I Can Upgrade Everything Infinitely-Chapter 80 - 79: Daoist Skill—Profound Soldier Talisman Technique
At this rate, Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root Method once a minute. Without stopping, that would be sixty times an hour.
Throughout the day, excluding time for rest, meals, and so on, Xu Qing could practice for sixteen hours.
Therefore, Xu Qing could practice the Dapeng Root Method 960 times a day, earning 960 Experience Points. This was several times faster than before.
Xu Qing took a deep breath and murmured, "At this rate, I’m sure I’ll be able to break through to the Immortal Realm with the Dapeng Root Method very soon."
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
"Who is it?"
Xu Qing asked.
"Brother Xu, it’s me."
Dian Hongbo’s voice replied.
However, Xu Qing noticed Dian Hongbo’s voice was weak. It sounded like he was injured and hadn’t yet recovered, his tone lacking its usual strength.
"Brother Dian."
Xu Qing walked over, opened the courtyard gate, and saw Dian Hongbo standing outside, his face pale. "Please, come in. What happened to you?"
*Cough, cough...*
Dian Hongbo coughed a few times as he entered the courtyard. "It’s a bit of a long story."
"Then make it short,"
Xu Qing said.
"Mm."
Dian Hongbo sat on a stone stool.
He was silent for a moment.
"Brother Xu, have you heard of the Blood Demon Sect?"
Dian Hongbo asked.
"The Blood Demon Sect."
Xu Qing paused, recalling the Blood Demon Desire Woman, Qinglian, whom he had met in Qingbei Town. He nodded and said, "I have indeed heard of them."
"Seven days ago,"
Dian Hongbo continued, "we received word that the Blood Demon Sect had annihilated a village within Qingfeng Town’s territory. The entire village, three hundred people in total—the old, weak, sick, and young, the strong men and women, every last person, and even the livestock—was slaughtered."
"When we arrived, all we saw was an empty village. Nothing was left. We only found the ’Blood Demon Patterns’ that the Blood Demon Sect had left behind."
Dian Hongbo took a deep breath. "This isn’t the first time the Blood Demon Sect has done something like this. On the surface, they claim to be acting for the people, to be overthrowing the Great Zhou’s tyranny and restoring justice to the world. But in reality, they are selfish, ruthless, and vicious—an utterly evil Demon Sect."
"Most importantly,"
"and partly because of the Great Zhou Martial Country’s Court, the Blood Demon Sect has gradually grown stronger. The number of their followers and members has increased, and they’ve spread across more than half of the Great Zhou Martial Country."
"You could say,"
"they’ve become an enormous and terrifying force."
"Especially in recent years, the Blood Demon Sect has become more blatant and rampant in their actions. This time, they massacred an entire village, using the lives of all its people to activate a ’Blood Demon Refining Array.’ Their goal was to refine the ’Celestial Bridge Pill,’ a pill that can help Dan Jin masters who have opened their Ren and Du Meridians to build a Bridge of Heaven and Earth and step into the Outer Gang Realm."
"To think such a thing exists,"
Xu Qing said gravely.
"Yes."
Dian Hongbo nodded and continued, "The Celestial Bridge Pill is indeed a Treasure Medicine, but it comes at the cost of hundreds of lives. It’s utterly cruel and malicious."
"Moreover,"
"anyone who breaks through using the Celestial Bridge Pill will gradually fall under the Blood Demon Sect’s control. They are forced to take a medicine called the ’Blood Gu Pill’ afterward. Otherwise, they lose control of the Gang Qi in their bodies, and it will feel like little knives continuously carving up their flesh from the inside."
"The pain is enough to make even the most strong-willed person break down. Only by taking the Blood Gu Pill at regular intervals can they suppress the rampaging Gang Qi."
"So how did you get injured?"
Xu Qing asked.
"We investigated the village for a long time and finally found some clues leading to one of the Blood Demon Sect’s strongholds in Qingfeng Town. A battle broke out, and I was wounded by one of their masters,"
Dian Hongbo said.
"I see."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Brother Xu."
Suddenly, Dian Hongbo stood up and bowed deeply to Xu Qing.
"Brother Dian, what are you doing?"
Xu Qing frowned.
"Brother Xu, I know you have a reserved nature and don’t like to meddle in other people’s affairs. In all the time you’ve been here, you’ve hardly ever left this courtyard, spending most of your time practicing martial arts and cultivating."
Dian Hongbo took a deep breath. "But this time, I truly have no other choice. I can only come and beg you. I hope you will grant my request, Brother Xu."
"Why don’t you tell me what it is first,"
Xu Qing said.
"This time, when I found the Blood Demon Sect’s stronghold in Qingfeng Town, I was the only one to discover one of their secrets. I barely managed to escape with my life."
Dian Hongbo continued, "Knowing the Blood Demon Sect’s methods, they will absolutely not let me go. They will do everything in their power to come after me."
"I can die, but my wife, my concubine, my son, and my daughter cannot. I hope that you, Brother Xu, can help me look after my daughter."
"What’s the secret?"
Xu Qing asked instead.
"I can’t tell you."
Dian Hongbo shook his head. "It’s better that I’m the only one who knows this secret. I can’t tell you. If you knew, it would only bring you harm."
"Never mind."
Xu Qing sighed and didn’t press further. "Brother Dian, I accept your request. If enemies really do come knocking, I will look after your wife and daughter."
"Thank you, Brother Xu!"
The moment he finished speaking, Dian Hongbo actually knelt before Xu Qing.
"Brother Dian."
Xu Qing was startled but was a step too slow. Dian Hongbo had already knelt—a proud, seven-foot man—and kowtowed, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"You don’t have to do this,"
Xu Qing said. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Brother Xu."
Then, Dian Hongbo took a black iron plate from his robes. He gazed at it with a complicated expression. Faint, intricate patterns were visible on its surface, and it emanated a profound aura.
"Ten years ago, while on a mission, I accidentally fell into an ancient tomb. Inside, I found a Fundamental Skill and quite a few Secret Medicines,"
Dian Hongbo recounted slowly. "It was by relying on that Fundamental Skill and those Secret Medicines that I spent ten years to reach my current level of achievement."
"Unfortunately,"
"my aptitude is poor, and I have yet to comprehend the secret of this black iron plate. I suppose it’s useless in my hands now; I’ll probably never figure it out in this lifetime."
"Now,"
"I am giving this to you. I believe that with your Talent, Brother Xu, you will surely gain something from it. If you truly manage to comprehend something from it, and if the opportunity arises in the future, I hope you will teach my descendants, should they have the aptitude—even just the basics would be enough."
"Brother Dian,"
Xu Qing shook his head and said, "Why must you be like this? I believe you’ll be able to turn this misfortune into a blessing. You’re acting as if you’re arranging your last affairs."
"I find this difficult to accept."
"Brother Xu, please, take it!"
Dian Hongbo held out the black iron plate to Xu Qing with both hands.
"...Alright!"
Xu Qing sighed. He looked at Dian Hongbo, nodded silently, and accepted the black iron plate. "I’ll take it."
"Thank you."
With that, Dian Hongbo finally seemed relieved.
Afterward, Xu Qing and Dian Hongbo chatted for a little longer before Dian Hongbo left and returned to his home. Xu Qing’s attention then fell upon the black iron plate.
Truthfully, Xu Qing didn’t want to get involved in any unnecessary trouble, but he and Dian Hongbo had known each other for a long time, and there was a bond between them.
Besides, from the moment Dian Hongbo stepped into his courtyard, Xu Qing was already involved, whether he liked it or not.
If the secret Dian Hongbo knew was truly that important to the Blood Demon Sect, then the Blood Demon Sect would not allow anyone close to Dian Hongbo to live, not if there was even the slightest chance of the secret being leaked. They would use all their power to eliminate everything and everyone connected.
’I never thought I’d come to Qingfeng Town just to get mixed up with the Blood Demon Sect,’ Xu Qing mused. ’And then there’s Jiang Feiying, practicing who-knows-what kind of Demon Technique and hounding me relentlessly. Well, let’s see just what this thing Dian Hongbo gave me is.’
"Record."
BUZZ!
With a thought, Xu Qing’s consciousness connected with the Encyclopedia of All Things.
SWISH! SWISH!
The Encyclopedia of All Things flickered with a fluorescent light, and the black iron plate in Xu Qing’s hand flashed with a white light before being recorded into the encyclopedia.
To be precise, it was the black-gold patterns and Talismans carved into the black iron plate that were recorded into the Encyclopedia of All Things.
BOOM! BOOM!
Xu Qing felt as if these black-gold patterns and Talismans had come to life, transforming into tiny figures before merging into a torrent that rushed into his mind.
The next moment, Xu Qing’s consciousness trembled. He felt himself pulled into a mysterious space where he began to comprehend the black-gold patterns and Talismans, grasping all sorts of profound knowledge and mysteries that formed a complete text.
[Record Successful!]
[Daoist Skill—Profound Soldier Talisman Technique Level 1: 0/1000 (A Second Realm Daoist Skill of the Dao Path. Condense your Essence, Qi, and Spirit to draw a Profound Soldier Talisman, which can be used for refining ’Daoist Soldiers.’ ’Daoist Soldiers’ are divided into nine tiers, with Tier One being the weakest and Tier Nine the strongest. The strength and power of a Tier One Daoist Soldier is comparable to an ’Immortal’ Martial Artist.)]
"This... this is..."
The look of shock on Xu Qing’s face didn’t fade for a long time. Feeling the knowledge and its profound mysteries in his mind, he was in utter disbelief.
’It’s actually a ’Daoist Skill’!’
Xu Qing took a deep breath. ’I never expected this. I truly never expected this.’
Originally, Xu Qing had thought the black iron plate might contain some powerful Martial Arts. Instead, it was a Daoist Skill from the Dao Path—and a Second Realm Daoist Skill at that.
