"Heavenly Secrets Sect..." Qin Yang stared at Qu Qingge in astonishment, his eyes roaming over the scholar's appearance. This frail-looking classmate with the bookish face actually comes from such an extraordinary background?
He recalled how classmates had described this guy as a lucky fellow who just managed to squeeze into the top hundred. Now that "just" seemed particularly meaningful.
"Heavenly Secrets Sect, huh?" Qin Yang clicked his tongue. He wasn't familiar with this sect, but he'd heard of it before.
Predicting the exact moment of one's entry into the world with such accuracy...
Could they be some kind of fortune-telling sect?
Yet my intuition tells me this Heavenly Secrets Sect holds considerable status on the Celestial Continent.
"What's wrong? Can't you do it?" Qu Qingge's voice carried disappointment.
Qin Yang snapped out of his thoughts. "Try attacking me."
Qu Qingge's eyes lit up. He clasped his hands in salute. "Then I won't hold back."
A dart shot toward Qin Yang, propelled by a flick of Qu Qingge's finger.
Qin Yang froze. This technique, this martial art—both are truly remarkable!
Copy: Mi Tian Art. Below host's major realm. Not counted toward advancement requirements. Technique 1/10.
Copy: Heaven-Defying Divination. Martial art proficiency automatically set to peak mastery. Below host's major realm. Not counted toward advancement requirements. Martial Art 1/10.
Qin Yang reached out and caught the first dart between his fingers. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the second dart flying.
Qu Qingge shuddered and took a half-step back, surprise written all over his face.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yang frowned. "Did you think I couldn't block these two darts?"
Qu Qingge shook his head. "No, no, no. That's not what I meant."
Qin Yang's gaze turned meaningful. "Were you certain I'd get hit?"
Qu Qingge's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
Qin Yang chuckled. "How could I help you modify your technique if I didn't know?"
Inside, he was continuously praising the art.
The Mi Tian Art was ordinary in every aspect - no explosive power, weak true qi, slow circulation...
The list of flaws made Qin Yang reluctant to mention them all. But the Mi Tian Art had one powerful function: concealing one's presence!
Unlike the Hunting Posture, which was an offensive stance. When entering Hunting Posture, all body strength would be mobilized, making it naturally capable of delivering explosive attacks.
In other words, Hunting Posture could also conceal one's presence, but it required constant activation, consuming true qi!
The Mi Tian Art, on the other hand, was completely different. As long as you weren't in combat, others would treat you like you didn't exist - they wouldn't even sense your presence. This allowed you to conceal yourself across a major realm!
Even during combat, you could continue to mask your aura, preventing your opponent from gauging your true strength.
Unfortunately, its combat effectiveness was too low...
As for the Heaven-Defying Divination... that was even more formidable.
During battle, it allowed you to predict your opponent's moves and see their actions before they happened. When cultivated to perfection, you could even perceive events in the near future.
Of course, this "near future" wasn't long - in fact, it was very short.
But in a duel between experts, even the slightest difference could determine life or death.
Earlier, when Qu Qingge attacked, his second dart had been calculated to strike Qin Yang's hand. However, since Qin Yang had copied both the technique and martial arts, he naturally anticipated the trajectory of that second dart.
"How is it?" Qu Qingge asked, his face full of anticipation, his mood tense.
Compared to other classmates, Qin Yang had taken far too much time.
"You're making this difficult for me," Qin Yang sighed.
Once the Mi Tian Art was copied, it was integrated into the Yin-Yang All-Embracing Art, preserving its advantages while eliminating its flaws. But Qin Yang knew that combining the Mi Tian Art with the Hunting Stance would create the perfect combination.
As for the Heaven-Defying Divination... when combined with the Shocking Sword Finger, it became an even more formidable combat ability, like adding wings to a tiger.
Judging by Qu Qingge's use of darts, this young man seemed more suited to the Shocking Sword Finger.
But the Shocking Sword Finger was a secret art of the Qin Family...
Qu Qingge's heart sank, his face falling. So the Heavenly Secrets Sect's techniques really couldn't be modified?
The ability to conceal one's aura was indeed powerful, but it came at the cost of sacrificing various attributes. Without that concealment feature, this technique was just an ordinary one.
The key problem was that this technique had no advanced follow-up methods - only this single version existed!
"Even if it's not possible, I still want to thank you," Qu Qingge said, clasping his hands in a bow.
Some classmates gathered around curiously, their faces filled with astonishment. Could there really be a technique Qin Yang couldn't modify? Over these past three days, they'd practically worshipped Qin Yang like a god, believing him to be omnipotent.
"Wait! Who said it's not possible? If it were impossible, wouldn't I be destroying my own reputation?" Qin Yang spoke up.
Qu Qingge was taken aback. "But you said..."
"I said it would be very difficult!" Qin Yang corrected. "Not impossible!"
"Difficult? Why?" Qu Qingge asked.
Qin Yang scratched his head and said, "Out of consideration for our clients, I can modify your cultivation techniques and martial arts. But when it comes to my own secret arts..."
The moment the words "secret arts" were uttered, everyone grew restless.
Even Jin Wanshan chimed in sourly, "What's this? Our techniques don't qualify for your secret arts?"
Qin Yang was about to explain when Qu Qingge cut him off: "The Heavenly Secrets Sect's cultivation methods and martial arts cannot be divulged. Even after leaving the sect, they can only be passed down to direct descendants. Their characteristics must never be disclosed in public..."
Qin Yang nodded, leaving it at that.
"Follow me," Qin Yang beckoned with a wave of his hand.
The two walked off to the side.
"He's actually giving Qu Qingge special treatment..."
"How enviable! Qin Yang's secret arts must be truly powerful!" Having witnessed the effectiveness of Qin Yang's modifications, the classmates sighed enviously.
They could only blame their own cultivation techniques for being unlucky - failing to "match" with Qin Yang's secret arts.
"I never realized Qu Qingge's ancestors were from the Heavenly Secrets Sect. That sect is shrouded in mystery and holds immense prestige..."
"Why did we never notice Qu Qingge before? He's like a ghost - if he hadn't found Qin Yang, I'd have forgotten he was even in our class."
"That's right. When the Blood Skull came earlier, we were also momentarily stunned before remembering there was someone named Qu Qingge."
Qin Yang walked forward, leaving a bewildered Qu Qingge behind. He stared intently at Qin Yang's back, a peculiar expression on his face.
Qin Yang was clearly right in front of him, yet it felt as if he were merely a phantom. If Qu Qingge looked away, he wouldn't even sense Qin Yang's presence!
"Before modifying the cultivation technique, I need to ask you two questions," Qin Yang said.
"Ask away," Qu Qingge replied.
"First, what kind of cultivation technique do you want to create?"
"Second, what type of martial techniques do you wish to use?"
Qu Qingge pondered for a moment before declaring, "I want to possess overwhelming power!"
Qin Yang's face turned grim. This has become the standard answer...
Qu Qingge chuckled awkwardly. Qin Yang waved his hand. "What about the second question?"
Qu Qingge thought deeply. "Due to my current cultivation technique, I can't use powerful martial techniques. As you've seen, I'm limited to using hidden weapons..."
Qin Yang's eyes lit up. "What about archery techniques?"
"Of course, that would be better. But archery techniques are rare in this world, and none can rival the Nangong Clan's Shocking Feather Arrow Technique." Qu Qingge sighed softly.
"What if I had an archery technique superior to the Shocking Feather Arrow Technique?" Qin Yang smiled.