Of course, Ye Wen paid no mind to whether the manual truly possessed a will of its own; at this moment, he was thrilled to have secured a suitable martial art. Even though the Purple Mist Divine Skill (Zixia Shengong) hadn't shone brightly in the original story, Ye Wen didn't believe the fault lay with the manual.

The only person in the original work who appeared and practiced this technique was the contemporary head of the Huashan Sect, whose sect, apart from its grand reputation, possessed only an empty gate and a single junior female disciple. Speaking of which, when Ye Wen first realized his predicament, he truly thought he had transmigrated into the shoes of Elder Yue; their situations were indeed quite similar back then, though Ye Wen’s was even bleaker.

Not only had his sect been seized, but his master and grandmaster had left him insufficient foundation to turn the tide. If not for inexplicably obtaining a miraculous ring, Ye Wen would likely still be agonizing over how to survive in this world, let alone build up such a sizable enterprise.

Elder Master Yue was different. He inherited martial arts manuals left by his ancestors and the illustrious reputation established by generations of patriarchs.

The Huashan Sect lacked for neither fame nor techniques; it only lacked disciples. Even when the Huashan Sect withered due to internal strife, many commoners and even local magnates who were affiliated with this major Central Plains sect chose not to abandon Huashan.

One could say that Elder Master Yue’s starting point was significantly higher than Ye Wen's. But conversely, the pressure on Elder Master Yue’s shoulders was far beyond what Ye Wen could compare to.

Ye Wen only needed to achieve a slight success, and he would become the most successful sect leader in the history of the Shu Mountain Sect. Even if Ye Wen now rested on his laurels and grew complacent, satisfied with the current state of Shu Mountain, his descendants would bestow upon him titles like the true founder of the Shu Mountain Sect’s resurgence, the cornerstone of Shu Mountain, and similar praise.

After all, a sect that began with nothing now possessed grand gates and an increasingly complete martial arts system—all thanks to the current sect leader, Ye Wen. No one would dare claim they could have done better than him under his initial circumstances—though they would never know what Ye Wen’s greatest reliance truly was.

Elder Master Yue, however, was different. Given the reputation of the Huashan Sect at that time, even if Elder Master Yue led Huashan to revival, at best he would leave behind a modest name in the sect's history.

Later generations would only mention that the Huashan Sect fell into a massive crisis, which the contemporary Elder Master Yue successfully resolved. This was because the resources he commanded made the revival of the Huashan Sect seem like a matter of course; even Elder Master Yue himself never entertained the possibility that the sect might fail to revive.

Therefore, the pressure on Elder Master Yue was immense; he had no room for failure, forcing him to dedicate excessive energy to the sect’s development. In the original work, Elder Master Yue busied himself with matters that would bring glory to the martial world—whether pursuing notorious bandits who plagued the jianghu or helping the areas surrounding Huashan clear out brigands, he always exerted himself fully to handle these issues and earn renown for the sect.

While restoring honor to the Huashan Sect, Elder Master Yue's time for cultivation was naturally compressed infinitely. Thus, Ye Wen understood why Elder Master Yue’s martial cultivation never reached a certain plateau.

Once this layer was understood, the fact that the Purple Mist Divine Skill couldn't display the power expected of a divine technique became acceptable, as it wasn't the martial art that was lacking, but the practitioner who couldn't dedicate himself wholly to its cultivation. So, could Ye Wen?

After all, Ye Wen faced an even worse situation than Elder Master Yue: his sect had only just begun to establish a slight reputation, and powerful enemies were lurking with covetous eyes. In such an environment, Ye Wen also had to expend mental energy on managing the sect; how could he guarantee he could devote enough focus to personal cultivation?

If it were just a short while ago, Ye Wen might have worried, but after gaining the aid of the Desolate Valley Cold Pool (Juegu Hanchi), he had no doubt he could master this divine skill in the shortest possible time. Based on his understanding of the Pingzhou martial world's strength, as soon as he achieved initial mastery of the Purple Mist Divine Skill, his Shu Mountain Sect could firmly establish itself in Pingzhou, free from needing to look at anyone else’s face or live under another’s breath.

After all, although the Purple Mist Divine Skill was not particularly dazzling in the original work, there were still stray remarks hinting at its power. Considering Elder Master Yue never cultivated it to the highest level, the demonstrated power of the skill was certainly worth anticipating.

“Purple Mist Divine Skill, let me see just how miraculous you become when cultivated to the highest realm?” On the thin booklet in his hand were inscribed the four characters, "Purple Mist Manual." Ye Wen’s eyesight had improved significantly, so he didn't need a lamp; the faint candlelight on the desk and the sliver of light filtering through the window were enough for him to clearly read the contents. The Purple Mist Manual was not thick, but its content was substantial.

From the most basic introductory practice right up to its final completion as a divine skill, the cultivation methods and the state expected at each level were listed in meticulous detail. Since transmigrating, Ye Wen felt his hearing and sight had sharpened, and his memory had improved, yet it still took him quite some time to finish reading the entire booklet.

And this was just reading through it, without pausing to deeply consider the meaning of many of its phrases. At the same time, Ye Wen’s rough scan this time primarily focused on what states and powers corresponded to each level of the Purple Mist Divine Skill; he didn't carefully review the cultivation incantations, as his goal was merely to gain a preliminary understanding of this divine skill, not to rush into practice.

“It seems my speculation about this martial art was correct. Elder Master Yue not only failed to reach the highest level, but he hadn't even finished half of the manual.

However, if we truly follow what is written in this manual, then Yue Buqun’s decision to abandon its cultivation becomes somewhat understandable.” Because Ye Wen discovered that, according to the Purple Mist Manual, before this skill reached its ultimate completion, it could be considered at best a decent manual; practitioners using it didn't deserve the title of "Divine Skill"—"Purple Mist Skill" seemed more fitting. A person practicing the Purple Mist Skill at this stage retained their original internal energy; the Purple Mist Skill was less a core internal technique and more a method for using internal energy.

Besides being able to exert force to injure enemies like any general internal technique, the Purple Mist Skill allowed the practitioner much finer control over their own internal power. As stated in the original text, if Linghu Chong had practiced the Purple Mist Skill when conflicting energies surged within him, he could have healed himself and dissolved those disruptive energies.

After reading the novel back then, Ye Wen and some other fans had speculated about this passage. Considering Linghu Chong was severely injured, and Elder Master Yue hadn't yet turned against him—he still valued his senior disciple greatly—it seemed unlikely he would lie just to show off.

Therefore, this claim should be true: the Purple Mist Skill truly possessed this capability. Now, after reading the manual, Ye Wen was even more certain of this conjecture.

The Purple Mist Skill indeed possessed a considerable ability to manipulate internal energy, and dissolving conflicting true qi to mend internal injuries was certainly unique to it. Simultaneously, the Purple Mist Skill could be used to cultivate one's internal energy, although the initial results were modest.

Judging only by these points, the Purple Mist Skill should not be rated so poorly. But the crucial difference was that the Purple Mist Skill was not like the Nine Yang Divine Skill or the Nine Yin Manual, where upon completion, all one's true qi transforms entirely into Nine Yang or Nine Yin true qi; the practitioner’s meridians would naturally circulate that specific true qi when using their energy.

The Purple Mist Skill lacked this trait. Every time the Purple Mist Skill was used, the practitioner needed to consciously activate it, and a notable characteristic during activation was the purpling of the face.

Noticing this description in the book, Ye Wen recalled that in the original work, it was specifically mentioned that Elder Master Yue needed to activate his technique every time he used the Purple Mist Skill. One passage even described Yue Buqun accepting a blow in his normal state, inwardly musing how things would be different had he used the Purple Mist Skill just moments before.

This indicated that the Purple Mist Skill required the practitioner to purposefully engage it, unlike those other divine skills where, once mastered, the entire internal foundation automatically converted, and using energy naturally channeled the corresponding true qi. This made the Purple Mist Skill somewhat cumbersome—the Elder Master Yue in the original work only reached this stage.

However, as Ye Wen flipped to the latter parts of the manual, he discovered that as the Purple Mist Skill progressed, this situation gradually improved, and the focus slowly shifted from manipulating existing internal energy toward cultivating new internal energy. Especially after mastering the final step of the Purple Mist Skill, where all internal energy transforms into Purple Mist True Qi, the energy flowing within the body would be entirely Purple Mist True Qi, and no special activation would be necessary; even a casual strike would carry the inherent force of Purple Mist Qi.

Furthermore, upon reaching the final stage, the book stated that the user’s initial output of force would be faint, soft as clouds and mist, yet immensely resilient when accumulating strength, ultimately becoming overwhelming and irresistible. From this, it was clear that once the Purple Mist Divine Skill was mastered, its force was not only potent but possessed formidable lingering power.

If it truly reached this level, it could be considered comparable to the Nine Yang Divine Skill, renowned for its immense resultant internal energy, and would certainly not dishonor the name "Divine Skill." Only by reaching that final step did the Purple Mist Divine Skill qualify as a divine skill; before completion, it was, at best, called the Purple Mist Skill. However, the higher the level cultivated, the greater the difficulty, which probably explains why Elder Master Yue repeatedly attempted to push for higher levels with little success, ultimately choosing to give up.

Having understood the intricacies, Ye Wen also learned everything he wanted to know. In his view, this martial art was absolutely not inferior, despite the numerous difficulties and limitations in its cultivation.

The Purple Mist Skill required a prerequisite level of internal energy for entry because its early stages emphasized control over existing internal force. If you have very little internal energy to begin with, what is there to control?

Ordinary people worried about insufficient cultivation preventing them from practicing, but Ye Wen had no such concerns. Because his ring could summon it, it implied his current cultivation level was sufficient for practice—whether he could manifest its true power was another matter.

Of course, he wasn't worried about that point either. With the aid of the Cold Pool and the Small Cold Fruit, as long as he had enough time, any divine skill could be mastered; Ye Wen was deeply convinced of this.

However, recalling his own circumstances and his junior sister’s surname, he realized he truly shared a peculiar affinity with that Elder Master Yue. “Since that’s the case, let this fate become even more intense.” The infamous ‘King of Pitfalls’ has released his scorching new book, prematurely finished!

New History Book: Springtime in the Great Tang For those who love history, go check it out! A fine product from Feifei, guaranteed quality.

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