Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

After Zhang Tie left, Han Jianshan sat down in the stone pavilion atop Lingxian Peak and drank the spiritual tea in one gulp.

"Master, what do you think of this boy?" Qi Xuan asked.

Han Jianshan didn't answer immediately, but pondered for a moment before speaking: "His foundation in the Spirit Seeking Technique is very solid. This boy's talent in the Spirit Seeking Technique is indeed stronger than yours!"

"It is I who have disappointed my master. After so many years of cultivation, I have still not been able to achieve great success!" Qi Xuan smiled bitterly. Although he had already formed his core, he still respected his master, Han Jianshan, to the extreme.

"Talent is something that can't be explained or defined, and I myself am not even close to being a master!" Han Jianshan said with a self-deprecating smile.

"However, that secret technique requires extremely high spiritual power. Junior Brother Zhang's spiritual strength is not weak, so cultivating the secret technique should not be a problem!"

"Not only is his spiritual strength good, but that kid also has a good temperament. He came from a rogue cultivator background, reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in his early twenties, and is neither arrogant nor impatient. He's worth the effort to nurture!"

Qi Xuan remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, should we tell him about that ancient site?"

"No rush, let him master the secret technique first. His cultivation level should at least reach the late Foundation Establishment stage!"

"What if my junior brother guesses it?"

"It doesn't matter if he guessed it; he's a smart man, he knows what to do!"

Qi Xuan said no more and got up to take his leave.

Only Han Jianshan remained atop the peak, gazing down at the sacred mountain below, muttering to himself, "Zhang Tie, I hope you won't disappoint me!"

When Zhang Tie returned to his cave, his excitement about becoming a disciple was quickly suppressed.

After calming down, Zhang Tie also began to re-examine the matter.

Why would Han Jianshan, a peak mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, accept him as a disciple?

There are plenty of people in Spirit Beast Mountain with three spiritual roots, and there are even those with higher cultivation levels than him...

Qi Xuan mentioned the Spirit-Seeking Technique, and Han Jianshan also gave him the complete version of the Spirit-Seeking Secret Technique, telling him to cultivate it well. The real reason for taking on disciples probably lies in this technique!

This technique is strange!

Zhang Tie picked up the jade tube, turned it over in his hand, pondered for a while, and then put it into his storage bag instead of examining it.

"No matter the reason, it seems I have no choice!" Zhang Tie thought to himself.

If a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator wanted to take him as a disciple, would he dare to refuse?

The consequences of refusing would probably be more dangerous than cultivating this secret technique. Moreover, at this stage, becoming a disciple would only bring him benefits and no harm. The status of a Core Formation disciple is a protective charm.

We can seize more benefits in the upcoming battle!

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it!" Zhang Tie suppressed his doubts, cleared his mind of the chaotic thoughts, and focused back on the formation.

He has gathered all the materials for the Yin-Yang Locking God Formation, but he hasn't even started refining the formation flags yet. This is his biggest trump card at the moment.

With this formation, he would be able to protect himself against cultivators at the late Foundation Establishment stage or even the Great Perfection stage.

In the following period, Zhang Tie devoted himself to the forging of the array flags.

It took a considerable amount of time to complete all nine array flags required for Zhang Tie's Yin-Yang Locking God Array, and the Heavenly Star Wood in his storage bag was almost gone.

The array patterns that need to be engraved on the flags are several times more complex than those of other arrays. The array patterns on each flag are different, each corresponding to the Eight Trigrams and the principle of Yin-Yang balance.

Zhang Tie dared not be careless. He carefully studied the details of each array pattern and then used his spiritual power to inscribe it stroke by stroke on the spiritual silk.

However, the complexity of the array patterns still caused Zhang Tie to fail several times, directly wasting half of his spirit silk. Fortunately, he was prepared and had a lot of spirit silk in his storage bag.

Fortunately, Zhang Tie's understanding of the array patterns and his control over spiritual power became more and more proficient, and he finally succeeded on the fourth attempt, successfully engraving the array patterns onto the flag.

The second page, the third page... all the way up to the ninth page.

After the flag is completed, it still needs to be integrated into the array base...

Three months later, all nine battle flags were completed.

After Zhang Tie left the pass, he set up the Yin-Yang Locking God Formation in a secluded spot near his cave. The Locking Gold Ring served as the base of the formation, and the Soul Nourishing Crystal served as the core of the formation, embedded in the center of the Locking Gold Ring!

Hands form a hand seal, and the array lights up!

Nine array flags lit up simultaneously, as if two black and white fish appeared on the array's light screen, before instantly disappearing into the array.

Amidst the interplay of spiritual light, the Yin-Yang Locking God Array formed a transparent light shield fifty feet in size.

Within the protective barrier, the power of the formation raged. Zhang Tie stood outside the formation, and even his soul faintly sensed a sense of annihilation!

"What powerful binding force!" Zhang Tie was overjoyed.

This confinement is not like the Six Harmonies Sealing Array, which seals the physical body, but directly affects the soul!

His spiritual power was stronger than that of ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even he felt a chill run down his spine, which showed the extraordinary nature of the Two Elements Locking God Formation.

However, Zhang Tie quickly put away the array flags and keenly noticed that the Soul Nourishing Crystal had dimmed somewhat.

This formation is powerful, but it also consumes a lot of resources, especially rare spiritual items like Soul Nourishing Crystals. The Soul Nourishing Crystal in my hand, about the size of a fingernail, is probably only enough to maintain this formation a dozen or so times.

It seems we need to find some similar spiritual items to supplement it, otherwise the effect will be greatly reduced.

I wonder if that old fellow Zhou Yuanshan has used up his Soul Nourishing Crystals. We'll see if they're still inside the sect. If they are, we can trade them for them.

Looking at the array flag in his hand, Zhang Tie felt much more at ease.

Next, we should study that so-called complete version of the spirit-seeking technique!

Back in his cave, Zhang Tie took out a jade tube from his robes and probed it with his divine sense. The information contained within the jade tube surged into his sea of ​​consciousness like a torrent.

At this moment, Zhang Tie realized that the so-called "Spirit Seeking Technique" should actually be called "Mysterious Spirit Secret Technique," and it was created by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Judging from the few words in the jade tube, Zhang Tie judged that this Nascent Soul cultivator must have perished some time ago.

Where did Hanjianshan obtain this secret technique?

The "Mysterious Spirit Techniques" contains three secret methods. The first one is the Spirit-Seeking Technique that Zhang Tie previously practiced, but it is more complex. It can not only find spiritual veins and mineral deposits, but also trace the source of spiritual objects and distinguish their attributes. It is many times stronger than the simplified version.

The second technique is an auxiliary secret method called "Spirit Control," which allows one to manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with divine sense to enhance the power of spells.

The third technique is an extremely rare soul-attacking art called "Mysterious Spirit Soul-Shattering Finger." It uses the power of the soul to condense into a finger and directly strike the enemy's soul. Those who are hit will suffer soul damage at best, and their souls will be scattered at worst.

To Zhang Tie's disappointment, this secret technique had an extremely high cultivation threshold, requiring a soul at the Core Formation level to cultivate. Although Zhang Tie's soul had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, it was still far from the Core Formation stage.

"What a pity, otherwise we would have had another trump card!" Zhang Tie shook his head.

Zhang Tie quickly finished reading the entire secret technique. The core of the Xuanling Secret Technique can be summarized in eight words: "Use the spirit to control the spirit, use the spirit to guide the spirit!"

These eight characters look simple, but they are actually incredibly profound.

What Han Jianshan gave him was actually a secret technique related to the soul!

Zhang Tie closed his eyes, and the Book of Cause and Effect flickered in his sea of ​​consciousness.

[Detected "Mysterious Spirit Technique" (Tier 4)...Detecting...Incorrect incantation has been corrected. Do you wish to consume 1000 Karma Points to learn "Mysterious Spirit Technique" (Revised Version)?]

A thousand causal points is only the beginning?!

Zhang Tie was somewhat surprised.

But then he saw that the Book of Cause and Effect had actually helped him perfect the Mysterious Spirit Technique on its own, and his brows immediately furrowed!

What does this mean? Did Han Jianshan tamper with the "Mysterious Spirit Technique," or was it originally flawed?

However, Zhang Tie must cultivate this "Mysterious Spirit Secret Technique" if he doesn't want to die suddenly or go into qi deviation one day. Fortunately, he has the Book of Cause and Effect, which helped him avoid a potential danger!

Zhang Tie was both surprised and delighted. Regardless of whether it was Han Jianshan's doing or not, this matter could not be known to anyone else until he confirmed it!

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Tie's heart. If it was really Han Jianshan who did it, then it was truly a pity!

"Confirm consumption!"

The Book of Cause and Effect shimmered with golden light, and the information from the "Mysterious Spirit Technique" was broken down into layers and imprinted on Zhang Tie's sea of ​​consciousness.

With eyes closed, sensing the extra information in one's mind, the simplified version of the Spirit Searching Technique was completed, and previously blurry areas became clear.

He also memorized the Xuanling Shattering Soul Finger technique. Although he couldn't use it for the time being, he knew he would be able to use it in the future.

Two hours later, Zhang Tie opened his eyes.

The Mysterious Art of Xuanling has been successfully mastered, but what is Han Jianshan's purpose and what is it for?

He needs to investigate thoroughly! Otherwise, he'll feel uneasy.