People who knew Hu well all said he was a good person—frank, generous, and incredibly loyal to his friends. Those who didn't know him, however, would find his features menacing, like a vicious demon, and would give him a wide berth.
For Qin Li, who possessed the mind of an adult, he naturally wasn't afraid of a man like Hu. In fact, he even felt a sense of familiarity. After all, in his previous life, Qin Li's sworn brothers and subordinates were basically all people just like Hu.
Hu pulled Qin Li aside to where a few young people in their twenties, both men and women, were sitting. They looked at Hu with grins on their faces. One of them, a particularly seductive woman, said, "Hu, what's with the kid? He's so young. How could his family let him go out adventuring?" As she spoke, the woman even shot Qin Li a flirtatious wink.
A handsome young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight sitting next to the woman pursed his lips and muttered, "Shameless flirt. You won't even spare a kid!"
"Who are you talking about? He Laosan, don't think you can spout nonsense just because you're one rank higher than me!" the woman retorted sharply.
"That's enough. Stop making fools of yourselves," a beautiful woman with an icy expression said, shooting them a glare.
Hu grinned, not minding them at all, and said, "Heh, that undying old codger Elder Qi is out there swindling people again. If I hadn't pulled this kid over, that old bastard would have probably scammed him to death without him even knowing what hit him!"
"Ha, Elder Qi is scamming people again? That old swindler hasn't made a score in a long time. I really don't get the point of him hanging around here. He's worse off than a beggar!" the handsome young man from before said with a laugh.
This time, the seductive woman didn't argue with him. She nodded and said, "I don't get it either. Hu, you've been here the longest. Elder Qi has been around for many years, right? It's strange. Of all the people he's tricked into cultivating that... what was it, Divine-level Technique, why has no one ever come back to settle the score with him?"
Hu chuckled. "Settle the score? What score is there to settle?" Pointing to a long bench nearby, he said to Qin Li, "Little brother, I really don't know what your parents were thinking, letting you come play in a place like this. Come on, let me tell you about that so-called Divine-level Technique the old swindler was talking about."
The handsome young man, the seductive woman, and the cold-faced beauty all stayed where they were. They all knew Hu; they knew that while he looked fierce on the surface, he was actually a very kind person, so they didn't think much of it. In any case, for years, whenever they saw Elder Qi trying to trick someone, Hu would spare no effort to ruin his attempts. Elder Qi could only watch helplessly. After all, that Divine-level Technique of his had a fatal flaw!
Qin Li sat on the bench. Although he was also skeptical of the Divine-level Technique Elder Qi mentioned, seeing the reactions of these people made him think there was a story behind it. So, he was curious to hear what Hu had to say.
"That Cultivation Technique... it's real!" Hu said as he sat on the bench, his words taking Qin Li completely by surprise.
"Real? A Divine Level one?" Qin Li was a little confused.
"This story starts many years ago. That Cultivation Technique was actually brought out by an adventurer who came out of Phoenix Lake!"
A look of nostalgia crossed Hu's face. "Back then, I was just a young lad. The whole of Yellow Sand City was in an uproar. That nameless adventurer struck it rich overnight. The ancient artifacts he brought back were a hundred times more exquisite than anything today... no, a thousand times! I was lucky enough to see one of them once. It was a cup made of some unknown material. It was so beautiful!"
Hu's face was full of admiration. "The most magical part was, you could pour water or wine into that cup, and it could hold hundreds of pounds! It was practically a Divine Object! Of course, the adventurer who sold it didn't know about this; it was all discovered later. As for the Divine-level Technique, he didn't bring it out at the time. That's easy to understand, really. Who would show off a Divine-level Combat Skill like that after getting one? But then, a year later, that same adventurer, who was originally at the Profound Level, suddenly returned to Yellow Sand City. He brought the Divine-level Technique with him, claiming he'd gotten it by diving back into Phoenix Lake, a near-death experience. He said he'd been severely injured and lost much of his strength, so he decided to retire from the adventuring profession. Therefore, keeping this Divine-level Technique was useless to him. He figured he might as well auction it off to get some money, leave town, and retire."
Qin Li frowned slightly, deep in thought. 'If it were me,' he thought, 'and I got my hands on a Divine-level Combat Skill, I would never sell it! It's like a chef getting a one-of-a-kind, peerless recipe. He wouldn't even show it to anyone, let alone sell it. Unless he'd lost his mind!'
"Could it be that the Cultivation Technique has a flaw?" Qin Li asked softly.
Hu gave Qin Li an approving look and chuckled. "You're a sharp one, little brother! It's a shame no one saw that at the time. The moment they heard there was a Divine-level Technique, the entire continent nearly went into an uproar. All those powerful experts you rarely get to see came flooding into Yellow Sand City. Let me think... it wasn't that long ago. Maybe... thirteen or fourteen years ago?"
A sudden chill went through Qin Li's heart as he thought of something else. 'Could it be,' he wondered, 'that my so-called father, whom I've never met, also came to Yellow Sand City back then?'
Hu continued his recollection. "Back then, that Divine-level Technique was won at auction by some mysterious big shot. Afterward, a huge brawl broke out right outside Yellow Sand City. The commotion... TSK TSK, you could hear it from inside the city. None of the ordinary folk dared to step outside their homes. In the end, no one knew who actually ended up with the book. Then, two years later, Elder Qi appeared right here. Back then, he wasn't as filthy as he is now. And in his hands was that very same Divine-level Combat Skill!"
Reaching this point in the story, Hu paused deliberately, building suspense. He asked Qin Li, "Can you guess why?"
Qin Li's brow furrowed slightly as he said slowly, "The first person who got it suffered a huge loss in strength a year later and then auctioned it off. After a fierce struggle, it was snatched away, only to reappear two years later... Does this mean that anyone who cultivates this technique comes to a bad end?"
"Exactly!" Hu said with a sigh. "After that, when Elder Qi first got here, he was incredibly popular. He distributed hundreds of copies of this Divine-level Combat Skill! Sigh... and because of that, the flaw in this combat skill was finally exposed! The combat skill really is a good thing; calling it Divine Level is no exaggeration at all! But in reality, cultivating it not only damages your soul, but every six months, you undergo a Nirvana!"
"What?" Qin Li was stunned, a chill running down his spine. 'How could such an evil combat skill exist in this world?'
"I, Hu, never lie. If you don't believe me, you can ask around. It's said to damage the soul because after cultivating it, you constantly see all sorts of illusions that cloud your mind. What's even more terrifying is that every six months, your Primordial Power will inexplicably vanish completely, and you have to start cultivating from scratch! Each time you go through Nirvana, you can cultivate the combat skill to a higher level, which is why people say it's a good thing. But imagine if your enemies knew when your Nirvana was, and... they came looking for you right at that moment. What do you think would happen?"
A hint of fear crept into Hu's eyes as he spoke. "Seven years ago, there was a stubborn Sixth-Order Profound Level Martial Artist who didn't believe the stories and got this combat skill from Elder Qi. In half a year, he cultivated to the First-Order Earth Level—an absurdly fast speed. But the moment his Nirvana Reincarnation began, his enemies showed up at his door. He died a horrible death, hacked to pieces... So, little guy, after hearing all this, do you still want to cultivate that thing?"
Qin Li couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. He looked at Hu and said, "Isn't there any way to break the curse?"
Hu nodded. "Of course, there is. At the end of the combat skill manual, it says that to cultivate this skill, you must use it in conjunction with the Celestial Profound Pill. But damn it, no one in this world has ever seen a Celestial Profound Pill, let alone heard of its formula. Phoenix Lake is the most likely place to find the Pill Formula. That's why countless people have gone there over the years. That's also Elder Qi's mission: to explore Phoenix Lake and offer a high price to buy any ancient items salvaged from it. Heh, even if someone really finds something, they don't necessarily have to sell it to him. That old coot, I really don't know what he's thinking..."
As Hu was muttering to himself, he saw the little brat he'd pulled over actually stand up and walk back toward the filthy old man. He couldn't help but stare, dumbfounded.