A Jiuyao-Rank Technique!

That speck of light! It was Tiger-Crane Double Form! The Disaster-Averting Survival Skill Tree had deemed that it lacked life-preserving properties, so it wouldn't let it onto the tree! Ye Huan sighed. Reluctant though he was, the Taiyin Sect's arts were bound to bring immense trouble. The best course right now was— "Sacrifice *Three Skims of the Flying Swallow* and *Tiger-Crane Double Form*." With a thought from Ye Huan, the icon for *Three Skims of the Flying Swallow* immediately dimmed. And the mote of light circling the skill tree vanished. "*Three Skims of the Flying Swallow* grants 2 skill points. *Tiger-Crane Double Form* grants 1 skill point." "Current total free skill points: 3." A single Identity Achievement had yielded three free skill points. That was a fantastic haul! "Allocate them to—" Ye Huan was about to finish the sentence when he abruptly paused. Wait. Hold on a second. Let me think this through. Right now, these three skill points were intact. Putting them into a skill's icon would trigger an evolution. However! If he wanted to extract them later for a second use, there would be a loss. Should he hold on to them for now? Or use them? He already understood all too well the vital importance of movement techniques. Once he got his hands on a safe, clean lightness skill that wouldn't cause any problems, wouldn't it be wonderful to pour several skill points straight into it? That would avoid the loss from shifting points a second time. And yet— Such a movement technique would not be easy to find. Right now, he had only one priority that mattered above all else— Surviving past tomorrow. Clarity washed over Ye Huan's mind. He focused his will and declared: "Put them all into Iron Cloth Shirt." Upon the skill tree, the three motes of light blazed brilliantly, sinking entirely into the icon of Iron Cloth Shirt. The entire icon turned into a glowing square block. It seemed to be undergoing a transformation! Ye Huan suddenly recalled something. After allocating points to train Iron Cloth Shirt last time, it had reached the mastery realm. Even back then, he had vaguely sensed it was on the verge of a metamorphosis. Investing three full skill points all at once now was perfect. He wanted to see what the outcome would be. In a daze... Ye Huan felt as though he had arrived at a Buddhist monastery. Having taken his vows and shaved his head from young, he cultivated and practiced martial arts under a senior monk. At seven, he trained in Iron Hand, mastering it by nine. At ten, he took another step forward to cultivate Iron Cloth Shirt, bringing it to full mastery at seventeen. From then on, he roamed the martial world, punishing evil, promoting good, aiding the needy, and helping the poor—seven years slipping by in the blink of an eye. On this day, torrential rain poured from the heavens. Rushing too fast along the road, he missed his lodging and had no choice but to take shelter haphazardly in a dilapidated countryside temple. Most of the temple was soaked by rain; only a small corner was shielded by roof tiles, barely enough for one person to lie down. Ye Huan sat down under that dry patch and closed his eyes to rest. A short while later. Outside the ruined temple came the neighing of wild horses, the thud of falling cargo, and several startled cries. Ye Huan got up to look. A carriage had crashed into the mud, its horses breaking free of their reins and bolting frantically into the woods, vanishing from sight. He hurried forward, helped the injured man and woman from the carriage, and brought them into the ruined temple to take cover from the rain. Taking a closer look at their injuries, he saw that one of the man's legs was broken. Lying on the ground, cold sweat poured continuously from his brow. The woman had several bleeding scrapes on her hands and body, but they were only minor injuries. Accustomed to the ways of the martial world, Ye Huan had seen all kinds of fractures and contusions. He stepped behind the temple, snapped off a sturdy tree branch, and used it to set and splint the man's broken leg. Then he produced medicine from his robes and applied it to the woman's cuts. Overwhelmed with gratitude, the woman braved the rain to return to the carriage, retrieved their luggage bundles, and brought out silver to thank Ye Huan. Ye Huan paid it no mind, smiling. "It is a trivial matter, nothing more than lifting a finger." The woman's pack contained plenty of dry rations. She took out a flatbread, held it in both hands, and invited Ye Huan to eat. Ye Huan gladly accepted the bread, chatting with the pair as he ate. Before long. The neigh of fine steeds rang out once more. Two men tied their horses outside the temple and swaggered through the entrance. They were burly men carrying sabers and spears. Stepping inside, they looked around, exchanged glances, and burst out laughing. "Rode all night without spotting a fat sheep, and here one delivers itself right to our door!" "Food, a woman, and that bundle definitely has a tidy sum of silver. Perfect!" One drew a long saber and strode toward the broken-legged man lying on the ground. The other unslung a red-tasseled spear from his back, twirled it into a flourish, and without a word of explanation, pointed it at Ye Huan, barking: "Bald donkey, get lost! This is no place for you." Ye Huan rose and turned to leave. Just as he turned his back, the man suddenly thrust his spear forward. Ye Huan casually reached out, snatching both man and spear toward himself, then struck him over the crown of the head with a palm—cracking it wide open like a crushed watermelon. Snatching the red-tasseled spear into his grip, he thrust it directly toward the saber-wielding man. The man let out a ferocious roar and, utterly reckless of death, swung his blade straight for Ye Huan's neck. A life-for-a-life exchange! The corners of Ye Huan's mouth tightened faintly. You want to see who's ruthless? He ducked his head, taking the edge of the blade directly, while the red-tasseled spear in his hands drove onward without hesitation. *Thwack.* The spearhead drove into the man's chest. With a light flick, Ye Huan hoisted the man into midair and hurled him outward with a howling sweep. The body smashed through the opposite wall and tumbled into the night rain. The rain roared down. The two lay on the ground, lifeless. "Are you two all right?" He glanced back. "We're fine! Thank you, Benefactor, for stepping in. Otherwise, we would have died here tonight without a doubt," the man said gratefully. The woman stood up, bowing respectfully. "My ancestors once passed down an external-conditioning method. Their unworthy descendants failed to carry it on, but having received your life-saving grace today, we have no other way to repay you. Please accept this as a modest token of our gratitude." Just as Ye Huan was about to speak, a sudden crack of thunder exploded by his ear, and he instinctively opened his eyes. He found himself still sitting in the drafty corner of the wall. Outside, howling winds and miserable rain clashed with flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder. The fire before him continued to crackle and pop. Only— The man and woman were gone. Vanished into thin air? He turned his head to look back. The two men he had just killed were gone as well. Apart from himself, there was no one else in the temple. No blades, no spears, no corpses, and neither man nor woman. He had fallen asleep just now. "A dream? How strange." Murmuring to himself, Ye Huan seemed to recall something and lifted his gaze toward the temple altar. Upon the altar sat the statue of a woman—dignified, solemn, holding a sword in one hand and supporting a book in the other, her gaze fixed upon the void. A gust of wind blew in. The pages of the book rustled noisily, and with a sudden *clack*, it tumbled to the ground. Disbelief flooded Ye Huan's heart, yet a thought surfaced irrepressibly. *Could it be...?* Stepping forward, he bowed toward the statue first before picking up the book with both hands. Several large characters were written across the cover: *Shield Bell Golden.* No. It should be read right to left: *Golden Bell Shield.* Flipping open the first page, there was only a single line of script: *The righteous qi of heaven and earth endures eternal and vast; condensing into astral shape, it guards my flesh and bones.* Ye Huan turned page after page, silently committing every diagram and word to memory. This technique was indeed an advanced external-conditioning art. Yet it differed from Iron Cloth Shirt. Iron Cloth Shirt tempered the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones externally, relying on blood and qi coursing through acupoints to drive the technique and render the entire body hard as iron. This Golden Bell Shield, built upon the foundation of Iron Cloth Shirt, ventured into the circulation and direction of internal qi, utilizing hard qigong to envelop the body with miraculous efficacy. Over the following months, Ye Huan forgot food and sleep, pouring his entire being into cultivating Golden Bell Shield. Until the entire world blurred beyond recognition, and he could linger no longer. He returned to the rooftop of the Bureau of Investigation. It felt as though an eternity had passed, yet in reality, time had not moved forward at all. —Not until the moment he returned. At this very instant. Examining the skill tree once more, he discovered that the icon for Iron Cloth Shirt had transformed completely. "Congratulations." "Your technique 'Iron Cloth Shirt' has evolved into a higher-tier martial arts technique:" "Golden Bell Shield." "Lost martial art, external-conditioning technique, Jiuyao-rank hard qigong." "Forms: 1. Heart-Shattering Palm; 2. Three Emperors Cannon Fist; 3. Divine Iron Hand Bars the River." "Passive Astral Qi: ???" "You must ignite ten acupoints and advance to the Jiuyao martial realm before you can unleash astral qi." "Note:" "You still retain mastery of the three forms of Iron Cloth Shirt, which serve as the foundation for your cultivation of Golden Bell Shield." Golden Bell Shield! —A Jiuyao-rank martial art! Ye Huan was so shocked he nearly forgot to breathe. Stunned for several heartbeats, he was instantly overcome with wild joy. Shidu-rank techniques were already exceptionally precious; even a major institution like the Bureau of Investigation only kept four Shidu techniques as merit rewards. A Jiuyao-rank technique could stir up storms of blood on the black market and fetch astronomical prices. As for the spiritual-energy methods of Daozang Baji— Those were treasures countless martial artists spent their entire lives yearning for in vain. Most advanced martial artists who reached the Daozang Baji realm had no choice but to continue fighting with Jiuyao-rank martial techniques. —There was simply no avenue on the open market to acquire spiritual martial skills! Splendid. Truly magnificent. Spending three skill points had yielded a miraculous return. —At the very least, he no longer had to worry about techniques to practice all the way up to the Jiuyao realm. Nor did he need to fork out a fortune, beg others, enter cutthroat struggles, or risk life and limb in bloody brawls. Ye Huan's heart was laden with pure, weighty joy. He withdrew his stance, descended from the rooftop, and returned to his office in the Mysterious Affairs Section. Locking the door, he paced back and forth across the room. The only problem now was— This martial art was somewhat beyond his current level. Even after cultivating for so long in the simulated world, he had only mastered Heart-Shattering Palm and could barely manage a bit of Three Emperors Cannon Fist. Yet that was merely grasping the stances and striking patterns of those two forms. Even if he mastered Divine Iron Hand Bars the River later on, it would only amount to knowing how to execute the movements. The true power of these three strikes could only be fully unleashed once he reached the Jiuyao realm. Because all three moves used the body to move qi, used qi to govern power, built inner and outer strength alike, and struck with a sound like thunder and the force of a heavenly bolt! —They required astral qi to manifest their true devastation. However... Only by reaching the Jiuyao realm, opening all ten acupoints, and turning the dantian into a hall of light could astral qi be born! Ye Huan sighed inwardly, then immediately rallied his spirits. He had the technique now. The most critical step was accomplished. From here on, every day he survived would be a day he grew stronger, until eventually he reached Jiuyao! Come on! Let's test the power of Heart-Shattering Palm first! Ye Huan raised his hand, channeling Iron Cloth Shirt first to unleash an Iron Hand Force strike through the empty air. *Smack.* A faint palm print appeared upon the wall. Next, he imagined sinking qi into his dantian, pretended he was already circulating hard qigong, guided imaginary astral qi to his palm, and prepared to unleash the first form of Golden Bell Shield: Heart-Shattering Palm. Ye Huan's hand lifted slightly, but he didn't strike for a long time. After hesitating at length, he quietly lowered his hand and stood in place, giving up in resignation. No, it wouldn't do. Even without astral qi, the sheer force of this palm vastly exceeded Iron Hand Force. If you used Iron Hand Force to leave a shallow imprint on the wall, anyone who saw it would understand—they were all martial artists, and they'd assume you were diligently practicing. But if you blasted a hole right through the wall with a ranged strike while working overtime in the office— People would think you'd lost your damn mind.