Chapter 193: Spirit Insect

The Record of Nourishing the Spirit is a cultivation technique for the Divine Soul.

And as everyone knows, the term "Divine Soul" refers to Divine Sense and the soul.

A long time ago, the great expert who wrote the Record of Nourishing the Spirit left behind this miraculous technique, but due to some unknown reasons, it was never well-known or carried forward by the many Cultivators.

The Record of Nourishing the Spirit has not had many masters, but none of them were able to fully master the cultivation methods recorded within it, so under the whimsical operation of one master, the Spirit Insect was born.

It was initially just a wisp of consciousness within the Record of Nourishing the Spirit, until after that master died and brought it into the Guixuzhidi, where the Guixuzhidi nourished a space for it to survive.

Its form also changed into that of a glazed salamander.

"The Record of Nourishing the Spirit only contains the chapters on cultivation, not the methods of use. Therefore, throughout the generations, masters who wanted to use the power of the Divine Soul had to grope for it themselves, or borrow other techniques to create their own ability to use the power of the Divine Soul. However, techniques are different after all, each with their own differences and contradictions; rashly mixing them together will only lead to errors," the salamander said. "I am that error."

In the memories of Guangyou Xianjun, there was indeed a method he used left behind.

It was just that the content was too obscure, and Ruan Xing could neither understand nor comprehend it.

She looked at the salamander, assuming a posture of listening attentively.

The salamander then continued, its voice becoming much more serious.

"But what many people don't know is that the Divine Soul has an affinity; two Cultivators practicing the same technique may not necessarily use the same power of the Divine Soul."

Ruan Xing lowered her eyes. So, those experiences of Guangyou Xianjun were not that useful to her?

Then why would Guangyou Xianjun leave those things in his memories? She was just thinking about this when, the next second, the salamander gave her the answer.

"I only possessed memories after I gained a form, but it is a pity that the previous few masters could not see my form.

I didn't understand why at first, until the previous master, at the moment of his death, suddenly had a strange power in his body, and so he saw me.

It is a pity that we didn't even manage to exchange a single word before he had already weakly begun the process of Return to Void.

I stayed in his Return to Ruins Land for decades, dividing that power in his body into five parts and placing them in different locations. If someone enters this Guixuzhidi, passes through any one of these places, discovers those powers, and is guided by them, they will come here."

"But you are different." The salamander faced Ruan Xing, a faint light flashing in its crystal-clear eyes. "You already had that kind of power in your body, but because your Divine Soul affinity is different from my previous master's, it cannot be fused, yet you can still be guided to me."

"So, those forbidden zones were created by you." Ruan Xing nodded in realization, examining her own palms.

Her fingers twitched slightly, and without a trace of Spiritual Power fluctuation, the glazed palace lamp in the distance suddenly appeared in her hand.

She asked the salamander, "Is what you are referring to the Divine Ability I just used?"

For some reason, after she used the Divine Ability, she could actually see a complex expression on the salamander's abstract face.

The salamander suddenly became somewhat agitated. "Divine Ability? You call it a Divine Ability?! That's right... many Cultivators can use the power of the Divine Soul after reaching the Transformation Stage, but their Divine Soul power is only slightly stronger than their Divine Sense; it is not mysterious at all. The Record of Nourishing the Spirit... does not nourish the Divine Soul, but the Divine Ability—!"

Its voice was incoherent, and its body floated in the air uncontrollably for a circle.

Ruan Xing also began to think about the core meaning of the Record of Nourishing the Spirit.

She had previously thought that the Record of Nourishing the Spirit was meant to strengthen the fusion of the Divine Soul, to reach the Transformation Stage faster, and to make one's Divine Soul more robust, with an endless supply of Divine Soul power.

But if it were really that simple, as Guangyou Xianjun was at the Return to Ruins Stage and had long passed the Transformation Stage, how could he not have researched it thoroughly? Her heart could not help but thump.

If the Record of Nourishing the Spirit, as a higher-level technique, could truly strengthen her Divine Ability, then...

She spoke with a somewhat dry voice, "Then do you know if the Cultivators above the Spirit Realm all practice Divine Abilities...?"

The salamander was excited for a long while before finally calming down. It gave a bitter smile. "You overestimate me. I am just a wisp of consciousness from the Record of Nourishing the Spirit, not even a demon. There is no record of my masters ascending in my memories, and even the name 'Divine Ability' was learned from you. How would I know about the affairs of the Spirit Realm?"

Ruan Xing breathed a sigh of relief. She felt a bit disappointed, but also had some indescribable feelings.

Indeed, how could the affairs of the Spirit Realm be so easy to know?

But it was certainly true that the Record of Nourishing the Spirit was a higher-level technique; how could other techniques produce a conscious form of a spiritual object?

It was just that she was still in the first stage, the primary level of Divine Soul fusion. If she couldn't even pass this, how could she strengthen her Divine Ability?

If only she could enter that state again, where her soul and consciousness entered the Nascent Soul under sudden pressure.

She asked softly, "Then, are you coming with me?"

"I cannot leave," the salamander said. "Although I can control that power to a small extent, it also traps me. I can only stay in the Return to Ruins Land. If your Divine Soul affinity is similar to it and you can absorb this power, then it might be possible to take me away from here, but unfortunately..."

Although the salamander itself did not have much ability, the development and application of the Record of Nourishing the Spirit by its previous masters in its memory still had some reference value for Ruan Xing.

It was just a pity that she couldn't take it with her.

"Do you want to leave? If you want to leave, I will find a way to bring someone with a suitable Divine Soul affinity here in the future." Ruan Xing began to paint a picture for the salamander. Of course, she couldn't guarantee it; after all, before cultivating a Divine Ability, no one knew if the Divine Soul affinity was truly suitable.

There were too few people who could cultivate a Divine Ability. Even the salamander's previous masters at the Return to Ruins Stage couldn't do it, so how could she be sure she would find one?

Although the salamander couldn't fully believe her, this was still a hope and a comfort.

"If there is a chance." It nodded as an agreement, then said softly, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

When Ruan Xing arrived in this Dragon Palace, the salamander had not intended to appear after discovering she had Divine Soul power of a different affinity.

It was just waiting for her to leave after the time in the Secret Realm was up.

Anyway, in this Dragon Palace, with that mysterious power present, she couldn't take anything away.

But it didn't expect to be discovered by Ruan Xing, so it had no choice but to appear and chat with her.

Ruan Xing immediately said, "Yes, can the state I was in before entering the Dragon Palace be replicated? I feel it is very helpful for my Divine Soul fusion."

The salamander seemed to be thinking. After a while, it said, "All five places can do it, but I have no way to send you there. You can look for them yourself after you go out."

"Okay. There is one more thing, and that is the technique for increasing cultivation. Do you have the cultivation technique of the previous master, Guangyou Xianjun?"

The salamander hesitated for a moment. "I have it, but it might not be complete..."

The previous Guangyou Xianjun couldn't see it.

So it was almost completely free; it was often by Guangyou Xianjun's side, watching him cultivate, and even seeing how he taught his disciples.

But it wasn't a tapeworm in Guangyou Xianjun's stomach, so it couldn't know if Guangyou Xianjun had held anything back when teaching his disciples.

She had asked casually without holding much hope, but the salamander's answer gave her a huge surprise.

Ruan Xing was stunned for a second, then said with wild joy, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter if it's incomplete. This is a huge help to me."

She now began to genuinely want to help the salamander find someone who could take it away.

The salamander transmitted a compressed piece of memory to Ruan Xing, and then returned to the dragon pillar.

Quietly acting as its own sculpture.

Ruan Xing originally intended to start studying the memory immediately, but suddenly thought, if she studied it during a Real-scene Simulation, wouldn't that be a waste of time? She ended the simulation right then and there.

【Simulation Ended】

Back in reality, Ruan Xing immediately felt as if a piece of her body were missing, leaving her feeling hollow. Within her Nascent Soul, the progress of her Divine Soul fusion had indeed returned to its original state.

She began to feel a bit unaccustomed to it, as if that feeling of the Divine Soul being fused together was the normal state.

She hurriedly opened the Text Simulation.

【Simulation in Progress】

At twelve years old, you use the Illusion Technique to return to the Xuanbing Sect, and obtain a spot to enter the Lotus Pond Secret Realm from the hands of Qinghong Zhenjun.

You enter the Lotus Pond Secret Realm, and through the mysterious power in the forbidden area, you begin to practice the Soul-Nurturing Record; your Divine Soul fusion speed increases.

After practicing, the forbidden area transports you to the location of the Dragon Palace, and you receive a segment of memory gifted by the salamander.

At thirteen years old, you study that memory, obtain some incomplete cultivation techniques, and after attempting to complete them, you practice according to the methods within, but your body explodes and you die.

You died.

【Simulation Ended】

Ruan Xing chose the memory, and the memory the salamander transmitted to her also appeared in her mind.

Afterwards, she began the Text Simulation again, this time choosing cultivation base.

When choosing the reward, her heart was still somewhat uneasy, beginning to worry whether the cultivation and fusion of the Divine Soul actually counted as a type of cultivation base.

Fortunately, in the Simulator's judgment, it was cultivation base.

That hollow place in Ruan Xing's dantian was filled in.

The Nascent Soul infant greedily devoured the Divine Sense that was as dense as spider silk.

She sighed comfortably, then accelerated the speed of the simulation.

In the subsequent few Text Simulations, she chose to go to several other forbidden areas to continue practicing the Soul-Nurturing Record.

Until her dantian was perfectly harmonious, reaching the Consummation of the Nascent Soul Stage! This meant she could break through to Spirit Severing.

However, in those few Text Simulations, every time she studied the incomplete techniques, she would die for various reasons.

She did not feel the salamander had any reason to lie to her.

If the salamander were truly a tyrannical, cruel, and deceptive ideology, those other disciples who accidentally entered the forbidden area would have died countless times over, rather than there being no deaths in the Secret Realm for three years, and the ability to compile a map that could avoid the forbidden areas.

Then it could only be that her direction of research was wrong.

But after continuous multiple Text Simulations, her points were used up once again.

Ruan Xing couldn't help but sigh; these points really didn't last long!

Fortunately, before she left, Hu San had given her one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

She topped up ninety thousand Spirit Stones into the Simulator, and her points returned to the figure of nine hundred thousand.

This meant she could still perform ninety Text Simulations.

She kept the remaining ten thousand plus Spirit Stones for emergencies and pocket money.

But these ninety times did not guarantee she would be able to deduce the correct technique.

A sense of urgency rushed toward her.

Originally, she had thought about using other methods to act humble and low-key in the Xuanbing Sect to trick them out of a technique, but she hadn't expected to find a new train of thought here with the salamander.

In that case, she was no longer willing to go to the Xuanbing Sect.

She had to find a way to make money.

Counting on her fingers, at one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones per simulation, the only places where she could get money quickly were Qintai He in Xizhou and the Wanbao Tower in Dongzhou.

However, although Qintai He had a large family and business, he himself was not very wealthy; giving her five or six thousand at once was merely a drop in the bucket.

It was more appropriate to go to the Wanbao Tower; by refining more Fifth-Tier Pills, she could obtain more Spirit Stones.

She hoped the Wanbao Tower had accumulated quite a few medicinal raw materials over these three years.

Otherwise, if there weren't enough for her to refine, she would only be able to refine Third-Tier or Fourth-Tier ones and win by quantity.

It would be best if she could obtain the recipe for the Longevity Pill this time.

Thinking this, Ruan Xing stood up, brushed off her sleeves, and left Fengtian City in the Central Province.

The journey was uneventful.

In less than half a month, she arrived at Canghai City in Dongzhou.

Seeing the Mysterious Grade Sect disciples passing by from time to time in Canghai City, Ruan Xing felt a sense of guilt for no reason.

She hurriedly headed toward the base of operations where the Wanbao Tower was located.

Because the Wanbao Tower had performed identity verification when the contract was originally signed, Ruan Xing thought for a long time before she remembered what identity and appearance she had used at the time; after changing with the Illusion Technique, she successfully entered the Wanbao Tower.

The small courtyard she had lived in at the time was still empty, and it was very clean inside, as if someone came to clean it every day, waiting for its owner to return.

After Ruan Xing went in, she called for an attendant and had him send over some materials for Fifth-Tier Pills.

The person in charge of management was still that old man from before, Cen Zhong.

However, looking at his appearance, Ruan Xing felt he seemed even more aged.

She couldn't help but ask, "Don't you plan to cultivate and break through to the Golden Core?"

Cen Zhong shook his head, "No, all my time is spent on alchemy; I really don't have the time."

He paused and added, "Besides, there's no need; I still have a dozen years left, which is enough."

His words were nonsensical, and Ruan Xing didn't understand what he meant.

Could it be that Cen Zhong was just the type of person who was easily satisfied?

Satisfied with living another dozen years? Since Cen Zhong was unwilling, and Ruan Xing didn't have a deep friendship with him, there was no need to persuade him; she closed her mouth and began to examine the newly delivered raw materials.

Cen Zhong, however, struck up a conversation with her, "The quota for this year's pills has already been met; why have you suddenly come over?"

"Sigh..." Ruan Xing sighed, looking distressed, and said, "It's all because I'm short on money."

"Short on money?" Cen Zhong did not understand.

In his view, Ruan Xing was only a Cultivator at the Golden Core Stage; even if she were to throw away nearly one hundred thousand Spirit Stones a year, she wouldn't spend them this quickly! Thanks to book friend 20200703223049816 for the monthly ticket~