My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

He turned around and looked at Lü Yang:

"Wine bag".

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then quickly took off the leather pouch from his waist and handed it over with both hands.

Ye Qingfeng uncorked the pill and tossed it into the wine sac.

"Gulp."

The inner elixir sank into the wine.

He continued to make a hand seal with his right hand, while his left hand rested lightly on the opening of the pouch, chanting:

"Heaven and earth are the furnace, creation is the craftsman. Yin and Yang are the charcoal, all things are the copper. Now, with this wine, I will transform the demonic elixir within—removing its malevolent energy, preserving its essence, fusing them into one, to create this precious elixir. Like planting a lotus in fire, or generating gold in water, this is the way of the elixir; my will commands it. Hurry!"

It's still that same piece of cobbled-together lyrics.

This time, however, Lü Yang listened with exceptional attention, his eyes fixed intently on the wine flask.

Inside the wine sac, a verdant light gradually shone.

A moment later, the light faded.

Ye Qingfeng put the stopper back in and tossed it back to Lü Yang:

"Take it."

Lu Yang hurriedly caught it, and when he looked down, he saw that the wine in the wine sac was even more vibrant green than before, with a faint shimmering light flowing within it.

He swallowed hard and carefully tied the wine flask back to his waist.

Ye Qingfeng walked up to the tiger demon that was nailed to the mountain wall.

It is dead.

His eyes were still open, filled with fear and resentment.

At this moment, the azure flying sword was still stuck in the tiger demon's chest, its blade trembling slightly and emitting a series of low humming sounds.

It was as if they were mourning, yet also as if they were cheering that they had finally escaped the control of that monster.

Lu Yang leaned closer, peered at the tiger carcass, then at the sword, and swallowed hard.

"Master, this sword... is it just going to stay stuck like that?"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer.

He raised his hand and made a feint towards the sword.

With a "hum," the flying sword was pulled from the tiger's corpse, streaking through the air in a blue light before landing steadily in his palm.

Although its spiritual essence was damaged, the sword's body remained azure, and the moonlight shining upon it shimmered with a watery luster.

Ye Qingfeng looked down and flicked his finger lightly across the sword.

"bite--"

The clear, melodious sound of swords echoed through the cave, lingering for a long time.

The voice carried a joyful tone, like a prisoner who had been trapped for many years finally seeing the light of day again.

Ye Qingfeng nodded slightly:

"A fine sword."

He turned around and handed the sword to Lü Yang:

"Take it."

Lu Yang was taken aback, subconsciously took it, and then was overjoyed:

"Immortal Master! This sword...you gave me this sword?!"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"Carry it for now."

Lu Yang's smile froze for a moment, then blossomed again:

"Carry it! Carry it! Your disciple will carry it!"

He held the sword in both hands, examining it from all angles, his eyes practically gleaming.

Ye Qingfeng turned around and walked into the cave.

"Wait a minute." Lu Yang hurriedly tucked the sword into his waistband, only to find that it was too long to fit. He had no choice but to hold it in his hands again and follow after him.

"Immortal Master, shall we go in again?"

Ye Qingfeng kept walking:

"have a look."

The cave is very deep.

The further you go in, the darker it gets; the moonlight can't penetrate, and you can only rely on the little light that comes through the cave entrance.

The ground was covered with uneven stones, which were slippery and smelled unpleasant.

Lu Yang covered his nose and said in a muffled voice:

"Master, what's that smell? It stinks!"

Ye Qingfeng did not answer.

Shen Zhaoyue said calmly from the side:

"What good food could possibly come from a tiger demon's cave?"

Lu Yang thought about it and agreed, so he could only endure the stench and continue walking forward.

After walking about several dozen steps, the view suddenly opened up before us.

It is a naturally formed stone chamber, about two or three zhang square, with uneven walls and several stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Thick layers of dry grass and animal hides were laid out in the corner, where the tiger demon slept.

There were several piles of bones nearby—human bones and animal bones, all white and gruesome to look at.

Lu Yang shrank back in fright:

"This...this is all what it ate?"

Ye Qingfeng walked around the stone chamber, his gaze sweeping over the animal hides, bones, and several dilapidated boxes.

The box was made of wood, and it was rotten and empty inside.

He frowned slightly.

Logically speaking, since the Shu Mountain swordsman came to exorcise demons, he couldn't possibly only have one sword.

Sword techniques, cultivation methods, elixirs—there should be something like that.

Since the tiger demon succeeded in its sneak attack, these things should have fallen into its hands.

But there's nothing here.

Was it destroyed by the tiger demon?

Or is it hidden somewhere else?

He was also thinking about seeing what the true cultivation methods were like in this world, since his current ability completely robbed him of the thrill of slowly leveling up.

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard a "ouch" behind him.

Looking back, Lü Yang realized that he had somehow stepped on a bone, slipped, and fell backward, landing hard on his bottom.

"Oh dear..."

He grimaced as he got up, looked down, and froze.

It seemed like there was something pressing down on the bone he stepped on.

He reached out and pushed aside the pile of bones, revealing something the size of a palm.

It is a piece of jade.

It's about the size of a palm, entirely green with a subtle sheen, and has a smooth, warm surface—it's clearly no ordinary object.

"Immortal Master!" Lü Yang quickly picked up the jade, "Look at this!"

Ye Qingfeng took it and looked down at it.

The jade is warm and smooth to the touch, with a faint, almost imperceptible, energy fluctuation.

Could this be the jade slip used to store cultivation techniques, as often mentioned in novels?

He tried to probe it with a wisp of divine thought—

The jade slip trembled slightly, and a message surged into his mind.

"Shushan Sword Manual: Beginner's Guide"

The six characters, simple and powerful, carry a sharp sword intent.

Ye Qingfeng was slightly taken aback, then carefully examined the information.

The jade slip contains a complete introductory cultivation method, including the fundamental method of cultivating Qi and a basic sword technique called "Qingping Sword Technique".

The method of cultivating Qi is gradual and progressive. It begins with sensing the Qi mechanism of heaven and earth and progresses to guiding Qi into the body. Although this is only the beginning, it is extremely solid.

The Qingping Sword Technique consists of nine forms, each with detailed illustrations and instructions for swordplay.

The moves are not complicated, but the sword intent is exquisite. If one can truly master it, it can be considered a decent sword technique.

He withdrew his divine sense, looked at the jade slip in his hand, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Lü Yang leaned closer and asked expectantly:

"Master, what is this?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him:

"The Shushan Sword Manual, Beginner's Guide"

Lü Yang's eyes lit up instantly:

"Shushan?! That...that legendary sword immortal sect?!"

Lü Yang loved practicing swordsmanship and used to enjoy reading novels about the strange and unusual, especially those written by a writer named Pu Songling.

He wrote one of the stories.

In Laiyang, there lived a scholar named Mo Wen, who was obsessed with swords. His family was too poor to buy them, so he would carve swords out of bamboo and wood and practice with them morning and evening. People laughed at his madness, but Mo Wen paid him no heed.

One day, Mo Sheng went into the mountains to gather firewood. As he walked into a deep valley, he suddenly heard a sound that cut through the air, clear and melodious. Looking up, he saw a person riding a sword, dressed in white, standing on the sword as if floating on the wind. The sword was three feet long, with a bright blue light that shone in the sunlight.

Mo was terrified and lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to look up. Suddenly the sword fell, and the man stood before him, about thirty years old, with clear eyes and bright gaze.

"Why are you so obsessed with swords?" the man asked with a smile.

Mo Sheng groveled and replied, "I have long admired the way of the sword, but unfortunately I have no teacher to instruct me, and I have only practiced it on my own."

The man nodded: "The sword is the blade of the heart. It is not merely a fighting technique, but truly in harmony with the Dao. If you are sincere in this regard, you can hope to achieve success." After speaking, he took out a scroll from his sleeve and threw it into Mo Sheng's arms, "This is the introductory method for Mount Shu. Study it diligently, and you will make progress in three years."

Mo Sheng was overjoyed and kowtowed to express his gratitude, but when he looked up, the figure had vanished. He then saw a streak of blue light on the horizon disappear into the clouds in an instant.

Upon returning and unrolling the scroll, he found every word a gem, the illustrations exquisite. Mo Sheng diligently practiced the techniques, without fail, regardless of the changing seasons. Three years later, he was indeed able to channel his inner energy into his sword, causing it to emit a blue light. Three years after that, he was even able to fly on his sword, covering a hundred miles in an instant.

The villagers found it strange, thinking it to be a deity. When asked why, Mo Sheng simply smiled and did not answer. Only on moonlit nights could one sometimes see a man with a sword, soaring through the clouds.

After that, Mo Sheng's fate remains unknown. Some say he went to Mount Shu to seek the Dao, while others say he traveled the world on a sword.

The Historian of Strange Tales says: When one is so engrossed in a single pursuit that one forgets oneself, even ghosts and gods would yield the way. How much more so a sword immortal? Yet most people mistake this engrossedness for foolishness, failing to realize that the ultimate form of engrossedness is the Way itself. Alas!