" The Soul Intent Domain..."
Fang Han muttered to himself, his brows furrowing slightly.
The core of the < Soul-Chasing Art > lies in the Soul Intent Domain. The Artistic Conception is like the soul of the technique, while the moves are merely means of utilizing the soul.
Without grasping the Artistic Conception, even if one practices the moves to perfection, one cannot unleash the true power of the technique.
"Soul Wave".
To comprehend the Soul Intent Domain, one must first be able to perceive the fluctuations of the soul.
Fang Han closed his eyes and, following the method recorded in the < Soul-Chasing Art >, sank his Divine Strength deep into his body, attempting to capture the mysterious and elusive soul fluctuations in the darkness.
At first, he couldn't feel anything.
All I could see was boundless darkness, and all I could hear was my own long breaths and heartbeat.
But he wasn't anxious; he simply maintained that ethereal state and tried again and again.
I don't know how much time passed--
Suddenly, Fang Han sensed an extremely faint and indistinct fluctuation.
The fluctuations were completely different from the aura of Internal Qi, and also completely different from the life force of birds, beasts, plants, and trees.
It is more ethereal and elusive, yet it carries a certain ineffable sense of "life".
It was as if there was a flame in the darkness, continuously radiating its own "light and heat" to the outside world.
The flames were equivalent to his soul, and the "light and heat" emanating from them were the fluctuations of his soul.
That was a soul fluctuation unique to him, one of a kind in the world.
Even if someone looks exactly like him, it is impossible for them to have the same soul fluctuations as him.
"Finally, I sensed it."
Fang Han felt a slight tremor in his heart, then calmed his mind and continued to sense.
As time went on, the "light and heat" emanating from that flame became increasingly clear to him.
He vaguely sensed that his soul was gently pulsating with his breath and heartbeat in an extremely subtle way.
In the following days, Fang Han devoted all his time to improving his Soul-Chasing Art.
With the foundation of the Perfection Realm < Nether Guide >, the transition to cultivation went much more smoothly than he had anticipated.
In just a few days, he was able to skillfully use the methods recorded in the < Soul-Chasing Art > to sense the residual soul fluctuations in the outside world with his Divine Strength.
"Buzz--"
Fang Han walked into the courtyard and closed his eyes.
The < Soul-Chasing Art > was activated, and an invisible layer of Spiritual Perception spread outwards from him.
Qui Lan was pruning orchids under the eaves, and the fluctuations of her soul were clearly perceptible to him.
Two Maid were busy in the kitchen, and Fang Han also detected their soul fluctuations.
Further afield, a sparrow flies over the courtyard wall, a crow perches on an ancient tree branch, and even a True Disciple disciple passes by outside the courtyard...
Every fluctuation of the soul was clearly presented in his perception, and the strength and nature of each fluctuation were different.
"I've already mastered it."
Fang Han withdrew his senses and nodded slightly.
After just a few days of training, he was already able to use the Soul-Chasing Art skillfully and possessed quite remarkable perception abilities.
In terms of perception alone, it has even surpassed the Perfection Realm the < Nether Guide >.
The reason why he had such an effect so soon after switching to cultivation is that while scent and aura can be concealed, soul fluctuations cannot. At least, Fang Han had never heard of any method of concealment.
In terms of potential, the Soul-Chasing Art, a perception technique that senses soul fluctuations, is definitely superior to the Nether Guide, a perception technique that senses aura.
"The only downside is that the range of perception is greatly reduced."
Fang Han, who is currently only First Grade martial artist, has extremely limited Divine Strength, which results in a significant reduction in his perception range.
It cannot compare to the exaggerated distance of twenty miles that the Perfection Realm < Nether Guide > can reach; at its farthest, it can only sense distances of a few miles.
But that's not a problem.
According to the manual " Soul-Chasing Art," as long as one can comprehend the Soul Intent Domain and reach the Beginner stage, one can expand the range of Spiritual Perception Spiritual Perception by enhancing one's spiritual perception with the Soul Intent Domain.
Moreover, it can make Spiritual Perception more concealed, making it less likely to be detected or spied on by martial artists who also possess Divine Strength.
"However, getting Beginner stage isn't something that can be done in a short time."
Fang Han stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, gazing at the few Emerald Bamboo swaying gently in the cold wind in the corner of the courtyard.
The Soul Intent Domain is a completely new domain for him. To comprehend a new Artistic Conception from scratch is destined to be a rather long process.
Even with his current 256-fold increase in Secret Art Talent, he wouldn't dare say he could achieve anything in a short time.
A few days later, Fang Han stopped his continuous practice of Tracking Secret Technique and Breath Concealment Secret Technique.
It's not because I feel my current perception is sufficient, but because time flies by and before I knew it, the year was coming to an end.
The ginkgo trees in the courtyard have almost all lost their golden leaves, their bare branches stretching towards the gray sky.
The air was filled with the crisp chill characteristic of winter, and snowflakes would occasionally drift down.
"It's time to go home."
Fang Han stood in the courtyard, gazing at the few bare ginkgo trees, and this thought came to mind.
He summoned Qui Lan and instructed her to buy some New Year's goods and prepare some suitable gifts to bring back to the Lineage.
Qui Lan acknowledged and withdrew, then went out to shop with several servants.
Half a day later, they returned with a cartload of goods: dozens of bolts of fine silk, several boxes of delicate Pastry, and more than a dozen jars of good wine.
There are also many Danyao suitable for martial arts practitioners to use, which Fang Han exchanged for at the sect's Pill Hall using his contribution points.
As the top- General Ranking the sect, Fang Han receives a large amount of contribution points every month.
However, at his current level, the things that can be exchanged with contribution points are no longer of interest to him. He would rather exchange them for some Danyao to support his Lineage.
"Senior brother, these were all purchased according to your instructions."
Qui Lan handed a list to Fang Han.
Fang Han glanced at the list and nodded slightly.
He trusted Qui Lan with her work, and of course, he didn't treat her unfairly.
Thanks to his reward, the other party, who was originally just a menial disciple, has not only become a formal disciple of the Azure Profound Sect, but has also become Eighth Grade Martial Artist.
The next day, Fang Han used one Green-Hoof Deer Green-Hoof Deer for passengers and another for cargo, and set off to return to his Lineage.
A person was already waiting in front of the car; it was her cousin Fang Yingxue.
She was dressed in a light blue outfit, with delicate features, and her bright eyes revealed a hint of excitement at the prospect of returning home.
At the beginning of this year, she joined the Azure Profound Sect on Fang Han's recommendation.
While her talent was decent within the Fang Clan, it wasn't particularly outstanding within the Azure Profound Sect, which was teeming with geniuses.
However, since they were from the same clan, Fang Han naturally gave them some consideration.
With the Danyao and cultivation resources provided by Fang Han, and the dedicated instruction from the Deacon in the Fang Han, Fang Yingxue's cultivation speed was not slow.
Over the course of a year, she not only broke through to the Inner Qi Realm, but also reached the Ninth-rank late stage.
This level of progress places him among the top ten of the newly Beginner stage disciples.
"Brother Fang Han."
Upon seeing Fang Han approach, Fang Yingxue quickly went to greet him, her voice filled with undisguised joy.
Her lips curved slightly, but then she seemed to think that smiling was too obvious, so she pursed her lips, suppressing some of her joy.
"Get in the car."
Fang Han nodded slightly and boarded the carriage first.
Fang Yingxue followed closely behind, finding a window seat in the carriage. Her gaze drifted through the window towards the sect, a hint of reluctance in her eyes, but more so, anticipation of returning home.
Two Green-Hoof Deer let out a low neigh and, with all four hooves, pulled the carriage down the mountain along the bluestone path.
The sound of hooves echoed, stirring up a few withered yellow leaves on the road.
The carriage swayed slightly, and the scenery outside the window slowly receded into the distance.
The trees on both sides of the mountain road have lost their autumn colors, leaving only bare branches swaying gently in the chilly winter wind.
Fang Yingxue leaned against the window, her bright eyes gazing at the rapidly receding scenery outside, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"When I go back this time, my parents will definitely nag me, since I haven't been back even once a year."
She spoke softly, her tone tinged with a helpless teasing, but her eyes were full of warmth.
Fang Han sat opposite her, and upon hearing this, he simply smiled slightly without replying.
When she returned home for the first time after joining the Azure Profound Sect, her feelings were no different from Fang Yingxue's at this moment.
The carriage traveled along the official road, the carriage swaying slightly, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from mountains and forests to fields.
The Green-Hoof Deer were extremely fast, and after a little over a day, the carriage was only about a hundred li away from Liangshui City.
Fang Yingxue leaned out of the window, gazing at the gradually familiar landscape outside, a smile spreading across her face.
At that very moment--
Fang Han's expression suddenly changed.
"Grandmaster?!"
Because he hadn't yet Beginner stage the < Soul-Chasing Art > and his perception range was limited, he still preferred to use < Nether Guide > as his means of perception.
Within the Perfection Realm perception of the Nether Guide, a deep and abyss-like aura suddenly intruded into his senses more than ten miles ahead.
The aura was astonishingly powerful, as deep as an abyss, as majestic as a mountain, carrying a sense of oppressive force that made one's heart tremble.
His aura was completely different from that of ordinary martial artists.
Grandmaster!
Fang Han's pupils suddenly contracted.
A grandmaster is just over ten miles ahead.
"Did they come for me, or were they just passing by?"
Thoughts flashed through Fang Han rapidly.
A grandmaster appeared more than ten miles ahead. Was this grandmaster just passing by, or was he coming for him?
"Avoid?"
Fang Han's first thought was to avoid it and take a detour.
Regardless of whether the opponent is targeting you or not, as long as you avoid them, you can avoid fighting them.
But the thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
This place is only a little over a hundred miles away from Liangshui City. If this grandmaster is really coming for him, and he fails to intercept him on the way, he will most likely go directly to the Fang Clan in Liangshui City.
At that time, the battle between the grandmasters will break out in the Fang Clan mansion. Even if he and his opponent fight to a draw, the aftershocks of the battle will be enough to raze the entire Fang Clan to the ground.
Father, mother, uncles and brothers in the clan—those clansmen whose highest cultivation level was only the Middle Third Grade —couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of a battle between grandmasters.
"We can't avoid it!"
Fang Han's eyes darkened.
Rather than passively responding and dragging the Fang Clan into this undeserved disaster, it's better to take the initiative.
Of course, before that, he needed to find out whether this master was just passing by or had come specifically for him.