Taiyin Ghost Form Manual

The onlookers held their breath. Even the stocky man who had been arguing earlier stared wide-eyed, afraid he might miss something.

Li Jinrong couldn't help rising onto his toes, craning his neck to see.

Suddenly, the stonecutter's movements faltered ever so slightly.

After his short chisel scraped away a thicker layer of stone, its tip touched something that wasn't hard rock, but instead offered a faintly resilient resistance.

At the same time, a subtle, warm coolness traveled along the tool and into his hand.

He immediately changed his technique. Rather than chipping away forcefully, he used the tip of the chisel to scrape with utmost care.

More debris fell away, and a patch about the size of a fingernail, with a surface as fine as jade, began to emerge!

"Jade?" someone with sharp eyes whispered.

"It's no ordinary jade. That luster... It looks like ancient jade, but not quite. It's thinner, more like... a jade slip?" Green-Robed Brother Wang stepped half a pace closer, his voice tinged with surprise and uncertainty.

The stonecutter grew even more cautious, carefully chipping away the rock around the jade edge bit by bit.

Gradually, a thin jade piece about two fingers wide came into view. It wasn't separate from the stone; its edges seemed to remain connected to the rock beneath—or perhaps... it was part of a larger object.

"It's a jade slip! Ancient cultivators used these scroll-like objects, often made from special spirit jade, to record important texts and illustrations!"

The white-haired elder's voice trembled with excitement. "These are rarer than ancient jade. They're usually used to pass down secret pill recipes, complex array diagrams, or special cultivation inheritances! They're harder to preserve, too. I never thought we'd find one inside a Yin Stone Seal!"

At his words, a chorus of sharp inhalations rose from the crowd.

A jade slip was clearly more valuable than ordinary ancient jade, especially since it might contain something as practical as pill recipes or array diagrams.

The stocky man's expression shifted. He muttered, "It's not fully opened yet. Who knows if it's incomplete..."

A sheen of sweat appeared on the stonecutter's brow, but his movements grew even steadier and more precise.

He no longer cared about speed. Like an artist sculpting a masterpiece, he slowly freed the jade from the stubborn rock, bit by bit.

The process was slow, but no one urged him on.

At last, after spending nearly twice as long as he had on the first large stone, the stonecutter laid the complete object on the thick leather pad he had spread out.

It was a pale gray-white jade scroll, about half a foot long and two inches wide.

The jade was warm and smooth to the touch, its surface traced with delicate patterns like rippling water and drifting clouds. Two extremely thin bands of dark gold metal were inlaid along its edges. Though it had weathered who knew how many years, they still glimmered faintly.

The jade slip wasn't fully unrolled. Both ends had slender dark gold rollers made of the same material, and a thin black cord loosely bound the middle.

The jade slip was in perfect condition, without a single sign of damage.

"A complete ancient jade slip!" Brother Wang cried out, then immediately covered his mouth. He couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.

The elder stopped stroking his beard and murmured, "Judging by its design, this is no ordinary object. It must be an important inheritance left behind by a cultivator at least at the Golden Core stage, or by some major faction!"

"He struck it rich... This kid really struck it rich again!" someone cried, eyes reddening.

"Who was it that said he'd only get a mouthful of rock?"

Someone muttered under their breath. The stocky man's face turned ashen, then flushed red. He held his chin high without saying a word, but quietly shifted half a step backward.

Li Jinrong was completely dumbstruck.

He looked at the jade slip, clearly worth a fortune, then at his own dull gray Yin Marrow Iron. The crushing disparity made his chest feel tight. His lips quivered, but he couldn't get a word out.

The two female companions behind him covered their mouths, their beautiful eyes full of envy and admiration.

Li Zhong's pupils narrowed slightly, and his hand had already settled on the hilt of his sword.

The jade slip's appearance would bring more than just wealth. It would bring enormous trouble!

He immediately signaled the other guards with a glance to tighten their formation and protect Li Jinrong and the others more closely, while warily scanning their surroundings.

Just as expected, many gazes had grown heated and dangerous, like wolf eyes gleaming in the dead of night.

At some point, the One-Eyed Stall Owner had straightened up. He lowered his folded arms and fixed his single eye on the jade slip, then slowly shifted his gaze to Chen Mo's calm face. His expression was impossible to read.

The stonecutter carefully placed the jade slip on the identification platform.

The black cord trembled faintly, releasing a ring of soft spiritual light.

"There's a restriction."

The stonecutter spoke in a grave voice. "The jade slip itself is intact, but the cord bears a protective restriction of unknown strength. Forcing it open could damage what's inside. To learn its contents, you'll need someone sufficiently skilled in the art of restrictions, or a specific token to unlock it."

He paused, then added, "Judging by the material, design, and restriction alone, the jade slip is already worth a fortune. What it contains must be extraordinary."

"A restricted ancient jade slip!"

"Now it's worth even more! But it's also a lot more trouble..."

"Just who is this kid? How does he keep getting so lucky?"

"I don't think it's all luck..."

The crowd began buzzing again, but this time their excitement and greed were tinged with a measure of restraint.

The jade slip's value had already surpassed what many could imagine.

Chen Mo gazed at the ancient scroll on the platform without much stirring in his heart.

The Moonlight Treasure Mirror's reaction had come true, just as expected.

He stepped forward and picked up the scroll.

It felt cool in his hand, its texture fine and smooth. The black cord had a strangely resilient feel, and the restriction's spiritual light shimmered faintly.

Just then, the Moonlight Treasure Mirror activated on its own. New lines of text suddenly appeared across its surface like flowing water:

[Complete high-tier inheritance record detected... Deep analysis in progress...]

[New fundamental cultivation method available: Taiyin Ghost Form Manual]

[Inheritance grade: Earth-rank upper grade (potential assessment: Heaven-rank? Due to the extreme nature of its core methods, its power and risks coexist)]

[Inheritance overview: One of the core branches of the ancient forbidden Dao tradition Nine Nether Profound Chapter. It abandons the orthodox path of cultivating the human body and upholds the ultimate creed of seizing the essence of Heaven and Earth to make up for one's own deficiencies. Using Taiyin as its furnace and all living beings as fuel, it forges the Taiyin Dao Body, stealing their forms, seizing their spirits, and prolonging its life!]

[After successfully refining and fusing the origin organs of demons, monsters, or the uncanny, the unique secret techniques of Taiyin Ghost Form Manual can strip away and devour a portion of those beings' remaining origin vitality and lifespan, converting them into pure life essence to nourish the cultivator and directly increase their lifespan.]

[Complete cultivation system (must be unlocked in sequence; currently, only the Aperture Opening chapter meets the basic cultivation requirements):

1. Aperture Opening chapter (Qi Refining stage): Open Yin Apertures, condense Taiyin Qi, and temper the spirit and body.

Prerequisite for cultivation: spirit strength ≥ Grade B, lower grade.

[Current recommendation: Prioritize cultivating the Aperture Opening chapter, opening Yin Apertures and condensing Taiyin Qi.]

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