In the Black Snake Forest, Ning stood over a spirit beast—a black fang wolf, equivalent to a third-stage cultivator—but currently, it twitched fiercely, a large pool of blood staining the ground until it ceased. The wolf was dead.
With a solemn expression, Ning lingered beside the lifeless creature, closing his eyes and commencing the recitation of the scripture that had manifested in his mind.
As the diamond-shaped mark on his forehead faintly glowed, a small light materialized above the wolf's corpse. This light had only appeared upon the wolf's demise, leaving no doubt that it was the departed soul.
The soul appeared remarkably ordinary, its feebleness suggesting even the slightest disturbance could shatter it. Lingering above the wolf, it seemed reluctant to part with its vessel.
Ning extended his finger, maintaining his recitation of the [Soul Ferrying Scripture]. Gradually, the ball of light above the wolf began to diminish in intensity until it transformed into countless particles of light, vanishing from sight.
The power of virtue between heaven and earth condensed and fell onto Ning. According to the scripture, it was said the power of virtue gained is split into three portions.
The first portion served to solidify the luminous aura of virtue, enveloping the cultivator's body. It was written that ferrying more than ten thousand souls would begin to manifest this ethereal radiance, while a qualitative breakthrough awaited those who had successfully transported at least 100,000 souls.
Another portion would be fused into the mind, strengthening the mental energy of the cultivator.
The last portion would be fused with the body to enhance the constitution.
"I don't feel any different," Ning muttered after finishing ferrying the soul. He did not feel any increase in his constitution and mind, and that was within his expectations.
After all, the soul he ferried was just of a single animal, so the virtue gained may as well be considered negligible.
Undeterred, Ning retrieved his trusty notebook and diligently began documenting his experiences, no matter how seemingly insignificant. He understood the value of such observations for future reference.
Even this single soul-ferrying experience can be said to be very meaningful. For example, this time he ferried the soul of a beast that he had killed in a sneak attack, even the beast didn't know what hit it before it perished. So, without resentment, Ning was able to ferry the soul quite easily, even then the power of virtue was at a minimum.
As for when he tried to ferry the soul of the animal he had killed outright, he was able to ferry them relying on the fact that their resentment was extremely limited due to their low wisdom, but there were no gains as well.
Still, it was all valuable insight for the future when he will ferry the souls of people.
"But with this scripture, though I need to find a way to wipe away resentment of those I have killed, I have at least gained a method to dissipate the soul." Ning thought happily.
To live a wonderful and safe life, the ability to dissipate a soul was extremely important. From his novel reading experiences, if Ning had to ever kill an enemy then he needs to make sure they are completely wiped off the face of the earth.
The cultivation world was the type of world where one might not die even if they were killed.
"I have read far too many novels to know that leaving even a soul behind can give a chance of resurrection, for example by becoming someone's grandpa." Ning's eyes were half closed in thought.
Ning had pondered countless times over Xiao Fan's enigmatic "cheat." From their initial encounter, he had caught sight of a ring adorning Xiao Fan's hand. It appeared ancient and worn, veiled in a thin layer of rust. It seemed like a piece of junk yet the fact that Xiao Fan wore it carried profound significance.
Well, in the end, he stopped pondering. After meticulously documenting his discoveries, Ning proceeded to loot the body and, as was his usual practice, set it ablaze.
...
Ning sat in deep meditation, his upper body adorned with a glistening sheen of sweat. The arduous session of the Bone Forging Fist had just drawn to a close, effectively depleting his Qi reserves.
With the purified Qi and his own increased reserve, this took a while but Ning didn't mind since it raised his numbers.
To his right, a flickering incense burned, emanating a fragrant aroma that enveloped the cave, instilling a tranquil state of mind. This was the meditational incense that was said to raise the effectiveness of cultivation.
Within the cave, only the rhythmic sound of Ning's regulated breath reverberated. He gradually opened his eyes with a serene poise, exhaling turbid breath.
"Finally, the small circle of the second stage," Ning declared, his eyes shining with happiness.
With a slight command in his mind, a panel materialized in front of him.
[
Name: Ji Ning
Spiritual Root: Mid-grade Spiritual Root.
Attributes: Five Elemental Attributes
Talent: Extreme Space-Time Sensitivity
Realm: Small circle of 2nd Stage of Qi Condensation
Cultivation Method: Pure Qi Sutra (2nd Floor:56/400)
Martial Arts: Bone Forging Fist (Small Accomplishment: 306/400), Shadow Steps (Small Accomplishment:389/400), Turtle Breathing (Small Accomplishment:377/400), Eyes of the Hawk (Small Accomplishment:112/400)
Buff: Blessing Of Heavenly Dao. Cultivation speed increased by 99% and Comprehension increased by 99%. Duration: 7 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes, 49 seconds
]
It had been a few months since Ning had started his cultivation journey in this world, and all his stats had grown quite a lot. He had reached the second stage of Qi condensation which can be considered quite fast among his batch, but that was still not enough.
The Outer Sect competition was said to be held in two weeks, and Ning wanted to participate in that competition. To reach the inner sect, one had to achieve a high position in the competition and the threshold needed to achieve a high ranking was the third stage.
Normally, Ning would prefer a gradual and steady development. However, the opportunity to enter the inner sect proved too enticing to pass up. Thankfully, through the blessing, he had already reached the second floor of his cultivation technique, leaving only the elusive third floor to conquer. Thus, he could strive to advance without jeopardizing the stability of his foundation.
"I suppose it's time to use the grass."
...
Thanks for reading~