Chapter 1396: Ascension Ritual

Qin Sang, possessing the original Witch Tribe's Lifebound Spirit Bug Secret Art, had no interest in the Hundred Flowers Valley's modified inheritance.

What he was curious about was how much the Hundred Flowers Valley still knew about the Lifebound Spirit Bug after its advancement to the Fourth Transformation.

Low-ranking disciples of the Hundred Flowers Valley couldn't possibly know these secrets.

Qin Sang lost interest after speaking with a few disciples. After finishing the ancient texts in the Scripture Repository, he returned to his bamboo dwelling to meditate, awaiting news from Lan Jingsi.

During this time, Qin Sang took out the ice casket again and attempted to break its seal.

The result was the same; progress remained slow.

He wasn't disheartened in the least; the stronger the seal, the more valuable the treasure, making it worth anticipating.

Meanwhile.

Inside the forbidden area of Hundred Flowers Valley.

Lan Jingsi sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, her figure blending into the darkness, completely still.

Before her, an exceptionally complex spiritual array was set up, resembling an altar.

Soon after, Lan Jingsi raised a hand and lightly tapped her jade finger towards the center of the spiritual array.

The spiritual array lit up with a burst of white light, emitting invisible fluctuations, its glow flickering erratically.

After a few breaths, it returned to darkness, and everything was as before.

Lan Jingsi's expression remained unchanged as she continued her meditation.

After an unknown period, Lan Jingsi repeated the process.

This time, a new change finally occurred.

The white light vibrated, quickly converging towards the center of the spiritual array, forming a ball of light.

Then, a man's voice emanated from within the light ball.

"Senior Brother..."

Lan Jingsi opened her eyes, looked at the light ball, and hurriedly asked, "Senior Brother, have you come out? What's the result?"

"We're just probing the periphery... haven't truly entered yet... it's not looking good..."

Perhaps due to the great distance, the voice from the other side sounded somewhat faint and intermittent.

"What happened...? To use such a valuable Heaven-Listening Talisman... there are only three left..."

The voice conveyed a sense of worry.

Seeing her Senior Brother's misunderstanding, Lan Jingsi quickly replied, "Don't worry, Senior Brother, everything is fine in the Valley! A few days ago, Master Feng brought someone here who wishes to meet you..."

"A friend of Fellow Daoist Feng...? Who is it...?"

An incense stick's worth of time later.

Lan Jingsi flew out of the forbidden area, heading straight for Qin Sang's bamboo dwelling.

Qin Sang sensed her approach and immediately opened the bamboo dwelling's restrictions, inviting Lan Jingsi inside.

"I just received Senior Brother's reply," Lan Jingsi said, getting straight to the point without suspense. "Senior Brother said he could reveal to fellow Daoist... that his spirit bug advanced to the Fourth Transformation with the aid of a secret art."

Qin Sang was surprised it was so easy. While pleased, he didn't lower his guard and asked solemnly, "Does Fellow Daoist Mu have any requests?"

Lan Jingsi shook her head. "First, please listen to my explanation of the pros and cons of this secret art."

Qin Sang listened attentively.

Lan Jingsi explained, "This art is called the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice. Essentially, it uses external objects and forces to stimulate the spirit bug's potential, forcibly helping it leap to a higher realm."

The Spirit Ascent Sacrifice.

Qin Sang recalled that he had never heard of such a secret art on the Witch God Continent.

Would stimulating a spirit bug's potential with external objects cause serious damage to it?

If it meant sacrificing its future for a single advancement, Qin Sang would certainly hesitate.

Before Qin Sang could voice his concerns, Lan Jingsi proactively explained, "The first use of the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice doesn't severely affect the spirit bug, and there are ways to compensate for it. However, continuous use not only drastically reduces the success rate but also causes irreversible damage to the spirit bug. Even for the first use, the success rate is less than 20%, and that's for us cultivators of Hundred Flowers Valley, given sufficient preparation. For Fellow Daoist to use the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice on your Fiery Jade Centipede, the chance of success would definitely be lower than ours!"

Qin Sang was not deterred by her words and immediately pressed on, "Can the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice only be used to advance to the Fourth Transformation? How can one increase the success rate of the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice?"

From Lan Jingsi's words, Qin Sang discerned another implication, and his heart stirred.

The higher success rate for Hundred Flowers Valley cultivators using the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice compared to outsiders likely stemmed from their cultivation of the Lifebound Spirit Bug art.

Qin Sang also happened to possess a Lifebound Spirit Bug!

Moreover, he was subtly inquiring under the guise of the Fiery Jade Centipede, when his true goal was to find a way to help the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

Whether the Fiery Jade Centipede could advance was not important.

If the Sky-Eyed Butterfly could be enhanced through the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice, even if it was just a minor realm within the Fourth Transformation, it would be an incredible gain!

"Regarding fellow Daoist's first question, I truly haven't considered it. Ancestors of Hundred Flowers Valley have always used the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice for spirit bugs advancing to the Fourth Transformation; there's no precedent for using it after the Fourth Transformation. However..."

Lan Jingsi pondered for a moment before saying, "When our ancestors passed down the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice, they didn't specify that it could only be used to break through to the Fourth Transformation. The idea of stimulating potential advancement should be viable at any realm. The only differences would be the sophistication of the secret art used for stimulation and the rarity of the external materials. The spiritual items required for the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice are all valuable, so it should also be effective for minor realms within the spirit bug's Fourth Transformation."

Pausing, Lan Jingsi continued, "To increase the success rate, one must work on oneself. The closer the bond between the master and the spirit bug, and the more affectionate and trusting the spirit bug is towards its master, the higher the chance of success. Furthermore, the master's own cultivation level also has an effect."

As she spoke, Lan Jingsi glanced at Qin Sang. "To be frank, my own spirit bug is still at the peak of the Third Transformation. I plan to wait until I'm at least at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage before considering helping it break through. Fellow Daoist is already at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, so you don't need to worry about your cultivation level. However, I'm not sure how Fellow Daoist subdued your spirit bug, nor how strong the connection is between you."

Qin Sang, knowing the answer, asked, "The Hundred Flowers Valley's inheritance is unique in the cultivation world. May this humble Daoist learn something from it?"

Lan Jingsi replied apologetically, "It's not that we are unwilling, but the Hundred Flowers Valley's cultivation methods are unique and hold no reference value for cultivators above the Core Formation stage."

Qin Sang nodded, not pressing further.

On the surface, he appeared to be pondering, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

He hadn't expected to find a lead for the Sky-Eyed Butterfly so soon after arriving in the Northern Sea.

Lan Jingsi had used the term 'leap' earlier, not merely 'breakthrough'. Did this imply that it didn't strictly require cultivation to the peak of the current realm?

Qin Sang had not yet seen the details of the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice, so he couldn't judge.

If it could help the Sky-Eyed Butterfly advance, even by just one realm, that would be enough.

Without the Corpse Flower Blood Amber and the Soul Shadow, Qin Sang still didn't know how he would break through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Helping the Sky-Eyed Butterfly catch up to his own realm as soon as possible was significant, as its unique characteristics as a Lifebound Spirit Bug could provide assistance during future breakthroughs.

Every bit of improvement was invaluable!

Qin Sang's thoughts raced, and he was now determined to acquire the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice.

However, he knew things wouldn't be so simple. Instead of directly asking about the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice, he changed his tone and counter-asked, "Valley Master Mu must have something to tell this humble Daoist, doesn't he?"

Lan Jingsi spoke gravely, "Senior Brother instructed me to convey that if Fellow Daoist Mingyue wishes to understand the Spirit Ascent Sacrifice, he hopes you won't mind the trouble of making a trip to the Boundless Sea. Senior Brother wishes to meet you."

As she spoke, Lan Jingsi took out a jade slip containing a sea map.

She placed the sea map on the table, leaving Qin Sang to decide for himself.