Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1448 - 770: Healing (2)

Within a mere dozen breaths, his wounds had stitched themselves back together. As the healing concluded, the verdant glow of the 'Innate Wood' divine power flickered and vanished.

A faint sense of regret washed over him; he found himself wishing the restorative light would linger longer, suspecting its continued presence might offer even deeper benefits.

However, all things must conclude. Under the meticulous command of Li Yuanba, the healing essence was retracted until not a single spark of energy remained.

"How does Brother Lu feel?" one of the Great Cultivators inquired.

The question was almost redundant. Given the profound experience of those gathered, they could easily gauge Cultivator Lu’s recovery simply by sensing the stabilization of his aura.

"I feel excellent. Were that Hell Creature to draw breath again, I could dive right back into the fray!" Cultivator Lu declared with a grin, vigorously swinging his arm to demonstrate his vitality.

With his recovery confirmed, the collective gaze of the Great Cultivators toward Li Yuanba shifted significantly.

He was now viewed as a living treasure. Within the perilous confines of the Hell Cave Heaven, Li Yuanba was essentially their ultimate insurance policy.

"Mr. Li, words cannot express my gratitude. Please accept these Sword Cultivation Books I chanced upon in the past. I lack the innate talent for the sword, so they have merely gathered dust. Consider them a small token of my thanks; I hope they prove useful to you!" Cultivator Lu presented ten Jade Scrolls to Li Yuanba, his expression full of sincerity.

As Li Yuanba took the scrolls, the sight of three gold and five purple casings made it immediately clear that these were items of immense value.

"Since Senior Lu is so insistent, it would be rude of me to decline. I shall shamelessly accept them!" Li Yuanba replied, offering a polite smile.

These volumes originated from the personal hoard of a Great Cultivator within the Central State Commerce.

Judging by the ancient patina on the Jade Scrolls, most were relics of a bygone era.

In the world of Cultivation, for an item to be deemed 'ancient,' it must possess a history spanning several millennia; anything less fails to earn the title.

Considering a Nascent Soul Early Stage practitioner can live for a thousand years—and Middle Stage or Great Cultivators even longer—true antiquity is a high bar to clear.

"I am simply glad they find favor with Mr. Li!" Cultivator Lu remarked, genuinely pleased to part with the scrolls.

He had stumbled upon these ten Sword Cultivation Jade Scrolls during a past business transaction. They were the remnants of a long-extinguished Sword Cultivation Sect, and in his hands, they had been nothing more than pearls cast before swine.

Settling his debt to Li Yuanba was paramount, but using these scrolls to forge a lasting bond with him was an even more strategic victory.

The internal intelligence of Central State Commerce had whispered rumors of Li Yuanba’s alchemical prowess at the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, suggesting he was the one refining pills for the Great Cultivators there.

This was supported by the fact that the high-ranking members of the Pavilion hadn't sought out any other Alchemy Master for over a decade to produce their Great Cultivator Spirit Pills.

Furthermore, intelligence indicated that these elders possessed high-level spirit pills, a fact that practically confirmed the suspicions.

The most logical conclusion was that Li Yuanba had the rare skill to craft high-quality Great Cultivator Spirit Pills.

Even if the chance of this being true was only one percent, Cultivator Lu was determined to stay on good terms with Li Yuanba in case he ever needed to request a pill refinement.

And even setting alchemy aside, the sheer utility of the 'Innate Wood' divine power was reason enough for such a generous gift.

However, Lu’s display of wealth drew envious glares from the other Great Cultivators.

Not everyone possessed the deep pockets of a representative from Central State Commerce, a commercial juggernaut with unparalleled financial resources.

By giving such a lavish gift, Cultivator Lu had inadvertently raised the price for Li Yuanba’s medical services.

No one expected treatment for free; in the Cultivation World, 'free' usually came with the highest price of all.

The more a favor costs nothing upfront, the harder it is to pay back later.

Most Cultivators avoid owing favors at all costs, as the debt might eventually require them to risk their very lives.

As per their prior arrangement, even though the Central State Commerce team hadn't finished their clearing duty, they handed the task over to another superpower's team to maintain the momentum.

Meanwhile, the 'Hell Disgust Crystal Essence' harvested from the fallen Fourth Grade Late Stage Hell Creature was given to Li Yuanba. This time, not a single Great Cultivator voiced an objection.

Had he claimed such a prize earlier without significant contribution, there would have been grumbling.

But after witnessing the miraculous healing of the 'Innate Wood' divine power, those complaints had vanished.

In the ensuing skirmishes, the teams became far more disciplined, abandoning their competitive posturing against the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

The current objective was to cull the Hell Creatures and thin their ranks in the immediate vicinity.

Securing this base was a mandatory prerequisite before they could venture deeper into the heart of the Hell Cave Heaven.

Li Yuanba hovered cross-legged a foot above the earth, extending his Divine Sense to probe the ten Jade Scrolls stored within his soul crystal ring.

Once he established a link with the IBMz15, the vast knowledge contained within the scrolls would be archived into the supercomputer's database.

"Wait, this is a manual for a melee Sword Cultivator!" he noted with surprise. As he scanned the contents, he realized one particular golden Jade Scroll held something truly extraordinary.

Golden Jade Scrolls usually come with strict viewing requirements, but as a Sword Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, Li Yuanba easily bypassed any spiritual restrictions.

The scroll contained an unnamed Cultivation Technique that felt strangely familiar to him.

The method involved smelting specific metals into the user's own frame, strengthening the physical body while simultaneously evolving the sword weapon integrated within it to match the cultivator's rising realm.

It bore a striking resemblance to the 'Sword Demon Secret Manual.' However, that manual was riddled with gaps and only reached the Golden Core Stage; its only lasting value had been the ability to nourish a sword foundation with the body.

Up until now, Li Yuanba had rarely utilized his Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation.

The primary issue was that its power had become insufficient for his current level. While he had mastered the sword body from the 'Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique,' that was a defensive Body Refining Technique suited for Flying Sword Cultivators, not a system for close-quarters combat.

His Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation was currently only effective against opponents significantly weaker than himself.

But this unnamed technique was a comprehensive melee Sword Cultivation path that led all the way to the Mahayana Realm.

The Mahayana-level information was only visible because Li Yuanba had satisfied all the spiritual prerequisites of the scroll.

Had Cultivator Lu known he was handing over a manual capable of reaching the Mahayana Realm, he likely would have reconsidered his generosity.

Lu hadn't been able to read the full contents himself; he had simply had a Sword Cultivator from his organization skim it before deciding it was a suitable gift.

He had assumed the scrolls were merely historical curiosities, especially since the art of melee Sword Cultivation had long been overshadowed by the popularity of flying swords.

Li Yuanba’s eyes gleamed as he digested the text. He and his main body, Li Shiming, had already laid the perfect groundwork by practicing the 'Sword Demon Secret Manual.'

Without that specific start, this unnamed technique would be impossible to learn.

The technique required the sword foundation to be fused with the body during the Qi Refinement Realm, back when the physical form was still malleable enough to merge with refined metal.

Li Yuanba possessed two spirit-treasure grade Natal Treasures, but those were energy-based constructs refined into his being, unlike the physical integration of the Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation.

The Fourth-Grade Sword Foundation functioned like a biological organ that evolved alongside him. It remained undetectable to the scans of other cultivators, yet it could manifest as a physical, lethal longsword the moment he required it.