Chapter 86: Two Secret Techniques

The initial stage of cultivating the First Revolution of the Profound Art was not as simple as swallowing the Fire Dragon Grass outright. The Fire Dragon Grass contained an immense, violent fire energy; ingesting it directly would not only destroy a person's future due to its toxic potency, but its raging power would also wreak havoc on the meridians and dantian. Across the world, only a rare few spiritual herbs possessed a gentle medicinal force. Thus, it was only by refining such herbs into pills that their full potential could be realized.

Naturally, with Ye Yun’s current cultivation at the mere early Foundation Establishment stage, he was far from capable of refining the Fire Dragon Grass into a pill. Fortunately, the First Revolution of the Profound Art recorded a secret technique: it allowed the practitioner to gradually absorb the medicinal energy from the Fire Dragon Grass, strand by strand, transforming the wild fire energy into a mild, nourishing force, thereby avoiding the poison.

Ye Yun carefully opened the jade box. Inside, three Fire Dragon Grass plants came into view. Each herb bore three fiery red leaves, shaped like delicate, miniature dragons, vividly lifelike.

He reached out and picked up one of the herbs, then closed his eyes and activated the secret art described in the First Revolution. Instantly, he sensed threads of scorching fire energy seep from the herb in his hand, permeating his palm and flowing into his body, coursing through his meridians.

For most cultivators, even with a secret art, converting such fierce fire energy would require immense effort. Yet for Ye Yun, it was a simple task. The Scarlet Flame True Qi he practiced was itself a violent force, and the grade of his Scarlet Flame Essence far surpassed the power of the Fire Dragon Grass. As a result, the entire conversion process proceeded smoothly.

He did not know how much time passed before his spiritual sense detected the medicinal power of the Fire Dragon Grass gradually gathering in the sea of qi within his dantian, merging perfectly with the strand of Scarlet Flame Essence at its center.

“The secret manual of the Nine Revolutions of Profound Art says that to absorb the power of Fire Dragon Grass at entry level, one must endure the agony of being burned alive. But with my Scarlet Flame Essence, I can transform it with ease and need not suffer such torment.”

Joy rose in Ye Yun’s heart. Once the Scarlet Flame Essence fused with the Fire Dragon Grass’s power, he sensed a mighty force condense within his dantian’s sea of qi.

The herb in his hand, its essence exhausted, turned to ash. Ye Yun immediately absorbed and transformed the essence of the remaining two plants as well.

When the medicinal force of all three Fire Dragon Grass plants had gathered within his dantian, the entry-level cultivation of the First Revolution was considered complete.

Inside the cave, Ye Yun opened his eyes. A crimson gleam flashed in his pupils, like two brilliant stars shining in the dimness. With a low shout, he activated the secret art; the Scarlet Flame Essence in his dantian surged forth, and a mighty power erupted. Scarlet flames blazed from his body, enveloping him in a bath of fierce fire and exuding a powerful presence.

Ye Yun slowly rose to his feet. The scarlet flames on his body illuminated the entire cave. Clenching his fists, he could feel his power had increased by nearly sixty percent!

“With just the entry-level of the First Revolution, my strength has risen by sixty percent. No wonder Wu Kun was considered the foremost among his peers at the same stage,” Ye Yun thought, both astonished and delighted.

The force of three Fire Dragon Grass plants now resided in his dantian; at will, he could unleash this formidable power with the secret art, greatly enhancing his strength. As long as his true qi remained, he could maintain this peak state, even cross realms to slay foes—a real possibility now.

“Scarlet Flame Demon Body!”

Ye Yun gave another soft shout. The power of the Scarlet Flame Essence erupted once more, flowing throughout his body. His eyes turned crimson, and his long black hair, hanging to his waist, suddenly flared up, transforming into wild scarlet strands dancing behind him.

With the combined augmentation of the Profound Art’s secret technique and the Scarlet Flame Demon Body, his power soared again. Even if he were to face a cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, Ye Yun believed he could defeat them.

But soon his brows furrowed; he sensed his Scarlet Flame True Qi being depleted at an alarming rate.

Powerful as the secret arts were, they also consumed vast amounts of energy. Using only one technique at a time, Ye Yun could barely manage, but employing both together quickly proved overwhelming.

Still, Ye Yun understood the root of the problem lay in his own insufficient cultivation. If he could steadily raise his level, not only would the secret techniques yield greater power, but a solid foundation would remove any concern over qi consumption.

Originally, Ye Yun had planned to push forward and master the entire First Revolution in one go, but upon realizing this limitation, he abandoned the idea. With just the entry-level First Revolution and the Scarlet Flame Demon Body, his current qi reserves were already stretched thin. If he advanced to the minor mastery stage, he feared he could not sustain both techniques at once.

In comparison, it would be wiser to maintain his current state and gradually advance his strength as his cultivation increased, ensuring his power remained at its peak.

Just then, Ye Yun’s spiritual sense detected several cultivators’ auras approaching the cave where he was secluded.

“Young master, this place is called Sunset Mountain. In another two or three hours, we’ll reach Cloudwater City,” came the slightly obsequious voice of a man.

The one addressed as “young master” was a youth of about twenty, his face sickly pale, his eyes narrowed with a hint of cruelty.

“That useless Lü Mengqiu! A full Golden Core cultivator, and he couldn’t even bring back that little slut Lu Suxue. Otherwise, why would I have to bother making this trip myself?” the young man spat, veins bulging on his forehead.

“Young master, our Xu Clan is one of the foremost great families of the Holy Dragon Dynasty. That insignificant Ye Clan is only powerful in some remote borderland—they would never dare oppose you,” the attendant replied with a smile.

“Naturally!” the youth snorted. After a moment’s silence, he added, “But the Ye Clan seems not so simple. My grandfather appears wary of them. That’s why he never took action against them, and only allowed me to have Lü Mengqiu act in secret. When the old man found out, he was furious and scolded me severely.”

At this, a trace of confusion flickered across his face.

This young man was Xu Shaodong, second son of the Xu Clan—a notorious wastrel, infamous for his arrogance and depravity, abusing his clan’s status to bully men and women alike.

After a chance encounter with Lu Suxue at the Lu residence, he was instantly smitten, and used the Xu Clan’s power to coerce a marriage alliance. At first, things went smoothly; under pressure, the Lu family quickly agreed. But Lu Suxue then traveled to Cloudwater City on the northwest border—and never returned.

Upon learning this, Xu Shaodong flew into a rage, vowing to wipe out the insignificant Ye Clan of Cloudwater City and seize Lu Suxue.

Yet the Xu family patriarch firmly opposed this, ordering him to stay away from the Ye Clan.

With Xu Shaodong’s unruly temperament, how could he endure such restraint? Forbidden by his grandfather, he acted in secret, and so enlisted Lü Mengqiu...

(Glancing at the ratio of flowers to clicks, I noticed it’s 1:10. I’ve decided to update more today. Although my writing speed is slow, I can manage with a bit of extra effort. Thank you all for your continued support~~)