“Nine skills!”


  “Within this Soul Swallowing Pearl, there are nine skills I need to master. Only then will I be able to fully activate it, and therefore utilise it,” Jian Wushuang said.

  He started researching the nine skills.

  Without a doubt, all nine skills were exceedingly profound. The first skill alone would take a normal Cultivator at least tens of thousands of years to master. These nine skills got tougher one after another.

  “These nine skills are profound, but not too hard for me.”


  Jian Wushuang mumbled as he began researching the the first skill.

  A fortnight passed.

  Within the dungeon, Jian Wushuang, with his legs crossed, suddenly opened his eyes. A strong light emerged from his pupils.

  “The first skill, done!”


  Jian Wushuang was elated.

  He had not expected it to be so easy, mastering the first skill.

  Two weeks was all it took.

  If it were a normal Cultivator, it would have been impossible.

  But at the same moment, Jian Wushuang felt something amiss about it.

  “How could this have happened?”


  “The nine skills were so profound, why did it feel so easy when I cultivated it? I felt like a fish in water…”


  “Not just the nine skills of the Soul Swallowing Pearl, it was the same for the other skills, like the Sword Principle Xuan Luo. That was equally profound, but I learnt it just the same.”


  Jian Wushuang frowned.

  He felt that his own rate of realisation was too fast for comfort.

  Regardless of secret skills or opportunities, if he had to realise it himself, it would always be way faster than an average Cultivator.

  Perhaps it was due to his own talent, but certainly not this level of outrageousness?

  “What reason could it be?” Jian Wushuang mumbled to himself. As he delved into thought, he came up with two possible reasons.

  First possibility, was Inverse Cultivation!

  The Inverse Cultivation defied nature in every way, perhaps as he trained Inverse Cultivation his body changed too, achieving certain breakthroughs in realisation.

  This possibility could be easily verified.

  He simply needed to ask Emperor Bai if he too had understood secret skills with such ease.

  If that were the case, Inverse Cultivation would be the reason, and vice versa.

  The second possibility, was a secret skill Jian Wushuang had learned a long time ago.

  “The Universal Dao Scripture!” Jian Wushuang looked serious.

  The Universal Dao Scripture was passed on to him when he had been Xuan Yi’s disciple.

  Jian Wushuang always felt that secret skill had something unique to it, but he never understood what it was used for. Xuan Yi then had told him he would learn to understand on his own.

  As time passed, Jian Wushuang realised the Universal Dao Scripture improved his consciousness significantly. His master Xuan Yi confirmed it, and passed him the second Scripture.

  Both he and the King of Venomous Worms leeching off of him thought that the second Scripture helped him improve Soul Power.

  Or at least, that was what he thought.

  Now? Not so much.

  Although his Soul Strength has indeed improved tremendously since he had mastered the second Scripture, he realised the Scripture was more complicated than he had thought.

  He could tell.

  Perhaps the reason he had mastered so many secret skills with such ease was due to this Scripture.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t verify this for now.

  The only way to verify his doubts were to either reach a higher level of understanding and ability, or to directly ask his master Xuan Yi himself.

  For now, he could only guess.

  “Regardless of the reason, this is a great advantage for me,” Jian Wushuang smiled and continued to research the second skill of the Soul Swallowing Pearl.

  Time gradually passed.

  …


  Outside the dungeon within the old Sky Swallowing Clan lair, King Zhan Cang guarded the place, as still as a statue.

  Xiu!

  A shadow appeared in front of King Zhan Cang. It was an elegant woman in black, her beauty unrivaled. It was the Black Dragon Emperor, leader of the Black Dragon Clan.

  “King Zhan Cang, has the Ancient Emperor exited the dungeon?” The Black Dragon Emperor asked.

  “Not yet, I think it will take more time. What do you need?” King Zhan Cang asked.

  “Nothing much, I just want to discuss some issues with him regarding the Special Tribes Alliance. Since he’s not out yet, let it be.” The Black Dragon Emperor looked into the dungeon and smiled, “King Zhan Cang, when he comes out, make sure you let me know!”


  “Understood,” King Zhan Cang nodded.

  As the Black Dragon Emperor left, King Zhan Cang could not help but scratch his head. “Interesting, the Ancient Emperor has only been in the dungeon for three years, yet she has visited thrice. Everytime she says she has business to discuss, but it doesn’t seem like the case.”


  Besides being a nine-star Ancient God and one of the leaders of the Ancient God Clan, King Zhan Cang was a family man himself. He could feel something was amiss with the Black Dragon Emperor.

  It did not seem like she treated him simply as Alliance chief, or her saviour.

  Shaking his head, King Zhan Cang threw that thought aside and continued his guard.

  At a remote place within the Sky Swallowing Sanctuary, the remaining experts of the Sky Swallowing Clan gathered.

  Within a cave residence.

  Ba Su, the eerie elder from the Archelon Palace, and the same crimson-cloaked representative from the Holocaust Sect, gathered.

  “According to Archelon Palace intelligence, Jian Wushuang has indeed discovered the Holy Object, and has remained within the dungeon these past three years. Obviously, he is trying to cultivate it,” the eerie elder said.