Chapter Thirty-Eight: An Unexpected Windfall

"The Seventh Layer Water Element Seal's Condensation Formula?" The elder was momentarily taken aback, looking at Liu Pan in confusion. "Didn't I already give you the complete cultivation method?"

Liu Pan frowned slightly at his words, about to say something, when suddenly a thought struck him and he fell silent. In truth, his suspicion that the elder had tampered with the technique was just conjecture. When the elder produced the jade slip to record the cultivation method, Liu Pan assumed he was documenting the process for condensing the seventh layer seal, but this was merely his own presumption.

According to the descriptions in the book, the elder's character and integrity made it impossible—and beneath him—to manipulate the technique in such a way. That meant the method for cultivating the Sevenfold Water Element Seal had not been altered. If so, the problem lay with the technique itself.

Liu Pan doubted there was any issue with his own control over elemental force. When trying to condense the seventh layer seal, he hadn't felt any strain—the failure occurred because, at the moment of formation, the sevenfold palm seal erupted with immense repulsive force. If the seal generated repulsion internally, that meant the distribution of elemental force inside was unbalanced. Yet Liu Pan had followed the method's instructions precisely in "kneading" the seal into shape. Thus, the only explanation for the discordant energy distribution was a flaw inherent in the technique itself.

As for why the technique was flawed, Liu Pan saw three possibilities. First, the elder from the technique pavilion may have made a mistake in the original transcription; if so, the method passed down would naturally be faulty. Liu Pan thought this unlikely, but if true, he could seek the correct method in other sects. Second, the original propagator of the technique may have deliberately tampered with it—this would mean someone didn't want others to complete the Sevenfold Water Element Seal. In that case, few places would have the proper method for the seventh layer. Third, the flaw might have existed from the moment the technique was created. This was even less likely—almost impossible—but Liu Pan considered it, as he recalled that in his book, no one had ever fully mastered the Sevenfold Water Element Seal. He knew its power at full mastery was comparable to certain profound-grade martial arts only because Liu Kuang had completed the Sevenfold Fire Element Seal, and Liu Pan had drawn that conclusion from comparison.

Understanding now that the problem lay with the technique itself, Liu Pan no longer fretted over the seventh layer's cultivation formula. He bowed to the technique pavilion elder and said, "I remember now, Elder. You did indeed give me the full method for cultivating the Sevenfold Water Element Seal. If there's nothing else, may I take my leave?"

At Liu Pan’s words, the elder nodded, signaling his permission. Without hesitation, Liu Pan left the pavilion and headed down the mountain.

Watching Liu Pan depart, the elder suddenly furrowed his brow, feeling as though he'd forgotten to tell Liu Pan something. But after being preoccupied with the question about the seventh layer of the Water Element Seal, he couldn’t recall what it was. He scanned Liu Pan with his spiritual sense, and when Liu Pan left the hundred-meter radius that his sense covered, the elder frowned again. After a brief hesitation, he expanded his spiritual sense to its maximum. At three hundred meters, what he sensed startled him. "What the—! Why is this kid running so fast?"

Under his spiritual sense, the elder saw that within a hundred meters of the pavilion, Liu Pan walked at a normal pace. But once he left that range, Liu Pan began dashing down the mountain like a rabbit fleeing for its life. If the elder hadn't expanded his sense, he would not have noticed. Sensing something odd, the elder scanned Liu Pan inside and out with his spiritual sense, then froze, and suddenly cursed, "Damn! That cunning brat!"

The elder rose as if to give chase, but, after some hesitation, remained where he was, ultimately watching Liu Pan sprint beyond his range. He sighed, shook his head, and sat back down. Yet a strange light flickered in his eyes as he muttered, "Why did that kid ask about the seventh layer’s condensation formula? Was it to distract me? That can't be—how could he possibly know... Wait, the seventh layer condensation formula? The seventh layer? Damn! Could he have cultivated the Water Element Seal up to the sixth layer in just over an hour? This..."

Three hundred meters from the pavilion, feeling he had left the elder’s range, Liu Pan finally relaxed, slowing his pace. He touched the jade slip at his chest, which contained the methods for the second and third layers of the Profound Ice Technique, and nearly laughed aloud—this was truly a windfall.

When the elder produced the jade slip, Liu Pan’s mind had been occupied with the seventh layer of the Water Element Seal. But now, with the methods for the second and third layers of the Profound Ice Technique in hand, and knowing the Water Element Seal method hadn’t been tampered with, Liu Pan understood something else.

There is no free lunch. Although the elder claimed the Profound Ice Technique’s second and third layer methods were a gift, Liu Pan knew this wasn’t truly free—he would surely be asked to help with something. As for what that might be, Liu Pan, as the author, could guess—it would almost certainly be the same matter he had asked Liu Kuang to handle. After all, the elder lacked absolute confidence in Liu Kuang's success.

The reason for seeking Liu Pan’s help was likely because he'd awakened his mental force, and from Liu Kuang, the elder had confirmed Liu Pan was not a bad person.

But Liu Pan had no desire to get involved, for that was the protagonist Liu Kuang's storyline. Though Liu Pan felt he ought to trust more people now, he still preferred to keep his distance from Liu Kuang. After all, Liu Kuang was the main character of his own book; if Liu Pan got too close, according to the plot, even as the author, it was hard to imagine a pleasant outcome for himself.

Still, even though Liu Pan didn't want to help, he resolved to assist Liu Kuang in completing that task, since he now possessed the second and third layer methods of the Profound Ice Technique and could hardly refuse.

Yet, prepared to agree, Liu Pan found the elder had "forgotten" to mention the matter, which pleased him immensely. That was why, upon leaving the elder’s hundred-meter range, he immediately sprinted down the mountain, aiming to "disappear" before the elder remembered.

Later, the elder’s spiritual sense swept over again, but Liu Pan no longer cared—his mental force had already been exposed, and he wasn't afraid the elder would see anything further. As for whether the elder would chase him down, Liu Pan thought the odds were slim. Given the elder’s status, it would hardly be fitting for him to pursue a mere disciple.

After a long bout of silent laughter, Liu Pan calmed himself and continued down the mountain. Now that he was outside the elder's range, there was no need to keep running. After all, this was Skyward Peak, the sect’s technique pavilion—a place of importance. If he were seen running madly by patrolling disciples, he could be mistaken for an intruder, which would be most unpleasant.

Descending from Skyward Peak, Liu Pan first went to the dining hall atop Greatleaf Peak for lunch, then returned directly to his small courtyard on Medicine Peak.

He took out the jade slip recording the second and third layer methods of the Profound Ice Technique and, without delay, pressed it to his brow.

Arcane information surged into his mind, and the jade slip quickly disintegrated into dust. Liu Pan shook out his robes and began studying the cultivation methods now embedded in his mind.

Soon, his eyes flashed, confirming his suspicions about the Profound Ice Technique. Having previously cultivated the first layer, Liu Pan had suspected it was no ordinary method; now, seeing the second and third layer techniques, he was certain.

Yet, realizing the Profound Ice Technique was not simple, Liu Pan felt puzzled, for he remembered the elder had called it a "common technique."

How could such an extraordinary method be a common one? Liu Pan frowned, unable to find a clue. In his story, except for the protagonist’s mainline fire techniques, he only described other elemental methods in detail if they were particularly significant or powerful. As for the Profound Ice Technique, which had nothing to do with the protagonist’s fire affinity, even the ancient Heavenwaste Cold Technique inherited from antiquity was only mentioned by name and not described in detail.

After a long while, Liu Pan still couldn’t unravel the mystery, finally shaking his head and setting the doubts aside.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and after silently reciting the Profound Ice Technique’s second layer formula, willed the elemental force in his dantian to flow along the meridian paths as laid out in the method.