Crow Immortal: I Can Duplicate Infinite Resources

Chapter 190: Rewards at the Technique Pavilion

The night was thick, an inky void that seemed ready to drip onto the forest floor. It swallowed the trees, shrouding the world in oppressive silence.

Moonlight struggled to penetrate the dense canopy, casting only pale, anemic slivers of illumination that were quickly devoured by the shadows. The air was stagnant. Not a leaf stirred, as if the forest itself was holding its breath under the weight of the grim work being done.

Han Yu walked a few paces behind Sect Leader Qi. Further back, Elder Lü and Elder Yan were methodically processing the “harvest”—the long string of cultivators bound by the Sect Leader’s living vines.

It was a tedious task. They had to sort the wheat from the chaff: Wanchun Valley deserters, murderers, Demonic Cultivators, and the spies from the Spirit Beast Sect, Mystic One Sect, and Little Sky Net Sect. Even for Golden Core cultivators, sifting through the souls and sins of so many prisoners was draining.

“Han Yu,” Sect Leader Qi spoke, his back still turned. “What other uses does the Star Luo Traction Technique possess?”

Han Yu considered the question. He recited the descriptions from the jade slip, then added his own practical observations.

“To the naked eye, the Star Luo Thread is invisible. But to the user, it is a sensory extension. It can move objects, intercept techniques, and restrain enemies with surprising efficacy.”

He paused, then added, “There is another application I haven’t fully utilized in combat yet. The threads can snatch a Magical Artifact from an enemy’s grip, or even turn it against them. If timed correctly, it is fatal.”

“Beyond combat,” Han Yu continued, “it has a natural resonance with the arts of the Little Sky Net Sect. It can sense and refine their Heavenly Secret Spindles and manipulate their threads. And finally… the Star Sensing Art. It reveals seven extra stars in the night sky.”

Sect Leader Qi listened in silence.

After a long moment, he sighed. “It is clearly a supreme secret technique. Why would my old friend give such a treasure—something that clearly belongs to the core inheritance of the Myriad Phenomena Sect—to me? Even after a century, I cannot solve this riddle.”

Qi turned slightly, his profile illuminated by a stray beam of moonlight. “Han Yu. Do you have such a friend?”

“I once did,” Han Yu lied smoothly, inventing a backstory to cover the existence of his System. “At first, he only helped me in passing, a transaction of sorts. Later, he assisted me greatly. But our paths diverged, and we never crossed again. Thinking back… he is likely dead.”

“If only he were alive,” Qi murmured. “Did this friend also give you important things?”

Han Yu nodded. “Yes.”

“And what…” Qi hesitated, a strange vulnerability in his voice. “What kind of feelings did he hold for you?”

Han Yu thought about it. “I suppose it was the care of an elder looking out for a junior.”

Sect Leader Qi stiffened. “An elder… looking out for a junior?”

The air around the Sect Leader grew heavy with unspoken melancholy.

Is that it? Qi thought, a bitter taste in his mouth. Did she see me as just a silly child to be looked after?

Realizing he was on the verge of losing his composure in front of a disciple, Sect Leader Qi cleared his throat and forced his emotions back behind a wall of dignity.

“Let us return.”

By the time they rejoined the others, Elder Yan and Elder Lü had sorted the prisoners into three groups.

The first group consisted of Wanchun Valley disciples and minor offenders—those who needed punishment but not execution.

The second group was the condemned—murderers and hardcore practitioners of Demonic Arts.

The third group was the problem. Two disciples from the Mystic One Sect and two from the Little Sky Net Sect.

These four were calm, even arrogant. They claimed they were official envoys sent to the Green Grain Market for diplomatic communication, and their capture at the Small Gathering was a misunderstanding.

Sect Leader Qi frowned at them. “You claim your sects will vouch for your presence here?”

The four nodded vigorously. “Yes, Sect Leader Qi. We have our tokens.”

Qi exchanged a glance with Elder Yan. Their Divine Sense collided in a silent, rapid-fire conversation.

“Do they have tokens?” Qi asked.

“They do,” Yan replied.

“So we have to open diplomatic channels? Negotiate for their release?”

“Negotiation is pointless,” Elder Yan’s mental voice was sharp and cold. “The Little Sky Net Sect is hostile. The Mystic One Sect is a fence-sitter. We know this. If we negotiate, we look weak, and they will deny everything anyway while demanding concessions for ‘wrongful capture.'”

Yan’s eyes narrowed. “I say we kill them all. Right here. Why keep the trouble? We are in the right, but politics will make us the losers.”

Sect Leader Qi paused. Then, he transmitted a single thought. “Good. I leave the dirty work to you.”

Aloud, Sect Leader Qi turned to Han Yu. “Walk with me. We need to discuss your Foundation Establishment.”

Han Yu was confused. Didn’t we just talk about this? But he saw the glint in the Sect Leader’s eye and followed without question.

They had barely walked ten paces when a thunderous roar erupted behind them.

“HOW DARE YOU!”

Elder Yan’s voice boomed through the forest, followed by a violent explosion of Qi.

BOOM!

Han Yu spun around.

The four “diplomatic envoys”—along with the condemned Demonic Cultivators nearby—had been reduced to a fine red mist. Elder Yan stood amidst the carnage, his face twisted in a mask of righteous fury.

“Sect Leader!” Elder Yan shouted, clutching his chest as if wounded. “These treacherous dogs! One of them tried to poison me with a hidden mechanism! I reacted in self-defense!”

He bowed deeply to Qi, his face tragic. “I struck too hard in my anger and left no survivors. Please punish me, Sect Leader!”

Sect Leader Qi put on a performance of shock. “Elder Yan! You… sigh.”

Qi shook his head, his expression pained. “Well. Since they dared to attack a Golden Core Elder, their deaths are on their own heads. It cannot be helped. Let us pretend this unfortunate incident never happened.”

“If their sects come asking,” Qi added with grave seriousness, “I will explain how they died attempting to assassinate our Elder.”

Han Yu watched the two Golden Core masters effortlessly construct a narrative to bury the diplomatic incident. He kept his face blank, filing away the lesson: When you have power, you write the truth.

The return to Wanchun Valley was swift. The massive green vines retracted, dragging the surviving prisoners behind the Green Jade Gourd.

It had been a profitable night. They had purged the spies, dismantled the illicit gathering outside the market, and secured the sect’s perimeter.

Upon arrival, the Deacons took custody of the prisoners. Elder Bai was summoned immediately.

When told about Li Xuan—the spy who had embedded himself as Bai Lingyun’s best friend—Elder Bai’s face turned the color of a bruised plum.

“That boy Lingyun…” Elder Bai grit his teeth. “We spoiled him too much. Now every piece of trash thinks they can use him as a stepping stone.”

“I will go back and discipline him,” Elder Bai promised, his voice trembling with anger. “I’ll lock him in confinement and screen every single one of his so-called friends. This will not happen again.”

He stormed off.

Elder Lü watched him go, then hesitated. “If he investigates Bai Seventeen… he might find something. But if I tell him to investigate Seventeen, he will take it as an insult.”

“No rush,” Sect Leader Qi said, smiling faintly. “Tomorrow, the sect-wide inspection begins. Just like tonight. If there are problems in his house, he will find them himself. We cannot be soft-hearted anymore.”

Elder Lü nodded. “Sect Leader. How should we calculate my disciple’s merit for this operation?”

“Ah, the merit.”

Sect Leader Qi looked at Han Yu, his expression warming.

“I have been considering a new policy. Han Yu is a special case. His ‘Universal Comprehension’ requires broad knowledge.”

Qi declared, “From this day forward, Han Yu is granted unrestricted access to the Technique Pavilion. He may read any Jade Slip at the Qi Refining level without deducting Minor Merit. He only needs to pay the material cost for copying—one Spirit Stone per slip.”

Han Yu’s eyes widened.

One Spirit Stone? That was effectively free. He could learn dozens of techniques—Formations, Alchemy, Talismans—for the price of a cheap meal.

Elder Lü beamed, nudging his disciple. “Han Yu! Thank the Sect Leader!”

“Thank you, Sect Leader!” Han Yu bowed deeply.

“Also,” Elder Lü added, pressing his luck, “The storage bags from those four Little Sky Net Sect disciples… can Han Yu have them? The Heavenly Secret Spindles might help him improve his Star Luo Traction Technique.”

Sect Leader Qi chuckled and tossed four blood-stained storage bags to Elder Lü.

“Take them. And Han Yu,” Qi added, “The techniques we confiscated from the rogue cultivators will also be added to the library. Feel free to browse them.”

Han Yu caught the implication. “Will the Mystic One Sect’s Heart-Talisman Unity be there?”

Sect Leader Qi shook his head, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Officially? Impossible. Putting a rival sect’s core technique in our public library would be an open declaration of war.”

He winked. “But if you really want to see it… I might accidentally drop a copy at your Master’s house. You can take a look then.”

“Understood,” Han Yu said, suppressing a grin. “Thank you, Sect Leader!”