Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar

In the dim and damp dungeon, Wei Tusu, Li Ziran, and others were suspended high up, their bodies tightly bound by thick iron chains. The special Energy Array here prevented them from absorbing Essence Qi to restore their True Essence.

SNAP!

Commander Zhao Biao swung the Purple Scorpion Whip, which was dipped in chili-laced water, lashing Li Ziran, who gasped involuntarily and trembled all over from the intense pain.

The Purple Scorpion Whip, crafted from the tail of a mature Purple Scorpion Ferocious Beast, was a weapon specifically designed for flogging Martial Artists.

A First-Order Martial Artist struck by this would have their soul fly to Yellow Heaven on the spot, and a Second-Order Martial Artist wouldn't fare much better.

At that moment, Commander Zhao Biao was relentlessly whipping Li Ziran, this sharp-tongued and defiant fellow.

"Sword Cultivator of the Li Family, you dare say that again? It's precisely arrogant noble families like yours that I enjoy putting in their place!" Commander Zhao Biao declared, his arrogance palpable.

Hong Yuan stood silently to one side, his head lowered as he inspected the Cultivation Techniques and items, such as weapons and armor, taken from these individuals.

These items had all been inspected and deemed safe, so Hong Yuan didn't have to worry about them trying to tamper with his spatial bag as he had done to theirs.

"Dragon Spear!"

"Upper Scenic Pill Talisman!"

"Heavenly River Sword Scripture!"

Hong Yuan's gaze lingered on the "Heavenly River Sword Scripture." He then looked up at Li Ziran before returning his attention to the scripture.

This Cultivation Technique had been obtained from Li Ziran, who kept proclaiming himself a disciple of the Sword Cultivator Li Family. What surprised Hong Yuan wasn't its origin, but that the "Heavenly River Sword Scripture" felt very familiar to him.

He had considered this combat-oriented Cultivation Technique when he was on the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

The principle of this technique was to derive swords from water, combining Water Tao with Sword Tao, also known as Heavenly River Sword Tao.

Specifically, every drop of water-aspected True Essence transformed into Sword Origin. Once activated, it was boundless. It was truly as if "the waters of the great river come from the sky," with Sword Momentum surging endlessly.

"Heavenly River Sword Scripture"... Is this one of the Cultivation Techniques Master studied?

Hong Yuan pinched the corner of the scripture, his interest piqued.

His persona, Li Jianhe, was that of a Sword Tao Cultivator and happened to need a sword scripture.

Well, what have we here? Perfect timing.

It's just that it's a fifth-order Cultivation Technique, requiring a vast amount of cultivation resources. Even my Original Body's "Myriad Silence Origin Skill" is stuck at the Minor Accomplishment Stage, unable to break through to the Great Achievement Realm.

RUSTLE. RUSTLE.

Hong Yuan began to flip through the cultivation manual. His eyes fell upon the general principles, along with annotations written in tiny script detailing insights and understanding.

"Heavenly River Sword Scripture":

The sword: it decides, it severs.

One must internally master the Seven Emotions and sever mundane breaths, refining the Three Internal Treasures until they achieve pure Yang. This builds a solid foundation for the internal Sword Tao, fortifying the inner core.

Accumulating Qi into a sword creates what is known as a Qi Sword; accumulating spirit into a sword creates a Divine Sword, wielded by what is known as a Sword Immortal.

Sword Intent Transforming into Brilliance, Sword Qi Thunder Sound, Sword Light Differentiation, Sword Momentum Overturning Heavens…

How come the cultivation method only has two sections: "Sword Intent Transforming into Brilliance" and "Sword Qi Thunder Sound"!? Hong Yuan was perplexed. He flipped through it again, only to confirm that there were indeed just these two sections.

Hong Yuan's actions startled Li Ziran, the original owner of the "Heavenly River Sword Scripture."

Li Ziran was bruised and swollen, his hair dirty and disheveled, appearing utterly wretched.

But when Li Ziran saw Hong Yuan frowning at his notes, a perverse sense of satisfaction arose in his heart.

With a hoarse voice, Li Ziran mocked, "One look at you and it's obvious you're from the lower rungs. A fellow like you has probably never even seen a fifth-order Cultivation Technique. With your aptitude, even if I gave you the 'Heavenly River Sword Scripture,' I doubt you'd understand it. Beg me, and I'll teach you how to cultivate it."

Hong Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Li Ziran, noting that this young master still maintained the unique arrogance characteristic of noble families.

This expression amused Hong Yuan.

A prisoner, yet still so arrogant. The Sword Cultivators of the Li Family, tsk tsk... Hong Yuan clicked his tongue.

"What do you know? What do you understand? If it weren't for that incompetent Zhang Baicun, how could I have fallen into your hands?" Li Ziran was furious, yelling at Hong Yuan.

He could accept his own defeat, but he couldn't bear anyone mocking the Sword Cultivators of the Li Family.

Strategically, despise the enemy; tactically, take them seriously.

Li Ziran's thoroughly indoctrinated demeanor made Hong Yuan take the "Sword Cultivators of the Li Family" more seriously. For some inexplicable reason, Hong Yuan felt a strong urge to flee.

CRACK!

A sharp whip crack echoed.

Seeing Li Ziran still daring to act so defiantly, Commander Zhao Biao struck him again with the whip, making Li Ziran wail in pain.

Meanwhile, Wei Tusu and the others felt a chill in their hearts and hastily divulged all the information they had about Zhang Baicun.

The interrogation lasted the entire night. The more Hong Yuan learned of the inside story, the stronger his desire to escape became.

The Phoenix Heron Flying Boat wouldn't return to Pengcheng for another six months. However, it wasn't the only flying boat traveling between Nanyang Government and Qing State.

The Phoenix Heron Flying Boat was the designated vessel of Phoenix Creek Sect and boasted the strongest safety features.

The other flying boats were either operated by an Elder or established by a Prefecture-level Sect, offering slightly less security. Moreover, a single trip on one of these cost tens of thousands of Energy Stones, making it extremely expensive.

What excuse can I give Senior Brother to get him to help cover for me cutting this training assignment short? Hong Yuan began to ponder this question.

「...」

「The next morning.」

「Xifeng Garden.」

Xifeng Garden remained as beautiful as ever, with various flowers blooming splendidly, filling the air with the songs of birds and the fragrance of blossoms.

With Mo Jiuyou's tacit approval, Hong Yuan stowed a brand-new copy of the "Heavenly River Sword Scripture" into his storage bag, leaving everything else untouched.

Sitting in the pavilion, Hong Yuan organized his thoughts for a moment before speaking to Mo Jiuyou, "Senior Brother, I've had a breakthrough in my cultivation recently and need to return to the Sect for a while."

Mo Jiuyou stiffened slightly, then frowned, looking at Hong Yuan with a grave expression.

Truth be told, Mo Jiuyou was shocked by Hong Yuan. He knew his junior brother Hong Yuan was cautious by nature, almost timid as a mouse. But this was just a minor stir, hardly worth such a drastic measure!

"Yuan, do you realize what you're saying?" Mo Jiuyou said coldly. "Your training assignment is for a minimum of one year, yet you haven't even completed six months. If the Enforcement Hall discovers this, you'll likely be exiled to the Four Prisons Cave Heaven."

The Four Prisons Cave Heaven was where Phoenix Creek Sect imprisoned disciples who had made mistakes, though not grave enough for more severe punishment.

The Essence Qi in the Four Prisons Cave Heaven was chaotic, with frequent spatial turbulences, rendering it completely unsuitable for cultivation.

It was tantamount to stripping offending disciples of their power, reducing them to mortals. Not a few disciples perished in the Four Prisons Cave Heaven each year.

Hong Yuan took a deep breath.

He understood that without a reasonable explanation, his Senior Brother wouldn't easily let him go, nor would he help cover for him.

"Senior Brother, my current cultivation is already incredibly close to the peak of the Second Order, almost at the Third Order. I'm preparing to undergo the cultivation to condense my Taoist Ture Body."

CLANG!

Mo Jiuyou's hand trembled, knocking over the tea table. The expensive tea set crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces as tea spilled everywhere.

A seventeen-year-old approaching the peak of the Second Order! This is undoubtedly a Young Martial Saint! Even the Ancient Emperors in their youth were likely no more than this!

Mo Jiuyou's eyes glazed over as he stared blankly at Hong Yuan.

My junior brother possesses the aptitude of a Great Emperor?!