Chapter 86: Soul Projection Technique

Whether aptitude was important or not, Chen Luo didn’t know, but he did know that the founding master of Divine Lake Immortal Sect knew, as well as the other great peak lords at the top echelons of the sect.

If it were really so easy to defy fate and alter one’s destiny, there wouldn’t be such strict rules within the sect. Those who stepped onto the path of cultivation all began with great effort, yet sometimes, fate could not be changed by hard work alone; the difference between success and failure often lay in seizing opportunities when they presented themselves.

“I just broke through not too long ago, oh right, I wanted to ask Shimei about something.”

Chen Luo didn’t dwell on this topic further.

Luckily, Huang Ying happened to be here, which meant she could inquire about the Soul Projection technique. This shimei had always been quite knowledgeable since the beginning of her cultivation journey, so asking her would certainly yield results.

After cultivating small spells for so long, it was time to learn a true divine ability.

“Where can I learn Soul Projection?”

“Soul Projection? That counts as a formal spell now. If Shixiong wants to learn, he’ll have to go see Shizun.” As soon as Huang Ying heard his question, she understood Chen Luo’s intentions.

Once someone entered the middle stage of Qi Refinement, they would typically begin learning their first formal divine ability. These formal spells differed greatly from the smaller ones learned previously, both in terms of power and difficulty. To a casual cultivator, mastering a formal divine ability could serve as a formidable trump card.

“Find Shizun?”

As soon as Chen Luo recalled Wu Wei-zhenren’s attitude, his interest vanished.

This shizun was a textbook absentee landlord: he had only ever met him once since entering the sect. Seeking to learn from him would be like telling someone they were dreaming awake.

“Is there any other avenue?”

“Divine abilities aren’t like little spells. It’d be best if you asked your own shizun.”

Huang Ying caught on immediately and stared at Chen Luo with astonishment written all over her face.

“Elder brother, you haven’t gone to see Shizun yet?!?”

Elder Brother Chen had stayed too long at the cemetery; he completely failed to understand the rules of Peak of Enlightenment.

“There is a rule here that every disciple who breaks through the Qi Refinement stage can consult their venerable master with one question each month, on the third day.”

“That’s such good treatment! I didn’t know!” Chen Luo was stunned—he truly hadn’t been aware before.

His living-in-the-same-quarter shuimu-shixiong never mentioned this either, probably because he didn’t consider the new guy worthy of being treated normally. Who would go to the graveyard?

Huang Ying was torn between laughter and tears at the sight. How utterly unapproachable could Elder Brother Chen be, not even knowing something so fundamental about the sect? This kind of thing could easily be learned by casually chatting with a shixiong or shijie during missions.

When Huang Ying thought about how this person had never gone down the mountain to accomplish any missions, her bewilderment swiftly turned into resentment.

Everyone in their generation entered the same immortal sect.

Why was there such a huge disparity between them?!

“The Peak of Enlightenment is the main peak of the sect, so it naturally has all the expected legacies. The restriction on mid-Qi Refinement stage helps Shizun filter out a lot of time-wasting numbskulls and serves as a threshold for advancement. I heard that after breaking through to late Qi Refinement, one’s benefits increase; they get three opportunities per month to seek guidance from Shizun. If within three years you manage to reach the tenth level of Qi Refinement, you’ll be considered an Inner Sect disciple of the Peak of Enlightenment. Not only will you not be driven off the mountain, you can even reside in the core region where you can approach Shizun at any time to ask questions.”

At this point, a trace of longing flashed beneath Huang Ying’s eyes.

After half a year of training, these newly promoted disciples’ goals finally shifted from achieving immortality to becoming Inner Sect disciples.

Fu An, standing beside Huang Ying, grew yet more silent.

He belonged to the group who were filtered out by the threshold. He hadn’t thought much of it when he first heard, but now those words sounded unbearably grating to his ears.

“Since today isn’t over yet, Shixiong should hurry to the cultivation hall,” Huang Ying kindly reminded him. “If you wait until tomorrow, you’ll have to wait another whole month.”

Today was day three.

Realizing what this meant, Chen Luo swiftly rose to his feet and thanked Huang Ying before hurrying away.

Of course he would take advantage of this opportunity. Originally, he had planned on taking some more adventurous routes, but now it seemed like he could alter his plans slightly.

He followed the same path he’d taken earlier to arrive at the cultivation hall.

It had been half a year since Chen Luo entered the sect, yet he rarely came here. When he did, it was usually for small tasks such as cleaning or dusting.

When he arrived at the door, three shixiong were waiting outside, so Chen Luo obediently lined up behind them.

The trio inside left quickly, returning even faster, until it was Chen Luo’s turn.

He stepped forward, looking at the half-open copper doors ahead.

Chen Luo took a deep breath, then bowed respectfully at the entrance just as the three shixiong before him had done, addressing his teacher with utmost sincerity.

“Salutations, Shizun.”

“Come in.”

As soon as the voice echoed out, Chen Luo swiftly lifted his foot and walked in.

The ‘Xin Mo’ power surrounding Wu Wei-zhenren slowly dissipated, leaving only a faint trace. The bewitchingly lovely maiden turned her head back and threw a flirtatious glance at Chen Luo, making his heart skip a beat. He gained a deeper understanding of these paintings hanging upon the walls.

These artworks were undoubtedly treasures; the residual energy within them was terrifyingly potent.

“Eh? Qi Refinement Fifth Layer?”

Wu Wei-zhenren opened his eyes and spoke for the first time that day, looking Chen Luo up and down as he did so with a faint smile on his face. With his level of power, Wu Wei-zhenren could instantly tell what Chen Luo’s true cultivation base was.

“Excellent progress indeed,” he said. “What is your name?”

A genius who had broken through to cultivate the fifth level within half a year would have a high chance of remaining within the sect, making him worth paying attention to.

“Returning to Shizun, this disciple’s name is Chen Luo, from the She Nation,” Chen Luo respectfully replied.

He had come prepared when seeking out Wu Wei-zhenren. As a ‘genius’, it was essential to make oneself known in order to gain access to better resources and treatment.

“What do you wish to learn?” Wu Wei-zhenren asked.

“Soul Projection.”

Chen Luo responded immediately.

This was one opportunity; there was no need to waste it.

“You’ve already cultivated to the fifth level, so learning divine abilities is certainly appropriate. As a disciple of the Peak of Enlightenment, choosing Soul Projection is an excellent decision.” Wu Wei-zhenren nodded, expressing his approval of Chen Luo’s choice.

As they conversed, he extended his palm.

A rectangular spiritual slip the size of a paper token appeared in his hand, imbued with the legacy of Soul Projection, and was swiftly crafted into a spiritual slip.

“Soul Projection requires thirty spirit stones to learn, as established by our founding ancestor.”

Thirty?! Chen Luo’s mind went blank for a moment; he had used up all his spirit stones the night before, and if he’d known this would happen, he would’ve been more sparing with them.

“Since you’ve been studying under me, this master has yet to give you any introduction gifts. This Soul Projection technique counts as such.” Wu Wei-zhenren waved his hand, sending the spiritual slip containing Soul Projection flying from his palm straight into Chen Luo’s waiting hands.

“Many thanks, Shizun!” Chen Luo exclaimed internally, delighted.

Indeed, having aptitude did have its benefits—look how it saved him thirty precious spirit stones!

“A spiritual slip offers only one opportunity to learn, so whether or not you grasp the essence lies entirely on your own comprehension,” said Wu Wei-zhenren, closing his eyes once again, his painting powers reappearing around him.

Chen Luo bowed respectfully at the sight, then quickly withdrew.

Nightfall arrived.

At the cemetery.

Within his room, Chen Luo opened his eyes. He had just learned Wu Wei-zhenren’s Soul Projection technique. Like all other divine abilities and spells, once he grasped it, he immediately mastered it perfectly. Thirty-odd times during his lifetime, Chen Luo had studied this technique, so as soon as he understood its principles, the corresponding comprehension surfaced.

“Soul projection and spiritual refinement.”

Chen Luo recalled the details of Soul Projection.

Soul Projection was a divine ability that combined with techniques from the Peak of Enlightenment. In addition to basic gestures and incantations, one needed to cultivate experience.

The most important aspects were soul projection and spiritual refinement.

Spiritual refinement was easy enough: all one needed was ample spiritual energy. However, soul projection was more complicated; it required constant practice at ‘soul gathering’. Through repeated experimentation, one could find the most suitable method for their own cultivation. Some used forceful momentum, while others relied on imposing vocalizations.

In the annals of Divine Lake Immortal Sect, the person who cultivated Soul Projection with the greatest success was the infamous Zhenren Hun, whose method involved the sounds ‘hm’ and ‘ha’.

By yelling these two syllables, he would injure his enemies’ souls through the shockwave of his voice alone, thereby fusing sound and spiritual attack.