After paying his visit to Southern Fist that day, Li Hao went nowhere else.
He needed time to digest everything Southern Fist had told him.
……
Inside his office.
Pen in hand, Li Hao wrote and sketched notes on a sheet of paper.
Silver Moon, the three northern provinces, the martial world, the Central Region…
During his time in the Confidential Records Office, Li Hao had loved reading files and compiling information. Sometimes the written word spoke for itself, offering him countless insights.
Several hidden experts in Silver Moon had kept themselves deeply concealed all along.
Hou Xiaochen's exposure might simply be one link in a larger plan.
Li Hao jotted down several names.
Hou Xiaochen, Huang Yu, Kong Jie, Zhao Chenguang.
The heads of the four major organizations almost certainly shared a tacit understanding.
Li Hao refused to believe these figures were ignorant of one another's true strength. People said Director Zhao had always opposed Hou Xiaochen. Was that merely a two-man act, or the result of an uneven split of spoils?
Or perhaps a genuine difference of opinion?
The Martial Guard Army's three commanders… The Martial Guard Army had been established by the imperial family back in the day. Did these people still have ties to royalty?
If Hou Xiaochen was one of those three commanders, did his current actions count as betraying the imperial family?
One thought after another surfaced in Li Hao's mind.
Soon, he suppressed them all.
It was enough to bear these things in mind; he didn't necessarily need to probe straight to the bottom.
Still, he had to keep a sense of proportion so he wouldn't foolishly end up as someone else's pawn.
"The Fire Phoenix Spear. Spear intent."
Li Hao wrote down "Fire Phoenix Spear" again. Could he borrow it?
It was an Origin God Armament.
Moreover, it was an Origin God Armament of an exceptionally high tier. Whether he could actually borrow it if he asked out of the blue remained a question.
Yet Hou Xiaochen seemed to hold him in high regard now, so perhaps it was possible.
Strength was the true foundation.
The Battle Heaven City ruins were still there, far from being fully explored. At the end of this month or the next, another expedition might take place, and Li Hao knew he likely shared some connection with the city.
The Eight Great Families were bound to be tied to Battle Heaven City.
Li Hao wanted that defensive Origin God Armament as well. Although countless eyes were fixed on it, even if he couldn't obtain the weapon itself, he still desperately needed the divine energy stones inside the city.
Aside from the stone door and Origin God Armaments, the simplest way for the small sword to recover its sword energy right now was through those divine energy stones.
"So before the next entry, I must become even stronger!"
Though time was tight, Li Hao had no intention of giving up.
At present, the place with the most divine energy stones that he knew of was the Battle Heaven City ruins. Other locations might be even more perilous.
After writing and sketching for a while, Li Hao shredded the papers into powder. A flash of Fire Tiger sword intent flared and vanished, reducing the scraps entirely to ashes.
Though he wasn't a supernatural, the emergence of his Fire Tiger sword intent allowed him to display certain supernatural-like methods now.
At present, he still had eight hundred cubic meters of wood energy and six hundred cubic meters of metal energy on hand.
Li Hao couldn't let these treasures sit idle. Aside from reserving two hundred cubic meters of metal energy for Wang Ming, he had no immediate need to strengthen his five organs, but he could exchange the rest for other elements of mysterious energy.
Li Hao knew what wind and lightning energy could be used for.
With that in mind, he stood up and walked out of the office.
He didn't go next door to find Chief Steward Yu; he had little desire to interact with her right now—she was the first-generation Purple Moon, after all…
Li Hao headed upstairs.
In the adjacent office, Chief Steward Yu was handling official business. Hearing the movement, she sensed him briefly and paid it no further mind.
As long as Li Hao didn't run around recklessly or go on a killing spree outside, no one would interfere with what he did.
……
Fifth floor.
Hao Lianchuan was busy at his desk. Seeing Li Hao enter, he hurriedly said, "Lend me a hand with—"
"Help me with a favor first," Li Hao cut in, seizing the initiative. "Director, help me exchange some mysterious energy."
"..."
Hao Lianchuan was speechless.
Can't you see I'm busy?
Coming to me over such a trivial matter!
"I acquired it from someone else, so it's not convenient to approach outsiders."
Fine, Hao Lianchuan understood.
"How much? What kind of energy do you want?"
"Twelve hundred cubic meters. Exchange it for wind and lightning energy."
Hao Lianchuan frowned slightly and glanced at Li Hao. What was this kid doing trading for wind and lightning energy?
Earlier, Yuan Shuo had exchanged for a large amount of five-elements energy, which people speculated was related to the five organs. Exchanging for wind and lightning was rather baffling.
Twelve hundred cubic meters wasn't an exorbitant amount.
After considering it, Hao Lianchuan nodded. "Fine. I'll check the storehouse in a bit. If we have it, I'll exchange it for you. There aren't many wind- or lightning-element supernaturals, so those aren't used much."
With that, he quickly added, "Now you help me with a favor. Didn't you say earlier that a Blood God Seed could strengthen supernatural locks? I pulled some strings and got my hands on a Solar Radiance-tier one. See if we can test it out first. If it works, I'll find a way to get a stronger one. If it doesn't, wouldn't I be wasting my efforts?"
Clearly, he wanted to become stronger as well.
No one didn't want to grow stronger.
A Solar Radiance-tier seed had virtually no direct effect on him, but if it could strengthen his supernatural locks even a tiny bit, it would offer a glimmer of hope.
Many supernaturals faced this exact dilemma.
Advancing as a supernatural seemed straightforward, but if you couldn't see your supernatural locks, how could you shatter them to advance?
Li Hao thought for a moment. "All right. But I'll need my inner force to circulate through your whole body so I can examine you closely. You don't mind, Director?"
He wanted a thorough look at the inner workings of a supernatural as well.
Since the man had delivered himself to his doorstep, Li Hao wouldn't be polite.
According to Southern Fist, supernaturals could convert back into martial masters.
If that was true… it would be terrifying!
If certain exceptionally formidable supernaturals could become martial masters again, what realm would Rising Light supernaturals reach if they transitioned?
Furthermore, how would they resolve the issue of spirit intent?
Or would they become martial masters without spirit intent?
Even without spirit intent, they would still be extraordinary. By becoming martial masters, their physical bodies would reach an utterly terrifying degree of toughness. Spirit intent… might not be the only path forward.
Pure physical-path martial masters?
Pondering this, Li Hao felt eager to try.
Hao Lianchuan weighed the thought, gritted his teeth, and cast his hesitation aside. He nodded. "Fine, let's give it a shot! To tell you the truth, ever since stepping into Three Sols, I've had zero drive left. Being unable to see the next supernatural lock means there's no road ahead. Many supernaturals fall into this state after breaking every lock they can see—drifting along, taking it one day at a time. After all, the limit is right here."
Li Hao said nothing.
It was just like martial masters who lost their path upon reaching Thousand-Battler; many of them drifted along aimlessly too.
Yet true elites would always seek ways to spy the road ahead. If there was no road, they would blaze one themselves.
……
A Blood God Seed appeared.
Hao Lianchuan was still a bit nervous. His mental fortitude was usually quite sound, but when it concerned his future prospects, even he could hardly remain calm.
Li Hao paid his nerves no mind.
Releasing his inner force, he pressed his hands against Hao Lianchuan's, and the force began circulating up from the director's arms.
Instantly, it met resistance from fire-element mysterious energy.
"Director, suppress it a bit!"
"Right, right!"
Hao Lianchuan nodded hastily, quickly suppressing the fire mysterious energy in his body.
Although supernaturals couldn't control energy as easily as martial masters controlled inner force, as a veteran Three Sols expert, Hao Lianchuan still possessed decent control.
Li Hao's inner force began to circulate through him with some difficulty.
After a thorough sweep, Li Hao's brow knit slightly.
The meridians were fairly robust, the flesh was powerful, and the bones were sufficiently hard…
Yet there were many hidden injuries.
Yes, hidden injuries.
Cracks of varying sizes covered his meridians, riddling his entire body.
This was the fatal flaw of the supernatural path!
Advancing too fast, with mysterious energy that was inherently destructive. Aside from a rare few experts whose mysterious energy possessed nourishing properties, most mysterious energy was primarily ruinous.
It was like a wooden bucket built to hold ten jin of water. If you forced water into it frantically—and sealed it shut instead of letting it spill—it would eventually burst the person apart.
Being a supernatural… was extremely perilous!
This was Li Hao's first time examining a supernatural's body, and his brow furrowed deeply.
This was not good at all.
Once mysterious energy exceeded its threshold, these supernaturals might detonate on their own.
"Is the supernatural path… a dead end?"
Li Hao sank into contemplation.
Yet that might not be the case.
Back in Battle Heaven City, that silver-armored warrior had said the supernatural path wasn't broad, which meant supernaturals had existed during the ancient civilization as well.
There had been countless experts in that ancient era, each terrifyingly powerful.
If the supernatural path hit a dead end at Three Sols or Rising Light, its ceiling would be far too low. That silver warrior wouldn't even have bothered mentioning it. Since he knew of it, the supernatural path must have possessed a degree of renown back in ancient times.
Even if inferior to the martial path, it couldn't have been entirely terrible.
Li Hao continued his probe.
Beyond the extensive hidden injuries throughout the body, he circulated his inner force into the five organs. Aside from the fiery red heart, which he dared not touch rashly, he swiftly inspected the other four.
What he found…
Made him frown even deeper.
All four of the other organs bore hidden trauma. As for the heart, because Hao Lianchuan was a fire-element supernatural, he had inevitably unlocked the heart's supernatural lock. Unlocking that lock imposed a heavy load, flooded it with fire energy, and although the heart had been strengthened, it too… held hidden damage.
What kind of expert was this!
At this moment, Li Hao was at a loss for words.
The injuries were severe!
Of course, none of them had flared up yet, so Hao Lianchuan remained a Three Sols expert. But once they erupted, it would mean certain death.
"Are Director Hou and the others martial masters?"
Li Hao sank into thought once more.
If Hou Xiaochen and his peers had transitioned to supernaturals back during the Thousand-Battler stage, rapidly gained power, and then transitioned back into martial masters, wouldn't that… also leave behind massive hidden trauma?
So his coughing might not be an act after all.
Furthermore, in that meeting room, a whole bunch of sickly invalids had all been coughing… Faking it alone was one thing, but was everyone faking it?
"No… they might not be faking!"
He had never inspected a supernatural's body before, so he hadn't realized supernaturals carried so many hidden injuries.
Yet if Hou Xiaochen and the others knew how to convert into martial masters and had actually done so… but were left with hidden injuries, wouldn't that explain why they were so formidable yet plagued by unresolved ailments?
Since Southern Fist had spoken of it, he likely knew how to convert as well.
In the Central Region, people were even actively attempting it!
Hou Xiaochen and his cohort might be pioneers of that path.
In an instant, several baffling puzzles seemed to make sense.
That room full of coughing invalids might genuinely not have been putting on a show!
"Damaged five organs, damaged lungs—coughing is only natural. If I nurture my lung momentum before my lungs are strong enough, I might end up the same way. Teacher too…"
Thoughts surfaced one after another.
Li Hao continued his examination. The balance among the five organs was broken. The heart was overly strong; if this continued, either the heart would burst, or the other four organs would be crushed to pieces by its overwhelming pressure.
"Li Hao?"
By now, Hao Lianchuan was growing uncomfortable. "Are you done yet?"
Having this kid's inner force coursing through him felt awful.
Li Hao snapped back to attention and spoke. "Take the Blood God Seed. Pull back your fire energy, and focus the seed's power… into your kidneys!"
"What?"
"The kidneys belong to water; the heart belongs to fire. Your internal fire is too rampant—let's see if we can suppress it!"
Hao Lianchuan was bewildered, but on second thought, he didn't understand any of this anyway and could only listen to Li Hao.
He swiftly swallowed the Blood God Seed.
A wave of blood shadow power promptly detonated within his viscera.
At that moment, a surge of fire-element energy flared up, moving to suppress, expel, and even eradicate the red shadow power. Li Hao's brows twitched. Sure enough, blood shadow power and mysterious energy were incompatible.
They were even hostile to each other!
Not only that, but last time, at the stone door, the blood shadow power had provoked a joint counterattack from the Eight Great Families' combined powers.
Just what was this blood shadow power, anyway?
Li Hao didn't dwell on it; he possessed too little information right now.
"Suppress your fire energy!"
"It's out of control…" Hao Lianchuan said helplessly. "The energy of this Blood God Seed seems to clash with mysterious energy. The moment it enters my body, it gets expelled…"
Li Hao frowned. "Try pulling all your fire energy back into your heart!"
Fine!
Hao Lianchuan had no choice but to comply. The source of his fire energy was his heart.
A moment later, he barely managed to rein it in.
With a thought, Li Hao used his inner force to guide the surge of blood shadow power toward Hao Lianchuan's kidneys.
The blood shadow power showed no resistance to merging into the physical body.
In an instant, a wave of blood energy fused into the kidneys.
At that point, Li Hao's inner force couldn't sense anything further. With a flicker of intent, the hairs on the back of Hao Lianchuan's neck suddenly stood on end.
Across from him, Li Hao felt terrifyingly feral!
Spirit intent!
Yes, unable to perceive anything more with inner force, Li Hao manifested his spirit intent directly. A formidable sword intent flared, but he quickly reined it in. Instead of the Fire Tiger intent, he deployed his Earth Sword momentum.
The Earth Sword momentum enveloped Hao Lianchuan in an instant.
Hao Lianchuan's scalp went numb. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, only to force himself to hold back.
Inwardly, he cursed. This kid was bloody terrifying.
Once a martial master reached Thousand-Battler and formed momentum, it naturally exerted a powerful deterrence over supernaturals.
At that moment, Li Hao's spirit intent probed into Hao Lianchuan's body.
Within the heart, fire energy rioted incessantly, as if sensing a threat. Sweat dripped from Hao Lianchuan's forehead. "I… don't mess around! I feel like my fire energy is about to go wild!"
"Hold on a moment!"
Without further explanation, Li Hao drove his Earth Sword momentum straight into the man's body. In the blink of an eye, it probed into the kidneys. Hao Lianchuan felt as though his lower back were about to burst, his face turning pale.
Yet at that exact second, Li Hao saw something different.
Inside the kidneys, the blood energy was being absorbed.
Under the scrutiny of his spirit intent, a faint, translucent little chain truly came into view. It was exceptionally feeble, but as it absorbed the blood energy, it was indeed growing stronger.
Clearly, Hao Lianchuan's failure to discover his fifth supernatural lock was because the lock was simply too weak.
Moreover, the fire energy in his heart was far too dominant, exerting a suppressive effect over the other four organs.
Under Li Hao's spirit intent, however, it finally revealed itself.
Li Hao swiftly recalled his spirit intent and pulled back his inner force.
The instant he did, the fire energy inside Hao Lianchuan detonated. With a resounding boom, flames spilled outward, and the office caught fire in a flash.
Ignoring the backlash he had just suffered, Hao Lianchuan frantically began extinguishing the flames, drawing the fire energy back into himself until the office was cleared. He grumbled, "Don't go reckless on me! That momentum of yours nearly killed me!"
This kid was far too terrifying!
Li Hao, however, was lost in thought.
He studied Hao Lianchuan for a moment, then asked, "Director Hao, feel for yourself—are your kidneys stronger than before?"
"I can't tell," Hao Lianchuan said, shaking his head. "Fire energy can't just erupt wildly inside the body without tearing the organs apart. I'm not a martial master; I don't have your momentum, nor can I circulate energy through my body at will like inner force."
Supernaturals advanced quickly, but mysterious energy offered no nourishing effect. Martial masters advanced slowly, but their inner force could nourish the entire body.
After some consideration, Li Hao said, "The supernatural path might not be suitable for our kind of cultivation. It's not that supernaturals are bad, but I feel that if one cultivates that way, it's best if all five organs are powerful—or even completely energeticized."
"What?"
Hao Lianchuan was taken aback. Li Hao frowned. "Single-element supernaturals face an issue where one organ is exceptionally strong while the other four are weak! To resolve that problem, the best method is to keep the supernatural energy from leaking out, turning your five organs into a unified energy complex…"
At that point, he shook his head.
Could that even be considered human anymore?
He didn't elaborate, continuing instead, "It does work, but the energy in that Blood God Seed was too meager. It only strengthened the supernatural lock in your kidneys by a hair. It won't be enough."
"It really works?"
Hao Lianchuan didn't care about any of the rest; he was ecstatic. "You saw it?"
"Yes."
"Was it a supernatural lock?"
"Of course. Supernatural locks definitely exist; it's just a matter of how strong or weak they are." Li Hao smiled. "I checked. It can be strengthened, but you don't necessarily have to bolster the kidneys. Director Hao, right now you've broken the lock on your heart and three on your limbs, leaving one limb undiscovered, right?"
"Right. I still haven't found the supernatural lock in my left leg."
Li Hao nodded. "Then strengthen the left leg. You shouldn't strengthen your organs first; otherwise, an imbalance among the five organs could easily cause them to rupture."
With that thought, Li Hao suddenly said, "Right now, Rising Light represents breaking five supernatural locks. Under normal circumstances, that's usually one in the heart and four in the limbs, so reaching Rising Light isn't actually that hard."
"The hard part lies in what's above Rising Light!"
To transcend Rising Light, one had to break a second supernatural lock within the five organs.
Realizing this, Li Hao froze.
So those above Rising Light might all share certain symptoms—such as… coughing!
Because breaking a second organ lock would very likely trigger a clash between the organs and their two energies. The heart belonged to fire, the kidneys to water; when a second mysterious energy was liberated, the clash of fire and water would naturally ravage the organs!
Li Hao was stunned.
Had Hou Xiaochen and the others converted into martial masters, or had they broken a second organ lock, causing these symptoms?
With that in mind, he asked hurriedly, "Are there any beings above Rising Light in the Central Region?"
"How would I know?" Hao Lianchuan said, exasperated. "I barely know a handful of Rising Light experts to begin with…"
Li Hao thought for a moment and rephrased the question. "Do prominent experts in the Central Region tend to cough a lot?"
"You mean Director Hou?" Hao Lianchuan chuckled. "What, can't someone be an expert nowadays without coughing?"
Li Hao sank into contemplation.
If the Central Region had experts above Rising Light, they might exhibit coughing as well. Of course, coughing could just indicate damaged lungs—merely one manifestation.
If the heart was damaged, the symptom might be a pale complexion and poor circulation.
If the kidneys were damaged, it might result in impotence… which was far more private and rarely known to outsiders.
Thus, coughing was simply the most noticeable symptom.
Damage to other organs wouldn't necessarily show so clearly.
Take Kong Jie, for instance—he rarely coughed.
Most likely, the organ he damaged wasn't his lungs, but something else. Yet his glaring brightness was comparable to the others, meaning their strength was about equal. The others coughed while he didn't… which meant that if his guess was correct, Kong Jie had also unlocked a second organ lock.
Did that mean he was above Rising Light?
At this point, Li Hao understood completely.
These people were either above Rising Light, or… they had converted from supernaturals to martial masters!
Regardless of which, their five organs had fallen out of balance.
Therefore… Spirit Nourishing was far from simple.
No—more accurately, if Teacher could truly modify the Five Animals Breathing Technique so that it strengthened all five organs simultaneously…
Li Hao drew a sharp breath inwardly!
If that came to pass, a terrifying undercurrent would erupt across both the supernatural and martial arts realms.
"Teacher… is in danger!"
"No… Teacher is safe!"
At that moment, Li Hao realized something. He had stated at the press conference that his teacher was attempting to modify the Five Animals Breathing Technique to strengthen all five organs at once. Some people might not have cared, but experts who had broken a second organ lock certainly would.
They… were undoubtedly watching Teacher!
Everyone was quietly watching Yuan Shuo, hoping he would succeed.
Why didn't the others try it themselves?
Supernaturals had no way to modify breathing techniques, and martial masters all walked different paths. While others might be treading the path of strengthening the five organs, Teacher had walked it the steadiest and the furthest!
In that split second, Li Hao smiled.
Hao Lianchuan looked at him, completely baffled.
Yet Li Hao was grinning from ear to ear.
In that case, as long as Teacher had not fully completed the modified Five Animals Breathing Technique, certain top experts might even secretly act as his protectors.
However, once Teacher actually perfected it… he might face a terrifying crisis.
Certain experts might choose to take it by force.
Whether they could succeed was hard to say.
Expecting Yuan Shuo to share it willingly, on the other hand, would be harder than scaling the heavens.
"Li Hao, are you all right?" Hao Lianchuan looked at him strangely.
Li Hao smiled. "I'm fine, just figured out a few things. Quite interesting, really. Senior Southern Fist was right—when you know enough and follow the threads, you find that many things turn out to be rather fascinating in the end."
What on earth was he talking about?
Hao Lianchuan had no patience for riddles and asked eagerly, "So you're saying as long as I take enough Blood God Seeds, I'll have a chance to see my fifth supernatural lock?"
"Yes!"
Hao Lianchuan grew excited at once.
That was fantastic!
Meanwhile, Li Hao suddenly thought of Ying Hongyue.
Red shadow power!
Why had Ying Hongyue created so many red shadows?
It seemed… he somewhat understood now.
Either to convert supernaturals into martial masters, or to strengthen supernatural locks and balance the five organs. The blood shadows didn't exist to manufacture a batch of powerful martial masters; they were meant to eliminate flaws.
If Ying Hongyue had reached a realm above Rising Light, he too would suffer from an imbalance of the five organs.
Perhaps Ying Hongyue had discovered this issue long ago.
That was why he had prepared so far in advance.
If that was the case…
Li Hao inhaled quietly. If there were enough red shadows, they could resolve the organ imbalance. Could Ying Hongyue have already fixed this flaw and advanced exceptionally far along the path of the five organs?
Breaking the locks on four limbs plus one organ made five supernatural locks—and breaking five meant Rising Light!
To surpass Rising Light, one had to break a second organ lock. As for the head… Li Hao believed few would dare attempt that; the five organs were far safer.
Thus, unlocking a second organ lock generally meant stepping beyond Rising Light.
Such individuals might even possess two types of supernatural abilities.
Merely by casually checking Hao Lianchuan's supernatural locks, Li Hao had inadvertently uncovered a monumental secret.
The secret of the blood shadows!
Teacher had said the blood shadows were a type of puppet from the ancient civilization that made one stronger upon absorption. Li Hao now suspected that Ying Hongyue had very likely used the blood shadows to strengthen his own supernatural locks!
And thereby maintain the balance of his five organs.
"Li Hao!"
Hao Lianchuan couldn't take it anymore. Li Hao was grinning like a fox—what was going through his head?
Li Hao stood up with a smile. "I'm fine, really! Director, exchange that mysterious energy for me later and deliver it straight to my office."
With that, he handed two energy storage rings to Hao Lianchuan and added, "Right, sorry to trouble you with one more thing, Director: help me pull the files on all of my teacher's former students."
"Huh?" Hao Lianchuan blinked. "What for?"
Li Hao smiled. "Just to get an idea of who my senior brothers and sisters are."
Why?
Because he was thinking that the Five Animals Breathing Technique had likely drawn the attention of countless experts now, even if those below Rising Light paid it no mind.
If I were one of those experts in the Central Region and seizing it by force might fail, what would I do?
Obtain it through Yuan Shuo's disciples, of course!
Teacher was fierce toward ordinary people, but he doted on his disciples—a trait many martial masters shared.
Yuan Shuo had no children, and he had very few disciples.
Take Li Hao: the moment he revealed he could absorb mysterious energy, Yuan Shuo had passed the Five Animals Breathing Technique straight to him.
And when that senior sister passed the technique to an outsider, Teacher had never pursued it, clearly acquiescing in the end.
Everyone knew Yuan Shuo treated his disciples well; even when he acted harsh, his bark was worse than his bite.
If he succeeded in modifying the Five Animals Breathing Technique, would he teach it to his disciples?
Most likely!
Li Hao would receive it without question, and the others… including that senior sister, might get it as well.
Yet that must never happen!
At this moment, Li Hao understood clearly that if Teacher's modified Five Animals Breathing Technique fell into the wrong hands, it would cause immense trouble, allowing certain experts to cross above Rising Light.
And once someone obtained it, to keep it from leaking… killing Yuan Shuo would become an absolute certainty!
Hao Lianchuan gave Li Hao a curious look, but ultimately nodded. "All right, I'll look into it for you. Detailed intel might take a few days. We've investigated before, but mainly focused on your teacher; we have some files on his students, though they might not be complete."
"Understood. Thank you for your trouble!"
Hao Lianchuan hesitated, then asked, "You're not planning to go defect to them, are you?"
"How could I?" Li Hao chuckled. "The Night Watchers are great; why would I leave?"
He paused for a second, then spoke again: "Also, help me look into the Bai family—the Bai family of White Moon City! Not just them, but all experts connected to Hu Dingfang, especially those at the Rising Light tier. And… Commander Huang Yu!"
Hao Lianchuan gasped!
Fuck!
What are you planning?
The Bai family, Huang Yu… what are you trying to pull?
Li Hao said nothing.
What was he trying to do?
He wanted to check whether someone was planning to use his senior sister to acquire the modified Five Animals Breathing Technique.
In truth, Yuan Shuo hadn't deduced it yet.
Yet both Li Hao and those top experts were largely convinced that Yuan Shuo could do it.
For no other reason than the man's sheer talent.
Furthermore, the Five Animals Breathing Technique was a secret art he had been refining for years, and Yuan Shuo possessed a vast store of ancient knowledge. He claimed to be an archaeology expert, but he was practically a professional grave robber!
Digging up tombs, plain and simple.
Otherwise, why would a martial master study archaeology?
Just because he had nothing better to do?
Archaeology was simply his cover to excavate ancient ruins more effectively!
Yuan Shuo had roamed Silver Moon for decades, excavating countless ruins. And Silver Moon's ruins… were exceptionally numerous and profoundly significant.
Masses of critical ancient texts had been destroyed by Yuan Shuo.
He would take a look, then either ruin them or burn them to ash. In a sense, Yuan Shuo bore responsibility as one of the culprits behind the severance of ancient history. Even if he had excavated them himself, destroying them to keep others in the dark made him a scoundrel.
Recalling all this, Li Hao thought of his senior sister, Hu Dingfang, the Bai family, Huang Yu, and the intricate web of connections tying them together.
If the Five Animals Breathing Technique was truly perfected, Teacher must never pass it around carelessly!
Otherwise, disaster would follow.
Right now, he desperately wanted to contact his teacher. Unfortunately, word had it that Teacher was near Linjiang, and might have entered the three northern provinces by now. There was no way to reach him.
……
Mist Province.
Mists swirled here continuously, cloaking the land in a heavy gloom day and night.
Inside a high-end hotel.
This time, Yuan Shuo hadn't chosen to camp in the wilderness; he had checked into a hotel.
He wore a pair of spectacles, looking thoroughly refined and scholarly.
Beside him, Jade Light Sword felt intensely awkward, staring down at the clothes she had changed into—a professional short-skirt suit. Never in her life had she dressed like this. Fire burned in her eyes as she glared at Yuan Shuo.
Looking like the picture of elegance, Yuan Shuo lit a cigarette and chuckled. "Don't get mad. Right now, you're my assistant! As for me, I'm a professor from Linjiang Academy. It's a genuine identity I set up years ago… even an investigation won't turn up any flaws. We came to the three northern provinces to study mutations in marine life…"
Wu Hongshan snapped, "Why can't we just act normal?"
"Normal?" Yuan Shuo laughed. "Can't do it. The three northern provinces are a complete mess right now; normal isn't an option." He grinned. "The chaos is a good thing, though—makes it easier to fish in troubled waters."
He added, "No rush. We'll stay here for a few days. My second spirit is nearly fully nurtured; the Water Tiger is about to burst forth. My injuries weren't fully healed before, but now that we're close to the North Sea, I feel like I'm almost there…"
Continuing, Yuan Shuo said, "I've had some insights lately. I'm tweaking the Five Animals Breathing Technique slightly. The uneven strength among the five organs and the lack of balance is the greatest flaw of Spirit Nourishing!"
Li Hao could rely on sword energy to bypass it, but he couldn't.
Besides, he had no idea Li Hao could replenish sword energy with divine energy stones. With so little sword energy available, he had never intended to rely on it to solve the problem; he had to resolve it himself!
Moreover, if the Spirit Nourishing path was to be popularized and formally embraced by all martial masters, a technique capable of nourishing all five organs was indispensable.
Of course, Yuan Shuo wasn't that altruistic.
Even if he shared it, it would only be after he had fully completed Spirit Nourishing across all five organs—and after his disciple had finished as well. Only then might he find a few close martial master friends to teach.
"You're changing it again?"
Wu Hongshan forgot her awkward outfit, frowning slightly. "If I remember correctly, you've been revising it for years. Haven't you produced dozens of versions already?"
"True enough, but such is the martial path. As your strength advances, your comprehension deepens, and your needs shift. Naturally, you must keep improving. Are we supposed to rest on our laurels forever?"
Yuan Shuo laughed. "The secret arts left behind by the ancients aren't necessarily suited to us! They need to be modified according to our own circumstances. I've gained some direction recently. If I succeed, the path of Spirit Nourishing will no longer belong to me alone. Everyone will be able to practice it. Even without five momentums, it won't matter; as long as the five organs remain balanced, a single momentum works just as well. The requirement of five balanced momentums before was only to maintain balance among the five organs."
Wu Hongshan thought for a moment. "Once you've modified it, will you teach it to me?"
"Of course not!"
"..."
Wu Hongshan was struck dumb.
This bastard really was utterly shameless!
Then why even bring it up?
You said you'd help me step into Spirit Nourishing, but if you won't teach me, how am I supposed to advance?
Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Don't be in such a rush. Nurture yourself slowly first. If that doesn't work, exchange your blood first to strengthen your physical body, and take the five organs slowly! Once I've finished the modifications, I'll teach you the old version. It's actually quite effective too!"
The old version!
Those words stung.
He beamed merrily. "Once it's done, I'll need to share it with my student. Though he might not need it, if that kid learns it, he might have a shot at merging five momentums!"
Wu Hongshan had no words left. She asked, "When will you have it ready?"
"Soon, in a few days. Once I merge five momentums. I've merged two, and the third is nearly there. If I get my hands on a few more Blood God Seeds to merge the fourth and fifth, I think that should just about do it."
Wu Hongshan fell silent.
Blood God Seeds were indeed potent treasures.
Yuan Shuo, however, sank into thought. Fusing Blood God Seeds into the five organs was genuinely effective.
At this moment, much like Li Hao, he harbored a faint suspicion.
Were the Blood God Seeds… used by Ying Hongyue to balance his five organs?
Did supernaturals need to balance their organs as well?
To break more supernatural locks?
In that instant, many pieces fell into place, and he faintly sensed a looming crisis. The old monster's instinct for danger was exceptionally sharp. As his momentums merged with his spirits, he gradually realized that the supernatural side might also desperately need treasures or techniques capable of balancing the five organs.
Yuan Shuo stood before the window, gazing out in all directions.
He felt a twinge of regret. Too bad Li Hao wasn't here.
Otherwise, that kid could see things others couldn't and might have helped him check whether anyone was watching them.
A moment later, Yuan Shuo smiled.
Whether someone was watching or not… he would know soon enough.
He wasn't particularly afraid.
Cheating death was something he excelled at.
"Jade Light, I'll take you on a big job later. Three Sols are complete trash. The three northern provinces used to be the old stomping grounds of the Three Great Organizations, so there might be Rising Light experts here… If you're not afraid of dying, I'll take you on a major haul!"
Wu Hongshan's face turned pale. After a long pause, she nodded. "Fine!"
If you're not afraid, why should I be?
Rising Light… was this lunatic going crazy again?
Yuan Shuo chuckled quietly. He wasn't crazy. Who knew—maybe someone would even lend him a helping hand.
He had already made it known that once he merged five momentums into his spirits, he had a shot at deducing a new version of the Five Animals Breathing Technique… If anyone was watching him, they were bound to get anxious. With any luck, he might even pick up a Rising Light Blood God Seed for free!
Chapter 119