Chapter 524: Heavenly Dao Soul Summoning Technique

Not only was the voice stunned, but Pavilion Master Sai and the others also felt their vision darken simultaneously, nearly spitting blood.

"Let's start with a thousand books..."

It felt less like a trial or cultivation, and more like ordering food in a restaurant.

"I don't know if it's good or not, let's try a serving first..."

"The Soul Guiding Art is the fundamental technique for becoming a Spirit Awakener. There is only one method and only this single cultivation manual; there is no alternative!"

After a brief silence, the Spirit Awakener, seemingly hidden in the darkness, let out a cold snort, as if stifled.

"No alternative?" Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

"Precisely. All Spirit Awakeners practice this method; there is no other way!"

The voice continued, "Begin cultivating now. Successfully guiding your soul within ten days will count as a pass!"

"Alright!"

Knowing that this was a test, it was clear that setting up the Mirage God's Illusory Sea was out of the question. Everyone exited the passage and approached the stone stele.

The characters carved on it, by an unknown hand, possessed a unique beauty. Simply gazing at the script, without even reading the content, brought a sense of peace to one's mind and soul.

"This must truly be a six-star Spirit Master!"

The fact that merely looking at the characters could evoke such a feeling, comparable to a fifth-realm masterpiece, indicated that the Spirit Master who carved the stele had achieved an incredibly profound understanding of souls. It now appeared Luo Zhu was right: the individual speaking from the shadows might indeed be a six-star master, for no one else could possess such ability.

He gently touched it with his finger.

A book with identical content materialized.

"Soul Guiding Art, beginner Spirit Awakener technique, created by the first Spirit Master, Liu Mozi. It allows the separation of soul and body. Disadvantages:..."

The first page provided an introduction to the Soul Guiding Art, followed by a list of its flaws.

"There aren't many; only ten."

He quickly scanned through it and noted that this cultivation technique had surprisingly few flaws—only ten in total.

Other cultivation techniques he had encountered previously often had hundreds, if not thousands, of flaws. The mere ten listed here suggested that the Soul Guiding Art had been refined and modified by countless individuals throughout its transmission, making it almost perfect.

It was no wonder the voice claimed there was only one set. For such a perfected technique, the existence of even one was remarkable; a second would be almost impossible.

The Heavenly Dao is singular; the fewer errors a method contains, the closer it aligns with truth, making it nearly impossible to find a distinct alternative.

"First, let's examine the flaws!"

He lowered his head and read.

"First, upon successful cultivation, all one's cultivation will become attached to the soul, rendering the physical body an empty vessel. While appearing no different from an ordinary person, the body will, in fact, be driven solely by the soul and incapable of perfect integration..."

After quickly reading the first flaw, Zhang Xuan's expression soured.

According to the description, successful soul guidance meant separating the soul from the body. Even if one could control themselves afterward, it would be akin to manipulating a puppet. Beyond continuing Spirit Awakener techniques, it would become impossible to practice conventional human cultivation methods.

It was like driving a carriage: the body became the carriage, and the soul became the driver. While one could go anywhere and do anything by driving, no matter how skilled the driver, the body would never possess the inherent agility of a normal human.

In essence, successful soul guidance, with one's cultivation attached to the soul, meant abandoning one's physical body and all previous cultivation.

Even if the soul could later rely on possession to exist long-term, it would be neither truly human nor truly ghost-like, forever banished from the light.

He had initially considered learning this profession if he could acquire the Spirit Awakener's legacy. However, a single glance was enough to completely extinguish his interest.

He continued reading.

He quickly finished reading all ten flaws, gaining an understanding of the Soul Guiding Art that surpassed ordinary comprehension.

"If I cultivate according to this, success means becoming neither human nor ghost. Failure means I'll very likely be killed by this individual..."

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

He hadn't thought much of Spirit Awakeners before, but upon learning their cultivation method and its inherent flaws, he was immediately filled with a profound sense of rejection.

Apart from the fact that his Heavenly Dao cultivation technique was unrivaled, guaranteeing his place at the world's peak with consistent practice, the mere prospect of his soul and body separating, turning him into something neither human nor ghost, was simply not what he desired.

Moreover, he carried innate fetal poison. Unless he reached the Nine-Star Master Teacher realm before the age of thirty, he would surely die, even if he became a soul and left his physical body.

Innate fetal poison was something even Master Kong had been unable to resolve. If Spirit Awakeners truly held the solution, Master Kong would not have repeatedly ventured into the Sunken Sea, the Wildlands, and the Three Underworlds, undertaking numerous dangerous expeditions solely to rapidly enhance his strength.

"I can't cultivate this, but I can't *not* cultivate it either..."

The individual concealed in the shadows was at least a six-star Spirit Master, far beyond their ability to contend with. Moreover, even if his personal strength were insufficient, the hidden mechanisms alone could easily slaughter everyone present.

If he cultivated, he would never be able to become a Master Teacher again, and the fetal poison would then manifest, ensuring his death by thirty.

If he didn't cultivate, the individual might very well turn hostile on the spot, making his immediate demise a distinct possibility.

He couldn't do it, yet he couldn't not do it!

The dilemma was agonizing.

"Hmm? What if I could find a way to improve the Soul Guiding Art, allowing the soul and body to both separate and perfectly reintegrate? Wouldn't that solve everything?"

After a moment's thought, his eyes suddenly lit up as a solution came to mind.

This Soul Guiding Art was flawed. If he could complete its deficiencies, ensuring the perfect union of soul and body to form a complete Heavenly Dao cultivation technique, wouldn't he then be able to cultivate without worry?

Heavenly Dao cultivation techniques are flawless and perfect. Once formed, there would certainly be no issue of the soul and body failing to unify after the soul leaves the physical form.

"But where would I find enough Spirit Awakener techniques to supplement it?"

His brows furrowed.

Spirit Awakener techniques focused on intent and the soul. Most of the cultivation methods he had previously collected pertained to the physical body and true qi, making them entirely incompatible. Even if combined, they would be insufficient to derive a Heavenly Dao cultivation technique.

Only by finding more Spirit Awakener cultivation methods could it be made complete.

But... Spirit Awakeners had long been lost, and the individual hidden in the shadows couldn't possibly provide more cultivation manuals.

"Hmm? Why am I only looking for Spirit Awakener techniques? Any cultivation method or art that benefits the soul would suffice!"

As he pondered, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he slapped his forehead.

He realized he had been thinking along the wrong lines.

Spirit Awakeners, in essence, practiced a unique method of soul cultivation, seeking "long life" through soul possession. While he couldn't find Spirit Awakener cultivation techniques, he had amassed a significant number of general soul cultivation methods.

Throughout his journey, starting from Tianxuan Kingdom, every library he visited contained numerous introductions to the soul and various methods for cultivating spiritual power.

While these were generally superficial and simple, not strictly necessary for his own cultivation, their sheer volume was undeniable!

Previously, collecting all these might have seemed pointless, but what if he combined them with the Soul Guiding Art, which had only ten flaws?

His eyes gleaming with excitement, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and focused his mind.

"Cultivation methods and books for soul and spiritual power!"

*Whoosh!*

As he willed it, all such books within his mind materialized before him, densely piled like mountains, filling ten bookshelves with tens of thousands of volumes.

Spiritual power and the soul were fundamental not only to Spirit Awakener cultivation but also to that of martial artists, so such practice methods were quite numerous.

Compared to the Soul Guiding Art, however, these methods were far cruder.

Many focused on tempering willpower through ascetic practices, using external temptations to strengthen one's resolve.

"Correct!"

He casually tossed the newly acquired Soul Guiding Art onto a bookshelf, uttering a low exclamation.

*Swish!*

Tens of thousands of books merged into a single secret manual.

He reached out, took the manual, and eagerly flipped it open.

"The human soul is wonderfully mysterious; it can cultivate within the body or separate to become a Spirit Soul. While seemingly contradictory, these two states can also be unified..."

He quickly finished reading, his breath quickening and his eyes shining with excitement.

Indeed... there were no flaws!

A Heavenly Dao cultivation technique!

By extracting all the correct elements from martial artists' methods for cultivating spiritual power and the soul, and combining them with the accurate portions of the Spirit Awakener's Soul Guiding Art, he had indeed created a flawless cultivation method.

This method completely eliminated the issue of soul-body disharmony!

This meant that by cultivating according to this new method, one could become a Spirit Awakener without the usual restrictions. The soul would remain perfectly integrated with the physical body, allowing for continued practice of martial arts techniques.

The previous flaws were perfectly resolved!

"Excellent! Time to cultivate!"

These thoughts, while complex in description, took only a few breaths in reality. He committed the Heavenly Dao Soul Guiding Art to memory, focused intensely, and began cultivating.

Power surged through his body as his soul was gradually drawn out from its physical vessel.

The Heavenly Dao Soul Guiding Art, which separates soul and body, required no spiritual energy absorption or external aids like spirit stones, making its execution remarkably simple.

*Creak! Creak!*

It felt as if something was being squeezed out of his body, or like leaping from a great height, his body no longer under his conscious control.

The world before his eyes instantly transformed. Zhang Xuan saw what appeared to be another version of himself standing still, while he himself floated weightlessly.

His soul had left his body!

True to a Heavenly Dao cultivation technique, the process was completed in very little time.

His soul scanned the surroundings, attempting to sense the other individual's presence, but still found nothing.

It appeared this individual was concealed quite deeply, otherwise even the Eye of Insight wouldn't fail to detect him.

He returned to his body once more.

His vision momentarily darkened, and he stumbled.

Although his soul's departure had been brief, it left him feeling profoundly fatigued.

He only recovered after his Heavenly Dao True Qi completed a full circulation.

Opening his eyes again, he saw Zhao Ya and the others clustered around him, their faces etched with concern.

"Teacher, are you alright...?"

They had just finished reading the Soul Guiding Art once and hadn't yet fully grasped its meaning when they saw their teacher almost stumble, and a look of worry appeared on each of their faces.

"I'm fine!"

Zhang Xuan smiled, but a doubt lingered in his mind.

When his soul left his body just now, the Spirit Awakener should logically have detected it. Why had he remained silent?

Could it be... that the soul formed by the Heavenly Dao Soul Guiding Art was different from those of other Spirit Awakeners, making it invisible to him?

"Let's test this out!"

His eyes glinted, and Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, waving his hand at the others.

"Everyone, don't rush into cultivation. I've just read through it, and I believe this technique simply cannot allow someone to successfully guide their soul. Could it be that he's trying to deceive us, deliberately using a false technique?"

"A fake technique? Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, the cold voice retorted with a reprimand.