Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 28 The Old Demon and the Little Demon

Magical artifacts, spells, talismans, formations... to cultivators, they are essentially the same.

The foundation of the Way of Heaven has long been established: Yin and Yang are divided, the Five Elements are complete, and all things in the world are contained within them.

The universe and all things are the canvas, and spiritual energy is the paint.

Whether it's divination symbols, runes, or witchcraft incantations, they are all ways in which practitioners create art using spiritual energy.

All the basic colors are here; how you draw it depends entirely on your own skill.

The reason why magic is difficult to master is because it requires drawing in the air.

Spiritual energy is inherently ethereal and elusive, making it extremely difficult to sketch into shape at will. It's manageable if one concentrates fully and manipulates it carefully, but battles are life-or-death struggles, where even the slightest difference can mean the difference between life and death.

Therefore, it's not only about being fast, but also about being accurate.

This immobilization spell is not complicated; it consists of only seventeen runes. However, drawing it quickly and accurately in the air is not easy.

Following the instructions in the scriptures, Chen Ye used his spiritual energy to inscribe runes, but before he could finish the first rune, the spiritual energy he had left behind dissipated.

This was to be expected. Spells are not so easy to learn; it takes years of practice to master them. Therefore, cultivators rarely throw out a bunch of random spells when they fight.

Of those, only three or five might actually be useful. High-level cultivators have longer lifespans and master more spells, but they mostly use the ones they are most proficient in.

Chen Ye was neither impatient nor lazy. He maintained a calm mindset and practiced as he went, which led to rapid progress.

Several hours have passed, and he has improved significantly, from not being able to draw even one rune at first, to now being able to draw two in a row.

However, Chen Ye didn't know what he was doing wrong in his practice. Whenever he practiced the immobilization spell, he always felt that his dantian and dantian were affected.

As the spiritual energy was depleted, the Qi Sea spun at varying speeds.

According to Mo Ci's teachings, once this Qi Sea is formed, it is very difficult to influence it through external forces. Each rotation of the Qi Sea absorbs a portion of spiritual energy, and the influx of spiritual energy will make the Qi Sea grow stronger, and so on.

Later, when the Qi Sea completes one cycle, it may absorb 100% of the spiritual energy. This is how the Qi Sea Realm is cultivated.

A few rare and precious materials can shorten this process, but most independent cultivators can only accumulate them slowly over time.

Without the aid of elixirs, it would normally take anywhere from thirty to a hundred years for someone at the Qi Sea Realm to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.

It is very difficult to rotate the Qi Sea with one's will; only high-ranking sects have secret methods passed down through generations. It is said that the famous Qinghe Sword Technique has a way to accelerate cultivation; the Qinghe Sect Leader himself only took half a year to go from Qi Awakening to Profound Understanding.

Su Chunyi is at least at the Tongxuan Realm. Judging from her appearance, she is not some hundreds of years old. She must rely on secret techniques or elixirs, which is truly enviable.

However, Mo Ci was just a rogue cultivator and did not know such secret techniques at all, and Chen Ye naturally did not know them either.

If a cultivator finds a propitious place and secludes themselves for decades, detached from worldly affairs and without expending spiritual energy, then progress will naturally be faster. However, if someone like Chen Ye practices both magical artifacts and spells, then who knows how many years will be wasted.

However, sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Once you've mastered the techniques of combat, you can start refining pills as long as you can find the right rare and precious materials. Cultivating by taking pills is much faster than quiet meditation.

The choice is entirely up to the individual.

Chen Ye would definitely choose to take drugs, because no matter how talented he is, he can't reach the realm of immortality by just waiting for the right time.

Since we'll be competing with others for rare and precious materials sooner or later anyway, we might as well practice more now so that we won't be unable to win and can only watch others ascend to immortality while we're still envious.

This immobilization spell is really strange. It is difficult for cultivators to actively stimulate their Qi Sea to absorb spiritual energy. They can make their Qi Sea rotate at different speeds by drawing a few runes.

Although the changes aren't obvious, at least they're useful. If we could understand the underlying principles, wouldn't we be able to speed things up or slow them down as we wish?

"Isn't this a secret technique that works on the soul? How is this done?"

Although Chen Ye had read a lot of books, he couldn't figure it out for the time being, so he could only practice first and think about it carefully later.

With his attention divided, Chen Ye had already descended the mountain and was walking along the path.

Chen Ye practiced his skills as he walked, and he didn't find it boring at all; on the contrary, he found it quite enjoyable.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the city gate of Cui County again.

Several days had passed since they left Cui County. Earlier, Chen Ye had deliberately had Su Chunyi dispel the illusion, and then, in full view of everyone, he rode a sword beam and flew into the sky. At the time, there were many onlookers in the teahouse, and after so much time, the story of the immortal riding a sword must have circulated in dozens of versions by now.

Returning to Cui County now would likely allow me to easily infiltrate the circle of powerful figures, making the investigation much easier.

This bustling county town is always teeming with traffic, but seeing it again today feels a bit off.

Chen Ye looked around and found that the number of guards at the gate had doubled, and the patrol horses were also more frequent.

As Chen Ye approached the city gate, his presence as a young Taoist priest carrying a long black and white banner drew attention, and soldiers immediately began to watch his every move. Instead of avoiding him, Chen Ye smiled and walked closer, wanting to inquire.

The soldier had been looking at Chen Ye with wary eyes, but when Chen Ye got closer and saw his appearance clearly, his gaze froze for a moment, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Chen Ye noticed his gaze and immediately sensed something was wrong.

With a flick of his wrist, he blocked the man's view. By the time the banner was moved aside, Chen Ye had completely covered his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

The soldier finally came to his senses, but still stared at Chen Ye in disbelief, as if trying to confirm whether what he had just seen was real.

Chen Ye thought to himself, "Master told me to cover my face, it seems he wasn't joking. But what exactly happened to my face?"

Seeing the soldier looking him up and down, as if he wanted to lift his mask, Chen Ye quickly stuffed a few pieces of silver into his hand and asked, "Sir, I am new to your esteemed land. Cui County is heavily guarded. Is something important happening?"

Perhaps sensing the weight in his hand, the soldier, though still puzzled, whispered to Chen Ye, "Princess Hongyu is arriving soon. We are all here to welcome her. If you want to enter the city, hurry up. We don't know when the princess will arrive. Once the messenger arrives, the city gates will be closed to all unauthorized personnel."

"Princess Hongyu?"

Chen Ye remembered the name. The reason Cui County was so prosperous was because it was the fiefdom of Princess Hongyu. However, the princess was still young and had always lived in the inner palace.

Why would Princess Hongyu come to her own fiefdom at such a critical time?

Could it be that the forced conscription of young boys and girls was really related to the imperial court?
Chen Ye dared not linger, and with his head down, he blended into the crowd and entered Cui County.

Continuing on his journey, Chen Ye soon arrived at the teahouse he had visited before.

When Chen Ye left earlier, he deliberately left a bundle here. There was nothing special inside; Chen Ye simply wanted the teahouse owner to remember him and the image of him and Su Chun riding sword light into the azure sky.

Now, coming back is not to retrieve the burden, but to prove one's reputation.

However, to verify this, we'll probably have to reveal our faces.

What's wrong with my face?

Chen Ye didn't dare to act recklessly. He first bought a mirror, then found a secluded corner, took off his face mask, and carefully examined his appearance.

After looking at him for a long time, Chen Ye could only frown and come to one conclusion: "He's still as handsome as before."

In Chen Ye's view, spending a few days sleeping in the wilderness had not made him any different, and his facial features had not changed at all.

Helpless, Chen Ye could only wave the long banner and call out, "Master, wake up! What happened to my face?"

Mo Ci seemed to be woken up by Chen Ye's annoyance and couldn't help but scold, "You unfilial disciple, your master is about to die, and you still won't let me sleep in peace!"

“Master, you said it yourself, it doesn’t matter much whether you sleep or not in your current state.”

Mo Ci roared, "You treacherous disciple who betrayed your master and ancestors! If I still had my cultivation, I would have refined your soul!"

Chen Yecai wasn't buying it; after all, he wasn't the one with the tens of thousands of soul banners.

“Master, why can’t you just say it all at once? Why do you have to keep it to yourself? If you had just explained it clearly, I wouldn’t have had to wake you up. Tell me quickly, what’s wrong with my face? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, but the way people look at me is very strange.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci burst into laughter: "You brat, I told you to wear a mask, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're in trouble!"

Chen Ye quickly said, "Master, stop being so mysterious. Just tell me already, and then you can go back to sleep."

"Hmph, you deserve it for not listening to your master." Although Mo Ci mocked him, he still explained to Chen Ye, "You just condensed your Qi Sea, and spiritual energy naturally gathered and entered your limbs, bones, and even skin, constantly cleansing and rejuvenating you."

"Mortals cannot see spiritual energy, but your stinking body is constantly being cleansed by it. To them, you seem to be glowing. Moreover, during this process of cleansing and refining your body, the turbid air you exhale also contains residual spiritual energy. Ordinary people cannot smell this, but as long as they inhale it, they will naturally feel a sense of goodwill towards you."

"If you were plain-looking, it wouldn't matter much; at most, it would just add a touch of otherworldly elegance. But your face... truly has the charm I had back then, making its allure especially pronounced. Ordinary people who see you would feel as if you were a god descended to earth, and they would never forget you after just one glance."

"If you encounter a woman with a weak will and a frail soul, you only need to get close to her and smile at her to bewitch her completely and make her obey you. Many demonic sects' methods of replenishing yang by absorbing yin are particularly effective when you are in the Qi Condensation Realm. Once your physical body has been tempered, the light and fragrance will be gone, and you will have to use magic to seduce her again."

Chen Ye was shocked. This was just a beauty filter, no, it was more than just a filter, it also came with a seductive fragrance.

Chen Ye then asked, "Master, how long will this situation last?"

Mo Ci replied, "You are a pure yang body, and you are young with few impurities in your body. This will last for at most a month."

Chen Ye pondered for a moment and said, "A month should be enough."

What mischief is this kid up to now?

(End of this chapter)