Chapter 401: Recorders of Past and Present (Part Twelve)

Liu Yizhi felt a chill run through him.
An inner sect elder had actually died here.
And he was the only one who knew.
Liu Yizhi's first thought was to report this to the sect... after all, the death of an inner sect elder was no small matter.
But he quickly suppressed this thought.
Although discovering the death of an inner sect elder was a merit to the sect, it would only earn him a few dozen low-grade spirit stones, or perhaps a few bottles of second-grade pills... If it were Liu Yizhi before today, a few dozen low-grade spirit stones or a few bottles of second-grade pills would have been an unimaginable fortune.
Now, the contents of that storage ring were worth far more than just a few dozen low-grade spirit stones and a few bottles of second-grade pills.
The basic spirit stones alone numbered in the tens of thousands, piled up to the side like a small mountain, in addition to a dazzling array of pills and treasures.
"Elder, if you have a spirit in heaven, please don't blame your disciple... My talent is inferior to that of outstanding geniuses like Zhang Hong and Song Xing, and my family background is not as good as that of scions of great sects like Wang Xingjian and Zhao Jingfu. Although I have a firm heart for martial arts, it has burdened me."
Having said this, Liu Yizhi knelt on the ground, his fingers and head pressed firmly to the ground, and respectfully bowed deeply to the dead corpse. He then said, "Although I, Liu Yizhi, am a complete stranger to you, Elder, I swear that if I can cultivate to a powerful realm, I will find the enemy who killed you and avenge you!"
Liu Yizhi clutched his storage ring, slowly rose, found a wasteland, dug a deep pit, casually picked up Li Zhiyuan's corpse, and placed it in the pit.
"Elder... all I can do now is offer you a peaceful burial. When I achieve great success in the future, I will erect a monument for you. Please forgive me, Elder."
As Liu Yizhi finished speaking, he heard the sound of something falling to the ground.
It turned out that the deceased elder had loosened his grip on the mask, which fell to the ground. Liu Yizhi knew this mask was no ordinary item; after all, if it were, an inner sect elder wouldn't have held onto it until death.
Liu Yizhi picked up the mask; it was cool to the touch and looked extremely precious.
"Thank you for the treasure, Master... I will certainly not fail you!"
The hands that had been tightly clutching the mask had suddenly released it. Liu Yizhi believed this was the deceased elder's spirit in heaven acknowledging him, which moved him deeply. He then buried the deceased elder, Li Zhiyuan, and, suppressing his trembling heart, rushed back to his residence in the sect—a clean and tidy stone brick house.
After confirming that no one was around, Liu Yizhi finally relaxed and carefully took the mask out of his robes. He began to carefully study its uses.
However, after studying it for a long time, Liu Yizhi couldn't find anything special about the mask. He only knew that it was definitely a superior magical artifact, but the problem was that he was inexperienced and didn't know what level of magical artifact it was.
"A mask, a mask, isn't it just for wearing?"
Liu Yizhi suddenly realized, inwardly cursing himself for being an idiot for taking so long to figure out such a simple question.
He had never seen such a high-level magical artifact before. He had imagined it would require chanting incantations or some kind of blood oath, and that even if the blood dried up, the mask wouldn't budge. Thinking this, Liu Yizhi put the mask on. As the cool touch rubbed against his face, Liu Yizhi felt something different, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Liu Yizhi. A thin film covered his body. He felt incredibly hungry, yet his mind became increasingly clear...
The Heavenly Origin Technique: Awakening Chapter. This was a required course for every outer disciple of the Heavenly Origin Sect. Its rank was low, only allowing cultivation up to the peak of the ninth level of the Awakening Realm. The cultivation process was divided into entry-level, minor success, major success, and perfection. The closer to perfection, the faster the cultivation speed, sometimes by several times.
Liu Yizhi had spent three months cultivating the Heavenly Origin Awakening Chapter to minor success after joining the Heavenly Origin Sect, and now he had directly reached major success, his cultivation level breaking through from the sixth to the seventh level of the Awakening Realm.
Seventh level... For an outer disciple like him who had only recently joined the Tianyuan Sect, this was considered a minor genius. With some effort, he had a glimmer of hope of entering the inner sect.
"This mask can actually enhance my thinking and improve my comprehension!"
Liu Yizhi wanted to burst into laughter, but he couldn't. He could only cover his mouth with his hand. He knew he had obtained an incredible opportunity; in the future, he might very well successfully enter the inner sect and become a prominent figure like an inner sect elder!
With the resources and the mask that could enhance comprehension, Liu Yizhi progressed rapidly. In just one year, his cultivation reached the peak of the ninth level of the Qi Awakening Realm. It's worth mentioning that within the first month of obtaining the mask, the Qi Awakening Chapter of the Tianyuan Technique reached perfection with the mask's help; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cultivate so quickly.
After reaching the ninth level of the Spirit Awakening Realm, the next step is Spirit Gathering. However, the free cultivation method provided by the Tianyuan Sect only allows cultivation up to the peak of the ninth level. To obtain a Spirit Gathering cultivation method, he still needs to enter the library to choose a method at the Spirit Gathering level... Although there are Spirit Gathering level methods in his ring, Liu Yizhi dares not practice them. He secretly concealed the death of a sect elder and even appropriated his treasures; if discovered, even ten lives wouldn't be enough for him.
Fortunately, Liu Yizhi reached the peak of the ninth level of the Spirit Awakening Realm within two years, allowing him to choose a free Spirit Gathering cultivation method—a form of cultivation from the sect.
Liu Yizhi chose a method called the Qian Yuan Technique for his cultivation after reaching the ninth level. With the mask's enhancement, he secluded himself for over two months, focusing solely on eating, drinking, and cultivation. He finally mastered the basics of the Qian Yuan Technique, and his cultivation broke through to the Spirit Gathering Realm.
Gathering Spirit Realm... Of those who entered the Tianyuan Sect at the same time as him, only Zhao Jingfu, who was both talented and from a good family, broke through to the Gathering Spirit Realm. Moreover, he didn't lead him for long. You should know that Zhao Jingfu had already been valued by an elder of the inner sect, and in the future, he would naturally be accepted as a disciple by an elder with real power when he entered the inner sect.