Chapter 150: Taiyin Phantom Eye upup

Wang Yu became increasingly satisfied as he listened.

The Spirit Spring Cold Pool could enhance talent, the fertile land could yield resources, and after reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment, he would even have a clear path to Core Formation. As long as he was capable enough, everything would be smooth sailing.

The three investment conditions paved the way perfectly, even better than his own plans.

However, Wang Yu quickly sobered up and calmly said, "So... what are the conditions, or what do I need to do?"

"Simple."

Zuo Qiuming extended three fingers. "Three resources, and you help us three times when we need it. Seems fair, doesn't it?"

Without waiting for Wang Yu to ask, he continued, "Of course, we won't ask you to willingly sacrifice yourself, nor will we assign you tasks beyond your capabilities, much less go against your principles or conscience.

"There's just one thing: if you are present when we encounter a life-or-death crisis, you must save us, even at the cost of your own life.

"You must not refuse our distress jade talismans under any circumstances, for three times! After three times, our obligations will be fulfilled. How does that sound?"

Wang Yu fell silent, not because he found their conditions harsh.

On the contrary, they were too lenient.

For people of their status, encountering mortal danger seemed rather difficult, and the fact that he couldn't refuse implied an extreme fear of death.

Or perhaps, how powerful were their enemies to make them offer such generous terms?

In the Demonic Path, there was a well-known truth.

When rewards were disproportionate to effort, it often signified a deadly trap.

So, were the enemies internal?

Seeing Wang Yu's silence, and that he didn't agree immediately as they had expected, Yu Xing spoke up, adding more incentives.

"All of this is conditional on you reaching the Core Formation stage. If you are still at Foundation Establishment, you can choose not to fulfill the obligation. This is our concession. If agreeable, we can sign the Styx Pact."

The Styx Pact was an oath witnessed by the Styx River, possessing powerful binding force. Those who broke the oath would have their souls eternally cast into the Styx, suffering the punishment of a thousand cuts and eternal torment, never to transcend.

As for the location of the Styx, it was unknown, certainly not within the territories of the Righteous or Demonic factions. It was an ancient secret passed down within the Demonic Path.

Having been verified by countless individuals, its authenticity was beyond doubt.

After a long deliberation, Wang Yu realized something: the three investments, three chances for help, and the condition that he would only fulfill his obligations after reaching the Core Formation stage, meant he could even benefit from the Xuantian Secret Realm, even if he accessed it late.

This confirmed it wasn't an empty promise. Furthermore, the collaboration would foster long-term interactions among the four of them. While it seemed like only three investments, if leveraged properly, it could lead to countless resources and benefits.

When others are greedy, I am fearful; when others are fearful, I am greedy.

All in!

Finally, Wang Yu decided to agree.

"Then it's settled, but I have a condition."

Hearing this, Zuo Qiuming immediately revealed a benevolent smile.

"Fourth Brother, speak quickly. Your elder brother guarantees to help you if it's feasible."

Wang Yu nodded. "I want a treasure that enhances comprehension, whether it's temporary or has a weak but lasting effect."

"This—"

Treasures that enhanced comprehension were all priceless, even temporary ones. The three exchanged glances.

After a moment, Yu Xing gritted his teeth and pulled out an item, saying, "This is the 'Heavenly Enlightenment Mat.' A Foundation Establishment cultivator using it can enhance their comprehension by thirty percent. This treasure is extremely precious and cannot be given to you. I can only lend it to you for ten... no, five years, a maximum of five years!"

"That's enough."

Wang Yu showed a satisfied smile. With this treasure, he could save a lot of time.

Seeing this, Zhuo Shouqing took out the Styx Pact. The four discussed and wrote down all the conditions. After everything was settled and the pact was signed, Wang Yu became one of them.

After he left, Zhuo Shouqing sighed.

"Old Yu, the Heavenly Enlightenment Mat was a treasure your sister exchanged from the sect for you, wasn't it? For how many years?"

"Ten years."

"Tsk, tsk, you just gave away half of it. Thank you."

Yu Xing forced a smile. "It's fine. Since we all recognize Wang Yu's potential, let's increase the investment. The more we give now, the more we'll gain when we need his help in the future."

The matter concluded for the time being.

Wang Yu quickly planned his time. He could go to the Spirit Spring Cold Pool anytime. He decided to first take out the inheritance jade slip he had acquired years ago from the Xuangu Mountain underground palace.

As the Nascent Soul secret technique, "Taiyin Phantom Sight," it was certainly not that simple. It featured a tiered unlocking mechanism, meaning Wang Yu would only gain access to subsequent content upon reaching the corresponding cultivation realm.

Now, he was examining the cultivation methods for the Foundation Establishment stage.

During the Qi Condensation stage, the "Moon Gaze" perspective had greatly helped him. He was intensely curious about this second stage and eagerly injected his spiritual sense, whereupon new information flowed into his mind.

"The second stage—Phantom Moon!"

Soon, Wang Yu opened his eyes, greatly surprised.

The so-called 'Phantom Moon' had two effects. Firstly, it granted his eyes the ability to see through illusions and perceive reality. This not only gave him powerful insight into illusion techniques but also allowed him to discern rudimentary formations.

This characteristic ability would grow stronger as he refined his Taiyin Phantom Sight. The second effect was to grant Wang Yu the ability to cast illusionary eye techniques, with the casting condition met simply by making eye contact with the target.

This eye technique was called the Realm of Phantom Moon!

Those affected would find themselves on the surface of a tranquil yet profound body of water, with the moon seemingly within reach, exerting an immense sense of pressure.

On the water's surface, they would see their deepest fears manifest as reality, relentlessly attacking and tormenting them.

It was an excellent method for breaking down one's mental defenses.

If combined with the Profound Origin Demonic Embryo, Wang Yu would find it considerably easier to implant demonic thoughts, harvesting them as soon as they were sown, much like how he dealt with Wang Wu in the past.

The essence was the same.

Ever since acquiring the dual spirit root, the Profound Origin Demonic Embryo had sought to further enhance its aptitude, but this now meant it could only target individuals with dual spirit roots or higher, subtly adding another layer of restriction.

Which was reasonable enough.

Besides the second stage's Phantom Moon abilities, the previously perfected Moon Gaze effect also received a significant boost, especially its passive ability to draw in Taiyin moonlight to cleanse the soul.

Although this was an eye-based secret art, it greatly benefited the cultivation of spiritual sense, laying an extremely solid foundation for Wang Yu. This would likely make cultivating the "Ancient Soul Technique" easier in the future.

Waking from the sea of knowledge, Wang Yu checked his placement slots. The current five slots were not yet perfect.

The "Cold Blood Spirit Ascension Art" in slots 1 and 2 could not be moved for now. Its talent-enhancing effect could be used in conjunction with the cold pool, and he would replace it later.

The "Corpse Demon Secret Art" in slot 5 could not be moved.

The "Profound Yin Hand" in slot 4 also couldn't be moved. This art was only five years away from completion, at which point Wang Yu would master a peerless ultimate skill that had reached perfection!

This was evident when he fought Elder Lan of the Sword Sect in a life-or-death battle; the combat power this art could unleash at the Foundation Establishment stage had already reached the late Foundation Establishment realm.

And it was of the highest caliber, truly deserving of its status as a core inheritance of the Yellow Spring Temple.

With this Profound Yin Hand, his combat power was essentially guaranteed and highly cost-effective!

After much thought, the only one that could be moved was the "Flood Dragon Force" in slot 3. Due to the "Nether Demonic Flood Dragon Spine," he could only use the placement slot to deduce and create a second-tier body refining cultivation method with a continuous lineage.

It was, in fact, one of the items Wang Yu had to place.

However, its daily feedback was too low, and it still had a full fifteen and a half years of placement time remaining, making its cost-effectiveness relatively low.

"I'll take it out for now. The body cultivation realm was initially to compensate for the qi and blood imbalance from losing an arm. In the short term, whether it continues or not won't significantly affect me."

He had a slight realization.

After removing the "Flood Dragon Force," Wang Yu first tested the placement times for various inheritances, one by one.

Placement Slot 3: Taiyin Phantom Sight (Second Stage)"Taiyin Phantom Sight (0/100): 24 practices per day, completable in five years."

Let's try another.

"Ancient Soul Technique (0/100): 48 practices per day, completable in twenty years."

"Twenty years..."

Wang Yu frowned. After a detailed examination, he found that the Ancient Soul Technique was extremely difficult to cultivate. It required absorbing Purple Qi from the East, Midday Sun Essence, and Midnight Moonlight—three types of energy to temper spiritual sense.

Upon reaching completion, it could grant the soul a mystical talent called "Ancient Soul," which could resist the erosion of most forces in the cultivation world.

Each practice also required half an hour.

If he cultivated it himself, he could do it a maximum of six times a day. The placement slot could perform it forty-eight times, and it also didn't need to worry about specific times for the appearance of unique elemental forces.

It could repeatedly draw upon them, achieving several times the efficiency of his own cultivation.

"This cultivation method is a bit troublesome~"

Let's try another...

Placement Slot 3: Frost Moon Wings"Frost Moon Wings (0/100): 48 practices per day, completable in ten years."

A second-tier, high-grade escape technique, ten years.

This time was halved compared to the Profound Yin Hand of the same grade, not because it was inferior, but because Wang Yu had grown stronger.

Cultivating a second-tier art in the Qi Condensation stage versus the Foundation Establishment stage, the foundations were different, so how could the time be the same?

The Frost Moon Wings required absorbing Frost Moon Qi and opening two more meridians in the back to control the art. If cultivated with the "Cold Moon Pill" from the pill recipe, progress would be exceptionally swift.

Wang Yu was different; even without these resources, it wouldn't prevent him from learning it.

"Not bad."

Next, Wang Yu tested all thirteen inheritances of the Soul Sound dual path, and the Cold Blood Peak inheritance he had obtained the day before, one by one, before making a decision.

"My tenure in the Enforcement Hall won't be long. Once Zuo Qiuming and the others find a suitable location, I can resign and leave, at most three to five years..."

He silently calculated that some inheritances that required a long time to complete could be developed gradually once he reached the new location.

For now, he would prioritize those that could take effect in the short term, especially for enhancing his strength.

"Taiyin Phantom Sight!"

Having made his decision, Wang Yu replaced the "Flood Dragon Force." If he could complete the Taiyin Phantom Sight during this period, he would then place the "Ancient Soul Technique." Once it reached 20% progress, he could switch to the Frost Moon Wings.

After all, he could cultivate other arts himself, but the Frost Moon Wings were different; they had too many prerequisites for cultivation, so using the placement slot for initial mastery was more convenient.

After resolving the placement slot issues, he also created a sorting table, arranging the successor abilities for each placement slot according to his needs.

And so, in addition to cultivating with the newly acquired "Heavenly Enlightenment Mat," he also actively delved into the "Ancient Soul Technique," hoping to comprehend a portion of it on his own first.

The night passed uneventfully.

The updates for this new volume have been in a gradual phase these past few days.

We will then increase from 2,000 to 3,000 words. Daily updates will be three chapters plus one bonus chapter, all posted in the morning. There will be no midday updates. The daily word count will be around 12,000, which is a considerable amount. The author needs to improve the average subscription data to get recommendations. Thank you!