Shadowless Heart Method
The shadow monk watched Qi Yuan's movements with growing fear, his soul trembling. Quickly, he raised a misty green shield to block the barrage of poisonous needles.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The crisp sound of metal colliding echoed as the magic weapons clashed. A crack appeared on the shield and gradually widened.
After all, it was only a mid-level magic weapon and could not withstand the relentless assault of the Five Poison Needles. Eventually, one or two needles broke through the defense and pierced the black shadow.
"Qi Yuan, you are shameless!"
The shadow monk's eyes burned with resentment as he cursed viciously.
Qi Yuan casually brushed off the spiritual stone powder from his palm, replenishing his magic power. He smirked and taunted, "You're not strong enough, yet you dare to steal treasures from others? Consider it an honor to die by my hands."
Puff!
The black shadow spat out a mouthful of black blood. The poison spread rapidly through his meridians, circulating within three breaths. There was no time to treat it. His body twitched a few times before he collapsed, lifeless.
The cultivation world of the Tiannan Yue Kingdom was rather barren. Many cultivators at the thirteenth level of Qi training did not possess top-tier magic weapons, leading to a significant decline in combat power.
Had the shadow monk possessed a top-level magic weapon, Qi Yuan might have been forced to fight while retreating, waiting for an opportunity to use the "Soul Binding Rope" gifted by Hong Fu.
Once bound by it, a cultivator's dantian would be severely suppressed, rendering them unable to cast spells—making them an easy target.
It was an exceptionally powerful magical weapon.
Qi Yuan landed and, without hesitation, shot a fireball toward the corpse.
He didn't want to take chances. Rather than checking the monk's true face and risking a sneak attack, he chose to burn the body completely.
Flames engulfed the corpse!
As expected, the monk's body suddenly convulsed in the fire, and a final burst of magic shot out towards Qi Yuan.
"A last-ditch attack!"
Qi Yuan swiftly activated a small bell-shaped magic weapon, which instantly expanded to shield him. The Liuhuo Bell radiated layers of rosy flames, glowing brilliantly.
The shadow monk's desperate strike merely caused a few ripples on the bell's surface before dissipating.
With the matter settled, Qi Yuan raised his hand, retrieved the shadow monk's storage bag, and flew toward Yellow Maple Valley.
The fireball spell was not enough to destroy storage bags, so the valuables inside remained intact.
---
Half a day later, Qi Yuan returned safely to Huangfeng Valley. Upon entering his room, he set up a simple formation and remained on alert.
After drinking some tea to moisten his throat, he began examining his spoils.
The collection included a few low-grade spirit stones, four or five low-level magic weapons, and two mid-level magic weapons—a sword and a hammer.
Qi Yuan wasn't particularly impressed. He already had the Five Poison Needles and the Seven Aperture Bleeding Divine Pearl, both more powerful than these.
However, what piqued his interest was a technique for concealing spiritual presence.
Considering both he and the shadow monk were not highly cultivated, how had the latter managed to track him so stealthily?
Among the miscellaneous items, Qi Yuan found a few jade slips and inspected them one by one. Finally, he discovered the source:
**The Shadowless Heart Method.**
Once mastered, this technique would allow him to move undetected by spiritual senses, appearing only to the naked eye.
"An auxiliary technique?"
Qi Yuan's face lit up with joy. The Shadowless Heart Method would greatly enhance his survival chances in dangerous situations.
Conversely, it would also allow him to ambush enemies more effectively.
The shadow monk had been too arrogant. If he had fully utilized the method's stealth capabilities for a sneak attack, Qi Yuan might have been gravely wounded before even realizing the danger.
A cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi training wasn't weak. A direct confrontation would have resulted in significant injuries for both sides.
Perhaps the shadow monk had underestimated him, believing that a thirteenth-level cultivator had an undeniable advantage over an eleventh-level one?
Qi Yuan turned over the identity token found in the monk's belongings. Engraved on it was the name:
**Duan Ba.**
Recognizing the name, Qi Yuan immediately recalled a thin, dark-skinned man who had always behaved politely. The name had stood out before because it didn't match his appearance.
"So it was him... I never noticed anything strange about him in our daily encounters. You truly can't judge a person's heart by their face."
Sighing, Qi Yuan crushed the token into powder and let the wind carry it away.
The remaining loot included some valuable pills, but most were useless.
Qi Yuan cleaned up, then examined the dozen or so bottles of pills. In addition to the usual healing and cultivation pills, three bottles stood out.
**Endless Love Pill, Ceasing River Flow Pill, and Dry Sea Pill.**
Qi Yuan was intrigued by the peculiar names. Opening one bottle, he took a whiff—only to recoil at the strong, pungent scent.
Recalling the sluggish performance of many disciples in Huangfeng Valley lately, Qi Yuan felt a sense of duty. He decided to mass-produce these pills and sell them at low prices to ensure the well-being of his fellow disciples.
With that thought, he summoned the **Chaos Cauldron** and flicked a Love Pill into it.
---
Absorbing the Yin and Yang energies of Huangfeng Valley, he refined aphrodisiac pills in bulk.
Time passed.
As Qi Yuan continued mass-producing and selling these pills, Huangfeng Valley became noticeably more energetic. Everything flourished.
Even the wild dogs by the roadside birthed multiple litters in a short time, and the number of Taoist couples among the disciples increased steadily.
At night, Qi Yuan no longer needed to wait until dawn to collect the valley's Yin and Yang energies. Before, even an entire night wouldn't have sufficed to meet the Chaos Cauldron's energy demands.
With an abundance of energy, Qi Yuan not only cultivated the **Shadowless Heart Method** but also accelerated the growth of spiritual herbs.
His theory was correct—only spiritually rich herbs could be aged rapidly.
He cultivated three **thousand-year-old** spiritual herbs and five **five-hundred-year-old** herbs, intending to trade the latter for a **Golden Brick Talisman** at Wanbao Tower.
Thousand-year-old elixirs were rare, and five-hundred-year-old ones weren't common either.
Unlike Han Li, who had managed to exchange a magic weapon for a thousand-year-old elixir through sheer luck, Qi Yuan knew his bargaining position might be different.
If the shopkeeper of Wanbao Tower refused, he could always offer the thousand-year-old elixir as a last resort.
The **Golden Brick Talisman** and **Heavenly Thunder Seed** were essential—both would prove invaluable in the upcoming **Blood Forbidden Land** expedition.
Days passed peacefully, but Qi Yuan was eventually summoned by **Sect Master Zhong Lingdao**, who questioned him about the aphrodisiac pills.
After learning about his association with Hong Fu, the sect master merely gave him a warning and let the matter drop. His ability to judge people and cater to their desires was flawless.
Realizing the potential risks, Qi Yuan began limiting the pill supply.
To his surprise, scarcity drove prices up. A **black market** formed, and the pills' value soared.
With the Chaos Cauldron, Qi Yuan refined them further, amplifying their potency threefold.
Huangfeng Valley's nights grew increasingly lively.
Finally, **Hong Fu summoned Qi Yuan.**
(End of Chapter)