Chapter 76 - 73: It Took Me 3 Days

"What? The Vast Sect? The one that was wiped out fifty years ago?" A look of profound shock appeared on Mo Qianqian’s face.

He had heard people from the Cloud Void Sect and Tai Xuan Academy mention the Vast Sect before. In fact, his Vast Spear Technique had been mistaken for their ultimate skill. He still hadn’t figured out what connection the sect had with that armored middle-aged man, yet this old man before him was suddenly bringing them up. He wondered, "Could he be a member of the Vast Sect?"

"It seems the prestige of my Vast Sect hasn’t completely faded after all. Even a greenhorn like you has heard of it," the unkempt old man said with a long sigh.

Mo Qianqian wanted to say that he had only just heard of it today, but he decided not to embarrass the man. Instead, he asked, "Are you from the Vast Sect, Senior?" Judging by his words, this old man was likely a survivor of the sect, rather than some ancient entity sealed underground.

"I am the Sect Leader of the Vast Sect. Fifty years ago, I barely escaped with my life and retreated into the ancient array at the Bone-Eroding Spiritual Source," the unkempt old man explained.

"The Sect Leader of the Vast Sect!" Mo Qianqian was startled. He wasn’t just some ordinary Elder or disciple, but the actual Sect Leader! His strength had to be formidable.

"Senior, do you know anything about that armored middle-aged man?" Mo Qianqian quickly asked. He wondered if the old man had seen the figure in armor. Logically, if he managed to break out from the underground array, he should have seen him. He also wanted to know if there was any actual connection between the Vast Sect and the armored man.

"I have no idea who those two entities were. I was merely trapped in a certain location. I only had the chance to escape when the ancient array’s seal was broken," the unkempt old man replied. Just mentioning the ancient array left him with lingering fear.

Hearing this, Mo Qianqian finally realized that the old man was completely clueless about the armored middle-aged man.

"Senior, do you know the origins of the Vast Sect’s ultimate skill, the Vast Spear Technique?" Mo Qianqian asked.

"You brat. You haven’t even officially become my disciple, yet you’re already scheming for the Vast Spear Technique?" the unkempt old man said, glancing at the spear in Mo Qianqian’s hand.

Mo Qianqian was speechless. The old man probably didn’t know that he had already mastered the first two stances of the Vast Spear Technique. He wondered, "Did he not see my performance during the battle just now?"

If he wanted to take him in as a disciple, it was probably just because he thought Mo Qianqian possessed some great treasure. But on second thought, it made sense. When he had used the Vast Spear Technique to fight the others earlier, the underground seal hadn’t been completely broken yet. The old man likely only saw the very end of the clash.

"This Vast Spear Technique..." Mo Qianqian was about to speak, but the unkempt old man cut him off.

"No rush. Once we find a safe place, I’ll personally demonstrate it for you."

Afterward, the unkempt old man swiftly navigated and wove his way through the forest.

Several hours later.

As sunset approached, they finally entered a hidden location, coming to a halt on the forest floor surrounded by towering ancient trees.

"Brat, I heard that old fossil say you have some treasure on you?" the unkempt old man suddenly asked.

Mo Qianqian’s brow twitched. "Senior, I truly don’t have anything on me. Feel free to search me."

The unkempt old man remained noncommittal and asked, "And what about that Spiritual Source? How did it disappear?"

"That armored middle-aged man took the Spiritual Source and vanished. I have no idea where he went," Mo Qianqian hastily explained.

WHOOSH!

The next moment, an inexplicable aura suddenly erupted from the unkempt old man and enveloped Mo Qianqian.

Mo Qianqian immediately felt a sense of unease. It felt as if someone was thoroughly probing him, trying to strip away all his secrets and see right through him. Yet, there was nothing he could do. Facing this unkempt old man, he didn’t have the slightest power to resist.

The unkempt old man quickly withdrew his aura. Looking up at the sky, he declared with an expression of absolute righteousness, "I, Li Haoran, would never stoop so low as to steal a junior’s fortuitous encounter."

Mo Qianqian was rendered speechless. He thought, "You only say something so awe-inspiringly righteous after you’ve already thoroughly inspected me?" Li Haoran—his name certainly carried an air of vast righteousness. But was this person truly as righteous as his name implied?

"Since those two terrifying entities didn’t kill you, you truly possess great luck, kid." Li Haoran then glanced down at the spear in Mo Qianqian’s hand and instructed, "Go on. Execute your spear technique for me. Let me see if you have the aptitude to practice the Vast Spear Technique."

"Um, Senior, actually..." Mo Qianqian stammered blankly.

"What is it?" Li Haoran’s gaze turned sharp.

"Nothing. I’ll go execute it right now," Mo Qianqian hurriedly said. He had originally wanted to tell him that his spear technique *was* the Vast Spear Technique. But since the old man was calling the shots, he didn’t dare say much more and could only proceed to demonstrate it.

"The heavens and earth harbor vast righteousness!" Mo Qianqian shouted at the top of his lungs. An incredibly dense aura of vast righteousness emanated from his body, and an aura of absolute masculinity and unyielding power flooded the surroundings.

"Vast Firmament!" Mo Qianqian took a step forward and thrust out an immensely tyrannical spear strike. The tip of the spear was impeccably precise, its power pushed to the absolute limit. As the spear shot forward, the very void itself seemed to freeze in place.

"What!" Li Haoran’s eyes went wide, so bulging they nearly popped out of their sockets. "The Vast Spear Technique! You... you... you..." He was so shocked he could barely speak.

He had merely thought that since Mo Qianqian practiced a spear technique, he might be well-suited to learn the Vast Spear Technique. He just wanted to see a demonstration to gauge the boy’s natural talent for the spear. Yet, Mo Qianqian had directly executed the Vast Spear Technique! But most importantly, how could this technique—this vast righteousness—be far purer than his own?

"How... how do you know the Vast Spear Technique?" Li Haoran asked, his face utterly bewildered.

"Senior, I was just about to tell you..." Mo Qianqian said helplessly. He had wanted to speak, but the old man hadn’t let him. What else could he have done?

"Then why didn’t you say so earlier?" Li Haoran couldn’t help but ask.

Mo Qianqian was speechless. He thought, "You didn’t let me speak!"

"Where did you learn it from?" Li Haoran pressed.

"I... I snatched this spear in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, and then... I acquired the Vast Spear Technique," Mo Qianqian fibbed. He didn’t want to bring up the armored middle-aged man, as that involved the Ninefold Coffin. It was hard to explain and better left unsaid to avoid causing even greater trouble.

Li Haoran simply snatched the dark red spear from Mo Qianqian’s hand and quickly inspected it. "It’s not a Spiritual Soldier, though it’s close to being one. The material is indeed quite extraordinary.

"However, trying to fool me won’t be that easy."

Mo Qianqian frowned. It seemed the old man wouldn’t be easily fooled.

"Nevertheless, everyone has their own fortuitous encounters. Since you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you."

Hearing Li Haoran’s words, Mo Qianqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to respond. Now that the old man was dropping the subject, he wouldn’t have to spin any more lies.

"How long did it take you to learn this Vast Spear Technique?" Li Haoran immediately asked, curiosity written all over his face.

Only he truly understood how difficult the Vast Spear Technique was to master. Even in his youth, when he was hailed as the number one genius of the Vast Sect, it had taken him four years to master the first stance. The second stance had taken him a grueling eight years. Even after he ascended to the position of Sect Leader, he hadn’t managed to successfully learn the third stance. It wasn’t until he was trapped inside the array all these years that he finally mastered it.

It was safe to say that in the Vast Sect’s heyday, no one else had been able to master the third stance, and few had even reached the second. Mo Qianqian’s bone age looked to be only around sixteen. For him to master the first stance at such a young age meant his talent was absolutely monstrous. There was no way he could have started practicing the Vast Spear Technique as a mere toddler. Naturally, Li Haoran guessed that Mo Qianqian had probably come into contact with the technique five to eight years ago. If it had taken him five to eight years, then the boy’s talent was comparable to his own.

However, Mo Qianqian replied, "I spent three days on the first stance."