Medicine King Valley, Celestial Extremity Peak.
As one of the tallest peaks in Medicine King Valley, the summit of Celestial Extremity Peak was shrouded in clouds and mist, resembling a celestial paradise.
A middle-aged man in a green robe stood with an expression as deep and still as water, breathing in and out in rhythm with the rising red sun before him.
With a single inhalation toward the sun...
...endless red light transformed into long streams, which he drew into his mouth and swallowed into his abdomen.
With a single exhalation toward the sun...
...that same red light shot out like nimble Flying Swords.
It was a profoundly mystical sight.
"Uncle's Crimson Sun Divine Skill is becoming more and more profound. Yan'Er, this is one of the three great Ultimate Skills of our Medicine King Valley. Would you like to learn it?"
A short distance from the green-robed middle-aged man stood a young man and woman.
The man was dressed in white robes, identifiable at a glance as a True Disciple of the Medicine King Valley.
The woman was beautiful. If Yang Xiao had been there, he would have immediately recognized her as Qin Yan, the one who had accompanied him on his journey.
Compared to a few days ago, Qin Yan now wore a bashful expression, her pretty face flushed a charming red.
Moreover, the aura of her cultivation had broken through to a new level.
She had reached the Seventh Layer of the Innate Realm.
She had also changed into the white robes of a True Disciple of the Medicine King Valley.
"Senior Brother Feng, can I really be taught the Crimson Sun Divine Skill?"
Qin Yan asked coquettishly.
As she gazed at the white-robed True Disciple beside her, her eyes were filled with adoration.
This look was even more intense than the one she used to give Yang Xiao.
"Of course. As long as everything you told me is true, once my uncle gets that little thief Yang Xiao's Secret Skill, I'll go and plead on your behalf. You're guaranteed to learn the Crimson Sun Divine Skill."
Yanm Xifeng said with a faint smile.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man in green paused.
He took a deep breath.
Instantly, all the red light he had previously exhaled came flying back.
Joining it was a new stream of red light, drawn in from the distance.
It was as if countless long streams were surging toward the middle-aged man.
The momentum was immense; a careful count would reveal hundreds, even thousands, of them.
Each stream contained endless power, like a nimble Flying Sword.
Yet he swallowed them all in a single gulp.
Immediately after, a sound like rumbling thunder echoed from his abdomen.
A long while passed before silence returned.
Watching this, Qin Yan's pretty face flushed bright red.
'Truly divine! Simply divine! If I could learn this Ultimate Skill, my power would definitely soar!'
Qin Yan was thrilled.
Originally, she had felt uneasy about betraying Yang Xiao.
But now, after witnessing such an Ultimate Skill and thinking about how she could be taught a divine skill like this as soon as Great Elder Yanm pried the Secret Skill from Yang Xiao, Qin Yan no longer felt the slightest bit of shame or unease. All that remained was excitement and anticipation.
She desperately wanted to learn this divine skill.
She was willing to pay any price for it.
"You're that Qin Yan from the Purple Sun Sect?"
The middle-aged man finished his exercise and spoke indifferently.
Qin Yan nodded repeatedly. "This junior greets the Great Elder."
It turned out this middle-aged man was none other than the Great Elder of Medicine King Valley, Yanm Kuan. And he was the reason Yang Xiao had been prevented from formally entering the gates of the Medicine King Valley.
It was because Qin Yan had informed on him.
She had told him that Yang Xiao possessed a Fire Control Secret Technique and had come across a great fortuitous encounter.
This was how he had leaped from being a nobody to becoming the Junior Sect Leader of the Purple Sun Sect.
Even ordinary Martial Grandmasters were no match for him.
A secret like that was naturally tempting.
Especially to Yanm Kuan.
Although he was the Great Elder and his cultivation had reached the level of a Half-Step Martial Saint, he was deeply dissatisfied with his cultivation.
Because being a Half-Step Martial Saint...
...was still not a true Martial Saint.
His power was infinitely close to the Martial Saint Realm, yet he remained half a step away. This half-step had prevented him from breaking through for a long, long time.
He had once gone to ask the Martial Saint Ancestor of the Medicine King Valley for guidance.
The ancestor had told him...
...that to break through...
...one needed either talent...
...or a fortuitous encounter.
Yanm Kuan clearly lacked the necessary talent.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been stuck for so many years.
He had remained unmarried his entire life, preserving his virginity, all to cultivate a breath of Pure Yang Qi.
Yet still, he was stuck outside the gates of the Martial Saint Realm.
Unable to enter.
Clearly, his talent was insufficient.
If not talent, then it had to be a fortuitous encounter.
The two words "fortuitous encounter"...
...how mysterious they were.
Yanm Kuan had once spent three years searching for one.
But he found nothing.
He could only return to the Medicine King Valley.
Ironically, it was within the valley that he stumbled upon a few opportunities.
At that moment, he finally understood that fortuitous encounters were destined by the heavens, and he, Yanm Kuan, was destined to have none.
Since he had none, and he was unwilling to remain trapped at the Half-Step Martial Saint realm, Yanm Kuan was left with only one path.
To seize.
To seize the fortuitous encounters of others.
Over the years, he had done so many times.
The results were not dramatic, but he had made some gains.
He was much closer to the Martial Saint Realm.
Now, his gaze was fixed on Yang Xiao.
This youth who was said to have obtained a heaven-sent opportunity.
"Uncle, Yan'Er wishes to learn the Crimson Sun Divine Skill."
Yanm Xifeng, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.
His uncle had never married and doted on him, his nephew, the most.
He practically treated him like his own son.
Yanm Xifeng had always respected this uncle and was very close to him.
It was through him that Qin Yan had managed to get an audience with Yanm Kuan.
"The Crimson Sun Divine Skill? She wants to learn it? Fine. But we'll have to wait until Qin Rufeng brings Yang Xiao over."
Yanm Kuan's tone remained indifferent.
"Thank you, Great Elder! Thank you, Great Elder!"
Qin Yan, however, was ecstatic.
Yanm Xifeng hadn't lied to her.
"Uncle, that Yang Xiao has been in the Earth Flame Cave for several days now. Why don't I go in and bring him here?"
Seeing Qin Yan's joyful expression, which made her look even more radiant and captivating, Yanm Xifeng was moved.
He naturally became more invested in her affairs and couldn't help but make the suggestion.
This made Qin Yan's eyes light up.
She gave him a grateful look.
This, in turn, made Yanm Xifeng even more pleased with himself.
But Yanm Kuan shook his head. "The Earth Flame Cave is a Sect Forbidden Land. Even I cannot enter it at will. It would require the use of the Earth Fire Medicine King Order, and it's not worth it."
"Yes, your nephew understands."
"Let Qin Rufeng handle this matter. How has your training been recently? If you have any questions, speak up, and I will answer them for you. And you, the same."
It had to be said, Yanm Kuan treated his nephew extremely well.
He personally explained the Martial Dao to him.
And Qin Yan was clearly benefiting from his reflected light.
Or perhaps, it was also due to her betrayal of Yang Xiao.
But having received tangible benefits, Qin Yan felt even more certain that betraying Yang Xiao had been the right decision.
In her heart, not a trace of guilt toward Yang Xiao remained.
There was only anticipation.
Anticipation for when she could learn the miraculous Crimson Sun Divine Skill after Yang Xiao was brought before Yanm Kuan.
She even hoped to be accepted as a Direct Disciple by this powerful and high-ranking Great Elder.
If that happened, her future would be boundlessly bright.
Meanwhile, in the Earth Flame Cave, Yang Xiao, who was completely oblivious to all this, was in the middle of inscribing the Greater Yang Treasure Pattern onto his last three Elemental Points.
After inscribing the Nine Yang Secret Pattern, he had only thirteen Elemental Points left.
And now, only the final three Elemental Points remained.
If he failed, all his efforts would be for naught, and he would have to start all over again.
At this moment, however, Yang Xiao's mind was utterly tranquil.
His Heart Spirit was perfectly still, like the water in an ancient well.
His Spiritual Power, like a tiny carving knife, began to etch the patterns onto these three Elemental Points.
This time, he wasn't just carving one.
He was carving all three at once.
Success or failure...
...it all came down to this single attempt!