Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather Chapter 1697 - 1036: Yu Qingyi’s Breakthrough (2)

First, to celebrate Yu Qingyi’s safe breakthrough, and second, to strengthen the bonds with everyone.

Third, and most importantly, to help solidify Yu Qingyi’s status and position.

Yu Qingyi is a Martial Artist, not an Immortal Cultivator.

Martial Artists are inherently inferior to Immortal Cultivators.

This is an irrefutable reality both outside and within the Life Realm Immortal Palace.

Yet, the Life Realm Immortal Palace belongs to Yang Zhenshan, and the Spirit Source Land belongs to the Yang family. Whether for Yang Zhenshan’s authority as the owner or the Yang family’s legitimacy in the Spirit Source Land, Yu Qingyi’s status and position cannot be shaken.

Yu Qingyi spent over ten days stabilizing her cultivation, and the grand celebration banquet at White Jade City lasted three days. By the time the excitement faded, half a month had passed.

Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi walked side by side along the Longevity Lake in front of the Longevity Hall, a gentle breeze blowing, rippling the water, Spiritual Energy swirling and lingering above the green lotus leaves.

"The Divine Soul Realm focuses on cultivating the Divine Soul. As long as you cultivate your Divine Soul to a certain level, you’ll have the foundation to breakthrough to the Golden Core. From now on, your cultivation should focus on the Divine Soul!" Yang Zhenshan said.

"Yes, I’ll go to the study and choose a Divine Soul Cultivation Technique later!" Yu Qingyi replied with a light smile.

Yang Zhenshan pondered; his study contained many Divine Soul techniques, from the initial Void Refining Scripture to the later Heart Sword Scripture, and other collected Cultivation Techniques, all high-quality Divine Soul cultivation methods.

He kept these techniques in the study for easy reference.

As for which technique suited Yu Qingyi, Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment and said, "What do you think of the Thousand Threads Soul Control Skill?"

"Thousand Threads Soul Control, transforming thoughts into thousands, overcoming hardness with softness, seems quite good, though I actually prefer the Soul Crow Splitting Skill!" Yu Qingyi said, looking at Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan smiled, "There’s no conflict; the Thousand Threads Soul Control Skill is a skill, and the Soul Crow Splitting Skill is another skill. Both can be cultivated together!"

Skills, techniques, and scriptures are three naming conventions for techniques. Generally, a skill represents a technique, which, although can be used for cultivation, is essentially just a technique.

Techniques are comprehensive cultivation methods, often referring to sets of cultivation techniques, including cultivation methods, taboos, and even some cultivation insights from predecessors, as well as several matching techniques.

Scriptures involve Dao Intent realms; in the Immortal Cultivation World, techniques that can be cultivated to the Golden Core Realm are treated as scriptures, such as the Qingmu Longevity Scripture cultivated by Yang Zhenshan, the Wood Thunder Control Scripture by Yang Jizhen, the Gui Water Nourishing Essence Scripture by Ma Qiuyan, and so forth.

In the past, most of the Immortal Cultivation Techniques from the Transmission Hall in the Ancient Relic Array were of this type.

However, Divine Soul techniques differ slightly from Spiritual Power techniques. First, Divine Soul techniques are much rarer, secondly, they generally don’t involve Dao Intent, and thirdly, Divine Soul cultivation is essentially the training of using Divine Soul Power.

Take the Soul Crow Splitting Skill as an example; if you master this technique and can split off dozens or even hundreds of soul crows, your Divine Soul is undoubtedly strong.

Similarly, the Void Refining Scripture is a process using a Grotto Heaven to refine the Divine Soul.

Both approaches differ in method yet are essentially the same.

For cultivators, there’s no need to pursue higher-level Divine Soul techniques, as many have prerequisites.

The Void Refining Scripture requires a Grotto Heaven, the Heart Sword Scripture requires an understanding of the Sword Dao. Without a Grotto Heaven, or if one doesn’t cultivate the Sword Dao, cultivating the Void Refining Scripture and Heart Sword Scripture would be counterproductive, making cultivating the Soul Crow Splitting Skill a better choice.

Yang Zhenshan chose the Thousand Threads Soul Control Skill for Yu Qingyi because it emphasizes overcoming hardness with softness, excelling in control and infiltration.

Refining the Divine Soul into countless "soul threads," it can penetrate others’ Sea of Consciousness to read shallow memories or weave a "phantom web," entrapping others in specified illusions.

Though not exceedingly powerful, this cultivation technique excels in detail, making it quite suitable for Yu Qingyi.

As long as Yu Qingyi masters this technique, her Divine Soul strength will be impressive.

"Alright, I’ll cultivate both the Thousand Threads Soul Control Skill and the Soul Crow Splitting Skill!" Yu Qingyi agreed happily.

Subsequently, Yang Zhenshan conversed with Yu Qingyi for a long time, mainly guiding her upcoming cultivation direction. Additionally, Yang Zhenshan planned to supply various Elixirs for Yu Qingyi’s future cultivation.

With the Elixirs refined by Yang Zhenshan, Yu Qingyi’s cultivation speed should improve significantly, potentially catching up to Ding Qiu in the future.

Meanwhile, a major event occurred in the Wanhua Mountain Range.

In the northeast part of the Wanhua Mountain Range, a small hill named Ten Thousand Bone Yin Mountain lay hidden. The mountain body was entirely dark green, its surface covered with an inch-thick layer of gray powder, occasionally emitting a rustling sound akin to White Bones rubbing against each other.

The mountain’s interior was penetrated by a Yin Vein, with evil qi gushing along the cracks, coalescing in a constant gray mist within the mountain hollows. Twisted tree shadows could be vaguely seen within the mist, actually skeletal vines corroded by evil qi.

Entering the mountain’s interior through the dark corridor, one would find a vast Evil Plaza, the ground paved with black stone, with dark red liquid flowing in the stone cracks, a mixture of Yin Vein evil qi and blood. Stepping on it would cause bubbles, emitting a stench and white mist.

At the plaza’s center was a familiar blood pool; the thousand-zhang blood pool churned with thick blood, with half-submerged White Bone fragments and charred limbs floating on the surface. Bubbles burst with a cracking sound mixed with the clanging of dragged chains.

At the heart of the pool stood three White Bone Pillars, with blood-dripping bronze ancient lamps suspended atop, the lamp oil surprisingly made from boiled human eyeballs, with ghostly blue flames eerily dancing in the pupils.

On a black stone platform carved with spiral runes next to the pool, twelve heartless corpses knelt in a circle, their chest cavities pierced with barbed chains, the other end buried in the pool bottom.

Indeed, this was the Unpredictable Ghost Sect’s Ten Thousand Ghost Blood Pool.

In the dim cavern plaza, the evil qi morphed into thick mist that lingered perpetually, and amidst the mist, rigid figures were tirelessly busy.

Zhang Mo stood by the blood pool, eyes cruelly fixed on the bubbles rising from the pool.

The current Zhang Mo greatly differed from his past self. Once donning a blue robe, with silver hair and ruddy complexion, exuding an air of immortality, he now appeared with disheveled hair, a gaunt face, red eyes, resembling a vicious ghost.

Once, Zhang Mo thrived magnificently, commanding over a dozen Foundation Establishment ghost soldiers and thousands of blood corpse puppets. He first decimated Lotus Heart Valley, then severely weakened the six families of Qingli, and finally wreaked havoc upon many Martial Artists within the Wuxiang Sect.

After returning to the Unpredictable Ghost Sect, he not only received commendations from his superiors but his cultivation further advanced, flourishing with success and prestige.

However, since the Sun Cave Heaven’s fall, his luck took a downturn.

In the Sun Cave Heaven, he first lost a significant number of ghost soldiers and blood puppets, and even his two most powerful ghost soldiers, Lin Daoyuan and Yue E, were snatched away by Yang Zhenshan.

After the Sun Cave Heaven’s collapse, he went to the Illusion Moon Sect, only to encounter Master Jing Shui.

His prized disciple Duan Qiankun was killed by Master Jing Shui in an instant, and, ultimately, his two most valuable ghost soldiers, Yang Shenwu and Zhang Xian, were also lost at the Illusion Moon Sect, leaving him to flee alone.

In a blink, he returned to nothingness, becoming isolated.

With no options, he had to start over, planning to begin anew.

He couldn’t return to the Yunxiao Mountain Range; with the establishment of the Sky Cloud Sword Sect, he definitely couldn’t continue thriving there, so he ventured to the northeast of the Wanhua Mountain Range.

Yet, the notorious reputation of the Unpredictable Ghost Sect left him isolated wherever he went.

He could only hide in the mountain’s nook, plotting slowly.

Years passed, and though he hadn’t regained his former power, he was no longer isolated, having gathered more ghost soldiers and blood puppets under him.

Yet, life was now stifling and dull, lacking the grandeur and glory of the past.