Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Divine Wood Art

The crack began as an extremely fine line, less than a tenth the width of a hair and so small that it was impossible to detect without careful observation. A few seconds later, the crack widened to the thickness of a hair. Another fissure appeared elsewhere and quickly expanded. Like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, more and more cracks surfaced, rapidly extending and interweaving.

Soon, the light barrier was covered in a spiderweb of fractures.

CRACK!

The next moment, under Elder Zhang’s incredulous gaze, the light barrier shattered with a bang.

The pressure around Ye Qingchen completely dissipated. His hands landed directly on the Divine-Rank Technique within the barrier, and three words flooded his mind—Divine Wood Art!

They were three simple words, yet they conveyed the extraordinary nature of this Divine-Rank Technique. A vast, intricate, and mystical flood of information surged into his mind. In Ye Qingchen’s vision, the Cultivation Technique Scroll seemed to come to life. A faint, humanoid phantom floated before him, constantly Channeling Energy to demonstrate the cultivation.

From the influx of information, Ye Qingchen knew at a glance that the technique being demonstrated was indeed the Divine Wood Art. As the phantom cultivated, its aura, meridians, organs, and even every cell in its body were fully mobilized. Ye Qingchen immediately understood that its effect was countless times stronger than the Ye Family Technique he had previously cultivated.

The only flaw was that when the phantom channeled the technique, its movements were marred by numerous black ”breakpoints,” which disrupted the otherwise smooth flow.

It seems this Divine-Rank Technique has been damaged; it’s an incomplete scroll! Ye Qingchen instantly made his judgment.

If any other Martial Artist obtained this Divine-Rank Technique and cultivated according to the information provided, they would likely make a mistake at one of the breakpoints and fall into demonic cultivation. But for Ye Qingchen, who possessed the Dual Pupil Martial Soul and the ability to perfect cultivation techniques, such a flaw was no problem at all.

Brimming with excitement, Ye Qingchen began to digest, practice, and perfect the Divine-Rank Technique, completely losing himself in the process.

As for Elder Zhang and the two staff members nearby, they were completely stunned. They had thought Ye Qingchen would collapse after three seconds, yet he had managed to open the light barrier of the Divine-Rank Technique that even the Sect Master and the Exalted had been helpless against!

「Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Transfer Technique Hall...」

A vast, empty space of several hundred square meters contained only a single figure: a middle-aged man in a black robe, sitting cross-legged in the center. This was the Exalted of the Qingyun Sect, a man whose status was on par with the Sect Master himself.

Sensing something, the man’s closed eyes snapped open, shooting out two beams of brilliant light.

The Divine-Rank Technique has been opened? Could the Sect Master have figured out a way?

With this thought, the Exalted slowly rose and walked toward the staircase, intending to see what was happening.

「Transfer Technique Hall, First Floor」

In the narrow corridor, Ye Qingchen rose to his feet. The Divine-Rank Cultivation Technique Scroll that had been before him had vanished into nothingness, its vast information now deeply ingrained in his mind.

As for the scroll’s flawed sections with breakpoints, it was, after all, a Divine-Rank Technique—far too powerful and complex to be fully repaired overnight. Ye Qingchen planned to return and gradually fix them with his Dual Pupil Martial Soul.

Seeing Ye Qingchen stand, Elder Zhang, who hadn’t dared to interrupt his meditation, quickly approached him. ”Ye Qingchen, congratulations on opening the energy barrier of the Divine-Rank Technique!”

”Just good luck,” Ye Qingchen chuckled, waving his hand dismissively.

Elder Zhang’s mouth twitched fiercely. Good luck? How could the energy barrier that not even the Sect Master could open be breached by mere luck? He would never believe it!

At that moment, he finally understood why Du Pengcheng had specially recruited Ye Qingchen into the Qingyun Sect. This boy is truly extraordinary!

With this in mind, Elder Zhang smiled and offered a word of caution. ”Ye Qingchen, the Divine-Rank Technique you opened is actually extremely incomplete. Otherwise, the light enveloping it wouldn’t be fainter than that of the other Heaven grade techniques.

”Therefore, even though a Divine-Rank Technique is incredibly powerful, I sincerely advise against cultivating it. You should give it up.

”But don’t worry. Once you recover your strength, I will give you another chance. You can try to open the energy barrier of another Heaven grade technique. That would be a much better choice!”

Ye Qingchen just smiled and shook his head. ”Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I’m afraid I have no other choice.”

With that, Ye Qingchen gestured toward the empty space inside the barrier. Elder Zhang’s pupils constricted. In his excitement, he had failed to notice something crucial: unlike other cultivation techniques whose scrolls remained intact after being studied, the entire Divine-Rank Cultivation Technique Scroll had vanished!

”I’ll take this Divine-Rank Technique back and study it. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll think of another way,” Ye Qingchen said with a smile, clasping his hands toward Elder Zhang.

He doubted the Qingyun Sect would be willing to offer him a Heaven grade technique after he’d just made a Divine-Rank Technique disappear!

Ye Qingchen turned to leave but stopped after walking a dozen meters.

Nearby, Ye Ying’s temples were drenched in sweat. Her slender, fair hands trembled as she pressed them against an energy barrier, clearly at her limit. When she saw Ye Qingchen walk past, a pleading light filled her beautiful eyes.

Ye Qingchen glanced over. Inside the barrier was a low-grade, Earth-rank, Fire Attribute Cultivation Technique.

It was clear that breaking this particular barrier was beyond Ye Ying’s capabilities. Worse, there wasn’t enough time for her to choose another one, and she was so drained of strength that she couldn’t have attempted to open another barrier anyway, not even the weakest.

If nothing changed, Ye Ying was going to leave empty-handed. Her heart filled with regret. It’s all my fault for being too greedy...

Just then, Ye Qingchen’s voice reached her ears. ”Don’t fight it with brute force; use finesse. Concentrate all your power on a single point on the upper left side. Break the whole by striking a single point.”

Hearing this, Ye Ying’s eyes lit up as if she’d been enlightened. She immediately began Channeling Energy according to his instructions.

CRACK!

Only a few minutes later, a crisp sound rang out as the energy barrier shattered. Ye Ying joyfully retrieved the Earth-rank Technique Scroll from within!

”Thank you so much, Qingchen!” she exclaimed. ”It’s a good thing I asked you to come with me, otherwise I would have left empty-handed!”

Excitedly, Ye Ying patted Ye Qingchen on the shoulder. After she registered the Cultivation Technique Scroll with Elder Zhang, the two of them left the Transfer Technique Hall.

Not long after they departed, the man in the black robe—the Exalted—stepped forward. His gaze fell upon the shattered light barrier of the Divine-Rank Technique. ”So, it has been broken,” he mused. ”Was it the Sect Master who came by and broke it?”

Elder Zhang bowed respectfully. ”Reporting to the Honorable Exalted, it was not the Sect Master. An outer disciple broke the light barrier of the Divine-Rank Technique.”

”What? An outer disciple?” The Exalted was stunned. This news was far beyond anything he had expected.