Yanqi leaned back in his chair and waved a hand lazily.
"Alright. You two got your free answer. Now tell me—what do you want?"
Kai scratched his head, clearly still undecided, his gaze drifting toward the shelves full of weapons and scrolls that yanqi displayed to him.
Lin Shu didn't hesitate.
"I would like a cultivation technique that suits me, Elder Yanqi."
Yanqi looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. I can tell the one you're using now is nothing special. Probably low-tier. So tell me—what kind of cultivation technique are you looking for?"
Lin Shu paused, thinking hard.
"I don't have the luxury of deep knowledge when it comes to cultivation methods. If I choose wrong, I'll pay for it for years."
"Honestly," he said, "I don't know enough to judge what's best. I was thinking something related to lightning, since my techniques involve lightning… or something related to the body itself. Bones, muscles, that sort of thing since you already know that i use a body refinement technique."
Yanqi raised an eyebrow.
"Lightning I expected," he said. "But bones and muscles? Is a little strange since most want something that supports their techniques not their body but it's understandable since you're a body refiner"
He didn't comment further. Instead, he closed his eyes and let his Qi sense expand, rummaging through his spatial ring. After a short moment, two old manuscripts appeared in his hand.
"One of these," Yanqi said, tossing the first toward Lin Shu, "is something I picked up during a tournament hosted by the Stormbreak Sect. That was… what, twenty years ago? Never bothered using it myself."
He tapped the cover.
"It's called Tempest Circulation Method."
Lin Shu opened it and began reading.
The technique was simple—almost brutally so. It did not grant offensive power, nor did it strengthen the body or sharpen the mind. Instead, it focused solely on one thing: efficiency.
By guiding Qi through a spiral circulation pattern that mimicked atmospheric pressure changes during a storm, the technique reduced internal resistance during refinement. Lightning-aligned Qi flowed more smoothly, dispersing excess turbulence instead of fighting it. The result was a noticeably faster refinement speed, especially for cultivators whose bodies naturally accumulated lightning.
That was it. No combat benefit. No hidden trump card. No dangerous backlash.
Lin Shu's expression remained neutral, but inside his mind he was genuinely impressed.
"This is perfect. One purpose, no tricks, no hidden price. Techniques that try to do everything always demand something in return. This one doesn't."
Yanqi watched him carefully before speaking again.
"Too bad for you, though. That one's peak-tier rank one. I said I'd give you a high-tier technique."
Lin Shu closed the manuscript slowly as yanqi took it away.
"So why show it to me at all? Is he doing this on purpose, or is he just being a petty old man?"
Before Lin Shu could respond, Yanqi snatched the second manuscript from his hands.
"Don't bother reading this one," he said flatly. "It's garbage. Absolute garbage. Using it is a good way to shorten your lifespan. Or just kill yourself outright."
He tossed it aside like it offended him.
Yanqi then pulled out three more scrolls and placed them on the table.
"These are all fire-based techniques. That's what I have. Take one of them, and we're done."
Lin Shu glanced at the scrolls,then back at what yanqi took away, yanqi noticed that he really wanted a she thought"got you".
Yanqi smiled, slow and knowing.
"unless you sign another three years contract with me. Your contract's almost up anyway. Do that, and I'll give you the lightning technique."
Lin Shu stiffened slightly.
"I didn't expect that he thought i was gonna leave his team. Leaving Yanqi's team right now would be a mistake, but that doesn't matter it's good that he wants me to stay it means I am worth investing in.
He met Yanqi's gaze.
"Alright," he said. "I agree."
Yanqi studied him for a long moment, clearly suspicious of how quickly he agreed, then chuckled.
"Good choice."
As Yanqi turned away to prepare a new contract, Lin Shu's eyes drifted toward the manuscript Yanqi had dismissed earlier.
"Can I at least look at the one you called a suicide technique?" Lin Shu asked. "I'm curious about it."
Yanqi waved a hand without looking back.
"Go ahead. I'll start drafting the contract."
Lin Shu picked up the discarded manual and read the title.
Infernal Marrow Crucible — Peak-Tier Rank One Cultivation Technique
He said in a low voice,but someone next to him slowly moved his head towards him, Kai appeared to be Frozen as his eyes looked solely on the manual in Lin shu's hands. But he slowly calmed down, no one noticed them since aoyan was trying to speak with her master as he was preparing the contract.
As he read further, his focus sharpened.
The technique ignored the traditional bottleneck of the dantian entirely. Instead, it forcefully absorbed massive quantities of Qi and redirected them into the skeletal system. The marrow-rich bones became secondary refinement chambers, distributing the load across the entire body rather than concentrating it in one place.
The refinement speed was terrifying.
But so was the cost.
The bones acted as furnaces, superheating themselves during refinement. Excess heat had nowhere to go. Even when inactive, the technique maintained a constant low-level operation, slowly cooking the practitioner from the inside. During combat, the heat output multiplied violently, risking melted organs, shattered bones, and catastrophic internal collapse.
Survival required an already powerful body refinement foundation. The technique did not care whether the user lived or died—it prioritized refinement speed above all else.
Lin Shu slowly closed the manual.
"So this is why he called it suicide. For most people, it is."
Lin Shu was about to put the manual away when a thought stopped him cold.
"Wait… the refinement speed of this technique would push my cultivation close to a rank-three talent. The lightning method would only raise me to the level of a rank-two cultivator. Only rank-two techniques offer things like this the price for using this technique is understandable."
His eyes dropped to the pages again.
"It barely consumes Qi. It relies on the bones instead. For most people, the heat embrittles their skeleton and kills them from the inside, but my bones aren't normal. They're already strong enough to endure it."
Another realization followed, sharper than the last.
"I can control my bones. If heat and energy accumulate, I can release them instead of letting them explode outward. My body is already a fortress. If necessary, I can make my bones thicker, denser, stronger."
His grip tightened slightly.
"This technique was written for someone like me."
Lin Shu's thoughts settled into clarity.
"The Tempest technique is safe. Perfect, even. But it doesn't give me an edge like this. This one is dangerous—but the risk is worth it."
Yanqi finished drafting the contract and slid it across the table with a satisfied smile.
"Here. Sign it and take your technique, Li. You'll stay on my team for the coming years."
Lin Shu didn't reach for the contract.
Instead, he spoke slowly.
"Actually… I think I'll take this technique."
He lifted the Infernal Marrow Crucible slightly.
Silence fell.
Yanqi stared at him.
"…Say what?"
He straightened in his seat, disbelief written across his face.
"You want that suicide technique? I pulled it out as a joke. I only showed it to push you into choosing the lightning one. You're smart enough to know that."
"I know," Lin Shu replied calmly. "But I'm serious. With my body, it can work. I've read it. I understand the dangers and the side effects, and I'm confident I can handle them."
Yanqi's expression darkened.
"I'm not giving you a technique meant to kill its user."
Lin Shu met his gaze without flinching.
"Elder Yanqi, you should know by now that I don't act unless I'm confident in my success."
Yanqi's voice hardened.
"You realize this technique is a no return path. Once you cultivate it, your marrow becomes a furnace. Even when you're not actively refining, it keeps running at a low level, outside your control."
Lin Shu nodded.
"I understand."
Aoyan finally stepped forward, her tone sharp with concern.
"Li, listen to Master and stop being stubborn. I know this technique. It's been used before, and it killed most of its practitioners. Even if your body survives the heat, there's no proper release mechanism. The heat builds up, leaks from the bones, and melts the organs."
She shook her head.
"The only way to survive is to refine in extremely short intervals so even the constant effect doesn't accumulate—but at that point, you'd be cultivating slower than if you used a mid-tier technique. You'd be better off with what Master offered you. This art kills you from the inside."
Lin Shu inclined his head slightly.
"I appreciate your concern, Aoyan. But I'm certain of my capabilities. You don't need to worry."
She didn't argue further. Instead, she looked at Yanqi. In the end, the decision wasn't hers.
Yanqi remained silent for several breaths, his eyes fixed on Lin Shu.
Finally, he spoke.
Yanqi asked, "Do you have a way to somehow release the stored heat and force inside your body?"
Lin Shu nodded.
Yanqi locked his brows and said, "Are you sure you want this technique, Li? For the last time—there's no going back."
"I am sure of my choices," Lin Shu replied calmly.
Yanqi handed him the manual. "Just don't die. I didn't make another contract with you just so you could be killed by this useless technique."
"Don't worry. I'll survive," Lin Shu said confidently.
He paused for a moment, then added,
"Though… since I took a technique you said is garbage, doesn't that mean I can get to have something else?"
Yanqi raised an eyebrow and said, "You're a greedy brat, aren't you? No. You cannot have anything else. I gave a banquet and you chose to jump on garbage—enjoy it. That's your choice."
Lin Shu expected as much. He was surprised he even got to learn about paths through his little trick with Aoyan, but he knew that was the absolute limit of what Yanqi would accept. Anything more would have been blatant disrespect.