"Do Dragon Tamers need any special Cultivation Techniques?"
Yang Chan looked at the Black Dragon and continued to ask.
"I don’t know. My inherited memories don’t contain that information. Only members of the Dragon Race who have formed a pact with a Dragon Tamer would know the answer to that."
The Black Dragon shook his head. If it weren’t for his inherited memories, he wouldn’t even know what a Dragon Tamer was, as he had never seen one.
"Can you normally perceive things outside the Profound Yin Hanging Bead?"
Yang Chan’s line of questioning suddenly shifted as he voiced a doubt in his heart.
Even though the Black Dragon was now under his control, there were some secrets he still didn’t want it to know.
"I can perceive a portion. If you don’t want me to probe, Master, you just need to isolate the aura of the Profound Yin Hanging Bead. I’ve already left a Secret Technique for isolation within the bead. Once you use it, I won’t be able to detect anything at all!"
The Black Dragon was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but then he understood Yang Chan’s meaning and didn’t hide anything.
Previously, while he was feigning death, he had been able to gather some information and had naturally witnessed some of Yang Chan’s secrets, though not many.
’This Yang Chan guy is just too cautious,’ he thought. ’If I had been as cautious as him back then, I probably wouldn’t have ended up as the Artifact Spirit of the Profound Yin Hanging Bead. I’d still be roaming free and unfettered.’
’His Cultivation is clearly strong, yet he always reveals a weaker level. He really loves playing weak to crush the strong.’
’Back then, if I had a mentor like Yang Chan, I might have even broken through to the True God Realm by now.’
He decided he would learn from Yang Chan from now on. Although he was just an Artifact Spirit now, who was to say he wouldn’t get another chance?
If the right opportunity arose, he could still be resurrected.
"Mm, not bad."
"That’s all for now. You can recover inside the Profound Yin Hanging Bead."
Yang Chan nodded. He then activated the Secret Technique he had obtained from the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, sealing the power within it. This prevented its energy from seeping out and also cut off any possibility of the Black Dragon prying.
He had cultivated a Soul Body. If the Black Dragon’s power did leak out, he would be able to detect it with his Soul Body. If that happened, the dragon couldn’t blame him for taking action.
Yang Chan paid the Black Dragon no more mind; he had no need for it at the moment. As for the Divine Acupoint Cultivation Method the dragon possessed, it was still being compiled, so Yang Chan wasn’t in a hurry to look at it.
After all, with his current Cultivation, he couldn’t practice it even if he had it. He could only study it to prepare for the future.
However, more important than any of that was upgrading his Heart Calming and Breath Holding Technique. He needed to completely conceal his Essence Qi to prevent the Taiyin Saintess from finding him again.
When he found a weakness, he would fix it. He had wanted to upgrade it earlier, but at the time, he had been more anxious to improve his Martial Arts Cultivation. Now that he had so many Potential Points, it was time to put them to good use.
All these necessary skills needed an upgrade.
634.7 Potential Points was a huge windfall. It almost tempted Yang Chan to take a risk, but the thought quickly dissipated.
’The reward was good, but not worth the risk. It only took a little over two months. With my long Lifespan, that’s nothing.’
For most Martial Arts Cultivators, getting ahead meant staying ahead. But for Yang Chan, he could afford to watch others advance rapidly while he took his time, because he had much more of it.
For instance, his current Lifespan was about three times that of a typical Inner Master. This meant that while an Inner Master might rush to improve within a year, he had three years to catch up.
Of course, this was all relative. He had yet to encounter such a rival.
With the boost from his Potential Points and his status panel, he had never met anyone whose Cultivation improved faster than his. His own Talent was already extremely high.
The combination of his panel and his Talent already surpassed countless prodigies, not to mention the even more significant advantage of his Potential Points.
Yang Chan sat cross-legged and, without hesitation, began allocating points to his Heart Calming and Breath Holding Technique. He never hesitated when it came to urgently needed upgrades. As the Potential Points dwindled one by one, a moment arrived when the aura around his body concealed itself once more.
Compared to before, his Essence Qi, Qi and Blood, and other energies were now completely retracted into his body.
Yang Chan had his Soul Body float above his head to inspect him. Although it could still discern the Cultivation of an Inner Master, from its perspective, he looked like someone who had just barely stepped into the Inner Master realm. For Yang Chan, that was enough for now.
According to the Black Dragon, condensing a Soul Body was not easy. If Yang Chan hadn’t had the help of its power, he never would have been able to open his Essence Upper Embryo and form a Soul Body.
Those in the Body Tempering Stage would never be able to condense a Soul Body unless they had a heaven-defying stroke of luck.
This meant that after cultivating his Heart Calming and Breath Holding Technique to Tier Four, basically no one would be able to discern the true state of his Cultivation.
That was good enough for him.
After upgrading his Heart Calming and Breath Holding Technique to Tier Four and concealing his aura, Yang Chan disposed of his clothes. He took out a new set from the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, altered his Disguise, and left the cave directly.
Although night had already fallen, he still intended to continue traveling.
The earth-shaking commotion from before hadn’t been too obvious, but it was still better to get far away.
After all, this place was not yet safe.
He changed his clothes to prevent the Taiyin Saintess from having planted any tracking devices on them. It was perfectly normal for members of the Demon Sect to have many tracking methods.
Although she had acted disgusted later, looking at him as if he were something filthy before quickly moving away, it was best not to try and guess the thoughts of a Demon Sect Demoness.
A woman’s mind was already hard enough to guess, let alone a Demoness from the Taiyin Demon Sect. Her thoughts were even more erratic, and her sanity was questionable. It was better to stay far away from such a person.
Yang Chan set off, planning to find a river later to wash his entire body from head to toe. This was to prevent any tricks she might have played on him in a spot he hadn’t noticed.
The same went for his Weapon. After all, it had just struck the Taiyin Saintess’s Nether Beast Ancient Insect and might have residual traces of its aura.
He had placed it in the Profound Yin Hanging Bead for now. He would wash it later and then put it back inside.
The Nether Beast Ancient Insect was very strange; it was always better to be over-prepared.
What he regretted was failing to kill it completely. Its Life Force was truly tenacious, like an unkillable cockroach.
No, its Life Force was countless times stronger than a cockroach’s.
He had suffered a loss because of the Nether Beast Ancient Insect last time; the ordeal had been so physically taxing it felt like he’d been forced to grind a boulder into dust.
Although he wasn’t alone at the time, he was the one who did all the work, with the other person acting as a vessel. The experience was not pleasant.
’In some matters, consent is very important,’ he thought. ’It’s only enjoyable if I’m willing. Otherwise, it just ruins my mood and even leaves behind hidden dangers.’
The Taiyin Saintess being able to find him earlier was one of the after-effects. Once was enough for something like this; he didn’t want a repeat.
’This world doesn’t have condoms, so accidents can happen easily. It’s a good thing nothing came of it with the Taiyin Saintess. If a new life had been conceived, I honestly wouldn’t know what to do!’
After all, back in the Cyan Yuan Sect, although he was busy almost every night, he always destroyed his Essence Qi afterward, making any accidents impossible.
The incident with the Taiyin Saintess was the only exception.
But now, that accident was resolved.
Yang Chan’s figure flickered. The breeze blew again, and he vanished into the night, heading further away from the border.
He didn’t choose to return to the Cyan Yuan Sect immediately. He planned to gather some information first, primarily about the final outcome of the border war.
During this time, he would also spend his Potential Points, upgrading what needed to be upgraded without delay.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty managed to stabilize the situation, he would continue to lie low in the Cyan Yuan Sect for a while and keep improving his Cultivation. After all, the situation within the Merak Sacred Land was also very complicated right now.
For instance, the Merak Sacred Land’s attitude during the recent border war was very strange.
Logically, the Merak Sacred Land should have known more, but they hadn’t shared any information. It was only later that Gu An received some cryptic hints.
To some extent, he could glean some insight into the Merak Sacred Land’s attitude. At the very least, it wasn’t as favorable as he had imagined.
There were bound to be a lot of internal struggles. If he joined the Merak Sacred Land directly, he might get drawn into a battlefield.
Jumping from one battlefield into another unfamiliar one was not a good choice. The Cyan Yuan Sect, on the other hand, was more stable, allowing him to continue improving slowly.
It would also give him enough time to break through to Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster and even advance further beyond that realm.
The strongest experts in the major Holy Lands were all at the Martial Saint Level. However, these figures rarely managed affairs and seldom appeared, spending most of their time in secluded cultivation, striving to progress even further.
Therefore, if his Cultivation broke through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, he would have a solid means of self-preservation. Although the Black Dragon could currently exhibit the power of a Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster, it was ultimately an external force. Furthermore, according to the Black Dragon, it couldn’t be sustained for long.
For Yang Chan, this was an unstable factor that could cause problems at any time.
Yang Chan preferred to be cautious, so he would naturally prepare more backup plans. This would allow him to protect himself within the Merak Sacred Land while also searching for a Divine Dynasty and a way to leave the Taiyu Divine Continent.
After all, it was difficult to break through to the Divine Acupoint Realm on the Taiyu Divine Continent. Although his Potential Points were very effective, if he still couldn’t break through, he would need another option. Besides, the path to the future must lie in a place truly suitable for Cultivation.
There is a gap between mortals and gods, and the environments they require are different. The experts above the Divine Acupoint Realm who left the Taiyu Divine Continent must have had other reasons for doing so.
The Black Dragon hadn’t been clear about some things, but Yang Chan didn’t press for details. He had plenty of time and could ask slowly later. The current priority was certainly not to delve into these matters.
After all, he was still very far from the Divine Acupoint Realm. Even if he paid attention to these things, the knowledge would be useless to him right now.
Yang Chan was very clear on this point, so he didn’t dwell on it. Thus, after upgrading his Heart Calming and Breath Holding Technique, he left.
Yang Chan’s figure blended into the darkness. He rode the wind, his speed increasing until he was like a gust of wind sweeping through the night.
If anyone had seen him, they would have only thought the wind was blowing, never imagining that a person had just passed by.