Chapter 4

Yun Qi Qing Gong, Luo Fan set off down the mountain again.

After a heavy rain, the air on the mountain was extremely fresh. Coupled with the excitement of meeting Xiaolongnü, Luo Fan's originally troubled mood improved significantly. This made him more meticulous in his search for the cave.

However, being meticulous seemed to have little effect. Luo Fan wandered around the foot of the mountain for a long time but found nothing.

"Could it be that Mr. Jin's records are incorrect?" Luo Fan began to doubt. After all, he had searched the entire foot of the mountain several times. If there was something, he would have found it long ago. Luo Fan was now considering giving up. After all, walking by the river often, how could one avoid getting wet? Luo Fan was also afraid of exposing his intentions. Moreover, searching every day had indeed wasted a lot of his practice time. Now, he could still rely on the Speedy Sword Technique to maintain his performance, but he couldn't rely on it forever. The Speedy Sword Technique was something he would eventually have to abandon.

Just when he had almost given up hope, he suddenly noticed something on a cliff face.

Luo Fan approached the cliff face, pushed aside the dense vegetation that resembled a curtain, and finally discovered a cave! Inside the cave was a pool of water, which seemed to be the place he was looking for.

Luo Fan took off his outer clothes, took a deep breath, and dived into the pool. He had already achieved a small success with the Quanzhen True Qi. Although the Quanzhen internal skills were not very powerful, they were excellent for building a foundation. Moreover, Daoist techniques had their unique aspects in breathing and exhalation, which could help with holding one's breath. Although it might not be as good as the breath-holding techniques recorded in the Nine Yin Manual, it was not much worse.

In the water, Luo Fan was extremely cautious. He remembered that Mr. Jin had written about the undercurrents in the water. If he was swept away, he couldn't guarantee that he would still have the breath to reach his destination.

Swimming inward, just as Luo Fan's face turned red from holding his breath and he was about to give up, he finally saw an exit.

Emerging from the water, Luo Fan panted heavily, relieved that he had made it out. Otherwise, dying here would have been a great embarrassment.

Continuing inward, the secret passage became increasingly complex, causing Luo Fan to take many detours and encounter numerous traps. If it weren't for the subtlety of the Speedy Sword Technique and his deep mastery of the Golden Goose Technique, he might have met his end there. As a result, the route that Mr. Jin recorded Yang Guo as taking half an hour to complete, Luo Fan took over an hour to complete.

After more than an hour, Luo Fan finally discovered a stone chamber. The ceiling of the stone chamber was densely covered with symbols and text, and above it, the four large characters "Nine Yin Manual" were very prominent.

"System notification: You have obtained the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual. Do you want to learn it?"

The pleasant system voice sounded, and Luo Fan quickly replied, "Of course, I want to learn it."

"System notification: You have successfully learned the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual."

"System notification: Congratulations, you have successfully learned the first level of Soul Seizing Technique."

"System notification: Congratulations, you have successfully learned the first level of Breath-Holding Technique."

...

"System notification: Congratulations, you have successfully shared the Qi of the first volume of the Nine Yin Manual. You have gained 3000 Qi energy and 3000 Qi exchange points."

"Only 3000? And what does sharing Qi mean?" Luo Fan asked in confusion.

"Qi that cannot be exclusively obtained can be shared to gain Qi value, but the Qi value obtained through sharing will be less than that obtained exclusively."

"Then if I destroy this first volume of the Nine Yin Manual, will the Qi become exclusively obtained?"

"This question is not within the system's answer range. Please explore on your own!"

"Damn!" Luo Fan wanted to curse the system as "stupid," but remembering the electric shock from last time, he held back.

Luo Fan used the Speedy Sword Technique to slash the ceiling a few times, leaving only a stone slab and the marks of the sword. The characters of the Nine Yin Manual were completely erased.

"System notification: You have destroyed a Qi sharing point."

After waiting for a while, Luo Fan still heard nothing. "Damn! No benefits at all, why not just tell me directly?"

Since he had achieved his goal, Luo Fan decided to return. Muttering to himself, he made his way back to the pool of water.

This time, with the breath-holding technique and the undercurrents as assistance, the journey was much smoother. However, just as he emerged from the water, he found an unexpected person waiting by the pool.

"Junior Brother Luo, what a good mood! Swimming underwater for two hours!" Zhao Zhijing stroked his beard and said sarcastically.

"You were following me!" Although Luo Fan's sword technique was excellent, his internal strength was still far inferior to Zhao Zhijing, so he hadn't noticed being followed.

"Junior Brother Luo, you have been looking for this place for over a year, haven't you!" His expression turned cold, and he shouted, "What is your real intention for infiltrating our Quanzhen Sect!"

Luo Fan frowned. Although he had destroyed the Nine Yin Manual in the stone chamber, the secret passage ultimately led to the Ancient Tomb! If Zhao Zhijing found out, he might have all sorts of sinister thoughts. If he accused Luo Fan of sneaking into the Ancient Tomb to steal, his good days would be over. Even if the Quanzhen Sect didn't punish him, Xiaolongnü would turn against him. This would ruin his plans to win her over, so Luo Fan had to be cautious.

After a moment's thought, Luo Fan replied with a displeased look, "This is a secret place of my ancestors. I came here following the orders of my predecessors. Senior Brother Zhao, it's best not to meddle in other people's affairs!"

"Ha ha." Zhao Zhijing laughed coldly, "Junior Brother Luo, do you take me for a three-year-old? Whether it is or not, I will go down and see for myself!"

At this point, Luo Fan knew that the matter could not be resolved peacefully, but he still had to continue lying. He angrily rebuked, "This is a sacred place of my ancestors. How can you, an outsider, enter without permission? Retreat now, or don't blame me for not considering our sect brotherhood!"

"Such a sacred place, I will enter today!" With that, Zhao Zhijing drew his sword and attacked Luo Fan. He thought that since Luo Fan had only been in the sect for a little over a year, his skills were still shallow, and he would be easy to capture.

However, the reality shocked him. After a few clumsy moves of the Quanzhen Sword Technique, Luo Fan's sword style suddenly changed, becoming incredibly fast and bizarre!

"This is not the Quanzhen Sword Technique, it looks more like a heretical technique. Who are you, and where did you learn this?" Zhao Zhijing's voice was stern.

"What heretical technique? This is the ancestral Speedy Sword Technique!" Although Luo Fan's words were suspicious, he still insisted, as he did not want to kill anyone. If he could resolve the situation without killing, he would prefer it.

If Lin Yuan Tu from "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" heard this, he would have a lot to say.

Zhao Zhijing originally wanted to say something threatening, but he soon realized that under Luo Fan's fast and precise sword technique, he was gradually losing ground.

"How is this possible!" Zhao Zhijing was horrified. Just a year ago, when his master brought him back, he had checked Luo Fan's meridians, and he had no internal strength then!

Taking advantage of Zhao Zhijing's distraction, Luo Fan seized the opportunity and stabbed his wrist. Zhao Zhijing's sword fell, and Luo Fan immediately pointed his sword at his neck.

Seeing Zhao Zhijing subdued, Luo Fan smiled, "Senior Brother Zhao, what do you think now? Do you still want to go in and see?"

"Junior Brother Luo, let's talk this out, let's talk this out!" A cold sweat dripped from Zhao Zhijing's forehead. As a greedy and selfish person, he naturally cherished his life.

"Give me a reason not to kill you!"

"I swear I will never tell anyone about today's events!"

"Hmm?" Luo Fan thought for a moment. Daoists, unlike ordinary people, had faith and revered deities, so they would not take their oaths lightly. Although Zhao Zhijing was a scoundrel, he still believed in these things, or he wouldn't have revealed his oath in the original story until the end of "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

Looking at Zhao Zhijing, Luo Fan said, "Alright, take a solemn oath."

Zhao Zhijing quickly pointed to the sky and swore, "I, Zhao Zhijing, swear that no third person will ever know about today's events. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a thousand deaths!"

Luo Fan looked at him deeply, remembering how Zhao Zhijing later revealed his oath to others, and frowned. "Change the oath. Say that you will not tell anyone about today's events."

Zhao Zhijing, not knowing what he would do in the future, but having such thoughts, felt a chill. "Does he see through me?" But with Luo Fan holding the sword, he had no choice but to re-swear, "I, Zhao Zhijing, swear that no one will ever know about today's events. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a thousand deaths!"

Luo Fan finally let it go but still warned, "Senior Brother Zhao, I warn you, if you reveal this to anyone, I will hunt you down and kill you, even if it means being pursued by the entire Quanzhen Sect. Don't make a mistake!"

Luo Fan then picked up his clothes and walked out of the cave. After a few steps, he turned back and added, "Also, please do not enter my ancestors' sacred place. Otherwise, my sword will not be so lenient next time!"

"I understand!" Zhao Zhijing nodded repeatedly. Only after Luo Fan disappeared from the cave entrance did he let out a sigh of relief, a sinister look appearing on his face.

After finding a place to dry his wet clothes, Luo Fan returned to his residence...