Upon returning to the stone house, Zhou Wuji didn't even greet Daoist Yiping before heading straight to his room.
The main problem was that the back of his Daoist robe was torn to shreds and was in terrible condition.
He ventured deep into the underground cave to slay demons, and his Five Yin Pouch contained nothing else.
After taking a sip of cold water and changing into his Daoist robe, Zhou Wuji finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He secretly rejoiced, realizing he had been too arrogant this time. He thought he had mastered the Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder technique to perfection and, with his precious sword in hand, dared to challenge ghosts two ranks higher than himself.
The battle just now was extremely dangerous; the Ghost Marshal's strength far exceeded his expectations.
The star-shaped garment formed by the Big Dipper Heavenly Gang Divine Incantation was shattered with a single blow.
Fortunately, he had the Heavenly Puppet and the White Rainbow Sword, and in the critical moment, he turned the sword around and killed the Ghost Marshal!
Of course, he wouldn't have taken the risk without these two treasures.
Zhou Wuji calmed down, retrieved the battle from his memory, and repeatedly reviewed it through his sea of consciousness.
His powerful Divine Sense allowed him to record various details of the battle, but in the midst of intense combat, his consciousness could only process the most important information.
Now, by reconstructing the entire battle through his sea of consciousness, Zhou Wuji can re-observe various battle details and review the gains and losses of the battle.
After watching the battle dozens of times, Zhou Wuji felt that he had handled it quite well.
If he hadn't activated the Army-Breaking Dharma Talisman within the White Rainbow Sword, he wouldn't have been able to so easily sever the Ghost Marshal's body with that sword strike.
As the Ghost Marshal was struck by the sword Spirit Transformation, forming a new body behind him.
This change directly transformed his position in the void and then re-formed his body, making it both unpredictable and extremely powerful.
Even with his powerful Divine Sense, he couldn't capture the Ghost Marshal's transformation process. If he couldn't observe it, he couldn't record it.
Therefore, no matter how many times he watched the battle, he couldn't understand the details of Ghost Marshal's changes.
This can only be attributed to the fact that the Fourth Rank ghost possessed some kind of Divine Ability, enabling it to be so unpredictable.
Zhou Wuji thought this clone transformation technique was quite powerful, but unfortunately, he hadn't even understood it, let alone learned it.
After nearly causing an accident, Zhou Wuji realized he couldn't take any more risks; there was no need for them.
After all, they were just some ghosts, only able to provide Origin Profound Qi and save him some cultivation time.
This time they were lucky; if they encountered Fourth Rank Ghost Marshal again, the outcome would be uncertain.
After dinner, Zhou Wuji instructed Yang Tie Ying to hone his True Qi at the entrance of the first floor and not to go deeper.
The Fourth Rank Ghost Marshal is hiding on the fourth level and doesn't come out because the runes and arrays on the first and second levels have a huge suppressive effect on it. Also, the levels below the fourth level are probably more suitable for high-ranking ghosts, so it has no intention of coming out.
Zhou Wuji gave him a word of advice, fearing that Yang Tie Ying might foolishly venture deeper into the underground cave and encounter a powerful ghost, which would be disastrous.
Lying on the hard wooden bed that night, Zhou Wuji opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.
Today we encountered great risks, but the gains were also quite good. The Ghost Marshal can be transformed into six taels and one mace of Origin Profound Qi.
This was also the most powerful ghost he had ever captured.
In addition, there were two Ghost General and eleven Ghost Soldier.
Zhou Wuji first transformed six Ghost Soldier, adding a total of one hundred points of True Qi, while the last Ghost Soldier only had a pitiful dozen points.
The Ghost Soldier, numbering only a few ounces, were of very little value to him.
He wouldn't gain much True Qi even if he used the remaining five Ghost Soldier, so he simply saved them for the Five Yin Pouch.
The remaining two Ghost General and one Ghost Marshal were all converted into Origin Profound Qi by him.
A thick golden light flowed throughout the body, eventually converging at nine acupoints. This cycle repeated thirty-six times before flowing into the Divine Aperture between the eyebrows.
Zhou Wuji felt a surge of joy as he sensed the calm yet profound and abundant True Qi within his Divine Aperture.
This feeling is like clenching your fist, bending your arm, and tensing your muscles; you can feel your own strength, which in turn generates a sense of fulfillment and security.
Upon opening the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, his True Qi increased by approximately 60%, reaching a total of 5,500.
Among them, the Fourth Rank Ghost Marshal was promoted by 2,000, and the two Ghost General were promoted by a total of 1,500.
At his current cultivation speed, plus the refinement of his acupoints, he can perfect the nine acupoints in three or four months at most, open a stable upper Dantian, and reach the peak of the Sixth Rank.
Next year, I should be able to open my mind and advance to the Fifth Rank.
Zhou Wuji felt that this speed was still very fast. At the age of twenty-four, he was Fifth Rank, which was quite impressive among the current generation of the Northern Pole Sect.
Of course, whether or not to be so high-profile depends on the specific circumstances.
We don't know the situation in the Upper Court yet, so there's no need to speculate.
A significant advancement in True Qi level means a substantial increase in the power of Law Technique and Swordsmanship.
Zhou Wuji's mind raced again. Taking shortcuts was so cool, but it was also a bit dangerous.
But what is safe to do?
He forcibly suppressed this idea; Fourth Rank Ghost Marshal was too dangerous. He should think of another way.
By the way, Zhang Shiheng has been transferred. As for Zhang Yunfeng and Zhang Banshan, maybe it's time to find a chance to kill them...
Zhou Wuji felt no guilt about it; they were the ones who wanted to kill him, and he was simply retaliating.
As the sages said, it is impolite not to reciprocate.
Zhiyuan had reminded him, but he didn't want to hear Zhiyuan's reminder now.
However, a suitable opportunity must be found.
As Zhou Wuji's cultivation deepened, so did his thoughts. The people he wanted to kill were powerful Aristocratic Clan families with profound foundations, and it was definitely not something that could be accomplished with just one sword strike.
We also need to consider how to handle the aftermath and how to keep our tracks hidden.
Thinking of this, Zhou Wuji felt a little regretful. If his Heavenly Puppet Technique could be upgraded to the perfect level, he should be able to truly unleash the power of this Law Treasure.
By utilizing the wondrous abilities of the Heavenly Puppet, one might be able to kill someone without them even realizing it.
However, the Heavenly Puppet is ultimately an external object, and its secret techniques are strange and vastly different from the Secret Method of the Northern Pole Sect. Right now, it is better to improve one's own cultivation, and there is no need to rush into these unorthodox methods.
With Zhang Shiheng gone, who will take over the Pacification Office? What is the current power structure in Yunyang City?
With Yizhen and Wuming gone, he had no way of knowing anything and was now completely in the dark.
Yiping- Master Yiping doesn't even recognize all the people in the Lower Court, so there's no way to count on him...
Zhou Wuji thought of Wuming's explanation, and wondered whether Jin Ying was reliable or not.
The main issue is that the other person was a young girl, and it wasn't really appropriate for him to go over and chat with her for no particular reason...
The next day, Zhou Wuji didn't go into the underground cave. He spent the day chatting with Daoist Yiping and reading leisurely books.
When they moved here this time, they didn't bring anything else, but they did bring quite a few books from the Flying Profound Hall.
Zhou Wuji flipped through some books for a while, and suddenly remembered that he had gotten a gourd from the Cold-Blooded Twin Fiends, but he still didn't understand what it was for.
He decided to ask his Yiping, who, despite being a layperson, had read countless books and might know something about this.
"Uncle-Master, look what this is?" Zhou Wuji handed over a palm-sized yellow jade gourd.
Daoist Yiping took the gourd and examined it from top to bottom. His eyes lit up when he saw the two characters on the bottom of the gourd.
Daoist Yiping was no good at anything, including refining artifacts, Daoist Yiping objects, but he did read a lot of books and knew many ancient scripts.
He pointed to the two characters on the bottom of the yellow jade gourd and said, "These two characters are pronounced ' Moon Soul '."
"This script dates back to a previous dynasty; it's very historical. This gourd is an antique..."
Daoist Yiping recognized the two complex ancient characters, and he was very pleased with himself.
According to ancient records, the Moon Soul should be related to the Greater Yin Qi. This gourd should be able to absorb the moon's essence, right?
When asked about the gourd's uses, Daoist Yiping became somewhat vague.
Zhou Wuji nodded. "That should be it."
He has always been very busy and has no time to study the jade gourd.
The Yin Qi inside the gourd was pure, but it had no effect on him.
If it can truly absorb the moon's essence and continuously generate Greater Yin energy, then it will be somewhat useful.
For example, those who practice the Law Technique or martial arts of the Greater Yin lineage, including evil beings such as ghosts and demons, mostly prefer Greater Yin energy.
Zhou Wuji suddenly realized that the Cold-Blooded Twin Fiends treasured the gourd because they used Greater Yin Qi to nurture ghosts...
For the Heavenly Ghost Sect, this was a priceless treasure.
No wonder they have Sixth Rank Ghost Soldier despite their low cultivation level!
If that's the case, then feeding the Five Yin Pouch with the Greater Yin Qi is also an option.
Zhou Wuji returned to his room, closed the doors and windows, and released the five Yin Spirit from the Five Yin Pouch.
Then, some Greater Yin Qi, as clear as water, was poured out of the yellow jade gourd, and the five spirits indeed took the initiative to swallow the Greater Yin Qi.
However, it had no direct effect.
This is normal; he nourished the Five Spirits with a great deal of Origin Profound Qi, which is far more than a little bit of Greater Yin Qi.
Therefore, this gourd was practically useless to him. He could only keep it to give away or sell for money.
Zhou Wuji thought of Jin Ying; it might be a good reason, and besides, this thing really was useless...
But he wasn't in a hurry; there was still plenty of time...
Since the five Ghost Soldier were useless, Zhou Wuji directly converted them into Origin Profound Qi and fed them to the five spirits.
Sixth Rank Ghost Soldier is a great tonic for five Seventh Rank Yin Spirit.
This also allowed the Five Yin Pouch, who had reached the pinnacle of the Transformation Realm, to immediately ascend to the state of complete perfection.
For Zhou Wuji, this was an unexpected delight.
The Five Yin Pouch, at its perfect state, has expanded its carrying space to a size of eighteen feet square, and can transform into various forms at will.
For example, he could transform into a black robe and drape it over his body to isolate his Spiritual Qi; it was practically essential for doing bad things.
This Law Technique has reached its limit.
He just needs to go to the Upper Court, complete the Sixth Rank advancement, and then cultivate the Five Spirit Pouch. It's just unknown whether the Five Yin Pouch can be transformed into the Five Spirit Pouch...
In the following days, Zhou Wuji spent his days chatting and making tea with his Uncle Yiping, or reading and studying.
In the evenings, he would instruct Yang Tie Ying in sword practice and cultivation, and occasionally offer guidance to Shangxing.
This continued until early July, when the weather became increasingly hot and dry.
However, cooking and boiling water inevitably require the use of firewood.
A while ago, Zhou Wuji was refining pills and used a lot of firewood, which quickly ran out.
Daoist Yiping then instructed Shangxing to go to the steward to collect the money, and Shangxing went with Yang Tie Ying.
Zhou Wuji didn't pay much attention, but soon Shangxing and Yang Tie Ying ran back. Shangxing was panting heavily, while Yang Tie Ying was neither red nor out of breath, but his expression was a bit strange.
"Uncle-Master, something terrible has happened! Senior Brother beat up the people from the Bixing Hall..." Shangxing said, his voice filled with anxiety, almost on the verge of tears.
Yang Tie Ying, with his neck stiff, said, "Master, those guys from the Bixing Hall are going too far! They said we used too much firewood and told us to wait a few days."
"I was so angry that I said a few words to him, but he mocked me for being a country bumpkin. In a fit of rage, I slapped him twice..."
At this point, Yang Tie Ying became a little guilty, and her voice lowered.
Shangxing was so anxious that he wrung his hands and stamped his feet, sighing repeatedly. He felt that hitting someone from the Bixing Hall had made this a huge problem.
He had a good relationship with Yang Tie Ying and was very afraid that Yang Tie Ying would be punished because of this.
Zhou Wuji chuckled and said, "You're such a simpleton. Just talk things out. Don't always think about resorting to violence."
"You were lucky this time; the real experts weren't around, so you got a good deal. Next time you encounter someone strong, you won't be able to escape even if you want to."
"Oh." Yang Tie Ying breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhou Wuji's smiling face, which seemed to indicate no intention of punishing him.
Zhou Wuji then said to Shangxing, "It's all a small matter, you don't need to worry."
Before he could finish speaking, a commotion arose outside, and several Daoist priests wearing Hunyuan crowns pushed open the door and entered...