When it comes to cultivating immortality, it naturally starts with upgrading the herb garden.

Song Chen's methods are unpredictable and his moves are cunning.

The younger cultivator couldn't see the truth and only felt that an evil spirit had come to claim his life. He immediately abandoned his thoughts of revenge, his face filled with terror. He summoned his flying boat and fled at top speed without looking back.

Song Chen didn't pursue the matter to the end and let the other party leave.

The mission list only had three people on it, and this junior cultivator wasn't on the kill list. Causing trouble by causing problems might lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Song Chen affixed an invisibility talisman, twisted his body, and strolled over to the old cultivator's side, taking away the storage bag.

Then they went to Zhang Jiu's side to check his injuries.

His injuries were severe, with his limbs broken and his internal organs bleeding profusely. He was unconscious. An ordinary person would be dead, but for a cultivator, it was just that.

Moreover, it did not damage the foundation, and with the help of restorative medicine, it can be healed in just a few days.

Song Chen took out a few Rejuvenation Pills and fed them to Zhang Jiu, along with a few strands of spiritual energy to aid absorption.

Before long, Zhang Jiu's breathing stabilized, and he led his men back to the Zhang family mansion, handing the matter over to the steward.

After that, he turned back to the inn.

They moved swiftly and without leaving a trace, deliberately avoiding any eyes or ears, making it impossible for anyone to discover them.

In the evening, the waiter knocked on the door to ask if he needed any food.

Song Chen politely declined, but paid for a few more days' accommodation before closing the door and beginning his cultivation.

They arrived later than Zhang Jiu, so they should return later to be on the safe side.

As for his house in Wanjing City, he had already placed a sign in front of the door indicating that he was going out on business, precisely to conceal his whereabouts.

Song Chen placed high-quality silence and breath-concealing talismans in the four corners of the room.

In this way, sounds and smells from outside can enter, but sounds and smells from inside the room cannot escape, making it extremely safe.

He then took out a larger wooden box containing a small mouse.

It's the one that previously consumed the newly replaced pill.

It was slightly larger than before, lying quietly, breathing evenly, and showing no abnormalities.

"It's almost time. There's nothing wrong with the pills; you can try taking them," Song Chen thought to himself.

He closed the wooden box, put it back into his storage bag, and then took out a jade bottle filled with the newly exchanged pills.

Pour one out and put it in your mouth.

In just a breath, he felt a burning heat throughout his body, and the spiritual energy in his dantian was more abundant than ever before.

Song Chen quickly entered a meditative state, calmed his mind, and focused his attention on his dantian, trying his best to control the terrifying spiritual energy as it liquefied.

After a night, he was still panting heavily, his eyes tightly closed, and he remained motionless.

However, the dantian was not as calm as the outside world.

The spiritual liquid surged and churned, already forming the initial shape of a spiritual sea. On its surface was a pill, constantly emanating spiritual energy.

Three days later, Song Chen finally opened his eyes, his spiritual sea already condensed to 30%.

"The pills are miraculous! One pill is equivalent to the effects of a Spirit Gathering Pill plus a mid-grade spirit stone for a month!" Song Chen thought to himself with delight.

He wanted to take another pill, but his meridians were already throbbing with pain, and taking another pill would probably cause them to explode.

Song Chen was no longer in a hurry; this speed was already extremely fast.

Even the geniuses in Feng Sancai's memories were pretty much the same.

Besides, there are other important things to do right now, so why rush into something for the sake of momentary pleasure?

Song Chen raised an eyebrow, looking radiant.

The next moment, a bronze bell appeared in his hand. He channeled spiritual energy into it and could change its size and adjust its speed at will.

If enough spiritual energy is introduced, it can achieve an almost instantaneous teleportation effect, with considerable power and the wonderful use of trapping and killing enemies.

This is the magical artifact that the old cultivator used to defeat Zhang Jiu.

His storage bag was rather meager, containing only a mid-grade flying boat, a mid-grade defensive magic weapon, and a few spirit stones.

Aside from the clock, Song Chen didn't bother looking at anything else and simply put it in the corner of his storage bag to gather dust.

The room was too cramped to freely test even a fraction of the bronze bell's power; I would have to wait until I returned to my lodgings to try it out.

Even if you can't use magical artifacts, you can still practice spells.

The spell called "Soul Imprint" appeared in Song Chen's mind, and he began to cultivate it one-to-one according to his memory.

With the detailed knowledge he gained from the blood bath, his cultivation went exceptionally smoothly, without the slightest hindrance, as if this method was naturally meant for him.

Furthermore, as he deepened his understanding of this method, his comprehension of the soul also increased significantly.

The soul is the foundation of a cultivator, even more important than the spiritual root.

If one cultivates the Soul Path to its fullest potential, even if the physical body is completely destroyed, there will still be a chance of survival, and one can simply possess another body.

There are eighteen stages of reincarnation in the cultivation of the soul, known as the Eighteen Reincarnations of the Soul.

Every three cycles make up a major cycle, and every nine cycles make up a complete cycle. Completing two cycles is considered a great achievement in the Soul Path.

At that time, even without a physical body, cultivators can still contend with Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators without being at a disadvantage, relying solely on their souls.

The Path of the Soul is no less important than the Path of Qi Cultivation; it can also lead directly to Heaven and Earth, and one can ascend to eternity.

Song Chen was overjoyed and excited, and his evaluation of the Soul Path rose even higher. He also put in a lot more effort in his cultivation.

There are three steps to cultivating the Soul Path.

Absorbing the soul, condensing the soul, and calming the soul—each step is closely related, interconnected, and indispensable.

If one focuses solely on absorbing souls, the soul will become saturated, much like the meridians during cultivation becoming saturated; further cultivation will cause them to burst open.

At this point, it is necessary to condense the soul, so as to reduce the saturated soul and remove the unnecessary parts.

After the soul is solidified, the soul will become restless and unstable.

If you repeat the first two cultivation steps without regard for the consequences, you will lose your mind and eventually become a wild beast.

Therefore, it is necessary to appease the soul.

From a cultivation perspective, the "Soul Imprint" is an excellent spell for "absorbing souls".

As for Soul Condensation and Soul Soothing, several spells are introduced, but frustratingly, they are not written down, and he has to find them himself.

However, Song Chen doesn't need it right now.

after all.

He hasn't even fully mastered the 'Soul Imprint' yet!

The so-called "soul imprint" is essentially a technique that involves cutting off a part of one's own soul and leaving it silently in the soul of another person, using that soul as a warm bed to nourish oneself.

To cultivate this method, one must first find the location of the soul.

The soul is ethereal and uncertain, omnipresent yet seemingly omnipresent, difficult to find.

Even with ample knowledge, it is by no means something that can be achieved overnight.

Song Chen sensed for a long time but couldn't find a single hair, which only made him more irritable.

Calm down.

He then realized that the restlessness was the inevitable feeling of finding the soul.

"The search for one's soul is essentially a process of searching for one's 'self,' which explains why it is so difficult."

Because no "self" wants to be discovered, not even "oneself."

Thinking of this, Song Chen took a deep breath and began to examine the soul again.

......

One Finger Island.

In the Zhang family mansion, in the room on the top floor.

Zhang Jiu slowly woke up, still feeling a bit sore and swollen, but it was much better than at the beginning.

The butler approached, bowing obsequiously, and asked, "Young Master, how are you feeling?"

Zhang Jiu forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. What am I doing here?"

"A young man brought you here without leaving any information."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiu looked into the butler's eyes, pursed his lips repeatedly, and hesitated before saying:

"What about the mission?"

The butler smiled and said, "Young Master, your mission has been successfully completed. You can return to Wanjing City after you have rested well."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiu's gaze toward the butler became increasingly complex.

......

Winter Island.

The Xu family mansion.

At this moment, the family's senior management was having a meeting in the middle-level conference room.

A young boy rushed back, tears streaming down his face, and burst into the meeting room, shouting, "Father! Second Uncle and Qingyao are dead!"