I Can Devour Spirits

Duan Rong looked at the two secret manuals in his hands, a slight redness in his eyes.

Xiao Zongting’s Weapon Spirit, he had once read.

Xiao Zongting imparted these two Martial Arts to him, giving them entirely without reservation, teaching him everything.

Duan Rong’s heart was touched, and he bowed his head onto the ground. ”The kindness of Elder Xiao’s teachings, Duan Rong vows never to forget!”

Xiao Zongting said, ”Stand up. Duan Rong, you have done a favor for my Xiao Family, no need for this.”

Duan Rong remained unmoved.

Xiao Zongting said, ”Xiao Yu, you too! Help Duan Rong up!”

Xiao Yu’s face flushed slightly, thinking that her and Duan Rong kneeling like this before Xiao Zongting felt akin to bowing before elders.

Xiao Yu helped Duan Rong to his feet.

Xiao Zongting looked at the two standing in front of him, remembering that tomorrow his beloved daughter and apprentice would both leave, suddenly feeling a void in his heart.

Xiao Zongting waved his hand, saying, ”I’m tired, you both can leave now.”

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu exited the main hall.

At the doorway, Duan Rong looked at Xiao Yu and said, ”Leaving tomorrow; you should spend some good time with the old man.”

Xiao Yu nodded and softly responded. Duan Rong immediately left the courtyard, and Xiao Yu kept watching Duan Rong’s figure until it disappeared, before withdrawing her gaze.

Duan Rong returned to Liu’s House, shut the courtyard door, and sat inside the pavilion in the courtyard.

First, he set aside the Soul-breaking Thirteen Techniques and began carefully examining the Cloud Serpent Step.

The secret manual for Cloud Serpent Step was complete, and Duan Rong’s Mastery of the Cloud Serpent Step was obtained directly from devouring the Artifact Spirit of Xiao Yu’s anklet. This was identical to the achievement of practicing the original secret manual.

However, the later realm, Minor Success Realm of Cloud Serpent Step, was realized through his own understanding while moving freely in Wild Boar Mountain.

At that time, the Cloud Serpent Step and the original manual had already become quite different.

Later enhancements were achieved through his attainment of Great Perfection Realm, a forceful leap similar to refining gold from base metals, without the layered accumulation of the original manual.

Now, as Duan Rong looked at the Cloud Serpent Step manual, he felt a sense of clarity emerging.

Many details that were coarse and inadequate suddenly became clear.

Some step techniques he had forcefully bypassed were completely and thoroughly recorded in the manual.

”Ah, so that’s how it is!...”

Duan Rong grew happier as he read, practicing the step technique in the courtyard with the manual in hand.

His body left afterimages, his steps were ethereal, and his gaze grew increasingly vivid.

”The brilliance of Cloud Serpent Step lies entirely in the details!”

Duan Rong suddenly moved towards a willow tree, walking straight to the treetop, stepping on tender branches, leaving afterimages and drifting back and forth.

Suddenly, Duan Rong jumped from the treetop to the kitchen roof.

He moved like a ghost across the closely packed tiles, yet the old and worn roof made no sound.

Duan Rong suddenly floated down lightly, landing steadily in the center of the courtyard.

As he landed, he continued to look down, focusing intently on the Cloud Serpent Step manual in his hand.

Duan Rong concentrated on studying the manual. Whenever he gained an insight, he practiced in the courtyard.

By dusk, Duan Rong had fully retrained the latter half of the Cloud Serpent Step!

Actually, following the normal path to cultivate this Lightweight Skill is incredibly difficult!

However, Duan Rong had obtained Master Level directly by devouring the Artifact Spirit, establishing a solid foundation.

And throughout his subsequent practice, he also achieved further realms in his own way.

Now, looking at the original manual was akin to reviewing and referencing, filling in gaps and rectifying errors, with all adjustments being detailed refinements.

As the sunset cast a crimson afterglow into the courtyard, Duan Rong finally finished reading the last page of the Cloud Serpent Step manual.

Duan Rong closed the manual, his heart filled with the joy of harvest.

The retrained Cloud Serpent Step was evidently much more powerful!

Duan Rong shifted his gaze to another manual on the stone table in the pavilion, despite feeling tired from a whole afternoon of focused practice.

Nonetheless, he had no wish to rest, for he had a significant query to explore.

Even though it was dinner time, Duan Rong had no time to eat, figuring the substantial meal he had at noon should suffice.

Duan Rong picked up the manual from the stone table and went inside.

By dusk, the interior had grown dim.

Duan Rong lit an oil lamp, sitting cross-legged on his bed!

He wanted to research the issue of True Qi Realm!

Through devouring Jie Daohan’s Obstacle Blade Artifact Spirit, Duan Rong had already obtained in conceptual knowledge the First Level of the Withered and Flourishing Wisdom Saber.

Moreover, he held the Soul-breaking Thirty Techniques manual given by Xiao Zongting.

If not for traveling to the sect tomorrow, he really wished to go into seclusion for a while and thoroughly research it.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the bed and immediately began refining True Qi from Inner Breath according to the Withered and Flourishing Wisdom Saber’s Qi Refinement technique!

Unlike cultivating Inner Breath, which requires a standing regimen because Inner Breath starts from Qi and blood, condensing from the surge of Qi and blood.

But cultivating True Qi is indeed different!

Its Qi Circulation Technique does not require standing but sitting cross-legged!

Although Duan Rong had obtained the First Level realm of Withered and Flourishing Wisdom Saber in knowledge, to truly achieve it still required painstaking effort.

Refining True Qi from Inner Breath bit by bit!

Unexpectedly, Duan Rong sat cross-legged and remained seated all night!

Not until the rooster crowed did he suddenly open his eyes; after a night of arduous cultivation, there was only a faint thread of barely detectable True Qi in his Dantian!

Duan Rong felt somewhat disheartened, as he’d become accustomed to explosive progress in his cultivation, with noticeable results daily.

Cultivating all night to refine a faint thread of True Qi left him somewhat disappointed!

”At this rate, when can I achieve the First Level?”

Duan Rong also understood this progress occurred in the absence of medicinal supplements. If supplemented, the speed would be much faster.

But such matters, he would have to find ways to solve upon entering the sect.

Suddenly, Duan Rong remembered something.

It was just this morning while practicing in the courtyard, he again entered that Great Void Realm!

At that time, within his Dantian, True Qi rapidly refined from Inner Breath, and in merely a few breaths, the refined True Qi was much more robust than what he achieved after a night of arduous cultivation!

But then, with a shift of thought, the Great Void Realm scattered!

Back then, he hadn’t the time to delve into this, interrupted by Zhu Xiaoqi’s arrival.

Now recalling, the Great Void Realm had its mysterious qualities!

Within the Great Void Realm, one could briefly step into the next realm, nearly achieving instant mastery!

Yet its downside was obvious; even a shift of thought would instantly disperse it, hardly valuable in practical combat.

Duan Rong suddenly remembered last year, about this time, he participated in the Apprentice Escort Master assessment!

During it, he briefly lost focus, actually swinging a saber at Chief Tutor Xiao Zongting.

Back then, Zhao Mu was terrified, hopping and cursing him!

Reflecting on it, he realized he had entered this Great Void Realm back then!

Duan Rong believed this occasional ability to enter the Great Void Realm wasn’t akin to the ability to devour Artifact Spirits, coming with his soul transference!

This ability originally belonged to his original self.

He was merely inheriting it!

As he recalled original memories, he found a few similar experiences from childhood!

However, this ability also seemed quite useless, completely uncontrollable, unpredictable when it would trigger!

Even if entering it sporadically, a mere shift of thought would immediately dissipate it.

His original self’s childhood experiences entering this realm only felt a sudden daze, abruptly waking, thinking it was some ailment, scared him thoroughly!

Duan Rong linked some old memories from deep within, unknowingly smiling slightly, soon casting aside thoughts of the Great Void Realm—it was too unreliable, uncontrollable, and couldn’t be relied upon!

As he saw dawn approaching, Duan Rong quickly extinguished the oil lamp, wrapped himself in a blanket, and lay down. Today he would leave Xianggu County for the sect, finally getting some rest, to restore his energy!