Mirage

So many Yin souls—men and women, old and young. Each head looked as though blue light had been cast across its face in the hazy black night. More terrifyingly, they were all nothing but heads, heads without bodies.

The densely packed ghostly blue heads saw Liu Ding enter Everlasting Cave like lovestruck fangirls spotting a handsome young man, their greedy expressions practically drooling.

I have trypophobia! Liu Ding clutched his head and wailed. The moment he entered, he could no longer hold them off. He roared, "Qilin shakes the rivers and mountains, the sun and moon shine upon the land! The red sun atop Golden Mountain, its li~ght~ shi~nes~ in~ all~ di~rec~tions~~"

He practically sang the last line as he roared it.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The eerie heads scattered one after another, and the condensed soul qi they left behind burst continuously.

"Good chance! Not one of you is getting away! Qilin's Surge, Seven Stars Steps!" Liu Ding's spirits soared. He had not expected the red sun over Golden Mountain from the dream world to be so formidable. Every demon and monster fled from it.

His Five Soulforging Cauldrons realm had stabilized. Once the Qilin's momentum rose, coupled with the incomparably fluid Seven Stars Steps, he immediately collected the soul qi that had just burst apart, one strand after another.

His arms whirled like Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl, forming a small vortex. The scattered soul qi within Everlasting Cave was drawn in, gradually forming a faint sphere of mist.

The soul sphere grew larger and larger until Liu Ding could barely control it. He hurriedly sat cross-legged and began cultivating for a breakthrough in the Five Soulforging Cauldrons. He felt the soul qi between his palms continuously being absorbed through his hands, flowing through his limbs and bones before gradually settling within his qi sea. It formed a vast vortex, like a galaxy seen from above among the stars, surging toward the Rippling Heart.

The ever-expanding soul sphere began to contract. Slowly, it condensed into a solid sphere that his two palms could encompass.

Liu Ding could feel that the energy fluctuations within this soul sphere were terrifying. It was like stars evolving inside it. The moment he began refining it, he felt himself losing control.

"Rather than discard it, I might as well use it now. Dragon Crushing Hand!"

The thought had barely formed when Liu Ding let out a furious roar and thrust his arms forward. The soul sphere flew from his palms with a howl. As it sped away, it erupted with flashing blue light, bathing the entire Everlasting Cave in a ghostly blue glow. Rows of large and small coffins lining both sides of the cave had heads vanish back into them.

Boom!

The soul sphere struck the rock wall at the far end of Everlasting Cave and shattered in all directions. The entire cavern shook, and rocks of all sizes came tumbling down.

Oh no, I've caused trouble. Liu Ding was startled. If this caused a collapse or an earthquake, things would be disastrous.

He was about to flee at top speed when, under the impact of the soul sphere, the entire Everlasting Cave twisted with rippling air currents. Deep within the cave, a sudden change occurred. A mirage-like scene abruptly appeared.

Blue skies, green valleys, and rare flowers and herbs everywhere. Faintly, he could even smell the fragrance of countless medicinal plants.

"What is this?" Liu Ding was astonished. He hurried forward, but the illusion lasted only an instant. Deep within Everlasting Cave remained nothing but a bare rock wall. Though the wall was flat, its surface was mottled, with cracks spreading through it like a spiderweb.

Liu Ding searched it for a long time but found nothing resembling a mechanism.

After tossing and turning all night, dawn had begun to break. Birds chirped outside Everlasting Cave, and the morning light shone in. The cavern, so eerie the night before, was now utterly quiet.

The moment he stepped out of Everlasting Cave, the rising sun was already climbing into the sky. Facing the morning sun, Liu Ding had intended to practice some breathing exercises. Yet the instant he stretched, a tearing sensation swept through his Sea of Souls. In an instant, the soul qi he had absorbed within his body went violently berserk.

"Aah!"

Yin Soul Qi of many different attributes rushed into his mind at once. In that instant, Liu Ding let out a miserable scream, the world spinning around him. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

When he slowly awoke, he was already lying in his own bed. Sister Zhu'er stood beside it, spoon-feeding him medicine. Seeing that he had regained consciousness, she cried out in delight, "Young Master, you're awake!" She hurriedly set down the medicine bowl and helped him sit up.

"What happened to me?" Liu Ding felt his Sea of Souls still churning, waves of pain striking his mind.

"Miss Zhi'er said your Yin souls have become mixed together. If they aren't refined into one in time, it could drive you mad." Sister Zhu'er said worriedly, "Miss Zhi'er has just returned from gathering herbs and is preparing an antidote for you." As she spoke, she picked up the medicine bowl again and fed Liu Ding.

Only after he had drained the bowl did the door finally open. Zhi'er walked in with a weary expression. Her pure white, beautiful clothes were stained in several places and torn in a few others.

"Brother Liu Ding, it's good that you're awake. Hurry and cultivate. Refine the Yin Soul Qi you absorbed into one." Zhi'er lit a small finger-sized object in her hand, similar to incense, and placed it in the incense burner. A thick medicinal smoke immediately began to drift through the room.

"This is a special incense I refined, called Dream Incense. It can neutralize Yin souls. Unfortunately, Bleser City is a small place. I had a hard time finding the main ingredient, a Soul-Devouring Beast's Gallstone Crystal, at a pharmacy, and it was terribly expensive. Don't waste it." Zhi'er helped Liu Ding sit up from the bed and instructed him to sit cross-legged and meditate.

Liu Ding cooperated, but his heart was filled with complicated emotions. When she had bought the ingredients for his Du Meridian Fluid, Zhi'er had spent no small sum, yet she had not even frowned. This time, if she said it was expensive, it had to be truly exorbitant.

The medicinal smoke of the Dream Incense was indeed remarkably effective. After only a few breaths through his nose, his turbulent Sea of Souls gradually calmed. Liu Ding said nothing more and quietly cultivated, refining the Yin Soul Qi he had absorbed the night before into one.

When he opened his eyes, the room was silent. So that he could cultivate in peace, Zhi'er and the others had waited outside. Liu Ding sensed his Five Soulforging Cauldrons realm and found that it had improved by a great deal. The soul qi within Everlasting Cave truly had an outstanding effect on cultivation. Unfortunately, the Yin souls were too mixed. If he had to rely on Dream Incense every time he cultivated, the cost would be far too great.

I can't let Zhi'er suffer anymore. Liu Ding thought to himself. For the sake of his cultivation, he had practically turned a wealthy beauty into a poor girl. What a sin.

During the more than three months of using Du Meridian Fluid to help clear his Meridian Court, they had spent nearly a thousand gold coins every day. Cultivating the Five Soulforging Cauldrons was even more advanced, and the Dream Incense would have to be of even higher quality. Even Zhi'er was crying poverty now. Liu Ding truly felt too embarrassed to keep living off her.

Just as Liu Ding was frowning miserably, General Jiang slowly appeared and said, "Kid, it's time to repay Zhi'er, this apprentice pharmacist."

"How do I repay her?" Liu Ding had already grown accustomed to General Jiang's sudden appearances. He asked in distress, then suddenly realized something. "Zhi'er is an apprentice pharmacist. How did you know that?"

"Heh heh, naturally, I have my reasons for knowing. Otherwise, how would I have dared send you into Everlasting Cave?" General Jiang said leisurely. "But even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. You'll have to figure out a way to make money yourself. Refining Dream Incense is outrageously expensive."

"Money? Where am I supposed to get money, old man?" Liu Ding spread his hands. "The Du Meridian Fluid alone, just to help clear my Meridian Court, cost over a hundred thousand gold coins altogether. This Dream Incense must cost an astronomical amount. Forget it. Sigh."

"Heh heh, do you remember the illusion you saw in Everlasting Cave? I can tell you with certainty that it was not an illusion. Behind Everlasting Cave truly lies a valley like a paradise beyond the world. It is a forbidden land sealed by the family for many years, and it is filled with all kinds of rare medicinal herbs. If you can enter and gather them, you'll make a fortune."

The calculating General Jiang pointed out a way to make money, and Liu Ding's eyes lit up.