The Beauty Cultivation Technique

Following the man through mountains for several days, Bai Yun had no choice but to temporarily remain as a compliant tail ring. The man spoke very little, wandering the mountains daily without interacting with her. Her primordial spirit had passed the point of dispersal, held together only by the trace of soul energy he bound her with. Though barely intact, she spent more time unconscious than awake.

When she finally awoke one day, she heard an enchanting melody, reminiscent of warblers and swallows, full of twists and turns that tugged at her heartstrings. She wondered where they had arrived.

"Your tail ring is quite unique, Immortal. What kind of treasure is it? May I learn more about it?"

In a hazy vision, she saw a heavily made-up woman approaching with a cup. He accepted it with his left hand, waved dismissively with his right, and drained the drink before speaking slowly, "You like it? How about I give it to you?"

The charming female cultivator looked delighted, just about to thank him when he continued, "This ring contains the soul of a three-headed boar demon from the base of Bu Ning Mountain in South River. I defeated it in the north of Bu Ning Mountain, but the beast was so ferocious it wouldn’t submit, so I turned its soul into this ring to refine it day and night. If you like it, I’ll give it to you. But be careful, if your cultivation isn’t strong enough to control it, it will invade your dreams and devour your primordial spirit."

Saying so, he went to take it off.

"No, no, since it's the Immortal's trophy, I dare not accept it." The female cultivator quickly refused, moving away from his right hand as if it were a plague.

"Hiss..." He suddenly frowned.

"What happened Immortal?" The female cultivator asked with concern.

He smiled again, "Just mentioning the boar demon, it seems displeased and bit me. It's nothing."

She looked down at his right hand and indeed saw the ring glowing, tightening around his finger.

"Truly a ferocious demon!" She remarked with a mixture of awe and fear.

Bai Yun was fuming—boar demon? Was he calling her a pig demon? And a three-headed one at that?

Unable to bear it any longer, she tightened her hold on his finger, squeezing it hard.

He merely chuckled softly, saying nothing more, letting her do as she wished, while turning back to the female cultivator, "Did you find anything on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

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"Immortal, the Mountain Lord has sent orders to all seven mountain gates in Tiyu Prefecture to search for a suitable body for you. However..." The female cultivator shook her head in disappointment, "I hope Immortal will forgive us."

"It's not your fault." The man waved his hand, his gaze lingering on the glowing green ring on his finger, frowning slightly.

Finding a body was easy, but finding one suitable for housing a soul was difficult. Apart from the spirit seizing method, to find a body that could host a primordial spirit, it had to be a corpse where the soul had dispersed but the body remained intact. Normally, a cultivator's body would quickly decay after the soul left, making it unusable. Only at the moment of death could the soul enter and settle. Recently, there were no dying cultivators in Tiyu Prefecture. He had even spread the word that any corpse, regardless of age or gender, would suffice. But still found none.

If this dragged on, even with his soul-binding, she wouldn't escape the fate of her soul dispersing.

Thinking of this, he rose from his seat.

"Immortal is leaving?" The female cultivator stood up hastily.

"Have your Mountain Lord continue the search and notify me with this talisman if there's any news." He flicked a folded triangle talisman into her hands and flew off without another word.

　　————

Bai Yun's senses grew duller, and her periods of unconsciousness grew longer. Yet, she knew that the man had been tirelessly searching the mountains for over ten days.

When she woke up again, it was late at night, with stars filling the sky. He sat cross-legged at the mountain peak, his eyes piercing through the night, his consciousness spread out, taking in everything within a hundred miles. Though motionless, he was fully aware of his surroundings.

The soul-binding that held her primordial spirit began to vibrate slightly. Her spirit started to slip away, and Bai Yun knew her time was running out.

"Fate is such. Human efforts can't change it. My end is near Immortal. There's no need to exhaust yourself for my sake. These days, you've protected me, and though I can't be reborn as a cultivator, I'll always be grateful for your kindness."

Seeing the end near, Bai Yun didn't want to waste his spiritual energy any further.

He remained silent, like a statue.

Bai Yun had accepted her fate but had an unfulfilled wish. "Immortal, you don't wish to share your name, and I won't force you. Please forgive my boldness. My name is Bai Yun, a disciple of Wu Xiang Sword Sect at Wan Ren Mountain, seventh disciple of Ancestor Xie Lengyue."

"You’re Old Xie's disciple?" He finally showed some reaction. "No wonder you know the Wu Xiang Sword Technique."

"Do you know my master?"

"Not well, just met him twice when he sought me at Bu Ning Mountain." He said casually.

Bai Yun was surprised—her master was a highly esteemed cultivator in Wan Hua, and any cultivator he sought must be extraordinary.

"Bu Ning Mountain... Are you an expert from the Tai Chu Sect?" Bai Yun speculated. Tai Chu, like Wu Xiang, was one of the five great sects of Wan Hua, based in Bu Ning Mountain of South River. Though the sect had declined, it was still a renowned sect, and having powerful cultivators in hiding wouldn’t be surprising.

"What exactly do you want?" He cut her off coldly.

"I want to ask a favor, Immortal." Bai Yun abandoned her speculations. "I was betrayed by a junior sister who seized my body. Though my original body still exists, its soul has changed. I'd like you to inform my sect leader and master so they aren't deceived."

This way, her senior brother wouldn't be misled either, and everything would be clear and clean.

"Such mundane matters, I won't interfere. But a promise is a promise; I always keep my word." He said, leaping into the night, merging with the darkness.

Mountain winds brushed his robes as he flew swiftly, the scenery changing in an instant. He landed in a valley.

At dawn, the valley was bathed in the first light of the rising sun. The sunrise split the sky into red and gold hues, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings, a breathtaking sight. Some sunlight fell on Bai Yun's primordial spirit, but she felt no warmth, only a stinging pain. Her time was running out as the green ring on his finger dimmed.

He descended onto a muddy mountain path where a figure lay, face covered in dirt. The thin dress and long black hair were soaked with dew, covered in fallen leaves, indicating the person had been unconscious for some time.

He knelt beside her, checking her with his fingers, frowning. "A Yin cultivator?" After a moment's hesitation, he muttered, "I guess you’re lucky. Whoever practiced Yin cultivation here emptied this body’s original soul, leaving just a shell. Perfect for you."

Bai Yun could no longer hear the outside world. Her primordial spirit was about to dissipate, unable to hold her three souls and seven spirits together. Without further delay, he released the soul-binding from his finger and sent the green light into the body's forehead.

Standing with arms crossed, he watched her spirit merge with the body. Suddenly, sensing an anomaly in the surrounding woods, he turned and smirked. "It's still not giving up? Fine, I’ll help you one last time." He leaped out, traveling dozens of miles in a blink, confronting the Soul-Chasing Beast at the edge of the valley.

The Soul-Chasing Beast dared not approach him but had been trailing them from afar. It realized Bai Yun's spirit had entered a living body, transforming into a living soul, no longer a target for the Yin Beast. As it hesitated, he had already noticed. From his high vantage, he saw the beast on the ground, trembling and making whimpering sounds, eyes darting, seeking an escape.

"Trying to flee?" He sneered, striking with his palm.

Overwhelming pressure descended, smashing the beast into the cliff, its innards pulverized, leaving it lifeless.

Returning to Bai Yun, he found her spirit hadn't merged with the body and had started to scatter, likely losing cohesion after the soul-binding was removed.

In the early morning forest, her dispersed souls glowed like fireflies.

"Troublesome." He muttered, gathering her scattered souls.

Each time he caught a soul or spirit, he flicked it into the body's forehead. After collecting the last of the glowing lights, he noticed one soul was still missing. Sighing, he extended his consciousness, finding the missing soul a few miles away.

He chased it, but the elusive soul kept fleeing, causing him to exert considerable effort to capture it. Returning to the valley, he found the body had disappeared.

The morning light was calm, the soul in his hand pure and translucent.

Humans have three souls: the fetal light, the bright spirit, and the hidden essence. The fetal light governs life, the bright spirit governs intellect, and the hidden essence...

"So it's the hidden essence. Without it, one loses emotions, love, and the joys of life..." He mused.

The hidden essence governs emotions.

As he pondered, he held the soul up, allowing it to see his true face.

"Hehe, Immortal, you’re really handsome..." The soul, now childlike and simple, circled his finger, refusing to leave.

"Don’t you want to return?" He asked.

"No. She’s too boring. I want to stay with you." The soul’s playful voice was a stark contrast to its previous calm.

He was about to speak, he noticed his communication stone flashing urgently. He looked down at the soul, silent.

Finding her a body and reviving her concluded their brief encounter. As for the missing hidden essence... He pondered briefly, then disappeared into the lush valley, leaving no trace.

There was no place for regrets.