Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

Fu Shaoping felt slightly relieved, but his vigilance remained undiminished. He knew that the pursuers would not give up easily, and the Corpse Bone Forest was not a place to linger. His cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refining, coupled with the various secret techniques of the "Mysterious Contract True Explanation," gave him a certain degree of self-protection, but to completely escape the crisis, or even counterattack, he needed a more meticulous plan.

He needed to figure out who was hunting him down, how powerful they were, whether their only goal was the inheritance of the "Mysterious Contract True Explanation," or if they had other motives. He also needed to find a safe way out; he couldn't be trapped in the Corpse Forest forever.

"Perhaps, I could try 'fishing'?" A bold idea arose in Fu Shaoping's mind.

Since the other party could track his soul power aura and the lingering effects of the contract, could he deliberately leak a disguised "trace" pointing in a specific direction to lure the pursuers to an extremely dangerous and perilous place in the Bone Forest, and use them to kill? Or, at least, could he test the strength of the pursuers and the limits of their tracking methods?

This idea is very risky; if not handled properly, it could expose one's true location. However, passively hiding is not a long-term solution; actively creating confusion and misleading information might give one more initiative.

Fu Shaoping began carefully analyzing the feasibility of his plan. He recalled the rudimentary map of the Bone Forest and, combining it with his own exploration over the past few days, pinpointed a treacherous area deep within the forest known as the "Ten Thousand Poison Pool." It was said to be filled with thick, liquid miasma, its waters extremely poisonous, and it was also inhabited by swarms of "Bone-Eating Poison Ants," feared even by second-tier demonic beasts. If he could successfully lure the pursuers there…

He needs to create "traces". These traces must be "real" enough to fool the other party's detection methods, but they cannot leave his true soul imprint or contractual characteristics.

The "True Explanation of the Mysterious Contract" provides another approach. One of its rudimentary methods, called "Soul Imitation Contract Seal," can mimic parts of the soul or contract characteristics of other beings. Although it cannot be sustained and is easily detected by high-level cultivators, it may have a miraculous effect in a complex environment like the Bone Forest, where there are many distractions.

Fu Shaoping decided to give it a try. He first spent several days carefully sneaking into the outer area of ​​the Ten Thousand Poison Pool and capturing a lone "Iron Armored Poison Scorpion" with a relatively unique aura. Based on its remnant soul and a trace of his own soul power, he combined it with the "Soul Imitation Contract" to refine several false soul power imprints containing weak, chaotic, and "panicked escape" intentions.

Then, he chose a route from Black Wind Ridge to the Ten Thousand Poison Pool, which would pass through several natural obstacles and the territory of powerful poisonous insects. At several key points along this route, he left these false marks very discreetly, supplemented by some artificial, hasty traces (such as broken branches and shallow footprints), deliberately creating the illusion of "being injured and fleeing in a panic."

After doing all this, he quickly fled back to his hidden stone cave, where he once again entered a state of deep concealment, leaving only a faint but continuously functioning "Identification Technique" perception, which covered a very small area around the cave like a spider web, to monitor whether any "fish" had taken the bait.

The days of waiting were exceptionally agonizing. Fu Shaoping dared not engage in deep cultivation, and could only slowly regulate his breathing, focusing most of his attention on maintaining concealment and surveillance.

Three days have passed, and there has been no movement.

Five days have passed, and it remains deathly silent.

Just when Fu Shaoping was almost convinced that the plan had failed, or that the pursuers had given up—

On the seventh day at dusk, at the edge of the "spider web" he had laid out, the sense of the "contract identification technique" captured an extremely subtle but clearly probing contract light, which carefully swept past the vicinity of the starting point of his pre-set "escape route"!

"They're here!" Fu Shaoping's heart tightened, and he immediately concealed his aura to the extreme, and his soul fire also went dormant.

The probing contract light did not stop, but followed the false marks and traces he left behind, slowly extending towards the depths of the Corpse Forest and the Ten Thousand Poison Pool! Judging from the intensity and precision of the control of this contract light, the caster's cultivation level was at least the ninth level of Qi Refining, or even the early stage of Foundation Establishment! Moreover, the other party was very cautious, probing extremely slowly, as if carefully distinguishing between the genuine and the fake.

Fu Shaoping held his breath, silently calculating the time. The other party was proceeding deeper and deeper along the route he had planned…

An hour later, deep within the Corpse Bone Forest, towards the direction of the Myriad Poison Pool, a sudden burst of extremely strong spiritual energy fluctuations and the sharp cries of demonic beasts emanated! Faintly mixed in were also a few angry shouts and screams from humans!
The fluctuations lasted for about fifteen minutes before gradually subsiding and returning to silence.

Fu Shaoping remained motionless and waited for two more hours until night completely fell. Only after confirming that there were no more unusual contract lights or spiritual energy fluctuations did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.

"It seems the plan has at least partially succeeded..." Fu Shaoping's eyes were deep. The commotion in the direction of the Ten Thousand Poison Pool indicated that the pursuers had indeed been lured there and clashed with the dangers there. The outcome was unknown, but at least for the time being, the enemy should be unable to organize an effective search.

He dared not be careless and decided to remain hidden in the cave for a while longer, observing the situation. At the same time, he also began to consider his next move. The Corpse Bone Forest was not a place to stay for long. After his breakthrough in cultivation, he needed a more stable environment and resources to consolidate his realm and prepare for the future Foundation Establishment.

Perhaps it's time to consider leaving the Cloud Mist Mountains, this place of trouble, and venturing into a wider world. But the outside world is vast; where would be a suitable place for a rogue cultivator like him, carrying secrets and having offended unknown forces, to find refuge?

The night was deep, and the wind still howled through the Bone Forest. Fu Shaoping, like a stone sunk to the bottom of the water, quietly planned his future path within the stone cave. The crisis had temporarily subsided, but the road ahead remained shrouded in mist. His third journey of cultivation, after experiencing pursuit, escape, breakthroughs in desperate situations, and triumphs against all odds, was about to enter a new chapter.

For the next two weeks, the Corpse Bone Forest seemed to have completely returned to its former deathly stillness. Fu Shaoping no longer sensed any contractual light carrying any tracking or probing intent. There were also no further disturbances from the direction of the Ten Thousand Poison Pool, as if the conflict that day had completely devoured or driven back the uninvited guests.

Fu Shaoping did not lower his guard. He continued to hide in the stone cave, consolidating his Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation, tempering his soul fire, and studying the "Mysterious Contract True Explanation" more deeply, while using the "Contract Identification Technique" to observe the surrounding environment more carefully.

The *Mysterious Contract True Explanation* truly lives up to its ancient heritage; the more he studied it, the more profound and extensive it became. Besides the methods he had already mastered, such as soul tempering, contract identification, and basic illusionary contracts, he began to attempt a deeper level of study—the preliminary application of "contract seals." A "contract seal" is the concrete manifestation and manipulation of contract power at the material or energy level, and is one of the core methods used by Mysterious Contract Sect cultivators in combat, formation setup, and even weapon and pill refining. Fu Shaoping could currently only grasp the most rudimentary aspects, such as attempting to mix a wisp of soul power with true qi, condensing it along a specific trajectory to form a temporary contract seal with weak "binding," "disruptive," or "marking" effects.

He tried to incorporate a tiny "disruption seal" into the restrictions at the entrance of the stone cave. Any divine sense or contractual probe that touched this place would be interfered with by this seal, producing incorrect feedback. The effect was better than a simple concealment formation.

He also tried imprinting "warning seals" on several ordinary stones, placing them further out of the cave. Once a living being (especially one with hostility or specific energy characteristics) approached, the seals would send him a faint alarm.

Most of these attempts were stumbling and exhausting, with a low success rate. However, each successful condensation deepened his understanding of "contract" and "seal," and his control over his soul was also subtly honed.

In addition, he discovered a new use for the "Identification Technique"—to assist in the cultivation of the "Azure Profound Breathing Technique".

Through the "Identification Technique," he could more clearly "see" the subtle "energy exchange contract" process during the contact, absorption, and refinement of his own true energy with external spiritual energy. This allowed him to more precisely adjust his breathing rhythm and the route of his true energy circulation, eliminating finer impurities from the spiritual energy, thus slightly improving his cultivation efficiency. At the same time, he could also more intuitively observe the "adaptive contract" formed between his true energy and the meridian walls as it circulated through his meridians, which helped him to better expand and stabilize his meridians.

"The True Explanation of the Profound Treatise is indeed all-encompassing, pointing directly to the essence of the Great Dao. Even if it is only a fragment, if I can fully comprehend it, its benefit to my cultivation path will probably be no less than that of a top-tier cultivation technique." Fu Shaoping valued this inheritance even more.

With his cultivation level stabilized, his soul fire gradually intensifying, and his comprehension of the "True Explanation of the Profound Contract" on track, Fu Shaoping knew it was time to leave the Forest of Rotten Bones.

But he did not choose to return to Cloud Mist Market. It was undoubtedly a dangerous place, and even if his pursuers perished at the Ten Thousand Poison Pool, the forces behind them would likely not let the matter rest. He needed a new, relatively safe starting point.

Based on information inadvertently revealed by Manager Hu in the past, combined with some miscellaneous notes and jade slips he had read, Fu Shaoping learned that tens of thousands of miles northeast of the Cloud Mist Mountains, there was a gigantic cultivation city called "Heavenly Palace City." It was a gathering place for cultivators hundreds of times larger than the Cloud Mist Market, jointly managed by multiple sects and cultivation families, a melting pot of all sorts of people, where opportunities and dangers coexisted. More importantly, it contained large teleportation arrays leading to even more distant regions, and offered greater opportunities to acquire high-level cultivation techniques, elixirs, and information.

“Tianque City…” Fu Shaoping pondered. Tens of thousands of miles was an extremely long journey for a Qi Refining cultivator, a journey fraught with countless dangers and perils. But he had no other choice. Staying near the Cloud Mist Mountains would only mean being dug out sooner or later.

He spent several days developing a very rough route map. The plan was to first travel north through the Bone Forest and another dangerous area, the "White Bone Wasteland," to reach "Crow Crossing" at the northern foot of the mountains. There, he would find a small gathering place for independent cultivators, where he might be able to obtain more accurate maps and intelligence. Then he would consider whether to purchase a flying artifact or join a caravan to travel to Tianque City.

Before leaving, he needed to make thorough preparations. His elixirs and talismans were almost exhausted, and his spirit stones were nearly depleted. He had to utilize the resources of the Rotten Bone Forest to refine a batch of elixirs and collect as many valuable materials as possible as supplies for his journey.

For the next month, Fu Shaoping transformed into the most diligent herb gatherer and hunter. With his keen perception of danger and opportunity through the "Identification Technique" and his strength at the eighth level of Qi Refining, he reaped considerable rewards in the Corpse Forest.

He collected a large quantity of "Rotting Bone Grass" and "Misty Spirit Flower," and discovered several rare "Soul Mushrooms" (useful for cultivating Yin-attribute techniques or refining certain special elixirs). He hunted down over a dozen mid-to-high-grade first-tier poisonous insects and beasts, obtaining materials such as carapaces, venom sacs, and demon cores. He even found several pieces of decent-quality "Rotting Poison Iron" at the bottom of a poisonous spring, a material for crafting poisonous magical artifacts.

With these gains, he returned to the cave and began his secluded alchemy practice.

This time, he was no longer satisfied with the Bigu Pill and the Qi-restoring Pill. He attempted to refine a first-grade, high-quality "Qi-Nourishing Pill," which was highly beneficial for late-stage Qi Refining cultivators to stabilize their cultivation and enhance their true Qi, making it even more valuable. Although he failed several times, after consuming a large amount of materials, he finally succeeded in refining a batch of twelve medium-to-high-quality Qi-Nourishing Pills.

Next, he used bone-rotting grass, miasma flowers, and other auxiliary medicines to successfully refine the more effective "powerful miasma-clearing pill" and "bone-rotting detoxifying powder," which are specifically designed to counteract the poisonous miasma and insect venom in the bone-rotting forest.

He also tried to purify the "Soul Mushroom". Although he failed to make a pill, he obtained a small bottle of "Soul Liquid" containing pure Soul Power, which might be useful in certain situations.

With everything prepared, Fu Shaoping's storage bag was once again full. There were twelve Qi-Nourishing Pills, twenty potent Miasma-Clearing Pills, ten portions of Bone-Corroding Detoxifying Powder, several Qi-Recovering Pills and Healing Pills, as well as various demon beast materials, ores, and the bottle of Yin Soul Liquid. He only had about thirty spirit stones left, but with these supplies, he would have the capital to exchange and replenish his supplies along the way.

He cleaned up all traces he had left inside the cave, even using his soul power to carefully scan it, ensuring that there were no traces of contracts or soul imprints that could be tracked.

Finally, he stood at the cave entrance and glanced back at the temporary refuge that had sheltered him for nearly two months. Then, he took a deep breath, his figure blurred, and like a shadow merging into the night, he silently left the cave, stealthily heading towards the northern part of the Bone Forest and the Bone Wasteland.

His figure quickly disappeared into the eerie depths of the forest, a mix of dark red and ghastly green.

This time, his target was no longer a mission location or a temporary hideout, but the colossal city in the distance that symbolized a wider world and unknown challenges—Tianque City.

A long journey spanning tens of thousands of miles, fraught with danger yet brimming with endless possibilities, has begun. Fu Shaoping's third incarnation in the world of cultivation will no longer be confined to the Cloud Mist Mountains, but will slowly unfold towards a far more magnificent world. The mysteries revealed by the *Mysterious Contract True Explanation* will accompany him, shining with unique brilliance on this long journey. (End of Chapter)