Immortal Refiner

Li Qing knew little about the mad elder imprisoned deep within the Ice Prison, only that his daoist name was Wu Yuan and his cultivation realm was the late foundation establishment stage.

In terms of age, he might even be older than Sect Leader Xu Yun.

Beyond these details, Li Qing knew nothing else.

”Hehehehe hahahahaha!”

Elder Wu Yuan was confined in a special cell at the deepest part of the Ice Prison, a place riddled with restrictions, shrouded in oppressive darkness, and permeated by an icy chill.

Clang! Clang!

Following the sound of rattling chains, Li Qing approached the cell step by step.

”Even the cell door is sealed shut. Elder Wu Yuan’s strength must be extraordinary to warrant such extreme measures,” Li Qing murmured, gazing at the sealed entrance.

He couldn’t see the mad elder’s face through the thick ice door, but he could hear the man’s movements clearly.

”Hahahahaha... waaaah...”

As a chilling mix of laughter and weeping echoed through the prison, Li Qing’s expression instantly darkened.

The demonic laughter and weeping carried a power that could affect a cultivator’s divine soul!

”Such formidable divine soul cultivation... even I felt a slight influence,” Li Qing murmured to himself.

This was terrifying. Li Qing had nourished his divine soul day and night with the Soul Nurturing Bell, his divine sense power already comparable to a mid-foundation establishment stage cultivator. Yet he had nearly succumbed to the demonic laughter and weeping!

”It seems Elder Wu Yuan has specifically cultivated techniques related to the divine soul. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly exert such influence!” Li Qing whispered.

He had come to observe Elder Wu Yuan, a legendary figure within the sect, and to discern the truth behind the rumors surrounding him. Naturally, he also harbored ulterior motives, such as discovering the secret technique that supposedly aided core formation.

Though Li Qing was only at the early foundation establishment stage, he remained determined to uncover the nature of this secret technique.

”Enhances the chances of core formation success, but failure leads to demonic possession and utter madness.”

Li Qing narrowed his eyes, considering whether to attempt communication with the mad elder within.

Perhaps this was futile. After all these years, he couldn’t be the only one who had coveted this secret technique.

”Senior, I am Li Qing, the sect’s newly appointed elder. I have long admired Elder Wu Yuan’s reputation and have come today to pay my respects.”

As he spoke, Li Qing subtly infused his voice with a trace of divine sense power, hoping to awaken the elder.

But the next moment, a cry of anguish so profound it shook the Ice Prison to its core erupted from within.

”Aaaaaah...”

The anguished roar made Li Qing’s expression change drastically. Even his own divine soul trembled, as if on the verge of collapse.

What terrifying divine soul power!

This was nearly the most formidable divine soul power Li Qing had ever encountered since beginning his cultivation journey.

Only Su Xin, when she had unleashed the forbidden secret technique, had possessed comparable power. Even Sect Leader Xu Yun, despite being a foundation establishment cultivator, couldn’t surpass this elder in divine soul mastery.

Yet this cultivator, with such immense divine soul power, had succumbed to madness after suffering a cultivation deviation.

Fortunately, Elder Wu Yuan’s anguished roar didn’t last long. Li Qing immediately breathed a sigh of relief; had it continued any longer, his divine soul might have suffered minor damage.

Unbeknownst to him, a cold sweat had already soaked his back.

Li Qing immediately concluded that Elder Wu Yuan couldn’t withstand any stimulation, especially external divine sense power. Any contact could plunge him into extreme madness.

”I was naive,” Li Qing muttered. ”Elder Wu Yuan is so renowned. The supreme elders of the sect must have tried to heal him. If even core formation true lords were helpless, what chance did I have of communicating with him?”

With that, Li Qing prepared to leave.

He retrieved the Soul Nurturing Bell and refined it briefly with spiritual energy to replenish the divine sense power he had expended earlier.

Ding-a-ling~

As the crisp, melodious chime of the bell rang out, Li Qing felt a surge of comfort in his divine soul. The lingering fatigue vanished completely, as if his entire being had been cleansed.

Just as Li Qing was about to leave the Ice Prison, he suddenly noticed that Elder Wu Yuan, who had been agitated and restless like a madman, had fallen silent.

Li Qing immediately stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around, his gaze filled with suspicion as he looked at the prison gate and the Soul Nurturing Bell in his hand.

Could it be that the Soul Nurturing Bell can stabilize his divine soul?

This bell had been obtained from the secret realm of an ancient sect. It was specifically designed to nourish the divine soul and gradually heal injuries to it.

Over the years, Li Qing had never stopped refining the Soul Nurturing Bell, regardless of where he was, in order to strengthen his own divine soul power.

Now that he had reached the foundation establishment realm, the bell’s effects had diminished significantly. However, he persisted in refining it, believing that even the smallest morsel of meat was still worth having.

To his surprise, the Soul Nurturing Bell was proving useful here.

With this thought, Li Qing began shaking the bell again.

The melodious chime, like a clear spring in the forest, resonated once more. Anyone who heard it would feel their heart and mind refreshed, their anxiety instantly calmed.

Li Qing continued to shake the bell within the Ice Prison for quite some time.

However, apart from the ensuing tranquility, there was no further response. Only a faint, almost imperceptible breath lingered in the air. Had Li Qing not been a body cultivator with exceptionally keen hearing, he might not have noticed it at all.

After a long while, Li Qing finally stopped shaking the bell, feeling somewhat disappointed and preparing to leave.

But just as he lifted his foot to step away, a very low voice echoed from within the prison cell.

”Continue.”

The voice was softer than a mosquito’s buzz, yet to Li Qing’s ears, it sounded like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami crashing—deafeningly loud!

The person inside had actually responded!

”Senior Wu Yuan? You’ve awakened?!” Li Qing felt a chill run down his scalp. He had actually managed to rouse the legendary figure.

Elder Wu Yuan had become a legend within the Lingyun Sect!

After so many years, he had truly awakened.

Elder Wu Yuan didn’t reply directly but continued to murmur weakly to himself, ”Continue. Shake the bell.”

Hearing this, Li Qing didn’t hesitate. He immediately retrieved the Soul Nurturing Bell and began shaking it again.

Ding-a-ling!

The crisp, melodious chime echoed through the depths of the Ice Prison.

Meanwhile, Elder Wu Yuan, imprisoned within, gradually stabilized his breathing.

The intermittent fits of mad laughter and weeping had ceased entirely.

After a long silence, even Li Qing’s wrist began to ache slightly. Elder Wu Yuan finally spoke his third coherent sentence since regaining consciousness.

”Who is the Sect Leader of Lingyun Sect now?”

Hearing this, Li Qing immediately replied, ”Senior Brother Xu Yun currently oversees all major and minor affairs of Lingyun Sect.”

After another pause, Elder Wu Yuan responded, ”That Xu Yun brat... he actually became Sect Leader, huh?”

The esteemed Sect Leader Xu Yun, revered for his virtue and prestige, was dismissed as a mere ”brat” by the elder.

Though Li Qing had long known Elder Wu Yuan’s seniority and status were extraordinary, he was still deeply shaken by this casual remark.

”Senior, are you alright? Should I notify Senior Brother Sect Leader about this?” Li Qing asked tentatively.

”Cough, cough, cough... No need. My great limit approaches. To have this final moment of clarity before death is already a blessing.”

”Ah!”

Elder Wu Yuan sighed deeply, his voice heavy with exhaustion and bitterness.

The arrogance and ambition he had once felt when scheming for core formation now lay in stark contrast to his current despair.

In a daze, he seemed to see himself again, resolutely choosing to cultivate that perilous secret technique.

Li Qing, his voice tinged with complex emotions, ”Senior, now that you’ve regained consciousness, many will surely rejoice.”

”Perhaps the sect still possesses Life-Extending Treasure Pills.”

Before he could finish, Elder Wu Yuan interrupted firmly, ”Don’t waste your efforts on such foolishness. Let me quietly end my days in this Ice Prison.”

”I can no longer face the others in the sect.”

Li Qing could easily imagine the devastation a late foundation establishment realm cultivator, on the verge of core formation, would wreak if driven mad.

He opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

”Your awakening me today is already a great kindness. I possess nothing now but the Cultivation Methods and inheritances stored in my memory. I might as well pass them on to you,” Elder Wu Yuan said weakly.

Li Qing’s heart stirred slightly at these words.

His original purpose in coming here had been to obtain the miraculous secret technique that could aid in core formation. Now that the elder had offered it, he had no reason not to ask.

”To be frank, Senior, I’m interested in the mysterious Cultivation Method you practiced—the one that enhances the chances of core formation,” Li Qing said, cutting straight to the point.

Elder Wu Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly. ”On this old man, only this forbidden secret technique remains of any value.”

”Since you possess a soul dao secret treasure that can maintain clarity and composure, you might actually have a chance of mastering this technique.”

”But I must warn you: this method is exceedingly dangerous and prone to causing cultivation deviation. Do not attempt to force its practice!”

Hearing this, Li Qing’s heart stirred. ”This junior understands!”

”Good. Today, I will orally transmit this forbidden secret technique to you. Listen carefully!”

Elder Wu Yuan, now fully lucid, began:

”This forbidden secret technique is less a secret technique and more an experimental approach to soul dao.”

”I obtained it by chance. It is called the Soul core!”

”The Soul core involves condensing divine soul power into a pill. Unlike the core formation realm, this method requires splitting off a portion of one’s divine soul and condensing a separate pill outside the soul itself!”

”The reason this secret technique is said to increase the chances of core formation is that after condensing the Soul core, during the subsequent process of forming one’s own mana core, the solidified spiritual energy and the Soul core can be fused together, making the core formation process significantly easier.”

”...”

Li Qing sat quietly before the Ice Prison, meticulously memorizing every word Wu Yuan spoke, not daring to miss a single syllable.

This was indeed a secret technique of the soul dao, or rather, a mysterious method specifically created for cultivators who specialized in divine sense.

Furthermore, once this method of condensing a soul core was successfully mastered, future attacks using divine sense would allow one to kill enemies invisibly, with methods utterly bizarre and unpredictable.

(End of the Chapter)

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