Ascension Day

Xu Ying was taken aback, then laughed. "Xiaodie, you're a true heroine, every bit the equal of a man."

He accepted the Guo Family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique and began to meticulously instruct Guo Xiaodie, releasing his Sword Intent to guide her.

Guo Xiaodie was a figure of such talent that she had once forced Xu Ying to use the Yuan Yu Eight Sounds without him being able to secure a victory. Her aptitude and comprehension were both superb. Furthermore, the Guo Family was a Martial Nuo Family, so she already had a foundation in nourishing Sword Qi, allowing her to learn with incredible speed.

However, the Sword Control Technique demanded not only a high comprehension of Swordsmanship but also powerful control over one's Divine Consciousness. The very reason Xu Ying had collaborated with Yuan Weiyang to complete the Sword Control Technique was that Yuan Weiyang's mastery of Divine Consciousness far surpassed his own.

"Xiaodie, if you have any trouble with Divine Consciousness Sword Manipulation, feel free to ask Brother Yuan," Xu Ying said. "He and I created this Sword Control Technique together, and his skill in that area is even greater than mine."

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiaodie secretly felt a pang of regret. 'If I'd known, I would have just taken my dowry and married into the Yuan Family! Why am I trying to be some great heroine? Wouldn't it be much better to be all lovey-dovey with Brother Weiyang?'

But she had a bold and straightforward personality, and after a moment, she put the matter out of her mind and focused wholeheartedly on learning Swordsmanship.

Atop the Phoenix Tree, Xu Ying supervised her sword practice, worried she might fall. But then he recalled that the Guo Family's Cloud Ladder Celestial Soaring technique was exquisitely profound. With a single leap, she could move with incredible speed, so there was no danger of her falling to her death. With that in mind, he took his leave.

Xu Ying looked down the mountain and saw that many more Nuo Masters from the Cangwu Sect had arrived. Donning their Inconstancy Masks, they leaped one by one into Jade Lake and dived into the Cangwu Abyss. 'I wonder what kind of Magic Skill the Emperor is using for his Cultivation,' he thought. 'Why does he need so much Yang Qi every single day?'

He returned to Wutong Palace and took out the Guo Family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique. After reading through it once, he understood the mysteries of the Jiang Palace.

The Guo Family's Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique was used to determine the location of the Jiang Palace. The Jiang Palace Secret Treasury, as the hub of the Six Secrets of the Human Body, governed Heart Power. A strong heart meant strong power. Consequently, the Nuo Masters of the Guo Family, regardless of gender, all possessed extraordinary strength.

The Dragon Seeking Positioning itself wasn't difficult; as long as one had the Cultivation Technique, the location could be found. The real challenge lay in how to open the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury.

Before becoming a Nuo Master, ordinary people didn't understand Qi Refining. Their strength was feeble, making it fundamentally impossible for them to open the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury. Thus, they absolutely needed a trustworthy Grand Nuo to help them open it.

The ability of Noble Families to control Nuo Masters and for Jianghu Sects to survive rested on the fact that they possessed the Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique and had Grand Nuos at their disposal.

An ordinary person, no matter how talented, could never open a Secret Treasury on their own.

Unless they were a Qi Refiner.

And Xu Ying was just such a Qi Refiner.

He had opened the Mud Ball Secret Treasury by his own power, shattering the Chaos Mud Pill and transforming it into a Grotto Heaven, from which he fished for Physical Activity in the Sea of Chaos.

Opening the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury this time was, for him, a familiar path.

His Jiang Palace Secret Treasury was located in his left Heart Chamber, hidden within the Xinyue Immortal Mountain of the Mysterious Domain. Xu Ying's Divine Consciousness flew into the Xinyue Immortal Mountain. 'Within the heart lies an eye, called the Heart Eye,' he mused. 'The Jiang Palace Secret Treasury is inside it!'

Using Dragon Seeking Positioning, he arrived inside the mountain. His Divine Consciousness shuttled through the rock until he finally located the Heart Eye Acupoint, which resembled an eye of flame.

His Divine Consciousness entered it, and he found himself before a sea of fire. A vast, crimson blaze filled his vision, obscuring everything else from view.

'The Dragon-Seeking Positioning Technique says, "The Jiang Palace blazes in the Yanyue Furnace; the Spirit Platform is silent on the Great Profound Altar!" Opening a Yanyue Furnace Grotto Heaven within the Heart Eye to strengthen the Heart Fire is how one harvests the power of the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury!'

Xu Ying surged his Divine Consciousness and performed the Contemplation of the Dao Image of Ten Thousand Mountains Venerate Jiuyi. He mobilized the Dao Image's power and blasted it toward the Heart Eye Acupoint!

A great BOOM resounded as the sea of fire within the acupoint churned violently. Fueled by Xu Ying's strike, the blaze grew even more ferocious, with masses of flames collapsing inward into a deeper dimension!

In an instant, a Grotto Heaven formed, shaped like a crescent moon hanging in the sea of fire. Immediately, the flames blazed even more intensely!

This was the so-called "Jiang Palace blazing in the Yanyue Furnace"!

Having opened the Jiang Palace Secret Treasury, Xu Ying felt his Heart Power skyrocket. Streams of heat surged from the acupoint, flowing through his limbs and into every corner of his body, bringing with it an indescribable feeling of comfort.

He had been feeling a little drowsy moments ago, but now all sleepiness had vanished. He immediately rose and went outside Wutong Palace, then with a light leap, he vaulted into the air.

He stepped onto a Cloud Ladder and strode up its rungs. With a sudden leap, he soared into the clouds. Another leap sent him flying thousands of feet away, at a speed that was hardly inferior to the Sword Control Technique!

Xu Ying was like a Spiritual Ape, leaping back and forth through the air with an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

After playing for a while, he wrapped himself in a shroud of Sword Qi and flew back through the window into Wutong Palace.

Though the night was peaceful, a pair of eyes had been watching the sky, following Xu Ying's every move. Only when Xu Ying, wreathed in Sword Qi, flew back into Wutong Palace did the gaze finally look away.

"Proficient in both Nuo Art and Qi Refining, and able to switch between them seamlessly. He's far more brilliant than Zhou Qiyun."

The Holy God Emperor coughed violently, his face turning crimson from the force of it. It was a long while before he calmed down. He waved a hand and said, "Eunuch Chen, go and invite Xu Ying here. I wish to see him."

Hearing this, the purple-robed eunuch, Eunuch Chen, felt his heart jump. 'Invite him?'

"That's right. Invite him," the Holy God Emperor repeated.

A shiver went down Eunuch Chen's spine. He bowed and assented, "And if Elder Zhou tries to obstruct us?"

"I am, after all, still the Emperor."

The Holy God Emperor gave a light cough and said blandly, "Besides, he recently fought with someone and was injured. You may go."

Eunuch Chen assented and turned to leave.

In front of Wutong Palace, Xu Ying was just about to go to sleep when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. He rose to see who it was and found a beautiful woman standing outside. She wore a red robe with a white mink fur collar, and in the combined glow of the moonlight and the lamps within Wutong Palace, her skin looked fairer than snow.

The beautiful woman had a captivating fragrance and a tall, graceful figure. Her eyes seemed to ripple with charm, and her makeup had clearly been meticulously applied. The collar of her robe wrapped around her elegant shoulders, and her collarbones were so defined they looked as if they could hold fine wine. Her bodice was cut low, revealing a delectable sight.