When Qin Sang flipped to the last page of the complete Netherworld Scripture, he found the carefully selected spells that the fat shopkeeper had mentioned.
Mind Clearing Spell, Qi Perception Technique, Object Manipulation Technique, Dust Repelling Spell, Secret Voice Transmission, Breath Concealing Technique, Windwalking Mantra, Airborne Technique...
The so-called Qi Perception Technique was like opening a third eye in the center of the forehead. Once activated, it allowed one to not only perceive the general cultivation level of other cultivators but also to discern the grade of artifacts. It could also observe the spiritual qi of mountains, rivers, and lakes, and pierce through illusions, making it an extremely versatile technique.
There were more than a dozen such auxiliary spells similar to the Qi Perception Technique.
Qin Sang quickly skimmed through them, his gaze finally settling on the last five spells: Water Barrier, Cloud Evasion, Shapeshift, River-Locking Fog, and Thousand Li Ice Seal.
The Water Barrier was the same as the talisman he had purchased earlier. The scripture explained that after mastering this spell, one could manipulate spiritual power to condense a barrier of water around oneself, providing defensive protection.
When fully mastered, the water barrier could be shaped into a shield, moving according to one's will, becoming even more robust.
Cloud Evasion was one of the Five Elemental Evading Methods.
As for the last three, though their names sounded intimidating, they were essentially similar. Qin Sang strongly suspected that the fat shopkeeper had privately altered the spell names to increase their value.
After mastering Shapeshift, one could use spiritual power to create a clone that was almost identical to the original body, resembling a living person. However, it possessed no abilities and could only be used to confuse enemies.
The River-Locking Fog created a dense fog to envelop the enemy, obscuring their vision. When fully mastered, it could even block spiritual consciousness.
The Thousand Li Ice Seal was actually a spell to condense mystic ice. If a cultivator's spiritual power was strong enough, they could indeed seal thousands of li with ice. At the right moment, it could directly trap the enemy within the mystic ice, and then... make a quick escape.
Qin Sang pondered over these spells for a while before suddenly realizing that all five of them were related to escape and self-preservation. No wonder he had found it strange that there wasn't a single offensive spell among them.
The Thousand Li Ice Seal was the only one that Qin Sang felt had potential for development. It didn’t necessarily have to be used to imprison enemies; it could also be adapted to form ice spikes or blades, which could be just as lethal.
Qin Sang was speechless. Just how fearful is that fat shopkeeper to have collected only escape-related spells?
However, Qin Sang couldn’t say that the shopkeeper's choices were wrong. As the saying goes, "The overly rigid break easily."
As expected, the Profound Yin Book was similar to the Netherworld Scripture in that it was also a foundational cultivation art, but it was aligned with the earth element, requiring an earth-based spiritual root to cultivate.
Each person only needed to cultivate one foundational art; cultivating more would be useless unless there was no progress for a long time or no follow-up arts available, in which case one might choose to switch to a different art.
The Profound Yin Book also included some spells, such as the Earth Evasion and the Mystic Earth Shield. Qin Sang wasn’t sure if he could cultivate them, given that the Netherworld Scripture and the Profound Yin Book belonged to different elements.
After skimming through the Profound Yin Book, Qin Sang set it aside and picked up the Song Family genealogy.
The genealogy started by introducing the origins of the Song Family ancestor. After reading it, Qin Sang was surprised and quickly flipped through the following pages. The Song Family wasn’t very populous; from the ancestor down through more than ten generations, only two direct descendants remained.
One was named Song Hua, and the other was Song Ying.
Song Hua was male, while Song Ying was a girl. The one who perished alongside the black-robed demon by the Chenshui River should have been Song Hua.
Throughout the entire Song Family genealogy, only a few members had their life stories recorded, and without exception, they were all immortal cultivators. However, all of them had perished during the Qi Refining Realm, most of them missing or meeting with accidents, with very few dying peacefully of old age.
The entire Song Family genealogy was a microcosm of the harsh reality of the cultivation world, giving Qin Sang a true sense of its brutality.
Qin Sang was amazed that a single family could produce so many descendants with spiritual roots, and he carefully read through the life stories of these individuals.
He was trying to confirm one thing: whether the descendants of the Song Family had retrieved the sword will decree from the ancestor's tomb.
The Song Family ancestor had an extraordinary background. According to the genealogy, he had once trained in a sect called Shaohua Mountain, a powerful righteous sect. The ancestor had originally been an inconspicuous disciple of Shaohua Mountain, cultivating to the thirteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. However, due to his lack of talent, he was unable to break through to the Foundation Building Realm.
Eventually, disheartened, he left the sect and settled in a market at the foot of the mountain, where he married and had children. However, during his time at Shaohua Mountain, he had rendered a great service, and as a reward, Shaohua Mountain had granted him a sword intent decree upon his departure, stating that if any of his descendants possessed outstanding talent, they could present the decree to enter Shaohua Mountain and cultivate there.
This sword intent decree was a reward Shaohua Mountain bestowed upon disciples who had rendered great service to the sect, and its value was immeasurable.
After founding the Song Family, the ancestor took the sword intent decree to his grave, warning his descendants that it should only be retrieved when a highly talented descendant with the potential to break through to the Foundation Building Realm appeared, so they could enter Shaohua Mountain and restore the family's former glory.
1. This is a Chinese proverb, meaning it's never too late to have revenge for someone who is determined. ☜