“What’s the matter?” Han Li turned his head to glance at Silvermoon, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
“Since being taken in by Master as a tool spirit, it seems you’ve never had me enhance the power of your flying sword in my tool spirit form, nor summoned me in that capacity to face enemies. Could Master enlighten me as to why?” Silvermoon asked slowly.
“Why bring this up now?” Han Li frowned, somewhat surprised.
“It’s nothing, just a casual question. After all, Silvermoon’s true identity is merely that of a tool spirit,” she replied softly, lowering her head.
“Tool spirit? Do you think you’re an ordinary one? Common tool spirits lack intelligence—how could they ask such questions? In truth, summoning a tool spirit in its manifested form can greatly boost a treasure’s power, but it also consumes a significant amount of the spirit’s essence. There have even been cases where excessive use by the treasure’s owner led to the tool spirit dissipating on its own. For me, having you appear in your fox form has been quite helpful. Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t transform you into a tool spirit for battle. After all, if your cultivation were to suffer, it wouldn’t benefit me either.” After a moment of silence, Han Li spoke calmly before turning and leaving the hall without another word.
Left alone in the hall, Silvermoon blinked her bright eyes, her delicate face pensive as if lost in thought. After a while, she glanced down at the jade box in her hand, a faint smile curling her lips as she too walked out.
Han Li entered a secluded chamber in his cave abode, preparing to cultivate the Second Spirit Infant technique. Ordinary secret arts paled in comparison to such a grand technique, so he had begun preparations long ago.
Now seated cross-legged on the floor, Han Li held a pale cyan jade slip, seemingly immersed in its contents, comprehending something profound. This slip contained the “Mystic Yin Infant Transformation Art.”
After a while, he withdrew his spiritual sense, closed his eyes in contemplation, then formed a hand seal and muttered a few low incantations. His body stiffened, becoming motionless. A green glow flickered at the crown of his head, and a small infant enveloped in green light emerged—his Spirit Infant, the result of over two centuries of arduous cultivation.
Compared to a few years prior, the infant appeared slightly more robust, its eyes dark and clear, brimming with vitality.
Given that Han Li’s Spirit Infant had only been refined for a few years, he dared to release it only in this supremely secure location. Any mishap could prove disastrous, as the infant was still exceptionally fragile.
After sitting atop Han Li’s head for a moment, the infant tilted its neck to survey the chamber. With a flash of green light, it transformed into a ball of spiritual radiance, floating up and beginning to drift slowly around the room. At first, its movements were clumsy, but soon it mastered flight, its speed increasing until the chamber was filled with a ghostly green blur, flickering unpredictably—a breathtaking sight.
After a while, the infant suddenly halted, hovering in a corner as if recalling something. Forming a hand seal with its tiny white hands, it vanished in a flash of light, reappearing instantly above Han Li’s head, though its face was slightly pale, as if drained of energy. This was the infant’s innate ability—true teleportation.
Stretching lazily, the infant dissolved into green light and vanished back into Han Li’s head. Han Li’s eyelids fluttered slightly before opening, his gaze solemn.
“It seems the Spirit Infant has truly stabilized after these years of nurturing. Though it can’t compare to those of ancient monsters, there should be no concerns about cultivating the Second Spirit Infant now,” Han Li murmured. He then tapped his storage pouch, producing a jade box plastered with talismans.
With a grave expression, Han Li waved his sleeve, causing the talismans to peel away. He lightly tapped a corner of the lid, and it opened, revealing a golden sphere inside—the sealed Wood Spirit Infant.
“The Soul-Severing Art I cast earlier must have taken full effect by now,” Han Li muttered, eyeing the golden sphere. After a moment’s thought, he raised his hand and pressed his fingers against it.
A thunderous crackle echoed as golden arcs erupted from the sphere, vanishing into Han Li’s palm. The golden sphere disintegrated, revealing a tiny, emerald-green figure—the Wood Spirit Infant’s true form.
However, the infant was now pierced by countless black needles, its eyes closed and unconscious. The needles shimmered with eerie green light, a bizarre sight.
Han Li didn’t dare be careless. He scrutinized the infant and the needles closely, confirming everything was as expected before relaxing slightly. Extending a finger, he gently pressed it toward the infant’s brow.
Before contact, a pea-sized green light burst from his fingertip, transforming into a slender emerald thread that pierced the infant’s forehead. Han Li’s hand remained steady as he used the thread to probe the infant’s condition.
After a full meal’s time, Han Li exhaled deeply, withdrawing the green thread, which vanished instantly.
Rubbing his chin, he pondered briefly before suddenly waving a hand. The black needles shot out of the infant as hundreds of black streaks, disappearing into his sleeve. The infant remained unconscious in the jade box, showing no signs of awakening.
Having made up his mind, Han Li formed an intricate hand seal and cast a spell at the Wood Spirit Infant. The infant floated out of the box, rising to eye level with Han Li before assuming a cross-legged posture, facing him motionlessly.
Han Li closed his eyes, activating an incantation in his mind. Green light erupted from his crown as his Spirit Infant reappeared. This time, the infant’s expression was solemn, devoid of its usual playfulness.
It lifted its head, fixing its gaze on the Wood Spirit Infant. After a slight movement, it flew to face the other infant, also sitting cross-legged.
The Wood Spirit Infant was two inches tall, while Han Li’s was barely an inch, creating a mismatched pair. Yet Han Li’s infant murmured a few cryptic incantations before spitting a wisp of pure green spiritual energy onto the Wood Spirit Infant’s face. The latter’s features twitched, its eyes slowly opening—though they were vacant, devoid of any spark, like a puppet’s.
Han Li’s infant, however, was on high alert. Its tiny hands flew through a series of seals as it stared unblinkingly into the other’s eyes. Suddenly, two beams of green light shot from its eyes, piercing the Wood Spirit Infant’s pupils.
Both infants shuddered violently. The Wood Spirit Infant let out a pained scream, plummeting to the ground and writhing as if in agony. Han Li’s infant remained aloft, its face contorted in pain but still under control.
The chamber echoed with intermittent cries of pain, fluctuating in intensity for a full day and night before fading. Two days later, Han Li emerged from the chamber, exhaustion lining his face but a glint of excitement in his eyes.
Initially fearing backlash from forcibly seizing the Wood Spirit Infant’s consciousness, Han Li had refrained from immediately implanting the Second Spirit Infant. Instead, he’d used the Soul-Severing Art from the Profound Yin Scripture, allowing the infant’s consciousness to weaken gradually under the influence of the needles. Now, after so long, the Wood Spirit Infant’s original consciousness had dwindled to near nothing. With his own formidable spiritual sense—comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s—Han Li effortlessly erased the last vestiges of the infant’s awareness.
Now, with the infant’s consciousness replaced by a portion of his own, he used a secret method to absorb it into his body for gradual assimilation.
Though there was a risk of his consciousness being assimilated by the infant’s instincts, Han Li was confident in his mental fortitude. Even if it happened, he could simply discard that portion of his spiritual sense—his vast reserves would prevent any cognitive impairment.
The duration of this assimilation was unpredictable—it could take three to five years, or even a decade, varying by individual. Han Li hadn’t expected the Second Spirit Infant to be useful during his trip to the Fallen Demon Valley, so he wasn’t in a hurry.
After leaving the chamber, he rested for a day before visiting the market to purchase refining materials. He spent half a month in the refining room, emerging with over a dozen giant nails that could change size at will. Carrying them, he headed straight for the marsh where he’d captured the Snowcloud Fox.
Upon arriving at the stone house in the mountain’s belly, Han Li saw the Corpse Xian lying undisturbed on the stone platform. Though he’d expected as much, he still sighed in relief.
From his storage pouch, he retrieved a jade box sealed with a golden talisman and laid out the silver nails. Then, half-closing his eyes, he studied the Corpse Xian intently.
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