Chapter 12: The Price of a Powerful Technique!

“You mean, you want to learn this thing?”

When Lu Zhiyun found Lin Shu again, it was already noon the next day.

At that moment, Lin Shu was sitting in the Moonlit Pavilion on the mountaintop, discussing Qingluan Peak’s financial expenses with Wu Qinglong.

“Yes! This junior sister is slow-witted! Please guide me, senior brother!”

Lu Zhiyun respectfully handed over the Sanqing Yiqi Jue Upgraded Edition with both hands, waiting for Lin Shu’s response.

According to Chen Xin, Lin Shu was the one who had improved this technique.

She didn’t really need to read the book—asking him directly would be better.

But Lu Zhiyun was carrying the mission of investigating demonic cultivators.

A cultivation technique compiled by a demonic cultivator definitely needed careful scrutiny.

What if there were some crucial details hidden within?

So, when Lu Zhiyun expressed her wish to borrow the manual, Chen Xin looked at her as if to say “you brought this on yourself, don’t blame me,” and said that one Yinling Stone would get her a copy, lifetime ownership, personal collection allowed.

One Yinling Stone per copy?

Half-believing, half-doubting, Lu Zhiyun spent the pocket money she had saved up for ages to get a copy of the technique.

Her heart ached terribly.

But it was all worth it!

The traces left by the demonic cultivator must be in here!

With this conviction, Lu Zhiyun spent the entire night poring over the manual.

Hard work pays off for those who put in the effort!

At daybreak!

She finally!

Discovered she was illiterate…

It wasn’t that Lu Zhiyun didn’t know the characters, but the manual was too profound, obscure and hard to understand.

She recognized all the characters, but strung together, it was just like a Heavenly Scripture.

Things like “Osmanthus Shadow layers ninefold, moonlight gilds the Jade Pivot, reclining Xuanji,” “close the Dui orifice to solidify golden essence, imitate Chizi Sleeping on Clouds”…

It was as if it was written with no intention of letting anyone understand it.

Lu Zhiyun knew her aptitude was poor, not suited for immortal cultivation, but she hadn’t expected to be so bad that she couldn’t even comprehend the manual.

Still, since this technique was one of Tianque Sect’s Foundation Techniques, there must be a way to master it.

She needed to be patient and keep trying!

She couldn’t help but wonder how the Sanqing Daoist of Tianque Sect ever wrote such a technique—it truly was an unparalleled achievement through the ages.

Lin Shu took the manual, flipped through it casually, then looked at the second page before sneering, “That old bastard, he actually printed out the Original Edition and is selling it as a pirated copy?”

Original Edition?

Pirated?

Lu Zhiyun was stunned, and as for that “old bastard,” it was obviously referring to Chen Xin, Elder Chen.

What was going on?

“Ah? Let me see!”

Wu Qinglong took the book and started leafing through it as well.

“Hiss—it’s true! Exactly the same as the Original Edition! Not a single word different.”

“But why aren’t there any of senior brother’s notes in here?”

Lin Shu sipped his tea and said irritably, “Nonsense, why do you think my version was forbidden? Don’t you people have any idea?”

Seeing Lu Zhiyun standing there like a clueless chick, Lin Shu motioned for her to sit down and began explaining:

“The manual Elder Chen gave you is the very first version from Tianque Sect’s Sanqing Daoist. He likes to take it out to bluff people and exchange for wine money.”

“Ah? This is Tianque Sect’s Foundation Technique—can it really be sold off so casually?”

Lu Zhiyun asked in surprise.

“Why not? Junior sister, could you understand it?”

Lin Shu asked back.

Lu Zhiyun was speechless.

Even if she dissected the text character by character, she couldn’t make sense of it.

“Then…what if a powerful cultivator from another sect gets it and studies it?”

Lu Zhiyun pressed on, unwilling to give up.

“Uh, junior sister, I think you misunderstand Tianque Sect a bit!”

Wu Qinglong cut in, “If the Sanqing Yiqi Jue were that easy to understand, would we have muddled along as a third-rank sect for thousands of years?”

Lu Zhiyun fell silent again.

“But! Wanting to learn is a good thing. I’ll reimburse you for the Yinling Stone you were cheated out of later,” Lin Shu said, patting Lu Zhiyun’s head to comfort her.

“This Sanqing Yiqi Jue actually suits you very well. I’ll add some notes for you, and if there’s still anything you don’t get, come ask me!”

With that, Lin Shu put the book away and poured Lu Zhiyun a cup of tea.

The rich fragrance of tea lifted the gloom from Lu Zhiyun’s heart.

“Senior brother, what if I still don’t understand even with the notes?”

Lu Zhiyun was still a bit worried.

Lin Shu’s gentle words had almost made her forget he was a demonic cultivator.

But if she found herself unable to comprehend the technique even after getting the notes, would he think her talentless and avoid her?

“Don’t worry, junior sister! The reason the Sanqing Yiqi Jue Upgraded Edition was listed as a Forbidden Book is precisely because senior brother’s annotations are that good!” Wu Qinglong patted his chest in assurance.

“Get lost! Don’t slander me!”

Lin Shu said angrily.

Forbidden Book?

Only now did Lu Zhiyun notice something else from the conversation—something impossible to ignore.

This immortal-level technique was forbidden after being annotated by Lin Shu?

Could it be that Lin Shu’s notes twisted the original intent of the technique and made it into a demonic art?

Thinking of Tianque Sect’s rapid rise in recent years, and remembering how the younger disciples’ strength soared after Lin Shu’s revision of this technique, Lu Zhiyun felt she had figured everything out.

Jiang Chenyin once said this kind of meteoric rise was unnatural, even absurd—only cultivating demonic arts could explain it.

Now, the truth was about to be revealed!

But…did she really want to cultivate this kind of demonic art?

“Junior sister, listen to me, it’s really not my annotations! It’s their fault!”

Seeing Lu Zhiyun’s hesitant gaze, Lin Shu worried that his wise and heroic image as the senior brother would be ruined in her heart, so he hurried to explain.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll annotate a few passages for you at random—see if there’s any problem!”

Lin Shu quickly pulled out the Sanqing Yiqi Jue Upgraded Edition and handed it to Lu Zhiyun.

Seriously!

Why do they make me out to be a demonic cultivator!

Lu Zhiyun took the manual, flipped to the spot she couldn’t understand last night.

“Senior brother, this part, this ‘Osmanthus Shadow layers ninefold, moonlight gilds the Jade Pivot, reclining Xuanji,’ what does it mean?”

From her understanding, it meant finding a suitable Cave Abode for cultivation, one close to the moon, arranging an array with osmanthus and Golden Toad, and beginning meditation at the height of the moonlight to comprehend the world.

“Oh, that! Simple!”

Lin Shu casually fished out a pen from his storage pouch and scribbled.

Lu Zhiyun took the annotated book and was dumbfounded.

Next to that passage, Lin Shu had written three characters: “bask in moonlight.”

Bask in moonlight?

What does that mean?

How could it be that simple?

Lu Zhiyun couldn’t believe it, but seeing Wu Qinglong and Lin Shu’s calm expressions, she hesitated.

“Then…what about this? ‘Close the Dui orifice to solidify golden essence, imitate Chizi Sleeping on Clouds’?”

“That? Eat fewer snacks, get more sleep!”

“And this: ‘When the Sanyin Insect stirs, the Taiyi Prowess Sword—avoid the Liangyi Dust Array’?”

“Even simpler!”

Lin Shu shook his head and laughed, “If something annoys you, just hit it!”

No problem with that!

A free and open heart!

Lin Shu did actually appreciate Sanqing Daoist’s values—though the old man was a bit of a chuunibyou, his principles were right!

Lu Zhiyun was utterly at a loss!

How could it be like this?

This world was like a bunch of amateurs.

Even a heaven-level technique could be explained so plainly?

Actually, Lu Zhiyun didn’t know that not all techniques were like the Sanqing Yiqi Jue, with an “anti-self-study system” built in.

To put it in arithmetic terms, most manuals were simple equations like “1+1=2” or “2+2=5”, and the Sanqing Yiqi Jue was the same—just addition and subtraction within ten, but the exam question was “2.763548+3.46348438=?”.

If the manual’s author wanted to act crazy, you couldn’t stop them, brother!

For tens of thousands of years, all of Tianque Sect’s members had been studying this technique.

No wonder Chen Xin said this technique showed little effect below the Nascent Soul stage—who would have the heart to cultivate when they spent all day doing reading comprehension?

Lin Shu’s annotations were essentially giving out the answers, letting Tianque Sect’s disciples just copy them down.

“Any other questions?”

After jotting down a few notes, Lin Shu asked.

By now, Lu Zhiyun had accepted this absurd reality and slowly recovered.

“Um, I have another question. Why were your annotations forbidden, senior brother?”

It was a deadly question, and Lu Zhiyun regretted asking it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Wasn’t she basically asking a demonic cultivator to reveal his secret?

What if he silenced her for knowing too much?

Lin Shu held his chin, helpless.

“At first, I didn’t expect it either…”

“Junior sister, let me ask you, what is the price of great power?”

Lu Zhiyun thought for a moment, then answered, “Is it burning your lifespan?”

Lin Shu shook his head.

“Then…destroying your foundation?”

Lin Shu shook his head again.

Lu Zhiyun pondered.

According to the stories, wasn’t it always one of those?

Wu Qinglong saw Lu Zhiyun couldn’t answer and explained for her:

“It’s the distortion of human nature, and the collapse of morality!”

“Huh?”

Facing junior sister’s confusion, Lin Shu could only give a wry smile, then took out a memory stone and began to play it.