At this moment, observing the jade bed, Li Lin had already sensed its extraordinariness, feeling an energy swirling around it. However, while this Spirit Jade Bed was a treasure for other spiritual practitioners, its effect on him wasn't significant. His normal cultivation speed was already shockingly slow; even if the cultivation speed increased, it probably wouldn't make much difference. What he needed most were demon pills and spiritual pills.
"Master, how did you come to be here, and what level of strength had you achieved before?" Li Lin asked.
"Hehe," the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign chuckled, but the mummified body's attempt at a smile only added a layer of horror: "Back then, I was at the ninth level of Spirit Sovereign. I discovered this place by chance, intending to quietly break through to Spirit Emperor. Unfortunately, I fell short. There's a small river below; follow the water downstream, pass through a canyon, and emerge from the water at the end of the canyon, and you'll be able to leave."
"Nine levels of Spirit Sovereign." Li Lin was startled; that was the ninth level of Spirit Sovereign, after all. In the current world, it seemed there were no Spirit Sovereigns or Martial Sovereigns, such powerhouses. To reach such a level meant becoming a super strong being.
"Surprised, aren't you? A ninth-level spiritual practitioner, yet still unable to break through to Spirit Emperor. It's a pity you're not a spiritual practitioner. Remember, if you ever reach the Martial Sovereign level, never be careless. This world has far more powerhouses than you can imagine. With the 'Heavenly Spirit Record,' although you're not a spiritual practitioner and can't practice it all, as long as you have some talent, you'll be able to stand on your own in the future," the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign advised.
"Master, what exactly is the 'Heavenly Spirit Ultimate Technique'?" Li Lin asked, curious about the ultimate technique his master, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign, mentioned as his life's work.
"Open the jade slip, and you'll know. It won't disappoint you. My lingering soul can't sustain much longer. Now that you're my disciple, remember, if you have the chance, take care of the Duanmu family." As the words ended, Li Lin was inspecting the Cold Jade Bed when the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign's corpse suddenly collapsed to the ground, its dried facial skin turning into dust and even the black robe disintegrating into ashes.
The corpse's skin disappeared, leaving behind a complete, white skeletal frame, emanating a strange aura.
Li Lin bowed three times to the skeleton, acknowledging the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign as his master since he had already kowtowed, and besides, he had gained quite a bit from him.
He then gathered the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign's remains and buried them at the foot of the mountain, reflecting on how even such a strong being couldn't escape their fate. In the rules of the world, no matter how glorious one's life, in death, one returns to the earth, with only the pinnacle of martial and spiritual paths possibly breaking through to immortality.
"Having chosen the path of cultivation in this life, I shall cultivate to the utmost, reaching the legendary realm of immortality," Li Lin resolved, looking at the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign's grave.
Initially, Li Lin only wanted to become strong to protect his mother and everything dear to him. Now, seeing such a powerful master unable to escape his fate, he contemplated the long road ahead.
After a while, Li Lin returned to the cave. The river was the exit, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave, waiting until his injuries healed to avoid any danger.
Opening the storage ring he had received from his master, Li Lin checked its contents, finding nothing but a white jade token and a jade slip presumably containing spiritual techniques, without even a third-grade elixir.
Li Lin thought to himself that even among the strong, there were those without wealth.
"Better heal first," he mused, prioritizing his recovery. Healing would take some time, and he let the little dragon hunt for food in the forest, where it faced no danger in the secluded valley.
Li Lin, looking at the Spirit Jade Bed left by his affordable master, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign, was intrigued. Sitting cross-legged on this Spirit Jade Bed, Li Lin immediately felt enveloped by a miraculous energy in the space around him. A warm breath rose from beneath him, causing his Qi to slowly circulate, indescribably comfortable.
"Indeed, a treasure." Li Lin was delighted. The Spirit Jade Bed, valued even by a Spirit Sovereign, truly did not disappoint. Sitting on it, he wasn’t practicing, yet he felt as if he were in a state of cultivation, especially with a force in his mind pulling at the spiritual energy, making his body incredibly comfortable.
"First, recover from my injuries." Li Lin took out a third-grade healing pill, the Qi Restoring Pill, obtained from the fire Yin monster, from his storage ring. Upon consumption, the pill transformed into a massive energy that spread throughout his body.
Li Lin promptly circulated the Yin-Yang Spirit Martial Art. This third-grade pill was far superior to the second-grade healing pill, the Return to True Pill, at least several times stronger.
Moments later, Li Lin was enveloped in a faint pale yellow glow, entering a unique state of tranquility as he healed. With the help of the Qi Restoring Pill, Li Lin could clearly feel his injuries healing at an incredibly fast rate.
Additionally, a peculiar energy from the Spirit Jade Bed merged with the pill's energy, accelerating the healing speed by more than tenfold compared to healing in the cave. Most notably, the bed's energy made the spiritual energy in his mind extremely active. Combined with his cultivation, the increase in spiritual energy was about twice as fast as his normal rate, which Li Lin felt matched the normal cultivation speed of a spiritual practitioner.
Feeling the effect of the Spirit Jade Bed, Li Lin couldn't help but sigh. If a normal spiritual practitioner cultivated on this Cold Jade Bed, doubling their speed, it would be terrifying. No wonder his master, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign, said he had fought hard to acquire it.
As time slowly passed, Li Lin quietly continued his recovery, with his injuries healing progressively.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, Misty City dispatched many disciples on several rock eagles to search around the cliff where City Lord Wang Mingyue had battled the fire Yin monster, covering the nearby mountains as well. Despite their efforts, no one could enter the bottom of the cliff, and they eventually had to give up.
On a mountain range, with Elder Bai Mei, Li Wushuang, Du Gu Binglan, Cui Yu, their spirits were downcast, only Wang Guang and Li Shaohu seemed somewhat happier.
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Two days later, within the cave in the mountain, Li Lin's body, surrounded by a pale yellow glow, was unknowingly enveloped by an invisible, transparent aura, filled with a mysterious air.
By then, Li Lin's complexion had lost its pallor, looking rosier as if his injuries had completely healed. Moreover, his aura had returned to its usual state, and upon close inspection, it seemed even slightly stronger.
The mysterious aura outside was somewhat unstable, fluctuating, with the spiritual energy in Li Lin's mind rapidly vibrating.
After an indeterminate period, an unusual energy fluctuation suddenly surged within the stone chamber, followed by a powerful aura bursting forth from Li Lin, who had his eyes closed. This aura climbed rapidly, reaching a new level in a very short time.
The invisible, transparent aura surrounding Li Lin also surged, and the Spirit Jade Bed seemed to respond, emitting a faint light, creating a particularly mystical effect in conjunction with Li Lin's external aura.
In Li Lin's mind, the spiritual energy reached a new height, and under its impact, an invisible barrier was almost effortlessly shattered. The sudden increase in aura lasted for a moment before gradually calming down, followed by the spread of an invisible energy in his mind.
The invisible energy was like tangible sound waves, eventually crashing against the hard stone walls, causing a slight reverberation around the chamber as if swept by a tremendous force.
As this energy dissipated, the aura surrounding Li Lin gradually vanished, and his breath stabilized.
Exhaling a long breath from within, Li Lin's eyes, previously tightly shut, opened slightly, revealing a flash of sharpness like lightning, which quickly disappeared, leaving his gaze brighter and deeper than before.
At this moment, Li Lin couldn't help but smile, feeling the spiritual power in his mind had strengthened several times over, breaking through to the second level of Spirit Warrior. This breakthrough, long awaited, had surprisingly occurred with the aid of the Spirit Jade Bed.
Now, Li Lin felt even more strongly that the Spirit Jade Bed was not an ordinary treasure. It significantly amplified his Qi, although not as much as it did for spiritual energy.
Originally, it took him three days to heal about forty percent of his injuries. With the help of the Qi Restoring Pill and the Spirit Jade Bed, his injuries fully recovered, and his Qi was on the verge of breaking through to the sixth level of Martial Warrior, a breakthrough that might occur at any moment. And the spiritual energy, which had been stagnant, finally broke through, a feat that would have taken at least a month to achieve on his own without the pill and the bed.
After collecting his thoughts, Li Lin took out the Heavenly Spirit Record left by his affordable master, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign. This was the life's work of a ninth-level Spirit Sovereign, and Li Lin was filled with anticipation about what kind of ultimate technique it contained.
However, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign had not specified whether it was a martial technique or some other practice, but coming from such a powerful being, it was bound to be extraordinary.
"What exactly is this ultimate technique?" Li Lin, touching the jade slip, bit his finger, and a drop of blood fell onto the slip.
"Sss!"
The jade slip instantly burst into light, enveloping the stone chamber in dazzling brightness. Then, the light surged into Li Lin's forehead, turning into a massive influx of information within his mind.
After about half an hour, the light gradually faded, and Li Lin, reviewing the immense influx of information in his mind, was shocked, or rather, astonished.
The Heavenly Spirit Record was neither a martial nor a spiritual technique. To Li Lin's surprise, it encompassed skills beyond martial and spiritual practices, making it an incredible and unconventional technique in a world dominated by martial artists and spiritual practitioners.
The Heavenly Spirit Record contained various formations, puppetry, and weapon forging techniques. It didn't focus much on pills, but it also documented numerous unique methods, such as Soul Searching Technique, which could probe others' memories.
Additionally, it described a Beast Control Technique, allowing one with sufficient strength to control a large number of demons and spiritual beasts directly and even raise them from a young age. Unlike typical spiritual practitioners who expend a great deal of effort to control and cannot breed nor control large numbers of such creatures without significant soul power expenditure, which is unaffordable for most practitioners.
Thus, powerful spiritual practitioners usually tame and control only one superior spiritual beast or demon beast, as controlling more means depleting more soul power, making spiritual beasts especially hard to control.
Excessive soul power consumption is a taboo for spiritual practitioners, directly affecting their future cultivation and even risking their foundation if overdone, essentially sabotaging their future. Hence, no spiritual practitioner dares to control a large number of spiritual beasts or demon beasts casually.
This Beast Control Technique differs significantly, allowing for the extensive control of demons and spiritual beasts without issue, and even the cultivation of such creatures from a young age. Beasts raised in this manner share a deeper bond and coordination with their master, essentially becoming an extension of the master's limbs. This synergy can significantly enhance their effectiveness in combat.
Besides, the Heavenly Spirit Record also contains some of the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign's insights and a detailed introduction to various crafting materials, essentially serving as a comprehensive encyclopedia.
Reviewing the contents of the Heavenly Spirit Record, it becomes clear that most of these techniques require a spiritual practitioner for cultivation. For instance, the Soul Searching Technique, which probes another's soul, necessitates the practitioner's soul to be stronger than the target's, even to the point of absolute suppression. This condition gives spiritual practitioners an advantage over martial artists.
The crafting of high-level puppets requires strong soul power, something martial artists can achieve only at a basic or intermediate level.
Similarly, activating some formations requires substantial spiritual cultivation, which is challenging for martial artists to achieve.
Understanding the Heavenly Spirit Record fully, Li Lin realizes what his affordable master, the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign, meant: even if he only practices what martial artists can from it, he would still stand out in the world. These techniques, undoubtedly more enticing and potent than martial and spiritual techniques, would make anyone hesitant to provoke a person controlling numerous demons, spiritual beasts, puppets, and formations, even if their personal strength isn't high.
"Good thing I'm dual-cultivating spirit and martial arts." Li Lin was thrilled. Being a spiritual practitioner, he could learn everything from the Heavenly Spirit Record, ensuring he would have enough techniques to secure his place in the world.
"Surviving a great disaster surely brings great fortune." Li Lin thought to himself that surviving this ordeal and receiving such a gift from his affordable master was a treasure beyond compare.
Li Lin smiled, considering the jade slip from Uncle Jiang, which mostly contained information on crafting pills and fewer records on weapon crafting, incomparable to the Heavenly Spirit Record. However, the pill crafting information in the Heavenly Spirit Record surpassed what Uncle Jiang gave him, combining both would create a complete encyclopedia in his mind.
"Let's take it slow and see what the spiritual technique is."
Li Lin then took out the spiritual technique from the storage ring. If martial techniques are considered invaluable, spiritual techniques are even more so, akin to comparing gold to diamonds.
Spiritual techniques, as the name suggests, are practices meant for spiritual practitioners and not for martial artists. With spiritual practitioners already a rarity, spiritual techniques are even scarcer, making their value in the same tier significantly higher than martial techniques.
"Xuan-level beginner spiritual technique." Li Lin looked at the jade slip, recalling the Saint Hand Spirit Sovereign mentioning it was a Xuan-level beginner technique. Such a level would cause a sensation if known outside, as even in major sects, Xuan-level martial techniques are nearly as valued as sect-defining treasures, let alone Xuan-level spiritual techniques.
Contemplating whether to cultivate the Xuan-level beginner spiritual technique, Li Lin hesitated, recalling Uncle Jiang's advice against prematurely practicing high-level martial and spiritual techniques without the strength to fully control them, which could divert a lot of effort and time without benefiting cultivation.
However, Li Lin knew he needed to enhance his strength urgently, with limited techniques and insufficient power at his disposal. For now, he had to focus on improving his strength, setting aside other considerations to prioritize his power enhancement.