"This rock snake is quite good, even forming a magic core."
Yan Qingshan swung the rope down to the outside of the cave entrance again. After using the rope to pull the rock snake's body out, he used a small knife to cut open its skull along the wound and obtained a dark yellow crystal core. After collecting the magic core, Yan Qingshan returned to the cave entrance.
The hidden cave entrance was covered with rubble, vines and strange trees, obscuring most of the space, making it impossible for anyone to enter. After Yan Qingshan tested the area again to ensure it was safe, he used his sword to open a hole that could be entered and exited, and leaped into the cave.
Deep in the cave, Yan Qingshan stuck his torch into the nearby cliff face and scanned the surroundings. Soon, he found the ochre-colored stone door.
He walked over and squatted down, touching a small bump and pressing his finger lightly. After a creaking sound, the stone door gradually moved upwards.
As the stone door slid upward, a faint glow emanated from within. This was the glow of the moonstone. Though not very bright, it dispelled the surrounding darkness, freeing Yan Qingshan from the need for a torch.
After throwing a few stones without triggering the mechanism and using the carcass of a rock snake as a shield, Yan Qingshan cautiously entered the stone chamber.
The chamber appeared simple and empty. Moonstones illuminated the walls, and in the center stood a chair.
Atop the chair sat a withered skeleton. The pale skull had long since fallen from its place, resting on its thighbone. Lying horizontally, facing the doorway, it looked eerie and strange.
In front of the skeleton stood a long, wide bluestone platform. On it, three locked stone boxes lay neatly arranged. In the other three corners of the chamber, piles of golden coins and other valuables gleamed.
The sheer number of gold coins alone was staggering, a cursory glance revealing no fewer than hundreds of thousands. There was also other valuable gold and silver treasures, totaling at least millions.
In another corner of the stone chamber, a small flowerbed had been constructed using precious medicinal mud. Within it, a variety of flowers and plants were planted.
A strange fragrance lingered, revealing at least some of the hardest-to-find, high-quality medicinal herbs on the market. Truly, these priceless herbs were the most precious.
The most precious of all was a strange white and red herb in the center of the herbbed. Its white branches were dotted with ice-like crystals, while its fiery red crown resembled a blazing flame. A
faint mist swirled around the plant, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere. This spiritual herb, known as Ice Spirit Flame Grass, possessed two distinct properties. It was a truly top-tier medicinal ingredient, and like the Blood Lotus Essence in Yan Qingshan's hand, it was a key ingredient in refining the fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill.
Yan Qingshan didn't dwell on the herbs and treasures. While valuable, they weren't what he needed most. What he desired most was… He turned his gaze to the three locked stone boxes on the bluestone table.
Yan Qingshan approached the master of this place, bowed respectfully, and carefully took the three keys from the withered hand.
The master of the stone chamber was clearly a senior who wished to leave opportunities for the younger generation. He hadn't instituted any tests, saving Yan Qingshan much effort.
After obtaining the keys, Yan Qingshan approached the bluestone table and unlocked the metal locks on each of the three stone boxes.
On the stone table, Yan Qingshan opened each box, revealing its contents. The first contained a colorful scroll, the second a black scroll, and the third a pale blue scroll.
Yan Qingshan's hand immediately reached for the third stone box. When he opened it, a smile finally spread across his lips. "Just as I expected..."
"Ding... Discovered missing knowledge, recording and analysis begins... Creating folder...
Xuan-level advanced cultivation technique: Lionheart King Art... Xuan-level
advanced fighting skill: Crazy Lion's Roar... Xuan-level low-level fighting skill: Phoenix
Soaring Step... Dou Qi
cultivation precautions...
Lionheart King Art secrets...
Xuan-level flying fighting skill creation method..."
Yan Qingshan's face was filled with joy. Shuguang quickly recorded the information. As Yan Qingshan had expected, it contained the most important martial arts and fighting skills inherited from the stone chamber's owner.
In the original novel, the third stone box in this stone chamber was stolen by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group in Qingshan Town. Later, in the hands of Mu She of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, the Xuan-level advanced fighting skill, Crazy Lion's Roar, appeared.
Although the original novel doesn't mention the existence of the martial arts, the owner of this place clearly intended to leave opportunities and inheritance for future generations. How could he only leave behind fighting skills and forget the most crucial fighting qi technique?
In fact, many fighting skills can only exert their strongest effects with the matching exercises, so the matching fighting skills and cultivation exercises are placed together. The third stone box just proves that Yan Qingshan's idea is correct.
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A high-level Xuan-level technique is practically the highest-level technique found within the Jiama Empire. Dou Qi techniques can be cultivated even with incompatible attributes, though the efficiency will likely be lower than with perfectly matched techniques.
However, unless a fire-attributed technique is completely counteracted by a water-attributed technique, the efficiency won't be significantly lower, at least significantly better than a lower-level technique of the same attribute.
This means that unless he can obtain a wood-attributed technique of the intermediate Xuan-level or higher, the Lionheart King's Secret is his best option.
Yan Qingshan calmed himself down and picked up the scroll of the Lion Heart King Technique to comprehend it carefully. "Advanced Xuan-level, Lion Heart Xuan Gang, forge an unyielding lion heart, condense the king's momentum, and become the appearance of a lion king...
Crazy Lion Chant, a high-level Xuan-level fighting skill, contains two kinds of force attacks, fighting spirit and sound waves, regardless of weapons, fists or feet, and is famous for its powerful attack power. When it is refined to perfection, the two forces transform and merge into one, the angry chant makes people lose their courage, the mad lion destroys their body, the two forces merge into one, a breath of wind and cloud chaos, the power is comparable to the low-level earth-level fighting skills...
Feng Xiang Step, a low-level Xuan-level body movement fighting skill..."
"This Lion Heart King Technique is actually not limited to attributes..."
After Yan Qingshan carefully studied the introduction of the Lion Heart King Technique and Crazy Lion Chant fighting skills, he couldn't hide the joy on his face, and he was cheering and excited in his heart.
On the Dou Qi Continent, most high-level cultivation techniques have attribute restrictions. This means that a technique is best suited for a certain attribute, or is specifically tailored for that attribute. For example, the first technique in the original novel, the Burning Technique, is a fire-attributed technique.
While these attributed techniques are naturally more effective for those with the right constitution, that doesn't mean they're inaccessible to those with other constitutions.
However, cultivation techniques with different attributes will undoubtedly be less efficient than those with a compatible constitution, and the resulting Dou Qi will also be less pure, making it difficult to fully utilize the technique and comprehend its true meaning.
This can render many techniques' core functions completely unusable. For example, if someone with a non-fire constitution practices the Burning Technique, they might not be able to absorb the alien fire. In that case, it would be a yellow-level technique, but would it be of any use? Of course
, in addition to these attributed techniques, there's another category of techniques that aren't attribute-specific: unrestricted techniques, accessible to all constitutions.
However, this type of technique is generally more difficult to cultivate, and its increased power may be lower than that of techniques that align with the same attributes.
But for Yan Qingshan right now, the Lionheart King Technique is absolutely invaluable. Given his background and strength, without opportunity, it would be impossible for him to obtain a Xuan-level technique, let alone a high-level Xuan-level technique. Such an item is extremely precious even to the most powerful forces in the Jiama Empire.
Yan Qingshan, unable to suppress his excitement, sat cross-legged in the stone chamber, circulating his Dou Qi and beginning to switch his technique.
The high-level Xuan-level technique was far more powerful than the Huang-level technique he had previously used as a backup. The pale yellow Dou Qi was compressed and condensed into a green-blue color, and his aura became even more concentrated.
After an unknown amount of time, Yan Qingshan slowly opened his eyes. A flash of white light seemed to pass through the stone chamber, and as he stood up, a gentle breeze blew through the stone chamber.
Yan Qingshan felt refreshed and invigorated. After stretching his muscles, he turned his attention back to the stone table.
Two other stone boxes lay open, revealing scrolls—one colorful and one pitch-black—awaiting their new owners.
"Ding... New knowledge discovered, recording and analysis begins... New folder... Seven-Colored Poison Scripture..."
The first item Yan Qingshan pulled out was the colorful Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. The owner of this stone chamber was likely a physician or poison master, possessing advanced Xuan-level combat techniques and the ability to perform high-level flying combat techniques. He was likely a Dou Huang master.
The Seven-Colored Poison Scripture recorded the knowledge of this suspected Dou Huang master in the art of medicine and poisons. The knowledge and legacy of a Dou Huang master were truly precious to the Jia Ma Empire.
After recording the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, Yan Qingshan carefully stored it and the Lionheart King's Secret in his storage ring. This low-level storage ring had cost him thousands of gold coins, and he'd felt a pang of regret when he bought it. Without the ring, how could he possibly carry this treasure?
After the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, Yan Qingshan finally picked up the pitch-black scroll of the flying fighting technique, the Xuan-level advanced flying fighting technique, Eagle Wings.
Flying fighting techniques are the rarest auxiliary fighting techniques on the continent. Rather than a fighting technique, they are more like refined wings that allow one to soar through the air, a feat previously reserved for those above the Douling level.
On the Douqi Continent, only those who have reached the Douling level can barely glide through the air, barely managing short distances. True flight is achieved only by reaching the Douwang level, releasing their Douqi into energy wings. From then on, they can enter and exit the Azure Underworld unaffected by the terrain.
Douwang masters can only fly by transforming their Douqi into wings, but this flying fighting technique allows even those below the Douwang level to enjoy this privilege