9: Chapter 9 Wind Spirit Moon Shadow

"Two quarters of an hour!"

Yu Lingshuang opened her eyes abruptly, her chest heaving slightly. Her usually cold eyes were surging with turbulent waves, staring in disbelief at the figure wrapped in Spiritual Qi not far away.

After obtaining the Cultivation Technique, Chi Wanhe had impatiently returned to the courtyard to begin to Cultivate.

Seeing this, Yu Lingshuang also sat in meditation nearby, wanting to see how long it would take for this Genius with a Void Spirit Root to successfully guide Qi into her body.

According to her expectations, even a Genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, combined with a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, would take three hours to guide Qi into the body. Even for a one-in-ten-thousand Void Spirit Root, it should take at least two hours.

However, not long after she closed her eyes to rest, Chi Wanhe nearby had already stirred the Spiritual Qi.

"This..."

Yu Lingshuang looked toward Ling Hao, wanting to see his expression. But she saw only a trace of gratification flash in Ling Hao's eyes, and he nodded slightly, appearing extremely natural.

"Not bad!"

Yu Lingshuang rolled her eyes. This was more than just "not bad." This speed of guiding Qi into the body was simply rubbing all the Heavenly Spiritual Root Geniuses who practiced Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques into the dust.

Logically speaking, even a Heavenly Void Spirit Root shouldn't have such terrifying speed.

She had heard that the Sect Master of the Kongxuan Sect possessed a Heaven Rank Void Spirit Root Cultivation Technique and was located in the blessed land of an Eighth Rank Sect, yet it still took nearly two hours to successfully guide Qi into the body.

Then there was only one answer!

Looking at Chi Wanhe, who was wrapped in dense Spiritual Qi, Yu Lingshuang softly spat out two words:

"Immortal Rank!"

She slowly shifted her gaze back, staring at the almost imperceptible curve of satisfaction on Ling Hao's lips, her fingertips unconsciously tightening on her sleeves.

Her Sect Master really hadn't lied; the Sect not only truly possessed a Void Spirit Root Cultivation Technique, but it was also one grade higher than the Kongxuan Sect's Void Spirit Root Cultivation Technique, reaching the Immortal Rank!

This was the highest Rank of Cultivation Technique in the Three Provinces Realm! Even the Cultivation Technique she, a Body Integration Stage Cultivator, practiced was only a Low Grade Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique!

...

Morning light pierced through the thin mist, gilding the outline of the rockery. Below, the spring gurgled, releasing clear water that accumulated into a pool of glistening liquid.

Ling Hao stepped into the garden and immediately saw Yu Lingshuang by the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring. She stood by the pool, her plain white skirt motionless in the morning breeze, her side profile, covered in frost and snow, appearing even colder in the morning light.

At this sight, the corner of Ling Hao's mouth twitched imperceptibly. The small pool that had originally been filled with abundant spiritual liquid had its water level drop by half!

No way?! Sister? What are you doing? When you said the "cup" in "a cup," did you mean a Magical Artifact? You actually scooped away half of the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring from this small pool! No wonder I always felt the water level looked wrong when I passed by these past few days.

Yu Lingshuang sensed Ling Hao's gaze and quickly put away the white jade, spirit-glowing cup Magical Artifact in her palm, a faint trace of embarrassment flashing across her usually cold brows and eyes.

"Sect Master."

Ling Hao waved his sleeve gently, stopping her from performing the formal greeting. "Spare the empty formalities; I don't care about those."

Ling Hao wasn't actually angry. This Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring seeped out quite quickly; at this rate, the small spiritual spring would be full again within a day.

Wait, a day? Was this also in your calculations? You cunning Deputy Sect Master. As expected of a woman who has lived for over a thousand years.

"I am going to the Talisman Pavilion to see how Wanhe is Cultivating. Would you like to come along?" Ling Hao invited.

Yu Lingshuang shook her head slightly, her voice remaining clear and cold. "I need to refine the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring I just collected, so I will not accompany the Sect Master."

Ling Hao did not force her. "Then I will go ahead."

Yu Lingshuang watched Ling Hao's back as he turned to leave, also preparing to return to the courtyard to refine the spiritual spring.

Suddenly, Ling Hao paused his steps and turned back with a smile. The morning light happened to outline his back, and that smile seemed to be dyed with ten thousand rays of golden brilliance, deeply imprinting itself into the depths of Yu Lingshuang's eyes.

"By the way, since you are the Deputy Sect Master of my Moonshadow Sect, the Scripture Pavilion is naturally open to you. If you are interested, you may enter and choose a Cultivation Technique at any time."

"Wait, Sect Master," Yu Lingshuang's tone carried a hint of shock. "Studying the Cultivation Technique... is there no need to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao for restriction?"

"No need."

Ling Hao answered decisively and freely, his figure already fading into the distance.

Yu Lingshuang froze in place, staring at the figure merging into the morning light, her breathing stopping for a moment. Deep within her usually calm and waveless eyes, it seemed as if solid ice had shattered silently, revealing an unbelievable shock.

What kind of trust was this!

First the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring, then the Scripture Pavilion.

For someone like her whose background was a mystery, he had no reservations and no defenses!

The Scripture Pavilion was the Foundation and root of the Sect; so many Sects guarded it strictly, treating it as their life. Was he not afraid that after she learned the secret texts, she would leak them out?

Moreover, last night she had personally witnessed Chi Wanhe guide Qi into her body in two quarters of an hour; what she practiced must undoubtedly be an Immortal Rank Cultivation Technique.

This grade of Cultivation Technique was something she had never touched in her long cultivation career!

Talisman Pavilion.

Sandalwood incense curled, and Talisman classics were arranged in an orderly fashion.

Ling Hao stood with his hands behind his back in front of the desk, watching Chi Wanhe concentrate on drawing a basic Purification Talisman. Since he had become her Revered Master, he decided to guide her properly.

The Talisman Dao rewarded by the System was an instant enlightenment; Ling Hao had already mastered it completely and understood it thoroughly.

With one glance, Ling Hao saw the wrong habits and theoretical misunderstandings that Chi Wanhe had accumulated during her previous exploration.

"The flow of spiritual power here is too rushed; your wrist needs to be three parts steadier."

Ling Hao extended a finger, pointing at Chi Wanhe's right wrist as she held the brush, his voice calm.

"Spiritual power is like water; if it is too rigid, the lines will crack; if it is too soft, the form will disperse. It must be continuous and persistent, just right."

Hearing this, Chi Wanhe immediately held her breath and focused, adjusting as instructed. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, her expression focused to the point of near piety.

Seeing her Disciple correct herself, Ling Hao nodded slightly.

"Watch closely."

Ling Hao casually picked up a blank Talisman paper and placed it on the desk, gathering a point of spiritual light at his fingertip, and began to demonstrate the true stable drawing.

His movements were smooth and flowing, every stroke outlining the most perfect trajectory of the Purification Dao pattern, the flowing spiritual light revealing an indescribable rhythmic beauty.

Chi Wanhe watched intently, the trajectory traced by his fingertip seeming to turn into the most wonderful pattern in the world in her eyes, often making her stare in a trance, even lightening her breathing.

"Traditional Talisman pattern connection emphasizes spiritual power induction, which is cumbersome and prone to errors."

After the demonstration, Ling Hao put down the Talisman brush, and his tone shifted, actually combining knowledge from his previous life. "If you build the basic framework using the 'Geometric Symmetry Method'..."

As he spoke, Ling Hao used his finger instead of a brush, quickly outlining several symmetrical geometric light points and lines in the Void Realm.

"Using this as the skeleton, then filling in the core Talisman pattern, the Talisman structure will be several times more stable, especially suitable for beginners to learn quickly."

Chi Wanhe listened with bright eyes, as if she had discovered a new world, nodding repeatedly. "Xiao He understands! Revered Master's method, simplifying the complex, is truly profound!"

Chi Wanhe tried it impatiently; although it was raw, the framework was indeed much more stable than before.

Ling Hao watched her side profile as she carefully traced under the lamplight, occasionally giving a few words of key advice.

The Revered Master and Disciple were immersed in the profundity of the Talisman Dao, completely unaware of the passage of time.

Outside the window, the night was already deep, and the spiritual light jumping on the Talisman paper inside the pavilion reflected with the candlelight. It was not until Chi Wanhe rubbed her slightly sore wrist and looked up that she realized the sky was full of stars.

This teaching session had actually lasted until nightfall.

Ling Hao pushed open the wooden door of the Talisman Pavilion, and the moonlight flooded in, just happening to reveal the figure of Yu Lingshuang standing quietly outside, as cold as a white plum dyed in frost.

Ling Hao was slightly surprised, then smiled. "Went to the Scripture Pavilion?"

"Yes."

Yu Lingshuang's voice remained clear and cold, but upon closer listening, it seemed to have an added hint of indescribable, complex emotion. She lowered her eyelashes, avoiding Ling Hao's smiling gaze.

The two walked silently to a cliff edge, the strong wind blowing their sleeves. Yu Lingshuang looked down at the panoramic view of the Sect, shrouded in clouds and mist and silent, her brows slightly furrowed, and she finally couldn't help but ask the doubt that had been circling in her heart for a long time:

"Why are there no other members or Disciples in our Moonshadow Sect?"

Ling Hao's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm on the surface. How was he supposed to explain this? Should he say that before you arrived, this massive Sect was just an empty shell with a commander and no troops?

In a flash, Ling Hao decisively pulled out his ultimate trump card—the Amnesia Technique!

A layer of deep sorrow instantly covered his face, and Ling Hao's eyes also became empty and confused, as if drowning in fragments of the past that he couldn't reach, his voice dropping low:

"I... don't remember."

Immediately after, Ling Hao raised his head abruptly, the confusion in his eyes replaced by a kind of near-paranoid firmness, facing the hunting mountain wind, his words ringing out:

"I only know that I must rebuild this Moonshadow Sect! Step by step, let it return to the Ranks of Ninth Rank Sects, and even... climb to a higher Peak!"

Yu Lingshuang listened quietly, looking at the deep "sadness" on Ling Hao's face and the firm will that erupted afterward, almost tearing through the fog.

Combining this with what she had seen these past few days—the Sheng-Sheng Creation Spring, the Spirit Mirror, the Immortal Rank Cultivation Technique... These were Foundations that even Ninth Rank Sects could not hope to reach. A shocking and "reasonable" conjecture formed in her heart instantly, solid as a rock!

This Sect must have previously been the Super Rank Sect, the Fengling Sect, which surpassed all Ninth Rank Sects!

In the ancient times, foreign Cultivators invaded, and all the Sects of the Shi Continent joined forces, but they were still retreating steadily. At the critical moment, the Super Rank Sect, the Fengling Sect of the Shi Continent, joined forces with other Sects to forge the Nine Cauldrons, and with the help of the power of the Shi Continent's Origin, finally sealed the passage between the two worlds.

This battle caused the sky to collapse and the earth to crack, and all the Sects of the Shi Continent were severely damaged, while the Fengling Sect disappeared after this battle, and even its ruins could not be found.

It was also after this battle that the rules of the Shi Continent began to collapse and become chaotic, and erosion qi filled the air.

The Moonshadow Sect must be the Legacy left behind by the Fengling Sect!

Yu Lingshuang nodded slowly, a hint of realization in her cold eyes. Only in this way could it be explained why there was such a Sect in a remote place.

Looking at Yu Lingshuang's solemn nod, as if she had seen through everything, Ling Hao was stunned internally:

??

What are you nodding for? Did you actually believe it?! But... it's good that you believe it, saving me from racking my brain to make up excuses.

This Amnesia Technique is indeed useful!

"Regarding the matter of recruiting Disciples for the Sect..."

Yu Lingshuang took the initiative to speak, her tone softer than usual, carrying a hint of imperceptible concern. "Do you need my assistance?"

"No need! You still need to recover your body."

Ling Hao immediately interrupted.

"Just leave this matter to me."

That won't do; if you collapse, once there are more Sect Disciples in the future, where would I find such high-quality talent (laborers) to work? How could I rest assured to go out and roam in the future?