Wang Sheng looked at the fallen so-called Heavenly Sect believer with Divine Thought, his expression unchanging.
He hadn’t planned to take action just yet, instead intending to ensure safety while observing how Liu Jian’an and his party would respond on the spot.
Yet before Liu Jian’an and his team could react, the Heavenly Sect believer had already made a stealthy move.
Such underhanded tactics are difficult for ordinary Martial Artists to detect.
“Is it similar to using spiritual power?” he wondered.
Under his Divine Thought, the secretive methods of the Heavenly Sect believer simply couldn’t elude him.
It was a technique akin to hypnosis, but it wasn’t purely spiritual. Instead, it harnessed Qi Blood Power.
However, the method of employing Qi Blood Power was extremely subtle, and unless one had his extremely powerful spiritual power, it would be impossible to detect without direct physical contact.
It was precisely because the Heavenly Sect believer had used this method that Wang Sheng intervened and dealt with him.
After all, encountering such an incident went beyond the scope of a typical trial.
At the same time, he had heard from passersby that the Heavenly Sect tended to retaliate for the slightest grievance, and they would likely seek revenge.
“Hopefully, they won’t disappoint me; otherwise, I can’t avoid taking action!”
He found the spiritual power technique used by the Heavenly Sect quite interesting.
He initially thought the “Lifeless Vacuum Sensing Chapter” was the ultimate method of spiritual power in this world, but now it seemed that might not be the case.
The secret techniques of certain powers were not limited to Qi Blood.
The Heavenly Sect was likely one such power, and he was eager to learn more about their techniques.
Especially that method, not delving into it would leave him itching with curiosity.
If he encountered another Heavenly Sect believer, he might be able to force the information from them.
And it wasn’t just that—if they had methods similar to hypnosis, did they have other abilities as well?
“I’ll inquire about the Heavenly Sect later, see if they have any movements on our journey…”
If they were along his path, he couldn’t avoid playing the role of a highwayman again, and given the Heavenly Sect’s modus operandi, he might even consider it dispensing justice.
As he mulled these things over, Liu Jian’an came back with his group.
Upon their return, they all immediately visited Wang Sheng.
“Uncle Wang…”
“I know what happened; it’s alright, it’s not your fault.”
Who could predict running into such deranged cultists? After a failed attempt at persuasion, they resorted to force.
Even gangs recruiting people promise benefits first, but the Heavenly Sect offered none and wouldn’t even bother to persuade further.
This incident couldn’t possibly be blamed on Liu Jian’an and his team.
“Don’t go looking for trouble, and don’t get involved in disputes over chances and opportunities. Put this matter behind you.”
Seeing their expressions, Wang Sheng offered further reassurance. The minds of children are sensitive, so it’s essential to make things clear.
“Let’s go eat, and tomorrow I’ll take you to see an auction.”
He intended to visit the place where the Yuelai Auction House stored Martial Arts Secret Manuals, and he also wanted to see the auction for himself. Truth be told, he had never witnessed an auction before and was certainly curious.
Liu Jian’an’s group didn’t know that Wang Sheng too had never experienced an auction. After his comforting words, their spirits lifted.
Emotions come quickly and dissipate just as quickly.
After dinner, Wang Sheng handed out a bottle of golden sore medicine to the twelve of them, saying, “Rub it on each other. I’ll step out for a bit.”
The City Lord Mansion was one thing, but he also had to visit the place where the auction house stored secret manuals.
The location of the Yuelai Auction House was obvious, and he found it without difficulty.
“Is this where they store the secret manuals?”
It must be said that Divine Thought was really useful. If there were no countermeasures in place, entering and exiting such a place was a cakewalk, and more so when he had the means of Instant Teleportation.
Before long, Wang Sheng entered the auction house’s storeroom.
Naturally, the place was guarded, and the guards were not weak—a Grandmaster Level guardian who was only slightly less powerful than Gao Tianyu. A Great Grandmaster Level entity wouldn’t have meager resources.
But if even Gao Tianyu hadn’t detected him, this Grandmaster wouldn’t stand a chance either.
So he leisurely browsed the Martial Arts Secret Manuals in the storeroom.
As he perused them, he recorded the manuals in his Jade Scroll using his Divine Thought, something he had also done at the City Lord Mansion. Otherwise, how could he have gone through everything in such a short time?
It must be said that the secret manuals at the Jiangyuan City Yuelai Auction House were numerous, and there were quite a few exceptional ones. Of course, he didn’t find those particularly rare secret techniques and Abnormal Skills that interested Wang Sheng.
Overall, the haul was quite satisfactory.
After leaving behind something similar to what he had at the City Lord Mansion, he departed.
Without a doubt, the Grandmaster on guard outside heard the sound of a medicine bottle falling.
“A powerful being!” he concluded, just as Gao Tianyu had.
Then he found the Medicine King Elixir.
Truth be told, those few Medicine King Elixirs held a great appeal for him and could advance him another step.
But thinking of the iron-blooded measures of the superior above, the Grandmaster Level Martial Artist would still dutifully report the matter through secret channels.
The same incident, different outcomes, yet Wang Sheng, even if he knew, wouldn’t particularly mind.
He had already returned to the inn.
This time, he had gained a lot, including a tome on the research of Qiankun.
However, this “research-oriented” book, a dust-covered gem, didn’t seem to have attracted much attention.
Wang Sheng felt that although the understanding contained within still failed to break free from the shackles of space, further research might well unravel the true mysteries of Qiankun.
This book was the one Wang Sheng valued the most, alongside the secret technique stolen from the City Lord Mansion, as it could corroborate his own research on Qiankun.
After setting his belongings down, Wang Sheng once again summoned the twelve.
“What kind of weapons do you all prefer?”
Since Seventh-Grade Martial Artists cannot harness Qi Blood Power to enhance their weapons, there had been no rush for them to choose their arms within the stockade.
Yet Wang Sheng thought it was time to begin selecting; no need for expertise, but at least a preference should be known, a specialty identified, to better understand oneself.
Soon, they chose their weapons based on their preferences.
Liu Jian’an chose a saber; Wang Lingwei’s choice was a spear. It seemed because he had seen him practice, Zhou Tian went with…
Wang Sheng didn’t comment upon receiving their answers, but simply brought out the Jade Scroll, then found the corresponding weapon basics for them to study.
“The task ahead is to transcribe the contents in your minds, then start learning. Once you master these basics, we will move on to real martial techniques.
Remember, if it’s not suitable, let me know. Change it sooner rather than later; no need to be stubborn about it.”
After giving this instruction, Wang Sheng then began to study his own materials.
The foremost was Qiankun.
Secret techniques served as a means to accumulate knowledge, which didn’t require haste, but Qiankun was something he presently regarded as critically important.
After a Breakthrough, Wang Sheng was nearly unable to extract anything new from the original Qiankun Secret Manual; he could only slowly improve his comprehension and, with the help of the progress bar, gather more knowledge.
With the progress bar’s assistance, improvement was still possible, but without a solid foundation, advancement was slow.
To this day, Qiankun’s progress remained a single Breakthrough.
This newly acquired book, however, provided a fresh perspective.
So, while Liu Jian’an, Wang Lingwei, and others were transcribing the secret manuals, he delved into this particular work.
“Qiankun refers to space, but what is space? The heaven and earth in all directions…”
This book’s explanations, while not very profound, were nonetheless intriguing.
The author seemed to approach space from a scientific angle, and from there began to explore what spatial binding truly was.
Of course, perhaps limited by his own understanding, the author failed to decipher the true answers.
Thus far, the material predominantly covered research on spatial binding—making up most of the book’s content.
But then, the text took a turn.
“I have studied Qiankun for over a decade with little to show for it. Hence, I changed my research approach. Space is not just constraints; all around heaven and earth is space. Could it be seen as a whole…”
This was the part Wang Sheng found most compelling.
The author envisioned space as a whole entity.
Believing that no matter where one was, they resided within space.
“If this is the case, can one instantaneously travel from here to there? After all, being part of one, space is like a sheet of paper, also a whole. If the paper is folded, connecting two points, could space be like this?”
This was the author’s hypothesis, and he also made many attempts to prove it.
Regrettably, despite his high talent, he achieved no results; the conclusions he drew could not even be considered theoretical, just conjecture—at least that’s what those who discovered his book thought; there were even reviews to that effect.
Yet Wang Sheng discerned the author’s conjectures about the theory of space jump, which is super-long-distance space movement.
Unfortunately, this person had died before making any breakthroughs, and the manual eventually ended up in the hands of Yuelai Auction House and was acquired by Wang Sheng.
To say that the book had any practical use, well, it truly didn’t.
But, if it fell into the hands of someone interested and talented, it would be invaluable.
After scrutinizing the work, Wang Sheng suddenly realized that he didn’t necessarily have to seek Martial Arts Secret Manuals; even essays on various topics could be treasures to him.
Like this book on Qiankun research.
Neither the seller nor Yuelai Auction House paid much heed to it, relegating it to the bottom of a chest, never contemplating auctioning it.
Or maybe it had once been put up for auction but failed to sell, ultimately left to fill the storeroom.
Because the ideas within were simply unattainable.
But that was for others.
Wang Sheng was different; he possessed space-related skills.
Some of the techniques in the book, he could indeed accomplish.
This was the validation.
Theory plus validation equals progress in this field, and this is precisely the kind of progression Wang Sheng sought!