Chapter 009: The Fire of the Soul

After reviewing several martial arts techniques in succession, I found no hope for a solution, as most of them are basic techniques that primarily discuss how to enter the path, and reaching the Yuan Ying stage would be considered quite good, which is rather uninspiring

Certainly, such a bizarre cultivation method is almost certain to lead to death. The jade tablet only records these ideas and theoretical cultivation techniques, and whether anyone has successfully practiced them remains unknown.

Yun Yang, through the influence of his mental state, has finally come to understand his own body. The concept of internal organs has completely vanished; he is purely a humanoid energy mass. Remembering that the primordial infant body originally lacks such components, Yun Yang feels a sense of relief. Fortunately, he can still feel pain; otherwise, life would truly be unbearable.

However, it seems that Yun Yang currently has no choice, as he himself is a loose immortal with a Yuan Ying body, yet suddenly has a Yuan Ying emerge. This situation somewhat aligns with that peculiar idea; as long as he can successfully resolve the issue of Yuan Ying control, his strength will undoubtedly be formidable.

At last, an indescribable sensation suddenly surged from the depths of his soul. His soul, which had become numb from pain, seemed to encounter a refreshing dew. Subsequently, he felt as if his soul had attained a form of sublimation. This sensation was also present when that peculiar Yuan Ying cultivation was successfully completed, yet it was a world apart.

Shaking his head, Yun Yang picked up the next jade slip. His consciousness inadvertently penetrated it, and the initial excitement was gone. It was merely a desperate attempt, purely a gamble for luck.

Although his primordial infant was located at the position of the Purple Palace in the human body, it seemed to have no connection with the external body, floating there as if in mid-air. This was one thing, but the appearance of the primordial infant, which was divided into five colors and resembled a clown, was another. However, upon examining it through his cultivation technique, Yun Yang discovered that although the energy within this primordial infant was genuine primordial force, its attributes appeared somewhat chaotic. On the forehead of the primordial infant, there was a lightning symbol that flickered, occasionally sparking twice. Its body had distinct lines, and the energy within the primordial infant was divided into five colors, seemingly representing five different types of energy, yet they blended well together, clearly delineated and mutually non-intrusive.

Although it is quite strange, Yun Yang can clearly sense that the Nascent Soul seems to contain boundless energy. However, he does not yet know how to utilize it. Therefore, he decides not to worry too much and continues to experiment with the techniques or ideas mentioned in the incomplete cultivation method. Although there is a certain level of danger involved, it is still better than having a wealth of cultivation without being able to use it. After all, he has already died once, so Yun Yang feels that his nerves are sufficiently tough.

Moreover, it can be confirmed that Yun Yang's peculiar Nascent Soul is entirely related to that strange stone, and it can be said to have been completely influenced by an external object. In this case, achieving complete control is certainly not possible through normal methods. Furthermore, it is likely that he is the only one in the entire cultivation world with such a condition. Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, Yun Yang feels compelled to give it a try

After exploring for a while, Yun Yang couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged. No matter how he tried to mobilize it, the true fire within the Nascent Soul just wouldn't emerge at all. Without the true fire for ritual practice, this magical treasure could not be used at all. He felt truly unwilling to accept this. Am I really going to be rendered useless like this?

One must either succeed in cultivation and ignite the fire of the soul, or face the disintegration of the spirit. It is hard to fathom how the person who created this technique endured such a process of exploration; it is truly a form of extreme self-torture

However, before beginning his cultivation, Yun Yang had one task to accomplish, which was to arrange a formation according to the instructions in the jade slip. This formation was said to not only help stabilize the mind but also to prevent external demons from invading. With the assistance of this formation, the chances of success would be significantly higher. The materials for setting up the formation were merely some crystal stones and a few common materials, all of which could be found in the storage bracelet of Feng Yuzi.

With such thoughts in mind, Yun Yang devoted himself even more diligently to studying this incomplete, unnamed martial art. Finally, a few days later, Yun Yang became certain that this martial art held great promise in addressing his current issues, and thus he immediately began his practice.

Such an unconventional technique must have been created by some madman. From the ideas that remain, it is evident that this individual was somewhat obsessive, possibly conducting experiments using their own primordial spirit. This explains the peculiar and bizarre thoughts and methods that have been left behind. Unfortunately, it seems that the work was never completed and thus there are no further developments, likely because the individual has passed away, and the technique has been taken by others.

Perhaps it was fate. After Yun Yang began to practice the technique, he entered a state of cultivation quite smoothly. However, as his practice deepened, waves of piercing pain from his soul continuously assaulted him. The sensation made Yun Yang feel as if death would be a blessing from God. Yet, at this moment, the bizarre technique was beyond his control. Even if he wished to stop, it was already impossible.

After several days of attempts, Yun Yang finally set up the formation. For safety, he also specially added a simple protective formation outside before he began to cultivate the so-called Soul Fire

The initial attempt at entering a meditative state was effective, and Yun Yang was overjoyed. His spiritual awareness immediately sank into the inner primordial infant, and he began to operate according to the mental method. This time, he intended to observe the condition of the primordial infant within, but upon doing so, he felt a chill in his heart.

He set down another jade slip, feeling quite frustrated. He had just come across a rather unique technique that described how to condense a protective layer on the surface of the Nascent Soul, akin to an inner armor. However, it required the mobilization of the Nascent Soul to practice, and it had to be done while possessing a physical body. Currently, he had no physical form, only an energy body, which was itself transformed from the Nascent Soul, making it seemingly useless.

Strangely, the appearance of the primordial infant inside increasingly resembled that of the one who came, which is to say, Yun Yang's own visage. Now, it appeared to be a blend of Yang Tian and Yun Yang's features, creating a rather awkward impression

It must be said that this fellow Feng Yuzi has indeed collected a considerable number of cultivation methods. Many of them may be from the mainland, but there are also a few that are quite distinctive, albeit incomplete. At this moment, Yun Yang does not care whether they are complete or not; as long as they can resolve his current issues, that is sufficient.

As Yun Yang began to observe his own body, including the primordial infant, he quickly realized that his current form was indeed entirely composed of energy. The outer layer resembled a gel-like substance, completely made up of energy, likely the result of cultivating into a scattered immortal body using spiritual materials such as agate. This scattered immortal body acted like a protective shield, firmly enveloping the primordial infant left behind by Yang Tian, as if they had merged into one, indistinguishable from each other. Within this, Yun Yang discovered a type of white energy that felt somewhat ethereal, which he surmised to be the small amount of celestial essence possessed by scattered immortals. Besides this celestial essence, the predominant energy was true essence.

To cultivate this peculiar technique, one must first master a skill known as the "state of mind." This state of mind is quite similar to introspection, yet it is significantly more advanced, as it allows one to perceive the primordial spirit. Only by cultivating this state of mind can Yun Yang understand the current condition of his primordial spirit. Fortunately, this state of mind is not difficult to practice; although it is somewhat unusual, having a method makes it naturally manageable. After spending a day on it, Yun Yang was able to proficiently utilize the state of mind and then proceeded to the next step.

However, as he continued to read, Yun Yang couldn't help but cheer out loud. It turned out that this cultivation method was quite interesting; it was a treatise on how to cultivate the Nascent Soul through special means. It contained some peculiar ideas that even someone with Yun Yang's novice level of cultivation couldn't help but admire for their boldness. For instance, one of the concepts discussed was a method for cultivating multiple Nascent Souls, which greatly captured Yun Yang's attention.

This mad cultivation method can be described as a hypothesis, suggesting that through a special training technique, a person can cultivate two or even multiple primordial spirits, thereby doubling their strength. However, if there are multiple primordial spirits, controlling them becomes problematic. Thus, there is another hypothesis: it is possible to refine the newly cultivated primordial spirits as magical artifacts through special methods, but not by using true fire; rather, it is through the soul, which can be termed soul refining. Through soul refining, there is a significant possibility of fully controlling the new primordial spirits without affecting the control over the original ones. Since there are methods of heart refining in the cultivation world, this hypothesis is not without basis.

In a state of desperation, Yun Yang could only shift his hopes to the other techniques collected by Feng Yuzi, hoping to find a solution; otherwise, he would surely go mad

However, it is precisely this kind of cultivation method that has allowed Yun Yang to see a glimmer of hope, as his current situation is indeed quite peculiar, with the strange primordial infant within his body waiting for him.

When he finally realized it, he suddenly felt as if his soul had materialized, transforming into flames that burned in his mind. Through introspection, that distinctly pale color became so vivid. Although it was small and weak, it instilled in him boundless confidence, for Yun Yang could now clearly sense the existence of his soul, right there in that soul fire. This was unimaginable, as everything before had been an ethereal consciousness; now he could see it in its tangible form. Although it was small and weak, it instilled in him boundless confidence, for Yun Yang could now clearly sense the existence of his soul, right there in that soul fire. This was unimaginable, as everything before had been an ethereal consciousness; now he could see it in its tangible form.

According to the techniques recorded in the jade tablet, Yun Yang must cultivate an energy known as the Soul Fire in order to refine souls through it. However, the Soul Fire is not easily cultivated. Fortunately, the creator of this technique was quite eccentric and conducted numerous experiments. Although he did not discover a method to cultivate two or even multiple Nascent Souls, he did manage to develop a relatively feasible method for cultivating the Soul Fire. One cannot help but say that Yun Yang is fortunate.

Uncertain how much time had passed, perhaps a second, perhaps a year, or even a hundred years, a thousand years; in any case, Yun Yang's soul was enduring great hardship. Several times he contemplated giving up, yet his unwilling heart compelled him to persevere.