Choosing Auxiliary Paths

Compared to his tremendous gains, this minor aftereffect was entirely acceptable. Qin Sang summoned his ebony sword. With sword light swirling around him, he flew off on his blade. …… Dichen Cave. Qin Sang instinctively concealed his form and slipped into the depths of Dichen Cave. Releasing his spiritual sense, he sensed the living corpse still staying obediently in its original spot, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the sealing restrictions he had left behind before departing. *Whoosh... whoosh...* Earth fiend qi surged restlessly. A figure resembling an evil ghost slowly emerged from the abyss. Qin Sang focused his gaze on the Flying Yaksha; nothing amiss could be discerned from its appearance alone. Having not seen it for many days, it felt faintly unfamiliar, but the soul imprint remained rock-solid. Qin Sang ordered the Flying Yaksha to fly before him and sent his spiritual sense probing into its dantian. The corpse core was riddled with cracks and still appeared thoroughly withered, but its condition was better than before he had left, proving that nourishing it in Dichen Cave was indeed effective. Qin Sang nodded to himself and sat cross-legged, commanding the Flying Yaksha to sit across from him in the same manner. Then, releasing his full spiritual sense, he enveloped the corpse core and examined it closely. At the edge of the fiend qi, darkness shrouded everything. Man and corpse sat facing one another, the Flying Yaksha's pitch-black eyes hollow and vacant. Before long, Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual sense and fell into deep thought. He recalled every minute change that had occurred during his refinement of the corpse core, as well as the insights he had gained about it while manipulating it in battle against Wu Youdao. Gradually, Qin Sang actually began to piece together a clear direction. He could not directly heal the Flying Yaksha's injuries; even unsealing the corpse core would yield no better result. However, he could guide the process along, helping the Flying Yaksha pinpoint the crux of the issue to accelerate its absorption of earth fiend qi, which in turn would quicken its recovery. No sooner said than done. Qin Sang glanced around, waved his hand to lay down a perimeter of restrictions, and then stimulated the soul imprint inside the Flying Yaksha, roughly seizing control. Inside the dantian, the corpse core was spinning at a crawl, practically at a standstill. Countless wisps of earth fiend qi swirled around the corpse core, yet they could only seep into its fissures bit by bit at an agonizingly sluggish pace; its rate of recovery was as slow as one could imagine. At this moment, driven by Qin Sang's will, he risked the core shattering to forcibly drive it, making it slowly rotate. A single stir set everything in motion; the fiend qi within the dantian immediately began churning without cease. Qin Sang wore a solemn expression, even more attentive than if he were treating himself, dreading that the slightest lapse of concentration might cause the core to shatter and the corpse to perish. To his surprise, the healing process went considerably smoother than he had anticipated. Qin Sang cautiously drew in a wisp of earth fiend qi and guided it slowly inside. Perhaps because it had already been nourished here for several years, the corpse core remained remarkably stable throughout. …… Three days later, Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual sense, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. Though he had merely been assisting, the toll on his spiritual sense was considerable, but fortunately, the results were promising. With a wave of his hand, the Flying Yaksha turned and leapt back into the earth fiend qi. From now on, he only needed to come by every few days to help make adjustments; there was no need to stay here constantly. "At this rate, its injuries should be mostly healed in about three months. When the time comes, I'll fill the Shaoyin Magnetic Bottle with earth fiend qi and head to Xuanlu Pass to finish curing it completely. There's a little over a year left before Ziwei Palace opens, and there's no telling what unexpected turns might arise, so it would be best to take the ancient teleportation array over early..." Mulling over these plans, Qin Sang stood up and quietly departed Dichen Cave. On his way back to Shaohua Mountain, Qin Sang made a round of the cultivation markets around the mountain gate to gather news on recent developments. Although the Lesser Cold Domain and the Heaven-Traversing Alliance had not yet withdrawn their troops from the Luandao Waters, they had not clashed on any major scale for over two months. The atmosphere in the Lesser Cold Domain had relaxed significantly, returning almost to how it was before the war began. The major markets had all resumed normal operations. The cultivators who had been hiding heaven knows where could finally venture out without fear, creating a thriving and bustling scene. Qin Sang visited several merchant guilds and went on a massive shopping spree. Though Daoist Jiupao had ended up like a stray dog, an emaciated camel was still bigger than a horse. Having undone the restrictions on the iron thumb ring and acquired Daoist Jiupao's legacy, Qin Sang was now rather wealthy. Aside from an excessively abundant supply of healing pills, he purchased a variety of spirit medicines and magic tools designed to handle all manner of situations. Naturally, the four top-grade spirit stones were strictly off-limits. The iron thumb ring possessed ample space, so he had no fear of running out of room. After spending an entire day and placing deposits on several items, Qin Sang finally flew toward Shaohua Mountain, thoroughly satisfied. Jianmen Pass stood wide open. Within the mountains, peach blossoms bloomed like brocade and the wooded slopes were ablaze with vibrant color. Many young female disciples were admiring the flowers and playing among the groves—a scene that reminded Qin Sang of when he had first joined the sect. The scenery was as beautiful as ever, but most of his old acquaintances were gone. Martial Uncle Wen had no hope of Core Formation and, with his lifespan near its end, had returned to his hometown to live out his remaining years. Zhuang Yan was busy dual cultivating with his Dao companion. Qi Yuanshou was in secluded cultivation, receiving no outside visitors. As for his other old friends, they likely were not in the sect either. After running through the list in his mind, Qin Sang realized there was no one left he wished to see. Shaking his head, he flew alone toward the cave abode Zhuang Yan had lent him. Shaohua Mountain had a rule: once a disciple achieved Core Formation, they could update their entry in the jade register, just as they had upon Foundation Establishment. The elevation in status, the spirit stone allowances, and other benefits went without saying. Even more enticingly, not only would the sect hold a Grand Core Formation Ceremony for him, but he could also choose any location he pleased—inside or outside the mountain gate—for the sect to finance and build an exquisitely luxurious cave abode. Of course, the corresponding responsibilities could not be shrugged off either. Qin Sang had no appetite for empty fame and cared little for ceremonies, but the cave abode was sorely tempting. Though his spirit spring cave abode was rich in spiritual qi, it paled in comparison to a genuine Core Formation cave abode. Still, Qin Sang was unsure whether having only an external core would be recognized by the sect. Since it would not be long anyway, he might as well wait until he returned from Ziwei Palace and formed a true golden core before reporting it to the sect. For now, it was best not to let others know that he possessed an external core while only in the False Core stage. Qin Sang resolved to walk in embroidered robes by night. Once inside the cave abode, Qin Sang found that his cultivation could progress no further, nor did he need to worry about Core Formation. At long last, he was free from the relentless, life-or-death grind of bitter cultivation and could turn his attention to other pursuits. Of the myriad arts of cultivation, one ought to have some grasp of a few. Ultimately, Qin Sang settled on two main areas. The first was the path of spirit formations and restrictions. The two were fundamentally interconnected. Qin Sang already had considerable attainment in restrictions, and having obtained a treatise on ancient formations from that Yuanshen Sect disciple, he could study them in conjunction. The second was the path of beast taming. From Dique's legacy, he had obtained the Core Formation cultivation insights of the Yuling Sect. While Qin Sang had frequently browsed through them to breed his Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees, he had never truly delved into them; now he could explore the craft in earnest. Once he formed his core, his cultivation speed would no longer hold him back, so it was only natural to choose one or more auxiliary paths to bolster his strength. From then on, Qin Sang's life settled into a steady routine. Every few days, he would make a trip to Dichen Cave. Otherwise, he remained behind closed doors in his cave abode, rarely interacting with anyone.