Your Spell Version is Too Low!

Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple.

Carrying a rosewood box that gave off a faint medicinal scent, Qian Xin Master stepped through the temple gates.

But in the next moment, he sensed something unusual.

The entirety of Cyan Mountain was shrouded in a cryptic and gloomy aura.

It even caused the flow of Spiritual Qi within the Daoist Temple to feel somewhat stagnant.

Qian Xin Master paused, his gaze falling upon the Elder Master, who sat silently in meditation beneath the ancient tree in the courtyard.

He walked forward with the wooden box, his brow slightly furrowed as he carefully studied the Elder Master’s withered figure, which seemed no different from usual. In a low voice, he asked:

"You’re injured?"

The Elder Master didn’t even raise his eyelids. His expression was calm and placid, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere around them. He simply uttered a single word:

"No."

"Still ’no’?" Qian Xin Master casually placed the wooden box on a nearby stone table, walked over to face the Elder Master, and sized him up and down with an unceremonious and knowing gaze.

"You can’t even contain the Daoist Intent within you. Your aura is leaking out, tainting the entire mountain.

In all these years, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you in such a sorry state."

The Elder Master’s eyes remained downcast, his voice as placid as a deep well.

"You’re mistaken."

"Heh," Qian Xin Master let out a cold, cryptic chuckle, his tone laced with a hint of mockery.

"Like master, like student, I suppose.

You two, your talent for being stubborn... it’s truly been passed down the line, with the student even surpassing the master."

His words were pointed, clearly alluding to that kid Qi Yun’s own habit of denying everything to the bitter end.

The Elder Master finally lifted his eyelids slightly, his murky gaze sweeping over Qian Xin Master as he corrected him.

"Don’t speak nonsense. He and I have never formally been master and disciple. How could anything be ’passed down the line’?"

"Alright, alright. Why are you putting on such a formal act in front of me?" Qian Xin Master waved a dismissive hand, plopping himself down on a nearby stone stool and staring intently at the Elder Master.

"I know what you’re thinking. You just don’t want the karma you’re entangled with—especially the tribulation of your approaching end—to affect that kid and hinder his path.

You can hide that from others, but you can’t hide it from me."

His tone softened, taking on a rare note of seriousness.

"But you can at least tell me what happened.

Why the sudden, drastic decline in your condition?

Did something go wrong with your cultivation?"

A brief silence fell over the stone table, broken only by the soft rustling of wind through the forest leaves.

After a long moment, the Elder Master’s eyes stirred, and he slowly began to speak.

"A few days ago, I clashed with that scoundrel from Black Mountain."

Qian Xin Master’s pupils constricted slightly.

"You lost?"

"No." The Elder Master shook his head. "The True Monarch intervened to mediate."

Qian Xin Master had just breathed a sigh of relief when the Elder Master continued, his tone flat as he dropped a bombshell.

"But that scoundrel... he’s already reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage."

"Foundation Establishment Late Stage?!" For the first time, genuine surprise showed on Qian Xin Master’s face, and his body instinctively sat up straighter.

"He broke through that quickly? He really knows how to hide his strength!"

He mulled it over for a moment, a complex look in his eyes. It was a mixture of appreciation for a fellow sect member’s progress and a consideration for the Sect’s overall standing.

"It seems our Holy Sect will be adding another name to the list of those Seeking Gold."

He looked at the Elder Master, his gaze growing profound.

The significance of Black Mountain Master breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage was anything but ordinary.

"That scoundrel Black Mountain has always been petty and vengeful, holding a grudge over every little slight.

Qi Yun snatched away the opportunity meant for his direct heir and ruined the fortune-grafting he’d been planning for so long. He won’t let this go."

The Elder Master nodded slightly, a strange light flashing in his murky eyes as he revealed even grimmer news.

"Moreover, the Eldest Senior Brother personally informed me a few days ago.

Just two months ago, the Primordial Heaven Extreme Skill Dao Foundation... was claimed by someone from the Southern Dynasty."

"Hmm?!" The fingers Qian Xin Master had been tapping on the table froze. His expression turned grim in an instant, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Was it Black Mountain’s doing?

He dared to leak a secret Sect Dao Foundation to an outsider?!"

"While there’s no concrete evidence pointing directly to him," the Elder Master said calmly, his tone holding the coldness of one who has seen through the ways of the world, "judging by his character, motive, and the timing of it all, it’s all but certain."

"How did the Eldest Senior Brother handle it?" Qian Xin Master pressed.

"The Eldest Senior Brother was furious, but lacking proof, he could only penalize Black Mountain for lax supervision and his subordinate’s involvement in the suspected leak. He confiscated all of Black Mountain’s Holy Essence assets and seized the three Shiyi Realms under his control as punishment."

Hearing this, Qian Xin Master snorted coldly. "That punishment is just a slap on the wrist for him. It didn’t hurt him where it counts!

With his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation and years of accumulation, he’ll have his resources back in no time.

The crucial part is that the First Certificate for the Primordial Heaven Extreme Skill Dao Foundation was stolen. Then what about that kid, Qi Yun..."

He turned his questioning, slightly worried gaze to the Elder Master.

The Elder Master’s eyes were deep as he slowly laid out the choice Qi Yun now faced.

"There are but two paths before Qi Yun now.

One, he continues to pursue this Primordial Heaven Extreme Skill Dao Foundation.

But with the First Certificate gone, this Dao Foundation’s value is greatly diminished."

He paused, his tone betraying no emotion.

"Or... he can only give up on the Primordial Heaven Extreme Technique and choose a different Dao Foundation for his Foundation Establishment."

"Choose a different one?" Qian Xin Master’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"Is there another Dao Foundation in the Sect that’s suitable for him and hasn’t had its First Certificate claimed?"

"There is, of course, another choice," the Elder Master stated plainly, as if discussing a simple fact.

"The superior Dao Foundation to Primordial Heaven... has it not also remained vacant, unclaimed by anyone?"

"What?!"

The Elder Master’s words were like a thunderclap on a clear day!

Qian Xin Master shot to his feet, his aura rippling from the violent emotional turmoil. He stared intently at the withered, seated figure across from him, his face a mask of gravity.

"Do you want him to die?"

...

In the mountain hollow, the atmosphere was heavy.

Locked on by this fearsome, wrathful, and unfathomably powerful Dharma Guardian Vajra Copper Man, Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed.

His right hand, hidden within his sleeve, was already secretly forming the spell for Gathering Form and Scattering Qi.

The heel of his left foot lifted slightly, shifting his center of gravity backward.

He was prepared to burst forth at full speed and flee at a moment’s notice.

He had personally witnessed this very Copper Man use thunderous force to beat Zhu Qing and Shi Xin, two cultivators at the Peak of Qi Refining, to within an inch of their lives with just two punches.

That kind of power was far beyond that of an ordinary Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.

But just as Qi Yun’s own energy was coiled and ready, as he searched for a fleeting opportunity to escape,

he saw the furious, wrathful expression on the Dharma Guardian Vajra Copper Man’s face begin to soften, like ice melting in the sun.

It eventually settled into a peaceful, even somewhat reverent, expression.

Its metal-forged palms slowly came together before its chest, and it bowed deeply to Qi Yun.

The deep, resonant voice, tinged with the sound of grinding metal, spoke again, but its tone was completely different, filled with awe and reverence.

"Greetings, Arahant."

’Huh?’

’Me?’

’An Arahant?’

The sudden reversal left Qi Yun momentarily stunned.

His brain couldn’t quite process it.

But he was quick-witted, and in a flash of inspiration, he understood the key.

’Little Monk Ming Xin!’

’That’s it!’

’It must be the lingering aura of Merit Buddha Light from Little Monk Ming Xin’s Arhat remnant within me, as well as my physical body’s foundation, which was tempered by it.’

’It made this Dharma Guardian, which operates on Buddhist Dao Rhyme and remnant will, mistake me for a Buddhist Cultivator—an Arahant!’

’Ming Xin, oh, Ming Xin, you’ve done me a huge favor!’ Qi Yun laughed internally.

An irrepressible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

He calmly straightened his sleeves and looked at the respectful, almost devout Dharma Guardian Vajra before him.

Given this "misunderstanding," wouldn’t it be a waste not to take full advantage of this gift from the heavens?

He extended a finger and casually pointed at Zhu Qing and Shi Xin, who were lying collapsed on the ground, barely breathing.

"Those two. Bring them to me."

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Dharma Guardian Vajra separated its joined palms and nodded its head slightly. "As you command."

In the next instant, its form blurred like a phantom, leaving only a faint golden afterimage in its place.

Almost simultaneously, it reappeared beside Zhu Qing and Shi Xin. It snatched the two heavily injured Peak of Qi Refining cultivators up as if grabbing a pair of chicks.

With another flicker, it was back in front of Qi Yun.

It gently set the two limp bodies down, its movements fluid and swift, as if it had performed a trivial task.

Dazed, wracked with pain, and their consciousness fading, Zhu Qing and Shi Xin barely managed to lift their heads. They stared at the smiling, composed Qi Yun before them.

Then they glanced at the imposing Dharma Guardian Vajra standing silently behind him, its aura terrifying. Their eyes filled with utter shock and disbelief.

"You... you can actually command this Dharma Guardian Vajra?!"

Zhu Qing hissed through the searing pain in his face, his voice hoarse with astonishment and incredulity.

How could a disciple of the Demon Sect possibly command a guardian from a Buddhist Relic Realm?

Shi Xin’s eyes darted around. Enduring the sharp pain in his chest and the burning fist print on his back, he looked suspicious and struggled to speak.

"You... are you a Buddhist Cultivator mole?!"

Hearing Shi Xin’s guess, Qi Yun shot him an exasperated look and retorted with a laugh,

"You’re the Buddhist Cultivator mole. Your whole family are Buddhist Cultivator moles."

"As for idle chatter, we can talk more about that later," Qi Yun said, crouching down to look the two collapsed men in the eye, his tone relaxed.

"I’ve only just arrived and am not very familiar with this place.

Seeing as you two esteemed senior brothers seem quite knowledgeable, I wonder if you would deign to have a nice long chat with me about the... specific situation in Burning Karma Valley?"

As if on cue, the Dharma Guardian Vajra positioned itself behind Qi Yun, its eyes, now cold and imposing once more, staring down at the two men.

A terrifying pressure, as tangible as a mountain, bore down on them, making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Heh heh... heh heh, we’re all fellow sect brothers. Of... of course..." Glancing at the Dharma Guardian’s massive fists, Zhu Qing and Shi Xin swallowed hard and immediately forced sycophantic smiles.

...