Chapter 166: Severing Heaven and Earth

Earth-tier martial techniques were quite scarce; a glance across them revealed fewer than twenty manuals in total, making selection a simple task.

Unlike the most basic Yellow-tier martial techniques, which numbered in the thousands and were too numerous to even look through, this was entirely different.

"Mountain-Cleaving and River-Parting?"

Picking up an Earth-tier manual at random, Ye Tian felt his brows twitch, and a surge of excitement rippled through him.

As expected of an Earth-tier martial technique, its sheer might was practically abnormal.

Take Mountain-Cleaving and River-Parting, for instance. The merged effect of this technique allowed the user to channel true Qi into a well-nurtured broadsword, releasing fierce blades of true Qi with every swing that could kill from a distance!

At its maximum range, it could slash hundreds of meters through the air, and its formidable true Qi could halt the flow of a great river or sever the peak of a mountain!

Was this not already in the realm of metaphysics?

The more Ye Tian read, the more shocked he became, his heart pounding with awe.

If he had not come to the Dragon Directorate, he probably would have remained oblivious to the existence of martial techniques for a long time. The optimal period for fusing with a martial technique was from the peak of the Beidou Realm right up to the breakthrough into the Martial King Realm.

During this phase, when a martial artist's body underwent profound transformations, the refinement speed of a martial technique was dozens of times faster than normal cultivation.

Damn it, why didn't the masters mention this earlier!

Martial techniques above the Earth tier provided a terrifying amplification to a martial artist. Had he remained ignorant, he would have fallen far behind the rest.

This trip was truly worth it!

Ye Tian could not help but burst into hearty laughter. After putting down the Mountain-Cleaving and River-Parting manual, he began browsing through other techniques.

The more he looked, the happier he became.

"Star-Shifting and Dipper-Reversing, Universe-Slinging!"

There were simply too many powerful techniques, instantly giving him a severe case of choice paralysis.

He wanted them all—what should he do?

Yet the head of the Dragon Directorate had explicitly stated that each person could only fuse with a single martial technique. In other words, once one was mastered, a second could not be learned.

How to choose was a serious question.

After much deliberation, he cast his gaze toward the bronze altar at the very back.

Heaven-tier martial technique!

Approaching eagerly, he untied the ribbon binding the scroll, his expression turning solemn.

Severing Heaven and Earth!

Four ancient, rustic characters were inscribed on the first bamboo slip, followed by a paragraph of astonishing text.

"With my mighty power, I sever the connection between man and gods. Henceforth, heavenly immortals shall no longer descend to the mortal dust, and mortals shall no longer offer sacrifices to immortals and gods!"

"This is known as Severing Heaven and Earth!"

These four epoch-making characters stirred an irrepressible yearning in the soul.

Great Deity Zhuanxu, rumored to be the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, had supposedly issued the decree of "Severing Heaven and Earth" during antiquity. Its meaning was to cut off sacrificial offerings, allowing humanity to return to a people-centric world rather than blindly worshiping deities and immortals.

Yet the appearance of this martial technique caused Ye Tian to harbor suspicions.

Severing Heaven and Earth was not merely about cutting off the connection between the realms; it was a divine power capable of isolating heaven and earth by the strength of a single person!

Put that way, it seemed far more plausible...

The bamboo slip used concise language to introduce the miraculous properties of this technique.

Those who mastered this martial technique—or rather, this divine power—would possess eyes and ears ten times sharper than ordinary people, the ability to perceive profound details from minute signs, an unfailing memory, and the comprehension to understand all things through one!

In other words, anyone's movements would appear tenfold slower in his eyes. Furthermore, he would gain a photographic memory, accelerated mental agility, and the ability to easily master any complex skill or knowledge.

There was also one more line.

A martial artist who mastered Severing Heaven and Earth could accommodate all martial techniques and divine powers under the heavens!

As long as he was willing to spend the time, he could master every single martial technique present here!

Was this the charm of a Heaven-tier martial technique?

No, this no longer belonged to the category of martial techniques; it should rightfully be called a divine power.

Ye Tian's hand trembled slightly as he unrolled the bamboo slip further.

"To master this divine power, one requires either a Seven-Apertured Exquisite Heart, or a complete Five Elements constitution coupled with a formidable divine soul."

"Possessing either of the two is sufficient."

A Seven-Apertured Exquisite Heart?

According to legend, Bi Gan's heart was exquisite, naturally possessing seven orifices. One who possessed such a heart could see through all illusions and communicate with all things in creation.

This was also the reason why he had been able to pierce through Su Daji's fox-demon disguise.

"That's completely impossible, isn't it..."

Ye Tian clicked his tongue in astonishment. No wonder they said no one had ever been able to fuse with a Heaven-tier martial technique; such harsh conditions were simply impossible to achieve in the present world.

As for the subsequent requirements of a complete Five Elements constitution and a formidable divine soul, they were even more baffling.

First, a complete Five Elements constitution represented the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. This belonged to the realm of destiny and bazi. The total number of people in the entire Dragon Country with a complete set of the five elements probably didn't amount to a hundred.

Generally speaking, those with all five elements lived smooth and peaceful lives, yet they rarely achieved anything notable.

Unless the four pillars flowed with harmonious sentiment, such a person would remain mediocre for a lifetime!

Ye Tian had once inspected his own bazi and found that he was farther from a complete Five Elements constitution than heaven and earth were apart.

It seemed he was destined to miss out on this divine power.

Just as he intended to put down the scroll, he noticed another line of text at the very end that he had not yet finished reading: "A Dao-Integration True Person whose five elements are interconnected may cultivate this divine power by gathering the inner cores or primordial blood of the corresponding five elemental spirit beasts to fill the deficiencies and achieve completeness."

Dao-Integration Realm?

As long as he gathered the primordial blood or inner cores of the five attributes, cultivation was possible!

Ye Tian's eyes lit up, and an intense surge of excitement washed over him.

Was he not a Golden Core True Person of the Dao-Integration Realm? Wasn't this an exact match?

Moreover, his Golden Core had already fused with the inner core of the Great Flood Dragon, which belonged to the water element; he also possessed the True Dragon's heart, which belonged to the fire element; and Ye Changsheng's Golden Core could substitute for the position of metal!

As for his own body, it was primarily based on the earth element, requiring no additional supplementation.

In other words, as long as he found an inner core of the wood attribute, he would be able to cultivate Severing Heaven and Earth!

Incredible!

For a moment, Ye Tian felt as though the blood in his entire body was beginning to burn, his heart pounding violently.

Without a second thought, he retrieved pen and paper from his sleeve universe, pressed flat against the bronze altar, and copied the contents of the bamboo slip without stopping to rest.

An hour later, Ye Tian stepped out through the wooden door.

"You've memorized everything already, just like that?"

The beauty dressed in a business suit looked somewhat astonished, not expecting this fellow to emerge so quickly.

Although she was not a high-tier martial artist, she frequently led newcomers on the verge of breaking into the Martial King Realm inside. Based on her past experience, virtually everyone spent an entire day in there, striving to memorize the mental formulas of the martial techniques thoroughly before coming out.

Yet this Ye Tian not only came out quickly, but he also looked entirely relaxed and carefree, as if he had merely taken a stroll inside without doing a thing.

"Hey, which martial technique did you learn?"

She could not suppress her curiosity and asked.

"Me?" Ye Tian pointed at his own nose and answered calmly, "I learned that Heaven-tier martial technique."

"Tsk, keep boasting! A Heaven-tier martial technique, my foot. Even the boss can't learn the Heaven-tier martial technique, and you?"

Hmph!

The boss had warned newly arrived members countless times not to even look at that Heaven-tier martial technique, because no one from ancient times to the present had ever been able to learn it!

This brat went inside for a single hour and came out claiming he had learned a Heaven-tier martial technique. Was he just showing off because he couldn't even manage to learn a Yellow-tier one?