Chapter 997: First Step of Expansion (Seeking Moon Tickets)

Let's be honest, Master Niang’s place here still has quite a few valuable items.

Of course, these so-called valuable items are poisonous to 99% of people.

For instance, the “Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array” that Xu Jin just obtained is indeed useful, but it’s also genuinely poisonous.

The conditions for cultivating this magical array are numerous.

First, you need a soul-splitting avatar—you must at least cultivate one soul-splitting avatar, which is nearly impossible for those with ordinary soul cultivation or soul origins.

Second, you need at least two magical sword essences, preferably three; just this single requirement drives away 99% of cultivators.

Magical sword essences are incredibly precious—the stronger the cultivator, the more valuable they become. To expend three of them just for convenient teleportation? That’s insane.

Using two would be even more wasteful—they simply wouldn’t deliver enough benefit.

Third, you need extremely high mastery of spatial laws; at the very least, you must be a high-rank Spatial True Lord to generate sufficient stellar energy to activate this magical array.

Fourth, you need a special primordial spatial material.

Fifth, you need the primary material for a spatial teleportation array: the World-Trace Mystic Stone.

Sixth, you need the celestial authority of an entire realm.

Six conditions total: three are external materials, three are internal requirements.

It was precisely these three internal requirements that drove the Emperor-level cultivators who developed this technique in the Thousand Stars Alliance to despair—they couldn’t commercialize it, suffered massive losses, including even Master Niang herself.

Of course, there were smarter individuals.

A minor Emperor named Cang Jing, skilled in arrays, unwilling to accept such heavy losses, sought an alternative path.

He personally captured an eighth-realm Spatial True Lord, used secret methods to control his soul, and forced him to cultivate the Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array.

They themselves were unwilling to sacrifice their own soul origins or weaken their soul-infant cultivation, nor could they bear to waste even two precious sword essences—but captives? No problem!

Crucially, the captive’s life and death were entirely in the hands of the controlling Emperor—he didn’t need to want to do it; he just needed to fear death.

And so, this minor Emperor named Cang Jing succeeded.

Under his direction, the captured eighth-realm Spatial True Lord successfully cultivated the Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array—with three sword essences, capable of teleporting to any three marked locations.

He even demonstrated it to Master Niang and others, planning to cultivate a fourth one in the future.

He immediately began commercializing it.

This instantly tempted the other two Emperor-level researchers involved in the project, who began planning to copy his method.

But then, something happened.

The True Lord, who had been forced like a beast to constantly activate the Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array, did something sneaky during one of Cang Jing’s teleportations.

The spatial fluctuations required for teleportation relied on his magical sword essence and soul-splitting avatar to form an ultra-powerful spatial teleportation array.

At the very instant teleportation began, the captured True Lord abruptly ceased activating his soul-splitting avatar.

As a result, the spatial fluctuation link of the teleportation array vanished instantly.

The consequence? The target was instantly stranded in endless dimensional space, eventually dissolving into nothingness.

Emperor Cang Jing perished.

The captured True Lord, however, gained his freedom.

It wasn’t until over half a year later that Cang Jing’s death was discovered; upon investigation, the cause was uncovered, and the now-free eighth-realm True Lord was executed.

Meanwhile, the “Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array” became useless garbage, ignored by everyone.

Cultivating it yourself? The cost is too high—you can’t afford it.

Forcing captives to cultivate it? You’re handing your own life directly over to the captive during teleportation.

One misstep, and you vanish like Emperor Cang Jing did.

Who dares?

No one dares.

But now, when Master Niang handed this secret technique to Xu Jin, Xu Jin understood exactly what she meant.

Soul-splitting avatar?

Xu Jin naturally transformed his soul-infant after refining nearly a hundred Purple Yuan Bone Veins—his soul-infant is immensely powerful, infused with the immortal divine light of the Divine Path; severing a thread of soul origin to create a soul-splitting avatar imposes no burden whatsoever.

Magical sword essences?

Xu Jin possesses twenty-four magical sword essences—the kind even peerless geniuses can’t match.

Sacrificing two or three for his Emperor foundation? Not out of the question.

His mastery and cultivation of spatial laws are already sufficient.

The three hardest requirements for others? Xu Jin fulfills them all effortlessly.

The three external material requirements?

These aren’t even challenges.

“Master Niang, I’d like to give this a try,” Xu Jin said after studying it.

Hearing this, Master Niang glanced at the void and whispered, “Don’t tell your master I introduced it to you—Fenghua seeks perfection in every aspect and wouldn’t want you wasting magical sword essences.”

But I think this might suit your ambitions perfectly.

All the cultivation resources you need are right here; if you have any questions, ask me anytime.”

“Rest assured, Master Niang.”

As Xu Jin left Master Niang’s presence, he had already made his decision.

Train!

The Soul-Splitting and Spirit-Refining Magical Array must be cultivated.

If successful, during this once-in-a-millennium stellar calamity, I might truly accomplish something monumental.

The most critical conditions are already met; I’ll solve each cultivation challenge one by one.

The soul-splitting avatar technique? Xu Jin is a man of exceptional action.

First, cultivate the soul-splitting avatar.

To cultivate a soul-splitting avatar, you need two things: sever a thread of soul origin, and find a celestial material to serve as its vessel.

For the former, Xu Jin has the secret method; for the latter, he already possesses it.

Take two inches of Purple Yuan Bodhi Root, then use chaotic stellar energy under temporal influence to nurture and refine it.

Moreover, a vessel refined with chaotic stellar energy possesses even greater defensive power.

The magical sword essences? Already ready—Xu Jin has everything else prepared and available at a moment’s notice.

His mastery and cultivation of spatial laws are already complete.

The only thing missing, then, are the external materials.