Chapter 39

"An ethereal body should not be the case. Otherwise, it would have been exposed during the spirit opening process. However, I heard from Ishikawa that this disciple has a rather powerful mental force, so Senior Brother Ruan from the Sutra Pavilion had him choose to cultivate the Ghost Spirit Technique. A powerful mental force is quite advantageous for cultivating the Ghost Spirit Technique, which might be the reason he was able to achieve the first level so quickly," Kui Ruchuan said slowly.

"A powerful mental force! If that's the case, it makes sense. However, he will face considerable difficulties in subsequent techniques. Does he really have to take the path of corpse refinement?" the female Daoist said with a frown.

"Since he has made this choice, he must bear the consequences. However, I observe that although Bai Congtian is young, he is quite skilled in actual combat and acts with a mature mindset. He must have his own intentions. Let's not interfere too much. We can provide some resources to assist him, and perhaps there will be a pleasant surprise," Zhu Chi said after a moment of contemplation.

"Junior Brother Zhu's words are reasonable," the scholar agreed.

"Very well, I will personally meet with this disciple later," the beautiful female Daoist nodded in agreement after some thought.

After a few more discussions, the female Daoist left to begin the competition for disciples under thirty years old.

...

Five or six hours later, Liu Ming watched the intense practical test in the center of the square without blinking.

A middle-aged disciple, around forty years old, was hiding behind a floating ice shield, continuously making hand seals.

Not far in front of him, two massive figures were relentlessly attacking each other.

One was a three-zhang-tall giant puppet holding a sword, and the other was a white skeleton enveloped in thick black mist, with green eyes flashing and each hand holding a serrated bone knife.

Neither of them dodged, only wildly swinging their weapons at each other.

In a moment, the black armor on the puppet was severely damaged.

The skeleton's bones were mostly shattered, and even half of its skull had been cut off by the giant sword.

However, at this moment, the middle-aged disciple hiding behind the ice shield was continuously pointing at the skeleton from a distance, muttering incantations.

An astonishing scene unfolded.

The black mist around the skeleton suddenly intensified, and the cracks and the half-cut skull began to rapidly mend and regenerate, visible to the naked eye. In a short while, it became smooth and completely restored.

"Bang" "Bang"

The skeleton's bone knives slashed wildly, shattering the puppet's iron armor and exposing the spirit stone in its chest.

With another attack, the skeleton shattered the spirit stone.

The puppet fell heavily to the ground, motionless.

The middle-aged disciple then proudly waved his hand, dispersing the ice shield in front of him, and beckoned with one hand.

The skeleton spun around, its body rapidly shrinking, and in a moment, it had shrunk to the size of a palm, enveloped in black mist, and flew toward the middle-aged disciple.

"Tsk tsk, Senior Brother Xin's bone demon is getting more powerful. It seems to have reached the 'Hundred Bones' stage, and even the trial puppet couldn't last long against it."

"Senior Brother Xin was just lucky back then, accidentally obtaining a spirit bone, which allowed him to refine this demon. If I had such luck, it would be great."

"What's the use! No matter how powerful this bone demon is, Senior Brother Xin's cultivation has been stuck at the late Spirit Disciple stage and he is over thirty years old. He has little hope of advancing to the Spirit Master stage, just like us."

"Indeed, it's because Senior Brother Xin was overly obsessed with refining this demon that he neglected his own cultivation. In a real fight, if you can find a way to trap this demon first, taking down the master would be easy. Senior Brother Xin is still too weak, and he is unlikely to become a core disciple in the next major competition."

"Who would have thought that the Spirit Communication Technique, when used with this bone demon, would have such a miraculous effect. Perhaps we should also cultivate this secret technique."

"Forget it. The foundation techniques of our sect are not very compatible with the Spirit Communication Technique. Senior Brother Xin also chose to cultivate the Profound Yin Technique, which is why he can cultivate this secret technique."

The other disciples outside the square were discussing the battle, with mixed opinions.

"This is the 'Spirit Communication Technique.' It can actually control and command ghosts and demons, truly incredible!" Liu Ming muttered.

Although he had heard that the disciples of the Savage Ghost Sect could command ghosts and demons, this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes, and the shock was unimaginable.

Not just him, but the other new disciples were also stunned, even Xiao Feng, the Nine Spirit Vein disciple, had his eyes fixed on the bone demon.

This was different from ordinary spells like wind blades and fireballs. Ghosts and demons have always been mysterious in the secular world.

Even though Liu Ming and the others had some mental preparation, the impact of witnessing it firsthand was far beyond their imagination.

However, this made Liu Ming even more eager to cultivate the Spirit Communication Technique in the future.

Half a day later, when a burly man, enveloped in a layer of golden light, smashed the head of the combat puppet to pieces with a single punch, the entire small competition finally ended.

Among those who received a high evaluation, only Xiao Feng stood out.

Five people received a good evaluation, including Liu Ming, "Senior Brother Xin," and Shikawa, the senior disciple of the Nine-Headed Serpent Mountain.

As for Zhu Lianxing and Gu Meishan, their performance was average.

During the test, Liu Ming did not see Zhu Lianxing use the rumored spirit weapon.

Based on the evaluations, all the disciples who participated in the small competition received different rewards.

Those with average evaluations and below received three Rejuvenation Pills.

These pills, when taken after depleting one's mana, could restore it at several times the normal speed.

Liu Ming and the other four who received a good evaluation, in addition to the three Rejuvenation Pills, also received a Calming Incense.

This incense looked like ordinary sandalwood incense, but when lit during mental exhaustion, it could accelerate the recovery of mental force to a certain extent. It also had a miraculous effect when used to comprehend techniques and secret arts, making it far more valuable than the three Rejuvenation Pills.

The only one who received a high evaluation, Xiao Feng, in addition to the Rejuvenation Pills and Calming Incense, also received a bottle of the rarer Spirit-Transcending Liquid.

It was said that if this liquid was consumed before facing a strong enemy, it could temporarily increase one's mana by twenty percent for half an hour.

Following this, Kui Ruchuan announced the end of the small competition, and the disciples were allowed to leave.

The disciples bowed to the three Spirit Masters and then took to the air.

Just as Liu Ming was about to leave with the crowd, the "Daoist Sister Zhong" suddenly called him over.

"What does Daoist Sister need?" Liu Ming was a bit puzzled but showed no sign of it on his face. He walked over and respectfully said.

"You performed well in the practical test. If my cultivation technique were suitable for you, I would have considered taking you as a direct disciple. However, since you already have a foundation in practical combat, you might as well take some time to accept some low-risk contribution point tasks from the second floor of the Affairs Hall. The importance of contribution points in the sect is far beyond what new disciples can imagine. Cultivation is not just about closed-door practice," the beautiful female Daoist said solemnly to Liu Ming.

"Thank you for your guidance, Daoist Sister. I understand," Liu Ming nodded repeatedly.

"This copper ring is your talisman weapon, right? Its sound wave attack is quite powerful, but its defensive capabilities are probably lacking. Here, I have an old talisman weapon that I used to use. I will give it to you. Although you cannot use two talisman weapons simultaneously, you can switch between them based on the situation," the Daoist said, pondering for a moment, and then took out a palm-sized triangular iron plate from her sleeve.

"Thank you, Daoist Sister! This talisman weapon is..." Liu Ming was naturally overjoyed.

"This triangular shield is different from other talisman weapons. It cannot attack, but it can only be used for defense. Once you communicate with it and master it, you will understand how to use it," the Daoist said calmly, handing over the iron plate.

Liu Ming took the iron plate talisman weapon and naturally expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

"Go on. I have high hopes for you. Don't disappoint me," the Daoist smiled and turned to leave.

Liu Ming bowed respectfully again and then took a few steps back before taking to the air.

On the cloud, he glanced sideways and saw that Xiao Feng and Cheng had not left the square. They were standing beside Kui Ruchuan and Zhu Chi, listening to some guidance with respect.

It seemed that his decision to show some of his cultivation achievements in the small competition was indeed correct.

Otherwise, how could he be among those who stayed behind and unexpectedly received a talisman weapon?

Liu Ming touched the triangular iron plate in his sleeve and couldn't help but smile.

The standard talisman sword aside, he had long wanted to obtain another suitable talisman weapon.

For ordinary disciples, manipulating two talisman weapons might be a dream, but for him, who could split his mental consciousness, it was a natural progression.

With two talisman weapons, as "Daoist Sister Zhong" said, he would also have the ability to accept some simple contribution point tasks.

After all, he would occasionally encounter cultivation problems, and since he couldn't directly ask Ishikawa or the other Nine-Headed Serpent lineage members due to the Spirit Bone Technique, spending some contribution points to seek answers at the Wisdom Hall would be the best solution.

However, before that, he should first cultivate the Soul Binding Whip technique to be more prepared.

Liu Ming thought about this as he returned to his residence and landed in the courtyard.

His gaze fell on a two-zhang-tall tree outside the courtyard, and a smile appeared on his lips. He muttered incantations and, in seven or eight breaths, raised both hands.

With two "pfft" sounds, two green wind blades shot out from his hands, one after the other, slicing the tree into three pieces in a flash.

(At night, I will draw the list of winners for the physical book on the WeChat platform and announce it directly at the end of the chapter. Please don't forget to follow.

Wang Yu's WeChat platform has been established. To join the platform, you can scan the QR code on my Tencent Weibo, or click on "Contacts" at the bottom of the WeChat platform, then click the "+" at the top, enter "Find Public Accounts," and search for "Wang Yu" or the WeChat ID "wang-yu.")

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