Chapter 40: Supreme Technique, The Primordial Geomagnetic Canon!
“Though the spiritual spring has dried up, its eye remains a precious material for crafting supreme magical artifacts. Today, I shall excavate the spring’s eye. Once I master the art of artifact refinement, perhaps I can forge a peerless artifact from it.”
The gap between the Qi Refining stage and the Divine Transformation stage was vast, yet both relied on magical implements. Only by breaking through to the Void Return stage could one wield a treasure surpassing mere implements.
Most itinerant cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage scarcely possessed a supreme artifact. When Yang Yun had casually bestowed the Flowing Cloud Sword upon him, it was partly because she was a sect disciple—upon reaching Divine Transformation, the sect would naturally grant her a peerless implement. Moreover, the Flowing Cloud Sword was at odds with her cultivation of the Way of Thunder; to encourage Shen Yan to strive further, she had gifted it to him.
Without delay, Shen Yan wielded the Flowing Cloud Sword, excavating all the rocks surrounding the spring’s eye. He dug deep, ten fathoms below, until a crystal-clear, transparent jade stone devoid of any spiritual energy appeared before his eyes.
“So this is the eye of the spiritual spring? It bears some resemblance to my Primordial Black Ice.”
He tucked the spring’s eye into his storage pouch. Just as he was about to fill in the pit, his eyes narrowed suddenly.
“What’s this…”
Beneath the spring’s eye, a square jade casket lay buried quietly in the earth. Had Shen Yan not been keen-eyed, he would have missed it altogether. Retrieving the casket, he found no restriction set upon it. Opening it, he discovered a jade slip, a token, and an ancient tome.
He pressed the jade slip to his brow:
“My name is Feng Jun. I leave this abode upon Tianzhu Mountain in Jinzhou, awaiting one with fate. Three volumes of formations lie within the quiet chamber; may the destined person cultivate them diligently. Should you achieve Divine Transformation, come to Luofu with the Luofu Token, and you shall become a disciple of Luofu.”
Luofu Token?
A token of the Luofu Immortal Sect?
Shen Yan set down the jade slip and examined the so-called Luofu Token closely. It was neither gold nor iron, yet its texture was remarkably hard. After careful estimation, he realized that even the sharpness of the Flowing Cloud Sword might not be enough to cut through the token.
“To think such rare materials were used for a single token—Luofu truly deserves its reputation as a top sect, on par with the Vast Sea Sect among the four great immortal sects. Their wealth and power are astounding.”
In the cultivation world, sects and clans were countless, but true giants like Luofu were exceedingly rare. Among the overseas sects, only the Vast Sea Immortal Sect could compare.
“Could this ancestor Feng Jun of the Feng family have been a disciple of Luofu Immortal Sect?”
A suspicion rose in Shen Yan’s heart.
“But if he were a Luofu disciple, why would he build an abode in Jinzhou Bay, under the jurisdiction of the Jade Immortal Sect?”
No answer could be found in the jade slip, so Shen Yan set the matter aside.
“No matter what, this is a potential retreat. Once Yang Yun is dealt with, should the Jade Immortal Sect pursue me, I could seek refuge with Luofu.”
Though the Jade Immortal Sect was no minor school, before the Luofu Immortal Sect it hardly counted. At this thought, Shen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. He had eradicated the Yang clan, and his enmity with Yang Yun was irreconcilable; should he be unable to remain within the Jade Immortal Sect, his cultivation path would be fraught with upheaval. Now, with Luofu as a fallback, it was as if providence had bestowed him a blessing.
“What does this book contain? Is it a wondrous secret art like the Divine Refinement technique, or something else?”
Opening the ancient tome, six bold characters greeted his eyes:
“The Hunyuan Geomagnetic Canon!”
“A sect-defining earth-element geomagnetic cultivation method!”
Shen Yan’s eyes widened in astonishment, never expecting that ancestor Feng Jun would leave behind such a profound technique. If word got out, all cultivators in the world would hunt Shen Yan down.
The Hunyuan Geomagnetic Canon could rival the sect-defining arts of the greatest sects—such as the Vast Sea Immortal Sect or Luofu Immortal Sect.
For example, the Water Origin Art that Shen Yan cultivated was said to be a simplified version of the Vast Sea Immortal Sect’s sect-defining art for the Qi Refining stage.
“Regrettably, it’s an earth-element technique.”
Shen Yan furrowed his brow, pondering whether to switch his cultivation method. Now that he was at the late stage of Qi Refining, switching arts would require dissolving the Water Origin Art within him, converting all his water-element mana into earth-element mana.
In but a moment, Shen Yan made his decision: to switch.
With the Heavenly Emperor Seal in his possession, so long as he had enough spiritual materials, regaining his late Qi Refining stage would be easy.
The chance to obtain an unrivaled sect-defining method would not present itself again.
Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor Seal’s power over the laws was not limited to water manipulation. Upon advancing his cultivation and restoring more of the seal, he would surely gain control over other laws. Should he acquire the earth-element law, then, combined with the Hunyuan Geomagnetic Canon, battling across ranks would be entirely possible.
“One must look to the long term.”
He spread his divine sense, finding that Xu Rui and Feng Shuke were still in the quiet chamber refining pills, and felt a sense of relief.
He placed the jade slip, token, and secret tome back in the jade casket, refilled the pit, and then strode leisurely toward the quiet chamber.
…
Half a day later, Xu Rui and Feng Shuke finished their cultivation.
“This place was left by your ancestors, and should rightly belong to the two of you,” Shen Yan said after a moment’s thought, assigning the abode to them.
Xu Rui and Feng Shuke had anticipated this. Shen Yan was the most upright senior they had ever encountered in the cultivation world; they had long guessed he would not claim the abode for himself.
Even so, the two were overwhelmed as if in a dream. After a long while, tears streaming, they knelt in gratitude.
“Thank you, Senior. Your kindness will never be forgotten.”
Recalling all that had happened today, they still could hardly believe it. When Shen Yan caught up with them, they thought their lives were forfeit. After he imposed a control method, they believed they would be enslaved until death. Upon arriving at the abode, they assumed they would receive only scraps.
Yet who could have expected this senior’s conduct to be so dignified, refusing to monopolize the spoils and earnestly planning for their future? How could they not be grateful?
Shen Yan, however, paid no heed to their feelings. To him, these matters were trivial.
As for whether Xu and Feng would leak information about him, Shen Yan had no fear. He had always used the Heavenly Serpent Concealment technique to mask his identity, and they knew nothing of his true self. Regarding the Yang clan affair, even if they did not speak, Shen Yan would tell Yang Yun himself; unless he could settle that old grievance, he would never be able to cultivate in peace.
After arranging for the two, Shen Yan continued,
“I have not returned to Qian Country for many years. I wonder if the cultivation clans and markets here have changed. Tell me about them—I have some old friends I wish to visit.”
Shen Yan’s main purpose was to learn from them about the situation of cultivation families and the location of cultivation markets in Qian Country. He had many items to deal with; it had been inconvenient in the Jade Immortal Sect, but now in Qian Country, he needed to act swiftly.
It had been nearly three days since he left the Jade Immortal Sect, and he did not know how far the dispute between Jin Miao Peak and Yun Xiu Peak had progressed.
He had to hope that upon his return, Yang Yun had not already been slain by Yu Qing.