Chapter 36: A Peerless Technique?

"That is all..."

Xiao Xiao delivered the return gifts and repeated the gist of what a certain sect master had intended. As for how much she had modified the contents on her own, that remained a mystery.

"Mysterious Heaven Technique?"

Huo Yuhao flipped through the manual. This cultivation method was the most eye-catching thing in the collection. "Then, please convey my thanks to the Tang Sect for their generosity."

"No, no..."

Xiao Xiao waved her hands, feeling slightly embarrassed to accept his gratitude. "I should be the one thanking you instead—so, I'll be going now?"

Compared to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, she had spent the entire day in a state of disarray, and she was eager to return, wash up, and get some rest.

Although the hard attributes of her Three-Life Soul Caldron were indeed top-tier, the fact remained that her own body was incredibly fragile. Any opponent who was an agility-type soul master, or one wielding a long-range skill, would go mad trying to strike her main body.

And then, that opponent would be taught a harsh lesson by Xiao Xiao—who had reached level twenty-five, possessed physical strength exceeding the average for beast soul masters, and could walk the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track while brandishing her heavy cauldron.

For the freshmen still obsessed with straightforward, head-on attacks, Xiao Xiao, having mastered such footwork, was indeed a bit too overpowered.

"Hmm."

Huo Yuhao’s focus was entirely on the ancient books before him; he responded absentmindedly, completely absorbed in studying the Tang Sect's unique skills.

"Mysterious Heaven Technique, endless and continuous, vast and boundless..."

This technique felt more like a method for nourishing the body, aligning one’s state of mind, and achieving harmony between man and nature. The entire text was dedicated to how to clear the meridians and link the circulation of the heavens.

However, when Huo Yuhao flipped to the next page, there was nothing more.

"I feel like something is off."

He scratched his head and, following that intuition, recalled his memories carefully. Huo Yuhao suddenly slapped his thigh, dove his consciousness into his sea of spirit, and reopened the scroll he had been studying previously.

"Hiss—this is it!"

Aside from the initial cultivation process and the driving force being slightly different, the Mysterious Heaven Technique was remarkably similar to the methods for cultivating internal spiritual power.

The only difference was that the former emphasized the concept of a "cycle," while the latter was more fixated on "accumulation."

"One is for raising your cultivation level, while the other is for elevating your realm." Tianmeng peered through Huo Yuhao's eyes at the Mysterious Heaven Technique, compared the two, and suddenly blurted out this cryptic remark.

"What do you mean? Are they not the same thing?"

Huo Yuhao truly did not understand.

"I don't really know either~ But soul masters from ten thousand years ago, or even earlier, believed in this viewpoint. People back then hadn't developed the method of using soul cores to breakthrough, nor had they delved into the wicked ways of stuffing massive amounts of solid soul power into their meridians to increase their total volume..."

Tianmeng wobbled his head, truly like a rubber ball, bouncing left and right just like Xie Huanyue.

"Back then, people felt that the improvement of rank and realm was a reflection of one’s cultivation. To improve one's strength, one needed to weave the essence, energy, and spirit into a single rope, establish one’s own principles, and spend a lifetime upholding them."

"I just felt the concepts were a bit similar, don't take it too seriously."

Tianmeng laughed awkwardly, fearful that Huo Yuhao might go down the wrong path because of his whimsical ramblings.

However, the latter clearly had his own thoughts.

"The Mysterious Heaven Technique absorbs energy from heaven and earth through the meridians, while internal spiritual power stimulates talent by adhering to personal principles, gathering power like collecting dew in the morning mist."

Huo Yuhao compared them with a scrutinizing gaze.

Why did it feel like the latter was more in line with the former's philosophy? And vice versa?

Furthermore, the spiritual power cultivation method was divided into internal and external, which complemented each other perfectly. In contrast, the Mysterious Heaven Technique seemed to lack a component that nourished the meridians and penetrated the bones, allowing one's cultivation to become fluid and integrated.

"Let's try running it first."

Calming his heart and mind, Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and pushed his soul power along the paths described in the manual.

To his surprise, the moment his soul power began to flow, it felt as if it had boarded a high-speed highway, moving rapidly without the slightest obstruction.

At the same time, his mastery of the Mysterious Heaven Technique climbed rapidly. After only a dozen cycles, Huo Yuhao hit the bottleneck of the second stage, unable to advance any further.

He was short of a soul ring.

"Let's try the external spiritual power technique!"

Like an engine, the soul power driven by the Mysterious Heaven Technique surged through the paths of the external spiritual power method into every part of his body. As his soul power was consumed, his physical strength gradually increased...

His soul power was too low, so the effect was quite modest.

"Let's combine it with the magic cultivation method!"

His soul power drew in elemental particles from the surroundings, working in tandem with the Mysterious Heaven Technique. The moment it started, Huo Yuhao felt his soul power recovery speed increase by more than three times.

The external spiritual power method, which channeled soul power to all parts of his body, also became much more potent. At the very least, Huo Yuhao could faintly feel a subtle improvement.

He wasn't sure about the speed of his cultivation.

"I'm missing a soul ring."

Huo Yuhao sighed in resignation.

At least until he could go to the Far North to acquire a new soul ring, he would have to practice the Tang Sect's unique skills on hand.

Flipping further, he saw the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, the Mysterious Jade Hand...

Purple Demon Eye?

Huo Yuhao’s spirit was instantly invigorated.

"Divided into four realms from low to high: Overview, Micro, Mustard Seed, and Vast. Practitioners must absorb the purple qi from the east every day to nourish their eyes; with perseverance, they will eventually succeed."

Studying this eye-cultivation method carefully, he focused on the ability descriptions of the four realms.

With the premise of his eye-cultivation path already confirmed, Huo Yuhao gained unique insights as he read the manual.

"Take 'observation' as the priority, and enter the Dao through 'observation'."

The first half of the Purple Demon Eye was about receiving the outside world and internalizing it, which was essentially the same as the "seeing" he had previously comprehended.

As for the latter half, practicing it into an eye technique that could release spirit and soul power for attacks—that was naturally what he called "staring."

"With the Spirit Eyes martial soul, I actually mastered the release first, and now I have to start learning from the reception."

Huo Yuhao tapped his finger on the words "Purple Qi from the East." "The purple haze that rises at sunrise... the convergence of the sun's exuberant yang energy and the yin energy accumulated overnight, appearing only for a moment before vanishing; it is the ultimate concentration of wondrous energy found in a single day."

In other words, could something else equally marvelous replace this purple qi?

However, Huo Yuhao did not intend to do that.

He would follow the manual's instructions and practice slowly for now.

After all, he was just starting on this path; changing the methods left by his predecessors at will might lead to incomprehensible complications.

Modifications? Iterations?

He would wait until he was strong enough for that.

"Let's begin cultivation!"

Huo Yuhao stood up and began to take steps according to the footwork sequence.

Possessing Soul Shock and Spirit Detection, the most useful of these techniques for him was undoubtedly the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

At the very least, this would allow him to engage in close-quarters combat when enemies got too close, so he wouldn't always have to stake everything on a single decisive blow.