Although Ye Qin had agreed to venture to the Lingwu Grand Canyon with the Zhang siblings and others, he had no intention of sharing lodging or cultivating with them there. He declined the invitation from Zhang Qiao and the others, instead finding a quiet, inconspicuous small inn within the city to settle down. There was still half a year until the major sects released this year's "Mission Edicts," and he needed time for various preparations. Considering that his current strength was merely the fourth layer of the Qi Refining stage—a level that appeared quite ordinary, perhaps even a bit low, among the countless Qi Refining cultivators in Xian Yuan City—he understood the unpredictable dangers within the Lingwu Grand Canyon. The higher one's cultivation, the greater the assurance of safety. Thus, boosting his cultivation as quickly as possible was undoubtedly his most pressing task.

After reaching the fourth layer of Qi Refining, continuing to consume the Dew-Reducing Pills yielded diminishing returns. This spiritual elixir was most effective for cultivators in the first to third layers of Qi Refining. He pondered whether he should switch to a different, higher-grade spiritual elixir. However, he lacked the prescriptions for any other advanced elixirs, let alone the spiritual herbs required for their refinement. In the end, he decided to stick with the Dew-Reducing Pills for now.

Furthermore, the copy of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture he possessed was only a fragmented volume covering the first to third layers of Qi Refining.

After spending nearly half a day, Ye Qin located a complete cultivation manual for the first tier of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture—Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self—at the city's largest scripture pavilion. Yet, upon returning to the inn with this manual, rumored to be an ancient technique, his expression took on an indescribable strangeness. ... This entire affair stemmed from his search for that manual. Ye Qin had found no one selling the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture in the market. Discovering in the Xian Yuan City Map that there were dedicated scripture pavilions selling various cultivation manuals, he excitedly made his way to the largest one to inquire.

Inside this particular scripture pavilion:

“Sitting in Oblivion Scripture?”

The middle-aged shopkeeper, hearing Ye Qin’s request, pondered for a moment before recalling, “I seem to remember something about it. That technique should be among the ancient texts. Let me check.”

The shopkeeper opened a thick catalog of cultivation techniques and meticulously cross-referenced the entries in the ancient volumes section. After a considerable search, he announced, “Found it. We have one last copy of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture left in the storeroom. Esteemed guest, please wait a moment; I will have someone retrieve it.”

The shopkeeper instructed an attendant to fetch the item from the pavilion’s warehouse.

Ye Qin waited inside, perusing the catalog titles of the cultivation techniques lining the shelves. He silently marveled at the sheer volume—thousands of cultivation techniques and spell manuals were housed here.

After a short wait, the attendant returned from the storeroom carrying a book bound in yellowed paper—the paper looked ancient, yet remarkably well-preserved—and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper took the book, flipped through it, and remarked, “Esteemed guest, cultivators practicing the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture are quite rare nowadays. This shop only has this single remaining copy.”

Ye Qin accepted it with delight, yet harbored a question: “A unique copy? Few practice this technique?”

“Indeed. This is one of the cultivation techniques from the ancient era of Xian Yuan City. It is divided into four major tiers: the Preliminary Tier, Gathering Qi and Condensing Spirit, designed for martial artists to accumulate essence, energy, and spirit, transitioning from martial arts to cultivation. The First Tier, Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self, covers cultivation from the first to the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage. The Middle Tier, Returning to Origin, covers the first to the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage. And the Final Tier, Embracing Origin and Guarding Deficiency, covers the first to the ninth layer of the Core Formation stage.”

Ye Qin was greatly surprised by this revelation: “This is a very ancient cultivation technique? Does that mean it’s incredibly powerful?”

The shopkeeper laughed heartily: “Haha, not necessarily. The Sitting in Oblivion Scripture was researched and created collectively when an early batch of martial artists in Xian Yuan City transitioned into cultivators. It is one of the orthodox cultivation techniques with deep historical roots in Xian Yuan City. During that time, the atmosphere in the cultivation world was excellent; cultivators worked together, pooling their knowledge without secrecy, and this Sitting in Oblivion Scripture was born then.

Many legendary ancient cultivators of Xian Yuan City began with this technique. As for its power, that's hard to say—it yields moderate effects in the hands of low-level cultivators, but in the hands of advanced cultivators, it possesses the power to shake heaven and earth.”

“The greatest feature of this technique is that it has no requirements based on spiritual root affinity; it is suitable for cultivators of all spiritual roots. The Qi Refining stage technique, Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self, demands the complete convergence of one’s essence, energy, and spirit to nurture intrinsic vital energy. The entire process is stable and unlikely to lead to errors. However, upon reaching the pinnacle of the ninth layer of Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self, a fatal flaw emerges.”

“Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self possesses an inherent, fatal defect. When a cultivator reaches the absolute peak of the ninth layer, as their power deepens, the convergence of their vital energy intensifies severely. By the ninth layer, the individual practically enters a state of complete self-seclusion, severing all energetic connection with the outside world, entering a half-death state of ‘physical body in suspended animation, soul extinguished.’ If they cannot break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, this state will persist until their lifespan is exhausted, at which point the physical body truly dies, and the soul perishes. Absolutely countless cultivators have died practicing this technique; mastering it carries immense risk.”

The shopkeeper looked at Ye Qin with a strange gaze, as if reluctant to watch him cultivate this technique toward certain death.

“Precisely because of such a significant flaw, later generations of cultivators created numerous other, safer cultivation techniques that focus solely on one spiritual root, allowing for faster cultivation speed and avoiding the fate of death upon reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining due to an inability to advance. Compared to these newer techniques that subsequently appeared, the defect in the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture is glaringly obvious, which is why very few people practice this ancient technique now.”

“Since you are still young, brother, perhaps you should stop practicing the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture and switch to a safer technique.”

The shopkeeper recommended he switch to other types of cultivation manuals, such as the Wood Spirit Sutra or the Earth Spirit Sutra—techniques that focus exclusively on one spiritual root—arguing this path was safer, more reliable, and much faster than the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture.

Ye Qin’s expression turned grave. He hadn't realized that cultivating the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture carried such a fatal flaw.

This realization made him hesitate: should he switch to another technique?

Yet, he felt a deep reluctance to abandon it. He had spent five or six years cultivating the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture; it had accompanied him through the most difficult early stages of his immortal journey. This attachment was not something he could easily discard. Since many ancient cultivators had practiced this technique and successfully ascended to higher realms, there was no logical reason why he couldn’t.

Biting his now purplish lips, Ye Qin decided to continue his cultivation.

He took the copy of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture manual from the shopkeeper’s hands, and as he casually flipped through it, he noticed a problem: “Why does this manual only contain the First Tier, Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self? Where are the Middle Tier, Returning to Origin, and the Final Tier, Embracing Origin and Guarding Deficiency?”

“Originally, this was a complete set. However, several hundred years ago, a Foundation Establishment cultivator purchased the Middle and Final Tiers, leaving only the First Tier. Moreover, hardly anyone practices this flawed technique today, so our shop hasn't bothered to reacquire the later parts. But, to my knowledge, the major cultivation sects still retain complete versions of this ancient cultivation manual, spanning from the Qi Refining stage all the way to Core Formation. If you wish to find the Middle Tier, Returning to Origin, and the Final Tier, Embracing Origin and Guarding Deficiency, you might have to seek them out at the sects; you should be able to find them.”

“You are only seventeen or eighteen years old and have reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining; that talent is quite good. However, you still need at least twenty or thirty more years of arduous cultivation to reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and whether you can successfully establish your foundation is still uncertain. If you are fortunate enough to join a major sect, finding the Middle and Final Tiers of this manual would be simple. For now, esteemed guest, there is no need to rush looking for the latter tiers; mastering the First Tier is sufficient.”

“Our shop only has this single volume of the Qi Refining First Tier, Sitting in Watchfulness Without Self, covering layers one through nine. Since it is the last in stock, keeping it in the warehouse only wastes space. If you want it, I can sell it to you cheaply for three low-grade spirit stones.”

After hearing the shopkeeper’s explanation, Ye Qin nodded: “This Sitting in Oblivion Scripture only concludes at the Final Tier, Embracing Origin and Guarding Deficiency, at the Core Formation stage. Does it end there?”

The middle-aged shopkeeper’s expression grew serious: “Of course not. Beyond the Core Formation stage lies the Nascent Soul stage. At that level, cultivators possess profound power and usually create techniques suited specifically to their own cultivation. Would those venerable ancestors at the Nascent Soul stage really offer up the techniques they personally created for sale? Esteemed guest, do not aim too high; a single volume covering the Qi Refining stage is likely enough for ordinary cultivators like us to practice for a lifetime.”

Ye Qin finally understood why the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture only included the Preliminary, First, Middle, and Final Tiers—spanning from martial artist to Core Formation. After the Nascent Soul stage, one had to rely on self-created methods.

After some deliberation, he purchased the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture First Tier manual for three low-grade spirit stones.

He did not visit any other scripture pavilions. As the shopkeeper had said, possessing a complete Qi Refining stage manual for now was sufficient. There was no need to aim too high for higher-level techniques; that would purely be a waste of spirit stones. ... Holding this complete volume of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture First Tier technique, Ye Qin could only offer a wry smile upon returning to the inn. The risk of ‘physical body in suspended animation, soul extinguished’ upon reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining left him deeply uneasy.

But he was unwilling to abandon this technique.

“Don’t dwell on it. Prepare for the matters concerning the Lingwu Grand Canyon in the autumn. I am still far from the ninth layer of Qi Refining; there is no need to worry so much right now.”

Ye Qin shook his head, returned to his private room, bolted the door, sat cross-legged, and took out the Copper Sand Pill Furnace, three seeds from the Mu-Jing Thorn, and a small gourd of Chen Sang Wine. Additionally, he possessed three or four low-grade spirit stones, more than ten stalks of Dew-Reducing Grass growing in his Purple Mansion, several talismans, and various secret manuals.

This constituted his entire worldly possessions.