My Lord, Your Talent Is Great, but Can Your Divine Sense Meet the Requirement?

Li Chenxiao led Li Zhengjun to a side hall. Unlike the busy, noisy offices elsewhere, the hall held only one person, who looked like an assistant and stood with his hands at his sides.

Li Zhengjun stepped inside, and his heart stirred slightly as his gaze fell on the man.

He was an immensely burly fellow, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, standing there like a mountain of flesh.

Li Zhengjun had already developed Divine Sense and could tell that the presence surrounding the man was rather strange. At first glance he looked human, but closer inspection revealed a streak of Demon Beast wildness.

When the man saw Li Zhengjun, he did not wait for Li Chenxiao to speak. He immediately prostrated himself and knocked his forehead heavily against the floor three times:

"This lowly one, Li Hupeng, greets you, my lord!"

Hearing the name, Li Zhengjun understood. This cultivator was a tiger demon.

"Rise and speak. You serve our own Lineage, so there is no need for such a grand greeting. Thank you and your branch for all your efforts on the Lineage's behalf over the years. In the future, we may have to rely on you even more in the Great Scarlet Realm."

Li Hupeng rose carefully and answered respectfully:

"It is an immense blessing for my branch to serve you, my lord. Though I have read little of the Dao and its arts, I do know what it means to repay a kindness. Whatever you need, my lord, you need only give the word. This life of mine is yours to command."

Li Chenxiao spoke up at an opportune moment, briefly explaining the tiger demon's origins to Li Zhengjun:

"Hupeng's ancestor was saved by the True Person long ago. Since then, his branch has served our Household for generations, never once harboring divided loyalties."

Hearing this, Li Hupeng showed no resentment at being a servant born into the Household. Instead, he looked rather proud.

"When the shamans came east, they seized my people for sacrifices. If the True Person hadn't saved him, my branch's line would have ended with my ancestor. Later, the True Person killed the shamans and avenged my ancestor's blood feud. A debt like that couldn't be repaid in ten or even a hundred generations, let alone a few! Giving our lives for the Li Household is the glory of my branch!"

His words were heartfelt and sincere, without a trace of falsehood or pretense.

Li Hupeng's pride came from his loyalty to the Li Household, something none of its other Demon Beasts could match.

Over the years, the Li Household had taken the true spirits of his branch, but in exchange they had received protection for generations, sparing them from living in fear day and night like the wild demons in the mountains.

They could cultivate in peace and were provided with Cultivation Methods and spiritual resources. Such a life was more than a hundred times better than that of their kin who devoured flesh and drank blood.

Li Zhengjun nodded, then changed the subject:

"I am going to another realm this time, and I need Li Huchan of your younger generation to accompany me. He will be responsible for negotiating with the tiger demons there and helping me open the mountains and establish a residence. In a little while, make a trip and summon him for me. I have some instructions to give him in person."

When Li Hupeng heard that one of his descendants could set out for another realm and carry on his ancestor's glory, his whiskers trembled with excitement.

What did this mean?

It was the equivalent of the merit of following a dragon!

Once his lord attained the Purple Mansion, this descendant of his would surely have a boundless future.

If the young fellow rendered some great service as well, perhaps their whole branch could ascend to heaven along with the chickens and dogs.

The Li Household's merit system had already been established, and the Radiant Brightness Pavilion had even entered the names of the first ten descendants into it. Of those who knew the secrets of the two realms, who did not hope their own descendants could go to the other realm?

Li Hupeng immediately thumped his chest and said in a booming voice:

"Rest assured, my lord! I'll go fetch that brat right now. If he dares show the slightest negligence, I'll break his legs myself!"

Li Chenxiao stroked his long brows with a smile.

Li Huchan was the candidate he had recommended in the first place. Now that he saw how sensible this branch was, he naturally shared in the honor as the one who had made the recommendation.

After Li Hupeng withdrew, his expression turned solemn. He took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:

"My lord, there is no time to lose. I shall explain the spirit-binding method to you now. This method is no small matter, and it is extremely difficult to learn the basics. A cultivator must possess powerful Divine Sense to practice it. Since you have formed the Jade Capital Wheel, your Spiritual Sense has just awakened, and you have a Bright Yang method as a foundation. Your Divine Sense is far stronger than that of others at the same realm, making this an excellent time to practice the method."

The Jade Slip was black throughout, with the words "Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Nature-Binding Instruction" engraved on it.

Li Zhengjun sent his Divine Sense into it and took its essential points into his mind one by one.

Only after he had looked through it did Li Chenxiao begin explaining its crucial points in detail.

"The foundation of this method lies in using your own Divine Sense to invade the other party's spiritual terrace and locate their true spirit. A Demon Beast's true spirit is not its life soul. It is hidden in the deepest part of the spiritual terrace, wrapped in layers of chaos, and serves as the seat of its 'nature.'"

"Binding the spirit does not mean actually removing the true spirit. If that were done, the Demon Beast would be no different from a dead thing. The spirit-binding method involves condensing Divine Sense into a 'Terrace-Suppressing Seal,' breaking through the chaos, and driving it into the Demon Beast's spiritual terrace to suppress its true spirit and strip its 'nature' from it. With that 'nature' in hand, the Demon Beast's life and death, actions, joy, and anger all depend on a single thought from the practitioner."

"However, if the practitioner is careless and their Divine Sense is injured by that chaos while invading the other party's spiritual terrace, they may suffer damage to their soul at best. At worst, they may suffer backlash from the Demon Beast's 'nature,' leaving them witless in lighter cases and dead in severe ones."

Seeing that Li Zhengjun was listening intently, he added:

"The greatest difficulty in learning this method lies in the strength of one's Divine Sense. If a cultivator's Divine Sense is not sufficiently condensed, it will be like rootless duckweed, losing its direction as soon as it enters the Demon Beast's spiritual terrace and being scattered by the violent thoughts within that chaos."

"So I must remind you again and again, my lord: haste makes waste. Time passes at different rates in the two realms. Once you return to the Great Scarlet Realm, you can enter seclusion and take your time. It should not delay your trip to Gold-Bearing Mountain either. After learning the basics, you must practice often on low-level Demon Beasts and only turn to higher-level ones once you have fully mastered it. That is the prudent approach."

Li Zhengjun committed everything to memory and repeatedly asked about several obscure points.

Strangely enough, though the Cultivation Method was obscure, Li Zhengjun encountered no obstacles in learning it. With an expert like Li Chenxiao guiding him, he grasped most of the essentials for getting started with the Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Nature-Binding Instruction in just two hours.

He rose to take his leave. "Uncle, I have a general understanding now. I'll return to the Great Scarlet Realm to study and practice it, and ask for your guidance again when I next return."

Li Chenxiao nodded. "If you encounter any obstacles in your cultivation, my lord, come back and find me at any time. I won't leave for the next few days; I'll wait here in the hall."

After Li Zhengjun disappeared from the front of the hall, Li Chenxiao gazed in the direction he had gone, his two long brows drawing together slightly as he murmured:

"Even with time passing differently in the two realms, learning the basics of the Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Nature-Binding Instruction is so difficult that it took me a full half year back then... My lord's talent is great, but I wonder whether his Divine Sense can carry him through?"

With that thought, he immediately went to find the head of the Household, Li Zhengchen. If the clan had any spiritual treasures that strengthened Divine Sense, now was the time to bring them out.

The Great Scarlet Realm.

Two days had passed.

Li Chenxuan had finished interrogating the two Sun Household cultivators and squeezed every last scrap of information out of them. However, the Sun Household's beast-taming method was protected by a restriction on their souls, so neither of them could speak of it.

When asked about the Owl that was still nearby, neither could speak of it either, as though the spirit beast was also a secret of the Sun Household.

Li Zhengjun did not care. After all, he now had the Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Nature-Binding Instruction, which was stronger than the Sun Household's beast-taming method by who knew how many times.

He did not pause for a moment after returning. He asked about the Lineage's recent circumstances, and finding nothing amiss, hurriedly threw himself into cultivation.

Li Yuankai had already activated the [Profound Subtlety Breath-Concealing Heaven-Hiding Grand Array] in the quiet chamber, locking in every fluctuation of spiritual Qi.

Not only did this conceal his presence, it also created an utterly quiet environment for Li Zhengjun, helping him cultivate soul Technique Methods.

After taking the pills and spiritual treasures Li Chenxiao had given him, Li Zhengjun settled into meditation and began cultivating.

Before long, he perceived the danger of this Cultivation Method.

This method was actually a kind of body tempering as well, but unlike the transformation his grandfather had wrought on his physical body, this seemed to temper his Divine Sense, and Li Zhengjun found it just as painful.

At that moment, it was as though enormous waves had risen in his sea of consciousness. Countless distracting thoughts churned endlessly, carrying intense pain with them, seemingly intent on dragging him into the chaotic abyss within it.

It was just as Li Chenxiao had said: there was no way to learn the basics in just one or two attempts. Although Li Zhengjun knew how to master the basics, his Divine Sense was evidently somewhat too weak to withstand such torment.

Getting started was difficult after all.

At this critical moment, a sudden change occurred.

The [Great Sun Golden Crow Nine Luminaries Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror] rose abruptly within his sea of consciousness!

The treasure mirror rose from the sea like a great sun, sending ten thousand rays of golden light pouring forth and illuminating the entire sea of consciousness as brightly as day.

Those distracting thoughts were swept away in an instant. The sea of consciousness, previously mired in chaos, returned to the light in a moment, becoming clear as a mirror!

Delighted, Li Zhengjun hurriedly seized this heaven-sent opportunity and drove the Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Soul-Binding Instruction's circulation method to its limit.

After an unknown length of time, his spiritual terrace was clear and still, and all was silent.

Li Zhengjun felt as though his Divine Sense had been reborn in that instant, rising to a higher level. It was as though he could use it to probe directly into another person's spiritual terrace, observe their true spirit, and discern their true nature.

The Mystic Terrace Spirit-Suppressing Soul-Binding Instruction was mastered!

He slowly opened his eyes and counted on his fingers, only to freeze.

From entering meditation to mastering it, no more than three days had passed in all.

"I mastered this Technique Method in three days?!"

He murmured to himself, both surprised and delighted.

"It seems this Mystic Mirror within me can do far more than travel between the two realms. It also has a remarkable effect on Divine Sense. With it, cultivating soul Technique Methods in the future will yield twice the results with half the effort."

As he marveled, he suddenly noticed another change in the Mystic Mirror within his sea of consciousness!

With a single glance, Li Zhengjun was stunned.

"This... my Mystic Mirror... advanced in rank?"