Chapter Seventeen: The Taiyi Body Refining Scripture

In the room, Song Yue and the young man huddled together, studying the tiny script on the jade slip. The boy was mainly eager to seem involved, but in truth, the characters appeared to him as indecipherable scribbles; he couldn’t recognize a single one.

He had grown up learning all sorts of knowledge from his elders—after all, you couldn’t survive in their line of work without an education. The most renowned tomb robbers possessed scholarly prowess equal to the finest archaeologists.

Song Yue could read the script, but even for him, it was no easy task. He had to read and recall at the same time. The writing was so ancient that even the largest libraries in China would struggle to find relevant references.

Despite the slow progress, Song Yue soon understood what was recorded on the slip. Once he grasped the text's meaning, he could barely suppress his overwhelming joy.

The Taiyi Body Tempering Sutra!

This was a martial cultivation technique. More precisely, it was a supreme method that allowed one to enter the Dao through martial practice. The jade slip contained only the first chapter.

According to its instructions, training in this Sutra could lead directly to the highest path. When the boy saw Song Yue’s calm expression, he couldn’t help asking, “What does it say?”

He stared intently at Song Yue, ready to spot any lie.

“It’s a body tempering scripture,” Song Yue replied truthfully.

He had, after all, been paid, and besides, the Taiyi Body Tempering Sutra demanded extraordinary prerequisites from its practitioners. Only someone like Song Yue, whose body had been forged from childhood, could hope to study it—and even that was just the first step. Insight was just as crucial.

It was much like advanced fields—mathematics, quantum physics. Even if you had all the materials before you, without understanding, they would remain incomprehensible. Even with an expert’s guidance, you might not grasp a thing!

Cultivation brooked no flaw. Having a peerless method didn’t guarantee mastery.

“A body tempering scripture?” The boy’s face fell in disappointment. “That’s it?”

He could hardly believe it. Body tempering—clearly something for martial artists. How could that be valuable?

He felt as if his ten million had gone down the drain.

“This is a top-tier body tempering scripture, capable of allowing one to enter the Dao through martial practice,” Song Yue said seriously.

“Ah, ah, ah!” The boy sighed repeatedly, waving his hand as he stood up. “Not interested, not interested! Everyone says entering the Dao through martial arts is too hard! Have you ever seen anyone actually do it?”

Song Yue glanced at him. “I am one.”

A cough, cough…

The boy nearly choked on his own saliva.

He looked at Song Yue. “You’re a martial artist?”

Song Yue nodded. “Yes! The future Grand Sage of Martial Arts stands before you!”

“Excuse me,” the boy replied with mock courtesy, giving a perfunctory salute before turning to leave.

“Don’t go!” Song Yue called out. “If you’re truly not interested, why not sell me the rest?”

The boy stopped in his tracks, blinking. “One hundred million!”

“Goodbye,” Song Yue said, expressionless.

The audacity! Trying to rob the Sage Song in broad daylight?

Dream on!

“Just kidding,” the boy said with a grin. “Let’s do this—a flat price, twenty million!”

“I don’t want it.” Song Yue knew this was a rare treasure, and if he asked his family, he could probably get the money, but he refused to compromise. If he agreed now, the boy’s temperament meant the price would likely go up at the last moment.

The jade slip wasn’t in his possession, and even if it were to be sold, his family would have to approve. The boy’s disdain for martial arts didn’t necessarily reflect his family’s attitude.

“Brother, you’re being unreasonable,” the boy argued. “I was willing to pay ten million just to find out what it was. You’re a martial artist; this is a supreme martial cultivation method. Is ten million too much?”

He tried to reason with Song Yue, hoping to recoup his investment and earn a little more.

“That’s not ten million,” Song Yue retorted. “It’s twenty million!”

“…”

The boy was exasperated, feeling that this man was even more shameless than himself.

He pondered for a moment, then said, “Since I don’t have the item on me, let’s exchange contact information. Once we’re out of the secret realm, if you still want it, we can get in touch. How does that sound?”

Song Yue considered and agreed.

While exchanging numbers, he asked the boy’s name. The boy smiled. “In our line of work, we never give our real names. But I have a nickname—Seven Jin. I weighed exactly seven jin when I was born. You can note me as that, or just call me Seven.”

“All right, Little Seven,” Song Yue nodded.

The boy’s mouth twitched, and after saving Song Yue’s number, he labeled him as “Rogue Song.”

That damned, ruthless scoundrel—he’d extorted a million out of him for a martial artist’s cultivation method!

Did Song Yue think he couldn’t see through it? Claiming it was some supreme scripture that could let one enter the Dao through martial arts.

How advanced could a martial artist’s method really be? Did he not know that truly supreme scriptures were preserved in jade slips through spiritual imprint!

A true master would never bother to leave cryptic script requiring tricks to decipher.

Once he learned it was a martial artist’s scripture, the boy lost all interest in the jade slip and promptly took his leave.

Song Yue, meanwhile, began practicing the first chapter of the Taiyi Body Tempering Sutra at once.

Following its instructions, he started channeling his internal power. Martial artists lacked spiritual energy, but they possessed a special force—some called it primordial energy, others true energy.

At first, it felt awkward and unsteady, with tight passages that were hard to traverse.

But Song Yue patiently persisted, trying again and again until, after several hours, the flow became much smoother.

After completing a full cycle according to the Sutra’s first chapter, he was delighted to find that his inner strength had noticeably increased.

It wasn’t just a boost in energy; he could clearly sense changes within his body. His organs grew sturdier and more vital. Running the method heated his blood, filling him with boundless power.

“A peerless cultivation method!” Song Yue couldn’t help but marvel. This scripture had arrived at just the right moment.

He felt his progress, advancing farther along the path of mastery.

The next morning, the gate to the secret realm was finally set to open.

Everyone was ready, faces tense and excited, gathered before the entrance.

Old Peng was giving last-minute instructions to several outstanding students from the Academy of Cultivation. Though Song Yue had been invited as their protector, he couldn’t be expected to shoulder everything alone.

Old Peng hoped these gifted students would step up.

Among the crowd, Zhang Zixing and Ou Ping chatted easily together, occasionally glancing at the Academy group with unreadable eyes.

But Song Yue knew that once they entered the secret realm, peace between the two sides would be impossible.

At nine in the morning, the ancient altar began to pulse with energy, causing a wave of exclamations.

“It’s opening!”

“It’s about to open!”

“We can go in now!”

“Haha, treasures of heaven and earth, here we come!”

And then, the gate to the secret realm opened.