Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Nine Yin Manual

During the following ten days or so, Huang Shang devoted himself to teaching Zhu Yu the Nine Yin Manual. It wasn’t that the Nine Yin Manual was necessarily more powerful than the Northern Sea Divine Skill, but rather that its contents were vast—an amalgam of many martial arts fused together.

Huang Shang, as a grandmaster, was unlike others. Typically, grandmasters create various unique techniques based on their insights after attaining mastery. Huang Shang, however, had first composed the Nine Yin Manual and cultivated his way to grandmaster, continuously filling it with his own revelations.

Take, for example, Mei Chaofeng and Zhou Zhiruo: Mei Chaofeng practiced a twisted version of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, wielding it with devastating strength, yet it was merely one of the many skills contained within the Nine Yin Manual.

The Nine Yin Manual was truly encyclopedic, leaving Zhu Yu’s mind nearly overwhelmed. It comprised sections on inner cultivation, muscle and bone refinement, acupoint techniques, healing methods, and more.

It also included numerous secret arts: unlocking acupoints, breath control, tendon contraction, soul shifting, among others.

And beyond, it provided a plethora of martial techniques: Spiral Nine Shadows (lightness skill), Nine Yin Divine Claw, Nether Prison Yin Wind (sonic attack), Flying Floss Force, and so on—the list went on endlessly.

Many abilities and secret arts within the manual were not even mentioned, and each, if extracted and practiced alone, would be a legendary martial art at minimum.

Thus, Zhu Yu had gained a tremendous advantage; countless peerless and renowned techniques, fused into one supreme art—its name, the Nine Yin Manual!

If one were to practice every martial skill within the Nine Yin Manual separately, Zhu Yu would have little time for anything else; his entire life would be spent accumulating fate points to master the Nine Yin Manual.

Fortunately, Huang Shang’s instruction was exceedingly concise: as long as Zhu Yu grasped enough for the system to register, it sufficed. Otherwise, a thorough explanation would have taken at least three months.

Still, the gains were significant. Not only did Zhu Yu master the Nine Yin Manual, he also found himself able to comprehend other martial arts scrolls on his own.

After enduring Huang Shang’s exhaustive instruction and his own hellish self-study, Zhu Yu’s current status appeared as follows:

Host: Zhu Yu

Identity: Emperor of Jing Kingdom, Leader of Blackstone

Status: Healthy

Martial Arts: Northern Sea Divine Skill (minor achievement), Nine Yin Manual (minor achievement)

Dynasty Fate Points: 612

Zhu Yu also noticed that 500 points of his fate value were immovable. At first, he felt regret, but recalling what might occur if his fate dropped below 500, he was relieved.

If he spent all his fate points, where could he quickly gain another 500?

---

Zhu Yu nevertheless felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped to learn the Rama Divine Skill as well.

The external healing ability of the Rama Divine Skill, combined with the internal healing chapter of the Nine Yin Manual, would make him nearly indestructible—a cockroach that could not be killed, able to act with reckless abandon.

But as his fate points stalled at 612, Zhu Yu set aside such dreams.

He now yearned even more to gain fate points. Though they increased daily, it was far from enough.

Since the Blackstone incident, Zhu Yu understood that subduing or eliminating martial sects would earn him fate points.

Just as Zhu Yu was preparing his next move, Lord Wu, his head eunuch, informed him that the emissaries from the Cloud Country would soon arrive, urging him to make early preparations.

This forced Zhu Yu to abandon his immature plans.

Yet this didn’t disrupt his daily routine, for he could now use the training materials he had accumulated for the Northern Sea Divine Skill.

First, from Liu Xi’s five Yang experts and the Wheel King, these six people had elevated Zhu Yu’s internal strength from nothing to a mid-tier first-class realm!

Now, he only needed to convert all his internal energy to true qi to reach the high first-class level!

Such miraculous progress in cultivation could only be matched by Duan Yu and Xu Zhu, those two who seemed to cheat fate.

Just as Zhu Yu was proudly sharing this news with Huang Shang, he was dealt a fresh blow.

“Mid-tier first-class? Your Majesty, to be honest, the six you mentioned are all skilled martial artists, and the Wheel King is actually at the high first-class realm. What’s your conversion rate for absorbing inner strength? Did you later practice the Absorption Technique? And perhaps used the wrong martial art during absorption?”

Huang Shang’s expression was somewhat conflicted as he carefully inquired.

Zhu Yu’s face, initially gleaming with pride, clouded over at Huang Shang’s words. Unable to contain himself, he replied, “Now I understand why you’ve stayed in the Wen Yuan Pavilion for two hundred years. Great-grandfather was truly wise. Congratulations on being reinstated—tomorrow, return to your Wen Yuan Pavilion.”

Hearing Zhu Yu’s words, Huang Shang opened his mouth as if to speak, but said nothing except, “I obey, Majesty.”

After leaving, Huang Shang didn’t wait for tomorrow but walked straight toward the Wen Yuan Pavilion.

After only a few steps, he encountered Zhu Yu’s attendant eunuch, Lord Wu.

Lord Wu squinted at Huang Shang, glanced in the direction he was headed, raised his orchid fingers, covered his mouth, and laughed, “What’s this? Going back again?”

Huang Shang glared at Lord Wu and replied irritably, “You wretched eunuch, what do you know? I am a scholar of the Wen Yuan Pavilion, merely out to teach His Majesty martial arts. Now that I’m done, of course I return.”

---

“Oh my, so conscientious—going back on your own. But it makes sense; you’ve been demoted back so many times already. At least returning on your own saves some face.”

“You old eunuch, you know nothing. I’m going back to continue cultivating the Dao, to refine my martial arts and preserve my youth. Unlike you, with so many wrinkles you could crush a fly between them.”

At this, Lord Wu’s expression changed for the first time. “Stinking priest, if you envy me, just say so. I get to enjoy the palace scenery every day, unlike you, who sees nothing but books.”

“Hmph, I look young,” Huang Shang retorted, casting a disdainful glance at Lord Wu.

“You? Young? At your age? There must be countless books in the Wen Yuan Pavilion; surely you’ve memorized them all,” Lord Wu replied, not backing down.

“I look young.”

“What’s the use of looking young? You spend all your days with books.”

“But I am young—unlike some people who truly look ancient.” Huang Shang continued doggedly.

Lord Wu felt his patience slipping, forced himself not to lose his temper, and said, “I serve the Emperor every day, dealing with far more than you idlers. I won’t bother with you—just go.”

With that, Huang Shang said nothing more, passing Lord Wu by. But after a few steps, he turned back and called, “Hey, old eunuch, I just did the math—you really are older than me. I’m not just young in appearance; I’m genuinely younger.”

“Out!” Lord Wu couldn’t restrain himself and shouted furiously.

Seeing Lord Wu was serious, Huang Shang pursed his lips and muttered, “No fun. The old eunuch is so petty—clearly old, yet won’t let anyone say so.”

Though his voice was low, Lord Wu still heard him. As he raised his hand to act, Huang Shang vanished in the blink of an eye.

“Bah, damned priest,” Lord Wu spat on the ground and walked away.

A few days later, a strange phenomenon appeared in the palace. Though it was the season of blossoming flowers, a few trees withered unexpectedly.

Later, a steward eunuch ordered those trees cut down, claiming that withering in summer was an ill omen. Yet as the trees were being sawed, it was discovered that their exteriors were perfectly intact, but their insides had inexplicably turned to sawdust!

The spot where those trees stood was precisely where Huang Shang and Lord Wu had met that day!

PS: The status of this book has been updated. Please recommend, vote, and bookmark—every request is appreciated!