In a certain part of the Southern Forest, ripples suddenly appeared in the space above the trees.
Shu Han emerged from these ripples. He looked around and saw that it was now daytime, with the terrifying scars left by Song Jinglun from the night before clearly visible in the sky above the Southern Forest.
He had observed that battle through the eyes of the chubby ancestral tree kid and had witnessed Song Jinglun take action seriously for the first time.
The moment Song Jinglun summoned the Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun, Shu Han understood that Song Jinglun was several times more powerful than Shangguan Ruolin.
The strength of the late-stage Core Formation had shocked him and also filled him with anticipation. He wondered how strong he would be if he reached the same realm as Song Jinglun!
Shu Han stretched his limbs. For the past four months, he had been mingling with that chubby ancestral tree kid, which was quite tedious. The kid even tricked him out of a lot of Earth Goddess soil. However, during this time, he used the black jar to replicate a bunch of space crystals and buried them at the base of the ancestral tree.
The massive expansion of the ancestral tree space was thanks to the large number of space crystals Shu Han tirelessly replicated over the past four months.
Shu Han took out a space crystal from his storage bag and held it under the sun to admire. The crystal was clear and transparent. To his disappointment, this space crystal was of high quality, but not the legendary top-quality.
However, it made sense. If it were a top-quality space crystal, the original ancestral tree space wouldn't have been so small.
Holding the space crystal, Shu Han threw it with all his might into the distance.
Whoosh!
The space crystal shot out and disappeared from Shu Han's sight in an instant.
Shu Han's Clear Bright Spiritual Eye opened, immediately tracking the trajectory of the space crystal. A blue and white glow began to radiate around him, quickly transforming into turbulent spatial ripples that enveloped Shu Han.
With a mere thought, the distance between him and the objects in front of him rapidly contracted, while the distance from the objects behind him rapidly expanded.
Space seemed like a stretched slingshot that suddenly launched Shu Han forward.
The speed was so fast that even Shu Han himself found it terrifying, and he had a hard time controlling his direction. In an instant, he arrived at a place that was originally very far away.
It took all of Shu Han's strength to stop. He reached back to catch the space crystal he had thrown, but it didn't land in his hand. Instead, it hit the back of his head, numbing his scalp.
Holding the back of his head, Shu Han grimaced and said, "Ah, after practicing for four months and using up a bunch of space crystals, I've only barely improved my speed. The control and accuracy are still lacking a lot! But this speed is truly terrifying!"
The Shrinking Earth into Inches technique is a supreme escape art. Without the aid of space crystals during cultivation, its effect can only reach the standards of advanced escape techniques. However, with the aid of a large number of space crystals, the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique can truly exert its power.
The principle of the technique is to shorten the space in front and lengthen the distance behind, not only shortening the required space to pass through but also obtaining incredible speed due to the compression and expansion of space.
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Shu Han roughly estimated that using the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique allowed him to achieve an escape speed four times his previous maximum. This escape speed surpasses that of average early-stage Core Formation cultivators.
However, the consumption of the technique is also substantial. Just that one instance depleted half of Shu Han's spiritual power.
Fortunately, it was Shu Han. Otherwise, even cultivators like Song Changyi and Wei Haolong, who are at the False Pill stage, would have had all their spiritual power drained in one go.
Scratching his head, Shu Han said with a wry smile, "The developer of this technique probably didn't expect a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to train the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique to this level. Such a terrifying consumption of spiritual power; even a Core Formation stage cultivator might not be able to sustain it for long. It seems I'll need to refine this technique more using space crystals in the future to improve control. Otherwise, flying uncontrollably and stumbling into dangerous places could be disastrous."
After testing the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique, Shu Han began his journey back to Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.
Along the way, he used the Shrinking Earth into Inches technique multiple times, shortening what was originally a seven-day journey to just three days.
Upon returning to the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, Shu Han went straight to his cave residence. He immediately checked his secret chamber and found Bai Xingyan diligently refining pills and creating talismans. His cultivation level had risen rapidly and was now at the eleventh level of Qi Refining.
Shu Han nodded to himself. With less than a year and a half left before the Heavenly Fire and Earthly Fire rankings competition, Bai Xingyan should be able to achieve the goals Shu Han had set for him.
Seeing Bai Xingyan working so diligently, Shu Han couldn't remain idle either. Now that he had obtained the wood elemental spirit herb, the heart of the Ancestral Tree. He only lacked the water elemental spirit herb for refining the Five Elements True Essence Pill.
Considering the limited time, he needed to find the water elemental spirit herb quickly, or the refinement of the Five Elements True Essence Pill would be delayed.
Now that he had a high-quality space crystal, Shu Han thought it was time to try repairing the Grand Transfer Talisman. Moreover, during his trip, Shu Han also recognized the deficiencies in his own magic treasure.
The Eight-Direction Evil-Breaking Sword and the Chaos Thunder Flag, though powerful, no longer allow him to exert his full strength. A lifebound immortal sword made entirely of Chaos Immortal Stone needs to be completed as soon as possible.
Furthermore, there's a pressing need to cultivate the Black Abyssal Fire. Otherwise, the "Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique" will fall significantly behind.
With so much to do, Shu Han suddenly felt that even having three avatars and external incarnations was insufficient.
Thus, Shu Han split himself into three. One avatar continued to duplicate the Chaos Immortal Stone using the black jar and studied the refining manual left by Elder Lu. He aimed to elevate the refining technique further before gathering enough Chaos Immortal Stones.
Another avatar began researching the Grand Transfer Talisman, grinding the high-quality space crystal into powder, trying to mend the damaged corner of the talisman.
Meanwhile, Shu Han's main body began refining the drink for the mad old man using the Heavenly Creation Fluid and the Heart-Seeker Holy Petal. He hoped that the Heart-Seeker Holy Petal, as described by Wei Haolong, would work its magic and cure the old man's madness.
For seven consecutive days, Shu Han was engrossed in crafting this drink, producing more than twenty pots. The liquor brewed from the Heart-Seeker Holy Petal and Heavenly Creation Fluid was beneficial for his own cultivation and spiritual sense.
One day, having bottled the drink, he left his cave and called Song Changyi to visit Wei Haolong.
Seeing Shu Han return unscathed, Song Changyi was overjoyed.
Shu Han noticed that Song Changyi looked hale and hearty and asked about the events of that day.
On that day, Song Changyi single-handedly held off the Priest Xigu, covering for Shu Han and Wei Haolong's retreat. Shu Han greatly admired this.
Song Changyi laughed and said, "It's nothing. Thanks to the 'Heavenly Fire Body Refining Technique', I managed to barely unleash the Five-Instant Fire Manipulation, summoning the Heavenly Fire Crimson Sun. However, I could only maintain an unbeaten status against the Forest Clan priestess for a short time. Once I saw that you both had retreated safely, I used the Red Sun Shuttle, a precious treasure my father gave me, to escape."
Song Changyi sighed, "Because I recklessly confronted a Core Formation expert, I was seriously injured. I rested for half a month before I could barely return to the sect. I wanted to ask my father to rescue you and Senior Brother Wei, but by that time, Senior Brother Wei had already returned and said you were safe in the Southern Forest. Only then was I at ease."
Shu Han smiled to himself, thinking that there was no need for such a request; the Sect Master was already in the Southern Forest at the time.
Regrettably, his plan to capture everyone at once fell short because of my actions. I absolutely cannot let this slip out; otherwise, I'd be torn to pieces!