Divine Skill A Formidable Enemy Approaches

Halfway up the mountain.

Three newly opened cave abodes were lined up in a row, their stone doors tightly shut.

Though called cave abodes, they were actually just small stone chambers carved into the mountain wall. They were quite simple, containing only a bed, a table, and a chair.

Over the past three days, the sect had not bestowed any cultivation techniques, elixirs, or magical treasures, yet the three of them had no complaints.

Being able to cultivate in a sacred land that possessed two spirit veins was already a massive blessing.

What more could they ask for?

At this moment, the three were cultivating in their respective cave abodes.

Su Wanqing sat cross-legged on her stone bed, circulating the incomplete cultivation technique she had brought from her family. The spiritual energy here was countless times denser than in Sunset Valley. She could feel that it wouldn't be long before she broke through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

Liu Bai sat at his stone table, using a ragged cloth to wipe his worn-out iron sword. The blade had been worn very thin, but he couldn't bear to replace it.

Li Tianxing sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his breathing long and steady. The spiritual energy in his dantian circulated slowly, gradually healing the hidden injuries left from three years of being hunted.

Suddenly, a gentle voice echoed in all three of their ears simultaneously.

The three opened their eyes, stood up, and walked out of their cave abodes at the exact same time. They exchanged glances without a word, straightened their robes, and quickly walked up the stone steps toward the peak.

Before long, the three appeared in the courtyard.

Greetings, Sect Master.

Lin Yan leaned back in his rocking chair and waved his hand.

Rise.

The three stood up and waited respectfully to the side with their hands down.

Lin Yan picked up three cans of cola from the stone table and pushed them forward one by one.

This is the Profound Nether Nectar. Consuming it will grant you an innate divine ability.

The pupils of all three shrank in shock.

Su Wanqing's hands trembled slightly as she took the cola. Liu Bai's breathing noticeably quickened, and even the usually composed Li Tianxing now had an unconcealable gleam of excitement in his eyes.

An innate divine ability!

One must know that innate divine abilities were either brought about by natural bloodlines or condensed after cultivating certain top-tier techniques to major completion. Ordinary cultivators might never touch the threshold in their entire lives.

Yet now, this can of miracle elixir casually bestowed by the Sect Master could directly grant an innate talent?

How was this just Profound Nether Nectar? This was clearly an immortal pill! A divine medicine!

The three were so excited they didn't know what to say. They could only hold the cola cans tightly in their hands, as if holding a peerless treasure.

Just pull the ring on the top, Lin Yan said, pointing at the pull tab on the can.

Li Tianxing was the first to act. He pinched the pull tab with two fingers and gave it a crisp, clean yank—Pssh!

Su Wanqing and Liu Bai quickly followed suit, and two more pssh sounds rang out in succession.

All three were startled by the sudden noise, their wrists twitching. Su Wanqing even subconsciously held the can further away, staring at the opening with uncertainty and surprise.

Inside, they saw a dark liquid bubbling with brown foam. It looked like boiling medicinal dregs, or perhaps some unknown poison, emitting a peculiar scent they had never encountered before.

Liu Bai couldn't help but bob his Adam's apple, secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

He and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance, both seeing hesitation in the other's eyes.

Could this thing... really be drunk?

On the contrary, Li Tianxing was the most decisive. Without the slightest hesitation, he tilted his head back and downed it in one gulp.

Su Wanqing and Liu Bai exchanged another look, discarded their hesitation, and followed suit, gulping it down heavily.

Cough, cough, cough—

All three choked and coughed, but their faces were written with shock and ecstasy.

This taste! To think such a divine object existed in this world!

After drinking it, the three even felt... left wanting more.

Lin Yan watched their expressions, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

Cola was just like that; once you drank it, it left you speechless.

Once the three had finished drinking, Lin Yan tapped his fingertip lightly, and three attribute traits descended simultaneously.

[Great Strength] entered Liu Bai's body.

[Lightweight] entered Su Wanqing's body.

[Micro-Perception] entered Li Tianxing's body.

The bodies of all three trembled at the same time, a flash of enlightenment crossing their eyes.

The next moment, three auras erupted in succession!

I... I broke through!

Liu Bai was the first to react, his voice pitching up in excitement.

He had cultivated for five whole years just to reach the third level of Qi Condensation. He never expected that a single mouthful of this immortal brew would make him break through directly!

Su Wanqing also wept tears of joy, bowing deeply to Lin Yan.

Li Tianxing clenched his fists, feeling the skyrocketing cultivation in his body, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.

He had cultivated bitterly for thirty years to reach the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet now, with just a mouthful of immortal brew, he had broken through to the middle stage.

Overjoyed, the three knelt on the ground in unison: Thank you, Sect Master, for your blessing! Your disciples could not repay you even with ten thousand deaths!

[Ding! Disciple Su Wanqing has broken through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Sect Points +50]

[Ding! Disciple Liu Bai has broken through to the fourth level of Qi Condensation. Sect Points +50]

[Ding! Disciple Li Tianxing has broken through to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Sect Points +100]

[Ding! The favorability of all three has increased. Loyalty +5% each]

Lin Yan waved his hand and asked indifferently, What talents have you each awakened?

Su Wanqing spoke first, her voice soft: To reply to the Sect Master, this disciple only feels as light as a swallow. My footsteps are much faster than before, and I can leap higher.

Liu Bai scratched his head and smiled honestly: This disciple feels much stronger. Just now, when I clenched my fist, I almost crushed my own bones.

Finally, it was Li Tianxing's turn.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly raising his head, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's: This disciple's eyesight has improved greatly.

Lin Yan nodded. He already knew the answers and was just putting on an act.

However, Li Tianxing's next sentence made him suddenly sit up straight.

Furthermore... the movements of others appear slower in my eyes.

I can clearly see the trajectory of their every subtle movement. I even... feel as though I can predict where they will appear next.

Lin Yan shuddered, almost falling out of his rocking chair.

Holy shit!

A budget version of bullet time?

This was a fucking divine skill!

He quickly opened the system panel again and took a closer look—

[Micro-Perception: Observation skills are enhanced to the extreme. Can capture subtle trajectories and predict opponents' movements.]

As expected!

He hadn't thought in this direction before, assuming that the traits for outer sect disciples were just cheap stat boosters.

He never expected that they could actually roll such a heaven-defying ability!

Suddenly, Lin Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Su Wanqing to the side.

Wanqing, you said your movement speed increased?

Su Wanqing quickly cupped her hands, her voice soft: To reply to the Sect Master, yes! This disciple feels as light as a swallow, and my footsteps are much lighter and faster than before.

Then demonstrate it for me to see.

Yes!

Su Wanqing complied. Taking a deep breath, she lightly tapped the ground with her toes.

The next second, Lin Yan's pupils contracted sharply.

He saw Su Wanqing's figure suddenly blur, turning into a faint afterimage and leaving only a wisp of a breeze in her original spot.

In the blink of an eye, she was already standing steadily over ten meters away.

Lin Yan: ...

He was completely dumbfounded.

This was called a significant increase in movement speed?

Wasn't this a fucking budget version of teleportation?

Su Wanqing was also dumbfounded.

She stared blankly at her feet, then looked back at where she had been standing, her face full of disbelief.

She only felt that her body had become lighter and that she would run a bit faster. She never imagined that she would be this fast!

Liu Bai's mouth fell wide open, and even Li Tianxing, who possessed the Micro-Insight talent, frowned deeply.

Even after pushing his talent to the absolute limit, he had only barely managed to catch a blurry afterimage. He had not seen how Su Wanqing moved at all!

Lin Yan took a deep breath, finally realizing what was going on.

It was not that outer sect traits could also roll divine skills.

It was that the outer sect traits were divine skills themselves!

Behind the seemingly ordinary descriptions of every outer sect trait lay genuine, heaven-defying abilities!

A wave of lingering fear washed over him, followed closely by a surge of relief.

Thank goodness he had not taken the easy way out. He had come up with a clever method to package the traits as miraculous elixirs to bestow upon his disciples.

Otherwise, if he had just secretly equipped the traits onto them, he would have suffered a massive loss!

Now, things had worked out perfectly. The disciples all believed it was the work of the Profound Nether Nectar. Every single one of them was overflowing with gratitude, their loyalty instantly maxed out.

He had made an absolute killing!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lin Yan waved his hand. "Alright, don't just stand there in a daze. You have all just broken through and awakened your talents. Hurry back to consolidate your cultivation bases and familiarize yourselves with your new abilities."

"Yes! Thank you for your blessing, Sect Master!"

The three of them bowed in unison, giving Lin Yan another deep salute. Only this time, their eyes held not just reverence, but also immense gratitude and even a hint of fanaticism!

It had only been three days since they joined the Tianyan Sect!

Not only had their cultivation broken through a minor realm, but they had also gained a legendary divine talent!

In the past, they would not have even dared to dream of such a thing!

Joining the Tianyan Sect was indeed the right choice!

The three turned around, just about to take their leave.

Right at that moment, an overwhelmingly majestic aura of the late Nascent Soul stage suddenly erupted from the foot of the mountain. Like dark clouds pressing down from above, it enveloped the entirety of Qingyun Mountain!

Immediately after, an old and arrogant voice exploded like a crack of thunder, echoing clearly in the ears of everyone on the mountain:

"Han Tieyi of the Great Qian Dynasty's Han Family requests an audience with the Tianyan Sect Master!"