A mere glance at the patterns on the incomplete bronze token’s surface was enough to imbue Qin Yun with new insights into the Great Dao of Earth which he had been stuck at a bottleneck on for millennia. He even felt that he had a chance of breaking through the bottleneck.
“For my Great Dao of Earth to attain a Dao fruit, the opportunity might actually depend on this incomplete bronze token.” Qin Yun felt a little excited.
He had reached a bottleneck a long time ago, but he had failed to find a breakthrough. All he knew was that he had to keep accumulating insights.
Today, Qin Yun saw hope in the bronze token’s patterns.
“Sword Immortal Qin, please take it. This bronze token is useless with me,” said Bai Fu immediately.
“This bronze token is indeed useful to me. I’ll take it.” Qin Yun nodded with a smile.
Bai Fu also revealed a look of delight.
Qin Yun had saved his life twice and had held back the Heavenly Courts for him. He had no idea how he could repay the debt, so now that Qin Yun was accepting the gift, he heaved a sigh of relief.
“Sword Immortal Qin, I’ll be returning to my homeworld for now.” Bai Fu could no longer stay put any longer for his mind was completely worried for his homeworld and wife.
“Take your leave then.” Qin Yun nodded.
After Bai Fu bowed reverently, he turned around and stepped into the spatial passageway and headed for the cosmic space slightly beyond his homeworld.
Soon, the spatial passageway closed.
As Qin Yun held the incomplete token, he found karma truly magical.
“Brother Yun, is this bronze token very useful for you?” asked Yi Xiao.
“Yea.” Qin Yun nodded. “The opportunity for my Great Dao of Earth to undergo a breakthrough is in here. This world sure is magical. I helped him only because I wanted to do so and did not hope for anything in return. I never expected that a ninth-grade Heavenly general like him… would provide me with a breakthrough opportunity.”
Yi Xiao smiled and said, “Brother Yun, you have traveled the world punishing evil and helping the good. You saved many people and he’s just one of the many you saved. With the way karma gets around, you were only given this opportunity because of all the things you have done.”
Qin Yun nodded slightly.
Great merit allowed more light to shine on him from providence! Even the heavens helped him!
However, to forge iron, one had to be tough themselves. Cultivation still mainly depended on one’s own efforts. The light that shone from providence only provided some help. If one did not cultivate arduously, just merit and the light would only make one a Merit Immortal at best.
…
Qin Yun sat under a pavilion and, as he sipped at his tea, he carefully studied the incomplete bronze token.
“Amazing. Simply amazing.” The more Qin Yun looked at it, the more praises he gave. “The Great Dao of Earth contained in this pattern has far exceeded my imaginations.
“Let me see what mystical charm is within the token.”
A wisp of his perception penetrated the token.
However, he immediately discovered a terrifying aura contained within the bronze token. Qin Yun’s expression changed slightly when the two forces clashed.
“This aura… must belong to a perfected Great Dao existence at the very least? It might even be more powerful!” Qin Yun revealed a look of anticipation. “It must have been left behind by the original owner. However, it’s ultimately only a remnant aura. A water fountain without a source would not take long to dry out!”
Qin Yun’s perception penetrated like sharp swords that constantly ground away the terrifying aura contained within.
The grinding process was very slow.
However, Qin Yun could constantly release his perception, continuing after some rest when his Essence Soul was exhausted. As for the aura contained inside the bronze token, it kept depleting.
Qin Yun did this for twenty-six days.
Early in the morning.
Qin Yun sat cross-legged in a chamber as he held the incomplete bronze token. The final wisp of the terrifying aura was finally wiped clean.
“Hum.” The incomplete bronze token emitted a faint glow as Qin Yun’s Itinerant Immortal Dharmic powers could finally infiltrate the token to refine it and gain full control over it.
The instant he established control, Qin Yun sensed two fluctuations far in the northwest.
“There are two other incomplete tokens? They are in the northwest?” Qin Yun immediately understood something. “However, the truth is concealed by layers of confusion. I can only confirm a particular direction, but I can’t find them! In terms of hiding from the heavenly secrets, these means are more powerful than the hiding capabilities of Mental Demon Ancestral Fiends.”
He had to go to great lengths in his search for the Mental Demon Ancestral Fiend. He had to kill the fiend’s disciple and even had to monitor a city for quite a long period of time before he could make a guess. Thankfully, his guess had been right.
To find items that were even concealed by the heavens? It was beyond Qin Yun’s ability to infer the heavenly secrets.
“The heavenly secrets haven been hidden extremely well. It must be done by an expert,” thought Qin Yun. “I can sense that the other two tokens which means that the owner of the other two tokens can sense me as well!”
******
At the instant the incomplete bronze token was refined by Qin Yun, in a forest northwest of the Heavenly realm, a yellow-robed monk with brows drooping down sat cross-legged in a simple wooden hut.
Although it was very spartan, to the point of not being able to completely shield the rain, the elderly monk kept sitting there… It was as though he had not moved in millennia or tens of millennia.
“Oh?” The yellow-robed monk opened his eyes as he looked into the distant southeast where Mt. Lightning Roar was.
“The last of the three Seal Presiding Tokens has finally appeared,” muttered the yellow-robed monk. His gaze tore through various obstructions as he looked at Mt. Lightning Roar. “It was refined by that Itinerant Immortal Qin Yun?”
“I spent so many year seeking these two Seal Presiding Tokens, but the final one is in Qin Yun’s hands. It’s won’t be easily snatched.” The yellow-robed monk considered for a moment.
He flicked his sleeve.
A passageway that connected to a distant Great World immediately opened in the void beside him.
A thin elder holding a wooden stave walked out of it. When the elder came in front of the wooden hut, he immediately bowed when he saw the yellow-robed monk. “Teacher.”
“Magus Xian, all I did was give you a few pointers back then. I’m not considered your teacher,” said the yellow-robed monk with a smile.
“Teacher, might I know why you requested my presence?” Magus Xian asked directly.
“I wish for you to make a trip to Mt. Lightning Roar and meet Qin Yun,” said the monk.
“Oh? That Sword Immortal Qin?” Magus Xian knitted his brows. He was ranked in the top three among the Ten Magi, famous for his divine inference and hexes! Even pinnacle Golden Immortals who were equal in strength to him did not dare cross him. After all, if the Magi were provoked, their enemy might be hit with a hex spell or be poisoned without even realizing it. Even if it did not lead to death, severe injuries were definite.
None of the Ten Magi were perfected Great Dao existences, but the Magi had managed to establish rule over a whole dominion! No faction in the Three Realms, or even the Chaos Godfiends, dared to have any thoughts on this dominion. Furthermore, the Magi also spread their heritage to the Great and Small Worlds of the other dominions.
This was because the Ten Magi were truly terrifying!
They had the arts of medicine, poison, hexes, array formation, and battle magi… It remained capable even without a perfected Great Dao existence.
Due to their potent means, many were willing to cultivate under the Magi.
“Seek out Qin Yun and tell him that you wish to buy the bronze token he just refined,” said the yellow-robed monk with a smile. “However, do not mention my name.”
“Bronze tablet?” Magus Xian was puzzled.
“It’s one with these two pieces.” The monk flipped his hand, revealing two incomplete bronze tokens. “The three tokens are all incomplete, but once they are put together, the patterns on them will form a complete one. Having seen these two pieces, you will be able to instantly recognize the third piece when you see it.”
Magus Xian nodded slightly. “What if the conditions he raises are too high?”
“If that happens…” The monk immediately exhorted him in detail.
“Got it.” Magus Xian nodded slightly.
“Go on,” said the monk. “Remember, do not mention me.”
“Teacher, don’t worry,” said Magus Xian in response. He was aware that his teacher did things in mystery.
…
Heavenly realm, Mt. Lightning Roar.
Early in the morning.
Qin Yun stood on the mountain peak as he watched the clouds stir across the vast skies.
“My Magi friend, what a rare occasion,” said Qin Yun suddenly with a laugh. Mt. Lightning Roar’s array automatically opened up a passageway as a thin elder stepped through the void with a wooden stave in hand.
Qin Yun instantly recognized him to be the famous Magus Xian of the Three Realms.
“Sword Immortal Qin,” greeted Magus Xian with a smile. The peerless sword immortal was powerful to begin with. With the Qingping Sword, he was far from Qin Yun’s match.
“Might I know why you came?” inquired Qin Yun.
“Sword Immortal Qin, I am aware that you just received an incomplete bronze token. It’s useless by itself in your hands, so why don’t you sell it to me?” said Magus Xian with a smile.
Qin Yun felt his heart jolt from hearing that.
When he sensed the other two tokens, Qin Yun had guessed that the owner of the two tokens was likely to have sensed him as well. It also meant that the other party would likely respond quickly.
“I guessed that an expert would come, but I never expected it to be a friend from the Magi,” said Qin Yun wistfully with a smile. “Are the other two bronze tokens in your hands?”
“You could say that.”
Magus Xian smiled and said, “I’m sincerely hoping to buy the bronze token you possess. Feel free to make a request of what you would like to exchange it for.”