Chapter 87: The Profound Yin Technique

Shi Yan followed Zhua Qi and his group, pressing on without rest toward the Valley of Absolute Yin.

Along the way, Zhua Qi fully demonstrated his value. Under his guidance, all manner of strange plants and ferocious beasts were swiftly cleared from their path. Zhua Qi truly deserved his reputation as half a master of the Dead Marsh; his understanding of the area far surpassed even Chi Xiao’s, and he seemed thoroughly familiar with the Absolute Yin Plain as well.

Wherever they went, Zhua Qi swept aside every obstacle with overwhelming force. Chi Xiao and Xia Xinyan hardly needed to lift a finger, able to conserve their strength in preparation for the coming battle with the Nine-Headed Heavenly Serpent.

The closer they drew to the Valley of Absolute Yin, the denser the oppressive chill became.

Gradually, Shi Yan noticed that the flow of his vital energy was slowing, his meridians and bones seemingly affected by the Yin aura, leaving his body somewhat stiff. The same was true for Zuo Shi; the nearer they came, the paler her once rosy cheeks grew, clearly unable to adapt to the increasingly heavy Yin energy.

"Let’s rest here for now," Chi Xiao proposed, pausing in a clearing that Zhua Qi had swept clean. "Zhua Qi, Miss Xia, we should take this time to study the treasure map." He drew the map from his robes and waved it toward Zhua Qi and Xia Xinyan.

Zhua Qi, who had intended to press on, immediately agreed at the sight of the map. He hurried over, grinning strangely. "No one knows the Valley of Absolute Yin better than I do," he boasted. "Let me take a look at the map, and I’ll surely find the location of the Heavenly Gate for you."

Xia Xinyan hesitated, then joined them. Chi Xiao, already intimately familiar with the map’s markings, handed it to her and left her to consult with Zhua Qi, while he walked over to check on Zuo Shi and Shi Yan.

"How are you two holding up? Can you manage?" Chi Xiao asked, his gaze fixed on Zuo Shi.

Her face was a little pale as she replied, "I can manage, Master, but I’m uncomfortable. The Yin aura is slowing the flow of my vital energy, and the closer we get, the faster it seems to be draining me."

"That’s to be expected," Chi Xiao explained. "Dense Yin energy affects the body’s functions. Our vital energy naturally adjusts in response, and that uses up reserves. This is only the beginning—inside the Valley of Absolute Yin, it will be even worse. If you can’t take it, wait for us outside."

"Master, the Xuanwu True Armor seems to help counteract the Yin aura," Zuo Shi suddenly remarked.

Chi Xiao was taken aback, then shook his head in exasperation. "If the Xuanwu True Armor works, why haven’t you been practicing it diligently?"

"I only just discovered it," Zuo Shi admitted, sticking out her tongue and giving a mischievous smile. "Alright, I’ll focus on cultivating it from now on. I found that if I wrap myself in even a single layer of the armor, the Yin aura can’t seep in."

"If you’d applied yourself earlier, you might have mastered it by now," Chi Xiao said, half-scolding, half-sighing.

"Ugh, I’m trying my best now," Zuo Shi pouted.

Chi Xiao sighed to himself, then turned to Shi Yan. "How about you?"

"I’m fine. I can keep going," Shi Yan replied calmly.

"Good. But don’t overexert yourself," Chi Xiao cautioned. "If your body can’t take it, wait outside the valley. Han Feng can stay behind to protect you; Ku Long will accompany us inside. This time, we just need to identify what’s inside the Heavenly Gate. Once we’ve scouted it out, your Shi family will send more experts, so don’t feel like you have to enter yourself."

Shi Yan nodded silently.

After offering a few words of comfort and urging Zuo Shi to focus on her cultivation, Chi Xiao returned to where Zhua Qi and Xia Xinyan were poring over the treasure map.

Ku Long leaned in and whispered to Shi Yan, "Young master, before we set out, the patriarch made it clear: your life is paramount. Don’t push yourself. All we need to do is confirm the location of the Heavenly Gate and find out what’s inside."

"I understand," Shi Yan replied, his expression indifferent, brow furrowed.

In the distance, Zhua Qi, Xia Xinyan, and Chi Xiao were still engrossed in the map. Despite Zhua Qi’s professed familiarity with the valley, he seemed to have encountered a problem, frowning as he discussed it with the others.

Shi Yan glanced over, then slowly sat down, thoughts flashing through his mind. He, too, was deeply curious about the Heavenly Gate and hoped to see it for himself. Yet the ever-thickening Yin aura was troublesome—not only omnipresent but growing denser the closer they drew to the valley, exerting a slow but steady toll on his body.

He wasn’t even in the valley yet, but already had to expend some of his vital energy to resist the effects of the Yin aura. If he entered the heart of the valley and his reserves were depleted, any danger they encountered would be all the greater.

He needed a solution.

After a moment’s contemplation, Shi Yan’s expression grew determined. He sat cross-legged and began combing through his memories, searching for a way to counteract the Yin aura’s effects.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

The Mysterious Yin Art!

His eyes lit up. Quickly, he retrieved the battered manual from his pack—a low-grade martial technique he had acquired from Kalu. He’d dismissed it before, seeing that it required practicing in areas of dense Yin energy, and had set it aside after arriving at the Shi family, where he had access to far superior techniques.

But now, in the midst of the Absolute Yin Plain, where the air was thick with Yin energy, this was the perfect place to practice the Mysterious Yin Art.

Though it was only a low-grade technique, its method of absorbing Yin energy could help his body adapt, rendering him immune to its harmful effects and even allowing him to weaponize the Yin energy.

Shi Yan cared little for its offensive power. What interested him was its unique ability to make the body attuned to the Yin energy—and that was exactly the answer to his current predicament.

Without hesitation, he opened the manual.

While Chi Xiao, Zhua Qi, and Xia Xinyan busied themselves with the map, Shi Yan immersed himself in the study of the Mysterious Yin Art, focusing all his attention on its cultivation method.

He flipped through the pages in silence, his expression grave.

It didn’t take long to finish reading. Shi Yan frowned deeply, slipped the manual back into his pack, and pondered what he had learned. Although it was a low-grade technique, it was peculiarly intricate: to practice it, one had to draw in Yin energy and form three Yin vortexes outside the Tianque, Shenque, and Yindu acupoints on the chest.

Once established, these vortexes would draw in the surrounding Yin energy. When they had absorbed enough, each would condense a Yin pearl at its center, which would then sink into the corresponding acupoint.

The process could be repeated again and again, as long as Yin energy was present. The more pearls accumulated in the acupoints, the stronger the art became.

Shi Yan had seen many cultivation methods in the Shi family’s Hall of Martial Souls, but never anything as bizarre as this. Most techniques had a completion point; this one seemed limitless, as long as the world provided enough Yin energy.

Soberly, he reviewed the method in his mind, growing more convinced that there was something unusual about this seemingly simple technique.

But he didn’t hesitate. If it could help him reach the heart of the valley safely, that was all that mattered. After running through the method a few more times, and seeing that the others were still occupied, he began to cultivate.

Shi Yan fixed his attention on the three vital acupoints, gently gathering the Yin energy there. At first, his body felt stiff and unaccustomed to the chill, but gradually, the Yin energy began to swirl around the acupoints, turning slowly under his mental direction.

The moment he began to practice the technique, he felt an inexplicable attraction between his body and the surrounding Yin aura. As he formed the vortexes, the Yin energy in the air converged on him, seeping in through his pores and flowing along his meridians toward the three acupoints, where it began to spin.

…

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