The jade slip Qin Shuang had given to Liu Meng was very unusual.Its peculiarity lay in the fact that it could only ever be mastered by one person.
But Liu Meng was not just one person—she was one of Liu Ming's incarnations!
Naturally, she could simply let the main body summon another incarnation, and that incarnation could cultivate the secret art instead.
Since incarnations and the main body shared a linked consciousness, once an incarnation mastered a technique, it meant the original body—and every incarnation—would master it as well.
Gradually, Liu Ming realized that each incarnation he summoned also possessed its own soul. Yet no matter what, they were all governed by the same overarching consciousness. It seemed that beyond the soul, there was some deeper force binding and controlling all of his incarnations.
If this secret art was truly flawed, or even an attack against the cultivator's soul, the price paid would only be the loss of one expendable incarnation.
But if the secret method proved genuine, then it would be perfect!With the smallest of costs, they could verify the authenticity of the technique. Afterwards, Liu Meng could cultivate it without risk.
A new day had already dawned, and Liu Ming was capable of summoning a fresh incarnation. He hadn't done so earlier because he had been traveling.
Now, however—
It was the incarnation's turn to step onto the stage.
"Summon incarnation!"
[Summoning incarnation…][Randomly generating appearance…][Please assign items to the incarnation.]
"None."
[Please assign a name.]
"Liu Si."
At his command, the air before him distorted, and in the middle of the hall, a young man with ordinary features and a medium build appeared out of thin air.
The new incarnation, "Liu Si," had been born.
As an extension of the main body's will, he did not hesitate for a moment. He strode straight to the stone table, picked up the mysterious ancient jade slip, and pressed it against his forehead.
Hum—!
The instant jade touched flesh, an unimaginably vast torrent of information burst forth from within the slip. Countless golden runes filled with profound meaning surged into his mind like a storm!
"Use the Mysterious Womb as the furnace, the soul as the guide—sever the Three Corpses, reveal my true Dao form…"
Esoteric incantations and ineffable insights imprinted themselves deep into his soul like molten metal branding flesh.
Liu Si's body shuddered violently, his face contorting between agony and enlightenment. He dropped into a cross-legged position, straining to digest the overwhelming flood of information.
Meanwhile, the jade slip's luster faded at a speed visible to the naked eye. Fine cracks spread across its surface.
Qin Shuang had spoken the truth: the jade slip would vanish once a single person had mastered its contents!
Minute after minute passed.
Finally, Liu Si's trembling ceased. His tightly shut eyes snapped open!
And at the very instant he completed the secret art—
Crack!
With a final sharp sound, the jade slip shattered completely, collapsing into a pile of dull, chalk-white powder that scattered across the stone table.
But there was no joy of success in Liu Si's eyes, no gleam of comprehension—only emptiness and confusion.
In the next moment, a concentrated, radiant soul burst out of the crown of his head!
It was Liu Si's very soul!
Drawn by some eerie force, it shot away like a streak of light, piercing through the cave's stone walls and vanishing into the distance in an instant.
His body, now nothing but a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed limply to the ground, lifeless.
"Qin Shuang!"
Liu Meng whirled toward the darkness outside the cave.
At that moment, she understood completely—She had been tricked!
This so-called secret art was nothing more than a vicious technique designed to strip away the cultivator's soul!
Yes, those who cultivated it would indeed free themselves from Su Mei'er's control—But it was a freedom far too complete, severing even their souls from their bodies!
Thankfully, she had been cautious enough to let an incarnation take the risk. Otherwise… she would be the one lying dead now.
Qin Shuang deserved death for this!
Even as fury burned in her heart, the "Transmitting Moon Token" she carried suddenly lit up again.
Qin Shuang's cool, detached voice echoed from within the token—but this time, it carried the faintest trace of approval.
"Well done, Liu Meng. You haven't disappointed me."
The unexpected praise made Liu Meng freeze. Before she could question it, Qin Shuang continued:
"It seems you've realized—here, you must never trust anyone's words. Not even mine, despite my apparent goodwill as your 'ally.'"
"Remember, to survive here, you may pass over countless opportunities. But choose wrongly even once, and you will be doomed for all eternity."
"You have successfully passed my test. From this moment, I recognize you as a true ally."
Liu Meng fell silent.
This Qin Shuang… her scheming ran far deeper, and her methods were far more ruthless, than Liu Meng had anticipated.
What she had offered was nothing but an open conspiracy: the weak-willed or shortcut-seekers would perish, while only those who resisted temptation could earn her acknowledgment.
But so what?
For the sake of a test, Liu Meng had been forced to pay with the death of an incarnation. This debt would not go uncollected.
Qin Shuang's voice spoke again:
"Furthermore, as a token of my sincerity in this alliance, I've sent a maid to deliver ten Three Talents Coins. They are the hard currency of my sect, used for all internal trade. You should be seeing her shortly."
Just as her words faded, soft footsteps echoed from outside the cave.
A maid wearing a white mask appeared silently at the entrance, holding a small black pouch in her hands. She bowed deeply but did not dare step across the threshold.
With a wave of her hand, Liu Meng summoned the pouch into her grasp. The maid turned and departed swiftly, not uttering a single word.
Opening the pouch, Liu Meng found ten strange coins the size of her thumb.
They were bronze-colored, one side engraved with an abstract rune symbolizing the Three Talents, the other bearing the image of a sect's mountain gate. Each emitted a faint ripple of energy.
"Three hundred li west of this cave lies a place called the Three Talents Pavilion," Qin Shuang's voice explained."There, many fellow disciples gather. You may use the coins to purchase pills, magical artifacts, talismans, or even cultivation techniques."
"This time, you need not fear deception. In the Pavilion, you don't even have to carry the coins. Simply choose your goods, and they will be delivered to your cave. Only when they arrive at your door will payment be required."