Chapter 95

Although he was a Spirit Practitioner, Xiao Ming had not yet cultivated any Spirit Techniques. This Spirit Technique was just right for him, but he could not fully unleash its power at the moment. However, he could gradually cultivate it, and once he mastered this Spirit Technique, it would give him a better chance of survival.

"Let's cultivate it." After much hesitation, Lu Shaoyou decided to cultivate. Uncle Nan was right, but his current situation was different. If he were from a large sect or a powerful family, he could take his time to cultivate step by step, which would be the best for the future.

However, he was different. He was alone, with no one to help him. Even though he had a small Lu family, there were people within the family who wanted to scheme against him. Therefore, strength was the foundation. Without strength, all the talk of taking it step by step was just empty words.

He formed a hand seal, and a drop of blood dripped onto the jade slip. Instantly, a dazzling light appeared on the jade slip. At this moment, Lu Shaoyou changed his hand seal, and a surge of spiritual energy gathered in his hand, which he then injected into the jade slip.

Spirit Techniques were different from Martial Techniques; they required a spiritual seal to be activated. A martial practitioner could not cultivate a Spirit Technique at all.

As the spiritual energy was injected, the jade slip suddenly emitted a bright light, like a flame rising, illuminating the stone room.

At this moment, the light trembled, and then all the light condensed into the form of a golden great sword several meters long. The great sword gradually shrank, becoming smaller and more dazzling. Finally, it transformed into a half-meter-long sword, which suddenly split into Lu Shaoyou's forehead.

Lu Shaoyou's eyes were tightly closed, and a surge of confidence appeared in his mind. The cultivation method of this Spirit Technique was now fully revealed in his mind.

"Elementary Rank Mystic Spirit Technique: Blade Soul Technique." After a moment, Lu Shaoyou opened his eyes. From the information, he learned that this Spirit Technique was called the Blade Soul Technique, an offensive Spirit Technique. The Blade Soul Technique condensed spiritual energy into a blade, which was powerful and versatile. The more solid the blade, the greater its power. At its strongest, it could pierce through anything, truly formidable.

"I will cultivate the Blade Soul Technique. In the future, I will have another means of defense." Lu Shaoyou thought. This Spirit Technique was extremely powerful, just what he liked. Even if he couldn't unleash its full power now, its strength would still be formidable.

He silently memorized the cultivation method of the Blade Soul Technique. Lu Shaoyou planned to leave the valley after making some progress. Cultivating in the valley would not be disturbed by anyone. As for Yunyang Sect, he could no longer catch up, but he would find a way to join it later.

A day later, at the foot of a mountain, a young man in a green robe stood, about sixteen or seventeen years old, tall and slender, with eyes like stars and a slightly upturned mouth, exuding a lazy smile. He had no trace of childishness, instead giving an old-fashioned impression. This was Lu Shaoyou.

"Blade Soul Technique." Lu Shaoyou stood quietly in front of the mountain, suddenly shouting, forming a hand seal. Spiritual energy filled the air, and a golden great sword, one meter long and palm-wide, appeared in his right hand.

"Split it." The golden sword in his hand was swung, striking a four-meter-high, five-to-six-meter-wide boulder at the foot of the mountain.

A "swoosh" sound was heard, and the boulder made a slight noise, but the golden sword instantly dissipated.

Seeing this, Lu Shaoyou was momentarily stunned, then formed the hand seal again, and the golden sword reappeared, which he swung once more.

"Swoosh!"

The result was the same; the golden sword instantly dissipated, indicating that Lu Shaoyou had not yet successfully cultivated the Blade Soul Technique.

"Damn, I won't believe I can't cultivate it." Lu Shaoyou, though discouraged, did not give up. Instead, his stubbornness was aroused, and he changed the hand seal again, condensing the golden sword and striking the boulder once more.

"Swoosh!"

"I won't believe I can't cultivate it. Again."

"Swoosh!"

"I won't believe it. Again."

"Swoosh!"

"Damn, I'll give it everything..."

In the valley, Lu Shaoyou's shouts echoed. Behind him, on a rock, Little Dragon opened his round eyes, curiously watching Lu Shaoyou, occasionally looking into the distance.

After half an hour, Lu Shaoyou's shouts grew weaker, his face pale, and his spiritual energy almost depleted. Further depletion would be overexertion, which could undermine his cultivation foundation.

"Damn, an Elementary Rank Mystic Spirit Technique is really hard to cultivate." Lu Shaoyou sat on the ground, exhausted. The Blade Soul Technique was much harder to cultivate than the Vermilion Bird Technique he had practiced before. Although the Vermilion Bird Technique was complex, it was easy to cultivate, but the Blade Soul Technique was extremely difficult.

Lu Shaoyou remembered what Uncle Nan had said: the higher the rank of a Martial Technique or Spirit Technique, the more difficult the cultivation conditions. A low-level practitioner could not cultivate a Heaven Rank Martial Technique or Spirit Technique even if it were right in front of them.

He was in a similar situation now. Cultivating an Elementary Rank Mystic Spirit Technique was extremely difficult, and what frustrated Lu Shaoyou the most was that he didn't know where the problem lay. If Uncle Nan were here, he would surely have found the issue.

"Strength increases power. I must cultivate it successfully. I won't believe I can't."

Climbing back to the cave, Lu Shaoyou sat cross-legged on the spirit jade bed, slowly adjusting his breathing. With the help of the spirit jade bed, his depleted spiritual energy began to recover.

After half a day, Lu Shaoyou felt his spiritual energy in his mind had recovered. After this depletion and recovery, he felt his spiritual energy had become more solid.

Climbing back to the cave, Lu Shaoyou continued to cultivate the Blade Soul Technique. Each failure, each refusal to give up, until he was once again depleted.

It was already evening. Lu Shaoyou found some food in the forest and then returned to the stone room to recover on the spirit jade bed.

The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, Lu Shaoyou continued to cultivate at the foot of the mountain. Again, he failed, was depleted, and then recovered.

Five days passed, and Lu Shaoyou continued as usual. After each failure, he would try again, believing he would eventually succeed.

Focusing his mind, Lu Shaoyou formed a hand seal, and a golden great sword condensed, its body glowing, spiritual energy surging. Compared to five days ago, the golden sword was much more solid. During these five days, each time he was depleted, he would urgently cultivate, feeling his spiritual energy in his mind become more solid, and the condensed golden sword also became more solid.

"Split it." Lu Shaoyou lightly shouted, and the golden sword struck the boulder. Visible to the naked eye, the golden sword heavily struck the boulder, and a dull sound echoed through the valley.

The golden sword dissipated again, but a shower of broken stones scattered, leaving a two-centimeter-deep mark on the boulder, with several shallow cracks around it.

"I've made progress. I will succeed, I will." Lu Shaoyou was overjoyed, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope in the darkness. This small progress indicated that his persistence was absolutely effective.

"Continue." Lu Shaoyou formed the hand seal and continued practicing, determined to cultivate the Blade Soul Technique.

"Swoosh!"

"Bang!"

On the boulder, a series of dull sounds echoed, and countless broken stones scattered. After being depleted, Lu Shaoyou returned to the spirit jade bed to cultivate.

Time passed slowly, and Lu Shaoyou was completely immersed in cultivating the Blade Soul Technique. Each day, he made a little progress, which was enough to sustain his unwavering cultivation.

In the vast mountain range, two rock eagles flew by, carrying the group led by Elder White Eyebrow.

"Everyone, pay attention. We are now in the central area of Yunyang Sect. In two days, we will reach the sect." Elder White Eyebrow said to everyone.

On the backs of the rock eagles, everyone looked down. After a month and a half of flying, they were finally about to reach Yunyang Sect. This should have been a happy moment, but Lu Wushuang could not be happy, thinking about his cousin's uncertain fate, his heart constantly worried.

In the Fog Capital Mountains, almost everyone entering was a martial practitioner. Ordinary martial practitioners did not dare to enter casually, even those with good strength needed to enter in groups. The Fog Capital Mountains were not ordinary mountains; there were beast creatures and even spirit beasts, though the latter were only rumored to exist.

In the Fog Capital Mountains, it was not strange to encounter spirit practitioners. Often, spirit practitioners would gather with several or even dozens of martial practitioners to form small mercenary groups traveling through the mountains.

The purpose of entering the Fog Capital Mountains was to obtain beast creatures and medicinal herbs for refining pills, which were all expensive items.

Beast creatures could only form a beast core after reaching the fourth rank, but first, second, and third-rank beast creatures, if captured, were also valuable. Some martial practitioners and martial masters would buy low-rank beast creatures as their guardian beasts, and some young masters would buy them as pets. In any case, the price of a beast creature was not low.

If a spirit beast could be captured, it would be a significant income. Even a first-rank spirit beast could fetch tens of thousands of gold coins, and a second-rank spirit beast could be worth hundreds of thousands, comparable to a fourth-rank beast core.

However, spirit beasts were rarely seen in the Fog Capital Mountains, and beast creatures were not abundant. If one encountered a fourth-rank beast creature, it would be a big problem. A fourth-rank beast creature was difficult to handle even for a peak Ninth Rank Martial Soul Warrior, and below that, it was a death sentence with no chance of self-preservation.

All those entering the Fog Capital Mountains formed small groups of five to eight, or large mercenary groups of dozens or even hundreds.

In the Fog Capital Mountains, besides being cautious of beast creatures, those who frequently visited knew that the most dangerous were sometimes other mercenary groups. Some mercenary groups would attack smaller groups, killing and looting, which was not uncommon.

Every Spring Festival, the Fog Capital Mountains were the busiest. After a winter of rest, entering the mountains in spring would yield a good harvest of medicinal herbs. If lucky, one might encounter some beast creatures out for food, capturing a first or second-rank beast creature would be a significant income.

Some mercenary groups targeted third-rank beast creatures, which were very valuable, but smaller groups did not want to encounter beast creatures above the third rank. A third-rank beast creature was difficult for a peak Ninth Rank Martial Master to handle alone.

At this time, the Fog Capital Mountains were the busiest, with many small groups and mercenary groups entering, seeking their fortune. Sometimes, teams would fight over medicinal herbs, which was a common sight.

On a ten-thousand-foot cliff, many martial practitioners gathered, most dressed in martial attire, likely entering the Fog Capital Mountains to seek their fortune.

"It's said that a month ago, the Fire Yin Monster was killed by Elder White Eyebrow and Wang Mingyue of Yunyang Sect, falling off this ten-thousand-foot cliff. Too bad we can't go down; the Fire Yin Monster must have had a lot of valuable items."

"The cliff is shrouded in thick fog. If we could go down, it wouldn't be our turn."

"True, I didn't expect the Fire Yin Monster to die so easily, provoking Yunyang Sect."

"Yunyang Sect is not to be provoked, and this is their territory. The Fire Yin Monster was asking for death, trying to snatch the Heavenly Silkworm Armor."

"That Heavenly Silkworm Armor, I wouldn't let it go if I found it."

"What would you do if you found it? You're just a small martial practitioner, looking for death?"

"Forget it, let's scatter. If there were any valuable items here, they would have been taken long ago. Let's look for medicinal herbs nearby. This time, let's find more medicinal herbs to sell for a good price. The Yellow Flower Tower has a new top-tier beauty, with a curvaceous figure and eyes that can mesmerize anyone, seductive to the core."

"I've seen her. Her big, round butt makes me want to have her, even if it means living a few years less, it would be worth it."

"You're a lustful tiger, hahaha."

Laughter echoed from the cliff, and the group dispersed. No one knew that below the cliff, there was another world, and Lu Shaoyou, who had survived a great calamity, was continuing to cultivate the Blade Soul Technique.

At the foot of the mountain, Lu Shaoyou stood quietly, his green robe fluttering in the wind, a faint aura spreading around him. The grass around him bowed, forming ripples like a gentle breeze.

"Phew." After a moment, Lu Shaoyou slowly exhaled, his eyes narrowing, then suddenly opening, a flash of light in his eyes. Instantly, spiritual energy surged around him, and a powerful aura spread out.

At the same time, Lu Shaoyou formed a hand seal, and spiritual energy in his right hand condensed into a golden long sword, its body glowing with a divine light, emitting a sharp aura. This aura was comparable to when he performed the Vermilion Bird Technique in the Qingyun Town square.

The golden sword was now several times more solid than before, and as it condensed, the surrounding space and grass were pressed down, forming violent ripples.

"Blade Soul Technique, go." Lu Shaoyou lightly shouted, changing his hand seal, and the red sword flew out, slicing through the air, causing a sharp whistling sound.

As Lu Shaoyou changed his hand seal, the red sword continuously cut through the air, each strike causing a spatial tremor and a sonic boom.

"Blade Soul Technique, break it." Changing his hand seal again, Lu Shaoyou let out a low shout. At this moment, the red sword in the air flashed, leaving a trail of afterimages.

Instantly, a terrifying aura spread from the red sword, piercing through the air, causing a sharp whistling sound. The space trembled, and a blinding light shot out from the sword, striking the boulder at the foot of the mountain.

"Rumble..."

A loud sound echoed through the valley, like a thunderclap, and the boulder, four meters high and five meters wide, instantly cracked. The boulder shattered into countless pieces, a spectacular sight.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Even the surrounding rocks and the mountain wall shook, and the shattered rocks fell, a magnificent scene. Lu Shaoyou set up a protective aura, and seeing the scene, a smile finally appeared on his face.

After a moment, everything calmed down. Next to the boulder, the boulder was completely scattered, and a ten-meter-long crack appeared on the ground.

"Success. Although it's just the initial stage of the Blade Soul Technique, its power is already impressive. Even against an Eighth Rank Martial Warrior, I have a chance to fight."

Lu Shaoyou felt the power of the Blade Soul Technique. Although it was slightly weaker than the Vermilion Bird Technique, its power was enough to contend with Seventh to Eighth Rank Martial Warriors. If his spiritual energy broke through again, the power of the Blade Soul Technique would continue to increase.

The Blade Soul Technique had three stages. He could now only activate the first stage, Blade Soul Slash. If his strength increased in the future, he could activate the second stage, Blade Soul Blade, and the third stage, Blade Soul Void Destruction, which would greatly increase his strength. Being able to barely activate the first stage, Blade Soul Slash, was already a significant achievement.

Looking at the crack on the ground and the shattered boulder, Lu Shaoyou felt excited. After a month of cultivation, he had finally made some progress. The Blade Soul Slash was powerful and formidable, truly worthy of being a Mystic Rank Spirit Technique.