Chapter 51: Chapter 22: Lucky Find? I’m Earning My Keep Through Real Skill

Confinement Cave.

While Huo Chang was busy outside, Shen Can was not idle in the tribe.

During these days, he visited Jifu every day to get closer.

He thought most secrets had been unearthed, but he hadn’t expected that Jifu’s experience in the Lingyu Tribe was the true foundation treasure.

Through Jifu’s words, he learned about what he called Spiritual Sense, the real name is Divine Sense or Witch Sense.

Only those with strong Divine Sense are suitable for Witch Cultivation.

The manifestation of strong Divine Sense in ordinary people is more like intuitive sensing, such as focusing completely on sensing the surroundings late at night.

However, this feeling is vague, and only after cultivating as a witch can one gradually enhance this ability.

Likewise, when Martial Artists reach the Celestial Vein Realm, due to the surge in blood and energy, they also develop a sense of their surroundings.

Youths in the Lingyu Tribe undergo three assessments between the ages of ten and fifteen.

The method of assessment is to enter a specially-designed dark bronze house.

Inside the house, various objects are present, and based on one’s ability to sense in the dark, it’s determined whether they have potential for Witch Cultivation.

After passing, they enter the Witch Hall as apprentices and after three to five years of apprenticeship, pinpoint their direction of Witch Cultivation.

Jifu chose Magical Combat.

When advancing to Tier One Wizard, Jifu could vaguely sense up to two zhang around him; upon advancing to Tier Two Wizard, this sensing strength increased to five zhang.

Subsequently, being confined for years and suffering physical injuries led to a decline.

Shen Can inferred that although Jifu had reached Tier Two Wizard, he hadn’t practiced much Tier Two Witchcraft, just a Tier Two facade.

But even if he was a facade, he was still trained for five years by the Lingyu Tribe’s witch apprentices.

During these five years, rotating through various basic witchcraft lessons in the Witch Hall, even if not learned, at least he was exposed to all of them.

Jifu could surely remember some Witch Runes, and Shen Can now not only doesn’t choose, but wishes to dig deep into Jifu’s knowledge to establish Blazing Flame Tribe’s own Witch Hall.

“If you’ve got the guts, then kill me!”

Jifu glared fiercely at Shen Can, eyes wide with anger.

“I am a mutated bloodline of Lingyu and cannot tolerate such humiliation from you!”

“Smack!”

With a slap, Jifu calmed down.

Shen Can said, “I’m interested in your past experiences in the Witch Hall.”

Jifu was taken aback and replied, “Did you learn the Spiritual Response Technique?”

He didn’t believe Shen Can could learn it; not only Shen Can, even the most talented witch apprentices in the Lingyu Tribe couldn’t learn it.

Because what he told Shen Can was incorrect.

No matter how he tried, he couldn’t learn it, and wasn’t it meant to make him ask for help?

Otherwise, how would he find the Ironwood Ship to seek the missing Martial Arts Techniques?

Once he got out…

Shen Can maintained a calm demeanor, not revealing Jifu’s misinformation about the Spiritual Response Technique.

Even if it’s wrong, slight progress is better than nothing at all, Jifu’s self-righteousness is not the issue, the fear was in his possible silence.

“Let’s talk about your Witch Cultivation experience first, we can discuss the Spiritual Response Technique later.”

“Didn’t learn it, did you,” Jifu mused to himself, then said, “First, give me something to eat.”

He didn’t want to endure torture again.

If they want information on Witch Cultivation, then he’d talk; did these wild outsiders from small tribes really think they could learn it?

The Lingyu Water Control Book is a massive tome, with its foundation covering numerous Chapters; the Lingyu Tribe’s five-year apprenticeship was meant to determine which kind of practice suited them.

In the past, he spent five years in the Witch Hall, and only after much circling did he choose Magical Combat Witchcraft. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn others; he simply didn’t have the talent for them.

The more Shen Can learned, the more he couldn’t master, ultimately leading to greater dependence on him.

“The year I was measured for a Divine Sense strength capable of Witch Cultivation, during the first year in the Witch Hall, I studied under the Spirit Plant Sect, mainly focusing on Cloud Rain Technique, which is indeed somewhat related to the Water Manipulation Technique.”

Jifu spoke, “Actually, I’m curious about how you learned the Water Manipulation Technique.”

“I watched you perform it, and then I knew.

Jifu paused for a moment, “You truly are a genius.”

“Cloud Rain Technique consists of twelve Witch Runes in total, which includes nine Witch Runes from the Water Manipulation Technique.”

…

Into the night.

[You tried in vain to perform the Cloud Rain Technique repeatedly, spending half a year without getting started, swiftly abandoning the sequence of Witch Runes of the Cloud Rain Technique and starting anew]

[In the tenth year, you successfully performed the Cloud Rain Technique, Jifu truly tripped you up]

On the stone bed, Shen Can awoke.

He had earned two Witch Runes not derived, but it only cost him ten years of life.

Spirit Response Technique from the Artifact Refining Chapter, Cloud Rain Technique from the Spirit Plant Chapter, both are basic applied witchcraft, not bad at all.

Let the dog bask in his pride for a few more days.

…

Ten days later.

The first piece of intelligence concerning the Upper Huang Division was sent back.

“The Upper Huang Tribe has located the sunken ship and has already gathered many fragments of the Ironwood Ship.”

“They are mobilizing the entire tribe to refine ten thousand jun of crude iron, preparing to exchange goods at the Copper Shell Ruins Market.”

Shen Can spread out the beast hide scroll in his hand and saw the content on it.

The intel was personally delivered by Huo Hou, while Huo Chang was still infiltrating the Upper Huang Tribe.

No wonder the Upper Huang Tribe hasn’t shown up after the plague; they had more important matters to attend to.

“Seems like the sunken Ironwood Ship nearby won’t have any share for us,” Huo Xian sighed after reading the message.

He thought the natural calamity would be a stepping stone for the Blazing Flame Tribe, but it seems the Upper Huang weren’t just victims of misfortune; they too obtained a great opportunity.

The message sent back by Huo Chang indicated that the Upper Huang Tribe’s numbers are three times that of the Blazing Flame, even having two thousand miner slaves.

“Master, do you know where this Copper Shell Ruins Market is?”

“I don’t know,” Huo Xian shook his head.

“Even the Upper Huang Tribe only has crude iron to use for bartering, what do we have?

What we possess, other tribes have as well. Besides, with our tribe’s strength at the time, we didn’t have the capability to go to the Ruins Market.”

“Atang also hasn’t returned. Looks like he wants to gather more intel on the Upper Huang.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Can lightly laughed; the Upper Huang would never suspect that Huo Chang would shamelessly eavesdrop.

However, the Upper Huang Tribe is a step ahead with the sunken ship; trying to seize it would require going to war with them.

Shen Can roughly assessed both sides’ strength. Unless the Blazing Flame Tribe could stealthily infiltrate the Upper Huang and use Mafei Powder on them,

otherwise, he bets on the Blazing Flame Tribe losing.

The sunken ship nearby has been excavated, and the Great Marsh doesn’t have the ability to search again in the short term; it seems his mastery of the Spiritual Response Technique is useless here.

“Not right.”

Shen Can quickly realized.

Even if the Upper Huang Tribe’s heritage spans twice as long as the Blazing Flame Tribe, if they could neutralize him, then his efforts would be in vain.

Fragments of the scattered Ironwood Ship have floated to the Blazing Flame Tribe, meaning they spread over a wide area, most likely found using human wave tactics by the Upper Huang Tribe.

Such a vast area, can the Upper Huang Tribe search it thoroughly?

Shen Can felt that luck was too elusive; now he wanted to rely on strength.

“Digging everywhere, who can dig better than me?”

…

More than ten days later.

Sunken Ship Hills.

The terrain here is more gentle, but the rolling and connected mountains cover a vast area.

A collision mark stretching a mile appears on the western side of this hilly land.

The terrain intricately intertwines, with ravines crisscrossing, easily blocking the rushing floodwaters and allowing fragmented pieces of the Ironwood Ship to slowly sink to the bottom.

Before them, this entire area is filled with various pits and ravines dug out.

The tribespeople who came with Shen Can were somewhat dazed looking at this place, as if it had been plowed by wild boars.

It’s only upon reaching the place that they could understand how much effort the Upper Huang Tribe has put in, like they’ve thoroughly cultivated this whole area.

“Ancestral Temple Keeper, can we still find anything?”

“Better than scavenging, why not move this entire mountain to their tribe,” Huo Shan scratched his head and looked at Shen Can, “Acan, what should we do?”

…

“Dig!”

Shen Can raised his hand, casting the Spiritual Response Technique.

A misty fog appeared before him, shimmering with a rainbow hue in the sunlight, descending onto the land below.

If there were any buried Witch Artifacts or fragments underground, the rainbow mist would be quickly absorbed.

Before the mist dispersed, Shen Can moved to the next place, marking each surveyed location with a wooden stake.

Moreover, he also used his Divine Sense, but unfortunately, the effect was poor and could only serve as an aid.

Before long, a fluctuation appeared, causing the tribespeople to show delight.

But after digging it out, it turned out to be just a palm-sized fragment.

A day later.

“Everyone get up, I’ll do the digging!”

After consecutively digging up small fragments, Huo Shan directly started digging with his saber in hand.

With a clank, a black fish-scale Ring-Headed Saber emerged, and Huo Shan’s saber broke upon contact.

“Ha, good saber.”

Casually tossing aside his saber, Huo Shan picked up the Ring-Headed Saber from the dirt and wiped it clean on his clothes.

“Acan, it’s a Witch Weapon!”

Shen Can stood above, guarded by four ’bodyguards’.

Should danger arise, the four’s task was to carry him and flee.

No choice, as everyone knows, the Ancestral Temple Keeper’s physique is not ideal.

Shen Can also felt he had to conceal his training in Martial Arts, hiding it deeply, for someday it might allow him to catch others off guard.

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