novelraw Chapter 78 – Guanlei Temple
Chapter 78 – Guanlei Temple
Luo Xiu reached out and grasped the light before him, and in an instant, a surge of information flooded his mind.
Xuantian Transformation, a top-tier secret technique, once mastered, can instantly unleash two to five times one's own strength.
"Secret technique?..."
Luo Xiu absorbed the information he received from the Origin Law. Besides the cultivation method of Xuantian Transformation, it also mentioned that above the ninth-grade martial arts, there exists the secret technique!
And Xuantian Transformation is a secret technique that surpasses ninth-grade martial arts. It is neither a cultivation method nor a martial technique or movement technique, but a secret art.
This secret technique is undoubtedly powerful. If, during a battle, one's strength suddenly increases fivefold, an opponent who was originally evenly matched might be instantly killed if caught off guard.
"If I can master Xuantian Transformation, who in the same realm could be my match?" Luo Xiu smiled confidently. By "same realm," he didn't mean a minor realm but an entire major realm.
For example, from the first to the ninth layer of the Innate Realm, that constitutes a major realm.
His strength already allowed him to challenge those above his level. Now, with the addition of the Xuantian Transformation secret technique, Luo Xiu was absolutely confident he could slay Zhang Lüliang, who was at the ninth layer of the Innate Realm.
Even the half-step Spirit Refining level experts like the Master of Qingyun Hall might not be able to withstand the sudden and terrifying power of Xuantian Transformation.
When Luo Xiu opened his eyes, he found himself out of the Life and Death Pearl, back in the secret chamber outside.
In the time to come, Luo Xiu planned to comprehend and practice the Xuantian Transformation secret technique. Once mastered, it would be time for him to return to Yunlong Prefecture!
He would not forget how the Zhang Clan Ancestor, Zhang Lüliang, had tried to kill him multiple times. In the past, it was because he lacked strength. Now that he had broken through to the Innate Realm and acquired the Xuantian Transformation secret technique, there was no reason not to settle this score.
Moreover, he was concerned about the safety of his parents and sister. Although they were under the protection of the Hunter Guild, there was no guarantee that no one would use underhanded methods against his family.
To eliminate future threats, cutting the grass at its roots is the most correct method.
...
In the major cities of Tianwu Kingdom, the four major guilds have teleportation formations set up. Because the cost of these formations is extremely high, and at least a fifth-level formation master is required to set them up, most forces do not have the capability to establish teleportation formations.
Only forces that control teleportation formations can be considered truly powerful.
The farther the teleportation distance, the greater the maintenance and consumption of the formation, making the use of the four major guilds' teleportation formations quite expensive.
For instance, when Luo Xiu teleported from the county city to Qingyun City within Yunlong Prefecture, it required two hundred low-grade Yuan Qi Stones.
And if one were to teleport from Zuoxing City in Douhai Prefecture to a city in Yunlong Prefecture, it would cost at least two hundred mid-grade Yuan Qi Stones, a price that is a hundred times higher.
Even the Spirit Refining Martial Sect would be reluctant to bear such a cost, and even a Martial King would feel the pinch when using it for travel.
Although Luo Xiu was a talented member within the Hunter Guild, the guild's resources were not provided for free. To teleport from Zuoxing City to Qingyun City in Yunlong Prefecture, he needed three hundred mid-grade Yuan Qi Stones.
Previously, he had almost exhausted his mid-grade and low-grade Yuan Qi Stones to enhance his cultivation. Later, he exchanged some from hunting demonic beasts, but he only had less than ten thousand low-grade Yuan Qi Stones.
And three hundred mid-grade Yuan Qi Stones are equivalent to thirty thousand low-grade Yuan Qi Stones.
Although Luo Xiu still had several hundred high-grade Yuan Qi Stones, which he obtained from the storage ring of Martial Lord Su Jingyun in Ghostly Yin Valley.
The higher the grade of the Yuan Qi Stone, the purer the Yuan Qi contained within, making it more suitable for cultivation. For instance, using low-grade Yuan Qi Stones for cultivation as an Innate Martial Master would have negligible effects. The higher one's cultivation, the more one requires higher-grade cultivation resources.
Su Jingyun, in life, was a Martial Lord-level expert, yet his storage ring contained only a few hundred high-grade Yuan Qi Stones, indicating their preciousness.
Using high-grade Yuan Qi Stones for teleportation would be too conspicuous, and even members within the Hunter Guild might become greedy, as not everyone is so upright.
Luo Xiu was well aware that his strength was still too weak, and he had to consider all aspects of gains and losses in his actions.
With this in mind, Luo Xiu decided to cross the Guanlei Mountain Range again. Once he returned to Yunlong Prefecture, the cost of using the teleportation formation would not be as high.
Half a month later, Luo Xiu took a Transforming Bone Pill to change his appearance and walked out of the Hunter Guild.
During this half-month, Luo Xiu had already initially mastered Xuantian Transformation, allowing his strength to double in an instant.
Naturally, a secret technique like this couldn't be without limitations. For instance, each activation of Xuantian Transformation would place a significant burden on the martial artist's body. Frequent use could harm oneself.
Theoretically, Xuantian Transformation could increase strength by up to five times, but the greater the increase, the greater the burden on the body.
"Yongchang Pavilion is organizing an exploration of Guanlei Temple, and the team is short of six people, requiring those with Innate Realm cultivation or higher."
As soon as Luo Xiu stepped out of the Hunter Guild, he saw a burly man shouting loudly at the guild's entrance.
"Guanlei Temple?"
"I'm in!"
"I'm at the third layer of the Innate Realm, I want to sign up!"
There was a commotion at the entrance of the Hunter Guild, with many Innate experts rushing forward.
"The three major forces rarely recruit outsiders to explore Guanlei Temple."
"Yes, I've heard that Guanlei Temple is very dangerous, but there are many treasures there. It's said that even Martial King-level experts go there to comprehend blade intent."
"Heh, just by following Yongchang Pavilion's team, picking up some good stuff at Guanlei Temple would be far more valuable than hunting several second-level demonic beasts."
The recruitment scene by Yongchang Pavilion was lively.
Anyone familiar with the Guanlei Mountain Range would know about Guanlei Temple.
Guanlei Temple is located in the central area of the Guanlei Mountain Range, marked as deep purple on the simplified map Luo Xiu had.
Ghostly Yin Valley was marked as a red area, indicating danger.
Guanlei Temple, marked as deep purple, indicated peril!
It's said that the Guanlei Mountain Range was named after a powerful figure named Guanlei who once cultivated in seclusion within the mountains.
Guanlei Temple was the place where this powerful figure secluded himself. Near Guanlei Temple, danger could arise at any moment, but there were also many opportunities and treasures.
Guanlei was a master of the blade, reputed for his profound blade technique. Many martial artists who practiced blade techniques would come seeking traces left by Guanlei, hoping to comprehend the mysteries of the blade.
Luo Xiu, now quite knowledgeable about martial cultivation, understood that aside from the division of cultivation levels, there was also the division of realms, which involved transitioning from technique to Dao.
Whether it was fist techniques, palm techniques, sword techniques, or blade techniques, they all fell under the category of techniques, divided into four levels: initial achievement, minor achievement, major achievement, and perfection.
For example, Luo Xiu's Swift Sword had reached major achievement, equivalent to the major achievement realm in sword techniques.
If one could surpass the perfection realm in sword techniques, it would mean transitioning from technique to Dao, transcending the category of sword techniques and reaching the level of Sword Dao.
According to what Luo Xiu knew, the first realm of entering the Dao was martial intent, such as fist intent, sword intent, blade intent, and so on.
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Originally, Luo Xiu planned to wait until his Swift Sword reached the perfection realm before going near Guanlei Temple to comprehend blade intent, in hopes of understanding his own sword intent.
However, during this crossing of the Guanlei Mountain Range, he also had the idea of visiting Guanlei Temple. Since someone was organizing a team to go there, it seemed like a good opportunity.
"Make way, I'm signing up!"
A loud shout arose from the crowd. With so many people trying to sign up, some became impatient when they couldn't squeeze through.
A gust of wind approached from behind, as a middle-aged man reached out to grab Luo Xiu's collar.
Before the man could grab him, Luo Xiu suddenly turned around, his right hand darting out like lightning, grasping the man's wrist.
"Brat, if you're not signing up, then get out of the way."
The middle-aged man snorted coldly, channeling his Innate True Qi, and shook his wrist, attempting to shake off Luo Xiu's hand.
However, his True Qi was like a clay ox entering the sea, as Luo Xiu's hand clamped onto his wrist like iron pincers, unmoving.
"Who said I'm not signing up?" Luo Xiu snorted coldly, raising his hand to fling the man aside. The middle-aged man staggered backward, bumping into the people behind him.
"Why are you being so rough? Everyone wants to sign up, not just you," a few people who were bumped complained.
The middle-aged man, however, shouted angrily, "You brat, just because you have some skills, you think you can be arrogant? Let's see if everyone agrees."
Clearly, the middle-aged man had started it, but Luo Xiu became the target of everyone's ire.
"Let's all take him down and throw him out," the middle-aged man continued to shout.
A few people gathered around, seemingly ready to make a move, while others watched with a spectator's mindset.
A cold glint flashed in Luo Xiu's eyes as he reached for the sword hilt on his back.
"Clang!"
The sound of the Battle Sword unsheathing echoed through the crowd, crisp and resonant, reverberating in everyone's ears.
Many only saw a flash of black light, and in the next moment, Luo Xiu's Shadow Sword was already back in its sheath.
The middle-aged man who had caused the trouble stood there, dumbfounded, as a few of his eyelashes drifted down.
"You..." The man's lips trembled, clearly shaken. He knew that if the other had wanted to kill him, he would have been dead from that strike.
What a swift sword!
The nearby onlookers now gazed at Luo Xiu with a mix of awe and apprehension. A person with such skill was not someone to be easily provoked.
The few who had been clamoring to teach Luo Xiu a lesson quickly quieted down, swallowing nervously and retreating a few steps.
This is the survival law among martial artists: strength reigns supreme!
"Haha, what a fine display of swift swordsmanship. There are three spots left; would you like to join us, young man?"
The burly man from Yongchang Pavilion, responsible for recruiting, had noticed the commotion and exclaimed in admiration, smiling at Luo Xiu.
"With pleasure," Luo Xiu replied with a smile and a nod.
The crowd parted to make way, and Luo Xiu walked over, joining the other three who had already been selected, under the envious eyes of the others.
"There are two spots left, those with higher cultivation will be prioritized!" the burly man continued to shout.
Before long, two more people were selected. Among the six spots, Luo Xiu noticed that aside from himself, the others were all at least at the fifth layer of the Innate Realm, with the highest being a man in a green robe at the seventh layer.
"Please follow me," the burly man said to Luo Xiu and the others after selecting the candidates.
"I see you're quite young, probably around twenty. What's your cultivation level?" the burly man asked Luo Xiu.
Even though he had taken the Transforming Bone Pill, it only changed his appearance and bone structure, so Luo Xiu still looked very young.
"Innate Realm, first layer," Luo Xiu replied, not hiding his cultivation level.
"Innate Realm, first layer?" The burly man was taken aback, and the others also had strange expressions.
They had witnessed Luo Xiu's swordsmanship earlier, which even those at the fifth layer of the Innate Realm would struggle to avoid. Did this mean that this guy, at the first layer, had the strength to match those at the fifth layer?
If they knew that the sword strike wasn't even Luo Xiu's true level, and that he wasn't twenty but fourteen years old, they would be even more astonished.