, being absorbed and refined into true energy and raw power.

Under the guidance of the technique, the energy from the ginseng transformed rapidly. Even the miasma entering his body was accelerated by the technique; some was converted into usable energy, while the rest was expelled. He was thrilled by the result. His ancestors were truly legendary to have discovered—and even evolved—such a technique to such a high level. Before he had opened his acupuncture points, the technique had been useless, leading him to believe he would have to create a new one from scratch. He had not expected that opening the points would broaden his horizons, paving a bright, direct path to the Immortal Realm.

***

Next, he only needed to find herbs to nourish his meridians and endure the excruciating pain required to widen them.

"In this life, I, the Immortal Emperor, am destined to carve out a magnificent path, ascend to the Divine Realm, and suppress it beneath my feet!"

Soon, he calmed his mind and began to observe the changes within. Through his five million pores, a cold sensation permeated his body. Miasma, vital energy, and waste air were all pouring in, but under the influence of the technique, most of the waste and miasma were expelled shortly after entering.

"My ancestor's technique is truly peerless. The 'Splitting Mansion Ointment' and 'Heaven-Penetrating Soup' are also strokes of divine genius. I wonder how that predecessor managed to find such medicinal combinations, turning mundane herbs into something capable of defying fate."

Though his body remained "clumsy" and untalented, vital energy could now enter his system, flowing into his upper, middle, and lower dantians. The true energy in his three dantians increased rapidly, yet his meridians and other points remained stagnant, showing no signs of opening.

"As expected, a 'clumsy body' is truly a waste; it has no vitality and requires forced stimulation. It seems I shall be enjoying quite a lot of pain in the days to come." He could only find humor in his hardship.

Slowly, he discovered a new issue: he could perform clear internal vision, a feat usually reserved for those in the late stages of the Qi Refining Realm. He quickly realized the reason: the soul of the original owner had been stronger than his peers, which was why it could counter-attack him earlier. Now that he had occupied the body, it would be strange if it weren't powerful. The reason he couldn't see internally before was simply the lack of true energy. With energy now flowing, his latent, obscure abilities were manifesting.

As the technique circulated, the skin cells around his five million pores began to change, becoming more vibrant and resilient, a transformation that extended into his muscles.

"The ancestors left no instructions on this, and the family records never mentioned it. Is this my own discovery?" He felt a small surge of excitement. From now on, there would be no one in this world who could not cultivate; they simply had not been told how.

"Ancestor, you practiced body tempering, soul refinement, and Dao cultivation; I shall do the same. But because I now understand the mechanism of this technique, my future will surely be even broader than yours." Seeing these changes, his confidence swelled along with his ambitions.

***

As time passed, the earth-shattering tremors gradually subsided, and Qin Lingxue and Qin Youqin regained their composure. However, fearing the inhalation of too much miasma and the depletion of their anti-miasma pills, they dared not cultivate.

After some time, they noticed dust motes swirling around Qin Anyu—a phenomenon not caused by the collapsing realm, but by his cultivation.

Qin Lingxue called out anxiously, "Big Brother, this place is not suitable for cultivation. Please, stop!"

Qin Youqin added, "Young Master, the miasma here is too thick; you will fall ill."

Qin Anyu laughed upon hearing this, his chuckles growing into a hearty laugh. After a moment, he said, "I am perfectly fine. Since you have not yet learned a cultivation technique, I will teach you one."

He then said with great solemnity, "This technique may incite intense greed. Will you be able to control yourselves when the time comes?" It seemed like a redundant question now, but it was a necessary warning for the future.

Indeed, he intended to pass on the "Opening Heaven Primordial Art," not the milder "Starlight Art" of their family. They were both surnamed Qin and were members of the clan, meeting the primary requirements for the inheritance.

Seeing his sudden change in expression, they nodded gravely. "We can."

He continued, "Without my permission, this technique must not be passed to anyone else. Can you do that?"

They replied, "We can."

Qin Anyu went on, "A cultivator must struggle—struggle against the heavens, the earth, and men. But one must never bully the weak. When you reach the Qi Refining Realm, that is a struggle against the heavens; the herbs and ores you obtain are won from the earth; we have killed many in the Qi-Nurturing and Qi-Refining realms on our way here—that is a struggle for survival against men; taking their rings and wealth is a pursuit of cultivation resources, and this secret realm is no different. But we must not contend with common mortals or cultivators who have not provoked us. Do not covet what they have and take it by force."

Seeing them nod repeatedly and whisper "Understood," he said sternly, "Listen well."

Both grew solemn, and Qin Anyu began to recite slowly: "Vast and wild, all eyes can see; the universe is chaotic, all for my use; knowing the subtle, knowing the manifest, knowing the beginning, knowing the end..."