Although I am a spiritual practitioner, I have not yet cultivated any spiritual techniques. This spiritual technique is perfectly suited for me. Even if I can't fully unleash the power of this Xuan-level spiritual technique right now, I can take my time. Having cultivated this spiritual technique will give me an extra means of protection in the future.
"Cultivate." After much hesitation, I decide to proceed with the cultivation. Uncle Jiang's advice certainly isn't wrong, but my situation is different. If I were a descendant of a major sect or a powerful family with strong backing, I could afford to cultivate slowly, step by step, which would be best for the future.
However, my circumstances are not the same. I am alone, without anyone to help me. Although I have the small Li family, there are those within the Li family who scheme against me. Therefore, strength is fundamental. Without strength, all plans are but fleeting clouds.
Forming a hand seal, I drop blood onto the jade slip. Instantly, a dazzling light emerges from the slip. At this moment, as my hand seal changes, a surge of spiritual energy gathers in my hand and then is infused into the jade slip.
Spiritual techniques differ from martial techniques; they require spiritual energy as the key to unlock them. Martial artists, upon obtaining a spiritual technique, simply cannot cultivate it.
As spiritual energy is infused, the jade slip lights up brightly, the illumination like flames soaring, lighting up the stone chamber brilliantly.
At that moment, amidst the light, a tremor occurs. Subsequently, all the light transforms into the form of a several-meter-long golden saber, which gradually shrinks and becomes increasingly dazzling, finally transforming into a half-meter-long saber before fiercely plunging into my forehead.
With my eyes tightly closed, a vast influx of information appears in my mind, detailing the cultivation method of the spiritual technique.
"Xuan-level beginner spiritual technique, Saber Soul Technique." After a moment, I open my eyes. From the information, I learn that this spiritual technique is named Saber Soul Technique, an offensive spiritual technique. It involves condensing spiritual energy into a saber for attacks, powerful and versatile. The more solid the saber formed from spiritual energy, the more powerful its might, capable of piercing and breaking through anything, truly domineering.
"I'll cultivate the Saber Soul Technique, giving me another method to rely on in the future." I'm pleased. This spiritual technique is exactly what I like. Even if I can't currently unleash the Saber Soul Technique's full power, its execution will undoubtedly be strong.
Quietly memorizing the cultivation method of the Saber Soul Technique, I plan to leave this valley once I achieve some mastery over it. Cultivating here will ensure no disturbances, and as for Yunyang Sect, I can't catch up now and will find a way to get there later.
A day later, at the base of the mountain, a young man in a green robe stands, about sixteen or seventeen years old, tall and slender, with star-like eyes and slightly upturned thin lips, showing a lazy smile. He exudes an aura far beyond his age, none other than Li Lin.
"Saber Soul Technique." Standing before the mountain, Li Lin suddenly shouts, forming a hand seal, and spiritual energy fills the surrounding air. In his right hand, a one-meter-long, palm-wide golden saber, broader at the front and tapering towards the back, appears before him.
"Strike!" With the golden saber in hand, he fiercely strikes towards a large rock below the mountain, about four meters tall and five to six meters wide.
"With a swish," the rock slightly responds, but the golden saber instantly dissipates.
Surprised by this phenomenon, Li Lin pauses before forming another hand seal, once again condensing the golden saber and striking fiercely.
"Swish!"
The result seems no different; the golden saber instantly dissipates, indicating that Li Lin's cultivation of the Saber Soul Technique is not yet successful.
"Damn, I refuse to believe I can't cultivate it successfully." Despite being disheartened, Li Lin's stubbornness is ignited, and he changes his hand seal again, condensing the golden saber to strike the rock.
"Swish!"
"I refuse to believe this. Again."
"Swish!"
"Again, I refuse to accept defeat."
"Swish!"
"Damn it, I'm all in…"
In the valley, Li Lin's shouts are continuous, and behind him, on a rock, the little dragon opens its round eyes, curiously watching Li Lin, occasionally looking towards the distance.
Half an hour later, Li Lin's shouts grew weaker, his face pale, his spiritual power nearly exhausted. Any further exertion would mean overextension, potentially shaking the foundation of his cultivation.
"Damn, Xuan-level beginner spiritual techniques are indeed difficult to cultivate," Li Lin said, sitting on the ground, drained. This Saber Soul Technique was much harder to cultivate than the Vermilion Bird Art he practiced before. Although the Vermilion Bird Art was complex, it was relatively easy to cultivate. However, the Saber Soul Technique proved extremely challenging.
Li Lin remembered what Uncle Jiang had said: the higher the level of martial and spiritual techniques, the more challenging the conditions for their cultivation. Those with low strength couldn't even begin to cultivate heavenly martial or spiritual techniques.
It seemed the same applied to him now. Cultivating this Xuan-level beginner spiritual technique was exceptionally difficult, and Li Lin felt helpless, not knowing where the problem lay. If Uncle Jiang were here, he could have identified the issue.
"I must cultivate it successfully. I refuse to believe it can't be done," Li Lin got up from the ground, determined to continue after recovering from his exhaustion, refusing to believe he couldn't succeed.
Climbing into the cave, Li Lin sat cross-legged on the Spirit Jade Bed and began to regulate his breathing. With the assistance of the Spirit Jade Bed, the depleted spiritual power in his body gradually restored.
After half a day, Li Lin felt his spiritual power had mostly recovered. After this round of exhaustion and subsequent cultivation, the spiritual energy in his body felt significantly more condensed.
Returning to the cave, Li Lin persisted in cultivating the Saber Soul Technique, facing failure after failure without giving up, until he was exhausted once again.
As night fell, Li Lin found some food in the forest before returning to the stone chamber and the Spirit Jade Bed to continue his recovery.
The next morning, with the sky slightly brightening, Li Lin resumed his cultivation at the foot of the mountain, experiencing failure and exhaustion once again before resting and recovering.
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This cycle continued for five days. Li Lin persisted, believing in eventual success after each failure.
Concentrating his spirit and energy, Li Lin formed a golden saber with his hand seals. The saber glowed, and spiritual power surged, the golden saber now significantly more solid than five days ago. Each time he exhausted himself, Li Lin eagerly cultivated, feeling his spiritual energy within the mind becoming more condensed, and even the golden saber he conjured became more solid.
"Strike," Li Lin commanded softly. The golden saber immediately slashed towards a large rock, visibly impacting it heavily, carrying a dull thud that echoed through the valley.
The golden saber dissipated again, but this time it left a two-centimeter deep mark on the rock, surrounded by several shallow cracks.
"There's progress. I will succeed, definitely," Li Lin thought, heart filled with joy as if seeing a glimmer of light in the darkness. This slight improvement was proof that his persistence was effective.
"Continue," Li Lin formed hand seals again to practice, determined to master the Saber Soul Technique.
"Swish!"
"Bang!"
The rock echoed with dull thuds, and countless fragments scattered. After exhausting himself once more, Li Lin returned to the Spirit Jade Bed to cultivate.
Time passed slowly as Li Lin immersed himself in cultivating the Saber Soul Technique, making slight progress each day, enough to keep him motivated.
In the boundless mountains, two rock eagles flew by, carrying Elder Bai Mei and his companions.
"Everyone, pay attention. We are now in the central region of Yunyang Sect. In two more days, we will reach the sect," Elder Bai Mei informed the group.
On the back of the rock eagles, everyone looked down. After a month and a half of flight, they were finally nearing Yunyang Sect, which should have been a joyous occasion. However, Li Wushuang couldn't feel happy, constantly worried about his cousin's unknown fate.
Within the Misty Mountain Range, nearly everyone who ventures into these mountains is a martial artist. Ordinary martial artists dare not enter casually, and even those with decent strength need to enter in groups because this is no ordinary range. Within it, demonic beasts roam, and as for spiritual beasts, though there have been rumors of sightings, they remain just that—rumors.
Encountering spiritual practitioners within the Misty Mountain Range isn’t unusual, with spiritual practitioners often joining forces with several or even dozens of martial artists to form small mercenary groups navigating the range.
Those who enter the Misty Mountain Range have one goal: to obtain demonic beasts and herbs for concocting elixirs, both of which fetch a high price. Although demonic beasts must reach the fourth tier before they can condense demonic cores, the capture of tier one, two, or three demonic beasts can still attract buyers in the outside world. Some warriors and martial masters purchase these lower-tier demonic beasts as protective beasts or pets for young masters and ladies, making even a single demonic beast quite valuable.
Catching a spiritual beast, however, represents a significant income. Even a tier one spiritual beast can sell for tens of thousands of gold coins. A tier two spiritual beast can fetch prices that double, generally around fifty thousand gold coins, equivalent to a tier four demonic core.
However, spiritual beasts are rarely seen within the Misty Mountain Range, and demonic beasts aren’t plentiful either. Unlucky encounters with a tier four demonic beast spell big trouble, as even peak ninth-tier Wu Soul warriors find them challenging, and those below stand no chance of survival.
Thus, those entering the Misty Mountain Range typically do so in small groups or even large mercenary groups numbering in the dozens or thousands.
Besides demonic beasts, frequent visitors to the Misty Mountain Range know to be wary sometimes of other mercenary groups. Some mercenary groups openly attack smaller teams to rob and kill, a not uncommon occurrence.
Every Spring Festival marks a bustling season for the Misty Mountain Range. After resting through winter, entering the range in spring promises rich hauls of spiritual herbs. With some luck, one might encounter demonic beasts out hunting, capturing even just tier one or two beasts can lead to a substantial income.
Some mercenary groups aim for tier three demonic beasts, which are quite valuable, but smaller, less powerful teams naturally hope not to encounter beasts of tier three or higher. Even peak ninth-tier martial masters struggle alone against tier three demonic beasts.
At this time, the Misty Mountain Range is at its busiest, with numerous small teams and mercenary groups pouring in for a gold rush. Competitions over spiritual herbs among several teams are common sights.
On a cliff, many martial artists have gathered, most in combat-ready attire, likely here for the treasure hunt.
"It’s said that a month ago, that Huo Yin beast was killed by Elder Bai Mei and Wang Mingyue of Yunyang Sect and fell off this cliff. Too bad we can’t get down there; the loot from that beast must be significant."
"The dense fog in this cliff makes descent impossible for us."
"Indeed, who would have thought the Huo Yin beast would die like that, having provoked Yunyang Sect."
"Yunyang Sect is not to be trifed with. This is their territory, after all. The Huo Yin beast was looking for its own death by competing with Yunyang Sect for the Heavenly Silkworm Armor."
"That’s the Heavenly Silkworm Armor. If I found it, I wouldn’t want to part with it either."
"What would it matter if you found it? As a mere low-level martial artist, you’d be seeking death."
"Let’s disperse. If there were any loot, it would have been taken by now. Let’s look nearby for spiritual herbs instead. This time, let’s find more herbs to sell at a good price. Recently, Huanghua Tower has a new top-tier beauty, with curves that could kill and eyes that seduce to the bone."
"Damn, I’ve seen her. That big, round, and firm behind makes me want to take her just once, even if it costs me a few years of my life."
"You're such a lustful tiger, hahaha."
A few lewd laughs echoed from the cliff, and then the crowd dispersed rapidly. Unknown to them, beneath this cliff lay a different world, and Li Lin, who had narrowly escaped death, was currently continuing his cultivation of the Saber Soul Technique.
At the base of the mountain, Li Lin stood quietly, his green robe fluttering without any wind, a faint aura spreading around him. The grass in the vicinity bowed outward, creating ripples as if brushed by a gentle breeze.
After a moment, Li Lin slowly exhaled, his eyes slightly squinted before suddenly opening, a flash of brilliance passing through his gaze. Immediately, spiritual energy surged around him, and a profound aura spread out.
Simultaneously, Li Lin formed hand seals, and spiritual energy quickly condensed into a golden long saber in his right hand. The saber shimmered with a mysterious light, and a fierce aura spread from it. This aura was not much different from when Li Lin displayed the Vermilion Bird Art at the Qingyun Town square.
The golden saber, now several times more solid than before, formed a red pathway as it condensed, causing the surrounding space and grass to ripple violently as if pressed down by a strong wind.
"Saber Soul Technique, go." With a soft shout from Li Lin, his hand seals changed, and the red saber flew from his grasp, slicing through the air and producing a sharp whistling sound as it compressed the surrounding air.
As Li Lin's hand seals changed, the red saber continuously slashed through the air, causing space to tremble with each strike, and the force generated sonic booms in the atmosphere.
"Saber Soul Technique, break for me." With another change in hand seals and a deep shout from Li Lin, the red saber flashed through the air like lightning, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.
In an instant, the red saber unleashed a terrifying force, piercing through the air with a sharp whistling sound, causing space to quiver. The blade's light was blinding as it fiercely struck the giant rock at the base of the mountain.
"Boom..." A massive sound echoed through the valley, like thunder exploding suddenly. The rock, standing four meters tall and five meters wide, instantly cracked, visibly crumbling under the force of the sharp saber light, scattering countless fragments.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Even the surrounding mountain walls trembled, causing rocks to fall thunderously. This scene was spectacular, with countless fragments scattering. Li Lin set up a protective barrier around himself, and seeing the scene unfold before him, a smile finally appeared on his face.
Moments later, all was calm. Right where the giant rock once stood, it was now scattered around, leaving a ten-meter-long crack on the ground.
"I've succeeded, although it's just the initial stage of the Saber Soul Technique, the power is already impressive. Even against an eighth-level martial artist, I'd have a fighting chance."
Li Lin felt the power of the Saber Soul Technique. Though it was slightly less than the Vermilion Bird Art, its strength was definitely capable of contending with martial artists between the seventh and eighth levels. If his spiritual power were to break through again, the power of the Saber Soul Technique would naturally continue to increase.
The Saber Soul Technique has three stages, and currently, Li Lin could only activate the first stage, Saber Soul Slash. If he became strong enough in the future to activate the second stage, Saber Soul Light Blade, and the third stage, Saber Soul Void Annihilation, his strength would greatly increase. Being able to barely activate the first stage, Saber Soul Slash, was already quite an achievement.
Looking at the crack on the ground and the recently shattered giant rock, Li Lin became somewhat excited. A month of cultivation had finally borne some fruit. The Saber Soul Slash was incredibly powerful and domineering, truly worthy of being a Xuan-level spiritual technique.