76: Chapter 76 Discussing Cultivation Methods

Ye Jing stepped forward, first tucking the booklet and the token into his bag.

Then, he applied a small amount of Spiritual Qi toward the box.

The runes on the box sensed Ye Jing's Spiritual Qi and instantly erupted with a powerful barrier.

Ye Jing retreated rapidly. He saw that the box was encased in a barrier that acted like a golden light bowl, automatically defending itself.

Using the Immortal Willow's ability to look, he saw it was only a lowest-grade defensive rune that could be broken.

Ye Jing shook his slightly numb hand and then said to Hei Feng, "Hei Feng, go! Eat it!"

Looking at the blood-red barrier, Hei Feng immediately grew hungry. He rushed forward and began gnawing on the Formation with large bites.

Under Hei Feng's sharp teeth, the Formation was quickly shattered and then eaten mouthful by mouthful, swallowed into his belly.

Once he had eaten the entire barrier, the runes quickly dissipated and disappeared.

Ye Jing patted Hei Feng and praised, "Well done, Hei Feng!"

This devouring ability was truly a great help, as it meant he wouldn't be blocked by these runes.

Ye Jing picked up the box and opened it. Immediately, a wave of pure Spiritual Qi surged out, making him feel refreshed and causing the Spiritual Qi in his body to vibrate slightly.

He saw several shining crystals lying inside the box. They were crystal clear and felt incredibly smooth and warm in his hand.

Are these Spirit Stones?

Ye Jing held one in his hand, his eyes full of wonder. Just by holding it, he could feel a surge of pure Spiritual Qi entering his body. Once this Qi entered, Ye Jing immediately felt his weak Spiritual Qi begin to circulate within him.

Usually, he needed an hour of meditation at home to reach this level; now, just by touching a Spirit Stone, he could easily achieve it.

No wonder that Immortal wanted Spirit Stones so badly; they truly are treasures!

He carefully placed the box in his robes and then looked at the small booklet beside it. He opened it and saw the title: "Thousand Insect Curse."

Ye Jing flipped through it briefly and saw that it contained methods for controlling insects.

The pages were yellowed, and the ink carried a cold, fishy scent, as if it had been written with a mixture of insect blood.

His fingertip brushed over a line of tiny characters that were twisted like crawling insects: "On the day the curse is completed, a hundred insects shall bow. It can corrode Immortal bones and break Dharma bodies. However, it must be fed with heart's blood daily without fail. Should one slacken even slightly, they will suffer the backlash of insect devouring, leaving no bones behind."

It seemed that the Red Lotus Cult altar master's use of the human skin lantern to control those blood insects was learned from this "Thousand Insect Curse."

Flipping further down, he found specific insect-controlling techniques.

They ranged from basic attraction of ants and driving of bees to high-level techniques capable of controlling extremely venomous exotic insects like Spirit-Devouring Gu and Bone-Corroding Centipedes.

Every page was accompanied by hideous insect patterns and diagrams, with bloodstained annotations from previous owners in the margins. The handwriting was messy and carried a hint of madness: "Feed the Gu for a hundred days, cast a Cultivator's Primordial Spirit into the Gu jar, and one may obtain the Mother Gu to create an army of ten thousand Gu..."

"Can corrode Immortal bones..."

Ye Jing murmured. He was especially horrified by the mention of using a Cultivator's Nascent Soul to refine Gu. He immediately put the booklet away carefully, intending to try the insect-controlling methods written inside later.

He then held the black token in his hand and saw a gold-stamped character engraved on it: "You."

"Xuanyou Sect and Qingyun Sect... I wonder when I'll be able to visit these gathering places of Immortals," Ye Jing sighed with emotion, then put everything away.

After checking that there was nothing else in the secret passage, Ye Jing closed it and left quickly.

Once he returned home,

Ye Jing began to ponder the techniques he had acquired. The martial arts techniques were "Black Whirlwind Axe Technique," "Chaotic Flower Sword Technique," and "Hidden Flying Dagger." The so-called Cultivation Techniques obtained from the Red Lotus Cult were "Corpse Puppet Refining" and "Thousand Insect Curse."

As for the silk pouch from the original owner of the golden light bowl, Ye Jing couldn't open it yet. The pouch seemed to be sealed with an extremely powerful curse that someone at his current level couldn't break.

So, Ye Jing set it aside for now, planning to try opening it later when his cultivation had progressed further.

Ye Jing had already reached a proficient level in martial arts and had now begun cultivating, so he wanted to try these Cultivation Techniques.

He also had a general understanding of the talents the other family members excelled in.

His eldest son, Ye Xuan, was skilled in swordsmanship and possessed a Spiritual Root, so sword techniques were very suitable for him.

His second son had great strength; if he embarked on the path of cultivation, Body Refining would likely suit him well.

He wasn't sure what his two daughters-in-law were best at yet, but the eldest daughter-in-law's martial arts attainment was better than the second's. The second daughter-in-law was physically weaker but was skilled with agile weapons like flying daggers.

His eldest grandson, Ye Tianhao, also seemed to like sword techniques, while his second granddaughter, Ye Tianyao, enjoyed dealing with Yao Beasts and could consider learning beast taming.

Ye Jing decided that starting today, he would properly develop the talents of his family members, with each person fulfilling their role.

Thinking of this, Ye Jing looked at the Spirit Stones in the box and began to want those in the family who couldn't Cultivate to try the "True Scripture of Fate-Defying Root Transformation."

However, since this carried some risk after all, Ye Jing called his family together.

Since resolving the trouble at Longhu Mountain, the family only needed to focus on cultivating their techniques at home.

Ye Xuan and the two children still needed to Cultivate, so the ones gathered this time were Ye Yi and the two daughters-in-law.

Ye Tianhui, Ye Tianxue, and Ye Tianyao were all still young, so they weren't included for now.

At the dining table, Ye Jing coughed once and then said, "I've called you here today to discuss an important matter. I have a way to allow those of you without Spiritual Roots to also walk the path of Immortality."

As soon as he said this, Ye Yi was overjoyed and asked hurriedly, "Father! Is what you say true? Can we really Cultivate?"

Ye Jing made a shushing sound and said, "Keep your voice down. It is time for me to bring out the Immortal manual passed down in our Ye family for you to Cultivate."

As he spoke, he took out the "True Scripture of Fate-Defying Root Transformation" from his robes and placed it on the table. As the pages turned, a sense of ancient Spiritual Qi slowly spread out, causing the three people present to hold their breath involuntarily.

"This is the 'True Scripture of Fate-Defying Root Transformation.' It is a secret treasure passed down through our Ye family. It allows those without Spiritual Roots to embark on the path of cultivation by contracting with objects or beasts."

Ye Jing's voice was low and solemn: "But you must understand, this method goes against the heavens. Contracting a natal Spiritual Artifact or beast requires enduring immense pain. One slight mistake could damage your foundation or even be life-threatening. What do you think?"

The atmosphere at the table instantly froze.

The wild joy on Ye Yi's face gradually faded, replaced by solemnity.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Wu Guiyun, frowned slightly, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the corner of her clothes.

The second daughter-in-law, Liu Xianglan's face turned even paler. She was already physically weak and was particularly sensitive to the words "immense pain."

After a moment of silence, Ye Yi was the first to speak: "Father! I'm not afraid! These past few days, I've seen how powerful those Cultivators are, and with Big Brother and you having entered the path of Immortality, I'm not willing to just be a Mortal. Even if my body is shattered to pieces, I want to try!"

He had incredible strength, but because he lacked a Spiritual Root, he could only practice shallow martial arts. After seeing the battle between the Red Lotus Cult altar master and Chen Mingyuan, the desire for the path of Immortality had already seeped into his very marrow.

Wu Guiyun also nodded slowly: "Father, I am also willing to try. Although the home is stable now, only by being strong ourselves can we truly protect the family. I am not afraid of pain."

After everyone else had stated their position, only Liu Xianglan looked hesitant. She bit her lower lip, her hands gently stroking her lower abdomen.

She had recently realized she was pregnant, which was the reason for her hesitation.

"Father... I..." She opened her mouth, her eyes full of struggle. "I want to Cultivate, but I'm afraid... afraid it will affect the child."

Hearing this, Ye Jing's heart stirred. Beside her, Ye Yi was also pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected his wife to be pregnant again.

"Xianglan, it's fine. There's no rush for cultivation. The cultivation method for this technique is currently very demanding," Ye Jing comforted her.

He explained that according to the manual, contracting a spiritual entity required a large amount of Spiritual Qi as support. Relying on those Spirit Stones and the crimson blood wine, Ye Jing only dared to let one person try first.

But this attempt was also an experiment. If it succeeded, the whole family could Cultivate following that experience. Therefore, the first person to try cultivating this technique would face significant and uncertain dangers.

Ye Yi showed no fear after hearing this. He said, "Father! I am not afraid! You can rest assured and let me try!"