I'm determined to become an immortal!

A patch of reeds had collapsed under the weight of the mud, and He Yiyang lay stiffly in the water, his clothes stripped off and his storage bag gone. He looked like a skinned dead fish, utterly wretched.

"Dead?!"

He Sheng's heart sank suddenly.

"We finally got a lead, and it just disappeared like that!"

He Sheng suppressed his anger and opened his divine sense to search for clues.

Soon, He Sheng discovered a female corpse lying face down a dozen feet away, but there were no other clues.

"If the female corpse is He Yiyang's beautiful concubine, then of the three who escaped, only He Yiyang's brother-in-law, Ji Yunlai, has disappeared without a trace."

Could it be...?

He Sheng's gaze fell on He Yiyang's corpse again, and then he stepped forward and reached out to examine it.

The body was not yet completely cold, nor did it show obvious signs of livor mortis, and the joints were not yet stiff.

All signs indicate that He Yiyang has not been dead for long. Even if he was a cultivator, his body's reaction would be different from that of an ordinary person. He Sheng guessed that he had been dead for at most half a day.

More importantly, the remnants of a cultivator who has only recently died should not have completely dissipated...

The description of the soul in the "Soul Imprint Technique" came to He Sheng's mind, and the Soul Searching Technique he had previously comprehended also flashed through his mind.

Yes!

"He Yiyang's remnant soul hasn't dissipated yet. If I use the Soul Searching Technique on him, I should be able to obtain some clues."

He Sheng immediately formed a mudra with his left hand and gripped He Yiyang's head with his right hand in a claw shape, while chanting incantations.

hum...

The Soul Searching Technique was activated with a roar, and a domineering divine thought, like a sharp cone, pierced into He Yiyang's still not completely dissipated sea of ​​consciousness.

Ah!

He Yiyang's remnant soul instantly let out a sharp shriek. This was originally one of the drawbacks of the Soul Searching Technique, as it would cause the opponent's soul to backfire.

However, He Sheng was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, and his divine sense far surpassed that of He Yiyang. The shriek emitted by the remnant soul had not yet reached He Sheng's sea of ​​consciousness before it was extinguished by the powerful divine sense.

follow closely,

Scenes appeared in He Sheng's mind, and countless fragmented memories were forcibly extracted and pieced together.

A moment later,

He Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of red light appearing briefly in them, and murmured:

"Just as I expected!"

The truth was revealed through soul searching.

Just two hours ago, He Yiyang, along with his brother-in-law Ji Yunlai and his most beloved concubine, fled to this reed marshland.

Although He Yiyang was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, he frequented brothels and his cultivation relied entirely on elixirs, so his magical power was quite weak.

After flying only a few hundred miles, his magical power was already depleted, and he urgently needed to recuperate.

Trusting his brother-in-law Ji Yunlai, He Yiyang instructed him to keep watch around the area before sitting cross-legged in meditation and practicing breathing exercises.

To He Yiyang's utter surprise, Ji Yunlai took advantage of his meditation and launched a sudden attack, blasting a cone-shaped magic weapon directly into his dantian, shredding his spiritual sea into pieces.

He Yiyang couldn't understand why his trusted brother-in-law would suddenly attack him until his death, which caused his remnant soul to be filled with extreme resentment.

"Given the resentment within He Yiyang, his remnant soul will likely transform into a vengeful ghost."

As the thought flashed through his mind, He Sheng felt a bit uneasy.

Although Ji Yunlai is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, he shouldn't have run very far. However, the reed marshes are interconnected, and even if he only runs a few dozen miles, it will be difficult to find his whereabouts.

unless..."

A flash of inspiration struck He Sheng, and the third seal technique of the Soul Seal Technique, the Vengeful Soul Seal, appeared in his mind!

This is a soul imprint that can only be cultivated after mastering the "Soul Imprint Technique".

This soul imprint can use resentment as a clue to trace a wisp of residual cause and effect.

"He Yiyang is currently filled with deep resentment. If his remnant soul and resentment are refined into a resentful soul seal, it might be possible to find Ji Yunlai."

The idea was good, but He Sheng glanced at the water clock and saw that the general cultivation time had already been reduced to zero.

However, He Sheng had a change of heart and came up with some ideas.

"Perhaps we can revert a portion of the 'Qinglan Water Element Technique'?"

Anyway, this Silver Sand River area is just a beginner village. Piao Ge was already a big boss in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. As long as the sword-bearing youth doesn't chase after us, there's nothing threatening within a radius of several thousand miles.

The deterrent power of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators is not much different from that of those at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, right?

He Sheng acted immediately upon thinking of it, reverting to the "Clear Wave Water Element Technique" and quickly returning it to its state at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

[Qinglan Water Elemental Skill, Level 6 (Beginner): 1/100]

(Total cultivation time: eleven years, eight months, and seven days)

The total cultivation time of the Qinglan Water Element Technique has been reduced by thirty months. According to the time rate of 2, the general cultivation time has indeed increased by sixty months.

[Current available total training time: 5 years]

"Five years of cultivation should be enough time to cultivate the Resentful Soul Seal, right?"

He Shenggang was preparing to further improve the "Soul Imprint Technique" when he looked at the water droplet displaying the information of the "Clear Wave Water Element Technique" and a thought suddenly came to mind.

"After I grasped the essence of the subtle ripples, not only did my breathing and energy cultivation efficiency increase significantly, but the time spent circulating energy throughout the body also decreased considerably."

In this situation, if I were to revert the "Clear Wave Water Element Technique" to the point when I first entered the early Foundation Establishment stage and practice it again, would I be able to squeeze out more time?

The more He Sheng thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

As for why it regresses to the early Foundation Establishment stage, it's because the "Qinglan Water Control Technique" is a high-level exclusive spell for those who have cultivated the "Qinglan Water Element Technique" to the Foundation Establishment stage.

The subtle beauty of the ripples was something I only comprehended through practicing the "Clear Ripples Water Control Technique".

He Sheng felt that if they were to regress directly to the Qi Refining stage, the causal logic of the Wei Lan realm would not be established.

If he had free time, He Sheng wouldn't mind experimenting a bit to thoroughly understand the working logic of the time clock.

But with his immediate priority on finding Ji Yunlai, He Sheng had no choice but to suppress the thought.

"Let's revert the 'Clear Wave Water Elemental Technique' to the early Foundation Establishment stage first, and see how it goes."

He Sheng focused his thoughts on the minus sign of the "Qinglan Water Element Technique," and saw the technique's level plummet rapidly. He Sheng's aura and magical power cultivation also seemed to be drained away like water from a pond.

"alright!"

[Qinglan Water Element Skill, Fourth Level (Beginner): 1/100]

(Total cultivation time: five years, two months, and seven days)

The total cultivation time of the Qinglan Water Element Technique has been reduced by a full nine years, but it is still doubled, and the general cultivation time has increased by eighteen years!

[Current available total training time: 23 years]

Let's see if our idea can be tested.

He Sheng focused his mind on the plus sign after "Qinglan Shuiyuan Gong".

Whoosh!

His cultivation level skyrocketed as if he were on a rocket.

A moment later,

He Sheng's cultivation level returned to the late Foundation Establishment stage in one fell swoop, and he even rushed all the way to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment!

[Qinglan Water Elemental Skill, Sixth Level (Perfect): 500/500]

(Total cultivation time: twelve years, eight months and seven days)

"It worked!"

This retraining was clearly calculated based on the cultivation method enhanced by the Mindful Ripples Realm. It progressed from the early stage of Foundation Establishment all the way to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, increasing the total cultivation time by ninety months, or seven and a half years.

Based on a time rate of 2, the general training time is reduced by 15 years, leaving 8 years.

[Current available total training time: Eight years]

"Moreover, this renewed cultivation wasn't just about squeezing out more time for practice. From the early stages of Foundation Establishment, I began cultivating with the subtle influence of the Mind-Rippling Intent, making my magical power even purer and more profound than before!"

He Sheng felt that if his magic power purity coefficient was 1.5 before, now even if it is not 2, it is still around 1.8.

Based on the calculation of 9,600 drops of mana at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection stage, the total quantified mana value reached 17280, which is 20% higher than before!

"The water clock truly has such a wonderful use; from now on, every day will be new and ever-improving."

Looking at the eight years of universal cultivation time that had been squeezed out, He Sheng had a satisfied look on his face, and then focused his mind on the plus sign of the "Soul Imprint Technique".

【Soul Imprint Technique (Mastery): 26/300】

(Total training time: July 4 days)

Let's go!