"Hahaha, the snipe and the clam fought, and it is I, Qi, the fisherman, who reaps the rewards!"
An intangible, formless clear wind tore through the mountain forest at extreme speed, so fast it left only a blurry afterimage. Qi Yun's heart was filled with delight, and a joyful chuckle escaped his lips.
'It was worth the trouble of tailing that smiling tiger, Tang Shun, and watching the whole show unfold.'
Pushing his speed to the limit, Qi Yun had fled several miles in the blink of an eye.
After transforming into the Clear Wind, he couldn't exactly fly through the heavens or tunnel through the earth.
But in his Clear Wind state, he could ignore physical obstacles, instantly passing through the tangled branches and jagged rocks before him.
On top of that, the Clear Wind Technique itself came with a speed boost.
The 2.0 version of the Clear Wind Technique had already become an incredibly profound Escape Technique!
Soon, Qi Yun's gaze locked onto an extremely well-hidden cave deep within the valley.
The entrance was only the size of a large bowl, concealed by thick vines, impossible for an ordinary person to squeeze through.
But it couldn't stop him in his current formless, shadowless state.
The cave was dry and small, with only enough space for two or three people to hide.
After slipping into the cavern, Qi Yun first scouted the interior. Confirming there was nothing out of the ordinary, he sat down cross-legged and began to sort through his recent gains.
"'A legacy heir is a legacy heir. We haven't even been initiated, and people like him are already using Storage Pouches.' Qi Yun tutted, his fingers stroking the fine fabric and shimmering gold threads on the Storage Pouch's surface."
Taking a deep breath, he deftly untied the drawstring at the mouth of the pouch.
A rich, pure spiritual essence, so dense it was almost tangible, flowed out like a long-suppressed spring. The entire small cave was instantly filled with a soft, bright radiance.
Inside the Storage Pouch, five items lay quietly.
A smooth, lustrous White Jade porcelain bottle.
An egg-sized piece of strange "gold" embedded in a dark, rugged stone.
Two palm-sized, ancient-looking, cyan Jade Talismans.
And... a simple, slightly old-fashioned Silver Bracelet.
Qi Yun first picked up the Mutton Fat Jade porcelain bottle. He opened it, and a rich, heavy medicinal fragrance wafted out. Just from smelling it once, the meager True Qi inside Qi Yun's body suddenly boiled and roiled, like cold water dropped into hot oil.
It even seemed to have grown stronger by a sliver!
'A Treasure Pill that enhances Cultivation?'
Peering into the bottle, he saw three longan-sized, crimson Elixir Pills lying quietly at the bottom.
A faint golden light flowed across the surface of the Elixir Pills, and wisps of white mist swirled around them. They might as well have had the words "high-quality goods" written on them.
'This doesn't come with an instruction manual.'
Although he knew the Elixir in the porcelain bottle was most likely beneficial, Qi Yun wasn't willing to take it without understanding its effects. He tightly capped the bottle, ensuring not a single wisp of medicinal scent escaped, and solemnly placed the Jade Bottle back into the Storage Pouch.
Next, he took out the strange piece of Gold embedded in the dark stone.
''So this is the Tough Gold that Fang Sea mentioned?' Turning the Golden Stone over in his hands, he found it heavy and cool to the touch, with a faint, sharp aura contained within. Qi Yun guessed that this must also be some kind of Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Object.'
Since it was a Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Object, just like the Wind Concealing Grass...
...why wasn't the Magic Technique Panel reacting to this piece of Tough Gold at all?
Qi Yun tried to use the Magic Technique Panel to perform Refinement on the Tough Gold, just as he had with the Wind Concealing Grass, hoping to speed up the automatic update process.
But the panel, interwoven with mist and ink, just floated silently in the void, ignoring the Tough Gold right in front of it, not showing the slightest ripple of reaction.
No matter how he tried to guide it, it remained indifferent.
''Could it be... that not all Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects can undergo Refinement...?' Qi Yun's eyes grew thoughtful as he recalled the details of when the Wind Concealing Grass was refined.'
That was a Dao Rhyme that was light, agile, and intimately related to the wind.
Looking again at the Tough Gold before him, he saw that what it contained was a heavy, sharp, and pure Metal Qi.
''Or... does the Magic Technique Panel only perform Refinement on Spiritual Objects whose Dao Essence matches the technique?'
'That seems very likely. The Clear Wind Technique is a Wood-element technique, focused on lightness and speed.'
'Whereas Tough Gold is a Metal-element object, focused on sharpness and killing power.'
'The Dao Essences of the two are in conflict, so the Magic Technique Panel has no interest.''
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. With some of his doubts resolved, Qi Yun set the piece of Tough Gold aside.
It wouldn't be difficult to verify this theory.
Once he learned a new Magic technique, or found another Spiritual Object compatible with the Clear Wind Technique, he would naturally have his answer.
Two treasures in a row—an Elixir he didn't dare to eat, and a Spiritual Object he couldn't use. Qi Yun rubbed his aching brow, and his gaze fell upon the two cyan Jade Talismans resting quietly inside the Storage Pouch.
'Surely one of these has to be useful.'
Reaching in, he scooped out the two Jade Talismans. The moment his eyes fell upon them, Qi Yun's eyebrows shot up, and a smile crept onto his lips.
'Finally.'
On each of the two Jade Talismans, clear characters were carved in a vigorous, ancient seal script.
One was inscribed with "Red Night Sword Qi."
The other was inscribed with "Basic Sword Qi."
He channeled a thread of True Qi into the two Jade Talismans. In an instant, a vast and complex array of text, diagrams, and detailed annotations for visualization and comprehension surged out from the Jade Talismans, projecting clearly into the air before Qi Yun!
Tilting his head up to stare at the floating text and diagrams, Qi Yun's eyes burned with intensity as he branded the contents into his mind, word by word.
''First, one must cultivate Basic Sword Qi. Then, by using a Secret Skill to absorb the Blood Essence Qi of living Cultivators, one can master the even more powerful, vicious, and terrifying Red Night Sword Qi.'
'It requires Basic Sword Qi as a prerequisite and uses the Blood Essence Qi of the living to consecrate and sharpen the blade.'
'No wonder Tang Shun, who used this Sword Skill, could defy the odds and kill Fang Sea of the Qi Refining Second Layer with his own Qi Refining First Layer Cultivation.''
Having witnessed the tyrannical and terrifying power of the Red Night Sword Qi, Qi Yun shook his head.
'It's a good thing I didn't run into Tang Shun the moment I entered the valley. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have become another wronged soul sacrificed to his sword.'
With a wave of his hand, he put away the Jade Talisman containing the Red Night Sword Qi. Qi Cultivator then turned to look at the Basic Sword Qi.
'The Red Night Sword Qi is powerful, but I don't plan on practicing it.'
'The characteristics of this Sword Dao Dharma Gate are too distinct; its origins would be obvious at a glance. If I practice it, it would be the same as telling Tang Shun that I was the one who took the Storage Pouch.'
'To so openly offend a smiling tiger who has a backer in the Infinite Demon Sect...'
'...is not a rational move.'
'In comparison, Basic Sword Qi is much more suitable. It's not as conspicuous as Red Night Sword Qi.'
'Common, ordinary, inconspicuous.'
'It's one of the common offensive Magic techniques for beginner Cultivators and will absolutely not attract any attention.'
'Besides, although the power of Basic Sword Qi can't compare to Red Night Sword Qi...'
'...I have the Magic Technique Panel.'
'A 1.0 version of Basic Sword Qi might not compare.'
'But what about a 2.0? Or a 3.0?'
'Most importantly, the Dao Essence of Basic Sword Qi is broad. It counts as a Sword Dao Technique, but it's also a bona fide Gold Element Technique!'
'This way, the piece of Tough Gold in my possession might actually be useful!'
...