After hearing Elder Huo’s words, Ling Tian was truly shocked for the first time.

  He had always known that the Body Refinement stage would expel the acquired impurities from the body. But he never knew just how much. Now, everything made sense—his abnormality had a cause.

  “You didn’t know either?” Elder Huo raised an eyebrow at Ling Tian’s surprised expression. There was no suspicion in his tone, but rather a deep discomfort from not being able to understand the full picture. That sense of something unexplained clearly bothered him.

  Ling Tian fell into deep thought before slowly speaking.

  “Years ago, I suffered a serious injury. Elder Xiaoyao gave me a ‘Heavenly Dragon Revival Pill’… maybe that’s the reason.”

  “Heavenly Dragon Revival Pill...” Elder Huo’s eyes gently closed as comprehension washed over his face. “That’s a top-tier human-grade pill, an extremely precious healing elixir.”

  On the continent of Jinyuan, pills were incredibly valuable. All pills were divided into three major grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Each grade was further split into upper, middle, and lower tiers.

  A top-tier human-grade pill was already considered exceptional.

  “I imagine that old ghost Xiaoyao saw how badly you were injured, so he sealed your eight meridians and then gave you the Revival Pill. But your body at the time couldn’t fully absorb its medicinal essence. So the energy remained dormant, slowly helping your body purge its acquired impurities over time.”

  “You’ve probably noticed this too—whenever you were hurt, you healed much faster than others, right?” Elder Huo looked at him quietly, waiting.

  Ling Tian’s eyes widened, then he nodded quickly.

  “Yes, exactly like that!” He had always thought his quick recovery was just due to some innate trait. But now, hearing Elder Huo’s explanation, he realized it was all because of a pill taken ten years ago.

  “Hahaha… who would’ve thought! That stingy old ghost Xiaoyao, his generosity back then ended up being a blessing in disguise.” Elder Huo stroked his long beard and burst into hearty laughter, leaving Ling Tian a bit bewildered by his joy.

  “Alright,” Huo finally said after the laughter faded. “Now that you’ve entered the Body Refinement stage, you are officially a cultivator. That means you’re qualified to access the high-tier cultivation methods and martial techniques our Dark Sect has collected.”

  “Go wash off the filth on you and change into this robe. After that, I’ll take you to the Scripture Vault. From today onward, like Ling’er, you are my personal disciple. No need to call me ‘Sect Master’ anymore—just call me Teacher.”

  “Yes, Teacher!” Ling Tian bowed deeply in a formal rite of apprenticeship.

  In the sect, most disciples were taught by senior brothers or teaching elders. Only the extremely talented were chosen to become personal disciples—students taught directly by sect leaders or core elders.

  That was what Ling Tian had just become.

  After changing into a clean black robe trimmed with gold, he looked completely transformed.

  No longer the ragged youth from before, Ling Tian now stood tall and proud. His firm features and unyielding gaze radiated a rugged, masculine charm—more raw than handsome, but undeniably captivating.

  “Not bad at all.” Elder Huo nodded in satisfaction, then waved him over. “Come. I’ll take you to the Scripture Vault. But listen carefully—each person is allowed to choose only one cultivation method, one movement technique, and one martial skill. Greed will get you killed, and not even I could protect you then.”

  “I understand, Teacher. You can count on me.” Ling Tian nodded solemnly under Huo’s approving gaze.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  They walked for a long while before reaching the edge of Divine Sword Peak.

  Here, strange trees with violet leaves lined the path, giving the surroundings a bizarre and otherworldly atmosphere.

  “These are Purple-Leaf Great Banyans. Their leaves are useful in alchemy,” Elder Huo explained with a chuckle when he noticed Ling Tian’s cautious expression.

  After passing through the dense grove, they arrived at a black stone hut.

  The structure was incredibly crude—as if it had been thrown together with random rocks. It looked so shabby that even a thief wouldn’t bother checking inside. Yet despite its unassuming appearance, Ling Tian could feel a powerful, invisible pressure radiating from it.

  Moments after they arrived, two space distortions flared up beside the hut.

  As the warped air settled, two elderly men appeared mid-air, seated cross-legged and suspended like statues.

  “Sect Master, what brings you to the Scripture Vault today?” The elder on the right didn’t even open his eyes. His voice was calm, but carried an undeniable power that seemed to reach straight into the soul.

  “A new disciple of the Dark Sect has come to receive his inheritance. I ask the two Elders to open the vault,” Elder Huo said, bowing respectfully.

  This was one of the rare moments when he didn’t act dominant. Before these two guardians of the vault, even he had to show humility.

  “The rules remain the same,” the elder replied. “One hour. One scroll each for cultivation method, movement technique, and martial skill. Return all within ten days. Understood?”

  Though they hadn’t opened their eyes, Ling Tian clearly felt their focus shift onto him. He quickly cupped his fists and bowed.

  “Yes, Elders. I understand.”

  “Good.” The two old men nodded simultaneously, then turned toward each other in the air.

  As their hands rose in unison, the space between them twisted violently.

  The distortion intensified until a spatial tunnel formed—deep and black, like it would swallow one’s soul.

  “Enter,” the elder on the right said. “Remember—fate is set. Do not force what is not yours.”

  Ling Tian bowed again. “Thank you, Elder. I will remember your words.”

  With that, he stepped into the tunnel.

  At first, he was engulfed by darkness. But after one more step forward, the blackness vanished, revealing the interior of the Scripture Vault.

  His jaw nearly dropped.

  “This… spatial compression?” Ling Tian muttered.

  From the outside, the stone hut looked tiny. But inside, it was vast—almost unimaginably so.

  Four separate corridors extended from the center, each marked with clear signs: Cultivation Methods, Movement Techniques, Martial Skills, and Arcane Arts.

  Each corridor stretched out into the distance without end, shelves packed with jade slips holding ancient secrets.

  There was even a staircase to the second floor, but it was sealed with a visible barrier of immense power. Ling Tian could tell instantly—without sufficient strength, entry was impossible.

  He made his way to the Cultivation Methods section first.

  Pulling out a white jade slip, he injected a trace of spiritual energy into it.

  “Blood Refinement Art—Absorbs enemy blood to fuel cultivation. Mid-tier human-grade method.”

  Ling Tian frowned and returned it.

  Too sinister.

  Another slip: “Earth Nether Nine Yin Art—Absorbs Nine Nether Yin Qi during training. Top-tier human-grade method.”

  Again, he shook his head.

  Even though the technique was high-grade, Ling Tian had no idea what Nine Nether Yin Qi was, much less where to find it.

  He went through several more slips, but nothing seemed right. Just as frustration began to mount, his eyes landed on a strange jade slip.

  Unlike the others, which glowed softly with spiritual light, this one looked dull and cracked.

  “Did someone break it by accident?” Ling Tian frowned, puzzled, but still injected his energy into it.

  A vast, ancient aura immediately surged out.

  “Nine Sword Scripture—Forged by the soul, nine swords bound to the heavens. When all nine are unleashed, they rend the earth and slay the skies. Cultivation Method.”

  Ling Tian’s heart stirred.

  The Nine Sword Scripture? He didn’t know why, but just reading the name sent a thrill through him.

  And that final line—'When all nine are unleashed, they rend the earth and slay the skies’—it was wildly bold. What level of power did that imply? And what kind of grandmaster had the guts to write such a thing?

  Even more intriguing, there was no grade listed. That had never happened before.

  Clutching the jade slip tightly, Ling Tian left the Cultivation Methods corridor and headed for the Movement Techniques section.

  Time was running out.

  Most of the slips here were low-tier human-grade—not good enough.

  But just when he was about to give up, his hand froze on a slip.

  “Heavenly Wanderer—A graceful art of movement, where the user drifts like a shadow. Top-tier human-grade.”

  Ling Tian wasn’t impressed by the short description, but the name caught his heart.

  Wanderer…

  It reminded him of Elder Xiaoyao—the man who had saved him all those years ago.

  It felt right.

  He took the slip and moved on to the Martial Skills section. With what little time remained, he searched quickly.

  Finally, he found something that made his eyes light up.

  “Heaven and Earth Shock—Overwhelming force breaks all defense. Redirects force to counter any technique. Top-tier human-grade martial art.”

  That was it.

  He now had all three.

  As the final moments ticked away, a beam of light appeared before him. It expanded rapidly into a portal of pure white.

  Ling Tian tucked the three jade slips into his robe and stepped forward, vanishing into the light.