191: "The True Interpretation of Yun Shen"

Half an hour later.

Su Ming slowly opened his eyes. In that instant, his demeanor seemed to undergo a subtle change.

If he was like a hard stone before, tenacious yet easily shattered...

Then now, he was more like a deep pool of water. Its surface was calm and still; even if a stone were thrown in, it would only cause ripples before everything was swallowed and dissolved.

That “water-like” charm had already been etched into his bones.

“Thank you, Senior, for your completion.”

Su Ming stood up and bowed deeply to the Void Realm.

He knew that the final surge of Spiritual Qi infusion was no accident.

There was no response from the Void Realm.

“How do you feel?” Lin Yu’s voice echoed in his mind, with a hint of lazy amusement, “Do you feel like you used to drive an ox cart, and now you’re finally galloping on a fast horse?”

“Master’s analogies are always so… vivid.” Su Ming smiled helplessly in his heart, then said seriously, “Disciple feels better than ever before. This Ruoshui Art is upright and peaceful, encompassing all things. It not only repaired my previous internal injuries, but even the budding wood-attribute Spiritual Root has grown stronger under the nourishment of water Spiritual Power.”

“That’s right. Water benefits all things without contention; this is the highest Mind-Cultivation Technique of The Way of Cautious Survival.” Lin Yu paused, his tone becoming more urgent, “Alright, now that you have the fundamental Cultivation Technique, this place is not suitable for long stays. That old man’s special permit has a time limit, don’t waste it contemplating life.”

Su Ming nodded, about to turn and leave, but his steps suddenly halted.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the xuantian ring, which had long since become ordinary.

The ring was cold, pressed tightly against the base of his finger, like a part of his body.

Throughout this journey, from surviving a cliff fall to infiltrating the Cloud Hidden Sect, from a Mortal living day-to-day to now a quasi-Outer Sect Disciple, Master’s shadow was in every step.

Master was still a wisp of a remnant Soul, confined to this small space, and constantly had to expend Soul Power to conceal heavenly secrets and deduce Formations for him.

A strong desire to repay him for something grew wildly in Su Ming’s heart like weeds.

He did not move, but instead asked solemnly in his mind, “Master, Disciple has obtained the fundamental Cultivation Technique. Do you… do you need to find a Cultivation Technique that can nourish your Divine Soul and help you recover?”

His Sea of Consciousness fell into a brief silence.

Inside the xuantian ring, Lin Yu’s illusory projection was lying on a “beach chair” with his legs crossed, holding a non-existent “fat house happy water.” Hearing this, his movements suddenly stiffened, and the “happy water” in his hand almost spilled all over him.

He was used to planning everything for this Disciple, used to playing the role of the omniscient, infallible “old man.” In his eyes, Su Ming was still the child who needed him to hand-hold and teach how to “hide” in the Cultivation world.

This was the first time he had been cared for so directly and solemnly by this “tool-man” Disciple.

A strange, somewhat sour yet warm emotion surged in his heart.

Lin Yu opened his mouth, wanting to maintain the demeanor of a Senior, but found his throat somewhat choked.

“You brat…”

After a long while, Lin Yu cursed with a laugh, but his voice held an imperceptible tremor: “Consider yourself to have a conscience! It wasn’t in vain that I worried my non-existent heart to pieces for you! Fine, since we’re already here, then… let’s go see if there are any Cultivation Techniques suitable for Soul body Cultivation!”

“Anyway, since we’re here, we might as well make the most of it!” He reverted to his playful tone, as if his earlier Stunned was just an illusion, “Go up! Soul Dao areas are usually in out-of-the-way corners, after all, this stuff is on the fringes of ‘high-risk contraband’ in Righteous Path Sects.”

Su Ming’s heart warmed, and the corners of his mouth curved upward: “Yes, Master.”

He no longer hesitated. His figure moved, and he swept along the winding light bridge towards the darker areas higher up the tower.

If the second floor’s Water Aspect Domain was a tranquil deep sea, then the higher he went, the more bizarre and fantastical the surrounding sights became.

Passing through the third floor, where thunder and fire intertwined, and traversing the fourth floor, filled with clashing weapons, Su Ming arrived at the highest reaches of the Merit Dispensation Pavilion—an edge almost devoured by darkness.

Here, there were no light orbs like countless stars, only a few sporadic faint glows, like will-o’-the-wisps in a graveyard, flickering erratically in the Void Realm.

“Be careful.” Lin Yu’s voice suddenly grew solemn, “Every Cultivation Technique here exudes an evil aura. The path of the Soul Dao is the easiest to fall into Qi Deviation. Look at that red light orb on the left, stay away from it. The fluctuations it emits are full of violence and a desire to devour; it’s probably an evil art that relies on consuming human Souls to upgrade.”

Su Ming avoided it as instructed, his Divine Sense cautiously extending, weaving through the sparse light orbs.

Su Ming stopped before a light orb emitting a pale white glow. As soon as he approached, countless vengeful spirits’ mournful roars echoed in his mind, shaking his spiritual platform.

“Myriad Ghosts Devouring Heart Art…” Su Ming’s face turned pale, and he quickly retreated, “Master, there doesn’t seem to be anything suitable for you here.”

“What kind of trash is all this?!” Lin Yu couldn’t help but complain, “Isn’t there anything ‘green and environmentally friendly’? Like getting stronger by basking in the sun, or leveling up by sleeping? The Cloud Hidden Sect’s collection taste is too heavy!”

“Keep looking.” Although Lin Yu’s words were dismissive, his tone couldn’t hide his disappointment, “If there really isn’t any, then forget it. Anyway, I’m fine like this now; no rent, no food, just a bit boring…”

Su Ming did not give up.

He closed his eyes and circulated the Ruoshui Art. The water Spiritual Power within him flowed slowly, transforming into a warm, thin film that isolated the noisy, violent, and tempting Divine Thought fluctuations from the outside.

His state of mind became clear as a mirror once more, reflecting this dark Void Realm.

Just as he was about to reach the end of this area, having found nothing, a faint, almost imperceptible warm white light suddenly flashed spontaneously in a corner.

This light was extremely faint; had Su Ming not been highly focused at this moment, he would have barely noticed it.

It was like a compass, guiding Su Ming towards a gray light orb in the corner, almost merged with the darkness.

That light orb was too inconspicuous.

Its surface was even covered with tiny cracks, and its light was dim like an oil lamp about to burn out, quietly suspended beneath the shadow of a huge tower stone, as if it were abandoned trash.

“Oh?” Lin Yu let out a soft exclamation, “This little thing… is interesting. It’s ‘breathing’.”

Su Ming cautiously approached.

This time, there were no mournful ghost cries, no alluring whispers, only a faint coolness and tranquility, like moonlight scattered upon a dry well.

Su Ming stretched out his finger and gently touched the cracked light orb.

Buzz.

A gentle stream of information slowly flowed into his Sea of Consciousness through his fingertip. Unlike other Cultivation Techniques that forcefully instilled knowledge, it was like a gentle trickle, nourishing silently.

“True Explanation of Nurturing Spirit.”