161: Twelve simulations

“Ding! The twelfth simulation begins...”

Knowing that the simulation had begun, you were not in a hurry to act. Instead, you planned to deal with Huang Yi’s matter first.

Sure enough, at noon, Huang Yi rushed to the imperial palace with a knife.

This time, you didn't use the immortal slaying sword to help him—you always felt that the immortal slaying sword was too conspicuous. Although low-level Cultivators didn't recognize it, powerful Cultivators seemed to know it.

You didn't dare to easily let the immortal slaying sword, which only powerful Cultivators recognized, appear again—unless absolutely necessary.

So, you used the power of heaven and earth to condense an ancient sword to help Huang Yi kill Princess Yiyue.

Not only that, but you also took the opportunity to let Eunuch Xiang die silently—to outsiders, it seemed as if he had been accidentally killed by Huang Yi.

At the same time, you sent a voice transmission to remind Huang Yi to take Eunuch Xiang’s qiankun bag.

The next day, you obtained the mining rights document from Steward Jia.

The third day,

It wasn't until nightfall that you slowly rose to action.

You went straight to Liu Ruyan’s courtyard. Looking at the transparent barrier in front of you, you knew it was a “Breath Concealment Formation,” capable of concealing Divine Sense probing.

However, such a small Formation could no longer stump you. As you raised your hand, a wisp of Nascent Soul Power circulated in your palm, and the energy of heaven and earth quickly gathered, forming a radiant longsword.

With a wave of your hand, the longsword instantly pierced through the “Breath Concealment Formation” in front of you.

“Boom!”

With a muffled sound, the Formation barrier dissipated.

Your Divine Sense immediately caught Liu Ruyan, drenched in sweat on the bed. Her breathing was rapid, sweat streamed down her cheeks to her collarbone, and she looked at you with haggard eyes as you entered.

“You... how do you have Nascent Soul cultivation? Why can you break my Slave Contract Secret Method?” Liu Ruyan’s voice was filled with tension.

You spread out your Divine Sense, warily observing her—at this moment, she was circulating her power, trying to suppress the toxins in her body.

You smiled faintly, raised a hand, and a streak of Nascent Soul Power moved through the air, instantly entering her body.

“Puff!”

She could no longer suppress the toxins, and the poison immediately spread throughout her body and to her Nascent Soul.

Her face was pale, and she glared at you fiercely, threatening, “What do you want to do? I am a direct Disciple of the Liu Clan Immortal Family. If you dare to bully me, my clan will never let you go!”

You walked closer with a smile, then struck another surge of Nascent Soul Power to Seal her Nascent Soul and cultivation. Then you sat beside her and chuckled, “Liu Ruyan, don’t be nervous. How about we make a deal?”

Liu Ruyan immediately became wary, looking at you coldly, “A deal?”

“Exactly. If you teach me that Slave Contract Secret Method, I’ll let you go. How about it?” You still said with a smile.

She immediately frowned and snorted coldly, “Dream on!”

You weren't angry, and continued to smile, “Look, we have no grievances or grudges, so why fight to the death? Exchanging the Slave Contract Secret Method for your life, wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?”

Liu Ruyan’s brows were tightly furrowed, and she asked faintly, “The poison I’m afflicted with, was it you who administered it?”

You didn't answer, but instead said coldly, “Liu Ruyan, you only have two choices: one is to hand over the Slave Contract Secret Method, and the other is to be...”

As you spoke, you lecherously sized her up, casually placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hehehe...”

Liu Ruyan's face turned crimson with anger, her teeth grinding loudly as she tried to push you away with all her might.

However, her strength was no different from a Mortal's; you were like a great mountain, and she was utterly helpless.

When you pulled off her outer garment, revealing her fair, jade-like shoulder, she immediately cried out, “Stop... stop... I agree...”

You smiled, cupping her chin, “Smart. Otherwise, I have a hundred ways to make your life worse than death.”

Liu Ruyan immediately said, “I have another condition: you must help me detoxify.”

You smiled and nodded, “Of course. As long as you give me the Slave Contract Secret Method, I will definitely help you detoxify once I learn it.”

“Why should I believe you?” Liu Ruyan asked coldly.

You solemnly raised your hand and swore, “I swear by the Great Dao, if I don't help you detoxify after learning it, may I die without a burial place.”

Liu Ruyan stared at you intently, a cold glint in her eyes, “First, release the Restriction on my cultivation.”

You rubbed your chin, a half-smile on your face, “Don’t try any tricks. The poison in your body, only I can cure it in this world.”

She snorted coldly and turned her head away.

You lightly tapped your finger, and Nascent Soul Power circulated, temporarily lifting some of her Restrictions.

Liu Ruyan then took out a blank Jade Slip and painstakingly carved its contents with her Divine Sense.

With each Divine Sense imprint she carved, her face grew paler; by the time the Jade Slip was complete, she was soaked in sweat.

You took the Jade Slip containing the “Slave Contract” Secret Method and scanned it with your Divine Sense, your eyes immediately lighting up—

This Secret Method uses the Divine Soul as an lead (yin/guide) to plant a slave imprint in the target's Sea of Consciousness, allowing them to unconditionally and unreservedly obey their master from the depths of their Soul.

Cultivating to the introductory Realm allows one to enslave Cultivators of the same Realm; once the imprint is successfully planted, the target's life and death are entirely at the master's whim.

Even if separated by thousands of miles, the master can perceive the target's location.

If the slave dares to harbor even a trace of disloyalty, at best their Divine Soul will suffer intense pain, and at worst, their Soul will be Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

You nodded in satisfaction, then Sealed her cultivation again, eager to begin comprehending this profound Secret Method.

The fourth day,

You had been comprehending the “Slave Contract” Secret Method for a day and a night, but still couldn't grasp its essence.

You looked at Liu Ruyan, who was meditating on the bed, and asked with a smile, “Liu Ruyan, what do the words ‘Gather Divine Thought into threads, refine intent into chains’ mean?”

“And this phrase—‘Soul threads enter the orifices, like a shadow following the form’.”

“And also—‘Thousands of miles to pursue the Soul, disobedience means demise’.”

Liu Ruyan frowned, quite curious about your questions.

With her Aptitude, she had never encountered a Bottleneck while Cultivating any Cultivation Technique, nor did she understand why you would ask such simple questions.

After all, those without sufficient Aptitude cannot Cultivate to the Nascent Soul Realm.

She thought you were just verifying the authenticity of the Secret Method, so she explained faintly, “The first phrase comes from the Condensing Imprint Chapter, meaning to condense Divine Thought into fine threads, refining them into Slave Contract chains...”

“The second phrase is from the Imprint Planting Chapter, referring to Soul Power threads invading the opponent's acupoints, following the target like a shadow...”

“The third phrase belongs to the Slave Control Chapter, meaning that after casting the spell, one can track the opponent's location and also destroy their Divine Soul with a thought...”

Under her explanation, you gradually understood the content of the Secret Method.

But you found that although you understood it, practicing it was extremely difficult.

This Secret Method was extremely profound and intricate, requiring extremely high control.

While your Divine Sense could impact others like a flood, it was too difficult to delineate it into fine threads and form mysterious inscriptions.

It was then that you realized that although your Divine Sense was vast, you hadn't fully unleashed its potential.

Thinking of this, you asked Liu Ruyan, “How long did it take you to get started with this Slave Contract Secret Method?”

“Three months.” Liu Ruyan replied indifferently.

You were slightly startled—you had to reach the introductory Realm, because only then could you enslave Cultivators of the same Realm, and you indeed planned to use the Slave Contract on Liu Ruyan.

But this introductory time was too long. Even with Liu Ruyan's Aptitude, it took three months. With your Aptitude, wouldn't it take ten years or so?

Thinking of this, you suddenly remembered the time-space pagoda.

Recalling the time-space pagoda, you then thought of the black gold twin fish jade pendant.

“It seems that to grow quickly, I still have to 'shear wool' from the Liu Clan Immortal Family,” you secretly mused to yourself.