Chapter 8

"What... happened?"

Chen Jia's daughter was a bit puzzled, suddenly seeing so many people around her, she couldn't help but feel shy and lowered her head slightly.

Zhang Jin covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes reddening. Li Yunyun's face showed a mix of shock and joy as she held Zhang Jin's hand and said, "That's great, Yiyi, you're safe. I was so worried about you."

"Mother... Aunt..."

Looking at the reactions of her two relatives, she seemed to recall something and murmured, "Yiyi must have had a very long dream."

Zhang Jin, coming from a distinguished family, quickly composed herself and said softly, "Yiyi, come and thank this immortal for his kindness. It's thanks to him that you're safe and sound."

Chen Yiyi sized up Su Fu, noticing his neatly trimmed hair, his height of five feet four inches, his white Daoist robe, his sword-like eyebrows, and his star-like eyes. His handsome face wore a gentle smile, giving off a natural warmth that made her heart skip a beat and feel shy.

However, she didn't dare to look at him for long, only lowering her head and bowing gracefully, saying, "Thank you, Immortal Sir..."

"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The inspiration should be credited to Senior Sister Yunxi," Su Fu waved his hand, which was true. If not for Yunxi, he wouldn't have thought of this method.

Chen Youwei was also overjoyed, but he didn't show it on his face. He said calmly, "Hmm, you're not bad. What's your name? Would you like to work in my household? Rest assured, I won't treat you unfairly."

The arrogance in his words made Su Fu frown slightly. He replied, "I appreciate Mr. Chen's kindness, but if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Saying this, he walked towards Yunxi and the others. Even though his actions were heavily influenced by his past life, this attitude still made him feel uncomfortable.

The two elders were completely convinced by Su Fu and followed him without a word.

Yunxi turned back, patted Su Fu's shoulder proudly, and winked at him, her eyes forming crescent moons as she said, "Little Brother, I didn't expect you to be so secretive. Come on, confess how you managed to steal the technique."

Su Fu had been practicing body refinement for eight years, and Yunxi's strength felt like a tickle to him. There was no need to hide this, so he explained in detail, "After watching Senior Sister perform the spell yesterday, I had some insights. Last night, after discussing with the two of you, I gradually verified my thoughts. However, I only mastered the three-character true incantation, which is far from the eight-character true incantation of your esteemed sect."

The *Taiqing Zhuanlong Ling* is a highly renowned spell in the True Realm. When cultivated to the highest level, the eight-character true incantation can be used together, generating immense power. Different combinations of true incantations have different effects, and it can be taught to inner disciples of the Yujing Sect.

Ji Sui and Feng both had high aspirations and wouldn't mind someone learning from them. However, they now regarded Su Fu even more highly. To be able to reconstruct a spell after just a few observations and some insights, and to achieve such power, was truly terrifying.

They didn't realize that Su Fu's divine soul had special qualities, and with over forty years of combined experience from his past and present lives, his spiritual perception could remember the secrets of Yunxi's spiritual energy flow and continuously deduce and evolve to achieve the reconstruction. His comprehension was of the highest level, so this result wasn't surprising.

However, if the cultivation gap was too large, it would be impossible to achieve.

Yunxi then said, "So, Little Brother, you first used the Binding Spell as a shield on Chen Yiyi's body, then used a sword to cut through it, causing the illusion to break. This way, you not only broke the illusion but also ensured that Chen Yiyi wasn't harmed. Little Brother, you're indeed smart, almost as smart as me." She was very impressed but still praised herself a bit, which was just her personality.

Ji Sui laughed, "If it weren't for Daoist Su, you probably wouldn't have thought of such a brilliant plan, Senior Sister."

Though he smiled, he was deeply moved. Not only by Su Fu's comprehension, but also by the precision of his control over his own energy. Using an ordinary sword to break through the illusion was unheard of. Even though he hadn't yet started the process of condensing qi, he knew he couldn't reach such a level before then. He found Su Fu increasingly inscrutable.

"Big Brother, you're the one who's stupid..." Yunxi chased after him, and the two of them laughed and played together.

Chen Youwei looked at their backs thoughtfully, no longer maintaining his previous domineering attitude.

The group left the Chen residence and walked down the bustling Liuguan Street. Du Song asked while walking, "Senior, do you really not plan to get involved?"

Yunxi chuckled, her tone cold, unlike her playful demeanor earlier, "Since that monster has challenged us, how can we be afraid? We'll definitely meet it tonight. If you two are scared, you don't have to come."

Ji Sui's expression was calm, and he didn't speak, but his silence was an acknowledgment. Given his character, he wouldn't abandon something halfway. Since he had started, he would see it through to the end.

Meng You's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "What about... Senior Su?"

The two elders understood that Su Fu was the easiest to get along with and had no prejudice against wandering cultivators. In times of danger, following him would provide the best protection. Although Ji Sui and Yunxi had no prejudice against wandering cultivators, they couldn't treat them the same as ordinary people.

Su Fu understood their thoughts and said, "I don't deserve the title of senior. The two of you don't have to take the risk. That monster has already formed a cause and effect with me, and I must resolve it. I can't push this responsibility onto Senior Brother Ji Sui and Senior Sister Yunxi."

This was true, but the most important reason was that the monster, having developed intelligence, had a spirit soul that Su Fu needed.

The two elders shook their heads in unison, saying seriously, "Since it's our duty, how can we hide behind you three seniors?" It was unclear how much of this was genuine.

Since they had made their decisions, the group changed the topic. Yunxi seemed to remember something and asked, "Chen Yiyi's yin essence seemed intact. Is there something more to this?"

This reminded everyone that the monster's interest had suddenly changed, perhaps only to seek revenge and suppress its lust.

Ji Sui waved his hand and said calmly, "Until we see the monster, all speculations are pointless. Let's find a place to drink first. What do you think, Daoist Su?"

Su Fu nodded, "That's what I wanted."

It was already the morning hour when they left, and it was now approaching noon. They intended to find a random tavern but were intercepted by the county magistrate, Wang Zhicai, who invited them to the largest tavern in the county.

It seemed that Wang Zhicai had been lying in wait, otherwise, it wouldn't have been such a coincidence. The two elders understood this tacitly.

In Qingzhou, as in the True Realm, the stronger you were, the better you were treated. Strength earned respect, a timeless truth.

...

As night fell, the lights of ten thousand households lit up, forming a sea of light. Most mortals rested at sunset, having dinner and then going out to play, while women did their household chores and children played joyfully. The elderly gathered with friends to drink tea and chat. Mortals had their leisure, and cultivators had their own excitement.

Su Fu sat quietly on the bed. In his spiritual perception, there was a void space with 108 stars arranged in a mysterious pattern. Twelve of these stars were already lit, and he was working hard to connect the thirteenth. This was a difficult process, but if successful, he could condense starlight into his qi points.

This was the miraculous aspect of the *Lianyao Jing*. When a monster cultivates the mystic yin-yang core, it can sense the stars and draw starlight into its body, storing it in the corresponding qi points. Once all 108 stars are lit, it can achieve immortality and return to its ancestral lineage, gaining great powers if fortunate.

If observed with the naked eye, one would see that Su Fu's body was almost free of impurities and no longer needed to be refined with spiritual energy. His physical strength could withstand mortal weapons, and ordinary magical tools were no longer a concern. His body's sensitivity and five senses far exceeded those of his peers.

In the depths of his consciousness, the yin spirit could sense the vast number of stars, each with its own selection criteria. Different combinations had different effects, but they could be broadly categorized into two types.

The first type focused on returning to the ancestral lineage. These monsters were more specialized, and once they succeeded, they could gain powers, though the strength varied.

The second type involved selecting stars that resonated with their own nature, potentially awakening stronger bloodlines, but this was more difficult.

This was the capital that Su Fu had relied on for survival and combat over the years. Although the mortal sword technique was exceptional, without a magical body as a foundation, even the most profound sword techniques could not escape the constraints of the mortal world.

Around the hour of the dog, Su Fu opened his eyes gently. Cultivation should never be rushed. He practiced the *Lianyao Jing* moderately each day, focusing on building a solid foundation step by step.

It was not yet time for the meeting, so Su Fu took out the soul banner and carefully inspected it. This banner had been with him for some time, obtained from a ghost cultivator. Due to its heavy evil aura, he had just learned a method to refine a soul banner from a demon spirit and decided to try it.

To his surprise, he succeeded on his first attempt. Since then, he had continuously collected evil spirits, ghost cultivator souls, and monster spirit souls, refining them into the banner. It now had four layers of restrictions, a progress that was astonishing. Yunxi's Zuxian Spear, refined by her master and with two layers of restrictions, had taken her three years to refine just one layer, showing the difficulty.

The speed of his progress was closely related to the refinement method. Ordinary magical tools required daily refinement of restrictions, a tedious process. This banner, a notorious external magical tool of the Lingyu Demon Sect, only needed a continuous supply of nourishment to form restrictions on its own, making it exceptionally powerful.

Since its creation, this tool had only been used once, in a life-or-death situation, where it decisively turned the tide. However, the more it was refined, the more its evil aura became apparent. Later, he found a thousand-year-old peach wood, which, though not tempered by lightning, could suppress the evil aura. He hollowed out the banner's handle and hid the peach wood inside.

His thoughts stopped there. In his spiritual perception, Meng You was approaching, likely to inform him that it was time to leave. He got up and tidied himself up.