"From now on, I still must direct my energy toward cultivation and reaching the Nascent Soul stage," Qin Sang thought to himself.
Of the two jade slips, one recorded the *Green Bamboo Sword Scripture*, while the other contained the second volume of the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter*.
There was no pressing rush to comprehend the *Green Bamboo Sword Scripture*.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Sang sent his divine consciousness into the second jade slip.
To this day, he still had not discovered the true name of the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter*.
Beneath Netherworld Valley, he had obtained the subsequent five tiers, which could carry one from the mid Core Formation stage all the way to the late Nascent Soul stage.
Back then, he had merely skimmed through them in haste, coming away with both delight and misgivings.
The delight was that the subsequent tiers remained exceptionally formidable.
As expected, the sixth and seventh tiers each contained a new killing talisman. They differed greatly from the ones Qingzhu had created on his own, proving far more profound and magnificent.
Even a genius like Qingzhu could not transcend his own limitations and the constraints of his era.
This cultivation method had gathered the painstaking efforts of countless forebears, refined through unending trials, errors, and revisions—far beyond what could be achieved through the strength of a single individual.
He would certainly have to switch to cultivating the true killing talismans and start practicing the sixth tier from the very beginning.
Fortunately, Qingzhu had also derived his own version from this manual, so both styles of killing talismans could be said to share the same root. Even if Qin Sang switched techniques, it would not take him long to regain his current cultivation level.
Cultivating further to the peak of the Core Formation stage would not take too long either.
The genuine killing talismans would continue to accelerate his cultivation speed.
Once all seven killing talismans were formed, Qin Sang estimated that his cultivation speed would definitely surpass that of dual spiritual root cultivators.
Whether he could rival heaven's chosen darlings—those with heavenly spiritual roots—remained uncertain, as his natural foundation was simply too poor.
However, once he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, there would be no new killing talismans.
The *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter* held only seven killing talismans in total!
At that point, his cultivation speed would still be there, but it would have reached its absolute ceiling.
What followed from this was the issue that weighed most heavily on his mind.
In the minor realms prior to Core Formation, as long as he condensed a new killing talisman, he could effortlessly achieve a breakthrough without encountering cultivation-related bottlenecks.
Such a benefit would vanish after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
Every bottleneck from then on would have to be overcome through his own strength alone.
"Killing talismans..." Qin Sang murmured softly.
Only after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage would the true purpose of the killing talismans be revealed, which tied into a new divine ability: the *Seven Po Killing Array*.
During the Core Formation stage, the manual's divine ability would naturally divide the sword light.
One streak split off in the early Core Formation stage, two more split in the mid Core Formation stage, and four more fragmented in the late Core Formation stage, totaling seven streaks of sword light.
All seven streaks of sword light carried the aura of a soul.
They were what Qingzhu referred to as sword souls!
If Qin Sang failed to reach the Nascent Soul stage and had no further ambitions, he could use the seven sword souls to craft seven external incarnations. Possessing seven late Core Formation incarnations would allow him to walk unchecked beneath the Nascent Soul realm.
Yet the seven sword souls were closely linked to cultivation after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
The manual actually required the cultivator to project the killing talismans on their natal spiritual sword onto the sword souls, and then refine all seven sword souls into their own origin soul, gradually merging them with their seven po!
The *Seven Po Killing Array* was named precisely for this reason!
Reading to this point, Qin Sang could not help but suck in a sharp breath.
The three hun and seven po were mystical and profound beyond measure.
There were certainly many manuals in the cultivation world that involved the soul, but most addressed it in broad, vague terms. This was the first time Qin Sang had encountered a technique capable of cleanly distinguishing the three hun and seven po and utilizing them directly in cultivation.
For the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter* to require merging one's seven po with sword light and killing talismans was simply unheard of.
Did it mean refining one's seven po into sword po?
"Nurturing the sword with the origin soul... nurturing the sword with the origin soul... More like forging the sword out of the origin soul, isn't it?" Qin Sang muttered.
"A pity the manual is incomplete, leaving its ultimate end unknown. Sword cultivators truly are madmen!"
In any case, switching cultivation methods before reaching the Nascent Soul stage was out of the question. Once he reached Nascent Soul, he could concentrate on comprehending it; perhaps his present perspective was biased simply because his cultivation was still too low.
"With the sword spirit and the killing sword fragment, I can foresee having a chance to assemble the full manual and the killing sword in the future. Giving up halfway would be far too wasteful. Judging from the aura of Ziwei Palace and the Hall of Seven Kills, they must have been peak powers in the ancient era. A technique crafted through the painstaking efforts of countless sword cultivators surely has its own profound justification..."
Qin Sang temporarily set these misgivings aside.
He studied the killing talisman of the sixth tier of the *Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter*, his mind connecting with the ebony sword.
Dispersing the killing talisman created by Senior Qingzhu would cause his cultivation to fall back to the early Core Formation stage. Though rebuilding it would not be difficult, it would still take a certain amount of time.
The pressing priority right now was to return, obtain the Nine Illusion Heavenly Orchid, settle his various matters, and find a stable place to settle down. Then he could enter seclusion once more, cultivate straight to the peak of the Core Formation stage in one breath, and prepare to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
Another month passed.
Qin Sang left the cave dwelling and continued southward.
*Hanging Skull Pass is Shaohua Mountain's territory, but who knows if Dongyang Bo and Shaohua Mountain are still there. Three months have passed since Ziwei Palace emerged, so cultivators in the Seven Hero Passes should have all come out to hunt for treasures. I should capture someone first to ask. If Hanging Skull Pass is still held by Shaohua Mountain, I can only enter through Yinshan Pass...*
Turning these calculations over in his mind, Qin Sang sped swiftly southward, aiming directly for Hanging Skull Pass.
To his surprise, he did not encounter a single fellow cultivator along the entire journey.
This struck him as rather strange.
"Could it be that the cultivators of the Xiaohan Realm aren't coming to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield anymore?"
Qin Sang landed atop a barren mountain and gazed toward the south. The spiritual tide was nearing its end, meaning Foundation Establishment cultivators were fully capable of leaving the passes to seek treasures, yet not a soul was in sight.
Even considering the vast and desolate nature of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, such an absence made no sense.
Under these circumstances, he dared even less to charge into the pass heedlessly.
Just then, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something.
Years ago, while cultivating in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, he had once been led by Dongyang Bo's disciple, Che Yutao, to explore an ancient cultivator's abode.
It was there that he had been held hostage by Old Man Dique. After several narrow escapes, he had managed to turn the tables and kill the old man, obtaining Old Man Dique's insect-controlling arts, Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold, and the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman.
After being teleported to the Witch God Continent, those treasures had played an essential role while he cultivated his natal insect gu and subdued the fat silkworm and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.
It could be said that his present standing was inextricably linked to that experience.
The genesis of that incident had been Old Man Dique coveting the Neijing Origin Talisman belonging to Daoist Xuanyu of Shangyuan Pure Tranquility Palace, claiming that the talisman could aid in reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet after Old Man Dique and Daoist Xuanyu both perished, Qin Sang had failed to find the talisman.
Later, an unforeseen disturbance arose in the depths of that ancient abode, and the surrounding mountains became riddled with spatial rifts, forcing Che Yutao and the others to retreat. Qin Sang had only been in the Foundation Establishment stage back then, lacking the ability to venture inside and explore, and he had never found an opportunity to return.
*I wonder if that ancient abode is still there. Perhaps I should go take a look?*
After a moment's contemplation, Qin Sang decided to drop by and investigate, as he still remembered the ancient abode's location.
In truth, he knew hopes were slim. Even if the Neijing Origin Talisman remained there, neither destroyed nor taken by someone else, whether it could genuinely aid in forming a Nascent Soul was another question entirely.
Otherwise, why would Shangyuan Pure Tranquility Palace ever fret over producing Nascent Soul cultivators?
Chapter 1101