Chapter 525: I Can Teach You

Everyone wondered why Teacher Zhang was speaking this way.

"Nonsense?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Look at this passage: 'Disperse all true qi throughout the acupuncture points, combine it with the soul, and condense it into form.' In normal cultivation, true qi from the acupuncture points is gathered into the dantian, accumulating gradually to be utilized. This method, however, causes true qi to dissipate and power to dissolve, which is no different from losing one's cultivation. How could anyone make progress by doing this? Even someone with existing strength would become weaker and weaker by following this cultivation method!"

"This..."

The crowd was stunned.

True qi flowing throughout the body, circulating through the acupuncture points and dantian, was a common occurrence; it was the only way for cultivators to build strong physiques and prevent illness.

How had it become "losing cultivation" when he described it?

"Now that you mention it... it really does sound somewhat similar to losing one's cultivation!" Pavilion Master Sai murmured in astonishment.

While it was fine for true qi to circulate through the acupuncture points, if it quickly radiated *out* from them, it was indeed a method for losing cultivation.

"Exactly!" Seeing someone agree with him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. "You're trying to make us slowly lose our cultivation, like boiling a frog in warm water, so that once we're weak, you can capture us all at once!"

He had already listed all the flaws of the secret manual, so it was incredibly easy for him to just pick out a few and voice his opinions.

"That's outrageous, complete nonsense! True qi must be dispersed through the acupuncture points to fuse with the soul, allowing the soul to exist outside the body. Otherwise, if you haven't reached the Harmonious Soul Realm, your soul power will be too weak. Without true qi protection, how could it possibly move independently?" the voice retorted with a scoff.

Cultivators who reached the fifth stage of the Transcendent Mortal Realm, the Harmonious Soul Realm, would experience a surge in soul power. Even if they weren't Soul Oracles, their soul power could exist independently of the body without interference. If one's strength was insufficient, they would indeed need true qi for protection. So, how had this concept been twisted into "losing cultivation" by the other party?

"True qi protecting the soul? That sounds nice, but let me ask you: what does it mean for true qi to gush out from the Spirit Convergence Point? The Spirit Convergence Point is where a person's spiritual energy gathers. If true qi gushes out from there, it will cause dizziness at best, and death at worst. If I'm not mistaken, even if the soul successfully leaves the body by this method, the physical body would be severely injured or die!" Zhang Xuan stated.

The voice fell silent.

To guide the soul out of the body, the most crucial step was the death of the physical body. Only then could the soul break free from its constraints and roam freely.

Of course, as long as the soul returned to the body, the heartbeat would resume, essentially a "resurrection."

"Take my cultivation as an example. I'm at the first stage of Transcendent Mortal, the Longevity-Enhancing Realm. With this level of cultivation, even if one were fortunate enough to successfully guide their soul out of their body, once the spirit and flesh are separated and no longer unified, they'd need to take daily pills to maintain a normal appearance and avoid detection, wouldn't they?" Without allowing him to speak further, Zhang Xuan scoffed and continued.

Even if it were one's own soul, after the spirit and flesh separated and the body entered a state of pseudo-death, the body would become alien. Without medication to sustain it, its vitality would eventually vanish, corpse spots would appear, and it would inevitably be discovered.

It was similar to a kidney transplant; even if the organ was one's own, once it was removed and then re-inserted, rejection would occur. Without medication to maintain it, it would eventually necrotize.

"How... how do you know?" The voice stammered in shock.

This was a secret held exclusively by Soul Oracles, never publicly revealed. How could an outsider possibly know?

"Don't concern yourself with how I know. According to this Soul Guiding Art, extracting the soul can alleviate many issues if one's cultivation reaches the Harmonious Soul Realm. But... even if your strength has reached your current level, would you dare to travel during a thunderstorm? Are you truly fearless of lightning?" Zhang Xuan pressed on.

"I..."

The voice seemed to tremble slightly.

The soul was Yin, and lightning was Yang. Even a Soul Oracle, traveling within their own body, had to avoid lightning, unlike ordinary people.

This, similar to the rejection he had mentioned earlier, was a taboo for Soul Oracles. Could this fellow really have deduced all of this just by glancing at the Soul Guiding Art? Was it true?

"Leaving aside lightning, let's talk about the night. Every midnight, when the Yin energy of heaven and earth is at its strongest, and it permeates your body, don't you feel an unbearable itch all over, and only by having your soul leave your body can you find relief from this distress?" Knowing that the recorded flaws were accurate, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly spoke as he stood before the stone tablet.

"A Soul Oracle doesn't rely on their physical body. What does it matter if the body is uncomfortable? As long as the soul is unharmed, nothing else matters!" As if hit once more by the truth, the voice scoffed.

"You're right, the strongest aspect of a Soul Oracle is the soul. Even if the physical body is destroyed, it's nothing; you can simply possess another body and live forever... But without the protection of a physical body, can you truly withstand... the Five Soul Decays?" Zhang Xuan counted on his fingers: "The Decay of Possession, the Decay of Ephemerality, the Decay of Combat, the Decay of Yang Scorch, and the most terrifying Decay of the Five Senses!"

"You... you know about the Five Soul Decays?"

The voice had lost all its previous composure.

"The Decay of Possession refers to the natural decline in power that occurs during possession, dropping at least two major realms. That's why you wouldn't possess another body unless absolutely necessary."

"The Decay of Ephemerality means that the fundamental contradiction between the spirit and the flesh cannot be resolved, causing the soul to automatically weaken with the passage of time. To avoid becoming increasingly weak, one must constantly, desperately cultivate!"

"The Decay of Combat refers to how one's cultivation automatically weakens when fighting with soul power. Therefore, you are most skilled at using soul power for temptation, bewitchment, and creating terrifying illusions, rarely engaging in direct combat."

"The Decay of Yang Scorch, as I mentioned earlier, means you dare not touch lightning or objects with strong Yang energy. Once you approach them, your soul will automatically weaken."

"Of course, while the first four decays sound terrifying, they can still be avoided. The most frightening one, however, is the last: the Decay of the Five Senses!"

"Humans possess five senses and six consciousnesses; they know shame, discern right from wrong, understand honor and disgrace, and differentiate good from evil. But a soul cannot have these. Too much love causes sorrow, and too much emotion harms the soul. Once feelings are involved, the soul will fluctuate violently, causing its power to automatically decay..." Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, raising his eyelids. "Have I said anything incorrect?"

"You... you..."

The voice was filled with terror.

The Heavenly Dao was impartial. Although Soul Oracles could achieve lifespans unimaginable to ordinary people, even with insufficient cultivation, they also endured suffering that normal individuals could not comprehend.

Unable to love or hate, bound by numerous restrictions, they lived in darkness, their existence often worse than death.

But... the Five Soul Decays were an even more ineffable flaw of Soul Oracles. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion back then couldn't grasp them. How could this fellow possibly know?

Was it merely by reading the Soul Guiding Art once?

If so, his comprehension of cultivation techniques was far too profound!

"You... what you're saying is useless. Whether a martial artist or a Soul Oracle, as long as one cultivates, they are contending with the heavens. How could it ever be smooth sailing? Soul power has its five decays, and cultivation also faces five tribulations: those of heaven, earth, man, wealth, and technique! Since it's all the same, it's better to cultivate as a Soul Oracle and gain an unlimited lifespan!" After the initial shock, the voice regained its composure and scoffed.

As long as one cultivated, safety could never be guaranteed. They would inevitably encounter various battles, and casualties were unavoidable.

It had been calculated that out of a thousand martial artists, at least 999 would die before reaching the pinnacle of the Transcendent Mortal Realm, making success truly one in a thousand.

Although the Master Teacher Pavilion's influence reduced unwarranted fights, conflicts between factions, overt and covert struggles, competition for treasures, and cultivation deviations were all tribulations for martial artists, leading to countless untimely deaths.

"Unlimited lifespan? Is a Soul Oracle's lifespan truly unlimited?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Even if you continuously cultivate to resist the Decay of Ephemerality, can you truly endure this kind of loneliness? If I'm not mistaken... your physical body must have long since decayed away, right? Without the nourishment of a physical body, even if you survive, you'd suffer torment and unbearable pain every single day!"

"Leaving aside everything else, what about the needle-like stinging pain you experience every day at noon, when Yang energy is at its peak? Have you grown accustomed to it? If this underground palace weren't hidden in the darkest depths of the pool, do you think a mere wisp of a soul could have survived until now?"

"You... you..."

Hearing these words, the voice could no longer suppress its terror, trembling more and more violently.

What the other party said was true.

The soul could live indefinitely, but the physical body could not.

A soul separated from its body, even when hidden in the darkest places, would suffer torment every day at noon, making life worse than death.

In fact... he had often contemplated death. Unfortunately, in his soul state, physical attacks were useless, and he was unable to end his own existence, only able to cling to a lingering, painful life.

"Is this cultivation technique flawed? Is it not worth learning?" Noticing the voice's falter, Zhang Xuan pressed on.

"It has flaws, yes, but... no cultivation technique can be entirely without them!" the voice roared.

"You're wrong! Look at this sentence in the Soul Guiding Art: 'Without thought or desire, the soul flows from the Celestial Pillar Point and exits through the Spirit Convergence Point...' What if it were changed to: 'Condense the soul and gather the spirit, break through the Spirit Convergence Point, and exit from the Celestial Pillar Point!' What would be the effect?" Zhang Xuan stated.

"The Celestial Pillar Point is Yang-attributed, while the Spirit Convergence Point is Yin-attributed. If the soul exits from a Yang-attributed acupuncture point, it will naturally carry Yang properties and won't be entirely dominated by Yin energy. The Decay of Yang Scorch could then be minimized, or even... cease to exist?" The owner of the voice was a powerful Soul Oracle who had studied souls for countless years. Upon hearing the changed mantra, he repeatedly muttered it to himself, then suddenly froze in place.

Although the other party had only changed a few words, it completely transformed the cultivation technique. By using one's own Yang energy to nourish the soul, the Decay of Yang Scorch would be weakened, or even disappear entirely.

A mere reversal of the two acupuncture points' order would make the Soul Oracle's soul far more powerful after successful soul guiding.

"But... changing it this way would place extremely high demands on true qi. The true qi must be exceptionally pure; otherwise, given the narrowness of the Spirit Convergence Point, a soul carrying true qi would certainly be unable to pass through..." After his initial astonishment, he again felt it was an impossible feat.

For a Soul Master's soul carrying true qi, if the true qi wasn't pure enough and was full of impurities, it would be impossible to successfully pass through the Spirit Convergence Point first.

"Zhao Ya, demonstrate your true qi for him!" Without answering, Zhang Xuan turned and commanded.

"Yes, Teacher!" Zhao Ya stepped forward, flicked her finger, and a stream of true qi shot forth.

"This..."

Sensing the purity of the true qi, the voice trembled.

"Can it pass through the Spirit Convergence Point?" Zhang Xuan chuckled.

"It can... but not everyone's true qi is this pure..." the voice said, slightly subdued.

"It doesn't matter. Do you want to learn? Become my student!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "I can teach you!"