Chapter 84: Long-life Stone Fragment: Two Divine Techniques

A little over a month ago, after Xiao Zhangqing extracted the mysterious jade stone from Mu Renjie, he has been very cautious.

He has not rashly tried to refine it, nor attempted to have it recorded in the inventory.

Caution sails the ten‑thousand‑year ship.

This thing is so sinister that it caused Mu Renjie, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to completely degenerate, lose his nature, and become like a walking corpse.

If Xiao Zhangqing were to experiment recklessly and got caught, he would have no way to regret it.

Therefore, only now, after having enough Demon‑breaking Talismans and Soul‑Stabilizing Talismans, ensuring that even if the evil power within the mysterious jade stone is not completely eradicated, or revives, Xiao Zhangqing can suppress it in time, he finally prepared to study what this thing actually is.

The jade stone was placed at the center of the desk, and Talisman Scripts were piled up all around.

Whenever Xiao Zhangqing's mind moves, the Talisman Scripts can activate instantly.

He took a deep breath, extended his right hand, and slowly covered the jade stone.

Buzz! Xiao Zhangqing's body shivered, showing a look of surprise.

"It really can be equipped!"

A familiar sensation arrived; with a shift of thought, the phantom image of the mysterious jade stone appeared on the system, and all information about the stone was listed.

【Long-life Stone Fragment (Nether Saint Stone)】

【Extraterritorial oddity, possibly related to the source and birth of evil spirits. Rumor has it this item contains the secret of longevity. It was once regarded as a holy stone by Evil Cultivators; if fully merged and its secret unlocked, it could directly point to the Path of Everlasting Life! In the Middle Ages, countless powerful Evil Cultivators perished because of it; those who tried to refine the stone as an external body technique ended up being refined into walking corpses. Nowadays, among Demon Sect Evil Cultivators, this item has been discarded as an ominous object, sealed away, and only a few extreme Evil Cultivators still harbor fantasies about it…】

【Equipment Requirement: Foundation Establishment Realm】

【Equipment Effect: Incomplete Version of External Body Technique, Nightmare Technique】

Reading the system's description, Xiao Zhangqing felt both delighted and profoundly shocked.

Because the information was so abundant and vast, he was momentarily overwhelmed.

Long-life Stone Fragment? Hearing that name, Xiao Zhangqing's mind raced with imagination.

What is the ultimate pursuit of a cultivator? Nothing more than carefree immortality.

Later, when he read the introduction about this jade stone, it revealed many knowledge gaps he had never encountered, gaps that surpassed even the understanding of most cultivators.

At least in Nanshan Fang, he had never heard any legend about the Long-life Stone.

Even Gong Wansheng, the core prodigy disciple from Luoxia Sect, seemed unaware of the jade stone's origin, yet wanted to bring it back to the sect for study.

"Extraterritorial oddity? Does it mean this jade stone is not from Da Yu, or not from the entire Cultivation World?"

Xiao Zhangqing couldn't help but marvel in his heart.

Although he has been transmigrated for these years and never left Nanshan Fang, a few Spirit Sands spent at any market stall can buy a heap of introductions to the customs of the Cultivation World.

Not only the Da Yu Cultivation World, but other vast regions also have many introductions.

Thus Xiao Zhangqing knows well that the Da Yu Cultivation World is merely an unremarkable cultivation nation on the endless continent.

Around the Da Yu Cultivation World are other cultivation nations such as Da Yue and Da Li, whose strength and territories are no weaker than Da Yu's.

"Does this jade stone truly contain the secret of longevity, or is it merely an Evil Cultivator's wishful thinking?"

From this description, it's not hard to understand why countless Evil Cultivators in the Middle Ages, seeking to refine the jade stone, ended up becoming walking corpses.

Mu Renjie's condition back then already hints at this.

Mu Renjie tried to use this mysterious jade stone to rival a Golden Core Real Person; his power surged dramatically, yet he fell to a state neither human nor ghost, his self‑awareness nearly erased, becoming an entirely different person.

"So, Mu Renjie obtaining this jade stone and turning into that state is likely the work of an Evil Cultivator behind the scenes? Their goal being to seize Nanshan Fang without lifting a finger?"

Xiao Zhangqing speculated in his mind.

If not for his own incident intervening, Nanshan Fang would truly face a grim fate.

Even though Luoxia Sect had taken precautions, quietly sending Gong Wansheng to assess the situation, the result was still that he was no match for Mu Renjie.

At that point, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Nanshan Fang would be slaughtered, and Evil Cultivators invading Nanshan Fang would be even easier than invading Yin Ye Peak.

"I didn't expect it to end up benefiting me."

"It's this Long-life Stone Fragment that requires Foundation Establishment Realm to equip."

After reading the brief introductions of the two equipment effects, Xiao Zhangqing felt somewhat impatient.

The incomplete version of the External Body Technique, though its exact effect is still unknown.

But in Xiao Zhangqing's view, this incomplete version is just right, perfectly fitting! If it were the full version, he wouldn't dare use it!

Because the full version of the External Body Technique that the Long-life Stone carries would, like Xiao Zhangqing, grant a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the initial stage the power of a Golden Core Real Person, almost equivalent to an external elixir technique.

The power boost is extremely exaggerated.

Moreover, this spell can be further advanced.

Even a Golden Core Real Person, or a Nascent Soul True Lord, would gain great benefit after cultivation.

But the corresponding price is being haunted by evil spirits, becoming a walking corpse that knows only slaughter, losing oneself.

Now the system's extracted 'Incomplete External Body'—according to the brief description—directly removes the price! In other words, once Xiao Zhangqing reaches Foundation Establishment and uses the external body, there will be no danger of evil spirits haunting him, only benefits! Of course.

Without the side‑effect cost, the corresponding power will be somewhat weakened.

As for how much it weakens, Xiao Zhangqing does not yet know.

But even with the reduction, it likely won't make him, at the Foundation Establishment initial stage, comparable to a Golden Core Real Person like Mu Renjie, yet a one‑ or two‑level power increase shouldn't be a big issue, right? As for the second skill, 'Nightmare Technique'.

According to the system's simple introduction, Xiao Zhangqing was also delighted; it's a 'Divine Technique'! Because it is another secret art concerning Soul Transformation.

Moreover, unlike the 'Dragon Chant Technique' of the Prison Dragon Bracelet, Nightmare Technique can not only unleash Soul Transformation attacks but also continuously temper one's own Soul Transformation!

In other words, this is a Soul Transformation secret art that combines offense and tempering!

In terms of rarity, Nightmare Technique is slightly higher than Dragon Chant Technique!

Methods of Soul Transformation attack are important; strengthening and tempering the Soul Transformation are equally important.

Because cultivators defy the heavens, after Foundation Establishment, each major realm breakthrough, such as Golden Core or Nascent Soul, requires tribulation crossing.

Among the tribulations is the Heart Demon Tribulation!

The Heart Demon Tribulation is terrifyingly dreadful, even harder to survive than ordinary tribulations.

Many gifted cultivators find the bottlenecks of forming the Golden Core and Nascent Soul not especially hard, but a slight slip will cause them to fall into the Heart Demon Tribulation.

"Fortunately… fortunately this jade stone wasn't taken away by Gong Wansheng."

"This is practically a late‑game artifact! If I miss it, I'll regret it to death!"

After watching, Xiao Zhangqing felt extremely delighted.

Though there was a slight regret—he must wait until the Foundation Establishment succeeds before he can officially equip it and use the two divine techniques—he was not impatient.

For other Qi Refining Realm cultivators at Nanshan Fang, Foundation Establishment might be a heavenly chasm, a hard‑to‑break shackles; the treasures of the Foundation Establishment Realm are too distant, and they may never get to use them in this life.

But Xiao Zhangqing is different; with his current Earth‑spirit Root qualification, succeeding in Foundation Establishment is almost a certainty.

Within the next year or two, as long as he can obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, he can begin the Foundation Establishment.

"Seize the time and cultivate!"

"The spiritual vein level of Jia Yi Cave Residence is so high that my cultivation yields double the result with half the effort; if I push for another year, I will reach Qi Refining Great Perfection."

Xiao Zhangqing placed the Longevity Stone fragment back into his storage pouch, and also covered the pouch with a pile of Demon‑breaking Talismans and Stabilizing Soul Talismans, then energetically began his cultivation.

He broke through to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, which had taken three months.

But Xiao Zhangqing estimated that his accumulation was still far from the bottleneck of a fully perfected ninth layer of Qi Refining.

In theory, after his spiritual root was upgraded to Earth‑spirit Root, his cultivation speed shouldn't be this slow; after all, it only took him a year to go from the seventh to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Yet Xiao Zhangqing's investigation revealed that it wasn't his cultivation speed that had slowed.

Rather, the Earth‑spirit Root brought an intrinsic change.

If Xiao Zhangqing were merely an upper‑grade spiritual root, or even a mid‑lower grade one, the strength of his mana and Soul Transformation would already have reached a fully perfected ninth layer of Qi Refining, hitting a bottleneck with no further increase.

To advance further, only the Foundation Establishment path remains.

Yet now, both his mana and Soul Transformation can still grow continuously, becoming stronger.

"Even without the Prison Dragon Bracelet skill, my current Soul Transformation strength already projects fifteen zhang outward—already fifty percent beyond a normal ninth‑layer Qi Refining."

"I feel that when I truly reach Qi Refining Great Perfection, my Soul Transformation might project seventeen or eighteen zhang! That's nearly double most cultivators!"

"My mana isn't that high, but it's still about forty to fifty percent."

Xiao Zhangqing calculated in his mind.

Perhaps this is why cultivators with Earth‑spirit Roots have almost a hundred percent success rate in Foundation Establishment, even without a Foundation Establishment Pill—they have a great chance of success.

With such massive mana and such powerful spiritual awareness, the difficulty of Foundation Establishment naturally lessens.

"Bzz~"

As Xiao Zhangqing was concentrating on cultivation, a fluctuation from the formation in the training room suddenly interrupted him.

It was Lin Ziyu outside.

"Come in."

Xiao Zhangqing stopped cultivating, gathered all the surging mana, and the roiling spiritual energy in the training room calmed.

When he cultivates, Lin Ziyu is usually very considerate and does not disturb him.

Unless there is something special or urgent.

Soon, Lin Ziyu entered the room, his expression somewhat conflicted, and said, "Lord, someone outside the cave residence seeks an audience and wants your help…"

~ps: try to code it out early tonight, won't stay up too late~ (End of chapter)