Daqian Martial Saint

Calling it a Jade Scroll wasn’t quite right. The booklet’s exterior was entirely crimson, as if it had been steeped in blood.

Several large characters were carved onto the Inheritance Jade Scroll. As its Mental Realm shifted, a faint wave of Evil Qi washed over him.

Supreme Divine Skill, Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique!

”How did that old bastard leave something this good behind!?” Chen Ping’an was in disbelief.

He had witnessed the might of the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique that day. The True Body of Ten Thousand Demons it manifested was a full sixteen feet tall, unleashing a Ten Thousand Demon Blood Fiend that swept the area. Even a Grandmaster at the Mid-Jade Balance Stage would struggle to use their full power while caught within it. Against an Ordinary Grandmaster, its suppressive effect was even more unimaginable. Its effect was vaguely similar to an area-of-effect debuff.

In terms of defense, it could withstand Gu Qingchan’s Profound Ice Divine Needle head-on. If that was the case for Gu Qingchan, then the Attacking Means of an ordinary Mid-Jade Balance Stage Grandmaster couldn’t even dream of breaking its defense. The offensive capability of this Supreme Divine Skill was also exceptional. Its final palm strike had filled the sky with Blood Fiend and flashing crimson light, directly shattering Gu Qingchan’s Protective Divine Weapon, the Ice Lotus Treasure Lamp. Even her Profound Lady Realm had collapsed as a result. Its Power of Attack and Destruction was truly something to behold!

After manifesting the True Body of Ten Thousand Demons, the gray-robed old man’s combat prowess had one foot in the realm of a Grandmaster. Moreover, Chen Ping’an had a nagging feeling that the old man had forcibly manifested the True Body of Ten Thousand Demons, and it wasn’t in its most perfect, peak state. If it had been the perfect True Body of Ten Thousand Demons, activated by the old man’s power, it might have been able to rival a true Grandmaster!

This technique was called a Horizontal Divine Skill Training, but it was actually a comprehensive Cultivation Technique that integrated Attack, defense, and area-of-effect weakening into one.

Such a Divine Skill was truly worthy of the title ’Supreme’!

For a moment, Chen Ping’an’s heart stirred. He wished he could start cultivating it immediately.

However, the state one entered after using this Divine Skill was too demonic. It was obviously not a proper Righteous Cultivation Method, which gave Chen Ping’an some pause.

’I won’t rush into the Cultivation Technique. Let’s see what else I got first.’ With that thought, Chen Ping’an temporarily set aside the matter of the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique and began to take stock of the other items in the Thousand Mechanism Bag.

But the results of his inventory check were somewhat disappointing.

Besides the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique, there was nothing else in the gray-robed old man’s Thousand Mechanism Bag that caught his eye.

The Thousand Mechanism Bag contained a few hundred Yuan Crystals, some ordinary-quality Healing Elixirs, a few strange but worthless trinkets, and some clothes.

A few hundred Yuan Crystals would be an enormous sum for a Profound Light Realm expert, even one on the Dragon and Tiger Chart. But for a Grandmaster of the gray-robed old man’s caliber, it felt like chump change.

Yuan Crystals had considerable purchasing power. About ten Yuan Crystals could buy a Low-grade Treasure Artifact. Twenty to thirty could get you a Middle-grade Treasure Artifact. Fine Treasure Artifacts were valued at under two hundred Yuan Crystals. Even specially made sets of Fine Treasure Artifacts rarely exceeded six hundred Yuan Crystals in value.

But no matter how impressive the purchasing power of Yuan Crystals was, this was a Grandmaster! And not just an Ordinary Grandmaster, but a Top Grandmaster with outstanding combat strength.

For a Grandmaster of this level to have so few Yuan Crystals on him? It was almost unbelievable.

Even the most Ordinary Grandmaster would have a net worth of one or two thousand Yuan Crystals. It wasn’t at all unusual for a Senior Grandmaster with deep reserves to have a net worth of several thousand. For some Top Grandmasters who were good at managing their assets and had accumulated wealth for years, a net worth exceeding ten thousand Yuan Crystals wasn’t particularly outrageous.

Of course, net worth wasn’t the same as cash on hand. When one reached the level of a Grandmaster, if they had an abundance of Yuan Crystals, they would certainly find ways to purchase trump cards and techniques to increase their combat foundation.

Therefore, while Grandmasters earned a lot, their expenses were also significant.

Divine Skills, Secret Techniques, Divine Weapons, Major Medicines, Treasure Pills, intelligence...

And that didn’t even include the cost of training junior disciples.

A net worth of over ten thousand Yuan Crystals might seem enormous, but in reality, after acquiring a couple of Divine Weapons and some resources for cultivating a Secret Technique, most of it would be gone.

But then again, anyone who could afford two Divine Weapons was a big shot among Grandmasters.

Someone like Gu Qingchan was a classic example of a wealthy heiress. Not counting anything else, just the two Divine Weapons she carried—one for offense, one for defense—were worth more than the entire net worth of most Grandmasters.

Chen Ping’an stared at the pile of translucent Yuan Crystals before him, growing more confused the more he thought about it. The small number of Yuan Crystals was one thing, but the fact that there wasn’t a single Divine Weapon or Treasure Artifact in the Thousand Mechanism Bag was highly abnormal.

For a Grandmaster, even one who didn’t use weapons, keeping a few Fine Treasure Artifacts on hand was standard procedure. For those who were better off, having a Quasi-Divine Weapon was also a good choice.

The gray-robed old man’s situation was truly bizarre.

’Did he hide his things somewhere else?’ Chen Ping’an guessed silently. ’Or did he destroy everything valuable beforehand?’

’No, that’s not right. If he destroyed everything, why would he leave the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique behind?’

In terms of value, the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique was undoubtedly the most precious item, worth even more than some Divine Weapons. But strangely, while there was little else of value, this Inheritance Divine Skill was left behind.

Looking at the blood-red Inheritance Jade Scroll, Chen Ping’an found the situation stranger and stranger.

He couldn’t figure it out for the moment, so he decided not to dwell on it. The facts were what they were; overthinking it was pointless. Time to move on to the next step!

He still hadn’t checked Situ Ba’s Thousand Mechanism Bag.

BUZZ—

A Spiritual Light flashed at the center of Chen Ping’an’s brow as he began to break into the next Thousand Mechanism Bag. With one success under his belt, the process was much smoother this time.

In less than half an hour, he successfully broke the Spiritual Restriction on the bag.

”One thousand two hundred fifty-three Yuan Crystals, one Quasi-Divine Weapon, three Fine Treasure Artifacts...”

Chen Ping’an’s delight grew as he looked at the items from the Thousand Mechanism Bag. Compared to the haul from the gray-robed old man, Situ Ba’s belongings were much more normal.

However, whether due to his personality or some other reason, most of Situ Ba’s possessions were weapons and related manuals and records. There weren’t many other valuable items. Among the remaining things, the only item that made Chen Ping’an look twice was a bottle of Spirit Treasure Pills.

Spirit Treasure Pills nourished Spiritual Energy and were highly beneficial to a Grandmaster’s Cultivation. In terms of value, a single bottle was equivalent to two or three Fine Treasure Artifacts.

For a consumable, this price was absurdly high. Even for a Grandmaster, it was no small sum, and not something just anyone could afford. He hadn’t expected Situ Ba to have Spirit Treasure Pills.

With the help of his panel, Chen Ping’an didn’t need the Spirit Treasure Pills himself, but they would be an excellent choice for either trade or as a gift.

After taking inventory, Chen Ping’an was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t find the Breaking Army Saber Technique that Situ Ba cultivated.

The Breaking Army Saber Technique was wide and powerful, with astonishing might, and was extremely effective in group battles—quite suitable for him. If he could cultivate this Saber Technique, his title of Mang Blade would be well and truly earned.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t find the Saber Technique. He couldn’t even find a Tracing of it, let alone an Inheritance Jade Scroll.

”What a shame,” Chen Ping’an sighed.

But the look of regret on his face lasted only a moment before it was replaced by joy. The haul from this inventory was delightful.

Including the value of the two Thousand Mechanism Bags themselves, Chen Ping’an’s net worth now exceeded seven thousand Yuan Crystals. If he were to include the Supreme Divine Skill, the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique, his net worth would break ten thousand Yuan Crystals.

’Should I cultivate this Supreme Divine Skill or not?’

Chen Ping’an sat on his bed, pondering for a long time. In the end, he decided to learn the Ten Thousand Demons Body Forging Technique.

...

PS: In the outline, this part was supposed to be a series of interconnected plots, but my brain was a total mess while writing, and I just couldn’t get the feeling right. Sigh~ I really need to get my groove back.

By the way, are the merits from this time enough for the protagonist to get a promotion? Type 1 if you think so, 2 if you don’t.