Zhang Tianshi waved at me and said with a smile: "Come, little kid, come to me."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I didn't dare to disobey him. On the one hand, he was a ghost fairy, very powerful, and on the other hand, he was my ancestor, so I had to follow his advice. After all, I learned the methods in the Yin-Yang Soul Crossing Notes.
I obediently went to the presence of Master Zhang Tianshi's soul.
Zhang Tianshi nodded with satisfaction, his gray lips moved, and he said to me solemnly: "Little kid, stimulate the 'spirit' in your body, let me see how much 'spirit' is gathered in your body."
"Yes, Grandmaster!"
After answering this question, I released the "spirit" in me.
Bright white spots appeared on my body, and soon those spots connected into a piece, like a layer of white mist wrapped around me. It seemed that the changes in my body were really magical.
“Good, good, good, good…”
Zhang Tianshi praised him highly and said, "Very good, you have gathered the 'spirits' to this extent. If you go one step further, those 'spirits' will be able to gather into 'spiritual energy'."
"With 'spiritual energy', little kid, you are now a true cultivator! You are not much different from those cultivators practicing on Mount Longhu... So, little kid, come with me into the cave, and I, the ancestor, will teach you the art of absorbing spiritual energy, so that you can make further progress."
The art of absorbing spirits
This name gives me a feeling that it is similar to the "Na Ling Chapter" that I learned from the tortoise shell, both are about Na Ling.
I nodded woodenly and followed Zhang Tianshi's soul toward the cave.
Perhaps because he felt that I was walking too slowly, Zhang Tianshi pointed his finger in my direction, and a strong "spiritual energy" was infused into my body.
Then, the light spot formed by the "spirit" carried me and flew into the cave.
Awesome! This is the first time I’ve seen the word “ling” used in this way.
As the "spiritual" light dissipated, I had entered the deepest part of the cave.
There was nothing unusual in the deepest part of the cave. In the middle was a cushion, on top of which was a scroll of bamboo slips.
The surface of the bamboo slips is dark yellow with clear texture, and there are gold threads running through the gaps between the bamboo slips.
"Go ahead and pick up that scroll and take a look."
"Yes, Grandmaster!"
I walked carefully to the front of the futon and picked up the bamboo slips from it.
When I held the bamboo slips, I felt a warm sensation, which made me feel very comfortable.
There were four words written on the edge of the bamboo slip: The Art of Absorbing Spirits.
I slowly opened the bamboo slips and began to study them word by word. The words in the bamboo slips were all in small seal script. Fortunately, the words on the previous Yin Yang Soul Crossing Notes were also in small seal script, so I was able to understand it.
The first sentence on the bamboo slip is "All things have spirits, and spirits are the foundation of all things."
This passage is very similar to the description in the "Na Ling Chapter" that I learned.
After that, I continued reading.
What surprised me was that the more I read, the more novel the content seemed to me. Many of the viewpoints expounded in the book were refreshing to me.
For example, the spirit absorption is not to absorb the "spirit" from the air, but to absorb the "spirit" from the heaven and earth. Only by integrating oneself into all things and being in harmony with all things can one absorb the "spirit" anytime and anywhere.
Even more so, a person can fundamentally become a "spirit" by absorbing the "spirit" and controlling the "spirit".
This statement seems incredible to me.
As I continued reading, I seemed to have forgotten many things unconsciously and was immersed in it.
All around, it became quiet, nothing
, there is only the "spirit" and myself.
What I didn’t know was that, without knowing when, I had already sat cross-legged on the cushion.
Looking at me, Zhang Tianshi nodded with a smile, and then his soul moved, ghost energy surged, and he flew out of the cave.
At this moment, I was the only one left in the cave.
My eyes were focused on the "spirit", and my nerves seemed to resonate with the words on the Soul Absorption Technique. The "spirit" in me slowly spread out and merged into the bamboo slips of the Soul Absorption Technique.
The words on the bamboo slips seemed to come alive. They jumped out of the bamboo slips, constantly circling around my head, and then sank into the center of my eyebrows.
Time passed slowly...
I don't know when, my heart seemed to stop beating. I also stopped breathing, and I felt like a dead person. However, my spirit was still there, and there were "spirits" entwined around me, shuttling back and forth in my body.
At this moment, I am not absorbing spirits, but my physical body has turned into a "spirit".
Outside the cave.
On top of a stone, Zhang Tianshi's soul was sitting cross-legged and floating there.
Jiang Jiuzhen had already known about me during his conversation with Sun Yaowen. He didn't expect that I had obtained his Yin-Yang Soul Crossing Notes and even cultivated the Yin-Yang Diagram.
In Jiang Jiuzhen's heart, he already regarded me as his own disciple.
Jiang Jiuzhen hurriedly walked to the stone, bowed respectfully to Zhang Tianshi, and asked anxiously: "Grandmaster, is my disciple okay?"
Zhang Tianshi, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened his ghost eyes.
After taking a look at Jiang Jiuzhen, Zhang Tianshi smiled and said, "Your disciple is not bad, very good. I have taught him the practice method of the Soul Absorption Technique. He is now absorbing souls in the cave."
"I remember when I taught you the art of absorbing spirits, you only immersed yourself in it for two incense sticks of time. But now that little kid has been immersed in it for three incense sticks of time. His physical fitness is much stronger than yours, and his perception and understanding of spirits are also better than yours."
After hearing what Zhang Tianshi said, Jiang Jiuzhen's old face actually turned a little red.
However, Jiang Jiuzhen still replied respectfully: "Grandmaster, this is the first time that Yang Tianyi and I have met. He has learned the Yin-Yang Diagram, so he is considered half of my apprentice. Since you value him so much, I will leave that little kid Yang Tianyi to you to discipline."
Zhang Tianshi nodded, then closed his eyes again and said, "How about this, Jiuzhen, you go to the cave entrance and wait first. When Yang Tianyi comes out, you bring him to me."
After he finished speaking, before Jiang Jiuzhen could say anything, ghost energy surged out from above Zhang Tianshi's soul body. The rich ghost energy formed an air mass that enveloped Zhang Tianshi's soul body.
Although Zhang Tianshi's soul was hidden in the ghost energy, Jiang Jiuzhen still replied respectfully: "Yes, Grandmaster."
Afterwards, Jiang Jiuzhen went to the entrance of the cave.
In an open space near the cave entrance, he sat cross-legged and began to use his "spirit" to practice. But the "spirit" in him was obviously not as strong as the "spirit" in me before.
Time passes quickly like running water.
In a blink of an eye, two days had passed.
Jiang Jiuzhen, who was next to the cave entrance, suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the cave with burning eyes.
"Why hasn't he come out yet? Is he still practicing? Could something have happened?..."
Jiang Jiuzhen muttered to himself.
Then, Jiang Jiuzhen stood up and prepared to go into the cave to take a look.
In the cave.
I was still sitting cross-legged on the cushion, like an old monk in meditation. The "spirit" around me had reached an extremely strong state.
At this point, a series of bright films like flowing water were formed, which kept rotating around me.
I hummed the mantra from the "Spirit Gathering Art" in my mouth, and at the same time, I was integrating the spirit gathering methods in the "Spirit Gathering Chapter" into the Spirit Gathering Art in my mind.
At this moment, I seemed to have completely merged into the cave and turned into a piece of hard stone.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes and shouted, "I will merge!"
As my voice fell, the light film around me suddenly broke apart. Then, the "spirits" from the outside world continued to pour into my body.
There is a "spirit" in the stone, there is a "spirit" in the cushion, there is a "spirit" in the air... ... .
Those "spirits" were like calm river water before, but now, they seemed to have finally found an opening to pour out, and they quickly poured into my body.
My body did not feel bloated at all, on the contrary, it became exceptionally shiny. As a large amount of "spirit" entered, the pores on my body quickly expanded, with "spirit" entering my body and impurities in my body being discharged from the pores.
That feeling is very comfortable.
Moreover, I found that a ball of air appeared in the dantian below my lower abdomen.
I felt that the air mass was constantly rotating, and the "spirits" that were brought in were drawn into it. Those "spirits" continued to enter the air mass. At first, the "spirits" were a little light, but soon, they turned into milky white like milk.
As the "spirit" entered, I slowly began to feel a slight burning sensation in my lower abdomen.
I was still wondering what was going on when my head suddenly shook.
Then, I felt that the air mass in Dantian had condensed into a white bead. After the white bead was formed, it continuously released wisps of white air, which entered my bones, meridians, and flesh.
"ah!"
I cried out in comfort, and my voice sounded a little ecstatic.
That feeling is so refreshing!
I felt like I had endless energy. My body became more balanced, and the eight abdominal muscles on my lower abdomen became more solid.
I was overjoyed, because the white beads in Dantian were a symbol of cultivating "spiritual energy".
Oh my god, I never thought that I could actually cultivate spiritual energy. This is unbelievable.
I was extremely excited.
However, the next moment, I found that my whole body had become pitch black and dirty, and there was a layer of sticky black skin stuck to my body.
I don't know what black skin is, but the smell is extremely bad. It's like my body is covered with a layer of shit.
I chanted a mantra, the spirit-absorbing technique stopped, and the "spirits" around me slowly disappeared.
I tried it again with my fingers, and condensed the white gas rising from the white beads in my dantian onto the index finger of my right hand.
A ball of white light was dancing on the top of the index finger, the light was very soft.
Note that what we are talking about here is not a spot of light, but white light.
Seeing that little bit of white light, I was secretly delighted. Not only was the spiritual energy condensed, but I also stimulated it myself. Most importantly, I felt that the white beads in my Dantian were still spinning, and as they spun, a lot of "spirits" were absorbed into them and transformed into "spiritual energy".
"call!--"
I let out a long sigh and thought to myself, now I am not only a ghost catcher, I am also a cultivator. Just like the white-bearded old man Zuo Ci Zhenren I met in the underworld, he is a true cultivator.
And in my memory, there are still the cultivation techniques, skills and spells that the mysterious man left to me in the giant coffin.
Hehe, it seems that this trip to the City of the Dead is really worthwhile!
(to be continued)
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)