Two New Techniques (Please Bookmark, Please Follow)

In the small courtyard, Liu Shuang and Yang Ziping were sparring with the Thousand Wood Swordplay.

Liu Shuang had grown into a slender, graceful young woman. After the New Year, she would be twenty-one. In an ordinary household, a girl her age would already be considered old for marriage. She wore an emerald jade crown, a gift from her Secular Parents at her Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and a blue Daoist Robe for practice. Her sword movements made her look even more like a wandering heroine.

Yang Ziping was six chi tall, considered rather tall in the south. He was powerfully built, wore an ordinary Green Wood Crown, and had on the same Daoist Robe as Liu Shuang. When sparring with Liu Shuang, he mostly stayed on the defensive.

Wang Ping had only gotten the money to buy pills to assist his two disciples once they were halfway through Qi Refining. The pills that aided Qi Refining were called Essence Qi Pills, refined from Essence Fruits from the Southwest Islands and available only at the Daoist Scripture Hall.

With the help of the Essence Qi Pills, the ten years they originally needed for Qi Refining had been shortened by two. Wang Ping estimated they would finish by the end of the year.

It was worth mentioning that Yang Ziping performed a little better than Liu Shuang in Qi Refining and would probably be a month faster. Liu Shuang was simply too restless.

"Master!" The moment Liu Shuang saw Wang Ping, she called, "Stop!" to Yang Ziping, then happily ran over, bowed, and asked, "What does the Strange Pavilion do?"

"Go ask someone else..."

After Wang Ping dismissed Liu Shuang and walked back into the courtyard, Yulian, who had not seen him for more than a month, immediately rode the clouds down from the eaves and landed on him.

"You seem unhappy?" Yulian asked in the Spirit Sea.

"It's nothing. I'll be fine in a while." Wang Ping stretched out his hand and let Yulian coil around his wrist. Liu Shuang came close again and asked, "Master, are you saying I can go down the mountain and have a look?"

"Go on. Just don't leave the Daoist temple..." Wang Ping waved a hand.

Hearing that, Liu Shuang laughed happily, tossed the sword in her hand to Yang Ziping, then lightly leaped onto the eaves above the Main Gate of the garden and slid down toward the steps below.

His disciple's laughter eased Wang Ping's mood somewhat.

"Master, while you were in Secluded Cultivation at the Strange Pavilion, Martial Uncle Su had someone bring you a letter!" Yang Ziping respectfully handed Wang Ping a letter he had kept on him.

Wang Ping accepted it in confusion...

During the month or so Wang Ping had spent in Secluded Cultivation, Rebels had appeared again on Mozhou Road. In just ten days, they had captured six cities in succession, but the Cavalry of the prefectural city shattered them on the Han River Plain south of Changwen Prefecture. Half a month ago, they fled west of Nanlin Road.

Su Dun had been urgently transferred to the border of Nanlin Road to suppress the rebellion. Before leaving, he had written this letter to Wang Ping, asking him to Take Care Of his children should anything happen to him.

After reading the letter, Wang Ping let out a breath of turbid air.

Three days later.

Wang Kang formally applied to Daoist Yucheng to go down the mountain for training. On the evening before he left, he even sought Wang Ping out for a couple of drinks.

Slightly drunk, Wang Kang tugged at Wang Ping's sleeve and said, "Senior brother, I know you spoke to Master this time, and that's why I was able to enter the Strange Pavilion. But I know my own circumstances. I only reached Qi Refining Completion last year. Even if I can improve my Spiritual Root a little, the Marrow Cleansing foundation afterward will take twenty years, then there's Foundation Establishment, cultivating the divine soul..."

"In the blink of an eye, a Hundred Years will have passed. I can't cultivate secret methods, and when that time comes, I'll still be unable to advance. Rather than waste my time, I might as well go down the mountain and do what I want to do!"

"You're going to the Martial Arts Examination in Capital City?"

"Yes!"

Wang Kang left with great determination.

Half a month later.

After Wang Ping completed his daily Foundation Establishment cultivation, he opened his eyes and saw Daoist Yucheng.

"Master!" He hurriedly rose and bowed.

Daoist Yucheng nodded lightly. Looking at the Huai Tree that had already grown to Five Zhang, he asked, "You've completed half of your qi gathering, haven't you?"

"Yes!"

Wang Ping walked over and stood to one side. Yulian coiled around a branch of the Huai Tree and descended onto Wang Ping, resting her head on his shoulder as she curiously examined Daoist Yucheng.

"The spiritual energy in your Qi Sea is abundant. It is already enough to Condense Divine Soul. Starting today, your path of cultivation must add Condense Divine Soul." As Daoist Yucheng spoke, he took out an emerald Bamboo Slip and handed it to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping respectfully accepted it, then heard Daoist Yucheng say, "After Condense Divine Soul, you must also cultivate this Wood Spirit Art well. It is the crucial step for you to become a Secret Method Cultivator."

With that, Daoist Yucheng handed over another emerald Bamboo Slip.

Wang Ping accepted it respectfully again. Daoist Yucheng continued, "Among the Five Elements of Xuanmen, you have already met Cultivators of the True Sun Sect and Linshui Prefecture. As for our Thousand Wood Temple, what we cultivate is the Wood Spirit..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping's gaze involuntarily turned toward the Huai Tree he had been nourishing with spiritual energy. Daoist Yucheng continued, "The Huai Tree is the most attuned to the Wood Spirit. There is also a saying that the Wood Spirit itself was nurtured by the most ancient Huai Tree between Heaven and Earth."

At this point, Daoist Yucheng looked at Wang Ping and instructed, "Absorb these two techniques now."

"Yes!"

Wang Ping suppressed his unnecessary emotions and first took out the Spirit Condensation Technique. The moment his eyes touched the words on the Bamboo Slip, the characters immediately turned into a stream of light and burrowed into his brow. Then the Light Screen Panel appeared:

[Spirit Condensation Method: The most basic and most commonly used Spirit Condensation Art. It condenses one's consciousness through the spiritual energy or True Essence within the body.]

[1: Follow the recorded method and use True Essence or spiritual power to condense your consciousness. You may try having the Spirit Snake beside you guide you. You should succeed after around 200 attempts. (Progress 0/200).]

[2: After condensing the divine soul, use True Essence or spiritual energy to fill your divine soul, allowing it to take physical form. At most 10 times per day. You can succeed within five years. (Progress 0/100, Today's Progress 0/10).]

[3: Soul Leaving Body, Soul Roaming Heaven and Earth. Persist with the second step, and one day you will succeed, or advance to the Third Realm.]

[Note 1: Do not learn from your Spirit Snake and sense the Good and Evil in others. You are not her.]

[Note 2: Do not over-condense your divine soul. Stop immediately when you feel Conscious Fatigue.]

After browsing the Light Screen Panel's contents, Wang Ping carefully recalled the memories of the Spirit Condensation Technique, then glanced at Yulian coiled around him.

"What's wrong?" Yulian asked, sensing Wang Ping's emotions.

"Nothing..."

Seeing that Wang Ping had digested the contents of the Spirit Condensation Technique, Daoist Yucheng earnestly reminded him, "Yulian's Soul Sense has stabilized. When you condense your divine soul, you can ask Yulian to help guide you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Disciple understands!"

"Very good!"

Then, at Daoist Yucheng's signal, Wang Ping took out the Wood Spirit Art. Upon seeing the words on the Bamboo Slip, another stream of light entered his brow, and the Light Screen Panel appeared again:

[Wood Spirit Art: You can attempt to communicate with the Wood Spirit and alter the attribute of the spiritual energy or True Essence within your body.]

[1: Enter Meditation before the Huai Tree you nourish daily with your own spiritual energy. Sense the Huai Tree's divine soul and connect with it. Through its divine soul, absorb the wood spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth, assimilating the True Essence or spiritual energy within your body. At most 10 times per day. You can complete it within three years. (Progress 0/100, Today's Progress 0/10).]

[2: Use the transformed wood spiritual energy to cleanse your Spiritual Root, turning it into a Wood Spirit Spiritual Meridian. At most 5 attempts per day. You can complete it within one year. (Progress 0/100, Today's Progress 0/5).]

[Note 1: When using the divine soul to guide spiritual energy and transform the attribute of the spiritual energy within your body, it is best not to exceed 10 guiding attempts within twelve hours. Otherwise, you may truly be assimilated.]

To cultivate the Wood Spirit Art, he still needed to condense his divine soul first!

Wang Ping brought up the Divine Soul Technique and looked it over again. Fortunately, the first step of condensing the divine soul had no restrictions. As long as his consciousness was not fatigued, he could keep trying.

In other words, he could get it done today?