Chapter 275: Chapter 275: You Are a Great Talent, Comparable to the Ancient Sages
"This disciple pays his respects to Master!"
The nearby Daoist Zhou’s expression changed in an instant. He immediately dropped to his knees, striking his forehead heavily against the cyan jade bricks.
The six black-robed disciples behind him were trembling with fear, prostrating themselves fully on the ground and holding their breath. The Beidou Sword Array, whose Sword Qi had just been soaring to the heavens, now dared not leak the slightest fluctuation of Blood Qi.
Bi Yuan didn’t even lift an eyelid, simply waving a sleeve nonchalantly.
In an instant, a Gang Wind erupted. Daoist Zhou and his men were lifted as if by a giant, invisible hand and sent flying backward through the air for over a hundred feet.
Yet they landed as lightly as feathers, their robes unstained by even a speck of dust.
"Thank you for your mercy, Master!"
Daoist Zhou’s voice trembled as he led his disciples, backing away and out of the great hall.
Only when the doors of the Bronze Hall boomed shut did he dare wipe the cold sweat from his brow.
Xu Yunfan observed coolly, the muscles beneath his Dragon Scale Armor tensing slightly.
The hierarchy on Qingwei Mountain was even stricter than at the Sword Pavilion.
That Daoist Zhou was, after all, a master of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm capable of drawing upon Golden Marrow, yet before Bi Yuan, he was as insignificant as an ant.
What was even more alarming was that when Bi Yuan had waved his sleeve, Xu Yunfan had clearly seen a flicker of purple lightning at the old man’s fingertips. ’The Purple Sky Thunder Urgent Skill, the signature technique of the Daoist Sect Leader’s lineage, is rumored to allow one to use Thunder Attraction for Body Refining. A master like Bi Yuan has probably already reached the legendary realm spoken of in the Mortal World: Thunder Transformation!’
The teapot tilted again, the second infusion of tea pouring out like an inverted river of stars.
Xu Yunfan noticed that tiny motes of starlight sparkled within every drop of tea, and he was filled with astonishment.
He could see it clearly: the tea actually contained Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
’An ordinary Martial Artist would probably die on the spot, their meridians exploding upon drinking this tea.’
"Try it."
Lightning flickered in Bi Yuan’s eyes. "Since your Strength has already penetrated your marrow, you should know that the Star Marrow in this tea can help your Jade Bone and Golden Voice advance further."
Xu Yunfan didn’t hesitate. ’If Bi Yuan wanted to harm him, a man of his power wouldn’t need to go to such lengths.’
Xu Yunfan lifted the teacup, the skin beneath his Dragon Scale Armor suddenly tightening.
The moment the tea touched his lips, the great dragon of his spine trembled violently, and a clear sword cry rang out from within his sea of marrow.
Xu Yunfan felt a scorching, stellar current pour from his throat deep into his flesh and blood. The great dragon of his spine shuddered violently, as if struck by lightning.
The dormant Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength in his sea of marrow surged of its own accord, fusing with the Star Marrow from the tea. In its wake, it even activated the Sword Force nurtured in his Triple Jiao Meridians, unleashing clear sword cries that echoed through them.
Seated opposite him, Bi Yuan heard the wisp of Sword Intent emanating from within Xu Yunfan. A strange light flashed in his eyes, vanishing in an instant.
He went back to sipping his tea, his expression nonchalant.
Xu Yunfan had no time to focus on the outside world. To his greater shock, the flesh and blood beneath his Dragon Scale Armor was transforming at a palpable rate.
Within his bone marrow, which normally flowed like liquid mercury, specks of golden light began to appear. Each speck contained as much Pure Yang Inner Breath as could be condensed from over a month of arduous practice of the Pure Yang Qi Skill.
These golden motes traveled through his bloodstream, and everywhere they passed, even his impeccably tempered Profound Steel Hundred-Forged Body began to take on a jade-like luster.
’What an incredible Jade Liquid Tea!’
Xu Yunfan was inwardly stunned.
In the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the Celestial Cycle of his Pure Yang Qi Skill had already completed thirty-six revolutions on its own, and his Inner Breath had surged by more than thirty percent.
’If I were to use the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique right now, I could probably use the Sword Force nurtured by my Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique three more times without exhaustion.’
As Xu Yunfan looked up, Bi Yuan’s eyes held a hint of a smile, and he regarded the young man with unconcealed amazement.
"I never expected to see someone like you in this day and age."
"Someone like me?"
"Long ago, when Amitabha, Shakyamuni, Bodhi sought enlightenment, he went seven days and seven nights without food or water, finally attaining Supreme Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree."
Bi Yuan’s fingertips gently stroked his teacup, its surface reflecting his wistful expression. "Two thousand years ago, the Sword Pavilion’s Ancestral Master, Li Qinglian, cleaved open the impassable gorges of Shu Dao with his Three-foot Cyan Blade. His Sword Qi was said to stretch thirty thousand li, and a single flash of his sword could chill nineteen provinces. Though there may be exaggeration in the tales, they speak to his supreme magnificence."
"Then there was the founding ancestor of the Great Zhou, Li Xuanyuan. He gathered the bronze of Shou Mountain to cast the Nine Tripods. On the day the tripods were completed, a dragon’s cry echoed throughout the world. With these tripods, he performed the feat of Tripod Suppressing Mountains and Rivers, purged the outer demons, and finally ascended by shattering the void in his Dragon Chariot."
"In the Northern Desert, there was once a Demon Sect with a Saintess named Lian Hongling. At just sixteen, she used the Heaven-Burning Technique to melt all the snow on the Celestial Mountains, creating a prairie fire like a phoenix that burned for a hundred days without cease."
As steam rose from the tea, Bi Yuan’s gaze was as sharp as lightning. "These prodigies of stunning talent—was there a single one who wasn’t a world-changing existence?"
He stared intently at Xu Yunfan, his delight growing the longer he looked. He suddenly spoke.
"I have invited your master, Zhan Yan, to the Taoist Sect. Barring any surprises, he should be on his way right now."
The color drained from Xu Yunfan’s face. The great dragon of his spine instantly tensed like a fully drawn bow, and the dormant Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength in his sea of marrow erupted.
Crimson-gold light burst from the seams of his Dragon Scale Armor Leaves. Where the armor merged with his flesh, intricate, blood-red patterns appeared—a state only achieved when the Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength was pushed to its absolute limit!
"Sect Leader Bi, what is the meaning of this?"
The words, forced through his clenched teeth, carried the grating clang of metal on stone. The condensed Sword Qi in his Triple Jiao Meridians began to circulate of its own accord, forming a visible, pale-golden vortex around him.
His Pure Yang Qi Skill’s Inner Breath boiled like lava, erupting from his pores and merging with his Red Flood Dragon Force to sheathe his body in wisps of crimson sharpness.
Seeing this, Bi Yuan showed no concern. Instead, with a slight smile, he raised a hand and pressed it down through the air.
"No need to worry. This is a good thing, a good thing! Just don’t go damaging the Cyan Jade Bricks under your feet. It took this old Daoist a great many days just to restore a fraction of their former grandeur."
The instant Bi Yuan pressed his hand down, Xu Yunfan felt something was wrong. The crimson sharpness flowing around his body dissipated without a sound, like snow melting under a blazing sun!
That seemingly casual motion concealed the profound application of using Nine Realms Qi Cultivation and True Qi to command the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
’This old Daoist’s power is a whole level above Bi Sheng’s. Has he reached the absolute peak of the Nine Realms Qi Cultivation?!’
Xu Yunfan’s pupils contracted. The boiling Pure Yang Inner Breath inside him suddenly froze, and even the Sword Qi flowing through his Triple Jiao Meridians felt as if it had been plunged into a swamp.
Even more terrifyingly, an invisible force was violently suppressing the crimson-gold radiance on his Dragon Scale Armor Leaves, forcing it back deep within the armor. The blood-red patterns where his flesh and armor met also faded inch by inch.
After hearing Bi Yuan’s words, Xu Yunfan took a long, deep breath, his expression returning to normal.
"And what might this good thing be?"
Seeing Xu Yunfan’s reaction, Bi Yuan laughed. "My Taoist Sect values peace above all else; we won’t draw blades if we don’t have to. The reason your master is coming is that we placed a large order with your Celestial Craft Cave last night, and he is coming to the Taoist Sect to finalize the details."
Xu Yunfan’s expression relaxed slightly. He understood now that Bi Yuan was doing this as a deliberate show of goodwill.
After a pause, Bi Yuan continued, "Though your innate aptitude is poor, your comprehension is astonishing, rivaling or even surpassing the sages of old. To remain at the Celestial Craft Cave is a true waste. When your master arrives, my Taoist Sect will be sure to bring this up with him."
At this, a smile touched Bi Yuan’s face. "I’m certain your master won’t refuse. Even if he’s unwilling for you to change sects, he certainly won’t object to you coming to the Taoist Sect for your cultivation."
Xu Yunfan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So, after all that beating around the bush, this was all about him.
