"Let's leave it at that and not mention it again! Qin Mu can give us whatever he wants! It doesn't matter if he doesn't give us anything. Yue'er, you've worked hard, go and rest." Qin Yao raised his hand and said forcefully.
Seeing that Qin Yao had made up his mind, the others naturally had nothing to say, and since they all had their own things to do, they dispersed.
Watching the departing figures, Qin Yao couldn't help but rub his forehead. He had many more things to consider, and he had to consider everything comprehensively. The breakthrough of the secret realm would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the Qin family. For such a large family, discontent was inevitable, and how to handle it needed to be done properly. Being the head of the family didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted; otherwise, the family would be doomed sooner or later. Maintaining the family's stability and prosperity was his most important responsibility.
"Congratulations, Second Master Qin! The secret realm has finally been conquered, and the Qin family's thousand-year-old wish has been fulfilled." In the Qin family mansion, a young man smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Are you here to mock me?" Qin Xian said unhappily.
"What makes you say that, Second Master? I've come here sincerely to offer my congratulations," the young man said, astonished.
"Then there's no need. Although the secret realm has been destroyed, the inheritance is not in my hands. Let's call it a day." Seeing that the young man really didn't know, Qin Xian didn't bother with him and said with a sullen expression.
"Could it have been taken by the orcs?" The young man's calm demeanor vanished as he asked anxiously.
"No, not at all." Qin Xian shook his head and sat down.
"That's good. Doesn't the Qin family have an agreement that whoever receives the inheritance needs to leave a copy? Making a copy is no big deal for Second Master." The young man breathed a sigh of relief.
"The person who received the inheritance has done the Qin family a great favor. My elder brother has already decided not to interfere in this matter and to let him take it out whether he wants to or not," Qin Xian said, shaking his head.
"What? Is that so?" Upon hearing this, the young man frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "I wonder who received the inheritance?"
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but it's not exactly a secret."
"Thank you very much, Second Master. I am deeply grateful."
"Hmm! The one who received the inheritance is Qin Huaidao, Qin Shubao's son," Qin Xian said, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Qin Qiong's son!" Upon hearing this, the young man frowned again.
"That's right. Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, it's pretty close to the truth."
"I wonder if Second Master could do me a favor?"
"I can't help you with this."
"This is not difficult for you, Second Master. As long as you help, there will be additional rewards afterward," the young man pleaded, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"What is it?" Qin asked warily.
"I would like to ask you, Second Master, to ask the Qin family boy for a copy of the Strategist's legacy."
"Wasn't the secret realm set up by Wei Liaozi? Could it be that he is also proficient in the art of diplomacy?" Qin Xian asked in astonishment.
“Wei Liaozi belongs to the Guigu lineage. Since the pre-Qin period, no successor of the Guigu lineage has walked the world. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the inheritance has been left in the secret realm,” the young man explained after a moment of silence.
"You don't want the military strategist's legacy, but insist on the legacy of the strategist school. Li Chengdao, it seems you're still not giving up!" Qin Xian shook his head and sighed.
“A single word can make or break a nation! This is my last hope, and I beg you, Second Master, to grant it.” Li Chengdao stood up, bowed, and said.
"I can't guarantee whether this will succeed or not. I'll mention it if I have the chance," Qin Xian said after thinking for a moment.
"Thank you, Second Master!" Li Chengdao bowed again in thanks.
"No problem!" Qin Xian said, raising his teacup.
Li Chengdao understood that he was seeing the guest off, so he smiled and nodded, saying, "I'll take my leave!"
Take care!
"In this day and age, what good is just talking? To think you can rise to power is nothing but wishful thinking." Qin Xian put down his teacup and sneered as Li Chengdao disappeared from sight.
………………
Qin Yaotian fell asleep before it got dark, and when he woke up again it was already 3 AM. This was all because Qin Yue had been coming to watch over him every day in the past few days, which had affected his biological clock.
Upon waking, his first instinct was to cultivate. His experiences over the past few days had made him realize the importance of strength. This was a dangerous world, teeming with experts and enemies. If he were to be carelessly killed one day, it would be a huge loss. He couldn't stay by Qin Qiong's side forever, could he? Even if he did, what if Qin Qiong couldn't take care of him? After all, many people were no weaker than him, or even stronger.
Whether it's cultivating righteous energy or spiritual energy from the Ghost Valley School, those are things that can't be rushed. However, close combat ability can be improved.
The Seven Arts of Yin Fu required him to start learning from scratch, and he estimated that he wouldn't see results in a short time. Therefore, he chose the Confucian swordsmanship from the outer chapter. He continued practicing the basic exercises that Qin Yue had instructed him on without stopping, practicing for half an hour before he began to examine the swordsmanship.
This sword technique is called the Xi Yi Sword Technique, derived from Taoism. Lao Tzu said: "What cannot be seen is called Yi; what cannot be heard is called Xi." Therefore, this sword technique is elegant and agile, possessing the two major characteristics of being unpredictable and dangerous, and adept at using the weak to overcome the strong. The purpose of creating this sword technique was also because the physical strength of Confucian cultivators was generally weaker than that of other schools of thought, not to mention orcs.
The sword moves with lightness and agility, attacking where the enemy must defend, striking directly at the vital points—this is the characteristic of the Xi Yi Sword Technique. The manual not only contains explanations but also a figure wielding a sharp sword, demonstrating each move.
This is exactly like having an old man with you at all times; another advantage of the manual is evident here. Because it's viewed with divine sense, once seen, it's deeply imprinted in the mind, never forgotten, and there's no need to review it repeatedly. Whether a move is correct or not is immediately clear.
Qin Yue had only closed his eyes to rest for half an hour when he drew his sword and began to wield it. Although his movements were slightly stiff, they were still quite fluid overall.
When Qin Qiong entered the courtyard, he saw his son practicing swordsmanship. Under the morning sun, his figure was graceful, and his swordsmanship was sharp. Qin Qiong was very satisfied with his mature, steady, and hardworking son.
"Father! How long have you been here? Why don't you come in and rest?" Qin Mu stopped what he was doing when he noticed an extra figure in the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Qin Qiong and hurriedly went up to greet him.
"I just arrived too, and I didn't want to disturb your sword practice," Qin Qiong said with a smile.
"How could I be disturbing you? I was just about to ask you for guidance, Father."
"Is this a sword technique passed down through generations?"
"Yes, this is a Confucian sword technique collected by my late master, called the Xi Yi Sword Technique."
"Very good! The swordsmanship is ingenious and dangerous, yet it does not lose its righteousness. I have nothing more to teach you." Qin Qiong was even more satisfied with his son, seeing that Qin Mu had only received the inheritance yesterday and was already proficient in it today.
"Father, you are too modest."
"Your father was a military general. Whether it was fistfighting or swordsmanship, he valued power and strength, using force to defeat a thousand troops. So I'm not being modest. You have the inheritance; just practice according to it." Qin Qiong shook his head slightly and smiled.
"Father, you are highly skilled in martial arts and have rich experience. Even if you don't follow the agile path, you are more than capable of guiding me." Qin Mu smiled and gave a light but not heavy compliment.
“Mu’er, you now possess the inheritance of the Ghost Valley Sect, so you can say you have no shortage of cultivation manuals. As for experience and guidance, they won’t be of much help to you. What you lack most is experience in fighting enemies,” Qin Qiong said.
"Father, you're absolutely right." Qin Mu nodded.
"Techniques are static, but people are dynamic. The key is how you use them. Different enemies require different approaches, even if you use the same technique. You can't defeat everyone with one move."
Swords, spears, and halberds are merely tools for killing opponents; the key is understanding their underlying meaning.
"I don't quite understand?"
"The sword technique is domineering, while the saber technique is sharp and fierce. The way they are used is different. Your sword technique is light and agile, so you should bring out that lightness to the extreme. Even if the sword is very sharp, don't think about fighting head-on with others. Especially the beastmen, whose strength is generally superior to ours. If they also have very good weapons, then if you return empty-handed with your sword, you will easily lose the initiative and your life," Qin Qiong explained.
"That's true." Qin Mu nodded in understanding. Thinking about it, it made sense; it wasn't like he was the only one with a sword. According to Qin Yue's explanation, when werewolves were alive, their physical strength alone was more than twice that of corpse wolves. The four major wolf clans—gold, silver, bronze, and iron—had even stronger defenses than ordinary wolves; ordinary swords and blades couldn't harm them.
The markings on the bodies of orcs are called beast markings. When an orc activates their beast markings, their attack, defense, and speed all increase significantly. Therefore, Qin Mu believes it is essential to diligently practice close combat.
Swordsmanship is not about routines, but about specific ways of using it. The same move will have completely different power depending on whether the person who understands the key points uses it or not.
Qin Mu used to think that moves were just routines that you could just follow. But when he received the inheritance, he realized that things were not that simple.
Each move involves many crucial techniques. How much force should be used when striking? Should the wrist tremble? Is this move a coordinated movement of waist and stance, or a sudden, powerful attack? When should the vital energy circulate and be released? There are specific methods for each of these.
If it weren't for learning using divine sense, it would probably take half a day just to learn one move and barely remember it, let alone use it properly.
As for Qin Qiong's description of the weapon's characteristics, he understood what he meant. It was like another world, the way of the sword described in martial arts novels. It required people to use their hearts to experience and understand how to use the weapon, and to bring out the unique characteristics of the weapon to maximize its lethality.
After practicing for more than an hour, the sun had already risen, so Qin Mu stopped and invited Qin Qiong into the room to help examine the treasure.
I don't know why, but Wei Liao didn't leave his name on many things, perhaps because he looked down on them.
"Bronze armor was very common before the Han Dynasty, and the craftsmanship was superb. Later, due to the lack of some technology and the need to make copper coins, it was changed to steel. This pattern is not simple. Like animal patterns, it can increase the specialness of the armor and make them a whole, that is, a set. Wearing the whole set will make it work. You use your divine sense to slowly merge with the armor, so that the whole set of armor recognizes you as its master. This will activate the pattern."
Of course! You can also use blood, spirit, or righteous energy to make them recognize you as their master. However, divine sense is the most convenient. Also, because divine sense carries the imprint of the soul, the equipment that has been recognized as its master is easier to use. Furthermore, as long as the person is alive, others cannot use it unless someone uses ten times stronger spiritual power to erase the imprint of the previous master.
"This is something that bloodline binding cannot compare to. Bloodline binding, even if the strength is similar or even lower, can erase the traces of the previous master over time. I don't recognize this set of bronze armor, but it's a good item. You should keep it and bind it to yourself when you have time," Qin Qiong explained.
Qin Mu didn't stand on ceremony with Qin Qiong and happily put the items away. Then he took out the eight sets of leather armor.
Qin Qiong glanced enviously at the Heavenly Mystery Tower, opened the box, and touched the leather armor, exclaiming in surprise, "This is the style of the Beast Clan, and it's made from the hide of ferocious beasts. Look at this, how intense the ferocious aura is! And these patterns, these are the beast patterns that ferocious beasts are born with. This set of leather armor is at least a set of Earth-grade artifacts."
"Earth artifact?" This was another term he had never heard of before. Qin Mu looked at Qin Qiong with curiosity.
“Weapons and armor are divided into four grades: Saint, Heaven, Earth, and Man. Saint artifacts are rare; your treasure manual is a Saint artifact. Heaven artifacts are also few…” At this point, Qin Qiong glanced at Qin Mu with considerable annoyance and complained, “Your secret manual is a Heaven artifact; your sect is truly wealthy.”
"Many major sects and famous schools probably have this, right? Like the Mohist school and the Taoist school, they should have even more of their treasures and secret manuals," Qin Mu said with a happy smile.
"There are quite a few, like the Confucian and Mencian families, who have even more classic texts and secret manuals, but others are shared by a large family."
"There's nothing I can do about it. I'm the only one left in the Ghost Valley Sect," Qin Mu said with a hint of pride.
"Who said that the Ghost Valley Sect only has you as a person?" Qin Qiong asked, his eyes wide.
"There are other people in the Ghost Valley Sect?" Qin Mu asked in surprise.
"Master Guigu has taken in many disciples, how could he not have any successors left behind?" Qin Qiong asked with a smile.
Yes! Qin Mu then remembered that although most of the disciples of Guigu did not have a good end, they still left behind some successors and writings.
"You need to be careful about this. Once word gets out about the secret realm, someone might come knocking on our door," Qin Qiong warned.
"Father, do you mean someone wants to harm me?"
"It's hard to say, after all, everyone knows that this secret realm was set up by Wei Liaozi himself. Not only people from the Ghost Valley lineage, but others would also be curious about what was left behind."
"Not to mention that many traditions have been lost over the years, even Wei Liaozi's own lineage is enough to attract attention. Therefore, you must keep a few skilled fighters by your side from now on. I will arrange this; just keep it in mind," Qin Qiong solemnly instructed.
"Yes, I understand, Dad."
The thought that he had gained many more potential enemies made him feel somewhat depressed.
"You don't need to worry too much. With your father here, no one will dare to force you. As for some minor tricks, just be careful." Seeing Qin Mu's depressed face, Qin Qiong smiled and confidently comforted him.
"Okay. Father, please continue telling me about the weapon and armor classification system." Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it and not dwell on things that hadn't happened yet. Qin Mu nodded.
Satisfied with his son's attitude, Qin Qiong continued to explain: "Earth artifacts can only be made using rare and precious materials, combined with the skills of a master craftsman; or they can only appear under special circumstances. The former can be made by a master as long as the materials are available, while the latter cannot be replicated."
Of course, their effects are not entirely the same. The latter often possesses special effects, and purely from the perspective of effectiveness, the latter is better. However, it also has quite a few limitations. The former can be used by virtually everyone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com