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In the following time, Yuan Ming chatted with the young emperor about cultivation insights and amusing anecdotes. While recounting his experiences in the Bi Luo Cave, Yuan Ming suddenly remembered someone and asked, "Your Majesty, could you help me inquire about a disciple from the Chang Chun Temple?"
The young emperor, curious, asked, "Who is worth such a personal inquiry from Brother Ming? Could it be a beauty you met on your travels?"
Yuan Ming rolled his eyes and said irritably, "What are you thinking? His name is Ma Xingkong. He was originally a disciple of Bi Luo Cave before joining Chang Chun Temple. That's why I'm asking."
"Ma Xingkong? It seems I've heard this name before. I'll ask around for you after I return," the young emperor promised.
Yuan Ming then described Ma Xingkong's appearance and personality, along with some of his past.
The two continued their conversation until evening, only parting reluctantly when the eunuchs outside began to urge them, having finished the wine in the jar.
***
The tribute wine brought by the young emperor was indeed exceptional. Not long after parting with him, Yuan Ming felt the effects of the alcohol and slept until midnight before waking.
Looking out at the thick night outside the window, Yuan Ming chuckled softly, circulated his mana throughout his body, and dispelled the last traces of drunkenness.
During the past three years in the southern borderlands, although he couldn't say he was constantly on edge, he certainly didn't dare to indulge in such carefree drinking and chatting with a confidant as he did today.
After steadying his mind, Yuan Ming took out the Nine Elements Formula given by the young emperor and began to read it carefully.
Previously, when he possessed the young emperor, Yuan Ming only obtained the first part of the Nine Elements Formula from the national teacher. This time, the young emperor didn't hold back and sent the entire Nine Elements Formula.
Besides the first part for Qi Refining stage, the Nine Elements Formula also included middle and final parts corresponding to the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages, detailing not only the respective cultivation techniques but also some powerful spells.
With Yuan Ming's current level of cultivation, the content in the final part was too abstruse, so he focused on the middle part.
The middle part had four layers, corresponding to the four stages of Foundation Establishment, shifting the focus from consolidating meridians and regulating qi and blood to nurturing the sea of consciousness and tempering the dantian.
This also showed how terrifying soul cultivators, as the oddities of the cultivation world, truly were.
The Death Moon method given by Xiying required nurturing the sea of consciousness and tempering the soul even during the Qi Refining stage. Compared to the Nine Elements Formula's middle part, it was even more effective at that stage.
Yuan Ming thought about it and soon came to terms with it.
After all, as a mainstream Daoist cultivation technique, the Nine Elements Formula's ability to absorb spiritual energy and accumulate mana was rare in the world, so it was understandable that it lacked in the aspects of the sea of consciousness and the soul.
Pushing aside his distracting thoughts, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged and began to cultivate the Nine Elements Formula—Middle Part.
As the technique circulated, the mana lake within Yuan Ming's dantian, which was originally calm, suddenly stirred.
The transparent liquid mana roiled and surged like waves, each wave crashing against the inner walls of the dantian, making it more compact, while the liquid mana gradually thickened in the process.
At the same time, the pores all over Yuan Ming's body opened up, and just like when he first broke through to Foundation Establishment, he frantically absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transporting it through his meridians to his dantian, further compressing and refining it to replenish the liquid mana.
After about a quarter of an hour of cultivation, Yuan Ming opened his eyes, both surprised and delighted.
That familiar feeling had returned. The Nine Elements Formula, as a secret transmission of Chang Chun Temple, was just as smooth to cultivate as the first part, seemingly without any bottlenecks.
With this, he could cultivate without any worries.
After a moment of excitement, Yuan Ming calmed his emotions, set aside the Nine Elements Formula, and turned to cultivate the Death Moon method.
After Foundation Establishment, his soul power had greatly increased, and he could truly operate the fourth layer of the Death Moon method's spells.
Aside from the increase in the number of soul crows and their range with each level, the advancement in soul cultivation also granted Yuan Ming the illusionary abilities he had long coveted.
During the battle at Bi Luo Cave, Chen Cangqiong's illusions covered a large area, not only confusing the three Core Formation cultivators within it but even Yuan Ming and others who were observing from outside couldn't discern the truth.
With Yuan Ming's current cultivation, the illusions he could cast naturally couldn't reach that level.
By his estimation, at full power, his illusions could affect people and objects within ten meters at most and could only be maintained for half an hour. As the number of people affected increased, the duration would further shorten.
However, through repeated trials, he had figured out several new applications.
After silently operating the Death Moon method for a while, Yuan Ming suddenly stood up, left the room, and wandered aimlessly through the general's mansion.
On the way, a night-patrolling servant saw Yuan Ming and paused, asking in confusion, "Wang Shun, what are you doing wandering around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Yuan Ming looked at him but said nothing. However, the servant nodded as if he had heard something, "A horse is sick and you're going to check on it? Alright, make it quick and remember the rules, don't wander off."
After the servant prepared to leave, Yuan Ming's thoughts moved, and the servant suddenly turned around and walked back the way he came.
Seeing this, Yuan Ming smiled slightly, returned to his room, and casually lifted the illusion from the servant.
At the same time, the servant's body stiffened, he looked around and saw the scenery had suddenly changed, a drop of cold sweat fell from his forehead, "Ghost… hitting the wall?"
Yuan Ming had just used two illusions, one covering his body, making anyone who saw him recognize him as Wang Shun, and the other, aimed solely at the servant, altering his senses to see a reality completely opposite to what was there.
Anyone with soul power inferior to Yuan Ming's could not see through the former's disguise.
The latter targeted only one person, and anyone else present would not be deceived.
Yuan Ming returned to his room, sat cross-legged, felt the consumption of his soul power, pondered the shortcomings of his illusion casting, and then immersed himself in cultivation again.
***
Half a month later.
Yuan Ming had just finished cultivating when he opened the door to see several servants carrying a pile of items towards him.
"Young Master, these are the letters and congratulatory gifts that arrived at the mansion today."
Yuan Ming massaged his forehead, resignedly saying, "Sigh, just do as I've instructed before: organize the letters and gift lists on the desk, and send the rest to the storeroom."
This scene had become almost a daily occurrence.
As news of his return spread, old friends sent their congratulations and warm inquiries, along with many gifts.
In addition, there were many who didn't know of his experiences, simply sending their thoughts and greetings out of admiration for "The Young Master's Journey to the South."
Some old friends even made special trips to visit, and Yuan Ming, unable to refuse, would chat and drink with them until they were content.
Considering all this, the time Yuan Ming actually had for cultivation was extremely limited.
Just as he finished instructing the servants, another doorman came running.
"Young Master, someone named Ma Xingkong is outside, claiming to be an old acquaintance of yours," the doorman reported with his head bowed.
"Please invite him in," Yuan Ming said, his interest piqued, not expecting this person to visit, and immediately gave the order.
The doorman obeyed and soon returned with a young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes.
Upon seeing Yuan Ming, Ma Xingkong immediately greeted him with clasped hands and a smile, "I was blind to Mount Tai during the battle at Bi Luo Cave and didn't recognize Brother Yuan's status. If I've offended you, please forgive me."
"Brother Ma, what are you talking about? We've had similar experiences, and now we're both cultivators. What does a mortal identity matter?" Yuan Ming waved his hand dismissively.
Ma Xingkong nodded in agreement, showing no restraint, and Yuan Ming pulled him into the room to sit down and share some experiences from Bi Luo Cave. Ma Xingkong empathized and also shared his own past encounters.
After a long conversation, reminiscing about the hardships of being beast slaves and their current situations, both were filled with emotion.
Seeing Ma Xingkong relax his guard, Yuan Ming suddenly asked, "Do you still have the Shadow Retaining Artifact you used before? Could I borrow it?"
"That's no problem. That artifact isn't anything rare; you can find one in the cultivation markets outside the city. If you need it, why not buy one yourself?" Ma Xingkong was curious.
"I've only recently returned home and have been busy meeting relatives and friends every day. I haven't had time to go to the market," Yuan Ming said with a wry smile.
"That makes sense. But if you have time, you should really visit the markets near the capital. With the abundant resources of the Central Plains, especially in the capital, the markets' prosperity is incomparable to those small places in the southern borderlands," Ma Xingkong said, realizing.
"Good, I'll definitely take a look when I have time."
Seeing Yuan Ming's noncommittal response, Ma Xingkong didn't mind and took out a blue orb from his storage bag and handed it to Yuan Ming.
"Since returning to the Central Plains, I haven't used this artifact again. Brother Yuan, you can use it for now."
The orb was simple to use, and under Ma Xingkong's guidance, Yuan Ming quickly learned how to operate it.
After more casual conversation, the two parted ways.
After sending off Ma Xingkong, Yuan Ming instructed the servants not to disturb him, then closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and shifted his perspective to the soul crow located at Lin Junsheng's residence.
On his first night back in the capital, Yuan Ming had quietly sent a soul crow to Lin Junsheng's residence to monitor his every move.
But Lin Junsheng seemed rooted in place, only focusing on cultivating day and night without stepping a foot outside his room.
If not for Yuan Ming confirming Lin Junsheng's presence in the room by possessing an incense burner, he might have thought Lin had already left the capital.
After a month of observation, Yuan Ming also found that the other people in the Lin residence seemed unaware of the true events of the southern expedition.
Lin Junsheng's father even prepared a gift to send over after hearing of Yuan Ming's return.
Yuan Ming continued to monitor for a while and saw that Lin Junsheng still had no intention of leaving the house, so he withdrew his attention and pondered.
"Huh!"
Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched, and with a soft exclamation, he used an illusion to conceal his form and left the room.