Chapter 563: Vicious Secret Art, A Vanguard for the King (I)

Despite his shock, Luo Chen couldn't help but feel curious as he listened to that solemn tone.

If all this is true, why does Chu Kui look anything but pleased? With the Core Formation art in hand and the Great Dao in sight, why such melancholy?

All of a sudden, it struck him—the key to the unease that had been gnawing at him this whole time. His expression changed dramatically. "How can you possibly split your divine soul!? That's insane! The divine soul is the very foundation of cultivation! You can't just chop off a chunk of it!"

All things alive possessed a soul. Once a human stepped onto the path of cultivation, that soul would awaken into spirit consciousness. At the Qi Refinement Realm, this consciousness remained confined within the sea of consciousness, unable to leave the body. After reaching Foundation Establishment, it could project outward to scan several li ahead. If one successfully reached the Golden Core Realm, it would transform further into divine consciousness capable of illuminating heaven and earth. It was said that the stages of shattering the Golden Core to form a Nascent Soul, and its eventual Divine Transformation were not changes in spirit power, but fundamental evolutions of the divine soul itself. In essence, the divine soul was the root of all roots for a cultivator.

Throughout his journey, Luo Chen had reaped many benefits from the strength of his divine soul. During his time in the Qi Refinement Realm, Luo Chen had endured the Heart Tribulation and taken Spirit Passage Pills, both of which had significantly strengthened his divine soul.

It was this strength that allowed him to consume more pills each day than most, to practice his core techniques multiple times a day without exhaustion, and to wield more enchanted artifacts during battle than others at his level. His divine soul granted him an edge no amount of physical strength or spirit power could provide. In a sense, it was not an exaggeration to say that the divine soul mattered more than the physique or spirit power combined.

Because of that, Luo Chen had always treated it with the utmost care, never daring to tamper with it directly. The thought of splitting the divine soul apart was absurd.

"No wonder you called that thing vicious...." he muttered. His initial shock had now settled into clarity.

Chu Kui let out a long sigh. "Exactly. We cultivators are always afraid that our divine souls aren't strong enough. Who would ever dare to deliberately weaken them?"

Splitting the divine soul naturally led to fragmentation, and that fragmentation came at a cost. In combat, one's focus would fracture. During cultivation, one might easily fall into deviation. Worst of all, even controlling one's spirit power would become a struggle. A single misstep, and the balance would collapse. The sea of qi would rage, and no one could afford the price of such chaos.

Luo Chen couldn't help but ask, "Since this is an Upper Path method, surely it wouldn't carry such a glaring flaw. Is there really no way to recover or compensate for the damage?"

"None!"

"Then... did the Falling Cloud Sect hide something?"

"I told you already. To the best of my knowledge, this is a complete secret art. As far as I can tell, nothing has been omitted."

At that, the two of them fell into silence. Luo Chen studied the troubled look on Chu Kui's face and more or less understood his mood. After a long pause, he shook his head. "Maybe it's not a matter of omission. Maybe this art was originally designed to be used in conjunction with other methods."

He said this because of his own recent experience crafting a new cultivation method. After all, Myriad Path Convergence was not just a single technique, but a comprehensive Physique Refinement system. At its core lay the Sky Roc Transformation as the foundation, yet when it came to the actual process of strengthening one's physique, it branched into multiple specialized techniques derived from the Qi-Physique Origin Method, Divine Breaker of Malevolence, Blood Fiend Meridian Unblocking, Lightningbolt Aperture-Opening, and so forth. Each served a distinct purpose. In that light, Beaded Curtain Lock might be one such auxiliary art, just like the smaller techniques within his Myriad Path Convergence.

Chu Kui nodded in agreement. "That might just be the case. There are rumors that Falling Cloud Sect cultivators are born with stronger divine souls. That's why they can control puppets so easily. The truly powerful ones can even control third-tier puppets at Foundation Establishment Realm or use multiple puppets simultaneously in battle."

Luo Chen was well aware of this rumor. He'd even personally witnessed Han Zheng controlling a flying puppet, a close-range combat puppet, and a long-range combat puppet all at once, while being just a fourth-stage Initiate. Moreover, two of those puppets had power equivalent to peak Initiates! Clearly, his divine soul was incredibly powerful. But at the same time, closer scrutiny revealed that things really didn't add up.

"I find that rather questionable. Sure, maybe there's some generational legacy there, and maybe they recruit new talents, but it's not like they're all cousins or something. For all the disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect to be this capable, that can't be explained by talent alone," Luo Chen said.

Chu Kui let out a thoughtful grunt. "So... maybe they have some kind of soul-strengthening art?"

Luo Chen's eyes gleamed. "Soul strengthening?"

He didn't have such an art, but he did have pills that could serve that purpose. While Chu Kui sat in gloomy silence, Luo Chen casually pulled out a porcelain bottle and handed it over.

"What's this?" Chu Kui asked warily.

"These are Spirit Passage pills. They're first tier, but supreme grade. Even we Initiates can benefit from them."

"What are they for?"

"They guide you into Spirit Passage Dreams... and strengthen your divine soul."

Chu Kui froze. His hand trembled as he carefully took the bottle, as if it contained something sacred. "You're not messing with me, right? Big Brother, don't play with my feelings like that!"

"Try one and see for yourself. What would I gain from lying to you?"

"It's not that..." Chu Kui's voice caught in his throat. He was clearly overwhelmed. There had been a time when he sat before Beaded Curtain Lock, wishing with all his might to use it yet not daring to. With all his bravery, he dared not attempt Core Formation through it. The idea of splitting his divine soul was madness. He couldn't afford to weaken what was already barely sufficient. It was like standing before a mountain of treasure hanging by a hair above an abyss, or holding a beauty in his arms yet fearing he might be unable to perform. It was torment of the highest order, despair without any outlet.

Now, Luo Chen told him that hope wasn't lost. There were actually pills that could strengthen his divine soul! If he could strengthen it beyond the usual limits of Foundation Establishment, then even splitting up a small portion of it might not be such a terrible cost. In that case, Beaded Curtain Lock could finally be put to use!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of knuckles rapping sharply against the wooden table broke the silence. Chu Kui's eyes were slightly dazed from emotion as he looked up at Luo Chen.

"I can supply you with Spirit Passage Pills regularly to help you strengthen your divine soul. But let me make this clear—"

"Say no more, I get what you mean!" Chu Kui interrupted him. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of complex emotion. "You want me to go first. To test it and give you firsthand insight, right?"

Luo Chen gave a slight nod. "Exactly. This process won't be as smooth as it sounds. If you succeed, all's great. But if you fail..."

To attempt Core Formation was a gamble far more treacherous than establishing one's Foundation. In the world of cultivation, there were many who had failed at reaching Foundation Establishment the first time and later succeeded through perseverance. However, failing to reach the Golden Core Realm? Those who managed to recover and succeed afterward were vanishingly rare. At best, they would reach the Pseudo-Golden Core Realm and remain trapped there, living a half-life in a compromised state on borrowed time.

"To be fair, we still have three Lower Path Core Formation secret arts on hand. You don't have to take such a dangerous route," Luo Chen continued.

Chu Kui refused outright. "No way! With an Upper Path art in hand, why would I ever settle for a Lower Path one? I was born to be at the top; even my name refers to someone who stands at the helm. Among the ranks of rogue cultivators, I'm the very cream of the crop, and when it comes to forming a core, I'll only choose the best method. I understand the risks and consequences. If I fail, I won't blame you."

"It's good that you think this way. I'll be looking forward to your insights once you begin cultivating this art," Luo Chen said with a faint smile.

It was a powerful yet unknown secret art, fraught with danger. Luo Chen would never attempt something like that lightly. But with Chu Kui paving the way, he could gather a wealth of firsthand knowledge. Thus, Chu Kui would be the vanguard clearing the roads for the king's procession, and Luo Chen would reap the rewards behind the scenes.

The risks and rewards were laid bare in just a few short sentences. There was no need for lengthy discussions; they trusted each other completely. Chu Kui quickly took his leave, eager to return home and test the effects of the Spirit Passage Pills. In the coming days, he would devote himself entirely to cultivation, striving for Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment. He had no lack of resources; Luo Chen had reaped great gains from the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield, and he hadn't done badly either.

After Chu Kui departed, Luo Chen reached into his storage pouch and retrieved four jade scrolls. The Ice Fortress's Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, Ailao Mountain's Transcending Cage, Green Pill Valley's Primordial Convergence, and the Falling Cloud Sect's Beaded Curtain Lock. Four Core Formation arts, three of the Lower Path and one of the Upper Path!

Naturally, Luo Chen wouldn't bet his entire future on a single card. If Chu Kui's path failed, he still had three others to fall back on. Although he was only at the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment, and the gate to the Golden Core Realm was still some distance away, it was never too early to become familiar with these arts.

After all, his natural aptitude was lacking. When the time came, Core Formation would likely be more difficult than it was for others. Which meant he could not afford to fail. Only with meticulous preparation and a single unbroken breakthrough attempt could he seize success.

"I hope these arts won't let me down," Luo Chen murmured and opened the scroll for Transcending Cage. "After all, Ailao Mountain is a major sect. Even if this is a Lower Path method, it shouldn't be that terrible, right?"