Chapter Ninety-Four: Innate Realm

Her movement technique was already known for its swiftness, and she had never expected the person before her to be even a shade faster.

No wonder he had been able to kill Demon Feather Dragon. He truly was no simple man.

“Who are you, and what do you want with me?” Qin Yi still watched the mysterious woman before him with caution.

“The man named Qiao Bin was originally one of my subordinates. I am of the Azure Lotus Order,” Li Yanyuan said softly.

“The Azure Lotus Order?” Qin Yi narrowed his eyes, shock rising in his heart.

He had already suspected that Qiao Bin’s background could not be ordinary, but he had never imagined he was actually from the Azure Lotus Order.

The Azure Lotus Order was a major sect, stronger even than the Gold Alliance in power, likely on the same level as the Crimson Sect.

But if he remembered correctly, this Azure Lotus Order was mainly active in the northern lands.

Within the territory of Great Yong, the Crimson Sect, the Turban Sect, the Azure Lotus Order, and the other great sects were all targets of suppression by the court. In ordinary times, in the old days, they would never have dared to show their faces. Yet now, with the chaotic age upon them, they had all come out into the open.

“That’s right.”

“I am very optimistic about your talent, so I came to ask whether you would be interested in joining our Azure Lotus Order,” Li Yanyuan said.

At his age, Qin Yi had already reached the ninth level, and he was among the very best of his generation. His talent needed no further praise; even among the disciples of the major sects, he would count as outstanding.

In the future, he was highly likely to break through to the Innate Realm.

Such a talent, once encountered by the Azure Lotus Order, would certainly be invited to join.

Qin Yi was slightly surprised. He had not expected this woman to be here to invite him into the Azure Lotus Order.

But on second thought, his strength and his age truly did make him a prized piece of uncut jade.

“I wonder what benefits there are in joining your Azure Lotus Order, and what conditions must be met?” Qin Yi asked.

As the saying went, there was no such thing as a free lunch.

He did not believe people would simply admire his talent and stop there.

To join any major power, to expect rewards without paying a price was almost impossible.

“There are naturally benefits! Abundant cultivation resources, martial arts manuals, and for example, secret medicines that can help one break through to the Innate Realm!”

“As for the conditions: swear loyalty unto death to the Azure Lotus Order. In addition, you must pass the order’s examination before you can be formally admitted. After that, you should do your best to complete the missions issued by the order. If you fail to complete them, you will be punished,” Li Yanyuan said.

“Secret medicine for breaking through to the Innate Realm?” Qin Yi was slightly astonished.

This was the first he had ever heard of such a thing. Could it be that breaking through to the Innate Realm required secret medicine?

Seeing his expression, Li Yanyuan immediately judged that he seemed to know very little about the Innate Realm.

“It seems you are not very familiar with the Innate Realm?”

“Not really,” Qin Yi admitted with a nod.

“Human strength is limited. Even if one tempers blood, tendons, and bones to the extreme, there is still a summit. The Innate Realm, broadly speaking, is about breaking through the limits of the human body and forming an innate foundation. It is like a bowl of water: once it is full, no more can be poured in. But if the bowl were made larger, then what? Humans are the same. Only by breaking through your limits can you become stronger.”

“But in the process of breaking those limits, it is as though one smashes the bowl to pieces and then reshapes it into something larger. Yet a person is not clay that can be molded at will. That is why the death rate is terrifyingly high when the body’s limits are broken. If one has secret medicine to preserve life, the success rate will increase greatly. Understand?”

Li Yanyuan spoke lightly.

Her words opened Qin Yi’s eyes.

To be honest, he truly knew nothing about the Innate Realm.

His understanding was this: the ninth level must be the limit of the human body.

No matter how hard one trained, strength and speed would not increase further; they would only decline as age increased.

Because one’s species, one’s genes, were already fixed.

It was like an ant: however great its strength, it could never rival that of a duck. However great a duck’s strength, it could not match that of an elephant.

One’s species and genes determined one’s ultimate limit of growth.

The Innate Realm she described, the breaking of the body’s limits, sounded somewhat like the later notion of breaking through the genes, of genetic evolution.

And that secret medicine, perhaps, was meant to preserve one’s life during the process of breaking those limits?

Like those science-fiction films about genetic recombination in later ages.

For instance, if an organ were being reconstructed, and there were no powerful life-restoring fluids to keep it from failing during the process, then the reconstruction would certainly fail.

This secret medicine for breaking through to the Innate Realm seemed to have something of that meaning.

“Still, that kind of thing won’t be easy to get,” Qin Yi said. He did not believe that once he joined, they would simply hand him a dose of secret medicine.

“You do not understand the Innate Realm very well. It seems your sect’s foundations are not very strong. I also believe your sect would not have this sort of secret medicine. Therefore, joining our Azure Lotus Order is the correct choice for you,” Li Yanyuan continued.

“May I ask whether this secret medicine can be obtained the moment one joins, or...?”

“Of course not. It must be exchanged for with sufficient mission merit,” Li Yanyuan said, shaking her head.

As expected.

“I need to go back and think about it,” Qin Yi said. He neither refused at once nor agreed.

Once one entered such a great sect, restraints were inevitable.

Moreover, the things she had dangled before him would certainly not be so easy to obtain. He would have to pay a price, and he needed to consider carefully.

“I think you do not need to think too much. You killed that Gold Alliance man, Wu Yulong. His master is an Innate Realm expert, and one who is extremely protective of his own. Though he is not currently here in Xiangzhou, in the future he will surely hunt you down. If you join our Azure Lotus Order, we can help you settle this matter,” Li Yanyuan said when she saw Qin Yi hesitate, revealing his current predicament.

“His master is an Innate expert?” Qin Yi was surprised. So the man he had killed was called Wu Yulong.

“May I ask, does the Gold Alliance currently have any Innate experts in Xiangzhou?”

“No,” Li Yanyuan said. On this point, there was no need to deceive him.

After all, in her eyes, many people did not even have the qualifications to join the Azure Lotus Order. She believed Qin Feng should cherish this opportunity.

Hearing that there were none, Qin Yi immediately let out a breath of relief.

“By the way, do you happen to have any ninth-level martial arts? Could you sell one to me? Name your price. If you do not have ninth-level ones, seventh- or eighth-level ones would also do,” Qin Yi suddenly asked.

In truth, he had only asked on a whim and did not hold out much hope.

Hm?

His words made Li Yanyuan’s delicate brows furrow slightly. With a hint of speculation, she asked, “Don’t tell me that what you practice is not first-rate martial arts!”

“It isn’t,” Qin Yi said quite frankly.

“What?”

This time, Li Yanyuan was stunned on the spot.

“You managed to cultivate to this level with second-rate martial arts. I would not dare claim there has never been such a person before, but your talent is absolutely monstrous!”

“Such a pity...” After her shock, Li Yanyuan let out a faint sigh. This time, she had not expected to have found the wrong person.

“What’s a pity?” Qin Yi frowned.

“You know this yourself: if one cultivates multiple second-rate or third-rate martial arts, the foundations are poor. Even if one uses secret techniques, it will leave hidden injuries. Not only will it shorten your lifespan, but when you attempt to assault the Innate Realm, even with secret medicine, the success rate will be less than one in a thousand! No, it can be said to be almost impossible to succeed. What else could it be but a pity?”