"Subduing Tiger Art, Reincarnation Sutra… Ming Wang Technique…" Han Li scanned through them rapidly, reading each technique aloud. From the names alone, it was clear that the jade slips indeed contained Buddhist arts.
"Ming Wang Technique! I've heard of this one. It's a rare art practiced exclusively by Buddhist Vajra Protectors — supposedly extremely difficult to cultivate. How did this Feng family ancestor come to possess it? Hand me the jade slip; let's see whether this technique can remove the baleful energy." The moment the words "Ming Wang Technique" reached him, the Grand Myriad Arcane Lord spoke up in surprise.
Han Li's spirits lifted upon hearing this.
He couldn't care less about how the Feng family ancestor had obtained the technique. As long as it could help him deal with the baleful energy, that was all that mattered.
Without a moment's hesitation, he tossed the jade slip in his hand back into the bamboo tube behind him.
For a while, the Grand Myriad Arcane Lord devoted himself to studying the technique recorded on the jade slip, while Han Li set about sorting through the contents of the Feng family's secret vault, picking out the most valuable items and stuffing them into his storage bag.
Ideally, he would have swept everything out in one go. But his storage bag had only so much room — apart from the spirit stones, he had to pick and choose from the rest.
The few spirit treasures would certainly all go with him. From the materials and talismans, he selected a small portion that looked useful and left the rest.
As for the magical tools, aside from two or three with peculiar functions, Han Li left the rest on the shelves untouched.
Once he had finished his selection, Han Li turned his attention to the large pile of jade slips, searching for a particular technique that had caught his eye when he first swept the vault with his spiritual sense.
Then he sat cross-legged in the middle of the hall and fell into silent meditation.
Time slipped by bit by word. After an indeterminate stretch, the Grand Myriad Arcane Lord's voice finally echoed through the empty hall, immediately drawing Han Li's attention away from the technique in his hands.
"This Ming Wang Technique is rather unconventional. It's called a Buddhist art, but the cultivation method is shockingly aggressive — it even carries traces of demonic cultivation." The Grand Myriad Arcane Lord spoke slowly.
"Demonic cultivation? What do you mean? Can this technique actually remove the baleful energy from my body or not?" Han Li's heart sank, but his voice remained calm.
"Don't jump to conclusions. When it comes to the baleful energy, I should congratulate you — this technique can indeed solve your problem. However, it doesn't dispel or dissipate the baleful energy. Instead, it takes a method rather similar to the demonic path: it refines the baleful energy and turns it to your own use. That said, from the cultivation method alone, it seems to carry a certain degree of danger. After all, the baleful energy is not something that can be easily subdued. Whether you want to look for other Buddhist techniques instead is your call — weigh the risks and benefits yourself." The Grand Myriad Arcane Lord paused in thought, laid out his assessment point by point, then tossed the jade slip back out of the bamboo tube.
"Refine the baleful energy into my own power? If I cultivate this to a high level, won't I end up walking the ancient demonic path?" Han Li caught the jade slip and asked warily, a chill running through him.
"That much you don't need to worry about. Since the Ming Wang Technique is an art practiced by Buddhist Protectors, it naturally has no real connection to the demonic path. Although its cultivation method is somewhat extreme, it's fundamentally different from ordinary demonic techniques that harness baleful energy. It only uses the baleful energy as a supplementary aid — it doesn't directly weaponize it to attack or harm others. In this way, it preserves the baleful energy's tyrannical nature while neutralizing most of its harmful side effects. Tsk, tsk. The Buddhist sect really does harbor extraordinary individuals — to have created a technique that bridges from the demonic into the Buddhist. I'd estimate the creator's talent to be at least on par with my own, if not surpassing it. This technique is a grand arcane art comparable to the Grand Myriad Arts." The Grand Myriad Arcane Lord's voice carried a note of genuine admiration.
Hearing the Grand Myriad Arcane Lord compare this technique to the Grand Myriad Arts, Han Li felt a mixture of doubt and belief. He immediately immersed his spiritual sense into the jade slip once more and read through the Ming Wang Technique in detail.
But after only a few moments, he let out a startled cry.
"Hm!? This technique looks familiar — where have I seen it before!?"
"You've seen it?" The Grand Myriad Arcane Lord sounded surprised as well.
"That's right… I remember now! This technique is very similar to the demon-tribe art on that thing!" After pondering for a brief moment, Han Li suddenly recalled something. He reached into his storage bag, and a palm-sized copper piece appeared in his hand.