Chapter 668 - 668: Probing

Mastering the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent took half a day less than mastering the Wind Shadow Sword Intent.

This, naturally, was because Chu Qingyun's comprehension of Sword Intent had deepened, and his understanding of the Sword Dao had also grown stronger.

With this, Chu Qingyun saw a glimmer of hope.

As long as he cultivated enough types of Sword Intent, his foundation would be solid enough. When the time came, he would surely be able to master Royal-level Sword Techniques, and even Sect Level ones!

Forcibly comprehending the Sect Level Sword Technique had consumed a great deal of Chu Qingyun's energy.

Afterward, practicing his sword for four days and nights without rest had left him feeling quite exhausted.

Therefore, after mastering the Wind Shadow Sword Intent and the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent, Chu Qingyun returned the two Sword Technique manuals and left the Secret Manual Hall, deciding not to continue for now.

There was still over a day left before Qi Hao and the others were set to depart.

Chu Qingyun planned to use this time to rest and recuperate. After all, once he reached the Blood Sect ruins, intense battles would be unavoidable, whether it was to seize Blood Crystals or those two Array Bases.

Stepping out of the Secret Manual Hall and breathing in the fresh air, Chu Qingyun felt his spirits lift considerably.

Although he had gone without sleep for many days straight, Chu Qingyun had already broken through to the Martial King Realm, and his Soul Power had surged once as a result, so it wasn't a major issue.

Chu Qingyun prepared to return to his new residence in the Inner Sect.

However, he hadn't taken more than two steps when an Inner Sect Disciple at the Level Three Martial King Realm stopped him and asked, "Excuse me, are you Junior Brother Chu Qingyun?"

"I am. What can I do for you?" Chu Qingyun replied with a nod.

"Heh, Junior Brother Chu, it's like this. I'd like to buy something from you. I was wondering if you'd be willing to part with it?" the man said with a smile.

Hearing this, Chu Qingyun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"The Earth Seal Sword Fragment is not for sale."

Chu Qingyun had mistaken him for someone like Wu Jiancheng, who also wanted to buy the Earth Seal Sword Fragment.

"The Earth Seal Sword? No, no!"

The man hurriedly waved his hand in dismissal. "Junior Brother Chu, I've always been rather interested in peculiar items."

"For instance… items from the Blood Sect ruins you visited. I heard that you obtained some kind of sphere in there?"

The man's eyes shifted slightly, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile.

But upon hearing the word "sphere," Chu Qingyun was so shocked his pupils contracted violently.

The sphere from the Blood Sect ruins could only be that blood-colored one.

But that was no mere "peculiar item"—it was the Ten Thousand Spirits Saint Body Inner Chapter, something far more precious than even the Ten Thousand Spirits Saint Body Secret Technique!

It was a priceless treasure!

Fortunately, the Level Three Martial King was a bit shorter than Chu Qingyun, and he didn't look up while speaking, so he failed to see the shocked expression on Chu Qingyun's face.

Chu Qingyun suppressed the shock in his heart and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've been to the Blood Sect ruins, but aside from some Secret Manuals and Secret Techniques, as well as some Blood Crystals, I didn't obtain anything else."

After saying that, Chu Qingyun walked away without another word.

Regardless of how this person had learned about the blood-colored sphere, Chu Qingyun had no intention of revealing a single thing.

If news about a Secret Technique like the Ten Thousand Spirits Saint Body Inner Chapter were to leak, it would likely cause a massive uproar throughout the entire Northern Domain!

Watching Chu Qingyun's departing figure, a look of resentment flashed in the man's eyes.

'Nothing? Hmph, shameless bastard! I gave you a chance to do this the easy way!'

'I made a kind offer to buy it. Since you don't want to sell, don't blame me for being forceful…'

The man muttered to himself.

Unlike the Ordinary Disciples, who had to cram into communal courtyards, every Core Disciple in the Inner Sect had their own private courtyard.

After he returned to his residence, the sky quickly began to darken.

Chu Qingyun sat in his room, silently pondering what had happened earlier. 'Someone is after the blood-colored sphere. This is no small matter!'

The blood-colored sphere contained not only the Ten Thousand Spirits Saint Body Inner Chapter, but also an extremely rich concentration of Blood Origin!

And right now, the major sects were willing to risk unsealing the Blood Sect ruins, all for the sake of obtaining Blood Origin.

The more he thought about it, the more complicated the matter seemed to Chu Qingyun. It appeared to have far-reaching implications.

Just then, his brows suddenly furrowed, as if he had sensed something.

'Someone's here?'

Troubled by the matter, Chu Qingyun had remained on high alert.

Just a moment ago, he thought he had detected a faint presence appearing outside his room.

However, Chu Qingyun did not act rashly.

He pretended that nothing was amiss, remaining seated in his chair just as before.

Secretly, however, he focused his mind, striving to perceive any and all movement around him.

Under his full concentration, he finally detected it—a very faint presence, concealed outside his room.

'He's using the Hidden Qi Technique, but he hasn't mastered it to the Great Success stage, so his presence isn't perfectly concealed.'

'This person… It's that Level Three Martial King from before!'

The man's Hidden Qi Technique was imperfect. On top of that, Chu Qingyun's breakthrough to the Martial King Realm had caused his Soul Power to surge, granting his Spiritual Sense a massive boost as well.

As a result, Chu Qingyun had completely detected him!

'To think he'd take such a huge risk for that blood-colored sphere—sneaking right up to a Core Disciple's room!'

'His motivation must be quite strong…'

A thoughtful expression appeared on Chu Qingyun's face.

Core Disciples were the most important disciples in the Inner Sect. To sneak into a Core Disciple's courtyard—if one were to escalate the matter, it could even be considered an attempt to assassinate a Core Disciple!

After pondering for a moment, Chu Qingyun suddenly had a brilliant idea.

He sent a sliver of his consciousness into his Storage Ring and began to search carefully through its contents.

Ever since obtaining this Storage Ring in the Canglang King's tomb, Chu Qingyun had tossed every remotely valuable and miscellaneous item he acquired into it.

By now, the space inside the ring was already more than half full.

After searching for over ten minutes, a smile suddenly touched Chu Qingyun's lips.

With a thought, a round, red crystal suddenly appeared in his hand.

This round, red crystal was completely different from the "blood-colored sphere" from the Blood Sect ruins in both color and size.

However, the two did have something in common.

They were both "red" and "spherical."

This was Chu Qingyun's way of testing the man outside.

Sure enough, the moment he took out the round, red crystal, Chu Qingyun clearly sensed a distinct fluctuation in the presence of the man outside.

His attention was clearly captivated, causing his execution of the Hidden Qi Technique to become even more flawed!

PS: Fifteen chapters in, my head is spinning...