Magic Tools, Spiritual Power, Spiritual Sense, Nascent Soul

The Hunwu County yamen was piled high with treasure chests, overflowing with dazzling gold and jewels.

Qin Sang was currently arranging for his men to take inventory.

"These land deeds all belong to the common folk near Hunwu County. I suspect those thieving monks extorted them. Chuanzong, take these to the Hunwu County magistrate and return them to the people."

The main vault of Xuanji Temple had been almost completely emptied. Among the treasures was a small chest of land deeds. Qin Sang flipped through them; they were all for land around Hunwu County.

Qin Sang handed the chest to Wu Chuanzong, but seeing him hesitate to speak, he couldn't help but feel strange.

"What are you thinking about, Chuanzong? Speak your mind."

Wu Chuanzong was an intelligent and perceptive child. Qin Sang found him useful and kept him by his side.

Furthermore, Wu Chuanzong had good comprehension and knew the value of hard work. He never slacked off in his studies or martial arts training. Although he had missed the ideal age for martial arts, with proper guidance, he could still achieve something.

"Reporting to you, sir."

Wu Chuanzong always called Qin Sang "sir." "I fear the common folk might not be willing to take back these land deeds?"

Qin Sang was surprised. "Why?"

Someone wouldn't want their land back?

"Chuanzong's hometown also had a temple. I heard many people voluntarily donated their land to the temple. Two years ago, during a drought, the local villagers couldn't survive, but the temple's tenant farmers still had food. It's said that temple land doesn't require land tax; the villagers only needed to donate some grain to the temple each year. In times of disaster, if they couldn't pay the full amount, the temple would be lenient, and sometimes they even received aid. But if you owe even a single peck to the government, it's unforgivable. There are also fees for weighing goods and other charges. Master, you once said that many people weren't starved to death, but forced to death by the government."

Qin Sang was even more astonished. He had finally decided to be benevolent, and he almost made a mistake?

Qin Sang looked at the others. "Is it like this everywhere?"

Zhang Wenkui cleared his throat. "Reporting to the Hall Master, it's not exactly the same everywhere. There are indeed virtuous high monks, but there are also quite a few wicked monks who seize land and oppress the people. If a temple is powerful, even the government can't do anything about them. Whether Xuanji Temple is good or evil is still unknown."

"Then go investigate," Qin Sang tossed the land deeds to Zhang Wenkui and Wu Chuanzong. "You two have one day to find out. Whether the deeds are returned to the people or sent back to the temple will be your decision."

Seeing Zhang Wenkui's crestfallen face, Qin Sang laughed and scolded him, "Why the long face? You won't be shortchanged here!"

After arranging his men, Qin Sang had Zhou Mingguang and the Water Monkey oversee the inventory. He couldn't wait to return to his residence and shut the courtyard gate.

The material of this talisman was completely different from the talisman paper used by Daoist Master Jixin. It was as white as snow and extremely durable, even better than the finest Xuan paper.

Lines that Qin Sang couldn't understand were drawn on the talisman paper, much more complex than Daoist Master Jixin's deceptive talismans. Qin Sang studied it for a while but couldn't figure anything out.

Venerable Yuanjue had said that after the immortal cultivator released the water curtain, the talisman paper shattered. It was likely a one-time use item. He only had this one, and Qin Sang was reluctant to mess with it, fearing he'd destroy it again.

He picked up the purple bell and the jade slip with both hands, recalling the process of controlling the Yanluo Banner. He only needed to channel the qi within him into the Yanluo Banner, and the incantation for the Yanluo Banner would appear in his mind.

However, there were also anomalies like the ebony sword. No matter how much qi he channeled into it, it was like a stone sinking into the sea.

Qin Sang didn't know why there was such a difference.

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, thinking about how the purple bell had acted when killing people. It was probably no good, just like the Yanluo Banner. This jade slip, however, exuded a gentle luster, warm and lovely. He might as well try it first.

Putting down the bell, Qin Sang held the jade slip and channeled a stream of qi, tentatively entering the jade slip.

Unexpectedly, the jade slip suddenly broke free from Qin Sang's hand and stuck to his forehead.

Qin Sang felt as if his consciousness was being sucked into the jade slip. He was startled, but with the precedent of the Yanluo Banner, he wasn't too panicked and remained calm.

Was there something else inside the jade slip?

As Qin Sang muttered to himself, he discovered that the jade slip contained a piece of text, and his spirits immediately lifted.

Half an hour later, Qin Sang, who had been sitting motionless at the table, took down the jade slip and opened his eyes. He looked at the jade slip, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Now he understood. This jade slip wasn't a weapon, but a medium for recording text. The text inside explained the abilities of this bell and how to control it.

The bell was called the Purple Soul Bell, a high-grade Magic Tool with the effect of confusing the soul and bewildering the mind. If a cultivator was powerful enough, it could even directly destroy the enemy's Nascent Soul.

The method of using the Purple Soul Bell was very simple; it didn't require incantations. The cultivator only needed to channel Spiritual Power to activate the bell's chime and then control it with their Spiritual Sense to take effect.

The jade slip described the process of controlling the Purple Soul Bell in great detail.

When first learning to use it, a cultivator's control over the Purple Soul Bell would be unskillful. They would need to use their Spiritual Sense to control the bell's chime and focus all their efforts on one enemy to maximize the Purple Soul Bell's power.

Once they could control the Purple Soul Bell as if it were an extension of their own arm, this Magic Tool would display its most formidable power, capable of confusing three to four people simultaneously.

Qin Sang eagerly picked up the Purple Soul Bell. Following the method in the jade slip, he channeled his Spiritual Sense into the Magic Tool and then used the qi within him to activate it.

His movements were not skillful, and it took him several tries to get used to it.

Unexpectedly, the Purple Soul Bell was like a bottomless pit. He poured all his effort and depleted all his Spiritual Power before he barely succeeded.

'Ding-a-ling...'

The Purple Soul Bell moved on its own, its clear chime echoing in the room.

Qin Sang wiped the sweat from his forehead. His internal Spiritual Power was completely drained, leaving him incredibly weak, but his face was filled with excitement.

Obtaining a magical Magic Tool was certainly gratifying, but what excited Qin Sang the most was the text itself.

The qi within him was the Spiritual Power described in the jade slip!

The Netherworld Scripture was indeed a cultivation technique!

This finally calmed Qin Sang's anxious heart.

Furthermore, Qin Sang learned a lot from the jade slip.

The souls of Immortal Cultivators seemed to be different from those of mortals; they were called Nascent Souls.

Spiritual Sense was also not mentioned in the Netherworld Scripture. Qin Sang only now learned of its existence. According to the Jade Slip, as soon as one began cultivating, Spiritual Sense would be generated within the Nascent Soul. Spiritual Sense could not only control Magic Tools but also had other wondrous uses, though Qin Sang would have to explore these on his own.

With this thought, Qin Sang hurriedly took out the ebony sword and other items he had obtained earlier.

Qin Sang picked up the ebony sword and probed it with his Spiritual Sense. Unfortunately, the ebony sword remained like a bottomless pit, accepting any Spiritual Sense or Spiritual Power offered but showing no reaction whatsoever.

It was only when he directed his Spiritual Sense into the Yanluo Banner that Qin Sang gained new insights.

Although Yanwang possessed an instinct for avoiding danger and seeking good fortune, its intelligence was not very high. Previously, when he used the Yanluo Banner, he could only assign targets to Yanwang if they were within his line of sight; otherwise, he could not restrain Yanwang's actions at all.

Now, he could completely envelop Yanwang with his Spiritual Sense and command it at all times.