102: Obtaining cultivation techniques

Su Yuetang's palm, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stones, couldn't even make the stone gate tremble in the slightest. Instead, the counter-force caused her blood and qi to surge. Ji Ruxue's exquisite mechanical skills were like child's play before this naturally formed Three-Key Stone Gate, proving completely useless.

An aura of despair began to spread silently.

"We can't break it... Are we really going to leave empty-handed?" Ji Ruxue looked at the tightly closed stone gate, a rare hint of frustration in her cold tone. There was still no sign of the Nine Transformations Soul-Returning Pill her Senior Sister urgently needed. After finally finding the true Treasure Trove, they were blocked at this final step.

Qin Feng's brow furrowed as he stared at the three keyholes shaped like a star, a crescent moon, and a blazing sun. After a long while, he slowly let out a breath. "Don't worry, let's wait a bit."

His overly calm reaction drew the attention of both Su Yuetang and Ji Ruxue.

Ji Ruxue finally couldn't help but ask the question on her mind, "Hey, how did you know the password for that Puppet General earlier? And that Ink-Patterned Stone that shuts down all the mechanisms?"

Qin Feng had already prepared his excuse. With a 'matter-of-fact' expression and a slightly perfunctory tone, he replied, "It's simple. This is a cavern from the former dynasty, the Great Yu. The Puppet's design and the armor's patterns all bear the distinct characteristics of the Great Yu military. As for the password, 'Eternal Prosperity' is a common blessing for emperors. It wasn't hard to guess when putting it all together."

He paused and added with a mix of sincerity and deception, "Additionally, I was born with a special Spiritual Sense. I'm quite sensitive to mechanical Formations and the flow of qi, especially... during the transition of Yin and Yang at the zi hour, when my perception is clearest. The qi of that Ink-Patterned Stone was connected to the entire mechanical network, so I was able to find it."

"Special perception? Most powerful during the zi hour?" Real surprise flashed in Su Yuetang's beautiful eyes. She looked Qin Feng up and down as if meeting him for the first time. Such a natural talent was practically unheard of, but considering Qin Feng's previous instances of seemingly prophetic behavior, it seemed to provide a reasonable explanation. "No wonder you can always find things that ordinary people struggle to discover."

"So we wait a day? Until the next zi hour, and then you use your Spiritual Sense to investigate this stone gate again?" Su Yuetang suggested. At the moment, there seemed to be no better option.

Qin Feng nodded, his face appropriately showing a hint of "helplessness." "That's all we can do. My inspiration isn't available at all times; I'm only in my best state during the zi hour each day."

Since things had come to this, being anxious was useless. The three of them found a relatively dry and level spot in front of the stone gate and sat cross-legged. They each began to circulate their energy to adjust their breathing, both to recover from the exhaustion of the previous trials and to prepare for what might come next.

Qin Feng closed his eyes and concentrated, slowly circulating the Primordial Unity Qi Art. The Internal Energy of a Late-stage Grand Martial Master flowed through his Meridians, nourishing his Sword Heart and Sword Bone. Around Su Yuetang, faint phantoms of a hundred flowers appeared, her Martial King Rank aura contained but ready to strike. Ji Ruxue seemed to blend into the shadows, her presence almost non-existent, save for the dagger silently flipping between her fingers with cold killing intent.

Time passed slowly in the silence of cultivation.

When Qin Feng sensed the arrival of the zi hour once more in his mind, he opened his eyes at the "appropriate" time.

[Ding! The zi hour has arrived! Daily intelligence has been refreshed!]

A shimmering panel emerged, and a new stream of information flowed past.

[Today's Intelligence:]

[Blue Intelligence: On the stone walls beside the Three-Key Stone Gate are three symbols carved for clouds, water, and fire. After washing away the surface dust and mineral buildup with water, three complete Earth Rank Advanced Cultivation Technique legacies will be revealed. The fire symbol wall corresponds to the 'Blazing Divine Palm,' the moon symbol wall (surrounded by water ripples) corresponds to the 'Moon Shadow Divine Art,' and the wind symbol wall (represented by cloud patterns) corresponds to the 'Wind Spirit Illusion Steps.']

[Blue Intelligence: In a right-hand fork deep within the karst cave, a small area of thousand-year-old stalactites is hidden. Every year, a drop of 'earth core jade marrow' condenses, which has the effect of tempering the body, focusing the mind, and increasing cultivation power.]

[Green Intelligence: Beneath the third stalactite on the left side of the cave entrance, there is a hidden teleportation mechanism. It can be activated by injecting Internal Energy, transporting people to an abandoned Earth God Temple thirty li outside West Lake City.]

As expected, the stone gate to the core treasure still couldn't be opened. However, the gains this time were enough to drive people mad!

Qin Feng's face showed expressions of "contemplation" and a "flash of insight." He stood up and walked to the three stone walls carved with the symbols for clouds, water, and fire.

"Perhaps we were looking in the wrong direction from the start." He pointed at the stone walls. "These symbols for clouds, water, and fire might not point to the stone gate, but rather hold another mystery." He took out a water skin. "Let's try washing them with water."

Su Yuetang and Ji Ruxue were skeptical, but they did as he said. Clear water was splashed onto the mottled stone walls, washing away years of dust and calcified layers.

A miracle occurred!

As the grime faded, the originally blurred and faint carvings on the stone walls actually became clear, and they began to glow with faint, colored light! The fire symbol wall glowed red, the moon (water ripple) wall glowed blue, and the wind (cloud pattern) wall glowed green. Densely packed text, along with accompanying Qi Circulation diagrams and Move illustrations, were presented unreservedly before the three of them!

"This is... a Cultivation Technique Legacy?!" Su Yuetang cried out in shock, her beautiful eyes widening, filled with unbelievable astonishment. She could clearly feel the Daoist charm and powerful energy fluctuations contained within the words on the stone wall!

"Earth Rank Advanced... My god!" Ji Ruxue's cold, pretty face was also filled with shock. Earth Rank techniques were considered sect-protecting treasures in the entire martial world, let alone Advanced ones! This value was simply immeasurable!

Three Cultivation Techniques were clearly visible:

Fire Symbol Wall—'Blazing Divine Palm': Fierce and overbearing, the palm strikes like fire, incinerating the eight wildernesses.

Moon Symbol Wall—'Moon Shadow Divine Art': Yin-soft and treacherous, movement like a phantom, perfectly aligned with the way of the assassin.

Wind Symbol Wall—'Wind Spirit Illusion Steps': Light and elegant, with peerless speed and unpredictable changes.

"No time to lose, each of you choose what's suitable and memorize it as quickly as possible!" Qin Feng suppressed the excitement in his heart and said in a deep voice.

With almost no hesitation, Su Yuetang walked toward the 'Blazing Divine Palm.' Her Hundred Flowers technique leaned toward the soft side, and this fierce palm technique could compensate for her weaknesses, combining hardness and softness. Ji Ruxue naturally chose the 'Moon Shadow Divine Art,' which perfectly complemented her status as an assassin. Qin Feng chose the 'Wind Spirit Illusion Steps' without hesitation. He already had a Foundation in offensive sword techniques, but this Earth Rank Advanced movement technique could greatly enhance his survival and mobility!

All three were highly intelligent and immediately immersed themselves in memorizing and gaining preliminary insights into the techniques. With the extraordinary Comprehension Ability brought by his Sword Heart, Qin Feng's memory and understanding speed were the fastest. Most of the day passed before the three of them finally stopped, once they were sure they had firmly imprinted their chosen techniques into their minds, down to the smallest detail.

"Such a Legacy must never be left for those who come after us, especially the Heavenly Demon Sect who might arrive!" Su Yuetang's gaze turned sharp.

The three of them exchanged looks and nodded in tacit agreement. Immediately, sword light, palm wind, and dagger shadows flashed!

Clang clang clang! Boom! Shhh—!

A moment later, the three stone walls recording the Earth Rank Advanced techniques were completely destroyed. All the text and diagrams were scratched, shattered, and turned into a pile of rubble on the ground, no longer recognizable.

Having done all this, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Although they hadn't entered the core treasure area, obtaining three Earth Rank Advanced techniques was already a massive Opportunity!

"We can't open it this time. Let's go and come back once we're better prepared," Qin Feng suggested.

Su Yuetang and Ji Ruxue both agreed.

According to the intelligence, they quickly found the thousand-year-old stalactite area behind a hidden fork deep within the cave. Several thick, jade-like stalactites hung upside down, with milky-white droplets at their tips emitting a refreshing fragrance—it was indeed the earth core jade marrow!

The three of them carefully collected it using jade bottles, each receiving dozens of drops, which they stored away with great care.

Finally, following the directions from the intelligence, they found the teleportation mechanism at the cave entrance.

"Let's go."

Qin Feng pressed his hand onto the mechanism and injected his Internal Energy. The mechanism lit up with a soft white light, quickly enveloping the three of them.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, the scene before them changed drastically.

The moonlight was cold, and the night wind brushed their faces. They were already at an overgrown, dilapidated Earth God Temple thirty li outside West Lake City.

Looking back, the lights of West Lake City flickered in the distance. The previous adventure seemed like a dream. However, the weight of the jade bottles in their robes and the profound cultivation legacies in their minds reminded them all that this time, they had returned with a full harvest!