Chapter 12

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Chapter 12: A Sudden Change

Wang Yu agreed, still full of questions, and followed the master out of the house, heading straight for the Martial Arts Field behind the temple.

In front of the stone house beside the Martial Arts Field, the master opened the copper lock and walked in with the boy.

As soon as they entered, the chill inside the stone house made Wang Yu shiver. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the temperature in the house felt even colder than the last time he came.

The master scanned the floor in front of the offering table and, after a moment of thought, walked to a corner, picked up a jar covered in talismans from the ground, shook it, then put his ear against it to listen, showing a satisfied expression.

"The Shadow Spirits inside should be purified now; it can be used."

As soon as the words were spoken, the man tore off the talismans from the jar and lifted the lid.

Wang Yu was startled and immediately took two steps back, his hand instinctively resting on his waist where a small wooden sword was sheathed, the lightning strike wood sword that Qingfeng had given him.

Ever since he discovered that there are invisible things like Shadow Spirits in this world, he has always kept this small wooden sword for protection close to him.

"What are you afraid of? You haven’t practiced today, right? Just perform the Yin Water Skill Breathing Exercises here," the man said with a knowing glance at Wang Yu, placing the jar on the ground in front of him, with a half-smile.

"I haven’t learned any spells yet; I always feel a bit strange about these things," Wang Yu said with an awkward smile, then he sat down cross-legged, relaxed his mind, and began to practice the first level of the Yin Water Skill.

"This is…" After he had practiced the Yin Water Skill for a short while, Wang Yu opened his eyes in surprise, staring straight at the jar in front of him.

While he was practicing the skill, he had noticed gray mist rising from the jar, mixed with colorful specks of light, which was drawn into his body through the Breathing Exercises, infusing into the Spirit Seed.

"It seems you’ve discovered that a purified Shadow Spirit transforms into pure Spirit Qi, but this Spirit Qi is cold in nature and can only be absorbed by corresponding attribute Breathing Exercises. Fortunately, the Yin Water Skill can do just that. This means that in the same amount of time spent on Breathing Exercises, the Spirit Qi you absorb will be several times more than before, and theoretically, in about three to four months, you could break through to the second level of the Yin Water Skill," the man explained.

"Master, is there really such a thing? What does theoretically mean?" Wang Yu first felt overjoyed, then showed a puzzled expression.

"The Spirit Qi created by the Yin Spirits is not the true Spirit Qi of the world. It contains impurities and is too cold. If you breathe it in every day, it will harm your body. So, it is best to absorb it once every four or five days. The actual training efficiency should only increase by about double. With this thing to help you, it should take only half a year to reach the second level of the Yin Water Skill. Hmm, three doses of the Spirit Qi from the Yin Spirits should be enough to reach the second level." As soon as the man finished speaking, he took out the wooden box from his chest, opened it, and pulled out a small black bottle. He uncapped it and chanted softly, directing the bottle towards the jar in front of Wang Yu. Instantly, wisps of gray gas quickly rose and all were inhaled into the small bottle.

Not only that, he selected two more jars and used the same method to inhale the gray gas from them into the small bottle. He then handed the bottle to the young boy.

"This ‘Yin Essence Bottle,’ while not a magical tool, can store Shadow Spirit Qi and keep it from disappearing for a short time. Take good care of it."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Master. I will definitely practice hard," Wang Yu said as he received the small bottle, feeling its cold touch and knowing it was a valuable item. He happily expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

"Qiu Ye, if you can reach the second level of the Yin Water Skill within six months, I will continue to provide Shadow Spirit Qi to assist in your training. However, if you cannot do it, then it means this is not suitable for you, and you should practice steadily step by step in the future." After saying these words calmly, the man left the stone house with Wang Yu.

After that?

Wang Yu followed the man but did not take his words to heart at all.

Thinking about it, he only had about ten days left before his one-month stay in the Otherworld was up. Shouldn’t he find a way to leave the temple and go check out Yellow Stone City? It is the only city in this area and there should be more valuable information to collect about the Otherworld.

After all, the more information he can bring back to Blue Star, the greater the reward from the government.

Besides, should we try to get one or two methods of practicing spells from the Taoist or Qingfeng? Even if it’s just the simplest magic trick they know, bringing it back would surely be a great achievement.

Wang Yu thought thoughtfully.

Just like that, two more days passed.

One day at noon, Wang Yu and Dongyue were practicing martial arts behind the temple when they suddenly heard a clear bird song. A small green bird swooped down from the sky and landed on the eaves of the big hall.

"Oh, it seems the Temple Master is going out," Dongyue said with a grin, looking at Wang Yu.

"Martial Brother Dongyue, why do you say that?" Wang Yu asked curiously.

"Since I came to the mountain, this bird has appeared in the temple four or five times. Each time it appears, the Temple Master takes Elder Martial Brother away from the temple, so this time is probably no different."

Dongyue said this confidently, while Wang Yu felt a bit skeptical.

But soon after, Taoist Chongyun called Wang Yu over. After giving him a brief explanation, he hurried down the mountain with Qingfeng.

In the evening, just as Wang Yu finished his training and was about to go to bed, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. It seemed that someone was banging heavily on the door of the temple.

Wang Yu was taken aback and immediately jumped out of bed, opening the bedroom door to step outside.

"Who is it, coming to the White Cloud Temple so late? The Temple Master and Elder Martial Brother can’t be back so soon; this is really annoying…" From the opposite room, Dongyue also came out in disheveled clothes, holding a lantern, yawning, and reluctantly going to open the temple door.

But before the chubby boy could pull out the bolt, it seemed the person outside just couldn’t wait. With a loud bang, the bolt shattered and the door was forcefully knocked open from the outside.

"Ah!"

Dongyue was startled and involuntarily took two steps back.

"Bang!"

A round object was thrown in from outside, rolling a few times before stopping right in front of the chubby boy.

Dongyue instinctively probed forward with the lantern in his hand and clearly saw the round object, letting out a loud scream, his face turning pale.

Under the light of the lantern, the round object was actually a blood-stained head of a dead man, with two wide-open eyes and a mouth agape. From the familiar yet twisted features, it was clearly Elder Martial Brother "Qingfeng."

What is happening? Qingfeng and Taoist Chongyun clearly left in the morning, so how did he end up dead by night, with his head cut off and thrown back to the temple?

Wang Yu clearly saw everything; his mind buzzed, and his blood seemed to freeze in an instant.

"Hehe, it seems there are still two leftover pests at White Cloud Temple. Come on, kill them all to avoid future trouble," shouted a young man from outside the temple. Then, shadows moved outside the door as seven or eight people rushed in, each dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, their faces covered with thick black cloth, and holding bright, gleaming weapons.

"You… who are you? Do you know where this is? This is the temple of Immortal Master Chongyun. Aren’t you afraid that Immortal Master will come back and punish you?" Dongyue threw the lantern in her hand and stepped back in panic, stuttering her words.

"Chongyun is in no position to protect himself right now; who would still be afraid of him? Attack!" Another young man dressed in white entered, with a flat nose and triangular eyes, his face cold. Holding a shining silver folding fan, he glanced at the Taoist clothes worn by Dongyue and Wang Yu, then sneered and ordered.

"Not good, Junior Brother, run!"

Dongyue screamed loudly and turned to run away.

Wang Yu also snapped back to reality, and without saying a word, he followed Dongyue and ran, heading towards the back mountain of the temple.

Looking at the fierce appearance of those who barged into the temple, they really wanted to take their lives.

"You little brat, don’t run!"

"You two, where can you escape to?"

A group of men in dark clothes rushed after them, leaving only the young man in white.

"Hmph, just two ordinary people!" The young man snorted and did not chase after them. Instead, he glanced at the main hall, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and walked purposefully toward it.

But in just a short while, the young man hurried out of the main hall, cursing. He turned his hand over and revealed a yellow talisman, snapping it against his leg. Suddenly, a light breeze appeared around his legs, and he swiftly pursued toward the back mountain, his body floating as if it had no weight.

…

Wang Yu ran furiously, feeling full of strength. He pushed off with all his might, leaping about ten feet forward. The sound of the rushing wind down the mountain filled his ears; if it weren’t for the many trees and bushes blocking his path, he felt he could run down the mountain in no time.

As for Dongyue, long before the two reached the Martial Arts Field behind the temple, they silently chose separate paths down the mountain to escape.

If they walk apart, their chances of survival will be greater. As he passed by the weapons rack, he casually picked up a rusty iron sword.

"Whoosh!"

A crossbow bolt shot out from behind.

Wang Yu stopped in his tracks and instinctively swept the iron sword backward.

"Bang!"

The arrow whizzed past Wang Yu’s ear and struck a large tree in front of him, shaking slightly.

Wang Yu suddenly turned around.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Three more crossbow bolts flew in a straight line toward him.

In a panic, he could only yell and wildly swing the iron sword in front of him. He managed to slice through the first two arrows, but the third one pierced through his left shoulder, causing him to stagger and almost fall to the ground.

"You little brat, you can really run! If it weren’t for us who have specifically trained in lightness techniques, you might have truly slipped away." An angry voice echoed, followed by four figures dressed in black emerging from the trees behind, all of them sweating heavily, clearly exhausted.

The front figure held a lightweight crossbow in hand. Upon seeing that Wang Yu had been hit by an arrow, he waved, and the four crowded around Wang Yu, clearly afraid he might try to escape again.