With his mind made up, Jiang Ci'an jumped down from the tree, landing soundlessly on the soft earth.
Indifference quietly enveloped him, concealing his presence completely. At the same time, Electrolux's concealment magic covered him at full power.
With the two layers of concealment, the Medusa snakes ahead remained completely unaware of Jiang Ci'an's approach.
They were each sprawled in the shade around the boulders, languid and motionless, as if taking an afternoon nap.
At the center of the group, a Medusa Empress—obviously much larger than the others—coiled in the shadiest corner.
Its tail was thick and long, at least ten meters by Jiang Ci'an's estimate. Without a doubt, it was a ten-thousand-year Medusa Empress.
Its eyes were half open, and each breath carried a foul, fishy stench. Occasionally, saliva dripped from its mouth, corroding tiny pits in the ground.
Jiang Ci'an's gaze lingered on the Medusa Empress for a moment. Then, moving lightly, he naturally stepped through the gaps between the snakes' tails.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Soon, Jiang Ci'an reached the Variant Medusa.
The power of Indifference quietly spread over it.
The Variant Medusa had already been dozing. Under the influence of Indifference, it seemed to sink into an even deeper sleep.
Its chest rose and fell more slowly, and the writhing of its snake hair gradually stopped. Its whole body lay relaxed and motionless on the stone, utterly peaceful.
Jiang Ci'an raised a hand and gently touched his brow.
Liquid emerald-green metal slowly flowed from the center of his brow, gathering in his palm to form a short blade.
The blade was slender and entirely emerald green, like a piece of jade carved into a knife, radiating a rich aura of life.
Jiang Ci'an turned his wrist. The next instant, the blade soundlessly sank into the Variant Medusa's neck.
No cries.
No struggle.
The Variant Medusa remained asleep, completely still.
Only its already pale face seemed to grow paler as its life was slowly drawn away.
Jiang Ci'an remained calm, holding the short blade steadily in place as he sensed faint feedback from it.
A moment later, once he was certain the Variant Medusa was at death's door and had lost all ability to resist, Jiang Ci'an withdrew the blade, coiled its body up, and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
Its tail hung at his side, the massive body heavy against him. But for someone whose body had been tempered by the Body Tempering Method, the weight was nothing.
He retraced his steps, moving lightly.
The Medusa snakes remained peaceful, completely unaware that an intruder was carrying one of their own away.
Before long, Jiang Ci'an had put some distance between himself and the group. He opened the gray door and carried the Variant Medusa straight through, vanishing completely.
Only after he had been gone for quite some time did the increasingly scorching sunlight make the shade beneath the boulders grow warm.
Among the snakes, one Medusa shifted and woke naturally. Then a second, a third... until even the Medusa Empress at the center gradually awoke. Its gaze swept over the surroundings, and at last, it noticed something was wrong.
The group erupted into chaos and scattered in all directions, searching for traces of the intruder and sending flocks of birds fluttering up from the forest.
None of it had anything to do with Jiang Ci'an, who had already retreated into the Undead Demi-plane.
Undead Demi-plane.
Ignoring what was happening outside, Jiang Ci'an threw the Variant Medusa from his shoulder onto the ground. The Blade of Life in his hand cleanly severed its final trace of life.
There was no pain, no struggle. The Variant Medusa died soundlessly in its sleep.
Then a deep-purple Soul Ring slowly emerged from the Variant Medusa's body, its color seeming even more profound beneath the Undead Demi-plane's cold, dim light.
Jiang Ci'an sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to steady himself. Then he turned to look at the side.
"Elder Yi, sorry for the trouble."
Electrolux gave a slight nod. His gray robe stirred despite the absence of wind, and he replied with a soft laugh,
"Of course."
Jiang Ci'an nodded and said no more. He closed his eyes again and began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Soul Power surged from his body, like countless tiny hands slowly wrapping around and drawing in the deep-purple Soul Ring. It circled him, then gradually contracted, bit by bit entering his body.
In an instant, Jiang Ci'an felt an enormous surge of energy rush into him.
It was like one stream suddenly joining another, its waters swelling all at once. The violent energy barreled through his meridians, trying to burst through every inch of space that could expand.
His body grew stronger, but at the same time, it began to swell slightly.
Fine cracks appeared across the surface of his skin. Blood seeped from them, glimmering with faint streams of energy, but the cracks did not split fully open. Instead, they held in a strange balance.
Jiang Ci'an frowned slightly as he suppressed the energy, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.
It hurt, but it was still within what he could bear.
Without hesitation, the Eye of Life quietly opened at the center of his brow.
Emerald-green life force flowed from his brow, like a warm, supple film of water that wrapped around his entire body.
A cool sensation seeped from his skin into the depths of his body. Wherever it reached, the fine cracks began to heal, and the swelling pain gradually eased.
At the same time, the Body Tempering Method began to operate at full force.
Now Jiang Ci'an was no longer passively enduring the Soul Ring's surging energy. He actively guided it, sorted it, and absorbed it.
The energy pouring from the Soul Ring was gradually broken down along the Body Tempering Method's circulation route, then distributed throughout his limbs and bones to temper his muscles, bones, and meridians.
The process grew steadily smoother.
Beside him, Electrolux watched Jiang Ci'an's condition while observing the Soul Ring absorption with keen interest.
He was extremely interested in this world's system of cultivation.
Especially after Jiang Ci'an had shared the Body Tempering Method he had created himself and the cultivation technique called the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Electrolux had begun to form quite a few ideas.
Now was the perfect opportunity to observe it firsthand and learn what a Martial Soul and a Soul Ring were, as well as how this world's cultivation system operated.
His divine sense pierced Jiang Ci'an's skin and muscles, settling on the meridians being washed by the energy, the deep-purple Soul Ring slowly merging with Jiang Ci'an, and the Spirit Aperture between his brows that he had personally altered.
In his golden eyes, emerald green and deep purple lights mingled.
Time flew by.
Several hours later,
The fluctuations of Soul Power around Jiang Ci'an finally settled.
The deep-purple Soul Ring slowly formed around him, alongside the clear yellow First Soul Ring. One yellow, one purple, they quietly circled him, turning slowly.
Jiang Ci'an opened his eyes.
Light shimmered in his golden pupils, then quickly faded into stillness.
He lowered his gaze to the newly formed purple Soul Ring, sensing the information it conveyed. His eyes flickered slightly.
"How is it? Are you satisfied with the Soul Skill?"
Electrolux asked from beside him.
Jiang Ci'an nodded, his golden eyes brightening slightly.
"Very much so."
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