Phantom Shadow Demon Trace

Volume 2: Phantom Shadow Demon Trace, Chapter 12: Dao Soul and Imprint Technique

After the master and disciple had hurt each other for who knows how many times, Bai Qiuran finally steered the conversation elsewhere. A few more months passed in a flash. Finally, six months later, on the mountain path of Seven Star Peak, Tang Ruowei was blocked for the 138th time by that female spirit monkey.

After spending several years together, Tang Ruowei naturally extracted the truth from Bai Qiuran's words. The maiden's fair, delicate palm reached over the monkey's shoulder and pressed against the rock wall behind its head, leaving a massive, spiderweb-like mark of destruction on the stone.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

"The next things I am going to teach you are the methods for cultivating a Dao Soul and a Sword Imprint." Speaking of this, Bai Qiuran lifted his head with great pride.

Bai Qiuran said, "Ruowei, you must understand your master's good intentions. Although you are flat-chested and sharp-tongued, and often don't listen to your master, you are still my most precious disciple. Would your master ever harm you?"

The female monkey still knew very well how to provoke Tang Ruowei's anger. It didn't know where it had found two tough shells of some kind of spirit fruit, and then, pointing at Tang Ruowei's chest, it placed those two shells on its own chest and let out a wanton cry.

In the instant before the female monkey could react, a black Sword Light flashed by, grazing its fur and striking a small tree beside the mountain path.

As for its power, when performed by Bai Qiuran with Foundation Establishment Stage strength, it was roughly enough to pulverize a piece of hard Western Lands black rock that was taller than a person.

The maiden put down the medicinal herbs she was holding with a calm and breezy air, then smiled slightly at it and opened her mouth.

"When I first cultivated the Sword Imprint, I used a wisp of sword radiance that I intercepted from the remains of a Sword Immortal from the previous era after risking my life to enter the Savage Lands, but that has already been assimilated by me. And the seed I am going to give you today is my own seed, Ruowei."

Tang Ruowei asked curiously.

Tang Ruowei blinked her eyes and asked, "Why is that?"

He smiled slightly.

"The so-called Dao Soul is for a Cultivator to choose the Great Dao they wish to study. There are three thousand Great Daos in the world, and every Cultivator must choose one or several to delve into. When a Dao method is studied to a certain degree, a Dao Soul will appear within the Cultivator's spiritual platform, representing their status and level in that Great Dao. For example, those of us in the Azure Nether Sword Sect have basically condensed the Dao Soul of a sword cultivator. Once the Dao Soul is formed, a Dao Soul identical to the practitioner's own image, holding a long sword, will appear within their spiritual platform. At this time, the practitioner will also receive inspiration from the mysterious void, perhaps a profound sword move or the forging method for a supreme-grade Flying Sword. Of course, what is obtained from the Dao Souls of other Great Daos may differ, but they are basically much the same."

Tang Ruowei glared at him, completely unafraid.

The small tree split in two at the sound, and the spirit fruit shells the female monkey held against its chest were also split in two and slid off.

Bai Qiuran explained, "This is another reason why the world thinks Imprint Techniques are difficult to cultivate. Because they lack strength, people generally cannot find high-level energy to use as a seed for cultivating Imprint Techniques. And by the time they have the strength, cultivating Imprint Techniques is not as fast as cultivating spells of the same realm, so Imprint Techniques appear to be tasteless to the average person. However, we don't have such problems. Your realm is low, but I have high-level energy."

Slap!

"The cultivation of an imprint of a certain attribute requires energy of that same attribute to serve as a seed. The grade of the energy you use as a seed determines the height that the Dharma Imprint you cultivate in the future can reach."

The female monkey's wild instincts warned it that the person in front of it was no longer what she used to be. It shrieked and fled into the woods on all fours.

Moreover, for some reason, Tang Ruowei had quite high attainments in the Fortune Body Forging Technique. With the support of the Fortune Body Forging Technique, the power of this palm strike was even more ferocious than that sword strike.

But to its surprise, this time Tang Ruowei did not, as in the past, curse loudly while drawing her long sword to chase after it.

"This is a sword radiance condensed by Bai Qiuran, the second-generation direct disciple of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, over three thousand years of time."

Bai Qiuran shook his finger and explained, "And the Sword Imprint is a type of Imprint Technique. To be honest, this is the technique your master is most proud of. I can say with great confidence that currently, in the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou, no one can surpass me in the aspect of Imprint Techniques."

"Then, Master will first teach you the method of condensing a Dao Soul, and then give you the seed for cultivating the Imprint Technique."

Whether it was the rock and sand in the earth, mineral ores and metal, or even the magma in the earth's veins, as long as Tang Ruowei didn't seek death by walking into a sea of fire, she could theoretically travel through it.

Bai Qiuran patted his legs.

"What kind of tone is that?"

Next, Bai Qiuran taught Tang Ruowei an escape technique and a palm technique.

The maiden smiled and approached the female monkey, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

Bai Qiuran placed his two fingers on Tang Ruowei's palm, the sword radiance flickering, and then it remained in the center of Tang Ruowei's palm.

"In short, although this kind of Imprint Technique is difficult to practice, I still hope you can continue to practice it. There is naturally something unique about things that are difficult to practice."

Bai Qiuran's expression changed.

Tang Ruowei had now entered the Foundation Establishment Stage. Not only did she have True Essence, but her Spiritual Sense had also become further strengthened, allowing Bai Qiuran to enter and directly engrave knowledge that wasn't too voluminous into her Spiritual Sense. This made things much easier for Bai Qiuran.

After demonstrating these two moves and directly transmitting the techniques and key points of exerting force into Tang Ruowei's Spiritual Sense, Bai Qiuran began the next step of his explanation.

"Dead monkey."

"The tides have turned; today I finally caught you!"

But it was useless. Tang Ruowei's body escaped into the mountain, following it in pursuit, and forced it into a rock cave at the foot of the mountain.

"Because young people nowadays are all too impetuous. Since Imprint Techniques are hard to master, they go to cultivate spells that can be cast as long as one has the corresponding realm."

"What is a seed?"

And just like the sword technique, this palm strike was also upright and simple, lacking fancy tricks; it was just striking the enemy's chest with full speed and power. However, the study of moves was much faster than basic training, while the condensation of a Dao Soul and the cultivation of an Imprint Technique required long periods of time to support, and Bai Qiuran was not in a rush for immediate success.

The escape technique was the Earth Escape Technique that Bai Qiuran had modified countless times. A general Earth Escape Technique, as the name suggests, could only move in soft soil, but this escape technique of Bai Qiuran's could move within anything with earth attributes.

"Hmph, hmph."

Hearing his words, Tang Ruowei understood and extended her palm...

"To put it bluntly, it means that although this kind of thing is hard to practice, it doesn't limit one's cultivation realm, and its power is similar to spells. Other people all went to practice spells, and only you, Master, practiced the Imprint Technique, so you became the number one person in the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou, right?"

"And what are these Dao Soul and Sword Imprint things?" Tang Ruowei asked.

He extended his finger, and a sword radiance of an inch long burst from his fingertip.

"Oh."

Tang Ruowei sneered and did not answer.

Just like that, Tang Ruowei, who had just succeeded in Foundation Establishment and had not long left seclusion, began arduous training under Bai Qiuran's arrangement.

"Stop, stop talking! You flat-chested rebellious disciple!"

"If you don't speak, then Master will take it as your silent consent."

"The grade is absolutely sufficient." Bai Qiuran said with a pained heart, "Little do they know that the Imprint Technique is the thing most in line with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth that our ancestors opened up from the ignorance of the primordial era. Alas, it is a tragedy."

It could be said that she could soar freely within the body of the Earth Mother.