Godly Hand Valley.
Xiao Li, whose main job was cultivating immortality and side job was being a divine doctor, was currently treating severely wounded patients.
"Divine Doctor Han, this sect victory resulted in the execution of nearly three hundred blue-clothed enforcers! That surpasses the achievements of the past ten years combined!"
"Alright, alright, Hall Master Li has displayed divine might and slain the purple-clothed flag master with six strikes—my ears are worn out from hearing about it!"
"Hehe, Hall Master Li mentioned that Divine Doctor Han prefers peace and quiet, which is why most ordinary wounded patients are not sent to trouble you. Only the severely injured are brought here, and we truly appreciate your hard work!"
"Thanks to Divine Doctor Han, the Qixuan Sect now boasts two youthful heroes. Returning to our peak is simply a matter of time."
The older brothers and even uncles before his eyes spoke of Li Feiyu with boundless admiration.
Hall Master Li had truly become the rising star of the Qixuan Sect. Not only was he exceptionally handsome, but his martial arts skills were formidable, making him nearly flawless.
Moreover, these men treated him with such extreme deference that it bordered on flattery.
Han Li felt a wave of mixed emotions in his heart. These men had undoubtedly been specially selected by Li Feiyu to show off on purpose!
How could the cautious and meticulous Divine Doctor Han possibly be fooled by such a petty trick?
After thanking Han Li, the few wounded soldiers began chatting and boasting among themselves.
"Hey! Did you know? Hall Master Li knows all sorts of things! Back in Qinglong Town, there was a Taoist priest whose Taoist temple was seized by bandits, so he simply joined forces with them. When we surrounded him, that fool actually shouted at the top of his lungs, 'Fireball Technique!'"
The enforcer paused deliberately at this point, and Han Li immediately perked up.
"As a result, that fool threw out a hidden weapon! Then Enforcer Li swooped down, not only cutting off his head but also casually fishing a book out from inside his robes! What was it called... some kind of incantation spell..."
Han Li felt his brain buzz. Could it be spell chants?
And there was even the Fireball Technique! At all costs, he had to take a look.
...
"Greetings, Hall Master Li!"
"Good morning, Hall Master Li!"
"Senior Brother Li, you look splendid!"
With the Qixuan Sect's resounding victory, everyone was in high spirits!
Li Feiyu had been promoted to Deputy Hall Master of Qijue Hall, but he was far too lazy to bother with mundane affairs.
On the second day after the grand assembly concluded, Li Feiyu eagerly buried himself in the Qijue Hall's library.
I, Li Feiyu, am here to cultivate immortality—that is what truly matters!
"Feiyu, ah—no, Hall Master Li! To think that I, old Ma, misjudged you. That Blinking Sword Technique actually has some depth to it!"
Li Feiyu had also noticed that a new bookshelf had been added to the first floor, entirely filled with copied editions of the Blinking Sword Technique.
"Enforcer Ma, this sword technique cannot be learned by those with internal energy, and it places extremely high demands on one's innate talent and personal effort! The saying goes: those with true Qi cannot learn it, those without talent cannot learn it, and those without immense perseverance cannot learn it!"
Ma Rong laughed and scolded, "Among those who enter Qijue Hall, who doesn't think they have perseverance? Who doesn't think they have talent? But rest assured, they aren't fools either. Just reading through those seventy-odd books will take more than half a month. Once they truly understand the difficulty involved, they will all give up. After all, there's a reason why no one has ever borrowed them in a hundred years."
Li Feiyu suddenly said, "Enforcer Ma, you are also an enforcer of Qijue Hall. Please pass down an order to the disciples of Qijue Hall: anyone who is truly foolish enough to wish to disband their cultivation may come find me for guidance. Otherwise, I will not offer any guidance to those who disband their cultivation on their own!"
With that, Li Feiyu rushed upstairs with eager impatience.
The bookshelves on the second floor were no fewer than those on the first, and the books were arranged with utmost neatness.
After a quick glance at the book titles, Li Feiyu instantly understood the current state of affairs here.
Only those who had just become enforcers and harbored strong curiosity would come up to take a look. A casual glance revealed that almost none of them had anything to do with martial arts, rendering them useless no matter how precious they might be.
The several bookshelves were divided into four main categories: vertical and horizontal strategy, poetry collections, Buddhist and Taoist studies, and miscellaneous theories.
Since the Qixuan Sect had once dominated Jingzhou, it was hardly surprising that they possessed such a miscellaneous collection of books.
Li Feiyu started from the Taoist classics within Buddhist and Taoist studies, carefully leafing through these texts.
None of the books here could be taken away, and Li Feiyu did not wish to draw too much attention, so he returned to his room very late every night.
One day, after finishing his reading and stepping into his room, he discovered someone quietly slipping out from beside his bed.
Even the sect leaders might not possess such stealthy skills—it was definitely Divine Doctor Han.
Li Feiyu feigned surprise and said, "Xiao Li! It's already the hour of the boar—what are you doing here so late?"
Han Li replied, "You're nowhere to be seen during the day, a brute holled up all day reading books—who are you putting on a show for?"
Li Feiyu smiled and said, "I was comprehending the Great Dao. Before long, I'll be able to achieve sagehood in martial arts!"
Unwilling to entertain Li Feiyu's nonsense, Han Li cut straight to the point. "I heard you obtained a book concerning spell chants. Elder Mo once said that spell chants and the like might be related to alchemy and acupuncture, so I've come to borrow the book."
The little fish had taken the bait!
Spells are related to alchemy and acupuncture... Xiao Li, who are you trying to fool?
"Ahem! That wretched book? You should have said so earlier—I'll just give it to you!"
Seeing Li Feiyu speak so generously yet show no intention of actually handing over the book, Han Li realized this was extortion!
"You at least need to let me see it first. Heaven knows if the book you got is of any use!"
Li Feiyu pulled the battered *Basic Spell Chants Fragment* from his robes, opened it to a random page, and began to read aloud.
"Mind-Calming Spell: with a single thought the mind is settled, and with a settled mind the spirit drifts..."
"Fire Bullet Technique: when Qi enters the three burners, ignorance is born, and the mystic infants and maidens do not stir..."
"Quicksand Technique: the mysterious female closes and opens while the four symbols are born, fetal respiration and the five vital energies pass through the mysterious palace..."
...
Li Feiyu read haltingly, thinking to himself that these technical terms were simply too punishing.
Requiring both Spiritual Roots and foundational knowledge—being a rogue cultivator was truly not easy!
He knew the plot, but even if the spells were handed to him, he couldn't understand them anyway.
Han Li suppressed his wild joy. Some of the spells Li Feiyu read were contained in the first half-roll of the *Ever Spring Art*. There were a few others he had never heard of, but they sounded entirely legitimate.
"Senior Brother Li, I want this book. I'll give you two more bottles of medicinal pills in exchange!"
"Slap!"
In an instant, Li Feiyu tucked the two bottles of divine medicine into his robes and slapped the table.
"Consultant Han, this will not do! You must still fulfill two conditions for this lord! First, you are responsible for training me so that I can understand spell chants as well. Second, I have selected five clever outer sect disciples—you will teach them your medical skills. As for how to teach them and whether you go to them or they come to you, you decide!"
A mere deputy hall master calling himself "this lord"! If he weren't currently begging for a favor, Han Li would definitely have roasted him mercilessly!
Since Han Li did not yet possess a systematic understanding of cultivating immortality, he didn't think too much of it.
"Deal!"
For the next month, Li Feiyu lived in Godly Hand Valley every single day.
Hall Master Li and Consultant Han shared their meals at the same table and slept in the same quarters.
Holding nothing back, Han Li taught Li Feiyu all the foundational cultivation techniques Elder Mo had taught him. As for himself, he could only read the books first and practice the spells after Li Feiyu left.
Through this period of devilish training, Li Feiyu was finally able to recognize basic cultivation techniques and understand spell chants.
During this past month, there were two people within the Qixuan Sect who were the most anxious.
One was Zhang Xiuer, who was burning with anxiety upon seeing Li Feiyu eating and living with another man.
The other was Wang Juechu, who began to suspect that Li Feiyu's shortcut method might actually be real. Perhaps giving up women was indeed the shortcut to practicing the Blinking Sword Technique! The First Sect Master himself was certainly unwilling to make that sacrifice, so he needed to find someone else to test it!
On this day, Zhang Xiuer, who had been blocking the entrance of Godly Hand Valley, finally saw Li Feiyu walking out.
She leaped forward to block his path and thrust a treasured sword, still in its scabbard, right before his eyes.
"Here! My new sword!"
Li Feiyu took the sword and examined it: the scabbard was a translucent, glowing emerald green. Faint, pale golden ingots were patterned across the sheath, making it not tacky at all, but rather exquisite and luxurious.
"Gorgeous! It matches your temperament perfectly!"
Overjoyed, Zhang Xiuer took back her sword and giggled. "Heehee! This is this young lady's Scruple Sword! You are vindictive, and I am meticulous!"
Looking into Zhang Xiuer's expressive, talking eyes, Li Feiyu waved his hand grandly and blurted out, "Hmph... childish woman!"
Zhang Xiuer merely lowered her head and smiled foolishly, trailing closely behind Li Feiyu as they walked toward Qijue Hall...