Three Souls Restored, Seven Spirits Returned

"An upper-grade mystic method. It really is an upper-grade mystic method."

Luo Fanchen's lips moved as he closed his eyes and concentrated on comprehending the art. His delight was plain to see.

The Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art was far more exquisite than he had imagined. It focused on nourishing the five organs from within.

A Spirit Sprout had to be planted in the liver. Thereafter, True Essence would arise from the liver and transform into the ever-renewing power of Yi Wood.

The True Essence it refined was balanced and gentle, yet it also gathered its strength like spring thunder before the Awakening of Insects, restrained until it burst forth. At its most wondrous, it could even clothe bare bones in flesh and regrow severed limbs.

"A Spirit Seed?"

Luo Fanchen murmured and turned his senses inward. Sure enough, he detected a sun-green bead within his liver.

The bead had no solid form. It was refined from pure wood-aligned True Essence, and whenever the True Essence in his body flowed through his liver, it transformed into Yi Wood True Essence on its own.

Moreover, the Spirit Seed ceaselessly tempered and cleansed the meridians and acupoints of his lung viscera. More than thirty percent of them had already opened.

When he reached the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, he might be able to skip the process of opening those acupoints entirely, greatly shortening the time needed to break through to the sixth level.

The fourth level tempered the spleen and stomach, the fifth tempered the lung viscera, and the sixth tempered the kidney essence.

"What formidable True Essence. I might... really be able to reach Foundation Establishment."

Luo Fanchen could hardly wait to circulate his qi and breathe it in, delighted by the abundance of Yi Wood True Essence and the art's ingenuity.

Yi Wood True Essence was thirty percent denser than the True Essence of the Longevity Art, and his breathing efficiency was over twenty percent higher than before. It far surpassed ordinary upper-grade mystic methods.

The art suited him perfectly. Judging by breathing speed alone, it let him catch up to a Four-Element Spirit Root cultivator practicing an upper-grade mystic method.

Four-Element Spirit Root cultivators were considered poorly gifted too, and rarely had an upper-grade mystic method to practice.

In other words, his cultivation speed now lagged little behind that of a Three-Element Spirit Root Rogue Cultivator. It eased one of his long-standing worries.

"Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming... I wonder which Dao Sect this Arcane Canon belongs to."

Luo Fanchen felt both joy and concern. He rejoiced in the art's profundity: at only the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, it could open all six auxiliary acupoints.

If he cultivated it to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining, he would likely possess more than twice as much True Essence as cultivators of the same level.

What troubled him was that this was undoubtedly an Arcane Canon passed down by a Dao Sect. If a country Rogue Cultivator like him dared to steal it and was discovered, his soul would surely be annihilated.

"Once Mo Xue joins the Luo Shen Pavilion, perhaps there'll be room to negotiate."

Luo Fanchen rubbed the wooden token in his hand and sighed. It was probably the identity token of the Dao Sect disciple who had died in meditation.

He had stolen that senior's sect inheritance. The secret art within the Jade Slip had surely marked his identity.

The world was divided into the Eight Wastes: Kan, Xun, Li, Zhen, Qian, Kun, Gen, and Dui.

Within them lay the Thirty-Two Domains. Each of the Five Great Mystic Sects held one wasteland exclusively, while the remaining three wastelands and dozens of islands belonged to the Eight Great Daoist Sects.

He lived in the Azure Source Domain of the Kan Wasteland, in the continent's north. It fell under the Luo Shen Pavilion and was governed in practice by its subordinate, the Clear River Sect.

"Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, Origin Returning Sword Sect, Luo Shen Pavilion, Dragon Elephant Mountain, Wisdom King Temple, Three Purities Grotto, Incense Burning Sect, Union of Bliss Sect."

Luo Fanchen murmured the names and recalled, one by one, the Eight Great Daoist Sects' distinctive traits and famous arts. He found nothing resembling the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art.

As a country Rogue Cultivator, his knowledge was shallow. Forget Dao Sect disciples; he had seen even a cultivator from their subordinate Clear River Sect only once, and from afar.

That cultivator had been at a mere third level of Qi Refining, yet had ordered Late Qi Refining Rogue Cultivators about like oxen and horses. What authority!

"It probably doesn't belong to a Dao Sect in the Kan Wasteland."

Luo Fanchen pressed his thumb to his temple and rubbed the wooden token with its pad, growing rather vexed.

The Sun-Moon Universe Pattern was likely a sect emblem. He did not recognize the seal script at all, nor did it resemble the array patterns commonly used in the Kan Wasteland. For now, he could only remain watchful.

For the next seven days, apart from Mo Xue's visits to check on his health, he stayed in seclusion and devoted himself to converting his True Essence.

The girl mentioned that plants had revived and spring thunder had suddenly sounded that day. Luo Fanchen remembered none of it. After gently reassuring her, he kept it in mind.

On another day, Luo Fanchen sat facing east and watched the rising sun. He drew Lesser Yang Qi into his dantian, guided it through three meridians, and circulated it through the Lesser Celestial Circuit using the finger-coiling method.

After a hundred cycles, all the unstable True Essence in his body had become Yi Wood True Essence. He had formally entered the first level of the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art.

"As expected of an art passed down by a Dao Sect."

Luo Fanchen slowly exhaled turbid air. This art was best practiced at sunrise. Once he had completely converted his True Essence, his cultivation had actually fallen back to the third level of Qi Refining.

Three wisps of Longevity Art True Essence were needed to produce one wisp of Yi Wood True Essence. The further his cultivation fell, the more exquisite the art was.

Fortunately, the acupoints were already open. He only needed to replenish his True Essence to return to the fourth level.

"There's no time left. If I can't bear to spend Spirit Stones, I won't refine the Soul Banner."

Luo Fanchen had wanted to take it slowly, but Qiu Yun's condition was worsening rapidly. He could only grit his teeth and use Spirit Stones to replenish his True Essence by force.

After refining Yi Wood True Essence, he absorbed Spirit Stones thirty percent more efficiently. In just three days, he returned to the fourth level of Qi Refining. The price was four Spirit Stones, an expense that made his heart bleed.

Four Spirit Stones equaled three years of his former income. He had not used that many for cultivation in his entire life.

The next day, Luo Fanchen emerged from seclusion. Mo Xue had been waiting for a long time. Her little face was haggard; clearly, she had not slept well.

"Master Luo, how did it go?"

"We can begin."

Luo Fanchen reached out and gently pinched Mo Xue's cheek. The girl retreated half a step as if to dodge, then stiffly offered her little face and let him knead it.

"You've worked hard."

His palm stroked the girl's hair. Ling Moxue's almond eyes narrowed, and the worry on her little face finally eased.

These past days, she had watched over Qiu Yun and seen her younger sister's meridians fail before her eyes. Death was already written on her face, leaving Mo Xue too frightened to sleep.

Only here beside Master Luo could she feel that long-lost sense of safety and find peace.

Thank goodness I have Master Luo to rely on.

"I'll still need you to guard me for the next few days."

With that, Luo Fanchen entered the bedroom. On the soft couch, Qiu Yun had grown so thin that she was scarcely recognizable, with only a thin layer of skin wrapped around her bones. It was hard to connect her with the tall, graceful beauty she had been.

Her complexion was ashen and her breathing almost imperceptible. Death showed plainly in her face. It would come within a day or two.

"There's still time."

Luo Fanchen closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Once True Essence filled his meridians, he formed a hand seal and summoned the Soul Banner.

Holding it, he poured in Yi Wood True Essence. The channels that had once resisted and stalled yielded easily. His essence soon flowed through the entire banner, giving him complete control of it.

"As expected of an upper-grade mystic method."

Luo Fanchen sighed. Before, the Longevity Art's qi had run out of strength before making it halfway through. Now he had opened every channel in the Soul Banner and still had roughly thirty percent to spare.

He wasted no time. Gently helping Qiu Yun upright, he took out an irregular, foul-smelling blood pill.

It was a First-Rank Low-Grade Demonic Pill called the Blood Absorption Pill. It could refine all the blood essence from a living cultivator for use in medicine or treasure refinement, while removing as many impurities from the blood as possible.

Qiu Yun could no longer open her mouth, so Luo Fanchen chewed the pill, pressed his lips to the girl's, and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth.

The blood pill stank, and the girl's lips were rough and cracked. There was not a trace of romance or pleasure in it.

The pill entered her body and tore through her meridians. All her organs dissolved into blood essence. The girl stopped breathing and died.

"Now."

The instant she died, Luo Fanchen formed a hand seal and sent her blood essence into the Soul Banner, chanting the Soul-Hooking Curse without pause.

"Three Souls restored, Seven Spirits returned!"

All his Yi Wood True Essence poured into the Soul Banner. The ghostly markings on its cloth twisted, a hazy bloodlight rose, and an eerie wind raged through the room, filling his nostrils with the smell of blood.

Luo Fanchen's brows drew tight. Nervous, he clenched his sleeve.

At the moment of death, the souls and spirits left the body. Although the Soul Banner could hook them, catching the complete Three Souls and Seven Spirits while preserving all their awareness was extremely difficult.

The Soul Banner was better suited to killing: it crushed part of the soul to destroy its victim.

For Soul Binding, capturing half was enough to interrogate and command the soul.

But the loss of even one spirit would grievously harm its Soul Essence, leaving it no hope of returning to life.

"It has to work..."

Luo Fanchen gritted his teeth, took out a Spirit Stone, absorbed its spiritual power, and poured in Yi Wood True Essence once more.

Soul Essence was invisible, but while commanding the Soul Banner, he could faintly sense the Soul Body's form.

Within the dim bloodlight, the Soul Banner used the mass of blood essence to locate its targets. Countless illusory ghost claws reached out, seized several clusters of light fleeing in all directions, and dragged them together.

The souls and spirits scattered too quickly. Though he had begun Soul Binding at once, only two souls and one spirit remained in the room.

He bit his fingertip and sent several drops of blood essence into the Soul Banner. His face abruptly turned pale.

The Soul Banner kept working. Each time his Yi Wood True Essence ran dry, the Spirit Stone replenished it. Luo Fanchen's eyes grew weary and his face haggard.

After fifteen minutes, the ghost claws spreading from the Soul Banner finally began to return from every direction with clusters of light, which merged into the banner.

Two souls and three spirits, then four spirits... six spirits, seven spirits!

Another fifteen minutes passed before the last cluster of light was caught. Yet one soul was still missing.

"That shouldn't be possible... How could it scatter so quickly?"

Luo Fanchen's lips were bloodless. He muttered on and on, trembling as he tried to activate the Soul Banner again. There was no response.

"Shuangling, Youjing..."

Luo Fanchen's expression stiffened, his face dark as water.

Those two were the human soul and the earth soul. The missing one was the most important of all: the heavenly soul, Taiguang.

That soul governed awareness. Without it, she would lose her clarity, spirit, and memories, becoming like a walking corpse. She could not even serve as a primary soul.

"Was this calamity destined to be?"

Luo Fanchen gave a bitter smile. He did not put away the Soul Banner, troubled by how he would explain this to Mo Xue.

Qiu Yun's gentle smile seemed to belong to yesterday. He could still picture the shy brightness of the girl's tear-bright eyes. Alas, her blessings had been too few.

"I'll take good care of Mo Xue. I hope you'll have a healthy body in your next life."

Defeat weighed on Luo Fanchen's heart. He was about to release the remaining two souls and seven spirits, letting her Soul Essence return to heaven and earth and enter the cycle of rebirth.

As he hesitated, Ling Moxue suddenly burst through the door. Her eyes were vacant, and her pale hands opened and closed weakly in the air.

Though her face held no expression, Luo Fanchen could sense the unwillingness and desperate longing in her.

His eyes brightened at once. He stirred the Soul Banner, gathered yin energy at his forefinger, and touched it to Mo Xue's brow.

"Bzz—"

The Soul Banner trembled. The eerie wind peeled an invisible, formless cluster of light from her brow and drew it out.

"Found it!"

Luo Fanchen was overjoyed. Fortunately, Qiu Yun had worried about her elder sister. Her wandering heavenly soul had instinctively taken refuge inside Mo Xue, escaping the fate of dissolution.

He carefully sustained the cluster of light until he guided it into the Soul Banner. Once it had merged completely, the nerves he had held taut for so long finally relaxed. Drained, he collapsed to the floor.

"It worked... It worked!"

Luo Fanchen panted like an ox, cold sweat streaming over him, yet he could not help laughing softly. His whole body felt light.

He had the pure wood spiritual power that had appeared in his lung viscera while he comprehended the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art to thank. Without it, how could he have kept commanding the Soul Binding for forty-five minutes?

He summoned the Soul Banner and closed his eyes to sense within it. The clusters of light had already gathered into the rudimentary form of a girl, her Soul Essence as solid as substance.

She had fallen asleep from the heavy loss of Soul Power, but a few days of nourishment with blood essence would restore her consciousness and preserve all her memories.

Her Three Souls and Seven Spirits were entirely unharmed. That a First-Rank Low-Grade Soul Banner could preserve them perfectly was nothing short of heaven's will.

"Mm... Master Luo, why am I here?"

After a while, Ling Moxue rubbed her eyes and rose unsteadily, her pretty face listless.

She only remembered waiting outside the door. Then Qiu Yun had suddenly come out and begun talking at length about what should happen after her death.

Her younger sister had told her to treat Master Luo as family from then on and to protect him even after joining a Dao Sect.

Her mind had been clouded at the time. She had only kept agreeing and asking Qiu Yun where she was going.

Qiu Yun had said nothing, merely smiling gently as her figure gradually faded. Just before she vanished, Mo Xue had instinctively gone to ask Master Luo for help. After that, she remembered nothing.

"It was thanks to you."

Luo Fanchen tapped the girl's forehead and gestured toward the Soul Banner with his chin. A faint smile appeared on his pale face.

"It worked. All Three Souls and Seven Spirits are there. If you join a Dao Sect and are fortunate enough to reach Core Formation, perhaps you can bring her back to life."

"It... it worked?"

"Yes!"

Luo Fanchen leaned against the couch, too exhausted to explain. Ling Moxue blinked blankly. Her downcast little face froze for a moment, then she began to sob with joy.

With trembling fingertips, she gently touched the Soul Banner. Then she turned to Luo Fanchen and flew into his arms.

"Wah—"

Luo Fanchen was too weak even to lift a hand. The girl knocked him onto his back, pinning him beneath her so he could not move.

"Th-thank you, Master Luo. I'm so glad you're here. So glad."

Mo Xue buried her face in his chest, her nose red, and rubbed her cheeks against him over and over.

Luo Fanchen grimaced. Her arms squeezed his waist and back painfully, leaving him with the helpless feeling of being bowled over and licked by a golden retriever.

"All right, you're acting like a child. I promised I would do it, so of course I gave it everything I had."

"You treat me like a child anyway."

Ling Moxue turned her cheek with a little huff, somewhat embarrassed as she looked at the front of his robe, damp with her tears and runny nose.

A faint blush tinged her little face. Somehow, Master Luo smelled much nicer than before, with the freshness of a tender sprout after a thunderstorm. It made her naturally want to draw close.

Only after a long while did she help Luo Fanchen sit up. Then she pressed her thighs together, carefully cradled the back of his head, and settled it in her lap.

"You've worked hard, Master Luo."

"You little girl. Show some respect."

Ling Moxue's fingertips trembled as she gently stroked Luo Fanchen's hair. At first her movements were hesitant, but they grew more natural until she was tousling it enough to make him smile helplessly.

The child was looking after him now. Still, he truly had no strength to resist.

"That's what you get for always treating me like a little girl, Master Luo. I'm eighteen already."

Ling Moxue gave a soft huff, a trace of grievance in her almond eyes. She seemed still to resent how he had led her by the hand around the city.

She deliberately mussed Luo Fanchen's hair, then gently smoothed it back into place. Before she knew it, she was humming a little tune she remembered her mother singing, her expression peaceful and tender.

Master Luo's hair was soft and a little wavy, but it felt lovely to touch and carried a faint pine scent.

That's right. This girl isn't a little child anymore.

Luo Fanchen's eyes narrowed. With the gentle tune lingering in his ears, his eyelids grew heavy. He let down his guard and fell into a deep sleep.

"Thank you, Master Luo."

Once Luo Fanchen's breathing had evened out, Ling Moxue gently brushed the hair from his forehead. She pursed her lips, bent down, and placed a light kiss on his brow.

There was no desire in it, only gratitude and reliance.

"I actually fell asleep."

By the time Luo Fanchen woke the next day, evening had fallen. He stared blankly for a moment, scarcely able to believe it.

Years of grueling cultivation had left him wary and suspicious. He had never dared sleep deeply in front of anyone, yet yesterday he had slept like the dead, without the slightest guard up.

Unexpectedly, he felt not a trace of lingering fear. Perhaps, as he had worked to earn Mo Xue's trust, he had unknowingly come to trust her too.