C3 It Was a Mistake
"I was brought here by your grandfather!"
Before anyone else could get a word in, Ye Qinghui leaned against the doorframe and responded.
"Damn you, you dare insult me! Beat him to death!"
The young man, upon hearing Ye Qinghui's retort, flew into a rage and bellowed loudly.
At his command, the entourage behind him surged forward, swiftly encircling Ye Qinghui.
"Perfect, let's see what I can do!"
Ye Qinghui let out a cold laugh as he covertly channeled the Heaven Seeking Technique, beginning to draw in the spiritual energy around him.
As a cultivator, his technique was immensely powerful. The Heaven Seeking Technique was, after all, the most formidable technique of the Splitforce.
"Attack!"
The young man screamed again, prompting his followers to charge at Ye Qinghui.
Despite the overwhelming sensory input, Ye Qinghui's dantian was devoid of spiritual energy. Nevertheless, his physical strength was at the Seventh Stage of Qi Refining, and his combat experience was extensive.
In no time, the four or five followers lay unconscious on the ground, leaving the young man staring at Ye Qinghui in astonishment.
"What's the matter? Lost your nerve?"
Ye Qinghui sneered, his feet propelling him forward with explosive force, bringing him face to face with the young man in an instant.
"You—what do you intend to do?! I am the Third Young Master of the Zhang Family, a subordinate of Zhang Han! If you lay a finger on me, you'll be making an enemy of the Zhang Family!"
The young man was so terrified that he could barely string his words together, his teeth clattering in fear.
"Well then, consider this a lesson from Young Master Zhang Han himself!"
A smile flickered across Ye Qinghui's face as he spoke, swiftly seizing Zhang Han's right hand.
With a powerful heave, Ye Qinghui lifted Zhang Han like a ragdoll and hurled him skyward.
"Ah!"
Zhang Ming's voice pierced the air as he flailed his arms helplessly.
"Don't worry, I've got you!"
As Zhang Ming plummeted back to earth, Ye Qinghui dashed forward, bellowing as he delivered a kick to Zhang Ming's waist, sending him flying into a wall.
Boom!
The impact resounded as Zhang Ming crumpled into a heap of broken stones, coughing up blood.
Ye Qinghui paid no mind to those who had passed out and stood firm, his fists clenched as he tuned into the shifts within his body.
"Grandfather, are you alright?"
Ning Yan had just returned and, seeing the scene before her, rushed to assist Zhang Hong to his feet.
"I'm fine, thanks to Young Master Ye's timely rescue. Please, go quickly and get the servants to tidy up."
Gratefully, Zhang Hong turned and bowed with his fists clasped before urging Ning Yan to action.
After a brief exchange, Ye Qinghui headed back to his room. The recent skirmish had been beneficial, and he needed time to reflect on the experience.
"Why is there no content for the Three Thousand Life-Extermination Technique that flashed in my mind earlier?"
Pondering this, Ye Qinghui peered inward at his dantian, where the three thousand karmic flames blazed. He channeled a thread of spiritual energy towards the flames, murmuring, "Little flame, since you dwell within me, we are united. Don't keep any secrets or withhold anything valuable from me!"
No sooner had he spoken than the karmic fire seemed to respond, igniting along the path of spiritual energy and swiftly reaching his mind.
Boom!
A thunderous noise exploded by Ye Qinghui's ear, and a deluge of information flooded his consciousness, overwhelming and unstoppable.
Within moments, Ye Qinghui's complexion was ashen, his body soaked in a cold sweat.
"So this is the Three Thousand Lifeless Technique? It's divided into two parts, including one for body refining?"
The wealth of information boiled down to a single cultivation technique, one of peculiar nature. The initial sections detailed the founder's journey, with only the final pages revealing the true method, which, to his surprise, included body refining.
"This is the one! Since the Heaven Seeking Technique is no longer an option, I'll start with cultivating Qi."
With no time to deliberate, Ye Qinghui, now in possession of a novel cultivation method, promptly sat down cross-legged and began his practice with eyes closed.
Ye Qinghui, having acquired a new cultivation technique, had no time to hesitate. He quickly sat cross-legged and began to practice with his eyes closed. A quarter of an hour later, he exhaled a breath of stale air, a smile creeping across his lips as he whispered to himself, "This technique is truly extraordinary. Paired with the Three Thousand Karmic Flames, the speed of cultivation is astonishing. Had my body not already been at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, I might have exploded from the spiritual energy by now! And with these flames, I can start practicing alchemy without needing a pill furnace like before!"
Despite the benefits, Ye Qinghui was well aware that this technique demanded a strong physique, which was a clear drawback.
After a long period of contemplation in his room, he decided to give the body refining method a try. "My goodness! This method of body refining is practically suicidal!"
Having reviewed all the information, Ye Qinghui was beyond the point of complaining. He was left with the choice to either practice or not. "If it kills me, so be it. With the Three Thousand Karmic Flames, what do I have to fear?"
After some deliberation, Ye Qinghui steeled himself and commenced his practice. Within mere moments, his whole body began to shake uncontrollably.
The technique required him to use spiritual energy to cleanse every part of his flesh and every bone, yet curiously, as long as the spiritual energy was channeled according to this technique, any injuries would quickly heal. Initially, Ye Qinghui thought it was the route of circulation that was key, but after cleansing a two-inch section of bone, he realized the truth. Each time he practiced, it was the Three Thousand Karmic Flames that were healing his body. "No wonder it's paired with the Three Thousand Karmic Flames!"
After a brief rest, Ye Qinghui resumed his practice. It took him a full two hours to cleanse all the meridians and bones in his body. Were it not for the restorative power of the Three Thousand Lifeless Technique, he would have perished several times over. Washing the heart was particularly perilous; with each inch, Ye Qinghui felt as though he was flirting with death itself.
After stowing away the cultivation technique, Ye Qinghui could barely contain his excitement. In just a short time, his cultivation had fully recovered, and he was even on the cusp of breaking through to the Seventh Stage of Qi Refining.
"Quite impressive!"
Seated on the bed, Ye Qinghui continuously mulled over the recent battle, pondering the potential of the 3,000 karmic flames in actual combat. For instance, targeting an enemy's body and igniting an internal heat could take them by surprise.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
At that moment, a series of knocks echoed from the door.
Initially irritated by the interruption to his cultivation, Ye Qinghui's annoyance softened as he remembered Zhang Hong's rescue. He rose and opened the door, only to find not Zhang Hong, but a young man with an air of elegance waiting outside.
