Chapter 228: Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal? Cultivation Method Restrictions

He certainly didn't believe Jin Miaoshan had genuinely fallen for him. Reality wasn't a romance novel. As soon as she recovered, she fully exploited her beauty. She knew she was beautiful and wanted to leave a sufficiently deep impression on Wang Yu.

After these few encounters, coupled with three days of intimate solitude, it was clear that Wang Yu was unique; even Core Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't stop him. The potential he displayed was enough for Jin Miaoshan to take him seriously, not to mention his assistance in resolving a major issue for her. Her kiss was nothing more than a lure.

Wang Yu sneered inwardly. He was a philanderer, accustomed to having multiple women. How could a proud woman like Jin Miaoshan genuinely be interested in him? She was merely interested in his potential.

"Tsk, women…"

After handling this matter, Wang Yu rested for a day, preparing to visit his old acquaintance, Han Jia, at the Sky Treasure Pavilion.

Because Jin Miaoshan left in such a hurry, they didn't have time to discuss whether her Golden Full Pavilion would continue operating in Guiling City. Guiling needed at least two major merchant platforms to prevent monopolies and ensure healthy development. Multiple channels also provided more options.

Many of the spiritual herbs he needed were extremely rare, and even City Lord Wang's influence wasn't significant enough to ensure that everything he requested could be procured. Some precious treasures could be sold anywhere. Others were collected to prepare for auctions, constantly strengthening their influence or expanding it. Continuously supplying rare items was fundamental to these merchant guilds.

These two merchant guilds operated in countless cities across both the righteous and demonic paths, so it was impossible for them to cater solely to him. In such circumstances, the personal connections of a branch master were crucial. There was significant internal competition within the guilds. Whoever cultivated more powerful and esteemed clients had greater influence, purely based on their performance.

Of course, some second-generation heirs, having inherited vast resources, were not considered conventional competitors.

True Master Han Jia, being a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, could meet most of Wang Yu's needs. Wang Yu sought him out this time because his cultivation had reached a new stage, requiring both new cultivation elixirs and knowledge to learn.

After all, he had already consumed seven Top-grade Ice Spirit Pills; another five would render them ineffective. They would sustain him for a maximum of ten years, providing a seamless transition to the next type of elixir. Body-refining treasures suitable for late-stage Tier 2 also needed to be prepared in large quantities. The Tier 3 Dragon Blood Essence was officially depleted, and Dragon Blood Secret Medicine temporarily exited his resource circulation.

The two excellent materials, the Corpse Wraith and the Corpse Demon, should also have resources invested in their refinement. The former possessed the potential of a demonic corpse, while the latter exhibited the characteristics of a lightning corpse. Both were unique variants. If disciples from Heaven Corpse Peak acquired such opportunities, they would spare no expense to refine them, even to the point of making them their natal corpses. However, Wang Yu did not cultivate corpse-path techniques. Controlling even one Grand Yin Fiend Corpse with his spiritual sense was already strenuous; adding two more Tier 3 refined corpses would cause his spiritual sea to explode from the strain.

His solution to this was to diligently cultivate with Soul Essence Pills. Once his spiritual sense reached the peak of early Tier 3 (Layer 3), he should barely be able to control a second corpse. Furthermore, refining two high-grade materials to Tier 3 would take a considerable amount of time. They might become usable by then, so he needed to start preparations early.

Pure Yin Blood, Yin Soul Fragments, and various demonic materials were all prepared for the demonic corpse, making their cost considerable. Chicken Demon Essence Blood, Black Dog Demon Essence Blood, Thunderbird Essence Blood – these were positive materials for the lightning corpse, and their prices were even higher because there was less demand for such spiritual items in Scarlet Kite. Collection only occurred where there was a market, and scarcity naturally drove up prices.

If conditions permitted, constructing two blood pools, one Yin and one Yang, would be ideal. Soaking the corpses for ten to eight years would be required, along with collecting rare Demonic Fiend and Lightning Fiend energies for nourishment. It was a troublesome process, but the thought of the Grand Yin Fiend Corpse's powerful abilities instantly filled Wang Yu with renewed motivation.

These expenditures alone would amount to several million spirit stones. Fortunately, he had just reaped a harvest in Guiling, which was barely enough for now.

But after this… he would need Tier 3 elixirs to enhance his spiritual sense. The Soul Essence Pills were already nearing their effectiveness limit for him; this item was currently being sold as a special product of the City Lord’s manor in the market. Materials for refining his Natal Artifact also needed to be continuously collected. No amount of money ever seemed to be enough.

Oh, and he also needed to gather materials for the Exquisite Inner Elixir. He had written to Zhuo Shouqing, who helped him acquire the formula from within the sect, but he had to source the materials himself. This elixir's effect was extremely rare: it could permanently increase one's comprehension and induce a state of enlightenment lasting several days, which was also crucial for him.

When he met Han Jia at the Sky Treasure Tower, Han Jia was startled by his extensive list of required spiritual items, which measured three meters long. After a careful calculation, Han Jia requested an upfront payment of one million spirit stones. Some of these items could be obtained immediately. Others required Han Jia to use his connections to transfer them from the Cloud Ridge Main Pavilion, while some would take time to locate. Eventually, Wang Yu would need to pay another three to four million spirit stones. This total was nearly equivalent to the auction price of a high-grade Core Formation spiritual item, truly not cheap.

After dealing with these matters, Wang Yu entered a long period of waiting for the various spiritual items to arrive and for the envoy from the Yellow Springs Monastery.

For his physique cultivation, he temporarily relied on the Violet Lightning Melting Gold Liquid from the Thunder Descent Abyss. The hundreds of drops he possessed were enough to sustain him for some time and further elevate his physical strength. The Heavenly Heart Dispersing Thunder Calamity Array, with the Thunder-Attracting Iron as its core, was also being prepared intensely with the help of a formation master from the Sky Treasure Pavilion. As an array treasure, this item could be reused. In the future, once he was done with it, he could even offer it as part of a package deal with cave dwelling rentals. He would stop at nothing to earn more spirit stones.

As for the calamity-averting treasure with the Sky Thunder Crystal Cluster as its core, he still needed to find a suitable blueprint; he couldn't just start refining whatever he wished. He had originally intended to use compensation as an excuse to have Master Tianshui personally craft it, given her exceptional expertise in refining lightning-defensive artifacts. However, Jin Miaoshan had departed too quickly, so he would have to wait for another opportunity.

Even if he didn't get the chance, he still had True Master Qingyang's ancestral relic, so there was no need to rush.

And so, time gradually passed. Wang Yu lived almost by counting the days. During his daily cultivation, the Three-tailed Snow Fox would often cling to him, coiling together on the Profound Ice Bed. The extreme cold emanating from the bed seemed to purify its bloodline, allowing it to break through to Foundation Establishment Layer 4 within a few months, appearing to have made significant progress.

While its cultivation might seem slow compared to Wang Yu's, it was actually quite rapid. With a lifespan of three hundred years at the Foundation Establishment stage, it would have multiple opportunities to attempt forming a Golden Core. This alone surpassed countless cultivators. With the cumulative effects of the Profound Ice Bed, Xueyu might even be able to break through her bloodline shackles once more during her next advancement.

After the high-grade bloodline came the Earth-grade bloodline. Among demon beasts, those with Nascent Soul potential, and the legendary Heaven-grade bloodlines, possessed the aptitude for Divine Transformation. However, aptitude was merely aptitude; whether one could reach its upper limit was another matter entirely.

For true geniuses, limits were meant to be broken, and aptitude did not determine everything.

Wang Yu concurred. Then… he continued cultivating the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Chant!

After this secret art was perfected, Wang Yu would occasionally place it in the idle cultivation slot to absorb heavenly demon evil thoughts and enhance the essence of the demonic embryo. As expected, the idle slot allowed this aptitude-seizing secret art to advance further, though it required a significant amount of time. Wang Yu used fragmented periods to deduce its intricacies. He felt this would be a crucial factor in his contest for destiny with Fu Xiao. In the future, it might even permanently occupy one of his cultivation slots.

In late August of Wang Yu's 33rd year as a deacon, envoys from the Yellow Springs Monastery arrived at the Guiling City Lord's manor sooner than expected. City Lord Wang, who had been eagerly awaiting them, immediately granted them an audience.

"You are Wang Yu? The City Lord of Guiling?!" The envoy's demeanor was quite ordinary, but Wang Yu was content to listen to what he considered the barking of a defeated opponent. "Indeed, that would be me. Have you been sent by the Yellow Springs Monastery to return the money?" The envoy's expression immediately darkened, and he casually tossed out a storage bag. "Inside are two million spirit stones. Please verify them, City Lord; we will not acknowledge any discrepancies once they have left our possession."

"Stop putting on an act; you must be heartbroken," Wang Yu silently cursed, yet his spiritual sense meticulously scanned the contents. The bulk of the money had been taken by Cloud Ridge Prefecture City, but receiving two million was still a good sum. As he was in dire need of spirit stones, he promptly put them all into his spatial storage.

This sight immediately caused the envoy to choke on his words. It was a high-grade storage bag, not cheap, and it was his personal one! After all, it had already been transferred once back in Cloud Ridge Prefecture City! The pain was so intense he could barely breathe.

However, rethinking the situation, he realized he was representing the Yellow Springs Monastery. Even with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he couldn't afford to lose face. He let out a cold snort and produced a contract. "This is the Yellow Springs Contract. Any violator's soul will forever return to the Yellow Springs."

The Styx and Yellow Springs, while seemingly both ultimate destinations for the deceased, were in fact two distinct systems of the departed, existing both outside and within the world. No one had ever been to the Styx, but there were many legends proving that cultivators in this realm had once ventured deep into the Yellow Springs, with the Underworld itself being a specific region within it. It was thus perfectly logical for the cultivators of the Yellow Springs Monastery to use the Yellow Springs Contract.

After a thorough examination, the contract explicitly prohibited him from privately teaching the Earthly Underworld Finger to others, a condition he had already anticipated. After signing it with a blood seal, the envoy tossed him a one-time inheritance jade slip and then departed in a hurry, maintaining an unpleasant expression throughout.

However, Wang Yu instructed someone to track the envoy until he left Cloud Ridge Province. Wang Yu had not forgotten their past animosity; setting others aside, True Master Ksitigarbha surely hated him to the bone. He had to be on guard.

The Earthly Underworld Finger was merely a high-grade Tier 2 spell. After combining its incantations with those of the Profound Yin Hand, Wang Yu immediately sensed an extraordinary compatibility. It seemed there was no difficulty in forming the divine ability, the Yellow Springs Great Hand Seal.

In just ten days, Wang Yu completely unraveled the divine ability. After reviewing it from start to finish, he immediately understood why the Yellow Springs Monastery believed he wouldn't be able to cultivate it. This divine ability required communication with the legendary Yellow Springs, a drop of Yellow Springs Turbid Water as a guide, and a continuous absorption of Yellow Springs power. This domineering energy could not be refined by ordinary cultivation techniques; only the *Yellow Springs Blue Nether Scripture* was capable of doing so. Furthermore, it appeared that within the Yellow Springs Monastery, there was a secret realm specifically connected to the Yellow Springs, channeling a portion of its currents inside—a truly heaven-defying feat.

"Heh—" "Idle slot, cultivate it for me!"