Li Lu's eyes fluttered open as she felt herself being lifted, and the first thing she saw was a man carrying her. She tried to struggle, but she couldn't move due to the electric shock coursing through her body. She also attempted to speak, but her mouth wouldn't open, swollen and bruised from the beating she had received earlier. Moments later, Li Lu's eyes opened again, drawn by the haunting echoes reverberating through the cave—cries of people suffering, in pain, weeping, and the moans of women in pleasure.

...

In the dark cave, a door to a room slowly opened, and a man stepped out, enveloped in a noticeable black aura. Following closely behind him was a woman. As the man walked, he whispered softly to himself, sensing his own energy, "It's still not enough to achieve the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm." He then glanced at the woman following him, "It would be a waste to use you merely as a vessel for my Life Essence Absorption Technique, like the prisoners brought inside. I never thought I would end up using Corpse Puppetry on you."

---Life Essence Absorption Technique: This dark and forbidden technique allows the evil cultivator to absorb the life essence, spiritual energy, and even the soul of another individual to enhance their own cultivation. The process is highly destructive to the victim, often resulting in their death or a permanent state of soullessness.---

---Corpse Puppetry: Technique where the cultivator reanimates the dead bodies, turning them into mindless, obedient puppets. This puppet not only mirrors the cultivator's cultivation level (their master) but also retains some of their combat skills and making it a formidable force on the battlefield.This technique is often associated with necromancy and dark arts.---

When a man in black approached and cupped his fist in respect, he turned to his right. "Boss, you need to see this," the man said, producing a spirit orb from his storage ring. Upon seeing it, the man was stunned by the technique being performed by the young girl.

...

When Li Lu regained consciousness, she found herself hanging, with her hands and feet shackled. As she surveyed her surroundings, she saw a man with a distinctive half-up, half-down hairstyle seated in front of him. His attire was notably different from that of his captors; he wore a black hanfu with red lines on the cuffs and collar and a red dragon emblem on the sleeves of his left arm.

To the seated man's right stood a man dressed in black, holding up a spirit orb for inspection. Li Lu recognized this man as the one who had punched her in the stomach while she was trying to save her mother back in Jiandan Village. On the left side of the seated man was a woman standing straight, but her appearance was obscured by the darkness.

Li Lu's attention was soon drawn to the spirit orb, which displayed footage of her using the Adamantine Sealing Chain against the two men in black.

She was unaware that the seated man had noticed she was awake. The man suddenly spoke, "I see you're awake. I have a question for you, kid—if you want to stay alive." As soon as he finished speaking, the man vanished from his seat and appeared directly in front of Li Lu in the blink of an eye. He then showed her the video on the spirit orb. "Who or where did you learn this technique from?"

Li Lu remained silent and did not respond. The man, seeing this, raised his right hand, which emitted a red aura. In an instant, her injuries were healed. The man then asked again, "Last question—who or where did you learn this technique from?"

Once again, Li Lu did not answer the question. With a simple gesture, the man summoned the woman who had been standing earlier to approach. As she drew closer, Li Lu was stunned to see that she was none other than Xiao Yun. "Big Sister..." she began, but her words were cut short when Xiao Yun (now undead) struck her in the right cheek with a punch, followed by a powerful left punch to her stomach. The force of the blows made Li Lu vomit blood.

At that moment, the man grasped Li Lu’s face and unleashed a surge of red lightning qi. Overwhelmed by the excruciating pain, Li Lu involuntarily wet herself and began to slip into delirium, tears streaming down her face as she thought of her mother. "Mom," she whispered. As she looked at Xiao Yun for the last time, she noticed her eyes were entirely black, and a dark aura was emanating from her body, filling her with a deep sense of dread.

When the girl lost consciousness, the man activated his soul enslavement technique. His right hand produced a red circle with characters inscribed around its edge. At the same time, a matching red circle appeared beneath the unconscious girl.

---Soul Enslavement Technique: Forbidden and malevolent puppetry skill used by evil cultivators to gain absolute control over their victims. This technique involves the manipulation of the victim's soul, allowing the cultivator to dominate their mind, thoughts, and actions completely.---

After a few minutes, Li Lu regained consciousness and found herself facing the seated man. She realized that she was no longer shackled, but when she attempted to speak, she discovered she couldn’t open or move her mouth, nor could she move her body.

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The man then asked, "Did you take an oath before acquiring the technique you used?"

Li Lu tried to shake her head in response, but her body wouldn’t obey. Instead, her body responded with a nod.

Since the man was unaware of the specific oath Li Lu had taken, he chose not to pursue where Li Lu had learned the technique. This decision was influenced by the understanding that trying to bypass an oath through coercion or extraction could have unpredictable consequences.

The information might become inaccessible, the extractor might suffer a backlash, or the cultivator might experience extreme pain or mental collapse rather than break the oath. Any attempt to forcefully extract the information from their mind, through soul-searching techniques or mind-reading, would be met with resistance. It can create a mental or spiritual barrier. The effectiveness of this protection depends on the strength of the oath and the entity enforcing it.

After a brief silence, the man spoke again, "Perform the technique you demonstrated on the spirit orb." Obeying his command, Li Lu’s body conjured four blue chains that extended from her back. The man, seeing this, stood up from his seat and approached her. As he drew closer, he asked, "What is the name of this technique?"

Unable to control her own body, Li Lu responded, "Adamantine Sealing Chains."

"Oh, a sealing technique," the man said, examining the technique with interest. "And what does it do?"

Despite her inner resistance, Li Lu, under control, disclosed everything she knew about the technique. As Li Lu began to explain its purpose and function, the man felt confident that the information would be accurate and complete. This confidence stemmed from the fact that cultivators (they) often have remarkable memory abilities, sometimes known as "photographic memory" or "perfect recall." Such heightened memory helps them remember techniques, formulas, and important details from their training and experiences.

~~~Cultivators might memorize the raw data and techniques, but truly understanding and mastering these skills requires more than just memory. It demands insight, intuition, and sometimes personal breakthroughs. This process can be complex, as it often involves adapting techniques to fit one’s own cultivation level, unique attributes, or personal experiences.

Thus, having a good grade spiritual root is crucial because it influences a cultivator's ability to understand and develop techniques. It can be considered the foundational quality or aptitude that determines how effectively a cultivator can absorb, process, and utilize spiritual energy and techniques.~~~

After Li Lu (under control) had shared all she knew, the man nodded and returned to his seat. As he settled back, he muttered to himself, "My suspicion was correct; she's using a high-grade technique. I'm fortunate I didn't resort to the mind extraction technique. Now, the real question is: why was this technique given to the girl?"

The man then turned his attention to the girl and interrogated her. After several minutes of questioning, he let out a chuckle tinged with frustration and said, "There’s nothing special about you, kid. What could that person have been thinking, giving you such a technique? How foolish." He expressed this frustration because high-grade techniques are rare and highly valued.

In the midst of the situation, the man in black cupped his fist and whispered something to the seated man. Once the whispering was done, the seated man retrieved a black book from his storage ring and handed it to the man in black. After receiving the book, the man in black cupped his fist in gratitude and promptly placed the book into his own storage ring.

The seated man then addressed the standing young girl, saying, "Perfect timing."

...

In the days and months that followed, Li Mei stood watch every morning in the cave where she last saw her daughter. Despite being slapped in the face by the guards stationed there, she refused to back down. Each day, she was haunted by regret, questioning why she hadn’t simply given the spiritual stone she found to the three men who had spotted her.

...

After three months (Autumn)

Madara withdrew the buried wooden sword, infused with silver sword qi, in his right hand. He quickly aimed his left palm forward and activated the Mystical Palm Technique. As he did so, a green aura emerged, symbolizing both his wood affinity and the technique itself. Once the green aura was fully manifested, Madara began to count, and after five minutes—300 seconds—his deep wound on his right hand had healed completely.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but smile at the progress he had made in his training. The scars on various parts of his body were clear evidence of his hard work. "Not bad for reaching the intermediate stage of my technique," he thought to himself. Afterward, he glanced to his right and noticed his calendar marked (0-6-0-9), indicating 609 days. "I only have 2 years and 9 months left," he mused, reflecting on the time he had remaining.

After absorbing qi and enjoying an early dinner, he stepped out of his house to prepare for the upcoming battle. During his days of observation, he had learned that the bloodfang bats were ravenous for flesh and blood. As evening approached, he entered the cave, igniting his left hand with fire. As he ventured deeper into the cave, he counted the bloodfang bats hanging and sleeping, estimating their number to be around 300 based on the qi they were emanating.

Taking a deep breath, Madara paused and quickly drew his wooden sword from his storage ring, infusing it with silver sword qi. Holding the sword in his right hand, he swiftly lowered his left hand, which was engulfed in flames, and made a cut across his palm, causing it to bleed.

As his blood dripped onto the cave floor, the bloodfang bats awakened simultaneously from their slumber. At the scent of blood, the bloodfang bats' eyes glowed red, and they unleashed their qi. In unison, they launched a swift attack on Madara, who stood directly beneath them.

~As a sword cultivator, you need unwavering dedication and discipline, fully committing to the path of swordsmanship (Sword Dao). Perseverance is crucial, as you will face numerous challenges that test your mental fortitude. Maintaining sharp focus and concentration allows you to master techniques and sense your opponent's movements. Courage is essential for confronting powerful adversaries and exploring unknown territories.~