Chapter 395: First "Visit" to a Qi Refining Sect, Such a Warm Welcome

However, it seemed these ancient books had been read many times.

The corners of the pages were yellowed and frayed from being turned so often.

One of them, the thickest, had a shield-like cover wrapped in black leather. The surface of the leather was embossed with an uneven, bumpy pattern.

Perhaps they were claw marks from something.

Wan Ze pulled out the book.

The moment his fingertips touched it.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful.

[Spiritual Form +200%]

Wan Ze froze for a moment, then smiled.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of excitement, and picked up the book.

This thing was heavier than he had imagined. It had a substantial, weighty feel in his hands.

There were no words on the cover. Only upon turning to the title page could he see the title written in neat Small Seal Script: *Deceitful Beast Atlas*.

He didn’t rush to flip through it.

Instead, he placed the *Deceitful Beast Atlas* back on the table and reached for the second book.

The second book was much thinner than the first, only a few dozen pages long. Its cover was made of coarse, dark blue cloth, with *Mo River Forest Notes* written on it.

Stealing Celestial Secret was successful again.

…

[Spiritual Form +100%]

…

The third book’s cover seemed to be a board made from some kind of pressed tree bark. It was very coarse, feeling like sandpaper to the touch. The title written on it was *Miscellaneous Records*.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful.

[Magic Sense +60%]

…

Stealing Celestial Secret was successful on the fourth book.

[Exorcism +100%]

The fifth book, the sixth, the seventh… Wan Ze touched them one by one.

Stealing Celestial Secret successful!

Stealing Celestial Secret successful!

Stealing Celestial Secret successful!

Spiritual Form, Magic Sense, Exorcism, Fireproofing, Water Avoidance, Concentrating the Spirit… Each notification flashed before his retinas and then vanished.

Wan Ze took a deep breath. “This is a sure thing!”

He was currently within the territory of the Mo River Forest.

From the looks of it, Mo River Forest must be the name of a faction—the one the owner of this stone chamber belonged to.

This faction had its own notes and its own cultivation lineage… which meant it wasn’t some small, insignificant group of Loose Cultivators, but one with some real foundation.

‘If he had the chance to infiltrate them and touch everything he could, the effects of Stealing Celestial Secret would probably be explosive.’

Wan Ze suppressed these thoughts and picked up the *Deceitful Beast Atlas* again, opening it to the first page.

The text in the book was written entirely in Small Seal Script.

Wan Ze’s proficiency with Small Seal Script was enough to read it without too much difficulty. Besides, there were numerous annotations in modern script next to the text. The handwriting wasn’t exactly pretty, but the notes were very detailed.

The *Deceitful Beast Atlas* documented over one hundred types of Deceitful Beasts that had been discovered so far.

Each type of Deceitful Beast had a detailed description, including its appearance, size, color, habits, weaknesses, attack methods, common locations, and danger level.

Flipping through the entire volume, he found that not a single one of them was a herbivore.

Some even ate rocks!

Just as Wan Ze finished flipping through the last page of the *Deceitful Beast Atlas*, marveling at its contents, a line of small text suddenly appeared before his retinas.

…

[Illustrated Guide: Master Biologist]

[Skill Beginner Level requirement met: Observe three types of animals and understand their habits.]

…

Wan Ze’s mouth fell open.

“No way, this works too?”

Although this Illustrated Guide was a bit of a strange mix, a Skill was a Skill.

Having one was better than not. No matter what kind of Skill it was, as long as he was diligent, he had a chance to improve all his Attributes.

Wan Ze picked up the second book.

Soon, another line of small text appeared before his retinas.

…

[Illustrated Guide: Survival Master]

[Skill Beginner Level requirement met: Survive in an extreme climate for three minutes. Extreme climates include but are not limited to: extreme cold (below negative thirty degrees Celsius), extreme heat (above fifty degrees Celsius), high radiation, toxic gas environments, high-pressure underwater environments, etc.]

…

Wan Ze was at a loss for words.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it.

He comforted himself, “Well, it’s better than nothing!”

He put the book down and looked at the third one.

This book was thinner than the previous two.

Soon, the data box updated…

[Illustrated Guide: Barrier-Breaking Technique]

[Skill Beginner Level requirement met: See through one Blinding Technique. Blinding Techniques include but are not limited to: Illusion Techniques, Array Concealment, Invisibility Techniques, Disguise Techniques, etc.]

Wan Ze’s eyes lit up.

“Barrier-Breaking Technique? Interesting.”

He continued to flip through a few more books, but the Skills he got were all rather unimpressive and mostly related to scholarly pursuits.

Adhering to the principle that ‘even a mosquito is meat,’ Wan Ze reached for the last book.

This book had no cover. The pages were held together loosely by a hemp rope threaded through the middle and tied in a knot.

He flipped through it and found it was just some Cultivation notes.

What he practiced today, how he felt, what problems he encountered, and how he solved them. The writing was fragmented, with some entries consisting of only a few words, like a hastily jotted-down memo.

But the notes mentioned a name… *Three Pills Transforming Essence*.

Wan Ze’s gaze froze.

In other words, the master of the stone house cultivated a Breathing Technique called *Three Pills Transforming Essence*.

The Core of this Breathing Technique was to condense three “pills” in the body… in the Upper Dantian, Middle Dantian, and Lower Dantian. The three pills would then merge into one, transforming into essence and returning to the origin.

The descriptions in the notes were somewhat scattered. It wasn’t a complete Cultivation Technique, but rather insights and experiences from the cultivation process.

Judging from the contents of the notes, the owner of the stone house had been practicing this Breathing Technique for some time and had made good progress, having at least condensed the Lower Dantian.

Wan Ze was tempted.

If he could get his hands on this Breathing Technique, it would be beneficial for him.

Moreover, he wouldn’t be the only one who could use this Breathing Technique.

Even if Zhai Yu and Zhai Jia couldn’t get into Tongchen Pavilion, they could still join Mo River Forest.

If he could obtain the complete *Three Pills Transforming Essence* Cultivation Technique, Brother Yu and Brother Jia would have a foundation for their Cultivation after entering Huangliang. They wouldn’t have to fumble around from scratch like he did.

Of course, before that, there were two things he had to do.