Chapter 0007: Ritual of the Soul

Zhong Yue suddenly woke up, looking at the empty jade bottle with some astonishment. Ten Feather Spirit Pills, which an ordinary upper courtyard disciple could only fully digest in a month, had been consumed by him without him even realizing it during this round of cultivation

In the garden, Zhong Yue manipulated the stone pedestal, making it soar through the air like the wind, rising and falling unpredictably. Suddenly, the stone pedestal went out of control and crashed violently onto the artificial hill, which stood at a height of three to four zhang, breaking it in half. Half of the artificial hill fell into the water, an astonishing sight!

Zhong Yue swallowed a Feather Spirit Pill, and immediately felt a surge of medicinal power transforming into pure energy flowing into his limbs and bones, providing immense comfort. His body resembled land that had been parched for a long time; the medicinal power of the Feather Spirit Pill flowed in like a gentle stream, nourishing his body and causing his originally withered muscles to gradually swell, which was quite marvelous

Zhong Yue felt as if an infinite power was surging into his arms

One by one, he consumed the feather spirit pills, immersing himself in the wonders of visualization. For the first time, he felt that cultivation was no longer tedious; instead, it was so interesting and filled with anticipation

Oh? The Feather Spirit Pill is gone

It is quite early

Zhong Yue dispersed his mental energy, and the Fire Seed Child immediately drilled into his sea of consciousness at the center of his brow, urging, "If we do not find a pure-blooded royal soon to complete the Fire Seed inheritance, I fear I will extinguish. There are so many people here; perhaps we can find a pure-blooded Fuxi divine clan member!"

Zhong Yue's eyes lit up; the functionality of the upper house token is indeed considerate. Although the disciples of the upper house are merely entry-level disciples, their daily focused cultivation should not be disturbed, as it could easily lead to deviation from their path.

Zhong Yue took a deep breath, stood up, walked out of the quiet room, and arrived in the backyard garden. He gently stretched his muscles and bones, feeling an explosive power within him. He thought to himself: "With ten Feather Spirit Pills and four consecutive days of cultivation, I wonder if I can perform the Soul Sacrifice now"

Hoo.

Zhong Yue led him out of the courtyard, where many disciples from the upper courtyard were heading towards the Scripture Pavilion, likely because some Qi Refinement practitioners had come down from the mountain to impart their techniques

Your dragon totem is still far from complete; you have only obtained the skin of the dragon, but not its body, nor its spirit

Zhong Yue looked at his limbs in disbelief, only to see a dragon-like body, as if made of substance, coiling around his arms, torso, and legs. The dragon's body was even moving slowly, while the long whiskers of the dragon's head behind him hung down and floated in front of him

And now, having become a disciple of the upper house, he was suddenly given ten coins, and moreover, ten coins each month, which was an immense fortune for Zhong Yue!

In theory, if the soul is powerful enough, it could even lift a mountain, fly through the sky, and could even be used to destroy a city

Moreover, his soul was also nourished by the medicinal power, feeling quite comfortable

Zhong Yue immediately envisioned the Fire Calendar Palace and the Fire Sovereign, with waves surging in his sea of consciousness, constructing the Fire Sovereign, the Fire Calendar Palace, and the Fire Tree. At the same time, his mental energy began to deplete rapidly; however, due to having consumed the Feather Spirit Pill, his mental energy was also continuously replenishing during the process of consumption.

Among the disciples of the Upper Academy, those who are capable of lifting a weight of a thousand pounds are already considered exceptional. Moreover, using heavy lifting as a means of attack is merely the most rudimentary approach. The disciples of the Upper Academy often perform soul sacrifices, infusing their souls into weapons. They inscribe totem patterns onto the weapons, and once the sacrifice is made, the weapons become as swift as lightning, cutting through iron like mud, invulnerable, and immensely powerful

Xinhua pondered for a moment and agreed, saying: "However, if you are a pure-blooded Fuxi divine clan, not to mention capturing the flood dragon, merely the aura you emit would be enough to make it submit, allowing you to study it at will. Oh? There are many auras of the Fuxi divine clan! Let's go, hurry and take me out!"

The young boy of the Xinhua clan peered outside with his eyes, muttering to himself: "Not pureblood, not pureblood, not pureblood... What on earth has happened to the Fuxi divine clan? Among thousands of people, not a single pureblood can be found, not even you! Come on, let's go over there; there are more people, and perhaps we can find a pureblood!"

The steward smiled and said: "Every disciple who becomes an entry-level member of the upper house will be reported to the Qi Refiners of the Sword Sect. Those Qi Refiners will come to select disciples, impart techniques, and guide their cultivation. Each Qi Refiner typically has a dozen or twenty upper house disciples under their tutelage, and in the future, when these upper house disciples become Qi Refiners, they will also bring honor to their mentors. Rest assured, as long as you pass the assessment of the Azure Sky Hall, it will take no more than five or six days at most, or at least one or two days, before a Qi Refiner comes to take you under their wing."

After an unknown period of time, the medicinal power of the Feather Spirit Pill was exhausted. Zhong Yue immediately consumed another spirit pill and continued his cultivation. His sea of consciousness was continuously expanding; as his mental strength waned, new strength emerged, causing the sea of consciousness to grow larger and his soul to become increasingly powerful

"Zhongshan's Zhongyue? It seems to have gained quite a bit of weight, almost making it unrecognizable."

"May I ask how the disciples of the upper academy cultivate their practice?" Zhong Yue inquired

Zhong Yue arrived at the Medicine Valley and received ten Feather Spirit Pills, then sought out the steward of the upper courtyard to move them into his own courtyard

He also felt his spirit being nourished, as ripples stirred in the sea of his mind, making a rustling sound.

The two hind claws of the dragon grasped his legs, making him feel as if he possessed the explosive power and speed of the dragon

He did not think much and immediately let out a low shout, visualizing the totem of the flood dragon. He could see his mental energy surging forth, transforming into dragon scales and claws, gradually revealing the dragon's body, becoming increasingly clear, entwining around his own body

Zhong Yue also wished to visit the Scripture Pavilion to inquire with the person in charge as to why he had not received any income as a Qi Refinement Master to impart his techniques. As he approached the Scripture Pavilion, suddenly two arcs of light flashed by, followed by two loud thuds as two totem pillars fell on either side of Zhong Yue.

"The cultivation of the Jiao Long Totem Body Technique has likely reached its limit at this level, hasn't it?" Zhong Yue murmured

It has only been about 4 days, and in this short span of time, ten Spirit Feather Pills have been consumed

As the person in charge departed, Zhong Yue immediately placed the token on the gate, and the totemic pillar in the courtyard began to hum and vibrate, sealing off the courtyard. Zhong Yue carefully set down the medicine basket and took out the dilapidated copper lamp, its flame flickering uncertainly, the embers still in a deep slumber.

With this token, others cannot enter, thus there is no need to worry about being disturbed by others at critical moments of cultivation

His thoughts stirred slightly, and his soul left his body, momentarily attaching itself to a stone pillar weighing around one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds ahead.

Zhong Yue pondered for a moment and thought: "To grasp the mysteries of soul offerings, one must have someone to impart the knowledge. That steward of the upper courtyard mentioned that new disciples would have Qi Refiners personally come to teach them and take them under their wing. Why has no one come to seek me these past few days?"

The ritual of soul sacrifice at Jianmen possesses a unique set of techniques, where the control of swords and blades is governed by distinct swordsmanship intricacies. Only by practicing these techniques can one unleash the true power of the soul sacrifice, rather than resorting to haphazard strikes like I do, which would lead to a loss of control

Before long, Zhong Yue regained his previous well-proportioned figure, with firm muscles, as the energy lost from practicing the Fire Era Palace's Sui Huang visualization diagram was replenished

He pondered for a moment and took out a small jade bottle. Upon opening the jade bottle, a faint fragrance of medicine wafted out, and inside the bottle were ten pills the size of yellow beans, which were the Feather Spirit Pills

Why has no Qi Refinement Master taken me as a disciple until now?" Zhong Yue saw several outer disciples who had also passed the Bi Kong Hall assessment heading towards the Scripture Hall, feeling even more puzzled in his heart

The flames leaped onto Zhong Yue, entering through the mouth of the imagined dragon he conjured, traversing within its body: "You see, your dragon totem is merely skin, lacking tendons, bones, and blood muscles; it possesses only the form without substance, capable of unleashing only a trace of the true dragon's power. Your dragon totem also lacks the authentic malevolent dragon's aura, falling far short. To cultivate this body-refining technique to its utmost, one must capture a living malevolent dragon, study it meticulously, and thoroughly understand its muscle, bloodline, skeletal structure, and aura, and then visualize it."

Hoo, hoo, hoo

Unknowingly, the effects of the Feather Spirit Pill had once again been depleted, and Zhong Yue consumed the third one.

Suddenly, a wave of pressure emanated from the two totem poles, forcefully pressing down on him and pinning him in place

A single Feather Spirit Pill can make an ordinary person as light as a swallow, immensely strong, and able to go without food or drink for half a month. Even an outer disciple of the Sword Gate, upon consuming one Feather Spirit Pill, can practice continuously for two to three days without fatigue, replenishing their spirit, nourishing their body, and revitalizing their soul

The Feather Spirit Fruit is indeed miraculous. It is said that some disciples from the major tribes can consume such elixirs daily, no wonder these individuals progress so rapidly! Taking advantage of the present moment, I will practice the Sui Huang visualization diagram to see if it can help me advance further

Zhong Yue smiled and said, "If I could capture a living evil dragon, would I still need to visualize it?"

Zhong Yue felt somewhat overwhelmed; cultivating this Fire Era Palace's Sui Huang visualization diagram was simply an endless abyss. Without sufficient financial resources, it was utterly impossible to engage in the cultivation.

The steward led Zhong Yue to tour this courtyard and said with a smile: "In some tribes, the noble offspring travel with a dozen or so servants who attend to them while they focus on their cultivation. The servants can reside in the front courtyard. The effect of the upper courtyard token is extraordinary; simply placing it in the groove on the main gate can activate the totem pillar in the courtyard, forming an invisible barrier that seals off the courtyard, preventing outsiders from entering. To remove the barrier, one only needs to take out the token. The token requires nourishment from the soul and spirit, so that when placed in the groove, others will be unable to remove it." The effect of the upper courtyard token is extraordinary; simply placing it in the groove on the main gate can activate the totem pillar in the courtyard, forming an invisible barrier that seals off the courtyard, preventing outsiders from entering. To remove the barrier, one only needs to take out the token. The token requires nourishment from the soul and spirit, so that when placed in the groove, others will be unable to remove it.

Once, he toiled diligently to gather and refine medicinal herbs, requiring several months to collect the necessary materials, and whether he could successfully concoct the medicine remained uncertain

I see. "Zhong Yue" let out a sigh

The stone pedestal suddenly flew up, hovering in front of Zhong Yue. His soul attached itself to the stone pedestal, causing the soul to rise and lift the stone pedestal along with it. This is also a method used by disciples of the upper academy during combat; the stronger the soul, the heavier the objects it can move.

Moreover, if there are some important items placed in the courtyard, there is no need to worry about them being stolen

Suddenly, the voice of the little flame boy came through, and Zhong Yue felt a surge of joy in his heart. He saw a small flame floating out from the quiet room, with a disproportionately large head, small arms and legs, and a head of fiery red hair. It was indeed the little flame boy from the copper lamp.

A disciple from the upper house approached, sizing up Zhong Yue from head to toe. Suddenly, he raised his leg and swept it towards Zhong Yue's knees, laughing as he said, "Junior Brother Zhong, we have no grievances or enmities, and we have never met before. However, you have offended my master's dignity, and my master has instructed me to teach you a lesson or two. By the way, my master's surname is Tian. You might as well kneel here outside the Scripture Pavilion for a few hours!"

Indeed

Then, a ferocious dragon head slowly rose from behind him, glaring fiercely ahead, with two dragon claws gripping Zhong Yue's shoulders

However, this is only theoretical

This courtyard consists of three sections: the back courtyard serves as a resting area, the middle courtyard is designated for receiving guests, and there is a quiet room for contemplation and practice, while the front courtyard is where the servants reside

No wonder the saying goes that one can only consume miraculous elixirs; if one were to eat a mixture of grains, it would surely deplete the body and lead to starvation

He seemed to be truly entwined by a ferocious dragon, merging the dragon's power with his own, becoming one.

How long does the ember not know it will sleep?