282: Reverse cultivation and human feelings (two in one)

Below a hill, a stone cave extended.

Deep within the stone cave, a moonstone emitted a gentle moonlight.

Under the white moon-wall, Lin Shiming finished releasing the last Formation Flag in his hand, and saw layers of Spirit Light envelop the Immortal Cave, making it disappear.

Only then did Lin Shiming walk to the center of the Immortal Cave and take out the meditation cushion he used for Cultivation.

Sitting on the cushion, he forced himself to calm down, and then Cultivated the Spirit Splitting Art for a while, concentrating his mind.

But he gradually fell into deep thought.

He didn't go looking for Xie An. From the moment Xie An was the last to enter the Ten Thousand Swords Graveyard, he understood that Xie An and he were not on the same path.

The latter's eagerness to find him clearly indicated that he suspected Lin Shiming had a Spirit Communication Sword within him.

Because the last time, five Spirit Communication Swords attacked simultaneously.

Others might have thought it was Xie An's achievement.

But Xie An would definitely have his suspicions.

Moreover, if Xie An had also Cultivated the Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique, just like Chen Daoyuan, then Xie An also possessed a Spirit Communication Sword and was aware of Yan Yang's existence.

Furthermore, at this moment, he had to face a problem: how to return to the Lin family smoothly.

All of this was premised on not arousing Zi Xuan Sanren's suspicion.

And he couldn't let anyone know that he had been to Tai Bai Sword Palace!

Otherwise, Immortal Master Tianjian would surely eradicate their Lin family.

Lin Shiming's head instantly swelled with immense thoughts. The Spirit Communication Sword Yan Yang would not follow their Lin family, and he had no mental burden about handing over Yan Yang.

After all, the other party was also a Spirit Communication Sword with its own consciousness.

However, handing over this Spirit Communication Sword was not so easy.

Additionally, regarding the secrets within him, the Grotto-heaven World could still be hidden, but the secret of the Cultivation Technique also needed to be resolved.

Lin Shiming's mind raced, filled with many thoughts, but he struggled to find an answer.

In the end, he could only enter the Grotto-heaven World and seek a solution from Lin Xianzhi.

Lin Xianzhi awoke from his Cultivation, and upon hearing Lin Shiming explain his predicament, he also found the problem thorny.

“Shiming, the crux of this matter is not with you, but with Xie An!” Lin Xianzhi hesitated for a long time before speaking.

“Seventh Grand Uncle, what do you mean?”

Lin Shiming also woke up. Suddenly, he remembered that when Chen Daoyuan died, he had said to let Xie An take responsibility for the Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique.

Reflecting on that sentence now, it made Lin Shiming involuntarily vigilant.

Xie An was definitely not on the same path as Chen Daoyuan!

Otherwise, the Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique would surely have been taught by Zi Xuan Sanren.

Chen Daoyuan would not have said those words; even if he were to die, Xie An would have surely died first at that time.

This meant that Xie An, at this moment, was just like him, having learned the Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique on his own, and then used it to escape a calamity!

He was not at all the so-called informant for Zi Xuan Sanren.

Lin Shiming looked at the Jade Slip in his Storage Pouch again. He didn't dare to take out the Jade Slip, fearing that others might discover its location. He only probed it with his Divine Sense.

In the Jade Slip, as expected, Xie An said nothing else, but merely wanted to meet.

It was just that he had just rushed out of Tai Bai Sword Palace and was a bit flustered at the time, so he hadn't noticed.

With a plan in mind, Lin Shiming's heart calmed down considerably.

Next, he only needed to meet Xie An to basically understand the situation.

Of course, at this moment, he still needed to Cultivate the Purple Wood Heart Sutra according to the Cultivation Technique initially taught by Zi Xuan Sanren.

He had to change the Cultivation Technique so that at least no flaws could be seen.

Next, Lin Shiming didn't hesitate, because the original Purple Wood Heart Sutra only had one differing route.

He immediately began to Cultivate.

There were still half a month until they left the Small World.

Within half a month, he had to reverse Cultivate the Cultivation Technique, just as Lin Xianzhi had previously reverse Cultivated to improve his strength.

What surprised him was that after he reverse Cultivated, the Cultivation Technique flowed just as smoothly, like Lin Xianzhi, without any impact. Moreover, when he released a wisp of true essence from his hand, the rich life aura made his brows furrow again.

Indeed, this erroneous Cultivation Technique also consumed lifespan.

However, instead of increasing strength, the consumption of lifespan enhanced the catalytic effect on spiritual plants!

Lin Shiming came before a batch of three yuan forging spirit flowers in the Grotto-heaven World. As he applied his true essence, he watched the three yuan forging spirit flowers before him, transforming from immature plants to beginning to form flower buds.

And the faster the ripening (ripening/hastening growth) speed, the more he felt a surge of vital Qi draining from his body.

This made him pause!

At the same time, he recalled that when something happened to the Li family in Yunzhou, Zi Xuan Sanren had visited the Lin family and asked about his ability to catalyze spiritual plants.

At that time, the other party had clearly detected his lie but didn't expose it. He had thought that Zi Xuan Sanren had been fooled by him.

Now it seemed that lying at that time was normal, because catalyzing spiritual plants with the incorrect Purple Wood Heart Sutra inherently consumed lifespan, and how could a normal Cultivator widely publicize such an ability that shortened their lifespan.

If he hadn't concealed this ability, Zi Xuan Sanren would have been even more suspicious of whether his Cultivation Technique had problems.

With this thought, Lin Shiming became more confident in his reverse Cultivation of the Cultivation Technique to evade Zi Xuan Sanren's scrutiny. His catalytic ability, even without reverse Cultivation, far surpassed that of ordinary people.

As for the consumption of lifespan, in the World Tower, his Soul age was over seventy, and now it seemed that it just provided him with a perfect cover!

Lin Shiming let out a long sigh and continued to reverse Cultivate the Purple Wood Heart Sutra. He had to form muscle memory for the Meridian expansion route, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to deceive Zi Xuan Sanren.

Ten days passed quietly once again!

The life aura throughout his body grew stronger.

Perhaps it was amplified by his hidden spiritual body.

Lin Shiming stood up, no longer Cultivating. The current progress already satisfied him.

He looked down at the Qingxuan Token in his Storage Pouch. Almost every day, he could see the reward for finding Real Person Huanmo increasing.

From the initial purple profound treasure jade, it now also included Magic Treasures!

However, what exactly needed to be found still hadn't appeared on the Qingxuan Token.

Lin Shiming naturally wouldn't go looking for it. Even if he found it, he wouldn't dare to report it.

Real Person Huanmo's Clone was at least at the Purple Mansion realm, and being able to snatch the nether blood lotus from the hands of Immortal Master Xuanjian's Clone and Immortal Master Qinglin's Clone, his strength must be extremely formidable even within the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Unless he was tired of living, otherwise, the other party could easily crush him.

Besides the Qingxuan Token, there was Xie An, who had sent several messages again.

Lin Shiming pondered for a moment, then took out a sound transmission talisman.

He sent a message to Xie An, arranging to meet in a bamboo forest.

After releasing the sound transmission talisman, Lin Shiming immediately withdrew the surrounding Formation, and at the same time, the Yuan Magnetic Seal heavily struck, destroying all traces around.

Then he transformed into a sword shadow and headed towards the agreed meeting place.

Arriving at the bamboo forest in advance, Lin Shiming also set up a Formation Plate about a hundred miles north of the bamboo forest. The Formation Plate was obtained from spoils of war. Although not as good as the Ren Water Trapping Sky Formation, it was also a High Grade third-tier spiritual Formation, the Five Absolute Illusionary Heart Formation!

After the Formation was set up, Lin Shiming returned to the bamboo forest, and at the bamboo forest, he casually built a bamboo hut and placed another concealment Formation.

Finally, he took out the spirit tea from the Mingxin Tea Tree and began to brew tea for himself.

Since breaking through to the third-tier, the Mingxin Tea Tree's tea fragrance had become even richer, and it had miraculous effects on some Cultivators who failed Foundation Establishment and those with damaged Foundations.

The tea fragrance was also richer, and drinking it was refreshing and invigorating!

Three hours later, a wisp of Spirit Light floated from a distance, and a sound transmission spiritual talisman appeared in his hand.

Lin Shiming immediately got up and flew out of the bamboo hut.

In the sky, a war treasure ship stood in the Void Realm.

Xie An stood at the bow of the ship, looking towards the bamboo forest.

The five Spirit Communication Swords behind him were no longer in sight.

Lin Shiming was not surprised that the five swords had left.

If they left the Secret Realm, Yan Yang would also leave him.

Because once they left the Ten Thousand Swords Graveyard, they would lose the restrictions of the Sword Tomb and could freely find any Cultivator to occupy their spirit platform.

The reason Yan Yang was still there was merely for the Taiyi Sword Grass's entrustment.

“Senior Brother Xie, please!” Lin Shiming said with a mournful expression, inviting Xie An down from the war treasure ship, then asked the latter to join him in the bamboo forest.

In the bamboo forest, the two sat down in turn.

A sound-insulating Formation was activated in mid-air.

What Lin Shiming didn't expect was that Xie An also took out a sound-insulating spiritual talisman and placed it in the air, making the atmosphere even more solemn.

Lin Shiming glanced at it without speaking, just picked up the teapot.

However, before the spirit tea was poured out, he sighed with regret and showed a mournful expression.

“Senior Brother Xie, Seventh Grand Uncle is gone...”

Xie An did not answer, he glanced at Lin Shiming, then nodded.

“Shiming, you still need to pull yourself together; the Lin family still needs you!”

“Thank you for Senior Brother Xie’s guidance!” Lin Shiming cupped his hands.

Then he poured tea for Xie An. The light red tea leaves fell into the cup, reflecting Xie An's still serious face.

The tea was full, but Xie An showed no intention of picking up the cup to drink.

“Shiming, as your Senior Brother, I must remind you that you escaped alone that day, and you will need to give an explanation to the Sect!”

“May Senior Brother Xie enlighten me?” Lin Shiming saw that although Xie An was extremely serious, he was also vague and ambiguous. He stood up, picked up a cup of tea, and drank it.

His expression was extremely sincere, yet he showed no panic.

Xie An clearly hadn't expected Lin Shiming to react this way.

The words he had prepared instantly got stuck in his throat.

After hesitating for a while, he spoke again.

This time, he didn't continue to beat around the bush:

“Shiming, you should have a High Grade fifth-tier Spirit Communication Sword, right!”

“Senior Brother, why do you say that? Do Spirit Communication Swords also have good and bad distinctions?” Lin Shiming asked with renewed confusion.

“Shiming, it’s good to have a sword. Let’s speak frankly today. I didn’t enter the Sword Tomb because I knew entering the Sword Tomb would be certain death!” Xie An took a deep breath and spoke.

But then he looked at Lin Shiming again:

“I did Cultivate the Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique, but my Clone never had the chance to Cultivate the Sword Nurturing Art with Revered Master. I would surely die if I entered the Ten Thousand Swords Graveyard. At the same time, you obtained a Spirit Communication Sword and didn't die, so you will also surely die!”

“Only I, with my Extracorporeal Incarnation Technique, obtaining a Spirit Communication Sword, would be reasonable! At the same time, you should be able to conceal the Sword Nurturing Art, so you can pretend that you couldn't attract a Spirit Communication Sword!” Xie An said word by word.

Lin Shiming was incredibly shocked. He hadn't expected that Xie An had actually fooled everyone and hadn't entered at all.

He stayed until the end, not because he was an informant for Zi Xuan Sanren, but on the contrary, because he didn't want to go in.

And his guess that Lin Shiming had a Spirit Communication Sword was just a guess.

Lin Shiming's answer clearly gave the other party the answer.

For a moment, Xie An's reply sent Lin Shiming's heart into turmoil, and he didn't know how to respond.

“Shiming, that day I said I owed your Lin family a favor. Now, I will owe your Lin family another favor. As long as I have the Spirit Communication Sword and exchange it for Purple Mansion Jade Liquid or purple profound treasure jade, once I Breakthrough to Purple Mansion, I will fully assist your Lin family twice if it encounters danger!” Xie An spoke again.

At this moment, Lin Shiming hesitated. Yan Yang was useless to him.

Because once Yan Yang left the Secret Realm, it would depart on its own.

And Xie An's words were extremely sincere.

If he had been evasive, Lin Shiming would have suspected a trick, but at this point, he knew he had to hand over Yan Yang.

The consequence of not giving it would be, after leaving, either to be thoroughly searched by Zi Xuan Sanren, including his several spirit platforms.

At that time, he would surely die.

Moreover, his escape had also caught Immortal Master Qinglin's eye, and without a suitable reason, he simply couldn't explain it away.

“Shiming, I know what you’re worried about. I am willing to make an oath of the heavenly dao!”

“As long as you help me obtain the Purple Mansion Jade Liquid, the previous escape can also be said to have been instigated by me!” Xie An spoke again.

After Xie An finished speaking, he began to make the oath of the heavenly dao. At this moment, the two looked at each other.

In the end, Lin Shiming nodded. After communicating with Yan Yang in his Sea of Consciousness, the latter also expressed indifference.

He just wanted to get out; as for who he followed, he didn't care.

Lin Shiming also handed over Yan Yang.

As the fiery red Magic Treasure sword appeared, the shock in Xie An's eyes reached its peak.

With his knowledge, he could naturally tell that this was indeed a High Grade fifth-tier Magic Treasure, more precious than the other Spirit Communication Swords.

What he had just said was merely a probing question, but now seeing an actual High Grade fifth-tier Magic Treasure sword, he was still utterly astonished.

However, despite his shock, Xie An moved. Behind him, another Cultivator appeared, whose face was identical to Xie An's, but younger, and his Cultivation was only at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

The Yan Yang Sword flew into Xie An's Clone, and Xie An finally nodded.

The Clone disappeared again, hidden in the shadows.

Lin Shiming also breathed a sigh of relief. His Sword Nurturing Art was not particularly profound, and his Cultivation was limited, so it was natural for him not to have a Spirit Communication Sword.

Next, the two enjoyed drinking tea. Xie An's tea ceremony was also extremely profound, and for a while, they had a pleasant time.

After the tea, Xie An stood up:

“Shiming, I want to go with Senior Yan Yang to find the other Spirit Communication Swords and leave together. Do you want to come along?”

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother, and I hope Senior Brother won't mind, but my gains from this trip have been meager, and Shiming still wants to search a bit more!” Lin Shiming shook his head.

He refused Xie An. He wanted to go directly to the World Tower. He dared not stay in the Small World any longer.

And the Spirit Communication Sword was a hot potato, so he naturally didn't want to get too involved.

After agreeing on the time and place to meet in the Mysterious Grade Secret Realm, the two parted ways.