Chapter 54: The Hundred Blossom Unification Art and a Seductive Trap

[Qianqian, let me ask you, what is your impression of the Hundred Blossom Valley’s cultivation methods?]

Ye Qingyuan didn’t answer directly, but instead posed a question of his own.

[Hmm… probably a demonic sect that cultivates plant-based techniques? I don’t really know much; I’ve only heard some rumors.]

Lin Qianqian mused for a moment before replying.

[Your assessment is roughly correct.]

Ye Qingyuan took a sip of tea, then accepted the roasted sunflower seeds Lin Qianqian offered him, chuckling softly.

[The Hundred Blossom Valley is indeed one of the most ancient demonic sects. Its disciples mostly use flora as a medium to cultivate plant-based techniques, yet this isn’t entirely the case.

At least for the past three generations—oh, if we include Rongrong, it would be four generations—their Valley Masters and successors have not cultivated plant-based paths.]

[Ahem, I’ve strayed a bit. Let’s return to Hua Yan’s cultivation method.]

[Actually, when the Hundred Blossom Valley was founded, the ‘Hundred Blossoms’ didn’t solely refer to a hundred types of flowers and plants; it carried the meaning of ‘a hundred flowers blooming together.’

And this ‘Hundred Blossom Unification Art’ is, without a doubt, the paramount secret technique passed down within the Valley—there is none other.]

[‘The Hundred Blossom Unification Art,’ as its name suggests, integrates hundreds of different methods into one body. While ‘mastering all a hundred methods’ might be a slight exaggeration, it genuinely allows one to simultaneously cultivate multiple grand daos, just as Hua Yan demonstrated earlier.]

[Then if this cultivation method is so formidable, why doesn’t everyone in the Hundred Blossom Valley practice it? If all the disciples cultivated this art, wouldn’t they be invincible?]

Lin Qianqian couldn’t help but press for answers.

[Alas, it’s not that easy!]

Ye Qingyuan waved his hand dismissively.

[Firstly, and most crucially, ‘The Hundred Blossom Unification Art’ has extremely stringent physical requirements. It can only be cultivated by a ‘Hundred Blossom Spirit Assimilation Physique,’ which appears only once every several millennia.]

[Hundred Blossom Spirit Assimilation Physique?]

There were countless peculiar physiques in the Divine Land. This unfamiliar physique was one Lin Qianqian had never heard of before.

[Precisely. The so-called Hundred Blossom Spirit Assimilation Physique allows one to simultaneously contain and control multiple magical artifacts for their own use.]

[Generally speaking, this physique itself isn’t particularly powerful—after all, if one wields multiple magical artifacts without corresponding methods to enhance them, no matter how many or how good the artifacts are, they can only unleash three to five tenths of their true power.

However, once one cultivates ‘The Hundred Blossom Unification Art’ with this physique, they can nurture various magical artifacts within themselves from a young age.]

[Then, through the special methods within the cultivation art, these high-grade magical artifacts become mediums through which the practitioner directly learns the inherited memories of the techniques embedded within the artifacts, transforming them into their own divine abilities.]

[However, this cultivation method requires immense resources in its initial stages, and the practitioner’s strength is limited by the quantity and grade of their nurtured Natal Artifacts.

Naturally, the more artifacts, and the higher their grade, the better. Therefore, cultivating this art inevitably consumes a massive amount of resources.]

[Only someone like Hua Yan, the Hundred Blossom Valley’s sole grandchild… I mean, granddaughter, can sustain such an expenditure.]

He shook his head helplessly as he spoke.

‘Uh… so, Fellow Daoist Hua’s family is exceptionally wealthy, with more spirit stones than they can spend?’

Lin Qianqian gazed at the dazzling spectacle of flashing blades, clashing swords, and roaring spells on the martial arts arena, lost in thought.

‘Then, if Senior Sister marries Fellow Daoist Hua, won’t she have an endless supply of spirit stones to buy sword manuals?’

****

Unaware of Lin Qianqian’s wild imaginings, two little girls perched shoulder-to-shoulder on small stools, clinging to the railing in front of the spectator stands, were whispering to each other.

“Rongrong, your mother is so amazing… will Sword Head Yun lose the match?”

Ning Sixteen watched Hua Yan’s dazzling barrage of attacks on the stage, her red eyes wide and round as she turned to Hua Xiangrong beside her.

“I don’t think so.”

Hua Xiangrong cracked sunflower seeds, her gaze still firmly fixed on the martial arts arena.

“Why not?” Ning Sixteen asked, a little confused.

At this moment, Hua Yan clearly held the initiative, unleashing a torrent of various spells, while Yun Xueshang seemed to be passively defending. By all appearances, Hua Yan had the upper hand, so why did Rongrong think Sword Head Yun could win?

“Oh, Little Pomegranate, you just don’t understand.”

Hua Xiangrong shook her head, adopting the air of a tiny adult.

“Mother’s mechanisms are formidable, and her moves are flashy, but Mother’s stats are simply too high. She can completely overwhelm everything with sheer power!”

“Mechanisms? Stats?”

Ning Sixteen softly repeated these novel terms, her face filled with curiosity.

“Hmm… simply put, Mother’s swordplay and raw strength are powerful enough to break all techniques with a single sword stroke. Even if Mother knows many methods and combines them brilliantly, it’s useless against an absolute disparity in strength.”

Hua Xiangrong explained, her gaze returning to the martial arts arena.

“Trust me, we’ll know if we just keep watching.”

***

Meanwhile, on the martial arts arena.

Hua Yan once again unleashed a confinement array. Sand and stones instantly swept across the platform, momentarily trapping Yun Xueshang.

She seized the opportunity to pop another spiritual energy recovery pill into her mouth.

‘Hoo… hoo…

Yun Xueshang truly is unreasonably strong.’

In just a moment, the confinement array was shattered by a sharp sword qi. Yun Xueshang, sword in hand, charged straight forward.

Hua Yan retreated swiftly, a cloud of green mist erupting around her, narrowly dodging the seemingly inevitable strike.

‘This woman… doesn’t she ever get tired? Does her spiritual energy never run out?’

Hua Yan flipped her hand, unleashing several glittering golden flying darts, then conjured a tall ice wall to block in front of her.

Immediately after, she pulled out several bronze mirror artifacts, her figure rapidly weaving and shifting through the mirror’s light and shadows.

Seizing the moment Yun Xueshang’s sword shattered the ice wall, she silently circled to Yun Xueshang’s blind spot.

“Clang!”

The crisp clash of metal echoed throughout the arena. Yun Xueshang, with incredible speed, twisted her long sword, the blade precisely colliding with the silver dagger in Hua Yan’s hand, forcefully blocking the sneak attack.

Hua Yan took advantage of the momentum, raising her long leg for a fiery kick that slammed into Yun Xueshang’s waist, sending her crashing onto the martial arts arena floor once more.

Simultaneously, she swiftly swapped to an array disk, and with a flick of her wrist, set up an array, shrouding the entire platform.

‘Damn it… if this continues, she’ll wear me down to death!

I absolutely cannot lose to her again in front of so many people!’

Hua Yan bit her lower lip hard.

In the past, she only needed to discern her opponent’s cultivation path to employ counteracting methods. At most, she would switch out a few magical artifacts for coordination, and victory would be assured.

Yet, ten years ago, on the Yin-Yang Platform of the Joyful Union Sect, she acted in the same manner but was defeated by Yun Xueshang, who was at a lower cultivation realm than her at the time.

That woman seemed to have no weaknesses, shattering all of Hua Yan’s offensives.

Ten years had passed, and she believed she had thoroughly integrated all her techniques, so why… why could she still not defeat her?

‘No choice, I’ll have to use that move!’

Hua Yan clenched her delicate fists, her expression solemn, as if making an unspeakable decision.

After all, Yun Xueshang was ultimately a sword cultivator. Sword cultivators primarily focused on killing, and while other aspects were decent, soul defense had always been a weakness.

But since her zither sound waves had little effect on Yun Xueshang, she could only try this!

‘I’ll risk it!’

…

On the other side, Yun Xueshang, sword in hand, once again broke through the confinement array Hua Yan had set. But as soon as she escaped, she was enveloped by a sudden pink mist.

Within the mist, her vision was obstructed, and her spiritual sense was firmly blocked, preventing her from perceiving any trace of Hua Yan.

‘Is this a new move from Yan’er that she’d been holding back?’

The white-haired immortal tightened her grip on her sword hilt, preparing herself with utmost vigilance.

In their previous clashes, whenever Hua Yan used an unfamiliar technique, Yun Xueshang would briefly fall into a passive state. Naturally, she dared not show the slightest slackness now.

The pink mist was utterly silent, a faint floral fragrance permeating the air, eerie yet alluring. Just then, a delicate figure gradually materialized within the mist, slowly approaching Yun Xueshang.

‘Here she comes!’

Yun Xueshang gripped her Autumn Water Sword even tighter but did not rashly attack.

She suspected this was another one of Hua Yan’s illusions or traps, so she could only focus with extreme intensity, staring intently at the approaching figure.

The mist gradually thinned, and the figure became clear—it was indeed Hua Yan.

However, to Yun Xueshang’s astonishment, Hua Yan had shed her golden-red combat attire and changed into a thin, pink gauze dress.

Her clothes were slightly disheveled, her cheeks flushed with an unusual redness, and her light golden almond eyes were veiled with a misty sheen, her gaze hazy.

“Xueshang… I feel so uncomfortable~~”,

Hua Yan, standing before her, spoke softly, her gauze dress slipping off one shoulder, revealing skin like jade. Her voice was soft and drawn out, like a hook, both tender and seductive.

“Will you come and help me… please~?”

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