Yu Ci replied with a cheerful smile. He could tell very clearly that the old man was fishing for information, but the technique was crude, and so he didn’t bite. “Unfortunately, I don’t have anything more valuable than the Blood Treasure.”
Seeing his attitude, the old man realized he’d been too hasty. Though he’d spent his life studying the Dao of the soul and had a keen grasp of human nature, he lacked real-world negotiation skills and had no patience. He gave a snort of frustration:
"Don't play dumb. You definitely have something."
He stared at Yu Ci intently. “These past few days, I’ve seen it clearly. You act without restraint, and your soul injuries improve by the day. You must have a method to dispel innate Qi and nourish your soul. I’ve devoted my life to the study of the soul and need to collect similar methods. If you're willing, I’ll offer another Mirage Jade Slip in exchange!
“This Mirage Jade Slip came from the Heavenly Escape Sect before its fall, more than one tribulation ago. It records twenty-four segments demonstrating escape techniques and killing sword arts by one of their instructors—capturing both form and essence. While it doesn’t explain the core principles, anyone studying the sword will gain insight from it. In terms of value, it's far superior to that Light Concealment Escape Technique.’ What do you say?”
Yu Ci was stirred upon hearing this. The Mirage Jade Slip used special methods to store visual images—both still and moving. The high-grade ones could fully reproduce light and sound, and some even preserved scent and touch. Naturally, they were quite valuable. The one the old man offered had to be a premium product, and the visuals inside wouldn’t be anything mediocre.
Getting to witness the Heavenly Escape Sect’s deadly sword arts and study their sword intent would indeed be valuable.
Speaking of sword intent, Yu Ci unconsciously grew animated, almost launching into a full lecture. Only when he noticed the elder’s sour expression did he pull himself back. “Also, I won’t hide this from you: my method of nourishing the soul doesn’t rely on a technique, but on an external object. Because it’s a sensitive matter, I can’t reveal more. But the item is definitely not something I can trade. So, I’ll have to pass on this opportunity.”
On this point, Yu Ci wasn’t lying. His rapid recovery from soul injuries was thanks to two things: the Innate Qi of the Heavenly Dragon he obtained from the Dragon Fish, and the True Void Violet Mist Jade. Both were deeply private and impossible to share.
So, even if the old man offered the core secret manuals of the Heavenly Escape Sect, Yu Ci still wouldn’t trade.
The old man stared at Yu Ci for a long while, finally realizing that he wasn’t bargaining, but truly refusing. His bald head flushed slightly—a sign he was about to explode.
Yu Ci was already bracing for a barrage of curses, but to his surprise, the old man forcibly swallowed his rage with a grunt, pushed Yu Ci aside, and strode into the warehouse. Just before entering, he suddenly stopped and turned back:
“I don’t know how you're dispelling innate Qi—maybe you’re confident. But I must remind you, the soul touches upon the most mysterious aspects of the human body. If inner demons were as easy to clear as sweeping dust, they wouldn’t be called inner demons at all!”
As a master of the soul, his words held weight—this wasn’t like talking about swordsmanship, where he might be an outsider. He pointed at his own forehead.
“Inner demons aren’t external forces—they’re a part of your soul. What people call ‘inner demon Qi’ is just a manifestation—pure bluster. True inner demons are formless and invisible, subtly distorting your mind without you even realizing it. Once they take root, your soul is already altered, and it’s extremely difficult to reverse.
“Don’t assume you’re safe just because you have some treasure for protection. Look at those True Immortals who cultivated for centuries—don’t they all have various methods and treasures to combat inner demons? Yet in the face of tribulations, how many have died because of them? That’s never changed throughout history!
“Among all cultivators, sword cultivators are most prone to inner demons. Their swords give rise to innate Qi, entangling them for life. Either the sword cuts down the inner demon, or the demon destroys the sword. You’re not a sword cultivator, but you generate innate Qi through your sword—and it’s even more devastating. The entanglement of inner demons in your future will be hard to avoid. If you wish to escape disaster, you'd best prepare now. That’s all I’ll say—take care of yourself.”
With that, the old man stormed off. His words sounded like both a warning and a curse. But knowing the old man’s character, he wasn’t petty enough to curse others. Yu Ci figured it was more like him throwing in the towel after feeling useless. He couldn’t help but chuckle and pushed the matter from his mind—it was still too abstract to worry about, especially with more pressing issues at hand. He returned to the warehouse to rest and prepare for potential trouble ahead.
From then on, there were no more disturbances—until the long night passed.
The beast tide had already surged past the mountain, flowing eastward. The wilderness had fallen into a rare silence. But no one below Yu Ci dared to be optimistic. The chaotic beast tide had moved on, but if the western side didn’t have something like the Sky Rift Valley’s cold tide to deter them, most beasts would return to their original habitats. In that process, there’d inevitably be fierce battles among wild beasts over territory—bloodier and more frenzied than before. That was when the real test for the port would come.
So, the atmosphere in the port remained heavy. Though it was daytime, the sealed mountain interior showed no difference. Most of the cultivators in the warehouse kept silent, meditating and recovering. Even when someone spoke, they instinctively lowered their voice, as if afraid the sound might attract danger from outside.
Yu Ci disliked this kind of atmosphere, so he simply returned to his room. After last night’s battle, he was now unofficially the highest-ranking figure at the port. No one questioned his actions—and if they did, they didn’t say so out loud.
In his room, Yu Ci first practiced talisman arts with the “Qi Infusion Technique,” then spent some time refining the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror and the Scripture Mastery Path Treasure Seal. Finally, he used the Returning Void Harmonization Method to calm his mind and activated “Inner Void,” checking the degree of fusion between the Innate Qi of the Heavenly Dragon and his soul essence. This was his daily routine, and by the time he was done, it was already noon.
According to habit, after lunch was sword intent practice time—studying, pondering, and refining his technique until nightfall. But today, Yu Ci suddenly felt like doing something different.
He took out the newly obtained Light Concealment Escape Technique jade slip and swept it with his divine sense. As expected, the technique was rather simple. The jade slip used only a few thousand characters and a few basic diagrams to explain everything. Anyone with entry-level Divine Connectivity cultivation could start learning it.
The Light Concealment Escape Technique had nine basic stances: leaping, running, rolling, springing upward, diving downward, crouching, lateral shifting, backward jumping, and stillness. There was a general mnemonic, and each stance had its corresponding Qi circulation principle—like where to concentrate Qi while leaping, or how Qi channels should vibrate during lateral movement.
The jade slip’s records were clear and didn’t rely on confusing or mystical theory. It was obviously meant to teach a “practical skill” rather than some esoteric art.
With “Innate Qi” supporting him, Yu Ci’s meridians and Qi flow were unhindered. With just a bit of thought, he understood that the technique would be no problem for him. But he also noticed that it incorporated some basic incantations, loosely tied to Five Element Escape Techniques.
This wasn’t strange. All escape techniques in the world were based on the Five Elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth. It was said that any escape technique could merge with them. The Light Concealment Escape Technique, leaning more toward body movement, would seem lacking without a link to the Five Elements.
Though the Five Element Escape Techniques were basic for cultivators, Yu Ci wasn’t very skilled in them. He was self-taught, a wild cultivator, and had only touched on them a bit at the Heart Prohibition Temple—just enough to turn Earth Escape into a glorified “wall-phasing” technique.
Now that he was working on the Light Concealment Escape Technique, everything went smoothly—except for the part involving the Five Element Escapes, which made things a bit awkward when combined. His room was also small, so practice wasn’t convenient. After trying a few movements, he gave up and began pondering it in his mind instead.
The passage of time in the mountain was hard to track, but the mechanisms handled that. At the beginning of Shen Hour, a clear chime from the bronze bell rang in the room.
This was the signal for Yu Ci’s turn on duty.
He didn’t dawdle. After tidying up, he made his way to the mooring array’s control hub. The one on duty before him was Yan Hao. But when Yu Ci arrived, this typically calm man looked deeply troubled.
“A moment ago, a fierce beast broke into the Sky Rift Valley mooring array.”
With the Circular Light Art, the bronze mirror on the wall displayed the current state of the mooring array. Sure enough, there were not one, but two giant beasts inside—locked in fierce combat, utterly unaware that their fight was wreaking havoc on the array’s talisman patterns.
Yu Ci shook his head. “Alright, I’ll go take care of them.”
This sort of thing couldn’t be delayed. The longer the fight continued, the more damage to the array—and repair would be even harder. At the port, only Yan Hao had the ability to fix the array. If the damage was too extensive, it could take three to five months to repair. Yu Ci would never let that happen.
Just as he turned to leave, he paused. “Still gotta go the long way…”
To reach the Sky Rift Valley mooring array, the usual route was to go from the upper mountain level to the lower level, then enter the connecting tunnel into the valley. That took nearly sixty breaths of time—by then, the beasts would’ve done serious damage.
Might as well go straight through!
It started as a passing thought—but after spending the whole afternoon pondering and even practicing the Light Concealment Escape Technique, Yu Ci’s mind and body were both in an unusually sharp state. That passing thought instantly turned into action.
Without hesitation, Yu Ci leapt straight at the thick rock wall.
There was no sound of impact—his body melted into the cliffside like a puff of intangible mist.
Yan Hao instinctively turned to the mirror.
In the image of the Sky Rift Valley, the two rampaging beasts suddenly erupted in blood from their necks. Their massive bodies, still carrying momentum, crashed together violently—collapsing into convulsions, entering a death throe.
From the shadows beside the cliff, Yu Ci’s blurry form gradually became distinct. He reappeared beside the beasts’ corpses, quietly staring down at them.