Time slowly slipped away in the anxious wait.
Jin Yan paced back and forth in his study, occasionally glancing at the door, hoping his trusted aide would bring back some useful information.
Finally, as dusk fell, the aide returned to the study.
He looked a little weary, but his eyes held a glimmer of excitement.
"Master, we have compiled a list of everyone Master Jin Yi has made enemies with over the years," the aide said, producing a scroll.
Jin Yan unfurled it.
The scroll was densely packed with names, cultivation levels, and current situations.
Fully unrolled, it was a full three meters long.
At the very end of the scroll, Su Yuan's name appeared.
Seeing all these names, Jin Yan sighed. This was just the enemies Jin Yi had made in recent years.
There were many more from the past.
At this moment, Jin Yan regretted everything.
If only Jin Yi's character wasn't so reckless, if only the family had exerted more control.
Perhaps this wouldn't have happened.
Jin Yan shook his head, letting the scroll fall.
He couldn't call it useless, but it wasn't very helpful either.
Jin Yan continued, "How about the investigation in the Ghostly Soul Valley?"
"Still ongoing."
"Sigh, alright."
...
Within the cave dwelling, Su Yuan was fully immersed in cultivating the Phantom Shift technique.
However, as time passed, he increasingly felt overwhelmed.
His internal mana was like a herd of wild horses, uncontrollable.
Eventually, he sighed in defeat, accepting his failure this time.
Frustrated and filled with doubts and resentment, Su Yuan couldn't sit still any longer.
He abruptly stood up and retrieved the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
A soul was released.
With a dark expression, Su Yuan looked at the soul of Mei Ling Xian Zi, "It's been two days, and I haven't mastered the Phantom Shift technique.
You also cultivate this art, take a look and see what's wrong with my practice."
Sensing Su Yuan's displeasure, Mei Ling Xian Zi knew this was an opportunity to impress him.
She smiled, "No problem, please demonstrate, Master Su Yuan. I will be completely honest."
Su Yuan entered a state of cultivation once more.
Mana started flowing through his meridians.
A faint phantom appeared around him, a characteristic of the Phantom Shift technique.
After a while, the phantom abruptly vanished.
The concentrated mana dissipated.
Mei Ling Xian Zi's eyes narrowed, understanding what was happening.
Surprised, she blurted out, "Master, have you not cultivated any Qi cultivation techniques?"
Su Yuan nodded.
"As you know, I am a body cultivator, practicing the Blood Demon Body Tempering Scripture.
I haven't cultivated any Qi cultivation techniques."
Hearing Su Yuan's admission, Mei Ling Xian Zi felt a buzzing in her head, a blank slate.
She stared at Su Yuan blankly, mouth agape, as if wanting to say something but choked by this shocking news.
After a while, she finally found her voice, "You... you're serious?
Without cultivating any techniques, how did you raise your magical power to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation?"
Her eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
In her understanding, cultivating techniques was the foundation of magical practice.
Without the guidance of a technique, mana condensation and circulation would be extremely difficult, let alone advancing in cultivation levels.
Su Yuan coldly replied, "Secret."
Mei Ling Xian Zi wisely didn't press further on how Su Yuan reached the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.
Instead, she began explaining the reason she saw for Su Yuan's failed attempt at the Phantom Shift technique.
"I see three reasons why you can't cultivate the Phantom Shift technique.
First.
Your mind is currently troubled.
Cultivation requires single-minded focus.
You are so disturbed, yet forcing yourself to cultivate. You risk going mad. It's best to stop cultivating now."
Mei Ling Xian Zi was right.
How could Su Yuan's mind not be troubled?
For the past two days, his heart had been hanging, constantly monitoring the Jin Family's movements.
While the Jin Family had declined, Su Yuan, an outsider, was unable to detect their actions.
He had no information, yet he knew the Jin Family was investigating.
This anxiety, knowing but not knowing, tortured him.
Su Yuan sighed deeply, "What are the other two reasons?"
Mei Ling Xian Zi said, "I asked earlier if you hadn't cultivated any Qi cultivation techniques.
And yet, you have the magical power of the fourth level of Qi Cultivation. I won't probe into the secret behind it.
I will only point out the problems.
Techniques for cultivators are like an overarching framework, controlling all their mana.
Excellent techniques can mobilize mana instantly, making cultivation effortless.
But you don't have a technique, making your mana mobilization extremely inefficient.
It even carries the risk of your meridians reversing.
Coupled with your troubled mind, cultivation is bound to fail."
Su Yuan frowned, realizing there was another reason.
He knew Mei Ling Xian Zi was right, every time he used mana, he felt it wasn't flowing smoothly.
Su Yuan had always been aware of this unusual feeling, and now he had found the reason.
Su Yuan asked, "There are only two reasons here, what's the third?"
Mei Ling Xian Zi glanced at Su Yuan's strong physique, continuing, "You are a body cultivator, with physical strength far exceeding your magical power.
While cultivating magic, your strong physique actually compresses your meridians, making mana mobilization more unstable.
It's like a raging river being constrained by a narrow channel, unable to flow freely."
Upon hearing this, Su Yuan had an epiphany, gaining a deeper understanding of cultivation.
He quickly asked, "Is there any way to solve this?"
Mei Ling Xian Zi pondered for a moment, "In my opinion, your priority is to cultivate a magical technique.
But I'm not sure if a magical technique and a body cultivation technique will clash.
It's best to choose a technique that combines body and magic, a dual cultivation technique.
This way, you can leverage your body cultivation advantages while making up for your magical deficiencies, making your cultivation path smoother.
To be honest, I don't know if a dual cultivation technique can solve your current problem.
After all, there haven't been any famous dual cultivators in history."
Hearing this solution, Su Yuan frowned.
Magical techniques and body cultivation techniques were relatively common.
But this dual cultivation technique, he had never heard of it.
Otherwise, who wouldn't want both a powerful body and the ability to wield supreme magic?
Su Yuan was deeply depressed.
It was like Su Yuan playing a game, finally using a glitch to unlock both the Warrior and Mage classes.
But due to class issues, he couldn't level up, he had to choose one class, or he couldn't play.
How could Su Yuan accept this?
Su Yuan asked, "Do you know where I can find a dual cultivation technique?"
Mei Ling Xian Zi shook her head, "Dual cultivation is an age-old problem.
Countless immortal sects and grand factions don't have dual cultivation techniques, and I, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, how could I know?"
She suddenly thought of something, "You can ask Jin Yi, his ancestor was the founding elder of the Nine Nether Sect.
He should know quite a bit, maybe he has some information."
Without any leads, Su Yuan could only summon Jin Yi's soul.
He asked about dual cultivation techniques.
Jin Yi was a family scion who only knew how to enjoy himself, he knew little about his ancestors.
But he didn't want to miss this opportunity to curry favor with Su Yuan.
He also had a small scheme in mind.
So he said, "I'm not sure about concrete information, but I heard my father mention that the founding ancestor of the Nine Nether Sect was a human-demon hybrid, possessing the legacy of the demons.
Demonic methods are unpredictable and varied, they might have dual cultivation techniques.
And now, most of the Nine Nether Sect's technique inheritance is stored in the Daoist Treasure Demon Palace.
There are only three ways to enter the Daoist Treasure Demon Palace.
First, make a significant contribution to the sect.
Second, win first place in the grand sect competition.
Third, become a true disciple."
Jin Yi's words were three parts false, seven parts true.
The falsehood was that he didn't know if the Daoist Treasure Demon Palace had dual cultivation techniques.
The rest was all true.
Su Yuan didn't notice anything wrong with these words.
Instead, he fell into deep thought.
He was contemplating which of these three conditions was the easiest to fulfill.
Seeing this, Jin Yi secretly rejoiced.
He thought to himself, "Su Yuan, I don't mind if you're low-key.
As long as you want this dual cultivation technique, you have to fight for it.
Once the Jin Family notices, I'm sure you'll reveal your flaws."