The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Chapter 269: Chapter 268: 4 Symbols

"Elixirs are useful, but they are ultimately external aids. Remember not to become too reliant on them." The Sword Spirit in the Ting Xiao Sword at Qin Ya’s waist heard his whisper. The blade trembled slightly, and a stern, beast-like voice resounded in Qin Ya’s mind.

Qin Ya smiled upon hearing this. "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."

"Mm, as long as you know."

Ting Xiao fell silent. He had great confidence in Qin Ya’s mental fortitude. After all, Qin Ya had not only survived the crises on Liubo Island unscathed but had even obtained a Spiritual Artifact; his mind was far from ordinary.

Qin Ya took out a map and a Compass. After determining his direction, he shook his head and sighed, "The Celestial Dragon Sea Region is truly vast. I’ve been sailing for seven days, and there’s still a significant distance to the coast. It’ll take at least another half a month."

With nothing else to do, he began to meditate on the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth.

A flicker of his Divine Thought spread out into the boundless world, and for a moment, everything became clearer in his perception. Qin Ya first began to contemplate the Mysteries of Wind. Instantly, the endless sea breeze surged into his Divine Thought...

After the Mysteries of Wind, he moved on to contemplate the Ice and Fire Mysteries and the Mysterious Speed. He didn’t attempt to comprehend the Mysteries of Destruction, however. It wasn’t that he was unwilling; it was just that comprehending this particular Mystery was far too difficult. In several days, he had made no progress at all.

Seven hours later, he slowly emerged from his meditative state.

’Sigh... Among the Mysteries I know, the Mysteries of Wind are the easiest to comprehend simply because wind is omnipresent. The Ice and Fire Mysteries are next. The Mysterious Speed, however, is exceptionally profound. I gain very little from stationary meditation; I can only truly grasp it by constantly experiencing extreme speed. As for the Mysteries of Destruction... that’s just far, far too difficult.’

Even with the aid of his Divine Thought, comprehending the Mysteries was no easy task. The more powerful and rare a Mystery was, the harder it was to grasp. Take the Mysteries of Destruction that Qin Ya now possessed, for example. The fact that it was immensely difficult for even him, with his astonishing aptitude for comprehension, was a testament to its power. It could be considered one of the strongest Mysteries in existence.

"Indeed. Comprehending Mysteries with only your Divine Thought is difficult. It would be much easier if you had a reference object, like a Spiritual Artifact of the same attribute or some unique treasures that contain the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth," Ting Xiao said. "The former are, needless to say, incredibly rare. The latter, while also scarce, should be quite possible for someone with your status as a Pill King to acquire."

Ting Xiao suddenly seemed to think of something. He paused, then said, "Kid, you’ve now grasped four different Mysteries. Even with your astonishing aptitude, that’s bound to slow down your rate of comprehension. I have a method... want to give it a try?"

"What method?" Qin Ya asked, his curiosity piqued.

The moment he spoke, a stream of information shot into his mind. But how could one’s mind be so easily trespassed upon? A flicker of his Divine Thought instinctively moved to resist.

"Don’t resist. Just accept the information."

Trusting that Ting Xiao wouldn’t harm him, Qin Ya retracted his Divine Thought.

"There."

At Ting Xiao’s word, Qin Ya realized a new stream of information had settled in his mind. He closed his eyes to examine it. A moment later, he slowly opened them, a flicker of shock in his gaze. "The person who created this wondrous technique... was a true, unparalleled genius."

"Heh. When the Thunder Sword King and I obtained this technique back in the day, we were just as shocked. It was a pity, though. The Thunder Sword King’s comprehension of the Thunder Mysteries had already reached the Fourth Heaven and Earth Stage. Otherwise, he absolutely would have tried it."

"But, cultivating a technique like this is also extremely difficult."

"What? You don’t want to give it a shot?"

Qin Ya smiled faintly, an eager light flashing in his eyes. "Faced with such a wondrous technique, how could I possibly not give it a try?"

"Perfect. Ten thousand years later, I will be the one to witness what the Thunder Sword King could not." The blade of the Ting Xiao Sword trembled lightly, letting out a series of crisp sword chimes.

The information Ting Xiao had given him was called the Four Symbols Technique!

It was created tens of thousands of years ago by a mighty expert. This expert was said to have comprehended four Mysteries: Wind, Thunder, Fire, and Ice. But even though his aptitude was far beyond that of ordinary people, comprehending all four simultaneously left him spread too thin. Yet, he was unwilling to abandon any of them. Proud as he was, he scoured the world for unique treasures containing these four Mysteries. Then, he went into seclusion for sixty years and finally created a technique capable of fusing all four into one... the Four Symbols Technique!

He named the resulting Mystery, born from the fusion of these four Powers of Nature, the Four Symbols Mysteries. Its power was unparalleled. With it, that mighty expert dominated the Azure Sky Realm for several hundred years before finally falling in a battle against the Demon Race.

Before his death, he left behind his legacy, which was later discovered by the Thunder Sword King.

Unfortunately, to cultivate the Four Symbols Technique, one must possess the Mysterious Power of Wind, Fire, Ice, and Thunder. Furthermore, one’s comprehension of each must not have surpassed the First Heaven. At the time, the Thunder Sword King only possessed the Mysteries of Wind and Thunder, and his comprehension of the Thunder Mysteries had already reached the Fourth Heaven. Thus, he was unable to learn it and had to seal it away.

This could be called one of the Thunder Sword King’s greatest regrets.

"I currently possess the Mysteries of Wind and the Ice and Fire Mysteries. The Ice and Fire Mysteries can essentially be divided into two separate Mysteries, Ice and Fire. That means I’m just missing the Mysteries of Thunder. Looks like I’ll have to rely on you, Ting Xiao," Qin Ya said with a smile.

"You catch on quick, kid."

For an ordinary Martial Artist, comprehending even a single Mystery would be incredibly difficult. But Qin Ya’s aptitude was astonishing. On top of that, Ting Xiao itself was a Thunder Attribute Spiritual Artifact. The Thunder Mysteries it contained surpassed even the most Top Level wondrous items in the world.

"Then you’d better be careful, kid."

"What do you mean?" Qin Ya asked, puzzled.

But he quickly found out what Ting Xiao meant. The body of the Ting Xiao Sword trembled, and with a flash of purple lightning, a bolt of Thunder Power shot from his palm and surged through his entire body. Excruciating pain wracked him. ’I really do have to be careful!’

His surroundings abruptly changed. The azure sea vanished, replaced by a roiling sea of dark clouds. Amidst the churning Cloud Sea and rolling Thunder, a Thunder Beast—with the head of a dragon, the body of a tiger, and feet that trod upon clouds and mist—suddenly lunged before Qin Ya.

"ROAR!"

The beast’s roar was like a clap of thunder exploding next to his ear, making his head spin and sending waves of dizziness through him. Even his Divine Thought became hazy.

"Ready yet, kid?"

Seeing Qin Ya stunned by its roar, Ting Xiao gave a smug laugh. Its massive claw then swatted at Qin Ya’s chest. BOOM! Qin Ya was blasted directly into the Cloud Sea. By the time he regained his senses, endless Thunder had already submerged him. Qin Ya cried out in pain, and the illusion of the Cloud Sea instantly dissipated. The vast, boundless azure sea once again filled his vision.

Qin Ya’s chest heaved as he gasped for breath, his face pale and slick with cold sweat. More importantly, the endless vision of thunder kept replaying in his mind—its wild, fierce, and tyrannical nature churning his thoughts. His Divine Thought felt drained and sluggish, and a wave of nausea washed over him.

"How was that, kid?"

Ting Xiao’s gloating voice rang out, irritating Qin Ya. He gritted his teeth and retorted, "I’m fine. Your thunder isn’t all that."

"You’re a tough talker, aren’t you."