Lord Empior - Chapter 5

If it were any other disciple seeing the elder roar like that, they would be terrified, but Li Qiye only smiled faintly:
"Elder, don't be angry. Junior Brother Nan has already explained the specific situation to me. If I truly pass the examination, it will be a great contribution to the sect. Meritorious deeds deserve rewards, so it's only normal for me to state my conditions."

"Then let's discuss it after you pass the examination!"
This elder was very annoyed by Li Qiye's provocative behavior and snapped angrily.

"Alright!"

The Grand Elder only nodded and continued:

"Rest assured, as long as you pass the examination, you can choose any cultivation technique you like, except for the Heavenly Mandate Secret Technique and the important Immortal Emperor cultivation techniques. I think the other elders won't have any objections."

The six elders exchanged glances, their opinions shifting. If Li Qiye passed the test, such a request wouldn't be unreasonable; the main issue was the unimaginably low chance of success for this young man.

"The other conditions will be discussed after I pass the test," Li Qiye said with a smile.

"Furthermore, there's one condition I must mention beforehand so that the elders can prepare. When I reach the Body Refining realm, I need a high-grade Sacred Body!"

Hearing Li Qiye's demand, all six elders' faces changed color, one of them shouting:

"You're asking for too much!"

Li Qiye pretended not to hear, calmly continuing:

"Elders, we've already discussed this. Forming a marriage alliance with the Nine Sacred Demon Sect is a great achievement. While a high-grade Sacred Body is precious, I still feel it's worthwhile."

"Hmph, you think a high-grade Sacred Body is that easy to obtain?"

The elder's voice was full of dissatisfaction, and he snorted coldly.

The Grand Elder glanced at Li Qiye, and said thoughtfully,
"If you succeed, receiving a portion of the High-Level Saint Body wouldn't be unreasonable. But currently, the sect cannot fulfill that request because we still lack many of the necessary spiritual herbs to cultivate a High-Level Saint Body."

Seeing the Grand Elder's expression, Li Qiye secretly sighed. It seemed he had overestimated the current state of the Washing Face Ancient Sect. This sect was no longer as glorious as it once was. Recalling the time when Emperor Mingren founded the Washing Face Ancient Sect, how abundant its treasures were—not to mention High-Level Saint Bodies, even High-Level Immortal Emperor Bodies were available.

"Then, I'll take a step back. I want the best High-Level Emperor Bodies!"

The six elders looked at each other, seeking opinions. Finally, the Grand Elder spoke:

"I can grant your request, but the condition is that you must succeed."

Li Qiye smiled at the Grand Elder, then replied:
"Besides, before going to the Nine Sacred Demon Sect, I have a small request. I don't know what the future holds, but I need to learn some cultivation techniques and acquire one or two weapons for self-defense."

"Finally, you're somewhat clever, taking advantage of the situation for personal gain," Elder Xiong grumbled.

The Grand Elder, however, seemed to agree, nodding in response:
"Alright, there are cultivation techniques and weapons in the sect's inner hall; you can choose one. What do you elders think?"

Although the elders didn't like haggling with Li Qiye, they agreed to the Grand Elder's proposal. They all knew that Li Qiye's chances of success were almost zero; even giving him cultivation techniques and weapons wouldn't significantly improve his chances, but it was better than nothing, at least it offered a glimmer of hope.

"Elders, you're worrying too much. How could I possibly dare to use such a powerful technique?"
Li Qiye naturally saw through the elders' inner thoughts. He calmly smiled and said, "I heard that the sect has a 'Mysterious Gate Saber' technique that can be learned quickly. I want to practice this martial skill, and I need a pair of twin sabers to complement it. I wonder if that's possible?"

After Li Qiye finished speaking, the six elders' eyes widened. They had expected him to ask for something more advanced, like an imperial technique, but he wanted such a martial art.

"Mysterious Gate Saber?"
The Grand Elder pondered and asked again.

An elder quickly replied, "Brother Gu, that's a martial art of our sect, not yet sufficient for achieving enlightenment."

This elder was in charge of distributing martial arts techniques in the sect, so he had the most information.

Hearing this, the other elders were surprised. In the eyes of cultivators, martial skills weren't enough to achieve enlightenment; any ordinary cultivation technique was far superior to martial skills. But Li Qiye's insistence on choosing the "Qimen Saber" martial skill left them bewildered and incomprehensible. He was truly a good-for-nothing who didn't know how to choose good things.

"No problem! Huai Ren, take the Qimen Saber to his mountain, and also select the best pair of twin sabers for him."

Regarding Li Qiye's request, the Grand Elder quickly gave the order.

"Do you have any other small requests?"
Seeing that Li Qiye wasn't being overly demanding, one elder, feeling satisfied, generously asked.

"I don't have any at the moment," Li Qiye replied modestly.

"Good, then go and prepare a little. We'll set off in three days. After you return, you will pay respects to the Ancestor!" The Grand Elder said in a low voice.

i.

Of course, whether he would return alive or not was still something no one could predict.

A short while after Li Qiye returned to the mountain, Nan Huai Ren brought him the secret manual of "Qi Men Dao" and a set of twin daggers that fit him perfectly.

He looked at the Crescent Moon twin daggers and was quite satisfied. The blades curved like crescent moons, shimmering with cold light, but this was not a weapon commonly used by cultivators. This type of short dagger, crafted specifically for mortals, no matter how sharp or refined into a treasure weapon, would still not catch the eye of any cultivator.

After Nan Huai Ren left, Li Qiye slowly read the Qi Men Dao technique. With each word and sentence he read, lines of the cultivation method appeared in his mind.

Back then, when he was still Yin Ya, although he had successfully escaped the control of the Immortal Demon Cave, his condition was unstable, and he was sometimes still affected by the Immortal Demon Cave. When he felt that way, he sealed himself, causing his soul to fall into a deep sleep.

He had endured countless years of hardship, traversing the most dangerous places in every era, falling into the hands of many powerful individuals, and overcoming countless obstacles. But it was precisely because of this that he came into contact with many cultivation techniques, even encountering Emperor-level and Immortal-level techniques.

Fearing that one day he would lose control of himself and be summoned back to the Immortal Demon Cave, in each lifetime he erased all memories of the cultivation techniques and secret arts he had learned, preventing those earth-shattering secrets or techniques from falling into the hands of the Immortal Demon Cave. However, he, along with the Medicine God and the Blood-Scaled Immortal Emperor, used an extremely mysterious method. Even though those memories were erased from his mind, when he reread those techniques, all their profound meanings would reappear in his mind.

At this moment, all the key points related to cultivating the Qimen Dao gradually appeared in Li Qiye's mind.

It took quite some time for Li Qiye to fully recall all the memories of the Qimen Dao. Taking a deep breath, he carefully compared the things in his mind with the secret manual in his hand. Li Qiye suddenly realized that the Qimen Dao seemed to be missing something, a feeling that made him slightly worried.

In fact, it was normal for a martial art like the Qimen Dao to be incomplete. After all, this kind of martial skill wasn't enough to achieve enlightenment; in the eyes of cultivators, it was just a minor skill. Over hundreds of thousands of years, in the Washing Face Ancient Sect, it's likely that very few people had ever practiced the Qimen Dao.

After agonizing over it for a while, Li Qiye finally grasped all the profound meanings of this martial skill, and he smiled slightly.

Although Li Qiye's physique, lifespan, and destiny were rather ordinary, incomparable to those geniuses, his entire life had been filled with countless cultivation techniques, secret manuals, and even the peerless secret methods of successive Immortal Emperors. Therefore, his understanding and insights in cultivation were unmatched by any other genius.

More importantly, as a Dark Crow, he had endured countless hardships and tortures, even being imprisoned for over ten thousand years without seeing sunlight. Therefore, his Dao heart was incredibly strong and unwavering, nothing could shake him, and no difficulty could make him retreat.

Li Qiye patted the book of the Qimen Saber Technique, sighing softly. From the memories related to this martial art, he recalled things about it that perhaps no other disciple of the Washing Face Ancient Sect knew.

In those days, when Emperor Mingren was still a young, passionate martial artist, before truly cultivating the Dao, he practiced this Qimen Dao martial art. Later, when Emperor Mingren bore the Mandate of Heaven and ruled the Nine Realms, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic about the past, and decided to refine the Qimen Dao martial art he had practiced in his youth.

Of course, this martial art could not compare to the imperial techniques that Mingren created, let alone the Heavenly Mandate secret techniques. Moreover, Mingren himself did not hope that his descendants would cultivate this martial art. Therefore, the Qimen Dao technique remained in the Scripture Repository of the Xiyan Ancient Sect for hundreds of thousands of years. Over countless years, the number of disciples who practiced this sword technique dwindled, let alone those who could truly comprehend its profound mysteries.

At that time, when seeing Emperor Mingren meticulously refining this Qimen Saber Technique, Li Qiye had jokingly teased him, saying that even if this saber technique reached its peak and could slay a king or marquis, no one would want to practice it afterward.

Despite Li Qiye's teasing, Emperor Mingren only smiled. He never expected that Li Qiye's prediction about the fate of this martial art back then would be so accurate.

Li Qiye dismissed his wandering thoughts, holding a short saber in each hand, and began practicing the Qimen Saber Technique. Li Qiye was extremely strict with himself, slowly practicing each move and technique with utmost care, striving for perfection without rushing or seeking quick mastery.