Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique

"As expected of a representative from the Sword Pavilion, you’re so knowledgeable. I, on the other hand, still don’t even know where I came from."

Qi Huan chuckled, his voice hoarse. He was well aware of his own mysterious origins, but Pei Yan had brought it up so bluntly, with a tone that was less than courteous.

’I can’t beat Xu Yunfan, but against Pei Yan in his current condition... I’m reasonably confident.’

Qi Huan deliberately bared his broken fangs. "But Brother Pei, it seems your Profound Origin Force can no longer suppress the Jiao Poison, can it?"

The cave plunged into a dead silence.

No one spoke.

After finally stabilizing his internal injuries, Pei Yan let out a long, slow breath.

"Thank you!"

Pei Yan finally responded. He was grateful that the two hadn’t taken advantage of his weakness, and for saving his life. His expression, however, was tinged with sorrow as he offered his thanks.

Hearing this, Xu Yunfan naturally understood the reason for his sorrow.

"It seems your hunt for the flood dragon failed."

Pei Yan slowly sat up and said calmly, "Ninety-six disciples of the Sword Pavilion entered this Secret Realm. We failed in our attempt to besiege the Evil Flood Dragon and suffered a terrible backlash. Now, I am the only one left. The Jiao Poison has seeped deep into my body, and I fear my time is short. I can only hope that a Supreme Elder from my Sword Pavilion will once again wield a Divine Weapon, use their power to scour heaven and earth to find the Evil Flood Dragon, and behead it to avenge the fallen disciples."

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. He understood exactly what Pei Yan was implying.

It was both a statement of fact and a veiled warning.

The Sword Pavilion, the leading Sect of Jiangnan Dao.

Among the Six Paths of the Great Zhou, only Jiangnan and Jade Capital were truly prosperous, both economically and culturally. As the leading sect of Jiangnan Dao, the Sword Pavilion’s power was ranked among the very best of the Six Top Sects.

Otherwise, how could he, a mere disciple of the Sword Pavilion, have been allowed to participate in the Various Sects Martial Arts Performance hosted by the Profound Daoist Sect in Lingnan Dao, let alone win a spot and bring other disciples into the Secret Realm?

As Xu Yunfan mulled this over, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of wry amusement. ’A single spot in this place is something others can only dream of, yet Pei Yan, relying solely on his status as a Sword Pavilion representative, managed to bring nearly a hundred of his fellow disciples into the Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.’

However, for the Profound Daoist Sect to have allowed it, there must have been some shady dealings involved. Xu Yunfan couldn’t be bothered to guess the details.

At this moment, he didn’t answer Pei Yan. Instead, his eyes were fixed on him, a stare so intense it made Pei Yan’s skin crawl.

Pei Yan’s expression remained impassive, but his gradually tensing body revealed that his nerves were stretched to their absolute limit.

Beside them, Qi Huan silently scooted back a few steps.

’If a fight breaks out, I’ll definitely have to help,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, once Xu Yunfan deals with this and turns his attention to me, I’m a dead man.’

After a long moment, Xu Yunfan, who had been leaning forward, slowly sat up straight.

He said coolly, "Brother Pei, how about we make a deal?"

Pei Yan remained impassive. "I’m listening."

"I have a Treasure Medicine that can help you purge the Jiao Poison from your body."

"What do you want?"

"I’m missing a martial art that can take me to the Ninth Realm. The technique I practice, the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique, can only bring me to the peak of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, even at Perfection. The path to the Organ Cultivation Realm is a complete blank. I must find another method."

He paused, his fingertips tapping a steady rhythm on his knee. A regular TAP... TAP... TAP... echoed through the cave.

He suddenly leaned forward again, the campfire light dancing in his eyes like two golden sparks.

"When I brought you here, Brother Pei, I discovered a source of Earth Fire about thirty li from here. It could burn away some of the Jiao Poison. If you’re willing to offer the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique as payment..."

Pei Yan’s expression changed drastically. He could no longer maintain his composure and flatly refused.

"Impossible! The Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique is the very foundation of the Sword Pavilion! Its secrets are carved upon the Celestial Sword Stele in our Ancestral Hall. Don’t even mention the fact that I am not a True Inheritor of it; even if our Sect Leader himself were here... It is the Sword Pavilion’s secret technique for Refining the Internal Organs, and it’s passed down directly by the Sect Leader. I have no way to teach it, because I haven’t even learned it myself!"

Xu Yunfan casually poked the fire, the bursting sparks illuminating the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"I heard that three years ago at the Jiangnan Dao Heroes’ Banquet, your sect’s Elder Lingxu mentioned while he was drunk that among the current generation of disciples, only you, Brother Pei, had been taught the secret of ’Sword Qi Circulating Through the Three Jiaos.’ It caused quite an uproar. People said you were comparable to the Saintess of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect, having cultivated a strand of Sword Qi while still in the Outer Three Harmonies realm."

Pei Yan’s heart trembled, and he nearly lost control of his internal injuries. A sweet, metallic taste surged up his throat, and in a daze, he once again saw the flowing silver patterns on the Celestial Sword Stele.

He suddenly remembered that night of torrential rain. He had knelt before the Stele for seven days and seven nights before finally glimpsing the first secret of "Empty Clarity Sword Washing": using the lungs as a sheath and the meridians as a path, one must refine all the internal organs into vessels for nurturing qi.

At the Great Success stage, every breath would resonate with qi, and even a single falling strand of hair could slice through gold and jade.

Each of the Six Great Sects of the Great Zhou specialized in a technique for a particular realm.

For example, the Taoist Sect’s Pure Yang Qi Skill could perfectly merge the three powers of sinew, bone, and skin.

The Nine Radiance Sect had its Nine Glories Swallowing Qi Skill for the Blood Exchange Realm, and Mituo Temple had its Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm...

And for the Organ Cultivation Realm, the Sword Pavilion’s Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique was considered unrivaled.

Once the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique was perfected, the lungs and meridians would all transform into channels for containing qi. One could even retrace their cultivation, re-cultivating all nine realms from the beginning.

This martial art was truly miraculous, almost beyond belief.

Three hundred years ago, Dugu Jiu, known as the Celestial Sword, cultivated the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique to the Perfection Realm and dominated his entire generation. In order to break through the shackles of the Ninth Realm, he betrayed the Sword Pavilion, forcibly stole the strongest technique for each realm from the Six Great Sects, and then vanished without a trace.

Unsubstantiated rumors in the Mortal World claimed that the one who confronted that Female Witch in Jade Capital City that day was none other than the former Celestial Sword, Dugu Jiu.

Hearing Pei Yan’s refusal, Xu Yunfan didn’t press the issue. He simply watched Pei Yan’s ever-changing expression with a faint, knowing smile.

"Think it over carefully, Brother Pei. This Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm is fraught with danger. As time goes on, the scent of our qi and blood will attract many Demon Fiends.

Your sect still hasn’t torn open the Secret Realm to send anyone in, which means they’re probably being obstructed by something. You need to think about that, Brother Pei. In your current condition, it’ll be very difficult to survive."

After saying his piece, Xu Yunfan fell silent. He left Pei Yan and Qi Huan to themselves, picked up his Thunderfire Qilin Hammer, and began to practice his Hammer Technique.

As the wild game over the campfire began to release a spicy aroma, Pei Yan, his expression wavering with uncertainty, suddenly saw a skewer of roasted meat being held out in front of him.

"Have something to eat. You need strength to recover. In your current state, if it weren’t for that Divine Armor you’re wearing, you’d probably drop dead any second. This game is an Exotic Beast. The Essence Qi it contains can’t compare to a Demon Fiend, but it’s much better than any ordinary animal."

Pei Yan was silent for a moment before propping himself up and taking the roasted meat.

"Thank you, Brother Qi."

His mind was still wandering as he watched Xu Yunfan practicing his hammer technique in the distance. He casually put the meat in his mouth and chewed, and his eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

"Brother Qi, this roasted meat tastes incredible. I’ve known you for so long and never realized you had this kind of skill."

Qi Huan shrugged. "It wasn’t me. The spices on the meat... Junior Brother Xu picked them along the way. I was just in charge of cooking it."

’In fact, Xu Yunfan even taught me how to manage the heat,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I would have completely ruined it. I even got a harsh beating from him back when I was learning before I finally got it right.’