Chapter 1450: Choosing a Technique (Part Two)
The methods of soul cultivators were not just aimed at their enemies; even when directed at the cultivators themselves, they possessed a kind of ruthless cruelty.
Take the Seven Pos Rainbow Light, for example. Although it was said to be for refining clones, when the clones were finally created, they each had their own consciousness and personality. That would be eight different versions of oneself.
If one truly cultivated to that state, would that still be oneself? For Li Yan, he would absolutely not allow different versions of himself to exist.
Another technique Li Yan saw involved separating a portion of one’s soul and implanting it into an unconscious corpse. The separated soul, through this technique, would keep the corpse’s consciousness in constant sync with one’s own.
Even if one’s original body’s soul were to be scattered one day, one could still achieve immortality in an alternative way.
Some techniques were even more extreme, allowing one to refine the souls of powerful cultivators into a pure form and merge them with one’s own soul to rapidly increase one’s soul power.
But a fusion was a fusion. If it wasn’t one’s own soul being strengthened through cultivation, a single misstep could lead to the cultivator themselves becoming foolish and deranged, no longer able to distinguish between reality and illusion.
“The soul cultivators’ understanding of the laws of the soul has reached a very fanatical level…”
After looking at one technique after another, Li Yan always ended up hesitating and did not make a choice immediately.
If Li Yan had been exposed to these techniques when he first embarked on the immortal path, he probably wouldn’t feel anything strange seeing them now.
But he was a cultivator who had walked the traditional immortal path, and many things were already ingrained in him.
Bloodiness and ruthlessness were just a person’s style of handling things. This was different from actually putting some incomprehensible things onto oneself…
“Saintly Soul Transformation, Technique Level: Qi Condensation to Nascent Soul. Price: One hundred two-hundred-year ‘Soul Crystal Sprouts.’
This technique refines the seven Pos and three Huns into the sun and moon. Yin and yang unite, dragon and tiger harmonize. The Yang Pos and Yin Huns are called the alternation of day and night, capable of cycling the changes of heaven and earth…
When the Yang Pos and Yin Huns reach great success, the soul and po unite to become the Taiji Saintly Soul. The shadows of the three Huns and seven Pos will be no more. As long as the sun and moon do not perish, the original soul will not perish. Reincarnation and rebirth will all be transformed into the self…”
As Li Yan looked through the rows, he suddenly saw such a technique, and his body trembled.
“Saintly Soul Transformation… Yang Pos and Yin Huns, the sun and moon do not perish, the original soul does not perish… This is immortality?”
After seeing the introduction on the bone plaque, a look of horror appeared on Li Yan’s face. Compared to other techniques, this bone plaque only had a simple introduction.
But the words described on it made Li Yan never imagine that there could be such a technique in the world, one that dared to claim immortality. But he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
“…No, according to the bone plaque, this technique can only be cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm. How could it possibly reach the state of being as glorious as the sun and moon?
I’ve only seen Shuang Qingqing’s soul being preserved due to the peculiar nature of the ‘Ancient Grotto Black Hole.’
That might be because of the laws of time in the space she was in. That’s an external force, not caused by an internal cultivation technique…
This technique must be an exaggeration. The Buddhist claim of the undying and indestructible Vajra Body also seems to be just a legend. At least in the Immortal Spirit Realm, they also have the concept of reincarnation and being reborn as a Son of Buddha.
If this technique were really like this, then as long as one cultivates it to the Nascent Soul realm, wouldn’t soul cultivators be able to roam the entire Immortal Spirit Realm freely, without needing to hide…”
Li Yan’s gaze was fixed on the bone plaque, his mind racing with thoughts.
To step into eternal life was the ultimate goal of every cultivator. To achieve this, each of them had cut through thorns and braved storms of blood.
But here, there was such a technique, and it was displayed so easily for people to see. This was too unbelievable.
Logically, Li Yan felt his analysis was correct, so he should be able to just leave. But this was the Technique Transmission Pavilion of the Soul-Suppression Palace; they shouldn’t make such a low-level mistake.
“Does this mean that this technique is extremely difficult to cultivate, or that…”
“This fellow Daoist must be new to the sect. You’ve been standing before this technique for a long time. This is just an incomplete manual; at most, it can only be cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, hehehe…”
Just then, a low voice suddenly came over. It was clearly suppressed, as the person’s voice still held a clear and bright tone.
Hearing this, Li Yan immediately turned around.
He had already sensed the presence of others in this row. A moment ago, there were three or four people moving ahead, and now only himself and the person behind him were left.
As Li Yan turned his head, he saw a young man dressed in a dark green long robe standing not far to his left.
Seeing this person’s face, Li Yan couldn’t help but praise him silently in his heart.
Although he had sensed someone behind him earlier, he hadn’t looked. Now, upon seeing him, he felt a little ashamed of his own appearance.
“What a fine-looking man. Compared to Senior Brother Wuyi, he seems to be on par!”
Among the people Li Yan knew, Li Wuyi was the man he considered to have the most perfect appearance. Of course, judging a person was not just about looks, but also about the unique temperament they exuded.
The man before him looked to be in his early twenties. His black hair shone with the light of youth, his eyes were like bright stars, and his brows were elegantly shaped. He had a tall and slender figure, similar in height to Li Yan, but he carried an air of dashing elegance.
At this moment, he stood with one hand behind his back, his long robe flowing, facing a red light cluster on the bookshelf. He had turned his face to the side, and his pair of dark eyes were also looking at Li Yan.
“Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Li Yan!”
Hearing the person’s gentle words and seeing no mockery or malice on his face, Li Yan cupped his fist towards him.
The young man in the green robe also looked Li Yan up and down. He felt that although this person’s appearance was ordinary, his striking short hair gave him an unshakable, mountain-like feeling, as if his whole being contained infinite power.
“Could this person have also cultivated his physical body at the same time?”
Soul cultivators focused more on meditation. They needed more time for quiet sitting than normal Dharma cultivators to continuously strengthen their soul power, but their weak physical bodies were a common problem.
Therefore, some soul cultivators were willing to squeeze out some time to cultivate their physical bodies to make up for their weaknesses and shortcomings. However, such cultivators were relatively rare among soul cultivators.
“Greetings, Fellow Daoist Li. Tang Feng!”
Tang Feng also raised his hands and returned the salute.
“Is Fellow Daoist Tang very familiar with this technique?”
“Not too familiar, but it’s said that this technique has been here for a long time. Almost every new disciple who comes here, more than eighty percent of them will stop and gaze at it for a long time after seeing its introduction.
Moreover, there are even some who end up cultivating this technique. I saw you lingering here for a long time, Fellow Daoist Li, so I guessed that you were also unfamiliar with this technique.”
As Tang Feng spoke, he raised his finger and pointed at the red light cluster in front of Li Yan.
Just a few sentences, and Li Yan had already picked up on some issues.
Especially when the other party said, “there are even some who cultivate it.” In Li Yan’s view, this tone indicated that there was a big problem with cultivating this technique.
“Oh? From what Fellow Daoist Tang says, could it be that this technique cannot be cultivated, or that the introduction is exaggerated, or that some problem will arise after cultivating it? I would appreciate your guidance!”
“Hehehe, some say that this technique is an incomplete manual that the old Sect Master of the sect obtained from the outside world. Perhaps that’s the reason.
Of course, there are people in the sect who have cultivated it. It’s just that it’s said to be very difficult to cultivate, and the cultivation speed is very slow. This is what those who have cultivated it say.
And look at what the bone plaque says. The technique is supposed to cultivate the entire soul completely. But now, this technique is said to only be able to cultivate the power of three Huns and two Pos. A technique that has lost the methods for five Pos should be the missing part of the technique!
Cultivating such a technique will inevitably make it impossible to fully unleash the power of the soul.
However, this technique does have its unique points. It can make the soul more condensed, which accelerates the speed at which the soul grows stronger.
This allows a cultivator to last longer when using soul power to fight enemies, and the power of the soul arts they unleash can also be much stronger.
At the same time, at the final stage of this cultivation, it should be able to form a light membrane on the outer layer of the soul, providing great defense for the soul. This is something that many techniques cannot compare to.
It’s just that it seems extremely difficult to reach this level. Forming the light membrane should also be the highest realm of this incomplete manual.
Besides that, as for being indestructible like the sun and moon, and the original soul never perishing, no one knows. After all, it’s just an incomplete manual and cannot be verified!”
After saying this, Tang Feng shook his head.
Although this technique had its advantages, there were also many techniques that could make the soul more condensed and tempered. The key was that other techniques had faster results than this one.
Cultivators already didn’t have enough time to cultivate. Who would be willing to waste their time?
As for the soul’s defensive light membrane that could be cultivated at the highest realm of this incomplete manual, it was unknown how many cultivators had given up on it in the end.
“I see. Thank you, Fellow Daoist Tang!”
After hearing all this, Li Yan immediately smiled and nodded at the other party to express his thanks.
Tang Feng also showed his white teeth and smiled slightly. Then, he paid no more attention to Li Yan and walked straight ahead.
Li Yan watched his disappearing back, then raised his finger and rubbed his nose. He then turned his gaze back to the bone plaque introducing the “Saintly Soul Transformation.”
“Tempering and purifying the soul, this is the foundation of all techniques, and also the solid foundation of soul cultivation that I lack most…
Moreover, to be able to cultivate a true soul defense, that light membrane should be something like a Spirit Power shield. It’s difficult to cultivate successfully, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
Compared to other techniques, this technique, due to being an incomplete manual and very difficult to cultivate successfully, its price is not expensive. It only requires one hundred two-hundred-year Soul Crystal Sprouts…”
Li Yan thought to himself.
He had cultivated the True Scripture of Gui Water. When it came to choosing a technique, he would only be more pragmatic.
When any cultivator cultivated a technique, they actually hoped to be able to cultivate just one technique but gain the benefits of ten techniques.
So, when choosing a technique, they would try their best to choose one that was powerful, fast to cultivate, and even came with auxiliary arts.
But Li Yan’s cultivation journey was different. He had started with a technique like the True Scripture of Gui Water, which didn’t even have accompanying basic arts at the beginning.
So, he had long grown accustomed to this cultivation model. The key points he valued were different from others…
An hour later, Li Yan’s figure reappeared on the first floor of the Technique Transmission Pavilion.
At the entrance, a middle-aged female cultivator was checking Li Yan’s token. When she sensed the recorded content inside, a flash of surprise also passed through her eyes.
She knew that this was another newcomer trying to cultivate this technique. Indeed, a divine ability that could temper and strengthen the soul and also cultivate a soul defense was something she had also wanted to obtain when she first saw it.
But she wouldn’t bother to say anything more to Li Yan. The bone plaque was right there with the explanation. Whether to choose it or not was his own business.
“Are you paying with ‘Soul Crystal Sprouts’ or spirit stones?”
The middle-aged female cultivator looked at Li Yan.
…
Li Yan hovered in the air, looking down at a courtyard below. This was the residence he had chosen earlier in the deacon’s hall.
This place was already close to the westernmost edge of the entire sect. As always, Li Yan liked to choose remote places.
Each courtyard here was about five li apart. After all, Nascent Soul realm cultivators were just ordinary disciples here. Being able to have some distance from others was already quite good.
Otherwise, if every Nascent Soul disciple was separated from others by dozens or hundreds of li, this area of tens of thousands of li would feel a bit crowded with just Nascent Soul cultivators living here.
The courtyard was about two acres in size. Looking down from the sky, it was quite spacious and exquisite.
A red light flashed in Li Yan’s hand, and a token appeared. He was about to open the courtyard’s formation restriction.
But just then, Li Yan’s hand suddenly stopped. He looked up to the side, where a streak of light was flying rapidly towards him.
The person in the streak of light had obviously also seen Li Yan hovering in mid-air. The light flickered and arrived in front of Li Yan, and at the same time, a somewhat surprised voice came through.
“Fellow Daoist Li? You… you live here?”
As the light faded, Li Yan was also slightly stunned when he heard the voice. Then, a look of surprise also appeared on his face.
“So it’s Fellow Daoist Tang. You… you are also a disciple of the Strange Sparrow Hall?”
As Li Yan spoke, the person’s figure had already been revealed. It was indeed Tang Feng, whom he had met earlier in the Technique Transmission Pavilion.
Because Tang Feng was wearing a dark green long robe and not the sect’s uniform, Li Yan had been unable to tell which hall he belonged to when they were in the Technique Transmission Pavilion earlier.
But this was the residential area for cultivators of the Strange Sparrow Hall, so his identity could basically be confirmed. However, it was also possible that he was here to look for someone.
Tang Feng appeared just as Li Yan arrived here. Li Yan didn’t think this person was following him.
Only the fat deacon knew where he lived. He had never met this Tang Feng before; they had only met by chance in the Technique Transmission Pavilion.
“Hehehe, it seems I’m fated to meet Fellow Daoist Li. It looks like you live here. My residence is another twenty li to the west from here. When you have time, Fellow Daoist Li, you can come over for wine and to discuss the Dao.”
Tang Feng chuckled. He hadn’t known that Li Yan was a disciple of the Strange Sparrow Hall either.
Meeting him here now, and thinking back to the scene when Li Yan was choosing a technique, he knew that this was the residence the other party had just chosen.
When Li Yan heard what Tang Feng said, he also remembered that when he was choosing a residence, he had actually wanted to choose the courtyard at the very edge, but it was already occupied.
He had the idea of staying away from others, and other cultivators naturally had the same idea. At that time, with no other choice, he could only choose one slightly to the east and further in.
“I have also just arrived today and don’t even know what it looks like inside. Fellow Daoist Tang, I can only invite you in for a chat next time!”
Li Yan nodded and said to Tang Feng with a somewhat apologetic tone.
He had only met the other party twice. It was too soon to get too close, so of course, he couldn’t get too friendly with him right away.
Besides, what he said was also the truth. He hadn’t even seen what the courtyard looked like himself, so how could he entertain a guest?
“Fellow Daoist Li is too kind. We are so close, we have plenty of time in the future. I won’t disturb you then!”
Tang Feng said no more. After speaking, he immediately flew off on his streak of light towards the west.
Li Yan watched as Tang Feng disappeared into the distance with a flash. After retracting his gaze, he also flicked the red token in his hand, and a white light flashed above the courtyard below.
Then, Li Yan descended!
The following matters were familiar to Li Yan. After looking at the layout of the entire residence, he casually cast a few minor arts to clean the courtyard inside and out.
Then, after setting up his own formation again, he went directly into the cultivation chamber, not even thinking about resting.
Li Yan had never been very demanding about his cultivation place. In fact, a cultivation chamber with decent spiritual energy was enough. He even rarely went to the inner chamber to rest.
Not to mention other artifact refining and alchemy chambers, or beast-rearing chambers. Li Yan’s skills in the hundred arts of cultivation had always been his weak point.
After entering the cultivation chamber, Li Yan did not rush to cultivate. Instead, he began to ponder today’s events, mainly the matter of the “Underground Long Alley” in that formation.
The “Underground Long Alley” had appeared here. Li Yan did not know the specific origin of this formation. In the deacon’s hall, it was always Great Master Lan asking him questions; he didn’t dare to ask about the origin of this formation.
“The Soul-Suppression Palace must have some kind of relationship with the Hellsoul Clan, otherwise such a similar ‘Underground Long Alley’ wouldn’t appear.
And when I was on the Verdant Continent, all that was left were the ruins left by the Hellsoul Clan. Later, no matter how the experts of the Verdant Continent searched, there was no trace of Hellsoul Clan cultivators.
But the ‘Underground Long Alley’ of the Hellsoul Clan was strangely connected to the Desolate Moon Continent.
After returning to the Desolate Moon Continent, I also searched through many ancient texts, but I couldn’t even find any records about the Hellsoul Clan… How can that deep pool in the valley be explained?
The first-generation ancestor of this Soul-Suppression Palace was also a cultivator who ascended from the lower realm. Where did he ascend from? The Verdant Continent… or the Desolate Moon Continent?
Based on the information I knew before, the Hellsoul Clan might have originally developed from a branch of the Immortal-Seeking Lineage.
If the Soul-Suppression Palace originated from the Hellsoul Clan, then such an important inheritance was left in the ruins of the Hellsoul Clan. Although outsiders couldn’t easily access the ‘Underground Long Alley,’ it was already very close.
If the Soul-Suppression Palace cultivators were truly disciples of the Hellsoul Clan when they were in the lower realm, they should know the method to enter. But from the formation I encountered today, they did not receive the complete inheritance…”
Li Yan continuously pondered in his mind. He wanted to clarify the relationship between the two so that he wouldn’t encounter a situation like today’s in the Soul-Suppression Palace in the future.
Whether the Soul-Suppression Palace and the Hellsoul Clan were enemies or friends, he had to consider different reasonable explanations for his possible future mistakes, so as not to get caught in an unknown vortex.
Moreover, Li Yan had always had an unsolved mystery about the valley that Strategist Ji had chosen. That valley was definitely not a random choice by Strategist Ji; he should have known something.
But Strategist Ji had long since turned into a pile of dry bones, and it was unknown how many lifetimes he had been reincarnated. Li Yan had no one whose soul he could search!