Chapter 144: News of Mysterious Island

Qin Li looked somewhat surprised at Elder Yi. If he hadn’t had the notes of Prince Wu Jun, breaking through would have been extremely difficult for him, almost hopeless.

But this old man in front of him, who was rumored to have Heaven Rank Ninth Tier strength, had actually researched it so thoroughly. Did that mean…?

Elder Yi could see the young man’s thoughts and slightly shook his head, sighing. “I managed to grasp the essence of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill, but I couldn’t solve its huge flaws. For almost twenty years, I’ve been researching this. Now you can probably guess that I was actually requested by His Majesty to do this. You also know that if we could fix these flaws, it would definitely cause a huge storm! The strong ones in our Azure Dragon Kingdom would multiply rapidly like bamboo shoots after rain. The academies are full of talented youths. If they could all practice this Combat Technique, I’m sure that in just a few years, we would have the strength to directly confront those ancient families and sects from the Lands of Mystery!”

As Elder Yi said this, even his usually calm eyes showed a hint of fervor. But then it faded. “Sadly, after all these years, I still haven’t solved this problem. And as you’ve seen, Xiao Ning’s attitude toward me… she doesn’t agree with what I’ve done, thinks I’m harming people. To this day, she still ignores me. Sigh. Xiao Ning’s mother died very early, and over the years, she has pretty much been on her own. I owe both mother and daughter a lot…”

Qin Li nodded silently. Indeed, as a daughter, growing up without a father’s love, and seeing the father she respects using a flawed secret manual to deceive people… even for him, it would probably be hard to let go easily.

Elder Yi leaned back in his chair. At this moment, no one could tell he was a super expert at Heaven Rank Ninth Tier, just one step away from entering the Heaven-Breaking Realm. All one could sense was his weariness and helplessness.

“Originally, I thought there was no hope left. This Cultivation Method was probably created by some Great Master from the Era of Antiquity to harm people. I was already preparing to go into full seclusion to pursue my own dreams. Even though I still have a long lifespan, in reality, my time is limited. If I can’t break through the Heavenly Rank, I might as well wait for death.” Elder Yi lifted his head, looking at Qin Li. “But who would have thought that just at this time, I would meet someone who successfully practiced the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill? Young man, can you understand how excited I am?”

Qin Li nodded. “I can understand. But Elder Yi, I can tell you clearly that Solely Supreme… is definitely not the kind of Combat Technique that can be widely spread. Although I’m not too sure why I was fine practicing it, I can say for certain that you probably won’t find a second practitioner even if you search all over Tianyuan Continent! Otherwise… it wouldn’t be called Solely Supreme.”

Elder Yi sighed and nodded. “Yes, I’ve already given up, young man. Don’t worry that I might do anything harmful to you. Rest assured, before you fully grow up, I will do my best to protect you! I won’t expose your identity. I just want to see what kind of level a Combat Technique I’ve studied for over twenty years can actually reach! I believe you won’t reject my goodwill, right?”

As Elder Yi spoke, his wrinkled old face showed a hint of a proud smile. “Besides, in a way, I was the one who set you on this path.”

“You old swindler,” Qin Li curled his lip and said.

“Hahaha, you little rascal, I like you!” Elder Yi said, handing the original version of the I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill on the table to Qin Li. “Take it. It also has some of my insights and annotations. I hope they can help you!”

Qin Li felt slightly touched inside, then smiled. “Go on, Elder Yi. You’re being so kind to me; surely it’s not just because you want to see what level the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill can reach. If there’s anything else you want me to help you with, just say it directly.”

Elder Yi shook his head with a bitter smile. “Little guy, must you be so direct? Can’t you at least leave this old man some dignity?”

Qin Li said grumpily, “You’ve already deceived so many people, caused so many Martial Artists to throw away their lives unnecessarily. Do you still care about a little face?”

Elder Yi shook his head and said calmly, “They were willing! Kid, let me tell you, over all these years, among all the copies of I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill I handed out, you were the only one who didn’t know its dangers! Besides, didn’t that Ahu fellow tell you? What happened? You still practiced it, didn’t you? Hmph, at the very beginning, whenever I gave out this Combat Technique, I would warn them. But they simply didn’t care, yes, didn’t care! I told them, practicing this thing has great dangers, but likewise, if successful, the rewards are huge!”

“That’s clearly leading them on.”

Elder Yi smiled. “Call it that. But human nature is greedy.”

Qin Li could only nod silently, because what Elder Yi said was absolutely true. Those people knew it was a Divine Level Combat Technique. How could they not rush to practice it? Only those who had truly suffered the agony of Nirvana would truly regret it. But by then, it was already too late.

Thinking of this, Qin Li felt somewhat proud. Because the only person who practiced I Am the Only Sovereign Combat Skill, went through Nirvana, and didn’t die, was created right in his own hands!

However, Qin Li wouldn’t mention this matter. Otherwise, Elder Yi might make more demands.

Elder Yi stood up at this point and said, “Kid, accompany this old man for a walk. Perhaps in a few days, I will go into full seclusion.”

The two walked in the forest with fresh air. Elder Yi said softly, “Many of these trees were planted by my own hands back then. So many years have passed in a blink, and they have all grown up.”

He then turned his head slightly, looking at Qin Li. “I do have a small request. I’m about to start seclusion. Xiao Ning is my only daughter. Even though she dislikes me, I know she still cares about me. Her nature is cold, she doesn’t have many friends, and she’s quite stubborn. So, I’m afraid she might get into trouble. If I entrust her to others, not only would she refuse, but I wouldn’t feel at ease either.”

“Why do you trust me so much?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, kid; I have something on you!” Elder Yi chuckled. “Actually, to be honest, I think your future is immensely bright. Forming a good connection with you will surely bring great benefits. Look at Ahu and those others; they’ve all improved tremendously now. Everyone has their own secrets; I won’t pry into that. But I just beg you, as a father, I beg you, if you get the chance, help my daughter once, alright?”

Faced with such a request from Elder Yi, Qin Li couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Besides, helping Yi Ning once shouldn’t be a problem.

Seeing Qin Li nod, Elder Yi’s face showed a grateful smile.

Qin Li asked, “Why don’t you tell these things to your daughter yourself? I believe if you talk it out, she will forgive you.”

Elder Yi shook his head. “That girl is very stubborn. She wouldn’t believe anything I say. Just like you think I’m an old swindler, she thinks the same.”

Qin Li rubbed his nose, smiled awkwardly, and didn’t say anything.

“By the way, since you are that youngster from Huangsha City, you should know about the place called Mysterious Island, right? I heard your fiancée was taken there.” Elder Yi suddenly asked.

“That’s right. Elder Yi, do you know about Mysterious Island?” Qin Li asked in return.

Elder Yi sighed softly, stopping in front of a large tree. He gently touched the rough bark and said, “Those young people that day were actually from Mysterious Island!”

“What?”

Qin Li was greatly shocked. He never expected that Xiahou Feng was actually from Mysterious Island. What a coincidence. He would probably meet that arrogant, but somewhat manly guy again someday.

The so-called Lands of Mystery mostly referred to families and sects passed down since the Era of Antiquity. They possessed some spatial secrets, hiding their families and sects away. If one didn’t know the trick, one might never find the entrance in their whole life.

“Didn’t expect that, huh? Haha, precisely because of this, His Majesty didn’t dare offend them. You should know, the power of Mysterious Island is just too strong!” Elder Yi exclaimed admiringly. “On Tianyuan Continent, there are countless Lands of Mystery. But Mysterious Island… has always been a very famous place. It seems quite large, with many ancient families and sects existing there. Moreover, the disciples from Mysterious Island are the ones who travel in the Mortal World the most, leaving behind many stories.”

Elder Yi spoke without much thought, but Qin Li felt somewhat awkward hearing it, because he was also one of the stories left by Mysterious Island…

“Then Elder Yi, how did you know they were from Mysterious Island?”

“That day, when Elder Chen and I accompanied them, one of them accidentally let it slip. Although they didn’t directly mention Mysterious Island, they occasionally talked about how a stunningly talented woman recently appeared there, and that she was from Azure Dragon Kingdom. Coincidentally, I, this old fellow, happened to learn some things about the Shangguan Family when I was in Huangsha City.”

Elder Yi looked meaningfully at Qin Li at this point, smiled, and said, “Tell me, if they weren’t from Mysterious Island, where else could they be from?”

“The woman they mentioned… it’s Shiyu, right?” Mentioning this name, a wave of longing surged in Qin Li’s heart like a tide. The happiest news today was probably this—unexpectedly hearing information about Shiyu, knowing she was doing well. Qin Li felt reassured.

As for Xiahou Feng being from Mysterious Island, so what?

A cold smirk appeared at the corner of Qin Li’s mouth. Forget Heavenly Rank; even if he encountered someone at the Heaven-Breaking Realm, he would dare to fight them! All those so-called geniuses—his favorite thing to do was to stomp on you geniuses hard!