Chapter 40
Liangshan Continent's secret sect's techniques were innumerable, and among them was one that entered deeply into people's hearts. Hearing it struck fear into them; this sort of secret art practiced Corpse qi. The lesser stage enabled its practitioner to spit corrosive corpse poison while the upper stage was able to call upon the Nine Dark Blood Seas. This type of technique was extremely cruel, a destruction of human nature such that it was called a Demonic Technique, and the specialized schools that passed down these sorts of arts were labeled Demonic Magic Instruction Cults. Nevertheless, refining ghost qi could not happen with just any soul technique as a secret was needed for success, and oftentimes various tools were needed as a medium to gather Ghost qi.
Ghost Soul Pearls were among the more powerful tools.
A Ghost Soul Pearl was a very uncommon sight, and it certainly was not an average artifact. It required being molded by corpse qi for upwards of one hundred years, and the location where such a formation took place needed to be a special location that extremely favored ghost qi. In addition, the environment also required at least a hundred thousand ghosts supplying corpse qi in order to have a chance of condensing into a Ghost Soul Pearl.
"Ghost Soul Pearls are rumored to be able to refine "Purify Soul and Corpse," "Million Ghost Soldiers," and the "Nine Infants" and other countless sorts of special abilities. The more Ghost Soul Pearls you assemble, the more powerful the special ability." Wu Xinjie said.
Even though was only holding the Ghost Soul Pearl in his hand, Su Xing felt his entire body was cold. A ghostly wind blew and his hair stood on end. He really had no interest currently in cultivating this sort of demonic object, and even if he really wanted to cultivate this to its minimum, he still needed to wait after he cultivated the Heart Like Mirrors Soul Technique to its limits before it could suffice. Otherwise, this kind of overflowing with ghost qi Ghost Artifact would easily devour its master, and Su Xing definitely did not want to star in this sort of tragedy.
Due to the ghostly devouring qi, which could corrupt spiritual power, dispersed by the Ghost Soul Pearl, Su Xing placed it by itself into its own Astral Bag.
Right after, he took another look throughout the ancient tomb, yet he found nothing else. The number of innocent lives claimed by this General Tianwei that became a Demon Corpse were unknown. Su Xing gratefully cleaned and looted those precious metals, pearls and funerary objects, and in total, there was two thousand liang of gold, a lavish fortune by any measure. Su Xing did not leave the Demon Qi Broadsword alone either, storing it within the same bag as the Ghost Soul Pearl.
Only then did Su Xing, Lin Yingmei and Wu Xinjie leave the ancient tomb.
This adventure in General Tianwei's burial site cost them an entire night. Unbearably exhausted, the three returned home, and as Gong Caiwei suspected, the other cultivators discovered the ancient tomb's secret from the remains of the water-filled and burnt coffins. However by the time they formed groups to enter, the inside had long been emptied.
And at this time, the one with the biggest harvest, Su Xing, was now within the private room An Suwen arranged for him, cultivating the "Chaotic Tail Escape Technique" and the "Heart Like Mirrors Soul Technique."
He dripped with beads of perspiration the size of beans, rolling from his brow along his face. His body's five senses, his muscles that could be seen with the naked eye were contracting, distorting, his veins bulging, almost like a qiu1 dragon was spread across his body. His skin turned from a terrifying bright red to a darker shade of red, followed by another change to a light yellow. Between the changes in color, the creaking sound of his bones scraping against one another grew louder and louder.
Lin Yingmei and Wu Xinjie trembled in fear as they watched the changes Su Xing was undergoing.
And when his muscles tore, leaking blood, Wu Xinjie even wanted to step forward to stop him, but Lin Yingmei grabbed her.
It was under the pain of this sight that would shock any bystanders that Su Xing suddenly began to emit a white mist from his skin. This traces of the white mist left behind on his body were like a sedative, the muscles across his whole body that were twisted slowly settled down.
In that moment, the people there were able to preserve some tranquility.
Su Xing blinked open his eyes, then closed one as he exhaled.
"Young Master!" Upon seeing this, Wu Xinjie sat by his side and carefully wiped clean Su Xing's brow filled with sweat.
Lin Yingmei grabbed a bottle of medicinal powder and applied it over Su Xing's wounds that exposed bone. She spoke as she spread the powder: "Young Master, do you wish to switch this technique for another?" Even the Majestic Star could not help but frown when she saw this.
This Chaotic Tail Escape really could make one's hair stand on end.
Su Xing shook his head and smiled: "Combining it with the Absolute Sincerity Technique makes it better."
The Chaotic Tail Escape hurt down to the bone, and the Heart Like Mirrors Absolute Sincerity Soul Technique calmed his heart. These two completely on opposite extremes were combined together by Su Xing, their qualities compatible with each other, animated and still, each taking what it needed, unexpectedly achieving a wonderful and harmonious balance. His progression also unexpectedly increased. When the Chaotic Tail Escape reaches the twenty-eighth gate,2 the Heart Like Mirrors Soul technique would break through to the first realm.
"That Golden Toad Spiritual Master is quite amazing, I don't know how he created that sort of escape technique." Lin Yingmei sighed.
Wu Xinjie twitched her mouth: "I think he must have done many despicable3 things, otherwise, why else would one create an escape art whose use necessitates injury."
"I can probably prepare to condense the Stardust Stage into the Nebula Stage." Su Xing lightly nodded his head.
Not long after, An Suwen walked into the room, and seeing two beauties attending their master, she smiled sweetly. "Young master Su Xing, this Miasma Repellant Pill and Seven Lives Cloud Gathering Powder have both already been inspected by Suwen. They are both superb items and will not harm the young master."
"I've troubled you." Su Xing took back the pills and bottle.
"Having a medicine as precious as the Seven Lives Cloud Gathering Powder means you will have no problem condensing your Star Energy into the Nebula Stage. The girl that brought this out was truly extravagant. It seems she truly wants to help the young master." An Suwen faintly sighed.
"Then is the Six Senses Recovery Pill now unnecessary?" Wu Xinjie asked
An Suwen softly said: "From Suwen's perspective, the Six Senses Recovery Pill is still very important. Young master Su Xing has contracted with two sisters, and his Star Energy is distinct from ordinary people. Even Suwen has rarely seen this. He will have more difficulty than the ordinary person congealing his Star Energy, but his chance of success is greater if he has the Six Senses Recovery Pill."
Hearing the Divine Physician say as such, the group had no other opinions.
"Give Suwen three days' time and she can refine a Six Senses Recovery Pill!"
"Little Sister Suwen, we're counting on you."
After three days, An Suwen finished the concoction of the Six Senses Recovery Pill, as expected. The Efficacious Star Divine Physician did not disgrace her name. Not only did she find substitute materials, she even improved the efficacy of the original Six Senses Recovery Pill by a level.
Soon after, Su Xing again sealed himself in a private room that An Suwen arranged for him.
Liangshan Continent Star Cultivator's Star Energy were very special. Starting from nothing then to something, from something to secret, from secret to manifest. From the manifestation step, every refinement needed to be done in sequence in a full circle; almost analogous to giving rise to one. One gives rise to two, two to three, and three to the limits of all living things.
A simpler explanation would be to compare the Star Energy inside a Star Cultivator's body to a seed. From the very early Stardust Stage to the very last Transforming Star of Annihilation, one absolutely could not be careless.
Su Xing sat cross-legged and began. He felt the Stardust Star Energy in his body slowly flow, and when he started operating, these bits of stardust condensed into a single whole. Congealing all of the stardust in his body together was an enormous feat, and some time after that accomplishment, all of his Star Energy had been congealed into a single piece. When it was time to condense, Su Xing helped himself to the Seven Lives Cloud Gathering Powder, pouring the medicinal mix into his mouth and seeping into his entire body's meridians.
Some sort of refreshing sensation flowed into his heart. Under the Gathering Clouds Powder, the originally unable to condense Stardust Star Energy gradually gathered together. Su Xing began to rapidly refine his Star Energy.
This refinement also took a stretch of time.
The Stardust already gradually showed the beginnings of the Nebula Stage, but the Star Energy surging violently within Su Xing's body was still not quite stable. It finally settled into tranquility after he swallowed a Six Senses Recovery Pill. Slowly, Su Xing felt the thick Star Energy in his body start to thin, and then it diluted and expanded; after a few cycles, the dispersed Stardust Stage Star Energy finally bound itself into the Nebula Stage.
In a split second, his entire body's Star Energy completely integrated together, a powerful sense of satisfaction filled Su Xing's body, as if it would break out of his body. Comparing with the Stardust Stage, this really was an excessive boost in power.
Su Xing blinked open his eyes, lifting one side of his mouth to form a hook.
- 虯 ↩
- He already did, though, in Chapter 28… ↩
- 怨天尤人 ↩