The Treasure Tracing technique belonged to the stub category of cultivation techniques. Divided into two layers, its function was quite simple.
The first layer granted the practitioner the ability to sense the existence of the treasure or any of its parts nearby. But this ability was limited to awareness only. The practitioner couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the treasure sets.
The second layer of the technique provided a practitioner the ability to use their own qi as a tracer. Their qi, under the influence of the first layer's detection ability, could track down the exact location of the treasure sets.
In principle, this analysis had caused Han Xuhan to feel jubilant. Not only was the technique simple, it only required two layers of cultivation to be fully utilized! How convenient for his current situation!
And then harsh reality showed its shy face when he attempted to practice the technique after mastering the theories.
The biggest catch he had overlooked was the fact that it required a cultivator to divide his concentration into two parts, with each part actively working on a separate task. Both the detection ability in the first layer and the qi guidance in the second layer required a high intensity of concentration. This was a common problem faced by most rookie cultivators when they were choosing their cultivation manuals for the first time. Techniques that required insane mental control had to be put down regardless of their quality.
With just this one drawback, this technique was quite possibly out of the reach of half the disciples participating in the tournament. It wasn't that they wouldn't be able to master it, but to do so would require quite a bit of time, months at least. This tournament round barely had five days left. Could they even reach the second layer within that period?
And this wasn't even the only problem the technique had either!
The second issue with it was not in its principles, but in its usage. To track the treasure sets down in an area as large as the floating islands holding each sect, one needed not only the ability to spread their qi hundreds of meters away from their body, they even had to have the capability to exert some level of fine control over the most distant particles of the qi. Only that would enable the practitioner to sense the existence of the treasure set, if it was within the coverage of his qi.
To be able to accomplish such a phenomenon with one's qi was beyond 90% of the disciples of the Crimson Snow Sect, to Xuhan's knowledge. Apart from Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou, he only knew a couple more disciples with such talent.
The third issue wasn't much of a problem for many disciples, but it was enough to stump Han Xuhan himself. The movements of the qi in practicing this technique required sturdy, wide meridians. His meridians were virtually the opposite of that.
After attempting to absorb and cycle qi for a few minutes, Han Xuhan gave up, aggrieved.
"Master, don't you think you should summon Tun Shi Tian back by now? It's been a while since he was transported over to that burning world."
Zhanxian's hesitant plea worked. Han Xuhan redirected his qi and summoned Tun Shi Tian back to the material world, or more accurately, their macrocosm. The red owl skeleton flew out of his back like an arrow and smacked into the wall of the hut.
"Shit! OWW!"
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Welcome back from the adventure, Little Tian. How did it go? Where did you find yourself after the teleportation?" he enquired as soon as the owl got back to its feet.
Shaking his bony wings and unsteady neck, Little Tian took a moment to reply.
"It's a bit strange. I was transported to the exact same place as the previous two visits, within the ruins on the plateau."
"Something must be inside the ruins that assists the transportation," Xuhan concluded from the information. "Go on, what happened after that?"
"Oh, this time the journey was pretty uneventful since Zhanxian wasn't there to slow me down. Every time one of those burning semi-transparent entities tried to chase me, I just flew up and away, hah!"
Zhanxian looked like he was about to run over and kick the bird, but he realized that there was a better option and said, "Well said, Little Tian, very well said! I always slow you down, especially on these dangerous adventures. From now on, I hope Master will send only you to that planet. That's sure to boost the efficiency of our tasks!"
Ignoring the opportunistic coward, Han Xuhan continued to interrogate Tun Shi Tian. After all of his questions were answered, he felt like he had figured out the basic pathway to develop the Skeletal Monarch Technique in the future.
Craft a skeleton, summon a soul, send it back to its origin planet and let it awaken the corresponding glyph; and then master and minion would learn the glyph together to fuse into one when needed. There were no other complications in the procedure for now.
"When Hai Yin Zhe returns from sister Zhou's house, you'll escort her to the cavern. Guide her through the glyph awakening process. I'll handle the rest."
"But why are you suddenly so obsessed with the fusion technique? Even last week, you were spouting all sorts of rebuttals when we suggested it," Tun Shi Tian said in a suspicious tone.
"Because I have no other choice," Han Xuhan muttered gloomily. "I just tried to cultivate myself before summoning you back. I couldn't even complete one full cycle before most of my qi scattered. Right now, other than the simple cycles that I use to summon you, cultivating is almost useless for my progression. My meridians won't allow it."
"So you want to use our bodies to substitute your physique for the rest of your life?"
"Something like that, yeah. What, you've got a problem with that arrangement?" Han Xuhan asked snidely.
"Well, it isn't that I have a problem, but I think you should increase the amount of respect in your tone when you address me. I'm way more important now, aren't I?" Tun Shi Tian puffed out his ribcage proudly.
"Yeah no, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Xuhan replied, which seemed to trigger the caution of both minions immediately. Despite their following nagging, he refused to elaborate, laughing like a villain with a sinister plan.
"Stop thinking about stuff you have no control over. Zhanxian, come fuse with me. We've got pressing matters to attend to!"
Under his ironclad approach, both minions caved in and began to practice with him. The second fusion with Zhanxian came easily. Han Xuhan checked himself out in a mirror, clicking his tongue in amazement. Their first fusion under the demon's claws was involuntary. He hadn't had the time to cross-examine every detail.
Fused with Zhanxian only, his body felt slightly less burdened compared to the threesome-no, dual fusion with both minions. His skull was mostly unprotected, except for having Zhanxian's face sticking out of the back of his head, providing him with nearly 360° horizontal vision. Unless an enemy approached him from the sky, he would definitely not miss any attacks.
The tail made out of Zhanxian's spinal bones was quite the weapon. Walking around with the new appendage swinging chaotically would have been quite difficult if not for the internal enhancements to his limbs and torso. The extra ribcage and sharp fingertips were excellent additions too.
"Why is it that our minds haven't been fully united like the senior said? I can still have my separate thoughts and opinions. Is the technique flawed or did we misunderstand him?" Zhanxian marveled from the back as he began to take control of his spine, making it contort into various shapes.
"Speaking from experience, it's probably us, Zhanxian. We're the problem, as always," Han Xuhan answered thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that makes more sense," Zhanxian said. But a moment later, he asked in a concerned voice, "Wait a second, I just tried to nod with my head. Why didn't your neck comply?"
"....I don't know. I haven't been able to make your spine, now my tail, comply with my mental commands either," Xuhan replied, feeling lost.
"Try to control my hands and feet, Zhanxian. Put your entire willpower behind it!"
Immediately, Han Xuhan's right hand shot upward, fist clenched. The same motion was followed by his left hand.
"Hang on, this time I will try to stop you from moving my hand, Zhanxian. You try to raise my hand, I will try to keep it down. On my count, three, two, one-"
Very slowly, Han Xuhan's enhanced limbs began to move. His arms rose up and down a couple of times, followed by several unsteady steps taken by his feet.
"Seems to me, only the parts of our original body can be fully controlled by us in this fused form. That too under the condition that the main body, master's body, permits the exertion of willpower," Tun Shi Tian observed from the sideline.
"So Zhanxian can control his spine and his face comfortably, as these parts are nearly separate from the main body. On the other hand, his limb bones which have integrated with master's limbs are much harder to control."
"What Mu Ran said makes sense, now," Xuhan muttered. "The zeroth layer foundation has essentially made me the biggest influence within my own body, no matter who else shares it. The reason why the demon can surpass me in terms of control is because its spiritual foundation isn't based on mine. It was a complete being by itself even before possessing me."