Brother Shi Song isn't as calculating or deep as Yu Ci had imagined. The situation arose simply because of his abundant confidence. In Cliff City, aside from the involved parties of Pure Water Sect and Xuan Yin Sect, he was probably the most knowledgeable. He Qing's request posed no difficulty to him, so naturally, he was at ease.

As for his presentation of the Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil, the same reasoning applied. Without the veil itself, Shi Song and others, even with a method, would be futile. Taking a step back, even the veil itself is merely a prelude to Yu Ci. His real aim is not here.

Shi Song and others were oblivious to this, and admired Yu Ci's magnanimity. Seeing their expressions, Yu Ci chuckled inwardly, "So-called magnanimity and grandeur are nothing more than this."

Having been ridiculed by He Qing days ago, he was particularly sensitive to the word "grandeur," feeling both reflective and self-mocking. However, He Qing's sarcasm about him cherishing worthless things might have set too high a standard. If he truly possessed several High-Quality Heavenly Artifacts Refined Through Seven to Eight Layers, he would undoubtedly be even more generous.

Ultimately, magnanimity and grandeur need to be backed up by corresponding strength, otherwise, they are nothing but grandiose words, or inflating one's face to look fat, sliding from one extreme to another. The subtleties of this need to be carefully grasped.

While he was reflecting, others were doing the same, only with different targets: "Although it's heretical, the person who made this veil must be extraordinary. At least they need to be proficient in the method to simplify the legendary, incredibly complex God Slaying Sting into this form."

Zheng Yan admired it, his slender finger slowly moving on the veil, appreciating the intricacies of the pattern, "Where did Immortal Yu get this treasure veil? According to the price at the Treasure Exchange Banquet, I'm willing to offer Five Thousand Ruyi Money, or exchange it for a Forty-Layer Artifact."

Brother Shi Song regained his senses at this time, Hu Dan laughed, "Master Zheng Yan has a good plan. In my opinion, the method itself is nothing. If one can hold this veil for a decade or so and study it carefully, they might catch a glimpse of the God Slaying Sting. It's indeed a rare treasure!"

He originally intended to provoke a conversation, to create a topic, but upon saying this, he felt a stir in his heart. Shi Song reacted faster than him, immediately saying, "If Immortal Yu is willing to sell, our sect has three Magical Instruments refined to the ninth layer, and Immortal Elder can choose one."

Yu Ci waved his hand with a smile, "Forget it, I haven't had it for long, it's not even warm yet."

"Eh? Where did Brother Fishbone (Yu Ci) get this veil?"

Since Yu Ci took out the Hundred Spirits Transforming Radiance Veil, Little Nine had been looking at it from all angles. Aside from a slight disappointment with the color, she quite liked the pattern on it. From her expression, it seemed she was considering asking Shi Song and Hu Dan to buy one for her.

Yu Ci chuckled, "This character '弄' is indeed intriguing."

He merely hinted at this, but offered no explanation. Little Nine seemed somewhat perplexed, yet the others quickly grasped the implication. This red veil, they inferred, must not have come from a willing trade of mutual affection.

Of course, they would not dampen the young girl's spirits, so they deftly changed the subject. The arranged dishes and wine were served. Despite being simple fare, they were crafted with considerable artistry. Little Nine, now tasked with serving wine, did so dutifully. Monk Zheng Yan, not averse to the pleasures of the flesh, ate and drank while conversing. The topics revolved around cultivation and anecdotes, studiously avoiding any mention of Cliff City affairs.

The banquet concluded with both host and guests in high spirits.

However, amidst the merriment, Shi Song and Hu Dan, a pair of sworn brothers, displayed a curious interest, yet seemed somewhat baffled. They had arranged this feast to provide Yu Ci with an opportunity to gain insight from Zheng Yan. Yet, observing the current situation, it seemed as if Yu Ci had completely forgotten about the "main issue".

As their confusion deepened, Little Nine, who was serving wine nearby, stifled a yawn, then another, and yet another. Her eyes were heavy with drowsiness, as if burdened by a great weight, threatening to close at any moment.

Yu Ci noticed this and furrowed his brows. He recognized this as a sign of an unhealed Divine Soul.

In the days leading up to their arrival in Cliff City, he had come to realize that finding a second high-quality Fish-Dragon was an impossibility. Thus, he had focused his efforts on assisting Elder Chu in his research, thereby earning a sponsorship of fifty thousand Ruyi Money from him.

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Despite his volatile temper, Elder Chu was a rare authority in Divine Soul research in this realm. Being in his company, Yu Ci had gained a profound understanding of the Divine Soul's essence, far surpassing his previous knowledge. He gestured for silence and gently called, "Little Nine?"

The young girl's response was noticeably delayed. When she finally lifted her head in a daze, she assumed Yu Ci wanted her to pour more wine and approached him with a nod. However, Yu Ci took the wine jug from her hand, pointed at her forehead, and with a soft "hmph", she collapsed into his arms.

Meeting the puzzled gazes of Shi Song and Hu Dan, Yu Ci explained, "I spent some time with Elder Chu of the Great Passage at the Mountain Moving Cloud Boat Dock a few days ago. I learned some techniques to calm and stabilize the soul. While I am not certain of their effectiveness on Little Nine's injury, I believe they can do no harm, Sect Leader Shi."

Shi Song's eyes lit up. "Could it be Master Zhu Xing?"

Yu Ci heard Elder Chu's name for the first time. He had always assumed that the bald old man was simply called "Elder Chu". Amidst his amusement, he nodded in acknowledgment.

Shi Song, increasingly delighted, hastily said, "This would indeed trouble Immortal Yu!"

Yet, his mind harbored a different thought: even if Yu Ci could not heal, through him, he could indirectly seek help from Elder Chu. Little Nine's condition was not a concern, her injuries would heal sooner or later. However, Cheng Rong, who was loyal to him, had a Divine Soul injury that was ten times more severe than Little Nine's. Despite half a year of recuperation, there was no improvement. If Elder Chu could lend a hand?

While he was lost in thought, a sudden burst of purple light appeared before his eyes, causing a momentary blur, before disappearing.

Shi Song was startled, only to see Yu Ci cease his actions, completely unaware of what he had done.

Hu Dan had been observing Yu Ci's actions from start to finish. He only saw a deep purple light leaking from between Yu Ci's fingers, like a layer of mist, seeping into Little Nine's hairline. But what this represented, he didn't understand at all, so he could only ask, "Immortal Yu, what about Little Nine?"

"I just performed a healing procedure, but the effectiveness will only be observed when she wakes up."

On the surface, Yu Ci seemed calm, but in his heart, he was unsure. How could he know how to heal a Divine Soul? He had only just extracted a wisp of purple mist from the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade, using its spiritual effects to nourish Little Nine's Primordial Qi and cleanse her Divine Soul.

This method was indeed learned from Elder Chu. After the bald master's research, Yu Ci was able to stimulate some functions of the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade in his heart, even if it was not as mature as the thousand-year inheritance of the Ten Thousand Images Sect, at least it was not only passively defensive.

Before coming, Elder Chu had assured him that the common Divine Soul injuries could be repaired with the purple mist, and the effect was miraculous. Yu Ci chose to believe him.

Little Nine had already entered a deep sleep. After some thought, Yu Ci simply urged the Divine Bronze Mirror in his sleeve to shoot a Divine consciousness starlight into the little girl's Brain Palace. This was not to probe information from Little Nine's perspective, but to use the Divine consciousness starlight to illuminate the Brain Palace, connecting with the function of the Divine Soul, and observe the state of the little girl's Divine Soul. This method was something Yu Ci had figured out on his own.

The result was quite satisfactory. The purple mist was everywhere, and Little Nine's Divine Soul seemed very stable. At least no obvious injuries could be seen, and the intensity of the sensation had also increased.

Such a result was enough to make Shi Song and Hu Dan extremely grateful. They also contemplated in their hearts whether they should ask Yu Ci to prepare the same for Cheng Rong.

At this moment, Little Nine, although sleeping soundly, could not linger in the pavilion exposed to winds on all sides. Yu Ci proposed to bring the family banquet to a close, a suggestion which Zheng Yan agreed with. Seeing that it was Yu Ci who spoke, Shi Song and Hu Dan had no reason to refuse. After exchanging polite remarks, Hu Dan, cradling Little Nine, left first to take her back home, while Shi Song saw the two of them off.

Yu Ci also resided on Cinnabar Cliff, only Zheng Yan still lived in the temple in the southern part of the city. In reality, it was just Yu and Shi taking him home. On the way, Shi Song continued to express his gratitude, while Zheng Yan was more interested in Yu Ci's techniques:

"When Immortal Yu was casting his spell, there was little change in his aura, was he using a Magical Instrument?"

Yu Ci was not surprised by Zheng De's astute observation, but when it came to the matter of the True Purple Smoke Warm Jade, Yu Ci would not be overly generous. Overgenerosity could lead to foolishness! So he deflected the question: "Elder Chu's techniques are more extraordinary."

At this point, the Divine consciousness starlight within Little Nine's Brain Palace, a function preset by the Treasure Mirror, wanted to delve deeper into the Brain Palace to extract information. Yu Ci could not allow it to act recklessly. With a thought, he drove it out.

Launching the Divine consciousness starlight was easy, but retrieving it was troublesome. Yu Ci had hardly ever formally retrieved it, and this time was no different. He just wanted to throw it onto a living being and as long as it didn't deliberately implant itself deeply into the Divine Soul, it would automatically dissipate after six hours.

But in the end, an idea struck him. It would be a waste to let it go, so why not experiment?

With this thought, he smiled at Shi Song and Zheng Yan: "Speaking of Elder Chu, his profound understanding of the Divine Soul is probably unrivaled in the world."

While he praised Elder Chu, he also prepared himself. The Divine consciousness starlight was ready to launch. He stretched out a finger: "Elder Chu once researched a method to shake the Divine Soul, which is quite effective when used against enemies. I happened to learn it secretly during those days, let me show you!"

He made a show of forming a hand seal, but it was a cover to launch the soul-shaking technique he had learned from "Iceberg Information", sweeping it towards Shi Song and Zheng Yan.

In the subtle vibration, the Divine consciousness starlight silently probed in, plunging into Zheng Yan's elongated head.

...