Chapter 146: Chapter 144: News of Profound Island

Qin Li stared at Elder Yi in some surprise. If he hadn’t possessed Prince Wu’s notes, breaking through would have been exceedingly difficult, perhaps even impossible.

Yet this old man before him, a legend said to possess the strength of a Celestial Level, Rank Nine expert, had managed to study it so thoroughly. ’Doesn’t that mean...?’

Elder Yi seemed to read the young man’s mind. He shook his head slightly and sighed. "I was able to discern the essence of the Only I am Venerable combat technique, but I have no way to resolve its massive flaw! For nearly twenty years, I’ve been researching this very thing. By now, you’ve probably guessed that I was actually acting on a request from His Majesty. You must also understand that if this flaw could be fixed, it would undoubtedly unleash a monumental storm! The experts of our Cyan Dragon Kingdom would spring up like mushrooms after a rain. The academy is filled with exceptionally talented youths. If they could all cultivate this combat technique, I am certain that in just a few years, we would possess the strength to directly confront the Noble Sects from those Mysterious Lands!"

As Elder Yi spoke, a flicker of fanaticism appeared in his usually placid eyes, only to dim a moment later. "Unfortunately, after all these years, I’ve never been able to solve this problem. And... you’ve seen how Ning treats me. She doesn’t approve of my methods. She thinks I’m harming people, and even now, she refuses to acknowledge me. Sigh... Ning’s mother died very young, and she’s spent all these years practically alone. I owe them both, mother and daughter, so much..."

Qin Li nodded silently. ’Indeed,’ he thought. ’As a daughter who never received her father’s love, only to see the father she respected going around deceiving people with a flawed Secret Manual... even I wouldn’t be able to let it go easily.’

Elder Yi leaned back in his chair. In that moment, he didn’t look like a supreme expert at the ninth rank of the Celestial Level, just one step away from the Celestial Shattering Realm. All one could sense was his exhaustion and helplessness.

"Originally, I thought there was no hope left. I figured this Cultivation Technique was just something a Great Power from the Ancient Era created to harm people. I was already preparing to enter complete seclusion to pursue my own dream. Although my lifespan is long, my time is actually running out. If I can’t break through the Celestial Level, I might as well just wait for death." Elder Yi looked up at Qin Li. "But I never expected that at this very moment, I would actually meet someone who has successfully cultivated the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable combat technique. Young man, can you possibly understand how excited I am?"

Qin Li nodded. "I understand. However, Elder Yi, I can tell you unequivocally that Only I am Venerable... is by no means a combat technique that can be widely taught. I’m not entirely sure why I was fine cultivating it, but I can say with absolute certainty that for a technique like this, you could search the entire Celestial Essence Continent and likely never find a second person who can cultivate it! Otherwise... it wouldn’t be called ’Only I am Venerable’!"

Elder Yi sighed and nodded. "You’re right. I’ve already given up on that idea. Young man, you need not suspect I would take any action against you. Rest assured, until you have reached your full potential, I will spare no effort to protect you! I will never expose your identity. I just want to see what kind of realm this combat technique I’ve studied for over twenty years can truly achieve! I trust you won’t refuse my kind offer, right?"

As he spoke, a smug smile spread across his wrinkled old face. "Besides, you could say I was the one who led you down this path."

"You old swindler," Qin Li muttered, pursing his lips. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Hahaha, you little rascal, I like you!" Elder Yi said, passing the original copy of the Only I am Venerable combat technique from the table to Qin Li. "Take it. It also contains some of my own insights and notes. I hope they can be of some help to you!"

A faint sense of warmth touched Qin Li’s heart. He then smiled and said, "Go on, Elder Yi. You’re being this nice to me, so it can’t just be because you want to see what realm the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable combat technique can reach. If there’s something you want my help with, just say it outright."

Elder Yi shook his head with a wry smile. "You little rascal, must you be so direct? At least let this old man save a little face!"

Qin Li retorted irritably, "You’ve already deceived so many people and led so many Martial Artists to throw away their lives. You still care about a little bit of face?"

Elder Yi shook his head and said calmly, "They were willing! Kid, let me tell you, in all these years, of all the copies of the Only I am Venerable combat technique that have passed through my hands, you are the only one who was unaware of the danger! Besides, didn’t that boy Hu tell you about it? And what happened? You still cultivated it, didn’t you? Hmph. In the very beginning, I would always warn them when I gave this combat technique away. But in the end, they simply didn’t care. That’s right, they did not care! I would tell them, ’Cultivating this is extremely dangerous, but similarly, if you succeed, the rewards are immense!’"

"You’re clearly luring them in."

Elder Yi just smiled. "I suppose you could say that. But human nature is fundamentally greedy."

Qin Li could only nod, at a loss for words. Elder Yi was right. Once those people knew it was a Divine Level combat technique, how could they not scramble to cultivate it? ’Only those who have truly endured the agony of Nirvana would feel true regret,’ he thought. ’But by then, it’s already too late.’

Thinking of this, Qin Li couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. After all, the only person to have cultivated the Only I am Venerable combat technique and survived Nirvana had done so thanks to him!

But Qin Li wasn’t about to mention that. Otherwise, there was no telling what kind of demand Elder Yi might make.

Just then, Elder Yi stood up. "Kid, come take a walk with an old man. In a few days, I may be entering complete seclusion."

The two of them walked through a forest with crisp, clean air. Elder Yi spoke softly, "I planted many of these trees with my own hands all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed, and they’ve all grown so tall."

He turned his head to look at Qin Li. "I do have a small request. I’m about to enter seclusion, and Ning is my only daughter. Though she dislikes me, I know she still cares. She has a cold personality, no friends, and is quite stubborn. I’m afraid she’ll be taken advantage of. If I were to entrust her to someone else, not only would she refuse, but I wouldn’t be able to rest easy."

"Why do you trust me so much?"

"Don’t get too full of yourself. I’ve got a little leverage on you, kid!" Elder Yi chuckled. "But honestly, I feel you have a limitless future ahead of you, and building a good relationship with you is sure to be beneficial. Just look at Hu and those others; they’ve all improved tremendously. Everyone has their own secrets, and I won’t pry. But I want to ask you—as a father, I’m begging you—if you get the chance, just help my daughter out once. All right?"

Faced with such a request from Elder Yi, Qin Li couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Besides, there was nothing wrong with helping Yi Ning out a little.

Seeing Qin Li nod, a grateful smile appeared on Elder Yi’s face.

Qin Li asked, "Why don’t you say all this to your daughter yourself? I’m sure if you just talked things over, she would forgive you."

Elder Yi shook his head. "That girl is incredibly stubborn. No matter what I say, she won’t believe me. She thinks of me the same way you do—as an old swindler."

Qin Li rubbed his nose and gave an awkward smile, saying nothing.

"By the way, since you’re the young man from Yellow Sand City, you must know about Profound Island, right? I heard your fiancée was taken there," Elder Yi asked suddenly.

"That’s right," Qin Li replied. "Do you know about Profound Island, Elder Yi?"

Elder Yi let out a soft sigh. He stopped in front of a large tree, gently stroking its rough bark. "That group of young people from the other day... they were actually from Profound Island!"

"What?"

Qin Li was utterly stunned. He never thought that Xiahou Feng was actually from Profound Island. What a coincidence! It seemed he would probably run into that arrogant, yet still respectable, fellow again in the future.

The so-called Mysterious Lands were mostly Noble Families and Sects passed down from the Ancient Era. They had mastered certain spatial Secret Techniques to conceal their domains. Without knowing the secret, one could search a lifetime and never find the entrance.

"Unexpected, isn’t it? Hehe. It’s precisely because of this that His Majesty doesn’t dare offend them. You must understand, the power of Profound Island is simply immense!" Elder Yi said with awe. "There are countless Mysterious Lands on the Celestial Essence Continent, but Profound Island... has always been one of the most famous. It’s said to be vast, home to a great number of ancient families and sects. Furthermore, its disciples are the ones who most frequently venture into the Mortal Realm, leaving behind quite a few stories."

Elder Yi spoke casually, but Qin Li felt a bit awkward hearing it, because he himself was one of those "stories" Profound Island had left behind...

"Then how did you know they were from Profound Island, Elder Yi?"

"The other day, while Elder Chen and I were accompanying them, one of them let it slip. He didn’t say ’Profound Island’ directly, but they happened to mention an exceptionally brilliant young woman who recently emerged there, saying she was from our Cyan Dragon Kingdom. And as it happens, this old man learned a thing or two about the Shangguan Family back when I was in Yellow Sand City."

At this, Elder Yi gave Qin Li a meaningful look and smiled. "So, you tell me. If they weren’t from Profound Island, where else could they have come from?"

"The woman they were talking about... that was Shiyu, right?" At the mention of her name, a tide of longing flooded Qin Li’s heart. This was probably the happiest he’d felt all day. To have unexpectedly heard news of Shiyu, and to know that she was doing well, was a great relief.

As for Xiahou Feng being from Profound Island? So what?

A cold sneer formed on Qin Li’s lips. ’Forget a Celestial Level expert, I’d dare to fight even if I ran into someone at the Celestial Shattering Realm! This genius, that genius... what I love doing most is stomping all over so-called geniuses like you!’

---------------------