Yu Ci, regardless of the general unease that pervaded the White Sun Mansion, had almost replicated the process of his previous assassination of the trio, including Viper Monk. Striking a single successful blow, he then retreated into the distance. His original plan had been more complex, but upon seeing two stewards engaging in a heated argument on the Divine Map, he saw an excellent opportunity, immediately revised his plan, and resolutely took action.
Indeed, everything went smoothly. The two stewards, both blinded by their rage, coupled with Yu Ci's long observation and prepared strike, were destined to fail.
The Soul Search Mirror he seized was merely for his own safety. Compared to the Divine Bronze Mirror, this object was not much different from waste. However, what interested him was the Storage Ring of Steward Liu, which he decided to take on a whim, mainly because of an item that intrigued him.
That item was the technique Steward Liu had used multiple times, the "Three Calls in One Breath."
Steward Liu's Storage Ring, like the one he had previously found on Hu Ke, was enveloped by a seal. However, Yu Ci now had a method to deal with it.
The solution to breaking the seal was his deep understanding of the Sword aura.
This gift given to him by Immortal Ye Bin was increasingly showing its precious value. As Yu Ci pondered its principles daily, his Swordsmanship cultivation level naturally grew with each passing day. Moreover, since his exploration of the Sword aura always ended up focusing on Divine Soul Sword Control, he inevitably delved into the realm of the Divine Soul.
The Divine Soul is divided into three structures: the Original Soul, the Hidden Consciousness, and the Manifest Consciousness. As the Divine Soul is nourished and strengthened, the innermost Original Soul emits a "divine intention," which penetrates the outer barriers of the Hidden Consciousness and Manifest Consciousness, exerting its influence.
The Divine Soul, influenced by the Sword aura and nourished and refined by it, changes from within, deeply and comprehensively. In this process, the force exerted by the Original Soul on the outside - the "divine intention" - is bound to change. It is well known that the exploration and unlocking of the Storage Ring involve the use of Divine Consciousness and Divine Sense, which are derived from the "divine intention."
Under these circumstances, it was only natural that Yu Ci found the method to break the seal on the Storage Ring.
At this point, his manipulation of Divine Consciousness was no longer the crude "hammer-swinging" style of the past, but was controlled intentionally, with changes in increase and decrease. His current "divine intention" was like a "scraper," scraping off the layers of the seal on the outer surface of the Storage Ring.
The seal on the storage ring was not particularly sophisticated, its sensitivity considerably limited. It was this deficiency that Yu Ci, a male, exploited, skillfully employing his divine consciousness like a scraper, delicately peeling away the seal's exterior without triggering its core mechanism, gradually chipping away at the seal.
This might seem like a clumsy method, but there were few in the world who could, like Yu Ci, be influenced by Ye Bin's Sword Intent, and from the very beginning, successfully guide their divine consciousness into the realm of the subtle. His current use of divine consciousness was still rather simple, but his control was already quite precise. With this "chip by chip" approach, the seal had no defense against such a rudimentary tactic.
Of course, what seemed clumsy was also incredibly swift, with thoughts arising and vanishing in an instant. Even though Yu Ci was extremely cautious and controlled, scraping away at the seal thousands of times with his manipulation of divine consciousness, it only took a short while. With a "click," the seal on the storage ring was broken.
However, there was a slight problem when the triggering mechanism was finally severed. A thin crack appeared on the storage ring, and the stability of the storage space within became compromised. Yu Ci quickly removed the contents. Miscellaneous items were discarded immediately, while elixirs, pills, and various methods were set aside. What caught Yu Ci's attention the most were several jade slips he found within.
Among these jade slips that Liu, the steward, had, some were records, some had names, and some contained fragmented records of heart cultivation techniques, none of which held much value for Yu Ci. Except for one, it contained a complete method, precisely the "Three Calls in One Breath" technique that Yu Ci had been coveting.
After a brief scan of the information in the jade slip, Yu Ci found that the method was not overly complicated. Or rather, it was just a slightly complex technique that anyone with the appropriate level of cultivation could use. In the cultivation world, similar methods were known as "application methods."
The so-called "application methods" did not contribute to the increase in cultivation level and would dilute one's energy, affecting cultivation, hence they were also referred to as "miscellaneous studies." Even Yu Ci, with his meager knowledge of cultivation, knew that mastering too many "miscellaneous studies" was pointless, and one only needed to practice a few that were most suitable.
Now, Yu Ci felt that he had found one: "Three Calls in One Breath" was effective for the Soul Search Mirror, but what about the Divine Bronze Mirror?
"If the 'Three Calls in One Breath' were applied to the Treasure Mirror..."
Generally speaking, there are two schools of thought regarding the methods or techniques of refining in the Cultivation World. The first is the "One Artifact, One Method" approach. That is, the refining techniques are individually tailored and adjusted according to the actual circumstances of the artifact or treasure. This approach is highly targeted, and the refining progress of unique artifacts or treasures is extremely rapid. However, the same refining method may not be applicable to other artifacts, and may even cause damage. The refining technique for the Divine Bronze Mirror obtained by Yu Ci belongs to this category.
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The second is the "One Method, Thousands of Artifacts" approach. Regardless of the artifact or treasure, it is refined in the same way. This idea originates from talisman prohibitions, and involves layer upon layer of seals to achieve communication and coordination between the artifact or treasure and one's own Divine Soul Vitality. The most renowned of these is the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha" refining method established by the ancient Earth Immortal Grandmaster Ha Shi Yi. After tens of thousands of years of development and enhancement by generations, it has become the mainstream in the Cultivation World, forming a vast and profound system.
The so-called "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha" is a complete set of refining techniques represented by the Heavenly Gang refining method and the Earthly Sha refining method. The former requires the stacking of Thirty-Six Layer Talisman Spells, while the latter requires seventy-two layers. There is no distinction of superiority between them, but each has its own strengths. When combined, they are almost applicable to the refining of all artifacts. It is said that the perfect completion of the one hundred and eight layers of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha can transform an ordinary artifact into a treasure capable of moving mountains and filling seas. The power of the perfect completion formed on the basis of the treasure is even more incredible.
The advantage of this refining technique is its strong adaptability and great potential for development. However, it also has its limitations. The first is the time and energy it consumes. After all, this refining technique is considered a "miscellaneous study" and does not contribute to the Cultivation Level, but instead consumes valuable cultivation time. The second is the lack of stability. Due to the different control strengths of the talisman layers, the same ten-layer seal can greatly increase the power of one artifact, while another artifact may remain mediocre, or its nature may undergo unpredictable changes, making it difficult to control. This is not as good as the "One Artifact, One Method" approach, where the heart and the artifact are in harmony from the beginning, mutually enhancing each other.
Whether it's "One Instrument, One Method or Technique" or "One Method or Technique, Thousand Instruments", each has its own strengths and limitations. Hence, in actual application, cultivators in this realm often intermingle and use both interchangeably, with the two subtly interconnected. The most representative of this is the latter's "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha's 108 layers", which is almost the standard in the Cultivation World. People often do everything possible to convert the instruments and treasures refined by the "One Instrument, One Method or Technique" into layers of Talisman for easy understanding and control.
Returning to the "Three Calls in One Breath".
The technique of "Three Calls in One Breath" is built on the foundation of refining methods of "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha". Its basic theory is to control the Qi and blood with post-heaven breath, transform Divine Soul Vitality within the body, form the so-called "Flying Essence", and spray it on the refined objects to forcibly enhance the refining level.
For example, if an instrument's refining level is eight layers, after applying the "Three Calls in One Breath" technique, the level can temporarily be raised to ten, greatly increasing its power. However, the consumption is enormous. Frequent use not only leads to a deficiency of Primordial Qi but also risks damaging the Divine Soul's foundation. One must be very careful. Moreover, repeated application on the same instrument might lower the original refining level or even damage the instrument.
The principle of this mixed study is not complicated, even somewhat crude, perhaps this is the reason for its severe side effects.
Yu Ci mastered this technique without much effort. He had to be cautious with the Divine Bronze Mirror, and since he had not refined the Soul Search Mirror, he tentatively used it on the Pure Yang Talisman Sword. To his surprise, after three breaths, the Sha energy stored in the Sword Technique was ignited, nearly breaking the seal off and wasting a good sword.
He quickly erased the aftermath of the technique, understanding that while the Pure Yang Talisman Sword was powerful, it was only at the level of an instrument. Its potential was not enough to support the activation of "Three Calls in One Breath", leading to the problem. However, it seems that the "Three Calls in One Breath" technique is indeed effective.
After expelling three breaths, Yu Ci felt a third of his Primordial Qi drain away, even his Divine Soul felt weakened. He ceased further attempts, merely casting a glance at Huang Tai and the others with his Divine Map. Seeing them indeed retreating, he closed his eyes to meditate, aiming to recover his state as soon as possible.
Holding the Divine Bronze Mirror, his internal Primordial Qi ebbed and flowed, fervently circulating without cessation. Yu Ci had grown accustomed to integrating refining and cultivation, treating it as another meridian point circuit. Under the drive of his divine consciousness, Primordial Qi was transported back and forth, purifying True Qi impurities in the mirror while boosting his Cultivation Level.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky within the mist was dim, indicating it was probably evening.
A glance at the Divine Map confirmed it. Above Sky Rift Valley, the setting sun was about to fall, painting a thousand mountains in a bloody hue, a sight most spectacular. This reminded Yu Ci of Jin Huan's Great Dazzling Extreme Yang Method. However, unlike the divine power of the Mansion Master, Huang Tai and his group had still not managed to escape the range of the Divine Map, and were still struggling in the Sky Rift Valley, battling with the endless Birds of Prey and fierce beasts.
Yu Ci smirked, ignoring them, and continued to scan the Divine Map for any nearby targets. The realistic issue was, he was hungry!
But at this moment, there was a problem with the Divine Map.
Initially, the map trembled greatly, and Yu Ci thought it was an illusion. But when the second tremor came, followed by a wave of distortion rushing up from the edge of the dark territory below, he was genuinely taken aback.
Yu Ci's current position was approximately thirty miles deep, less than ten miles from the dark territory.
The Divine Map now resembled a scroll being devoured by flames. The "tongues of fire" were twisted, covering almost half of the Divine Map. Wherever it passed, there was nothingness. The projection range of the Divine Map was being swallowed up. For a moment, Yu Ci even thought the Divine Map would be destroyed.
In fact, the range affected by the "tongues of fire" had already exceeded the normal limit, seemingly burning fiercely right under his feet. The scenery below was fragmented and shattered. When his mind shifted there, that world seemed on the verge of collapse, a sight that shook one's soul.
Yu Ci stood up, what had happened below?
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