C5: The Fiance (1)
Any other disciple would be afraid of facing the elders' wrath, but Li Qiye only lightly scoffed: "Elders, don't be angry. If I were to actually pass the trials, it would be a great contribution to the sect. The hardworking should be rewarded, no? It should only be natural for me to provide some conditions considering the danger of the task."
This elder was extremely unhappy with Li Qiye's attitude, so he roared his response: "Then wait until you have passed the trial, we can discuss them then!"
"So be it!" The first elder nodded his head then continued: "Don't you worry. As long as you pass the trial, you are free to select any cultivation methods with the exception of Heaven's Will Secret Laws and Immortal Emperor merit laws. I don't think the other elders will have any objections to this."
The six elders glanced at each other and contemplated the notion. If he indeed passes the trial, then the elder's suggestion was completely reasonable.
"The other conditions can wait until after the trial." Li Qiye finally smiled: "However, there is one condition that I must state beforehand so that there will be ample time for preparation. Once I reach the Physique Accumulation level, I require a medicinal paste of the Saint grade."
After hearing Li Qiye's request, the faces of all six elders turned sour; they collectively yelled out at the same time: "How greedy can you be?"
Li Qiye pretended to not hear their loud yell and continued while slowly enunciating each word: "Elders, the marriage between our two sects is a great matter. If things go well, it would be an enormous contribution to the sect. A Saint grade medicinal paste might be precious, but I believe that it is a fair trade."
This elder was unhappy and coldly snorted: "Hmmph, you think a medicinal paste of the Saint grade is so easily obtainable?!"
The first elder then glanced at Li Qiye and said: "If you are successful, then rewarding a Saint grade paste isn't too outrageous. But right now, we cannot accommodate you because we lack certain integral efficacious medicines for the Saint paste recipe."
Looking at the elder's body language, Li Qiye secretly sighed in disappointment. He was thinking too highly of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. In the past, its treasure trove was practically boundless. It even contained Immortal grade pastes, so Saint pastes were trivial in comparison.
"Fine, I will take one step back; I want the highest grade of King paste!"
The elders glanced at each other. Eventually, the first elder conceded: "This I can accept, but the condition is that you will still have to be successful."
Li Qiye smiled at the first elder and replied: "Outside of this, I have another small request before I leave for the Nine Saint Demon Gate. Without knowing how dangerous it will be, I will need to learn some techniques and have one or two defensive weapons."
Elder Cao, one of the six elders, spoke with discontent: "Ha, so it seems that you are still a bit wily and trying to taking advantage of this situation for personal gains."
The first elder actually sympathized with this notion and nodded his head: "How about this, in the inner sect are techniques and weapons, you can pick one and only one. What do the other elders think?"
Even though the other elders didn't want to accommodate Li Qiye, they still agreed with the first elder. They knew the chance of success for Li Qiye was near zero. Even if they gave him weapons and techniques, it wouldn't raise the probability by much, but a bit is better than none.
"Elders are worrying too much, I'm not that greedy." Li Qiye naturally knew the thoughts of the elders and calmly smiled: "I heard that we have a technique named the 'Invisible Dual Blades' that can be learned in no time at all. I want this technique as well as a pair of blades to accompany it. Would this be acceptable?"
The elders rolled their eyes from surprise after hearing Li Qiye. They originally thought that this greedy boy would ask for Emperor level techniques, but it turned out that he actually wanted a normal technique.
"Invisible Dual Blades eh?" The first elder stroked his beard.
Another elder quickly responded: "First Elder, it is only a martial technique and insufficient for practical use. In the world of cultivation, even the simplest merit law would outperform any martial art." This elder was responsible for merit law assignments in the sect, so he was very knowledgeable with regards to their manuals.
"That is not a problem! Nan Huairen, bring the 'Invisible Dual Blades' to his peak and give him the best pair of dual blades." The first elder was happy with this simple request. His opinion of Li Qiye decreased from Li Qiye's unwise decision. One would think that the sect would want to give all the assistance they could afford to help Li Qiye, but deep down inside, all the elders knew that no matter what techniques and weapons they give to him, completing the trial would still be impossible. They only aimed to minimize the losses for their sect.
Seeing Li Qiye not being greedy, an elder was satisfied and generously asked: "Do you have any other requests?"
Li Qiye humbly replied: "This little one does not need anything else at this moment."
The first elder gravely said: "Good, go back and prepare, you shall depart in three days. After your return, you can complete the ancestral ceremony to ascend to your position."
Of course, that's only if he could return alive . The elders had great doubts.
Nan Huairen brought the technique and blades to Li Qiye's peak right after he returned.
He was satisfied with the Crescent Moon Blades. The blades' curves occasionally shone with sharpness. However, these were merely of Mortal grade and not fit for cultivators. No matter how sharp the edges were, it couldn't compare to magical armaments.
After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye slowly read the "Invisible Dual Blades" technique. Every word and phrase spoken by him would be replicated in his mind.
Back then when he was still the Dark Crow, even though he had successfully escaped the Immortal Demon Grotto, his situation has yet to stabilize. Sometimes would still be affected by the grotto. Whenever he felt like this, he would immediately seal himself and force his soul to fall into a deep slumber.
He had spent many tortuous years in each era to go to the most dangerous locations. He had fallen to the hands of many masters and had to surpass many tribulations, but because of this, he was able to see many merit laws, even Emperor merit laws and immortal methods.
Because he was afraid that one day he wouldn't be able to control himself and be summoned back to the Immortal Demon Grotto, he always removed his memories regarding the methods and techniques he had learned to avoid them falling into the hands of the grotto. However, the Alchemy God and Immortal Emperor Xue Xi came up with a mysterious method that allowed Li Qiye to quickly understand the truths of these supreme techniques the moment he saw them again.
Right now, everything that was pertinent to mastering the "Invisible Dual Blades" had been recalled. Taking a deep breath and comparing the manual in his head against the version written in front of him, he found that the technique was lacking a certain something — this worried him greatly.
In reality, it was normal for techniques such as the Invisible Dual Blades to be missing parts. In the end, it was not enough to reach the apex. In the eyes of cultivators, this was only a minor art. After millions of years, no many people in the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect actually learned this technique.
Focusing his mind once again, Li Qiye finally understood the hidden truths behind the technique and softly smiled.
Even though his physique, life wheel, and fate palace were all of Mortal grade, his knowledge and willpower were above what all geniuses had.
What was even more important was that when he was the Dark Crow, he underwent numerous methods of torture. There was a time when he was imprisoned for ten thousand years without seeing the sun, so his willpower was extremely fortified. Nothing could ever shake it, and no difficulties could ever make him take a step back.
He gently patted the manual. His attempt at mastering the technique had awakened his memory of the past, a secret that no disciple knew in the current era.
That year, the young Min Ren used to practice the "Invisible Dual Blades" technique. Later, when he became an Immortal Emperor that ruled over the Nine Worlds, he reminisced about this technique. He once again cultivated it, slowly perfecting the normal martial technique.
Of course, this normal technique was not comparable to the Emperor merit laws that he had created as well, let alone the Heaven's Will Secret Laws. Min Ren himself did not want his descendants to practice this technique, either. Thus, the technique had lied dormant in the library of the sect for millenniums. No one had understood the illustrious truths behind the technique moulded by an Immortal Emperor post ascension.
When Li Qiye saw Min Ren perfecting the technique, he would always tease him. Even if this martial technique was cultivated to its apex and was capable of slaying Royal Nobles, no one would want to use it. Normal cultivators could only see the external qualities, thus this martial technique resided in the darkness.
Even after being teased by Li Qiye, Immortal Emperor Min Ren only smiled. It was unexpected that Li Qiye actually guessed correctly about the fate of this martial art.
Emptying his mind of unnecessary thoughts, he picked up the dual blades and started to practice. He was extremely strict with himself. He slowly swung each stroke within the manual; each swing required perfection before moving on.