"S-senior, you..."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator hadn’t finished his sentence when a cold light flashed before him. His levitating body was sliced in two. Then, the Artifact Cultivator in front of him turned his vicious gaze downward.

He might have acted on instinct just now, but he was already planning to silence any witnesses.

"The absolute nerve!"

Just then, a piercing sound of something tearing through the air echoed between heaven and earth. At the same time, a fifty-foot-tall giant pagoda fell from the sky, crashing down on the Artifact Cultivator’s head.

...

In the small courtyard on the mountaintop, Wang Ping finished reading the second volume of the "Wood Gathering Skill," which Yu Cheng Taoist had just written down. A glowing screen popped up:

[Wood Gathering Skill, Volume Two: Gather the Wood Spirits of heaven and earth to awaken the Spirit Vein within your body. Use the Spirit Vein’s consciousness to cross into the Inspiration Realm, capture a suitable Wood Spirit Spirit Body, and subjugate it for your own use. Then, fuse it with your Primordial Spirit to increase sensitivity to Wood Spirit Qi and achieve a qualitative transformation of your Primordial Spirit.]

[1. Use a fixed magical formation to gather the Wood Spirit Qi from a primeval forest. Awaken the consciousness of the Wood Spirit Vein within your body and cross into the Inspiration Realm. You may attempt this twice a day until your consciousness can remain stable within the Inspiration Realm.]

[2. Find a suitable Wood Spirit Spirit Body. Using your own Spirit Vein as bait, you should find one within four hours. You will need a Gold-attribute sealing artifact to help you subjugate it easily.]

[3. Sit cross-legged upon the fixed Array and communicate directly with the Spiritual Creature. You may attempt this once a day until it becomes familiar with your Primordial Spirit.]

[4. Once the Spiritual Creature is familiar with your Primordial Spirit, you can attempt to fuse your Primordial Spirit with it, or use the simpler method: the "Soul Devouring Technique." For this step, observe the Spiritual Creature’s state. The success rate will be higher only when its emotions are stable. Current success rate: no reference data.]

[5. Use your Primordial Spirit to digest the Spiritual Creature’s characteristics. Both your Primordial Spirit and the Spirit Vein in your body will evolve. Completing this step will further elevate your level of existence.]

[Note 1: Before cultivating a Primordial Spirit, the Spirit Vein Consciousness within your body is extremely dangerous to your physical form. The awakening time must not exceed two breaths. You will need a Sealing Array to suppress the Spirit Vein Consciousness, and you must also refine a set of mobile Forbidden Spirit Arrays.]

[Note 2: The Gold-attribute sealing artifact should ideally possess the power of the Second Realm, or you should invite a Cultivator of the Second Realm or higher to act as your Guardian.]

[Note 3: Maintain absolute confidence. Wood Spirit Spirit Bodies are fond of confident people.]

[Note 4: When using the "Soul Devouring Technique" to digest and devour a Spirit Body, you must keep your emotions active. Before completing the devouring process, be sure to suppress your curiosity and refrain from reading the Spiritual Creature’s chaotic memories.]

[Note 5: Ensure that the Spirit Vein in your body has not expanded into your internal organs. If it has, eradicate it immediately. If you cannot eradicate it, you must seal it promptly, or immediately enter seclusion in a place isolated from Spiritual Qi. Stay away from the invasion of external consciousness until the excess Spirit Vein has been completely cleared before emerging.]

The requirements for advancement were both difficult and simple.

This was in comparison to before Wang Ping’s advancement. After his promotion, the various requirements for the second stage of the "Wood Gathering Skill" were practically effortless for him.

However, whether one could truly succeed in advancing still depended on the individual.

Based on his current understanding, he was well aware of the difficulty for an Entering Cultivator’s Primordial Spirit to fuse with a Spiritual Creature. The slightest carelessness in this process could lead to being assimilated into a monster, and one also had to constantly prevent the Spirit Vein in their body from going berserk.

’Li Yan could never have thought of such a way to improve the "Wood Gathering Skill." This Secret Technique was most likely created by the person backing him.’

When Yu Cheng Taoist saw that Wang Ping had finished reading, he said, "The Soul Devouring Technique is one of the types of magic that Wu Ma Daoist’s lineage excels at. My senior brother once said that they use the Soul Devouring Technique to devour Spiritual Creatures to strengthen their Primordial Spirits. Many went mad because of it."

The Soul Devouring Technique sounds intimidating, but it’s actually useless against sentient beings in the physical world. Devouring the Primordial Spirit of another living being would give the devourer an extra personality, causing them to suffer from cultivation deviation within three days.

This magic is about assimilation, not absorption. It uses a Cultivator’s Primordial Spirit to assimilate other substances, making it a technique that toes the line of insanity.

Wang Ping thought for a moment and said, "I will design a secret chamber that isolates Spiritual Qi and find a forested mountain that can absorb Wood Spirits. I’ll set up a complex Sealing Array in the core area of the forest. This should reduce a lot of the risk and also provide a path forward for the sect’s disciples."

"Mm, you can take the lead on this. With your talent, you’re certain to aim for the Fourth Realm in the future. For Qianmu Temple to keep up with your needs, some special measures will be necessary. However, a Taoist Sect must still have the rules of a Taoist Sect."

"I understand what you mean, Master. I will find a way to obtain the Soul Devouring Technique, but I will strictly limit how it can be used."

"That is precisely what I mean." Wang Ping looked toward the northern sky. At the edge of the horizon, the five-colored projection that the Daoist Scripture Hall only used for emergency contact with a Pacification Envoy had appeared!

...

「Ningzhou Road, Shunyang Prefecture Ferry.」

The bustling laborers on the docks and the sailors on nearby boats were all treading carefully, not daring to make the slightest extra noise. Occasionally, one or two of the bolder ones would peek from behind cover, gazing at a large ship on the distant river.

It was a three-masted official ship. A flag of the Daoist Scripture Hall hung from the top of its main mast. The large ship didn’t dock at the port but instead headed downstream, moving swiftly toward Nanlin Road. A fast boat cleared the way ahead, forcing other vessels along the route to retreat to the sides of the river well in advance.

On the top deck of the official ship, Hu Qianqian wore an anxious expression. She watched the busy sailors on the deck below, her hands pressed against the wooden railing. Her sharp claws left a series of vicious scratches on the wood.

After dealing with the Wulang matter, she was supposed to have stayed in Ningzhou Road to clean up the remaining loose ends. But when she received word that Qianmu Temple had been attacked because of Wulang, she immediately dropped everything and headed back.

She felt that she had botched this affair due to her own carelessness. The two standing on either side of her, Niu Qi and Wang Ben, also had worried faces. Niu Qi constantly breathed out plumes of hot air, while the long whiskers at the corners of Wang Ben’s mouth drooped listlessly.

"You must guard that Sheep Demon well! He holds the secret of ’the first day.’ Perhaps his secret will allow us to redeem ourselves!"

Hu Qianqian instructed again.

Even though she had already said this many times, neither Niu Qi nor Wang Ben found anything wrong with it.

Just as the ship was about to reach the border of Nanlin Road, a five-colored Five Elements Diagram suddenly flashed across the somewhat hazy autumn sky. It made Hu Qianqian feel a piercing chill in the autumn wind, and her furry ears twitched back and forth unconsciously.

"This is the first time I’ve ever seen the Daoist Scripture Hall use their highest-level signal!"

Niu Qi said in a booming voice, exhaling two clouds of hot air from his nostrils. He was clearly suppressing his irritation.

Wang Ben licked his lips and said with dissatisfaction, "Can you just shut up?"

"CRACK."

Hu Qianqian had failed to control her strength and crushed the railing.

The sailors below felt a chill run down their spines. Both Niu Qi and Wang Ben shut their mouths.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

An eagle’s cry came from the sky. A falcon with a wingspan of over ten feet glided down rapidly. As it neared the official ship, it transformed into a Little Demon wearing a tight-fitting black cotton outfit.

"What is it?"

Wang Ben demanded.

The Eagle Demon habitually cocked its head, its two round eyes darting about. Kneeling on one knee on the deck, it said, "The Daoist Scripture Hall was pursuing Wulang... uh, no, that’s not right. While pursuing the remnants of ’the first day,’ they clashed with enemy Cultivators at the border of Mozhou Road. I heard several Entering Cultivators died."

Hearing this, Hu Qianqian’s azure eyes abruptly narrowed into vertical slits. She extended her tongue, licked her sharp teeth, and said to those beside her, "Let’s speed up!"

At her words, Niu Qi and Wang Ben nodded in tacit understanding. They channeled the demonic qi in their bodies, enveloping the official ship. The next moment, the entire vessel shot into the air like a Magical Artifact, merging with the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth and streaking over the river channel at extreme speed.

In less than two hours, the official ship followed the river into the territory of Nanlin Road.

"You two, go and personally escort that Old Sheep Demon!"

As Hu Qianqian’s voice rang out, she projected her identity token into the sky. Then, her figure flashed and vanished into the air. Niu Qi and Wang Ben turned and walked toward a room at the back of the ship that contained a Sealing Array.