Chapter 256: The Ninth Terrace in the Library
After seeing the jade scroll’s introduction, Yi Yun could not help but feel some anticipation.
An Aspect Totem not only increased a warrior’s Yuan Qi, it could also be used for attacking enemies.
For example a swordsman’s Aspect Totem would also be in the shape of a sword. When he conjured his Aspect Totem, he could kill an opponent that was three hundred meters away in a split second!
Many swordsmen wished their Aspect Totem was in the shape of a sword. To them, that was the best kind of Aspect Totem.
Unfortunately, not every swordsman could condense a Aspect Totem in the shape of a sword.
“I wonder what my Aspect Totem will look like when I condense it.” Yi Yun was looking forward to the moment he condensed his Aspect Totem.
He browsed through the totem mystic techniques within the jade scroll.
“Divine Martial Aspect, exchange price: 50,000 dragon scale runes. To master ‘Divine Martial Aspect’, strength-based desolate beasts have to be hunted, for example; Strength Omega Ape, Heavenly Armored Rhinoceros, Thousand Mountain Bear…”
“To master the ‘Divine Martial Aspect’, the requirements on a warrior’s blood and Qi foundation are extremely high. It requires them to be thick and strong. Only people with strong bodies can endure the Power of Desolates surging through their bodies. Once the ‘Divine Martial Aspect’ is mastered, they can condense a beast-like Aspect Totem. With the Aspect Totem, the body’s strength will increase several times, to the point of being able to lift a mountain!”
After Yi Yun saw the first introduction to the totem mystic technique, he immediately felt that this was a mystic technique most suitable for Qiuniu.
Once Qiuniu condensed an Aspect Totem similar to the ‘Thousand Mountain Bear’, he could become a humanoid primordial desolate beast. That could only be described by the word ‘violence’.
But, this did not suit Yi Yun. It was too restrictive to just battle using strength.
Yi Yun carried on looking through it. “Heavenly Fire Secret”, priced at 60,000 dragon scale runes.
This was a technique that condensed a fire-elemental Aspect Totem by hunting fire-elemental desolate beasts. It was most suitable for warriors with extreme affinity with fire-elemental Yuan Qi.
“Mist Venom Secret Tome”, priced 35,000 dragon scale runes.
It was a mystic technique that cultivated venomous worms. By hunting highly toxic desolate beasts and gathering their toxins, one could condense a toxic Aspect Totem. Once it was conjured, it would spread a toxic mist, reducing all living things in a five kilometer radius to bone.
Yi Yun searched through the catalogue. He realized that a large number of totem mystic techniques focused on a specific element, for example, ice, fire, earth or pure strength or speed.
But Yi Yun found that none of these suited him.
Many warriors had a natural affinity to a particular elemental law. For example, Chu Xiaoran was naturally able to control frost ice Yuan Qi, so the Aspect Totem she conjured was naturally that of ice.
But Yi Yun was not good at controlling any type of Yuan Qi.
Rather, with the Purple Crystal, Yi Yun did not have any energy that he was not good at controlling.
Whether it was Heaven Earth Yuan Qi or Power of Desolates, as long it was a form of energy, he was good at controlling it…
What sort of totem mystic technique was most suitable for him?
Yi Yun flipped through the catalogue again and again, and after looking through all the mystic techniques in the jade scroll, he still could not find a suitable one for himself.
“Oh? None of them are suitable?”
Seeing Yi Yun frown, Cang Yan also frowned. The totem mystic techniques contained in that jade scroll of his were mystic techniques most suitable for warriors in the early stages of the Yuan foundation realm. They were high in quality, but they weren’t too difficult to learn. It was most suitable for Yi Yun if he wanted to condense an Aspect Before Yuan.
But it was clear that Yi Yun was not satisfied.
“What are you not satisfied with?” Cang Yan asked.
“Uh…These mystic techniques are not bad, but…they are kind of limited…” Yi Yun said in a roundabout and tactful manner. But it was clear that he meant that the mystic techniques were too narrow in scope.
Yi Yun felt it was not suitable for himself to condense just any ordinary Aspect Totem that focused on a single law’s power.
For a powerful dragon that could swim the seas and summon the storms, it could not do anything in a shallow bay.
And the Purple Crystal was a powerful dragon.
Jian Ge and Cang Yan thought for a while before understanding the situation.
In other words, none of the mystic techniques had caught Yi Yun’s eye.
This damned fellow! Others would be full of trepidation about being able to form an Aspect Before Yuan. They would just attempt, without much hope of condensing one. Once they condensed one, it was a delightful surprise. In fact, It was normal to not be able to condense one.
But Yi Yun was acting like he had already condensed the Aspect Before Yuan, and he was very picky over the mystic techniques not because he was afraid he could not master them, but because they did not catch his eye!
Jian Ge and Cang Yan looked at each other speechlessly. This kid was too overbearing.
“Kid, the totem mystic techniques cataloged within the Tai Ah Divine City are accumulated over millions of years from all parts of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom. Every type is included, and the quality is high, yet none of them caught your eye?”
Seeing Yi Yun so picky, Jian Ge could not help but say.
In fact, Jian Ge wanted to say, you aren’t even in the Yuan foundation realm, and the condensation of the Aspect Before Yuan is still not set in stone, why are you so picky?
Aspect Before Yuan was not easy to condense. Even if your perceptivity was high, it was in vain if your affinity with Power of Desolates was poor.
“Yi Yun, do not bite off more than you can chew! Back then, Qin Haotian was not able to condense an Aspect Before Yuan. Neither did I back in the day. The difficulties of Aspect Before Yuan differs from person to person. It does not mean that you can condense an Aspect Before Yuan even with excellent talent!”
“You are currently still in the middle stages of Purple Blood. Do it in a down-to-earth manner. Don’t look down on all these totem mystic techniques. These mystic techniques are all amazing in their own right. If you can master any of these by forming the Aspect Before Yuan, it will be unbelievable!”
“Once you reach the Yuan foundation realm, you can let your Aspect Totem evolve. As your cultivation level rises over time, your Aspect Totem will also become stronger. It will exceed warriors at the same level as you! If you become a sage, your Aspect Totem would be even stronger than mine!”
“Once you reach a higher level, you can absolutely cultivate an ever better totem mystic technique. But that should not happen now. Currently, you are just in the beginning stages. It is best to choose something that you can master easily. In fact, the totem mystic techniques Cang Yan gave you are all excellent ones. You can tell just from the price. Every one of them average around 50,000 dragon scale runes. They are definitely not simple!”
Jian Ge seldom spoke much, but all of a sudden, he began saying so much to Yi Yun because he thought highly of him.
Yi Yun did not know what to do upon hearing this. He knew that Jian Ge was being considerate, which made him unsure how to reject his advice.
“That…Senior Jian Ge, this junior only feels he should try a higher quality totem mystic technique. It’s just an attempt. There’s nothing to lose, and what if I mastered it…” Yi Yun bit the bullet and said it despite Jian Ge’s concern. It was also troublesome to be given too much concern by someone powerful.
Cang Yan gave Yi Yun and odd look. “What do you mean by nothing to lose? Kid, do you know how much it costs for a high-grade mystic technique? Many mystic techniques are not prepared for young people like you. They were prepared for human lords, and some of the mystic techniques are even something Jian Ge and I have to ponder over occasionally!”
“Also, to master a totem mystic technique, you will need to spend a large amount of time and energy to hunt desolate beasts. One needs to absorb the Power of Desolates to experiment if you can master it. You think nothing is at stake? Who knows, you might actually have the ability to condense an Aspect Before Yuan, but due to choosing a mystic technique that is too difficult, you end up not being able to form an Aspect Before Yuan. It will be your loss if you form an Aspect Totem only after you break through to the Yuan foundation realm!” Cang Yan explained his reasoning clearly. For a person like Cang Yan, it was rare for him to educate the younger generation in such a stern manner.
Yi Yun nodded when he heard this and he looked as if he was thinking deeply over it.
“This senior has a point, and this junior understands…”
Cang Yan stroked his beard in a satisfied manner when Yi Yun said that. Just as he was to say some additional words to dispel Yi Yun off his unrealistic intentions, making Yi Yun condense an Aspect Before Yuan in a down-to-earth fashion, he suddenly heard Yi Yun say softly, “But as I was saying…what if I mastered it…”
“You…” Cang Yan blew at his beard and stared. The words he had prepared to say were left stuck in his throat.
After staring at Yi Yun for a long while, he asked seriously, “Are you sure you want to try?”
“If it’s possible…”
Yi Yun said it without much confidence, but Cang Yan knew that Yi Yun was determined to give it a try. The only reason why Yi Yun’s words were lacking in confidence was because he did not want to openly go against his and Jian Ge’s wishes.
“Since you are so determined, then…alright.”
Cang Yan shook his head. “Then follow me to the library to choose a mystic technique!”
…
Yi Yun had come to the Tai Ah Divine City’s library once before. They were building after buildings of black stone terraces. They had a simple exterior.
The further forward one went, the more valuable the books were. To enter the sixth or seventh terrace of the library, there was a one-time cost of a few thousand or even more than ten thousand dragon scale runes.
If he wanted to borrow the books, he even needed to use glory points!
Typical cultivators seldom went beyond the seventh terrace. This was because the books within it were too expensive. They were usually prepared for mighty figures of the human race.
Cang Yan brought Yi Yun directly to the ninth terrace of the library!
This was the last terrace!
This terrace had a big array guarding it, so no cultivator could enter it.
Upon stepping into the terrace, Yi Yun felt a powerful aura that made his breathing slow.
“Such a strong aura. Just the books gathered here can form an invisible pressure that makes me difficult to breathe!”
Cang Yan had already expected Yi Yun’s response and looked at Yi Yun with a smug glance. His expression said –
Kid, didn’t you want to learn the highest grade of totem mystic techniques? So I brought you here to let you know what kind of state the highest grade of totem mystic techniques are like.
Ignoring the possibility of mastering the mystic technique, just the aura can scare you to death!
“Elder!”
At the entrance of the terrace, a few administrators in black saluted Cang Yan upon seeing him.
Seeing these black-clad administrators, Yi Yun’s eyebrows jumped. After he formed the Heaven’s eyeball, although he could not tell the level of these men in black, he could roughly gauge their powers.
These people were extremely strong. They should be on the level of the law-enforcers.
With a group of law-enforcers guarding the terrace, together with the protective array within it, this terrace was definitely an important spot in the Tai Ah Divine City.
If not for Cang Yan, Yi Yun had no right to enter.
Cang Yan nodded, and motioned for the administrators in black to retreat. He took Yi Yun directly to the top of the terrace!