Chapter 221 – The Arts of the Boundless Ocean (2/2)

Li Qingshan was surprised. “You know her?”

Xiao An nodded gently.

Li Qingshan leaned against his arm. “Though honestly, Xuanyue would do as well. Forget it. A kid like you won’t understand what I’m saying.”

Xiao An pulled a face.

Li Qingshan spent a night bathing comfortably in the water. It felt even more pleasant than lying on a bed. Water had already become as close as a friend to him. He began practising the second layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi in there.

He used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to settle down first before slowly absorbing the spiritual qi of the world and using the mental cultivation method of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi instead. The true qi in his body was converted into Gui Water true qi strand by strand.

By the time the sun had risen, Li Qingshan had already completed the second layer of the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi. For the first few layers, all he needed to do was convert his true qi, to cover up the Innate Method of Practising Qi with the Gui Water Method of Condensing Qi, so it did not take him a particularly long time.

Li Qingshan grew restless once the sun had risen up. He leapt out of the bathing pool and put on his clothes. He wore the bamboo basket on his back and rushed straight to the bookstore with Xiao An.

The old man was still the same old man from the night before. He sat leisurely in the same rocking chair, reading the same book. When he saw Li Qingshan enter, he seemed to be surprised as he leapt to his feet, “Is there anything else you require, fellow cultivator?”

Li Qingshan got straight to the point. “Uncle, the book you gave me yesterday…”

“What book? How come I don’t recall anything like that?” The old man’s expression became unnatural.

Li Qingshan squinted his eyes and said slowly, “I used various different methods to study it for ages, but I found nothing, which was why I’ve come to seek guidance from you. Don’t tell me you’ve been messing with me?” He no longer spoke as politely as before either.

The old man coughed gently. “I- I think I remember now. H- how did you find it?”

Li Qingshan said, “The images were alright, but the book was horrible!”

The old man smiled bitterly, “If that’s the case, then forget that you had ever laid your eyes on it!” Junior brother, oh junior brother. You can’t blame me for not helping out. Originally, I thought he was a vulgar man and might not be able to tell that the book was absolutely horrible!

“In other words, you really were messing with me!” Li Qingshan thought about all the time and effort he had spent on it, and he grew hostile.

The old man faked a laugh. “Fellow, there was something I wanted to give to you, but I forgot yesterday.”

“Don’t tell me it’s trash like thi-” Li Qingshan suddenly halted. The old man had actually shoved the cultivation manual to the Arts of the Boundless Ocean into his hands. He hesitated, “Uncle, this is a little too precious. I didn’t come here to blackmail you…”

The old man raised his head. He smiled and shook his head. “Just who would be bold enough to blackmail me in these streets, unafraid of the street patrols of the school of Miscellany? I did actually want to give you this book yesterday. I made quite the profit on the two books you bought from me. No matter how precious a book is, if there’s no one to read it, it’s all just trash.”

He patted the “A Flower’s Slumber” before continuing, “No one reads this book because of how horrible it’s written, and that’s fine. However, that book was clearly written brilliantly, yet because everyone else lacked the ability, it ended up in such a sorry shape. It’s like the glamour of a pearl shrouded by dust, or the death of a beauty. Isn’t that just a pity?”

Li Qingshan was slightly touched as well. “Uncle, you really are someone who loves books.” The Arts of the Boundless Ocean definitely was not a mediocre cultivation method. However, it had far too high of a requirement on the reader, which was why its readerbase diminished.

The old man continued, “When I look at you, I have a feeling that perhaps you might end up finding the second half of this book someday, allowing this extraordinary cultivation method to be whole once more. By then, I’ll be satisfied if you just show me the second half of the book.”

Li Qingshan accepted the jade slip and clasped his hands proudly. “Uncle, if I happen to have the fortune in the future, I’ll definitely return the complete copy of the Arts of the Boundless Ocean to you!”