In the black market, when it comes to basic spirit cultivation manuals, unless they’re mysterious incomplete versions or of high rank, common handwritten copies are almost never fake. This has become an unspoken rule in the industry.
The manual "Breath-Inducing Technique" is the lowest level of cultivation technique, so basic that it doesn't even belong to the four major grades: Divine, Heavenly, Earthly, and Human. Naturally, it carries no risk of forgery.
Yet, even so, for the average person, it isn’t cheap.
After flipping through the manual and confirming its authenticity, Ding Sheng paid five hundred taels of silver for it.
With this "Breath-Inducing Technique" and his unusually high comprehension ability, he should be able to try to activate his spiritual energy seed. Before the entry test for the Sword Inquiry Sect, he hoped to make some breakthroughs to increase his chances of acceptance.
In addition, Ding Sheng needed a body movement technique and a book that generally introduces the martial arts system and information about this world, to deepen his understanding of the Infinite Continent.
After browsing around, he quickly found what he was looking for.
After visiting four or five stalls, Ding Sheng spent another five hundred taels of silver on a low-grade human-level body movement manual, "Flying Shadow Step," and a book called "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect".
The content of the latter met his needs.
With this purchase, he had only a bit over five hundred taels left.
Being a martial artist is indeed an extravagant career.
It's said that true masters are cultivated through vast amounts of wealth and resources. Without the grand systems of clans or sects, it’s impossible to succeed alone. That’s also why Ding Sheng was determined to join the Sword Inquiry Sect.
After completing his purpose in the black market, Ding Sheng was about to leave.
Just then, his gaze was drawn to a worn booklet at a nearby stall.
"Eh? 'One-Slash Journey Technique'? The name sounds nice, but it’s only a tattered version, and it’s marked at five hundred taels. This stall owner sure has a black heart. But for some reason, Ding Sheng felt an inexplicable urge and asked, "One hundred taels, will you sell it?"
"Good eye, young man, but that’s too low. The 'One-Slash Journey Technique' is a real human-level, low-grade offensive sword technique with great power. Mastered to its peak, it can send any opponent on their way with a single flash of the blade. My price of five hundred taels is already low. No, I won’t take a hundred taels."
The stall owner was a dry, sly old man, his face a web of wrinkles like it had been chiseled out, giving him the look of a shrewd merchant, his eyes glinting with hidden shrewdness.
"If it were a complete technique, five hundred wouldn’t be so bad. But this is only a third of the full technique. No deal." Ding Sheng tossed the technique booklet on the ground and turned to leave.
"Wait?" The stall owner panicked. "Young man, let's talk. Two hundred taels? How about a hundred and fifteen? … Don’t go! Fine, fine, one hundred taels, alright? Haha, you look like someone I have a connection with, so I’ll let you have it at a loss.”
Ding Sheng smiled slightly, said no more, paid the money, put the manual away, and left the slum’s black market.
…
By the time he returned to his hut, the sky had completely darkened.
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After hastily making and devouring a meal, he tidied up his room, lit an oil lamp, and opened the miscellaneous book, "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect," and began reading its contents carefully.
The characters of the Infinite Continent were different from his previous life.
Fortunately, the original Ding Sheng wasn’t illiterate, so with the fusion of memories, reading wasn’t difficult.
“The Nine Human Sects of Snow State are: Qingping Academy, Leiyin Sect, Wunian Sect, Taixu Sect, Yuansheng Sect, Sword Inquiry Sect, Xingyun Sect, Mingxin City, and Zhanri City – these 'One Academy, Two Cities, Three Sects, and Three Clans'. Sword Inquiry Sect ranks among the nine and is one of Snow State’s dominant forces.”
“Apart from the nine human sects, there are numerous demon and monster strongholds, scattered across the Snow State…”
“Snow State is named for its long winters and short summers, as well as its frequent snow in winter. It’s one of the sixteen states of the North Wasteland within the Infinite Continent, spanning over millions of kilometers. Across its vast landscapes, mountains, and rivers, live countless humans and demons, who have clashed for survival resources for generations.”
"Though Snow State is vast, it is the smallest of the sixteen states in the North Wasteland. How enormous must the other states be? A mere mortal might not be able to travel beyond a single state in their entire lifetime.”
“And North Wasteland is only one of the five great regions of the Infinite Continent, along with the West Desert, Southern Wilderness, Eastern Wilds, and the Central Shenzhou…”
"These regions are home to countless powerful sects, ancient clans, monster tribes, and otherworldly beings. Compared to these, Sword Inquiry Sect, a dominant force in Snow State, is like a drop in the ocean, insignificant."
Just skimming the introduction of the Infinite Continent in the "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect," Ding Sheng was utterly astounded.
This Infinite Continent was clearly an unimaginably vast world.
Earth, from his previous life, was probably less than one-ten-thousandth of its size, and this world was full of incredible creatures and races, colorful and wondrous beyond Ding Sheng's imagination.
It was a world filled with miracles and endless possibilities.
Ding Sheng’s heart was stirred.
He continued to flip through the book, noting down details about Sword Inquiry Sect's history, powerful figures, significant events, and current structure, which might come in handy in the future.
After gaining a general understanding, he put the book away and opened the low-tier spirit technique manual, "Breath-Inducing Technique."
Ding Sheng chose this technique because it’s basic and foundational.
In the Infinite Continent, powerful techniques can often conflict with each other, but "Breath-Inducing Technique" is so simple that it won’t interfere with cultivating higher techniques after joining Sword Inquiry Sect, nor would it draw anyone’s attention.
Opening to the first page, the text began with densely packed characters.
Ding Sheng gripped the "Breath-Inducing Technique" tightly, his eyes reflecting a hint of resolve in the flickering candlelight. This lowly spirit technique, though the most basic cultivation manual, had still cost him five hundred taels, leaving him feeling the sting. But he knew that this might be his only chance to enter Sword Inquiry Sect.
On the Infinite Continent, the path of cultivation depends on talent, resources, and luck – all things he lacked. As a mere mortal with no connections and no training resources, if he wanted to survive in this world teeming with demons and masters, he would have to rely solely on himself. This trip to the black market had cost him most of his savings, but it had been worth it. At least now he had "Breath-Inducing Technique," "Flying Shadow Step," and the miscellaneous book "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect" to increase his chances of passing the entry test at Sword Inquiry Sect.
Reading through the "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect," he was struck by the vastness and peril of Snow State. Though he had lived on this land for years, he had never truly understood its scale. Snow State wasn’t just a place where human and demon forces overlapped; it was part of the North Wasteland on the Infinite Continent. On this long-wintered land, the human and demon forces were deeply entangled, constantly fighting over resources. Beyond Snow State lay an even greater North Wasteland and, beyond that, the other four domains of the Infinite Continent, all filled with unimaginable masters and ancient sects. Ding Sheng realized that his previous worldview was that of a frog in a well and that cultivation was the only path to a greater world.
In this vast and powerful Infinite Continent, true masters are built on endless wealth and spirit medicine. For a lone cultivator, walking the path of cultivation is like sailing against the current, where any misstep could lead to ruin or even death. Therefore, Ding Sheng resolved that Sword Inquiry Sect was his only hope and the "Breath-Inducing Technique" his first step.
In the quiet of the night, he put down "Chronicles of Sword Inquiry Sect" and opened "Breath-Inducing Technique," carefully studying each word. Although it was simple and unranked, he knew that all great paths begin with the basics.