Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable-Chapter 38: Level 99 Talent

Having experienced the freakishly powerful abilities of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, Ye Tianling had indeed come to look down on the so-called Earth Tier and Celestial Tier Cultivation Techniques of this world.

Ye Tianling knew a little about the Ye Race’s Celestial River Sword Technique, but compared to the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Immortal Sword Technique, let alone the Nine Swords of Dugu, it wasn’t even on the same level.

Moreover, both the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Immortal Sword Technique and the Nine Swords of Dugu contained the blessings of the Great Dao’s principles—an ultimate Sword Dao Profound Meaning like "No Sword is Better than Having a Sword." How could those ordinary Cultivation Techniques possibly compare?

To say nothing of the fact that any one of his Martial Arts Manuals, be it the Nine Yang Divine Skill, the Nine Yin Scripture, or the Muscle Strengthening Scripture, would be enough to shock the world.

These Martial Arts might have had limited power on Earth, but in this world, where the Spiritual Qi was hundreds of times denser, they could be combined with the Power of Heaven and Earth to cleanse the physical body, transforming Sword Qi into Sword Essence, Sword Essence into a Sword Heart, and a Sword Heart into a Sword Spirit...

As a result, the power of these Martial Arts naturally rose to new heights.

Ye Tianling hadn’t even fully digested all of these things, so why would he seek out a master?

How could Ye Tianling not understand the principle of biting off more than one can chew?

Not to mention, he had his own Unparalleled Sword Venerate Dominating Body physique—the Emperor’s Qi Sword Body—which he had awakened after being tempered by Dragon Blood.

As for his Qi Sea and Qi Pillars?

Ye Tianling truly wasn’t worried!

Because if the Ninety-Ninth Layer Celestial Ladder between his brows counted, then he had a ninety-nine-segment Qi Pillar, which would instantly crush any so-called prodigy with a Ninth Level Talent and a nine-segment Qi Pillar into dust!

"While I, Lord Que, am incredibly awesome, there are naturally... beings in this world more powerful than me. After all, my cultivation time is short, while others have cultivated for much longer. I naturally can’t compare to some of the old freaks."

Que Xinyan was stumped by Ye Tianling’s question and couldn’t help but explain sheepishly.

"Don’t bother me. Let me think about it for a while! I’ll cultivate first, break through to the next Realm, and recover from my injuries. Then, I’ll charge back to the Ye Race and kill Ye Liyuan, Ye Liyu, Ye Lixin, and that old dog, Ye Wannian!"

Ye Tianling said in a heavy voice.

His strength had now stepped into the Sword Essence Realm. With his Dugu Sword Intent, he was fearless. It would be no problem to face Ye Wannian, who was at the Sword Intent Realm, and cut him down.

Furthermore, having reached the Sword Essence Realm, he also wanted to tell Ye Fenghan directly: ’I, Ye Tianling, have reached the Sword Essence Realm in just three days. Is this Realm high enough to make me worthy of Mei’Er?!’

"I’ll just wipe out the Qingyang Town Ye Race for you!"

Que Xinyan slapped his chest, and the resulting ripples were so turbulent they would put any woman to shame.

"Do I need you to interfere?"

Ye Tianling truly had no favorable impression of this pestering, foul-mouthed old rat. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

But this rat was incredibly clingy. He couldn’t beat him, nor could he curse him away, and the damn thing would even try to get uncomfortably close and chummy from time to time.

"Got any Creation Pills? Earth Tier, Celestial Tier... give me a hundred or so. Let me eat a few to recover... If you want to take me as your disciple, I’ll have to see some sincerity from you first."

THUD—

Que Xinyan staggered and nearly fell to his knees.

"My good sir, Creation Pills contain Innate Dao Marks and Dao Patterns! They’re top-tier Elixirs! Celestial Tier? Even refining an Earth Tier one is as difficult as ascending to heaven! These are sacred healing remedies; you can imagine how precious they are. I’ll give you a Profound Tier Top Grade one. With your current injuries, it can practically heal you in an instant."

As he spoke, Que Xinyan took out a vibrant and luscious-looking Profound Tier Top Grade Creation Pill.

The fat on his face quivered. Clearly, parting with even a single Profound Tier Top Grade Creation Pill was excruciating for him.

"Damn it, you’re this stingy and you still want to be my master?"

Ye Tianling said with contempt.

Que Xinyan blushed slightly but argued back, "Kid, this... you call this stingy? Then why don’t you show me what generous looks like!"

Ye Tianling said, "Come on, kneel and kowtow. Acknowledge me as your master, and I’ll teach you a Divine Level Technique!"

Que Xinyan shuddered, rolled his eyes, and said, "A Divine Level Technique? You? If you had a Divine Level Technique, would you still be here? Forget Divine Level—if you had a Celestial Tier Top Grade technique, you could piss on Ye Cangqian’s head!"

But Ye Tianling didn’t retort. Instead, he said with utmost seriousness, "The Cultivation Technique I used to severely injure Jin Zhifu—you saw it, right? Can a Celestial Tier Top Grade technique even compare to that?"

Que Xinyan was taken aback. A moment later, a sharp glint of light erupted in his small, beady eyes. "You’re willing to teach me that technique?" he asked.

Ye Tianling said, "Do you take me for someone that stingy? However, the Dao cannot be passed on lightly. Become my disciple, and I’ll teach you the Little Faceless Technique and the Disguise Technique. With those, you can be as unscrupulous as you want in your thievery!"

As he spoke, Ye Tianling alluringly described some of the features of the Little Faceless Technique and the Disguise Technique.

Que Xinyan immediately started to tremble, but a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes. Clearly, after the initial excitement, he was starting to have doubts.

’If they’re really so powerful, how was I able to see through his disguise on the street earlier with a single glance?’

But Ye Tianling said, "I only comprehended this new inheritance after my Realm underwent a breakthrough. My Realm was too low before, so the inheritance hadn’t activated, and I didn’t know the Disguise Technique. Here, let me give you a demonstration right now!"

As he spoke, Ye Tianling began to circulate the Disguise Technique, using his Sword Essence Power to alter his facial features and bone structure. At the same time, he gathered some nearby materials, used his Sword Essence Power to conjure a Pill Fire to refine them, and then smeared the result onto his face.

Although it was a crude job, when combined with the aura from the Little Faceless Technique, a living, breathing Ye Tianfan stood before Que Xinyan.

"Well? Do you believe me now? What Cultivation Technique in this world below Celestial Tier Top Grade could possibly contend with this?"

Ye Tianling said, full of pride and arrogance.

Que Xinyan sniffed the air vigorously and observed him carefully again.

His eyes even began to emit a faint golden glow.

"It’s too superficial. Not very useful. The moment I activated my ’Treasure-Seeking Dao Eye,’ I saw right through it. However, the Cultivation Technique itself is truly miraculous. Paired with some concealment methods, it would indeed be very difficult to detect. To show your sincerity, you teach it to me first, and then I’ll consider your offer. After all, for me, Lord Que, to betray my sect... that is an exceptionally painful and utterly unconscionable act."

Que Xinyan was already tempted.

Ye Tianling sneered. "Heh, you’re a Gold-devouring Rat. Your natural Talents are treasure-seeking, qi-observation, and reading the terrain. Of course you can see through my simple disguise. Besides, I’ve only practiced the Disguise Technique and the Little Faceless Technique a little. I’m nowhere near proficient, so it’s only natural you can see through it. But once I master them and combine them with the Turtle Breath Technique, do you think you could still see through it? You were following me earlier, and when I used the Turtle Breath Technique, you obviously lost track of me. And you still have the gall to shamelessly claim you were ’protecting me from the shadows’?"

"Ahem, well... alright. Lord Que admits your Cultivation Technique is awesome. But if you don’t give Lord Que some kind of sweetener, how can Lord Que possibly become your disciple? This is a very serious matter."

Que Xinyan was clearly conflicted, but his beady eyes kept darting back and forth as he was obviously scheming something.

"I’m not in a hurry. It makes no difference to me."

With that, Ye Tianling reverted to his original appearance, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.

Que Xinyan said, "I know the secret to evolving the Soul Talent. Let’s make a trade."

Ye Tianling’s heart skipped a beat. He said, "I know of a miraculous method—the Luoshu River Map and Nine Palace Mathematics. Allow me to tell you about it."

Que Xinyan was taken aback. "Tell me," he said.

Ye Tianling said, "Arrange the numbers one through nine into three columns so that the sum of any three numbers—whether vertically, horizontally, or diagonally—is always fifteen. How would you do it?"

Que Xinyan stared blankly for a moment, then fell into silent contemplation.

Ye Tianling paid him no mind, instead swallowing the Profound Tier Top Grade Creation Pill that Que Xinyan had given him and beginning to cultivate and recover.

「Half an hour later.」

Que Xinyan shrieked, "I’ve figured it out!"

Ye Tianling opened his eyes. Seeing Que Xinyan’s head practically smoking and his face flushed red, he knew the man must have burned through a considerable number of brain cells to make the calculation.

Ye Tianling said calmly, "The principle of the Nine Palaces follows the pattern of the spirit turtle: two and four as the shoulders, six and eight as the feet, three on the left and seven on the right, wearing nine and treading on one, with five in the center."

Que Xinyan said with a delighted surprise, "Yes, yes, that’s it exactly! How interesting! Give... give me another problem."

Ye Tianling said, "This Nine Palace Mathematics is just child’s play. This was the ’Three-Three Diagram.’ There are also ’Four-Four Diagrams,’ ’Five-Five Diagrams,’ and even the ’Hundred Sons Diagram.’ You might be able to solve the ’Three-Three Diagram’ by testing numbers one by one, but can you still do that for the ’Hundred Sons Diagram’?"

Que Xinyan was dumbfounded, utterly tormented by the endlessly profound "Nine Palace Mathematics."