Chapter 136: Recovery Technique

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Recovery Technique

"A real shame."

Liu Chen was a bit speechless. He had been willing to sell on credit precisely to ensure Purple Cloud Valley could capture more pillars of light, yet a failure like this still managed to happen.

Yuan Hui’s failure didn’t affect Liu Chen’s cultivation plan. After exchanging some pleasantries, Liu Chen gave the Spiritual Cuisine for rewarding tonight’s combatants to Senior Brother Yang and returned to his room.

Spiritual Cuisine could replenish Spiritual Power, so aside from his session in the early morning, Liu Chen’s other three daily Cultivation Technique practices were all done after eating Spiritual Cuisine.

Tonight was no exception. After completing a cycle of his Meridian Passage Technique, Liu Chen practiced the Soul Control Technique a few times. As the last bit of Proficiency was gained, two Magic Veins for the Soul Control Technique appeared in his mind.

The Magic Veins for Refining Soul Slaves and Spirit Ghosts incorporated parts of the Soul Crossing Technique and then began to restructure themselves.

Once this was complete, the Magic Veins for the Soul Contract evolved into two different versions. The first leaned more toward a Master-Servant Contract with a Soul Slave. The second was a deeper Soul Contract than the original, even more profound than the one inherent to the Soul Control Technique. From a certain perspective, it even bonded directly with the True Spirit.

Although the concept of ’one body, two souls’ wasn’t fully realized, it was ninety percent complete. If he could find some Soul Magic to nourish the soul in the future, he might be able to completely fuse his soul with a Spirit Ghost bound by a Soul Contract, thus achieving the original vision of the cultivator who created the Soul Control Technique.

’Good and evil are separated by a single thought. A Magic originally meant to complete oneself actually evolved into a method for Ghost Cultivators to refine Soul Slaves, even becoming one of Fire Dragon Valley’s foundational techniques.’

Liu Chen sighed helplessly. He’d had this suspicion after his Soul Control Technique reached the Perfection realm. Now that he had transformed it into his own unique version based on his own insights, Liu Chen was even more certain of his theory.

In fact, Liu Chen had been somewhat resistant to the Soul Control Technique at first. If he hadn’t seen the parts about Spirit Ghosts in it, he wouldn’t have continued practicing it at all. But now, it seemed the technique itself wasn’t evil, but rather the Evil Cultivators who used it to commit atrocities.

This time, Liu Chen decided not to experiment on Nangong Mu. If Nangong Mu became a Spirit Ghost without any Spiritual Wisdom, there would be no point in bringing him back. As for Soul Slaves, his unique version of the Soul Control Technique hadn’t enhanced that aspect. Or rather, the Soul Slaves refined after the Soul Control Technique reached the Perfection realm were already at their limit.

The difference between a Soul Slave and a Spirit Ghost is the True Spirit, or in simpler terms, Spiritual Wisdom.

If the True Spirit dissipates, Spiritual Wisdom will surely disappear; but if Spiritual Wisdom disappears, the True Spirit may not necessarily dissipate.

In most cases, there was no need to deliberately distinguish between them. Unless one had cultivated the corresponding Soul Magic to Liu Chen’s level, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

Liu Chen thought of the Soul Rings he had obtained earlier in Dragon Head Hall. If all went as expected, the Soul Slaves inside could be refined into Spirit Ghosts.

However, the process might attract unwanted attention. Besides, although the Soul Slave that sneak-attacked him—a Meridian Passage Realm expert—was sent flying by a single blow, it didn’t mean all the Soul Slaves in the rings were at the Meridian Passage Realm. It would be safer to deal with them after he returned.

After his Soul Control Technique transformed into a unique version, Liu Chen immediately began practicing the Spirit Wheel Skill. Nangong Ye should be quite familiar with this Magic. In the past, two of the Third Prince of the Black Feather Dynasty, Yu Haenze’s, Guards—one using the Spirit Arrow Technique and the other the Spirit Wheel Skill—had relentlessly pursued Nangong Ye, forcing him to flee in a miserable state.

As its name implied, the Spirit Wheel Skill involved constructing rotating wheels of Spiritual Power for attack. According to the Magic’s description, the Beginner level created one Spirit Wheel, Minor Success created three, Great Success five, and Perfection seven. It was a very simple and unadorned type of Magic.

But simple and unadorned didn’t mean useless. In any case, Liu Chen felt it was quite good. In the future, if he needed to cut Bamboo Shoots or something, it would be much more useful than the Golden Sword Technique he had originally purchased.

The Spirit Arrow Technique couldn’t be practiced indoors; the arrows flew too far and would be easily discovered. But with Spirit Wheels, Liu Chen could have them circle around him, preventing anyone from noticing.

Most importantly, Basic Magic Techniques were easy to practice. If Liu Chen focused completely, he could gain one thousand Proficiency in half an hour. By the time the fifth pillar of light lit up on the volcano, an hour and a half had passed.

This not only meant that the seventeenth of the ninth month had arrived, but also that Liu Chen’s Spirit Wheel Skill had gained three thousand Proficiency, advancing directly from a beginner to the Great Success realm. Five Spirit Wheels danced freely around him. Liu Chen felt it was surprisingly similar to the Flying Flower Skill.

However, the Flying Flower Skill was more suited for area-of-effect attacks, while the Spirit Wheel Skill had a smaller range but greater attack power.

Half an hour later, the newly appeared pillar of light was engraved with the mark of Purple Cloud Valley, signifying that they had won this round.

Liu Chen glanced over briefly before starting to practice his Cultivation Technique. An hour later, as Liu Chen was ending his session, he sensed Senior Brother Yang return to the courtyard.

Liu Chen didn’t pay it much mind at first, but then a figure in tattered clothes, with bleeding wounds, appeared in the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Xie is probably resting. I’ll go wake him up."

Yang Haichen turned to look at Yuan Hui. This senior brother had once deliberately targeted him, but seeing Yuan Hui fight desperately tonight to win a pillar of light for Purple Cloud Valley, Yang Haichen felt a little moved.

Although the members of Qingxu Hall on the other side had fought just as hard, he didn’t know them. But he knew Yuan Hui. Even though he had once considered Yuan Hui a rival, tonight, Yang Haichen felt nothing but admiration.

"Sorry for the trouble. Speaking of which, it seems we’re fated to meet."

Yuan Hui endured the pain and sat on a nearby chair. If his fellow disciples hadn’t insisted, he wouldn’t have come here to trouble Senior Brother Xie at all. He wouldn’t be participating in the subsequent battles anyway. If he let these injuries heal on their own, it would just mean a few days of seclusion.

"What is it?"

Before Yang Haichen could speak, Xie Xichen walked out of his room. When he saw Yuan Hui’s condition, his somewhat drowsy eyes instantly cleared.

In a flash step, Xie Xichen appeared before Yuan Hui, channeling a verdant green Magic into his body.

Under the effect of the verdant Magic, the wounds on Yuan Hui’s body quickly scabbed over, and the bruising and swelling receded significantly.

"Senior Brother, your skills are impressive."

"My Recovery Technique is only at the Beginner level. If it were at Minor Success, you’d be fully recovered by now."

Xie Xichen shook his head. He had obtained this Magic before he even joined Purple Cloud Valley, but to this day, it was still only at the Beginner level. If he could raise it to Minor Success, he might be able to make a living with it. Unfortunately, after all this time, this was as far as he had gotten.

"Junior Brother, I’ll pay you back the Spirit Stones I owe you as soon as possible."

Yuan Hui didn’t respond. He felt extremely awkward just being here. He was the one who had targeted Yang Haichen, and he was the one who had looked down on Second Grade Spiritual Cuisine. Yet, he had accepted the Spiritual Cuisine after two consecutive pillar contests, and now he had even troubled Yang Haichen to bring him to Senior Brother Xie.

"You owe Junior Brother Liu."

Yang Haichen couldn’t help but correct him. At most, he could only treat this senior brother neutrally now. While he was no longer hostile, he couldn’t bring himself to be close to him either.