Chapter 196: Thousand-Year Style Distinct

In an instant, a soul-observing technique, spanning merely tens of thousands of characters, materialized in Li Fan's mind, along with the phrase, "Purple Cloud Purification, Soul Penetration..."

"Junior Brother, please wait here for me; I'll return shortly!" Zhang Qianmo declared. Without waiting for Li Fan's reply, he gracefully departed.

After meticulously reading "Purple Cloud Soul Observation," the unique soul-searching technique of the Purple Cloud Sect, Li Fan had already grasped most of its principles.

The technique explicitly stated that in the cultivation world of that era, major sects, righteous and evil cultivators, and various demonic beasts and monsters were locked in ceaseless conflict. Killing for treasures, searching souls, and refining spirits were commonplace.

"Soul-searching" referred to the act of extracting memories from an opponent's spirit through various methods. Each sect had its own distinct approach, reflecting their unique styles and practices.

Some methods were brutally cruel, causing permanent damage to the spirit after the search. Even if the victim survived, they would be left in a state akin to dementia, unable to manage their daily lives.

Other methods were ingeniously unique, not only extracting memories but also subtly altering and distorting them, implanting mental imprints to transform former enemies into loyal servants.

The Purple Cloud Sect's soul-searching technique, however, was known for being the most balanced and benign.

It caused minimal harm to the spirit, though the process itself inflicted pain akin to a divine thunderbolt striking the soul.

With careful recuperation afterward, one could fully recover.

However, it would leave an inexplicable fear in their hearts; thereafter, anyone who sensed the presence of a Purple Cloud Sect disciple would feel as if they had encountered a natural predator, completely devoid of the courage to resist.

Mimicking Zhang Qianmo, Li Fan extended his hand like a claw and seized one of the captives.

As he activated the Purple Cloud Soul Observation technique, countless images surged into his mind like towering waves.

It was akin to the way he had once re-enacted the Sitting Mountain Art by refining a clone, but the memories revealed by the Soul Observation technique were far more vivid.

Scene after scene unfolded, and Li Fan quickly sifted through them, disregarding trivial details and focusing only on the more significant information.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator was named Liu Tu.

Over forty years prior, he had been nothing more than an ordinary villager from the mountains.

One day, while hunting in the mountains, he lost his way and inadvertently entered a secluded valley.

To his surprise, this valley, hidden deep in the mountains and usually devoid of human presence, was inexplicably bustling with people that day. Some were powerful cultivators, but the majority were ordinary mortals, just like himself.

They sat together, making no distinctions, engrossed in an impassioned speech delivered by a young cultivator at the front.

"Decades ago," the young cultivator began, "like the vast majority of you gathered here, I was merely a powerless mortal, unable to dictate my own fate. Though my heart yearned for the path of immortality, I lamented my lack of a spiritual root, which prevented me from cultivating."

"Fortunately, I personally witnessed the Immortal Venerable's teachings and acquired a supreme cultivation method."

"From then on, no spiritual root is needed to cultivate!"

"In a mere decade, I have already reached the Golden Core realm!"

"The Immortal Venerable once stated: The path of immortality is..."

Under the young cultivator's live instruction, dozens of these mortals astonishingly condensed the roots of heaven and earth on the spot, stepping into the Qi Condensation stage.

Liu Tu listened, utterly captivated. Although his aptitude was slightly inferior, preventing him from directly entering Qi Condensation, he committed the "Five Spirit Qi Sensing Method" to memory.

Upon returning home, in less than half a month, he surprisingly succeeded in guiding Qi into his body, becoming a true cultivator.

Following this, Liu Tu sought out and joined the Myriad Immortals Alliance, an organization spontaneously established by rogue cultivators practicing the new method.

After selecting "Heavenly Net Divine Art," the most popular cultivation method, as his primary practice, Liu Tu cultivated for another five or six years. He then established his Foundation with a rare spiritual ginseng found in the mountains.

Subsequently, Chu Liang approached him, arranging for them to ambush Zhang Qianmo and Li Chen, two junior brothers heading to Ningyuan City to retrieve a Longevity Fruit.

The title of an inner disciple of the Purple Cloud Sect still somewhat intimidated Liu Tu. However, with Song Hesong, a Golden Core realm cultivator, leading them, coupled with the allure of the Purple Cloud Thunder Control True Art, a peerless cultivation technique, Liu Tu inexplicably agreed.

After all, intelligence suggested that these two from the Purple Cloud Sect were merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Who would have thought they would encounter Zhang Qianmo, a monstrous talent capable of slaying Golden Core cultivators while only at the Foundation Establishment stage?

Bang!

Having completed the soul search, Li Fan dropped the limp Liu Tu onto the ground, then gently massaged his throbbing temples.

He worked to calm his tumultuous and agitated spirit.

The soul-searching technique, with its myriad applications, could lay bare all memories and secrets within an enemy's mind.

However, it was not without risks.

It incurred a significant drain on one's spiritual sense; in Li Fan's case, he had clearly overexerted himself.

Furthermore, if one encountered a seemingly subdued opponent who was merely feigning weakness, they might launch a fatal counterattack during the soul-searching process.

If caught off guard and unable to defend, not only would one's own spirit suffer severe damage, but there was also the risk of being "reverse soul-searched."

"Even though I'm only a spiritual avatar in this Fallen Immortal Realm, and my spiritual strength isn't as robust as my main body, the spiritual drain from soul-searching seems excessively high," Li Fan mused. Recalling Zhang Qianmo's effortless demeanor just moments ago, he couldn't help but wonder if he had employed the technique incorrectly.

However, after reviewing Li Chen's memories and giving it some thought, Li Fan came to an understanding.

At that point in time, major sects spared no expense in comprehensively nurturing their elite disciples.

There was no scarcity of various rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and a wide array of esoteric secret arts were practically available for free selection.

From practical combat training and spiritual sense refinement to direct tutelage and personal guidance from powerful elders within the sect, everything was provided.

As long as one demonstrated sufficient talent, these resources were readily available for rapid growth and strengthening.

In stark contrast, in the current cultivation world, a perfectly good cultivation method would be forcibly fragmented into several distinct parts, overtly designed to limit a cultivator's combat prowess.

Did one desire heavenly materials and earthly treasures to enhance their cultivation? Or secret arts to fend off enemies?

"Very well, first complete tasks and accumulate contribution points."

Even after accumulating enough contribution points, they would still be unobtainable.

"Oh, perhaps your clearance level isn't high enough. Go complete more merit-based tasks and accumulate for a few more years!"

Although he was unsure about the situation with the Five Elders Council, he presumed it was much the same.

Most cultivators in the contemporary world, in Zhang Qianmo's eyes, likely wouldn't even qualify as minor rogue cultivators.

After all, according to Liu Tu's memories, the original Myriad Immortals Alliance provided cultivation methods that encompassed a wide array of wondrous arts and secret techniques.

Take the "Heavenly Net Divine Art," for instance, which boasted the largest number of practitioners; its content was truly all-encompassing, covering every conceivable aspect.

From breath concealment and evasion techniques to spiritual sense refinement, physical strengthening, Qi cultivation, alchemy, talisman crafting, and array formations — it covered every single detail imaginable.

It was arguably the best introductory cultivation method.

While it might not have been peak in every individual aspect, its true value lay in its comprehensiveness.

Li Fan couldn't even begin to estimate how exorbitant the price of such a cultivation method would be in the contemporary Myriad Immortals Alliance.

And this was merely one of dozens of cultivation methods freely offered by the Myriad Immortals Alliance at that earlier period.

The stark comparison between the two eras made Li Fan involuntarily exclaim, "Damn it, how did the Myriad Immortals Alliance end up like this?"

The disparity with rogue cultivators of that time was already immense, let alone when compared to elite disciples of major sects like Zhang Qianmo.

Although Li Fan possessed the exotic treasure "Reincarnation" and had experienced a hundred lifetimes, making his spiritual sense far superior to that of ordinary cultivators, it had never been systematically enhanced.

Nor had he consumed any rare heavenly materials or earthly treasures to bolster it.

Thus, there remained a significant gap between him and Senior Brother Zhang.

Li Fan assessed his own condition, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Due to the excessive drain on my spiritual sense, the time I can remain in this Fallen Immortal Realm has sharply decreased."

"Initially, I could have stayed for about half a month, but now I'm limited to seven or eight days."

"However, as Chen Ying mentioned, I've already made a notable acquisition. I can leave the Fallen Immortal Realm ahead of schedule."

"All I need to do is mentally reverse-simulate the ritual."

"What I don't know is whether this fulfills the conditions for bringing items back to reality."

To transport items and information from the Fallen Immortal Realm back to the real world, specific conditions absolutely had to be met.

What those precise conditions were, Chen Ying had been vague about when he explained it that day.

Currently, the Heavenly Profound Mirror yielded no information about the Fallen Immortal Realm, forcing Li Fan to explore the matter on his own.

"The more valuable an item is, the more difficult it will be to bring back."

"As for the 'Heavenly Net Divine Art,' that's out of the question for now. If I can just bring back the 'Purple Cloud Soul Observation Technique,' my objective will have been met."

"What exactly are the conditions? Do I need to kill Zhang Qianmo?"

Li Fan currently had no clue.

"Regardless, I should return to reality first."

"Perhaps I can recall the precise content of the Soul Observation technique once I'm back in reality?"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan made his decision.

He immediately began to mentally reverse the ritual.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and in an instant, the surrounding scenery fractured into starlike fragments.

Li Fan's consciousness returned to the Heavenly Profound Mirror.

Li Fan began to meticulously recall all the scenes from his journey to the Fallen Immortal Realm.

Every specific event and every conversation with Senior Brother Zhang remained vividly clear in his mind.

However, when he attempted to recall the "Purple Cloud Soul Observation Technique" or the "Heavenly Net Divine Art," he found himself unable to remember anything at all.

It was like drawing water with a bamboo basket—all for naught.

"It's not that easy after all," he muttered.

"The treasure was held in my grasp, yet it remained as unreachable as a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water..."

"This feeling is truly unpleasant."

"I'll have to go back in again and search for those specific conditions."

"Fortunately, my previous exit was voluntary, which significantly reduces the waiting period for re-entry."

During this waiting period, Li Fan acquired a "Praise of Might Talisman" and disguised himself as a Golden Core cultivator.

He then purchased a "Disguise Pill," thoroughly altering his appearance before heading to Dingyu Island.

Due to the commotion surrounding the Spirit Mist Grass, significantly fewer cultivators were gathered there.

Li Fan casually placed a bet on a fish, then subtly began to inquire about the Fallen Immortal Realm from the Golden Core cultivators within the crowd.

Through their casual conversation, Li Fan learned that the entry point into the Fallen Immortal Realm varied each time.

Sometimes, upon entering, they would immediately find themselves embroiled in a battle between righteous and evil factions, easily slain by powerful combatants on the battlefield.

Other times, with good fortune, they would possess the body of a sect disciple, but finding the conditions to extract a cultivation method within a mere ten-odd days proved exceedingly difficult. They could only watch regretfully as the cultivation method faded from their memories.