Cultivation Advancement

It had to be said, the Ruyi Ropes refined using these four Incantations indeed looked good. They were entirely purple and green, interwoven with water and fire patterns, their halos flowing, clearly indicating they were treasures.

Wu Tian was somewhat pleased. This was something he had painstakingly refined by himself over two months, even bleeding daily, before finally succeeding.

"A single Ruyi Rope is this troublesome. Even if the subsequent Incantations reach perfection and proficiency increases, speeding up the refining process, it will likely still take a considerable amount of time."

"To refine one top-grade Ruyi Whip requires a full eighty-one Ruyi Ropes..."

Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

"I have eleven strands of Yin Soul Silk left, enough to refine only two Ruyi Ropes. After combining them, it will be an inferior Ruyi Whip. Refining Magic Artifacts is truly arduous work!"

Wu Tian wasn't anxious. He looked at the purple-green Ruyi Rope before him and tried it out with great interest.

Thunder Sound Curse, Fire Pupil Curse, Cloud Water Spell, Gather Wind Spell were cast one after another. The Yin Soul Silk surged with thunder, fire, water, and wind, flowing like mist and smoke, a truly beautiful sight.

Then...

It was gone!

It was like he had put on a fireworks show for himself.

This was because the Curse Artifact had not been completely refined yet. Only when three Ruyi Ropes were combined would a complete Ruyi Incantation be formed, fully activating the water, fire, wind, and thunder Incantations imprinted on it.

At that time, all he needed to do was activate the Ruyi Incantation to simultaneously wield the power of the four Incantations on the Ruyi Whip.

The surging water, fire, wind, and thunder would absolutely tear enemies to shreds.

Well, the idea was beautiful, but his claws still couldn't grip the whip...

Before breaking through the Mysterious Pass, disciples in the Qi Nourishing Realm could not project their True Qi externally. They basically held Curse Artifacts in their hands as weapons and then activated the Incantations to resonate with the Curse Artifacts, thereby unlocking their wondrous uses.

In this way, the Curse Artifacts in hand were much more powerful than ordinary divine weapons and sharp tools. Combined with corresponding combat techniques, their might was quite considerable.

Each cave on Skull Mountain had corresponding combat techniques for weapons, as well as close-quarters combat techniques for fists, palms, fingers, and claws. For example, the staff techniques of Wild Dog Cave, the whip techniques of Fire Crow Cave, the spear techniques of Black Bear Cave, the sword techniques of White Crane Cave, the saber techniques of Fierce Tiger Cave, and so on.

Qiyun Cave, on the other hand, excelled in short blade assassination techniques. Combined with the Cloud Concealment technique and extreme speed, they were the most terrifying night hunters.

Wu Tian looked at his dog paws. Clearly, he couldn't grip the whip and wield it.

"I still need to break through the Mysterious Pass as soon as possible!"

Other disciples on Skull Mountain used the Ruyi Whip as a weapon. His dog paws could only learn the art of controlling artifacts after breaking through the Mysterious Pass.

At that time, True Qi would surge into the Curse Artifact, and he could control it with his Qi.

Breaking through the Mysterious Pass to control artifacts was a fundamental leap.

From then on, one could control Curse Artifacts, kill people from a hundred paces away, or soar through the sky like riding the wind.

This was the demeanor of a cultivator.

"Mysterious Pass!"

He yearned for it. Two months ago, Chili Mu broke through the Mysterious Pass with a single sword strike, shaking the heavens and earth for ten miles. It was simply too shocking.

"Now it seems this bell is quite good!"

Wu Tian spat out one of his spoils of war, a bell, from his abdomen. This was the only exquisite-grade Curse Artifact among his many spoils.

Previously, with the Thunder Sound Curse protecting him, he felt this item was useless. But after experiencing the process of refining Magic Artifacts himself, he finally understood how rare exquisite-grade Magic Artifacts were.

"I'm afraid that disciple from Skull Mountain also spent years of hard work and consumed a large amount of spiritual materials to be able to refine this exquisite-grade Curse Artifact."

Wu Tian carefully examined the bell before him.

This item was called the Soul Stirring Bell. It was the inherited Curse Artifact of the Mountain Ghost Cave, one of the Thirty-six Caves. It was refined using many spiritual materials such as beast souls, Yin stones, and mica rock.

Besides the refining materials and secret methods, the most crucial part of this bell was the Yin Soul combined in the clapper.

The more powerful the Yin Soul, the stronger its soul-stirring and captivating effect.

When the bell rang, the Yin Soul would roar and howl. The bell could amplify the Yin Soul's roar, directly entering the enemy's mind.

During combat, as long as the enemy was controlled for a moment, one could gain the upper hand, even deciding life and death.

Wu Tian had the Thunder Sound Curse protecting him, which was why he felt the bell was useless. In reality, it was one of the most practical inherited Curse Artifacts among the Thirty-six Caves.

The enhancement of this Soul Stirring Bell was simple: continuously replace the Yin Soul in the clapper. The stronger the Yin Soul, the higher the quality of the Curse Artifact.

Of course, if the bell's material was insufficient, the Yin Soul would break free from its restraints and backlash against its master.

But the brilliance of this Magic Artifact lay in its ability to use Tongyou Qi to nourish its material. After decades of nourishment, it would continuously advance.

If one could achieve Cauldron Forging in the future, the bell's material could also be recast.

"It's a pity that to activate a Curse Artifact, one needs a corresponding Incantation. Just like the Ruyi Whip needs the Ruyi Incantation to activate it, this Soul Stirring Bell also needs a corresponding Incantation to be used."

"When Master Man Xiong returns, I'll ask him if he knows the corresponding Incantation..."

Now, it seemed this Soul Stirring Bell was more practical than the Ruyi Whip in the short term. All it needed was to be hung around the neck and the Incantation activated to function.

"Actually, the most perfect scenario would be not having to spend time and effort refining it myself..."

Wu Tian pondered, then swallowed the Ruyi Rope he had refined, along with the bell, into his abdomen to be nurtured.

He now mostly used the Abdomen Pouch Spell as a portable storage bag. As for the effect of nurturing Curse Artifacts, it was negligible at best.

"The space in this Abdomen Pouch Spell is too small. I wonder if the talent formed after its perfection can expand the space."

Wu Tian thought, feeling a bit insatiably greedy.

"But Master Man Xiong, when exactly will you return?"

"It seems like every time he says he'll be back in a month, he's never on time."

Wu Tian grumbled, feeling a bit impatient.

Now, after two months had passed, combined with the acupoints he had previously opened, he had opened a total of sixty-eight.

In at most another four or five days, he would be able to open all seventy-two acupoints, at which point he could advance to the second stage, Qi Circulation.

If Master Man Xiong didn't return soon, his cultivation progress would be delayed. He didn't want to waste a single day.

With a thought, Wu Tian opened his System Panel.

Name: Wu Tian
Age: 4
Bloodline: Southern Border White Dog
Realm: Qi Nourishing First Layer 94%
Talents: Immunity to All Poisons 20% (Intermediate), Thousand Mile Divine Speed 24% (Intermediate), Auspiciousness and Avoidance of Disaster 21% (Intermediate), Eating Radiance, Drinking Dew 30% (Intermediate), Spiritual Communication 60% (Beginner)
Skills: Fire Pupil Curse 15% (Superior), Thunder Sound Curse 18% (Superior), Cloud Water Spell 61% (Secret Transmission), Gather Wind Spell 61% (Secret Transmission), Silk Drawing Curse Technique 66% (Secret Transmission), Abdomen Pouch Spell 75% (Secret Transmission), Ruyi Curse 32% (Secret Transmission)
Note: Perfected skills are hidden.

The cultivation progress for Cloud Water Spell, Gather Wind Spell, and Silk Drawing Curse Technique had already exceeded 60%, and Abdomen Pouch Spell was even faster at 75%. They were not far from perfection.

"In at most another month, all four Secret Transmission Curse Techniques will be perfected one by one. At that time, four new talents will be born, and the Spiritual Communication talent will also advance."

"My strength and aptitude will surge significantly again..."