Record of a Demon's Cultivation

Chapter 430 - Cultivating the Focused Spirit Stab Technique

Translator: Cinder Translations

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Xing Li Ren firmly refused, "That is impossible! Focused Spirit Stab is a secret technique of the Xing family. How could it be passed on to outsiders?"

Jing Feiyao replied, "How can your uncle be considered an outsider? If you one day take charge of the Xing family, he will be a powerful ally. Besides, he doesn't want the complete technique, only the first two levels."

Upon hearing this, Xing Li Ren understood. His uncle, Jing Lie, only requested the first two levels of Focused Spirit Stab because he knew that Xing Li Ren only had access to those levels.

Trading family secrets for personal gain was a slippery slope. Once it started, it would inevitably lead to a second and third time.

Xing Li Ren shook his head. "Mother, please thank Uncle for me. As for the matter of refining the Heaven Spirit Pill, I will handle it myself."

After speaking, he turned and left the hall.

"Li Ren, don't be so hasty in rejecting the idea. Think it over carefully; you might change your mind," Jing Feiyao's voice followed him as he walked away.

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Song Wen spent two days in Fang City and its black market gathering auxiliary ingredients for refining the Earth Spirit Pill.

However, he did not immediately start the refining process.

He only had one vial of the Tide Beast's blood essence and soul. If the refining failed, it would be exceedingly difficult to find another Tide Beast.

Even Xing Zhang had taken years to pinpoint the Tide Beast's location. For a lone rogue cultivator like Song Wen, the task was even more challenging.

Thus, Song Wen spent a month meticulously studying the Earth Spirit Pill's refining process, analyzing every step and detail before beginning.

Perhaps due to this careful preparation, the refining went smoothly, and in just ten days, he successfully formed the pill.

With the Earth Spirit Pill in hand, Song Wen began cultivating the first level of the Focused Spirit Stab technique.

Two months later, having grasped most of the first level, Song Wen followed its instructions to mobilize the soul force within his sea of consciousness to condense a blade of spiritual energy.

The process, however, was not easy.

Although Song Wen could control his soul force with ease, compressing it into a blade met significant resistance. The soul force pushed back strongly during compression, preventing the blade from taking shape.

Song Wen then consumed the Earth Spirit Pill.

As the pill dissolved, a formless power flowed into his sea of consciousness.

This power suppressed his soul force, reducing the resistance and allowing the spiritual blade to gradually take shape.

A translucent blade about an inch long emerged from Song Wen's forehead, hovering in front of him.

The blade was intangible and invisible to the naked eye but could be sensed through spiritual perception.

Under Song Wen's control, the blade danced in the air within the cave, sometimes moving slowly, other times swiftly.

Suddenly, the blade accelerated and pierced into the stone ceiling, disappearing without a trace.

The stone remained unscathed.

The Focused Spirit Stab targeted the soul and spiritual consciousness of cultivators or the soul of ghostly beings. It had no effect on physical objects.

This made the technique highly dangerous, as conventional defensive artifacts offered no protection against it. Only soul-protecting treasures or techniques could resist its attacks.

Having mastered the first level of Focused Spirit Stab, Song Wen now needed to refine and improve it to enhance its power, which would require months or even years of practice.

Song Wen stood up and walked to a corner of his cave.

There, a Gu cauldron held a sleeping Sacred Gu.

Song Wen placed a Dragon Pattern Grass into the cauldron.

Sensing food, the Sacred Gu awoke and began gnawing on the grass.

Over the past few months of cultivating Focused Spirit Stab, Song Wen had been feeding the Sacred Gu with Dragon Pattern Grass.

Initially, he had worried that the grass might harm the Gu and fed it sparingly.

Only in the past month, after confirming the grass was beneficial, did he increase the feeding.

The Sacred Gu had consumed 30 stalks of Dragon Pattern Grass and grown significantly stronger, but it showed no signs of advancing.

Song Wen understood that for the Gu to break through to the third tier, it would require a significant leap in its life force, a challenging feat.

Thus, he decided not to rush the process.

Feeling stifled from months of isolation, Song Wen left the cave for a stroll in Fang City, using the opportunity to purchase ingredients for refining Blood Spirit and Beast Refining Pills.

As the Spellcraft Gathering approached, more and more cultivators gathered in the city.

For many, especially rogue cultivators, the conference was an invaluable opportunity.

The influx of cultivators brought rare techniques, treasures, pills, and herbs to the city, facilitating exchange and collaboration among practitioners.

Song Wen even noticed rare high-grade spiritual herbs on sale in the market and seized the chance to purchase some third-tier herbs for future use.

That evening, after exploring the city, he visited the Dark Star Black Market.

Song Wen had three Xuan Yin Stones, but to advance his Silver Corpse further, he needed nine.

With the market bustling with cultivators, he hoped to acquire more Xuan Yin Stones or Sand Crystals.

Though he found neither, he did spend 100,000 spirit stones to buy a Netherworld Stone.

This third-tier ghostly material, filled with pure yin energy, was perfect for enhancing ghostly entities like the Ghost King.

Back in his cave, Song Wen handed the Netherworld Stone to the Ghost King, allowing it to absorb the yin energy within.

Suddenly, a transmission jade slip in his storage ring activated.

Song Wen retrieved it and saw it was from the jade slip he had acquired from Xing Chang.

It was a message from Shan Yue!

"Why is she reaching out to me?"

Puzzled, Song Wen read the message.

"Fellow cultivator, I have a favor to ask. I hope you can help me."

The tone was surprisingly humble, a stark contrast to her usual arrogance.

"Has she truly changed, or is there some ulterior motive?"

As Song Wen pondered, he sent a reply.

"Lady Xing, what assistance do you require?"

"Thank goodness! I was worried you might have left Fang City and not received my message."

The response carried obvious relief and joy, revealing her anxiety that Song Wen might have left the city.

(End of the Chapter)

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