But his gaze didn’t linger on her for long. He turned toward the Radiant Lotus Sacred Sect group and made his way over.
“Yo, long time no see.” He smirked at Wan Ling and greeted her.
Wan Ling happily moved toward him and gave him a hug in front of all the disciples, “Hmm…I missed you.”
Shen Yuan’s smile softened, and he patted her back, “It hasn’t even been that long.”
“Umm…” Wan Ling didn’t say anything and soon left his embrace. It finally hit her where she was as she felt everyone’s gaze on her. Her face formed a beautiful blush that made her lower her head.
“…lucky bastard.”
“Fuck! Why don’t I have such a cute Dao Companion?”
“Fucking gigolo.”
The salty disciples passed comments among themselves, looking at the duo.
Shen Yuan ignored all of them, knowing the most they could do was comment behind his back. No one among them would dare to lay a finger on him.
“You really took your sweet time to arrive here. How did your last week go?” Lei Ranyu came toward him and asked.
Shen Yuan looked at her and replied with a smile, “It was a good haul. I collected a good amount of treasures from the Forest Zone. Oh, and how can I forget Brother Bai Wuji and Brother Liang Hui’s help? I also teamed up with them to fight against the Life Beasts.”
The disciples from both the Immortal Sword Pavilion and Mystique Array Sect turned to look at him. They hadn’t heard much about the disciples from their sects who were in the Forest Zone, as communication is nearly impossible inside the Mystique Realm.
“Brother Shen, do you know where Liang Hui is right now?” Wu Han stood up and asked directly.
With a disappointed face, Shen Yuan shook his head, “Unfortunately, we parted ways after dealing with the Life Beast. I think he said he wanted to look around the Grade of Thousand Treasures for a bit. Maybe he is heading there.”
Wu Han calmly nodded and sat back down to continue his meditation.
Bai Qian or the others didn’t ask about their own sect disciples; they knew that Bai Wuji and the others would come here sooner or later if they were in the Mystique Realm.
Shen Yuan also followed Wan Ling and Lei Ranyu and sat down at the front like the other Divine Grade sect disciples.
“Did you manage to learn anything, Ling’er?” he softly asked.
Wan Ling shook her head, “I still haven’t managed to comprehend a new technique.”
He patted her head, “You still have time, just cultivate in peace.” His gaze then drifted toward the Wall of Comprehension.
Wan Ling didn’t disturb him and closed her eyes to feel the laws of the Wall around them. Lei Ranyu also didn’t bother him—rivalry was best kept inside the sect. Once outside, they were from the same sect and needed to look out for each other.
The rest of the disciples entered meditation as well, choosing to ignore Shen Yuan altogether.
Shen Yuan exhaled a breath and closed his eyes to enter meditation. ‘I…should focus on refining my foundation first,’ he thought to himself, realizing he needed this time to refine all of his techniques.
[You should focus on a few techniques only, learning too many will only distract you since you raise your cultivation base rather quickly.]
Yue Lan softly advised.
‘You are right… Let’s see which ones are worthy enough to focus on.’ He glanced at his system panel, specifically at his martial technique panel.
[Martial Techniques—Heaven and Earth Severance, Basic Sword Style, Mountain Smashing Fist, Falling Leaves Slash, Wind Breaker Palm, Reaper Cleave, Earth Cutting Saber, Flowing Water Spear, Lightfoot Technique, Radiant Lotus Slash, Luminous Shadow Step, Thunderbolt Flash Step, Heavenly Thunder Palm, Lightning Barrier, Storm Summoning Art, Heaven’s Wrath Spear Art, Void Steps, Spatial Distortion, Spatial Camouflage Veil, Eternal Yin Yang Sutra, Heart Severing Blade Technique, Storm Burning Pulse, Oceanic Dragon Armor…]
‘Heaven and Earth Severance… Thunderbolt Flash Step… Storm Summoning Art… Heaven’s Wrath Spear Art… Eternal Yin Yang Sutra… Storm Burning Pulse, Oceanic Dragon Armor… and all three Spatial techniques.’ He quickly made up his mind.
[Ding!]
[Martial Techniques—Heaven and Earth Severance, Thunderbolt Flash Step, Storm Summoning Art, Heaven’s Wrath Spear Art, Void Steps, Spatial Distortion, Spatial Camouflage Veil, Eternal Yin Yang Sutra, Storm Burning Pulse, Oceanic Dragon Armor.]
[…Aren’t these still too many? Most cultivators only learn two or three techniques and master them throughout their entire life.]
‘And why should I copy those inferior to me? I can master all of these techniques solely based on my comprehension alone. Let alone all the time I have to cultivate them,’ Shen Yuan confidently replied back. But his voice turned uncertain, ‘But this Heaven and Earth Severance… I always feel like I can’t unleash its full strength. Do you know the reason?’
[Of course, it’s because it was never a Sword Technique.]
Yue Lan replied with amusement.
Shen Yuan’s eyes widened, ‘The fuck?! How was it so strong then? And what kind of technique is it?’
[It’s an Axe Technique. You should be able to find more here, if fate wills it.]
‘Wait, are you saying the creator of this technique is from this world?’ he quickly asked.
[Of course. Most of the techniques you get from the system are from either your world or the worlds surrounding it. The Primordial Vessel Cultivation Art was an exception to this, as it was from the archaic past of another realm.]
Shen Yuan took a deep breath to calm his emotions. He couldn’t imagine the power of Heaven and Earth Severance if its creator himself used it.
[You still have a long way to go before you can master it. There are a total of Nine Forms in the Heaven and Earth Severance technique, and you have only mastered three out of them. Of course, the limiting factor here is your cultivation base. After all, it is a Peak Emperor Grade Technique.]
Shen Yuan got silent, not replying to her.
Yue Lan looked at him in amusement, sensing his inner feelings.
[Oh? Are you thinking that you cannot surpass the founder of this technique using his own technique? Well, you are correct. He has already perfected this technique countless times afterward, making it a True Supreme Technique even in the higher world.]
‘Alright, no need to tell me more about him. He is still far away from me. For now, I need to solidify what I have already learned and try to strengthen my Dao Heart here.’ He took a deep breath and shook off the distracting thoughts.
Shen Yuan slowly steadied his breathing, letting his consciousness blend seamlessly with the surroundings. Gradually, his surroundings calmed until all he could perceive was the profound aura of the Wall of Comprehension before him.
As his mind sank deeper into meditation, Shen Yuan felt as if he had entered another world altogether. Strange runes and inscriptions from ancient times appeared in his consciousness, floating like drifting stars in the boundless void of his Sea of Consciousness.
‘This…these runes seem familiar yet distant.’ He furrowed his brows lightly in contemplation. The mysteries surrounding the Wall of Comprehension were far deeper than anyone could imagine.