Library Tower

"I made some modifications to this sword technique based on your recent practice, so it should be more in line with your style," Jiang Yun interrupted, diverting the conversation.

Land Yao's gaze on Jiang Yun was momentarily withdrawn as she took a few steps forward, asking, "Is it really the first time you've seen this sword technique?"

"Of course, there's no need for me to lie to you," Jiang Yun replied seriously.

"Alright, never mind that. It's too discouraging. Why do you want to go to the Library Tower?" Land Yao changed the topic, no longer pursuing the previous line of questioning.

Jiang Yun sheathed his Qingping Sword and explained, "I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation, and I want to see if there are other solutions available."

"Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you. What's the deal with your cultivation level?" A few months ago, Land Yao had wanted to ask Jiang Yun this question when she first met him. However, due to his attitude issues, she hadn't bothered to approach him again, and the matter slipped her mind. Now, hearing Jiang Yun mention cultivation, she brought it up again.

Jiang Yun let out a bitter smile and said, "After leaving the Qingyang Cave, I harbored murderous intent and went astray, leading to demonic possession. Later, someone saved me, but my inner energy got sealed, which is why I'm in this state now."

Demonic possession wasn't something that just anyone could encounter. Land Yao was shocked upon hearing this. There were very few who could recover their cultivation after demonic possession. The saying that those who survive great calamities will have great fortunes ahead wasn't without merit. In the Lingwu Continent, recorded cases of individuals recovering their cultivation after demonic possession were rare, and each one of them was a prodigious talent.

"What's your current cultivation level?" Land Yao's tone was both sympathetic and curious.

"It's getting there. I believe that if you give me a bit more time, I can definitely recover my original cultivation level." Jiang Yun laughed heartily. He never lacked confidence when it came to recovering his cultivation. His words were full of determination.

Land Yao didn't have much contact with Jiang Yun, and her understanding of him mostly came from the impression he left on her in the Qingyang Cave. At that time, they were in a dangerous situation, and Jiang Yun seemed to be quite magnanimous. He would let her drink water first and never exceeded the boundaries when helping her heal.

But after Jiang Yun entered the Heavenly Sword Sect, every time they met again, Land Yao felt like he was resisting any form of emotional attachment. Despite having a positive impression of Jiang Yun initially, she began to distance herself from him as he continued to act ignorant of her advances. Under such circumstances, their relationship gradually grew distant, and she stopped actively seeking him out.

However, this time, upon seeing Jiang Yun again, Land Yao realized that he didn't seem to resent her; he was simply resisting anyone's emotional advances.

After walking a while through the forest, they arrived at Land Yao's residence. She instructed Jiang Yun to wait here while she went to retrieve the access token for the Library Tower. As a true core disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Land Yao could lend her access token to others. However, with this access token, Jiang Yun would only be able to spend a day in the Library Tower.

After receiving the access token from Land Yao, Jiang Yun was escorted to the foot of the Luoxia Peak. Land Yao then returned, and neither of them noticed that there was someone hidden in the shadows below, observing their every move.

After leaving Luoxia Peak, Jiang Yun headed straight to the Library Tower. The Heavenly Sword Sect was a prestigious sect with a history spanning over a thousand years on the Lingwu Continent. As a result, the library was incredibly rich in resources. While the main focus of Heavenly Sword Sect's disciples was sword techniques, the Library Tower was not limited to just sword manuals. It contained a wide variety of martial techniques and cultivation methods.

Jiang Yun entered the Library Tower with Land Yao's access token, granting him unrestricted access. However, the sheer scale of the library was overwhelming. The first-floor hall was filled with hundreds of rows of bookshelves, leaving Jiang Yun at a loss on how to begin searching for information about the Nine Li Divine Technique.

In need of guidance, Jiang Yun approached the elderly guardian of the Library Tower and asked, "Excuse me, senior. Do you know where the books about body refining techniques are located?"

The old man, with bleary eyes, squinted at Jiang Yun and replied, "What? I can't hear clearly. My hearing isn't what it used to be, due to my age."

The old man's loud voice was intimidating, and he gestured for Jiang Yun to speak louder while pointing at his ears. Jiang Yun had no choice but to raise his voice by several decibels and said, "I'm asking where the books about body refining techniques are located. The library is too vast, and I can't find them."

"Body refining techniques..." The old man rubbed his ears and then pointed in a direction, saying, "Ah, they're over there. Go look for yourself."

Following the direction indicated by the old man's finger, Jiang Yun indeed found rows of books related to body refining techniques. He began his search, hoping to find information about solving the bottleneck of the Nine Li Divine Technique.

As Jiang Yun delved deeper into the Library Tower, an inner disciple also entered the library. This person tiptoed behind Jiang Yun, not far away, occasionally stealing glances at him.

The collection in the Library Tower was indeed extensive. There were more than a dozen bookshelves dedicated to body refining techniques alone. Jiang Yun spent three hours searching but failed to find any information about resolving the bottleneck of the Nine Li Divine Technique. In frustration, he turned to the old man for help once again.

"Is there anything related to the Nine Li Divine Technique here?"

Due to the old man's hearing issue, Jiang Yun's voice was quite loud. The person hiding not far away could hear the conversation between Jiang Yun and the guardian clearly without needing to reveal their presence.

Upon hearing Jiang Yun mention the Nine Li Divine Technique, the old man's drooping head suddenly lifted. He cast a curious sidelong glance at Jiang Yun and asked, "You're looking for the Nine Li Divine Technique?"

Jiang Yun's heart skipped a beat. Judging by the old man's tone, he definitely knew about the Nine Li Divine Technique. He nodded eagerly. After asking a brief question, the old man walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out a piece of parchment, and tossed it to Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun was surprised to find that the Library Tower indeed contained information about the Nine Li Divine Technique. From the piece of parchment given to him by the old man, it had the same texture as the part of the Nine Li Divine Technique that Jiang Yun had obtained previously. He was certain that this was a genuine piece.

Disregarding the old man's curious gaze, Jiang Yun immediately opened the parchment to read. The more he read, the more excited he became. This segment of the Nine Li Divine Technique seamlessly connected with the one he had acquired before. It detailed the cultivation methods from the Fourth to the Sixth Level of the technique.

After more than an hour, Jiang Yun finished reading this section of the Nine Li Divine Technique and began to understand why he had encountered a bottleneck at the Second Level.

The Nine Li Divine Technique was an ancient body-refining technique of the barbarian tribes from the ancient times. To cultivate such an ancient body-refining technique, the crucial factor lay in the inheritance of bloodline. However, Jiang Yun lacked the bloodline of the barbarian tribes, which naturally caused his progress to stall.

In other words, if Jiang Yun could find a barbarian bloodline, he could overcome the bottleneck of the Nine Li Divine Technique. Though it sounded simple, the problem lay in the fact that nearly three thousand years had passed since the barbarian era. Finding individuals with barbarian bloodlines had become incredibly difficult.

Over three thousand years, those possessing barbarian bloodlines had all but vanished from the world. There might still be some fierce beasts that carried a trace of the barbarian bloodline, but most of these fierce beasts were powerful creatures, typically at the level of Earth Martial Realm cultivators. With Jiang Yun's current strength, he couldn't contend against Earth Martial Realm practitioners.

Lost in thought, Jiang Yun approached the old man once again and inquired, "Excuse me, are there any barbarian beasts in the Tianjian Mountain Range?"

Rolling his eyes, the old man replied irritably, "Yes, there's an ancient python in Shuiyun Gorge."

Jiang Yun's face lit up. He continued to ask, "What's the strength of the ancient python?"

"Below the Empty Martial Realm but above the Profound Martial Realm."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's expression instantly turned awkward. His tone weakened by a few decibels, he asked, "Are there any with slightly lower strength?"

"There's a Rebirth Bird in Zixia Ridge, and a Green Phoenix in Qin Mountain..."

The old man continued listing off creatures, making Jiang Yun's situation even more awkward. The names of these fierce beasts were renowned, and Jiang Yun had heard about them before. However, none of them had strength below the Earth Martial Realm.

"Do you have any fierce beasts with strength comparable to a True Martial Realm practitioner?"

The old man pondered for a moment and then said, "There is one, but its bloodline isn't that pure. Its strength is similar to that of an almost True Martial Realm cultivator."

Jiang Yun hurriedly inquired, "Where can I find it?"

"There's a valley in Shuiyun Gorge called the Forgetfulness Valley. There, you'll find a mammoth with a faint connection to ancient fierce beasts. You can go take a look."