The Talk of Immortal Arts

Chapter 31: On the Subject of Immortal Arts

With the side quest completed and the threat of erasure finally lifted, Chen Lin was in high spirits.

Yang Qianqian stood a short distance away, looking tense and wary. Seeing that Chen Lin seemed to have returned to normal, she finally let out a sigh of relief. "Hey! You stinking demon, what just happened to you?"

"Heh, nothing. Besides, I have no more use for your blood."

Chen Lin chuckled. Naturally, he wouldn't tell the girl that he had completely stolen her innate divine ability and now possessed the same Sacred Body constitution as her. Such a shocking matter was better kept to himself.

"Really?"

Yang Qianqian's expression brightened, and she asked impatiently, "Then what about your promise to take me away from the Myriad Demon Sect..."

Before the girl could finish, Chen Lin waved his hand. "I keep my promises, but not right now."

"You!"

The girl's pretty face changed. Thinking Chen Lin was going back on his word, she was about to lash out and call him despicable and shameless in her annoyance.

Unexpectedly, before she could speak, Chen Lin continued, "You must realize that the Myriad Demon Sect's jurisdiction spans hundreds of miles and is fraught with danger. For the sake of your life, this matter requires some planning."

Yang Qianqian's mouth hung open, her eyes clearly stunned. She hadn't expected Chen Lin to say such a thing, and the insults she had been about to hurl were stuck in her throat.

Thinking it over carefully, Yang Qianqian suddenly realized that Chen Lin hadn't actually done anything too excessive to her. It seemed he wasn't the villain she had imagined... That made sense; why would a villain spend so many spirit stones to redeem her for no reason?

With this thought, the girl stared at Chen Lin, and the hostility in her eyes finally dissipated quite a bit. Little did she know that Chen Lin had only saved her because he was forced to by the Main God Coffin.

"Hey! You stinking demon, you seem a bit different from other demons."

Perhaps due to her naturally eccentric nature, the girl let go of her guard against Chen Lin and suddenly grew bolder. She walked over to his side, curiously circled him a few times, rolled her eyes, and said, "My master says that the Human Race and the Demon Race are irreconcilable, and that demon cultivators are all cruel, selfish, vicious, and cunning villains. But you don't feel like a bad person to me... Hmm, I suppose you're barely a good demon."

"A demon?"

Chen Lin's gaze grew distant. He chewed on the word "demon," then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh. "A demon it is. As long as I can resurrect her, what does it matter if I become a demon..."

Her?

The girl stared at Chen Lin suspiciously, clearly unaware of who the "her" in his mouth was. But upon hearing his words, she couldn't help but scoff. "Resurrect? Who are you trying to resurrect? Tell me, you stinking demon, have you cultivated until your brain broke? That's simply impossible. Once a person dies, their soul dissipates into this world. How could there be any chance of resurrection?"

"Perhaps..."

Chen Lin shook his head, not wanting to discuss the topic further. Yet, whenever he thought of the mystery of the Main God Coffin, a glimmer of hope stirred in his heart. This hope would urge him to evolve rapidly until he mastered all the secrets of the Main God Coffin; only then would he have a chance to resurrect Heart Piercer!

At this thought, a look of determination flashed across Chen Lin's eyes. He withdrew his focus, ignored the girl, and walked straight to a nearby meditation cushion to sit cross-legged.

He took a jade slip from his Storage Bag—it was the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation immortal art that Hong Qianlie had ordered him to cultivate. Looking at the jade slip in his hand, Chen Lin's expression turned uncertain.

The side quest was complete, but besides the trip to the Demon Prison, Chen Lin had one more thing to do: cultivate this so-called Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation. He wouldn't forget that in half a month, Hong Qianlie would personally check his progress. If that unfathomable old monster discovered he hadn't been cultivating, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Stinking demon, what are you doing? Are you cultivating some kind of immortal art?"

Seeing that Chen Lin had no intention of paying attention to her, Yang Qianqian pouted, feeling bored. But when she saw Chen Lin close his eyes and press a jade slip to his forehead, his face shifting between contemplation and a heavy frown, her curiosity was piqued, and she couldn't help but ask.

Chen Lin opened his eyes, put down the jade slip, and said nonchalantly, "Hmm, it's an immortal art to strengthen the soul."

"What?!"

Before Chen Lin's voice had even faded, the girl darted in front of him. Her small head nearly pressed against his as she stared at the jade slip in his hand with a suspicious look. "An immortal art to strengthen the soul? Such arts are extremely rare across the entire Nanli Continent. Where would a lowly Myriad Demon Sect disciple like you get something like this?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Lin paused, looked at the girl, and asked in confusion, "What, are soul-strengthening immortal arts rare?"

"Are you really ignorant, or are you just pretending?" The girl looked at Chen Lin helplessly and rolled her eyes. "This is common knowledge in the cultivation world. Although it's hard to sense soul power at the Innate stage, the stronger the soul power, the wider the sea of consciousness one can open, and the higher one's future achievements will be. That's why soul-strengthening immortal arts are what many cultivators dream of."

Chen Lin's heart stirred, and he asked suspiciously, "Isn't it said that the stronger the soul power, the harder it is for the physical body to bear it when opening the sea of consciousness, making it easy to collapse and die?"

"That situation only applies to your Demon Race."

Yang Qianqian snorted softly. "The Human Race is favored by Heaven; our souls are the most compatible with the world, and we are the darlings of cultivation. No matter how strong a human cultivator's soul becomes, we don't have to worry about the body being unable to bear it. Unlike you demons, who even face lightning tribulations when breaking through to the Sea Opening stage."

Chen Lin nodded inwardly, feeling both enlightened and moved. No wonder the Demon Race was declining day by day, suppressed by the Human Race into a tiny corner. Human cultivators were blessed by heaven, and as one grew and the other waned, human experts naturally emerged in endless succession.

However, it wasn't to say the Demon Race was useless. When cultivation levels were equal, demon cultivators were often stronger than human cultivators. This wasn't just because of their powerful physical bodies, but also because their innate divine abilities were strange, varied, and powerful. Comparing the two, it seemed somewhat fair.

These thoughts flashed through Chen Lin's mind, and he understood. Immediately after, his gaze flickered, and he asked again, "Little girl, are you saying that immortal arts that strengthen the soul are rare and precious?"

"Of course. Any immortal art capable of strengthening the soul is at least a 'King' grade art!"

The girl looked at Chen Lin and said, "Don't you know these common-sense questions about the cultivation world?"

Chen Lin rubbed his nose and smiled bitterly. "I've only just stepped into the Innate stage; I haven't had time to learn these things. I don't even know what the King grade you mentioned means."

"So that's how it is." A look of realization dawned on Yang Qianqian's face. Then, her eyes darted around, and she suddenly said with a grin, "I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell you about these common-sense things in the cultivation world. But after I'm done, you have to let me see the immortal art in your hand. How about it?"

Chen Lin froze, looking at the girl strangely. He hadn't expected the little girl to be eyeing the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation. However, the Nine-Nine Extreme Transformation was only suitable for demons to cultivate; even if she looked at it, she couldn't practice it. Thinking of this, Chen Lin nodded in agreement.

"Really?"

Seeing Chen Lin agree so readily, the girl was delighted. She cleared her throat twice and said slowly, "Then, first, let me tell you about the classification of immortal arts."

Chen Lin's expression shifted, and he listened carefully.

"Immortal arts are divided into two categories. Those like the 'Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow' grades are merely mundane immortal arts. At most, they can only take you to the Sea Opening stage before you hit a wall, and their power is limited. These are the common goods distributed by sects to outer disciples."

"The other category consists of immortal arts that transcend the mundane. These are treasured by major sects and are taught only to direct disciples."

"These arts are divided into five grades, corresponding to 'Human,' 'King,' 'Emperor,' 'Saint,' and 'Sovereign.' Of course, according to rumors in the cultivation world, above the 'Sovereign' grade, there is an even higher level of immortal art, known as the 'Extreme' grade!"

"The 'Extreme' grade represents the ultimate, the limit. Such arts have only appeared in legends and records; ordinary cultivators would be lucky to see one in their entire lifetime."

Chen Lin listened with rapt attention. When he heard of the 'Extreme' grade, he suddenly and inexplicably thought of the Dao Heaven he was cultivating.

Dao Heaven was a mysterious, ancient scripture. Even the Main God Coffin hadn't given it a specific grade. Its origins were incredibly mysterious, and although it was a fragment, Chen Lin vaguely felt that Dao Heaven was not as simple as an ordinary immortal art.