Cui Yin saw his newly accepted disciple staring blankly at the Heavenly Mystery Art and assumed Moyuan was completely overwhelmed by it, a touch of smug pride rising in his heart.
"Disciple, no need to be so surprised. This is merely the most foundational cultivation method of our lineage."
If outsiders were to hear such a remark, there is no telling how many would curse him to high heaven.
An Earth-grade cultivation method—did he think they were common cabbages?
Forget having an Earth-grade method; possessing even a decent Profound-grade method was enough for people to establish a sect and make a name for themselves out in the world.
Moyuan was indeed shocked, but not by the Heavenly Mystery Art—he was astounded by the Eight-Nine Mystical Art.
The Eight-Nine Mystical Art fully lived up to the label of God-tier. This technique did not merely cultivate the Mystical Force within the body.
It also concurrently forged the physical body, and most importantly, the cultivation system of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art seemed entirely different from the system of this era.
The Lower Three Realms focused on refining Mystical Force within the body, the Middle Three Realms trained the physical body and the divine soul, while the Upper Three Realms drew upon the power of the sun, moon, and stars to strengthen oneself and put it to use. Going further up, the Saint Realm and Deity Realm involved cultivating domains and divine seals.
Yet the first through third revolutions of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art, though also cultivating Mystical Force, continuously tempered and compressed one's own Mystical Force, causing it to condense a Golden Core within the dantian.
Once the Golden Core was successfully formed, the Mystical Force within the body would undergo not only a qualitative leap,
but its volume would be boundless, yielding dozens or even a hundred times more Mystical Force than others at the same cultivation realm.
The middle fourth through sixth revolutions shattered the core to form the Nascent Soul; with an undying Nascent Soul came immortality.
The seventh through ninth revolutions trained the one hundred and eight Qi cavities in the body; once perfected, one could achieve sainthood directly in the flesh.
As for the final tenth through twelfth revolutions, they involved directly grasping a law of nature, summoning the power of heaven and earth with a mere wave of the hand.
"Disciple? Disciple?"
Watching Moyuan fall into a daze and remain lost in thought for a long time, Cui Yin assumed he had been frightened out of his wits.
"Ah... What is it, Master?"
Moyuan snapped back to his senses immediately and looked at Cui Yin.
"I also happen to have a sword here, the Green Bamboo Sword, forged from century-old mystical bamboo and refined through the hands of a grandmaster weapon smith. Its power is astonishing; though it falls short of a divine weapon, it is still a formidable weapon of the weapon-grade."
With that, Cui Yin produced a dark green precious sword from his Spatial Ring.
Moyuan looked at the weapon-grade Green Bamboo Sword before him, then glanced down at the Demon Sword at his waist.
In an instant, he felt that the item given by his master suddenly didn't seem quite as appealing.
However, operating on the principle that only a fool passes up freebies, Moyuan accepted the sword anyway.
"Disciple, the sword you carry is decent, and its power is indeed astonishing, but it is a Demon Sword after all. Use it as little as you can."
Seeing Moyuan accept his sword, Cui Yin nodded in satisfaction, then cast his gaze toward the Demon Sword at Moyuan's waist and offered a reminder.
Though he knew Moyuan had already subjugated the Demon Sword, a Demon Sword remained a Demon Sword in the end.
Despite its great power, it was prone to turning against its master, so it was best to handle it with care.
"I understand, Master."
Moyuan nodded. He didn't even need to think to know that when he subjugated the Demon Sword, Cui Yin must have been present—he simply hadn't noticed him.
Realizing that Cui Yin had been secretly protecting his safety all along, a wave of warmth washed over Moyuan. His master was truly still the same master.
"Oh, right, Master. When I went out earlier, I ran into someone from the Demon God Cult. It seems he..."
Moyuan suddenly recalled the black-robed member of the Demon God Cult he had slain just moments ago. Remembering that his master was a man of exceptionally broad connections, perhaps letting him know in advance would do no harm.
"Hmm... People from the Demon God Cult? That's somewhat troublesome."
Hearing Moyuan's words, along with the preliminary deductions Moyuan shared, Cui Yin furrowed his brow across his weathered, lined face.
Of course, Moyuan didn't tell him everything; he merely magnified the limited possibilities to an infinite degree.
"Wait here."
With that, Cui Yin tossed three archaic copper coins into mid-air. They traced a graceful arc before landing upon the stone table.
"Six-Line Divination."
One look, and Moyuan knew Cui Yin was divining the fortune of Hecheng.
Cui Yin stared at the hexagram on the table, his brow locked tightly as the calm, serene aura from moments before vanished completely.
Cui Yin scooped up the three copper coins and cast them into the air once more, and they fell upon the stone table a second time.
At that moment, a wind stirred unbidden within the courtyard, rustling the green leaves on the tree and sending them fluttering down onto the earth.
"The hexagram of Kun, representing Water over Marsh—great misfortune!"
Cui Yin could no longer maintain the tranquility in his heart, staring in shock at the divination results on the table.
Beside him, although Moyuan had mentally prepared himself beforehand, hearing Cui Yin react with such expression still made his heart feel heavy.
"Can it be resolved, Master?"
Moyuan looked at Cui Yin with eyes full of hope. He knew full well just how powerful his master was.
He was a Saint Realm powerhouse, after all; if his master stepped in, the matter would surely be settled effortlessly.
Under Moyuan's expectant gaze, Cui Yin let out a soft sigh and slowly shook his head.
"This hexagram is fraught with extreme peril. One misstep, and disaster will strike on the spot. I cannot intervene rashly; once I make a move, I fear it will draw out even more formidable enemies."
"Then, Master, is there any other hope?"
Moyuan suddenly realized that this affair was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.
If even a Saint Realm powerhouse had no way to resolve it, could it be that the Demon God Cult had also dispatched a Saint, or perhaps the Demon race?
"As for hope... it seems to lie with you."
Cui Yin looked at Moyuan with a complex gaze, tinged with helplessness.
"With me?"
Moyuan pointed at himself in astonishment. How on earth did this mess manage to involve him?
Wasn't that utterly ridiculous? He remembered that in his past life, when Hecheng was besieged by Monster Beasts, Cui Yin had urged him to flee immediately at the very first opportunity.
"Mn."
Cui Yin nodded. He was hardly eager to face reality either, yet the outcome he had just calculated pointed directly at his own disciple.
"The single thread of survival for Hecheng lies with you."
"Your master is right. If you want to save Hecheng, you must rely on yourself."
Jiang Shang popped up out of nowhere at that moment.
"Why are you everywhere? Saving Hecheng depends on me—on an Awakened who hasn't even cultivated for a single day? Then pray tell, who do I rely on?"
"Hey, how could it be without me? If not for me, who would you rely on?"
Jiang Shang retorted, a tone of smugness evident in his voice.
"So you have a way to save Hecheng!"
Realizing there was more to Jiang Shang's words, Moyuan asked with pleasant surprise.
"Naturally. But, well..."
Jiang Shang paused right there.
"Don't tell me you're asking for Mystical Crystals again! I don't have any Mystical Crystals left!"
How could Moyuan not know what Jiang Shang was about to say? He simply couldn't fathom it.
Was this old man Jiang Shang born with his eyes glued to money? How could every other word out of his mouth be about Mystical Crystals?
"Such nonsense you speak. If I don't ask you for Mystical Crystals, would you just give them to me for nothing? Besides, you might not have any Mystical Crystals left, but your master does! As a Saint Realm powerhouse, how could your master be short on Mystical Crystals? Even if your master were to scrape a few crystals from the cracks of his fingernails, it would still be more than the amount you gave me before."
"Great, he's set his sights on my master again."
Hearing Jiang Shang's words, Moyuan found himself utterly speechless to describe this wretched old man.
Knowing the disciple was penniless, he immediately set his sights on the master.