pertwk 526. Hidden Shadow Needle
526. Hidden Shadow Needle
"How can you be so sure that the person who came will definitely attack Xiao Yan?" another person suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhuo sneered, "The reason the Ling Clan issued this jade slip is purely for Xiao Yan's sake. Ling Zhuo has also given strict orders that they must find a way to inform Xiao Yan. Once someone arrives, they will naturally take action against Xiao Yan."
"And if we're lucky enough to be the closest to receiving the message, Ling Zhuo himself will be dead today!"
Then Ling Zhuo looked at the mountain peak and said, "Xiao Yan, don't go down the mountain so soon! I've prepared a big gift for you!"
……
Xiao Yan's eyes were closed. A thin needle, about the length of a finger, floated in mid-air above his forehead. At first glance, this needle would probably be overlooked by anyone. The reason is simply that this needle is too ordinary and has nothing special about it.
It wouldn't be surprising if an ordinary woman accidentally left a dusty, unused embroidery needle in a corner. But that's the true characteristic of the Hidden Shadow Needle: its terrifying power is concealed by its unassuming appearance!
Therefore, the cultivation process requires extreme suppression of one's soul power. If too much soul power is inputted during cultivation, the construction of the Hidden Shadow Needles will instantly collapse. Xiao Yan failed many times in his previous attempts for this reason; even the slightest instability would render all his efforts futile!
This almost inhumanly stringent requirement caused immense suffering to everyone who cultivated the Hidden Shadow Needle technique. However, after being continuously suppressed within the restriction, Xiao Yan suddenly felt that the stability and resilience of the soul power that had been struggling within the restriction to deliver the herbs bit by bit had become much stronger.
This might be the best opportunity for him to cultivate the Hidden Shadow Needle technique. In the end, Xiao Yan relied on his perseverance to drag out the last damaged herb. Afterward, Xiao Yan began to cultivate again with full confidence.
At this moment, although all the Hidden Shadow Needles were condensed from soul power, they were already very close to being real. Only the tail of the needle was somewhat illusory. What Xiao Yan needed to do now was to completely condense the tail of the needle.
Xiao Yan's mind was as still as water. He had come close to this step before, but whenever his emotions stirred, he would stop. This was probably what the creator of this soul skill required: even after successfully mastering it, or at the moment before he could strike with the Hidden Shadow Needle, his emotions could not fluctuate in the slightest. After all, any fluctuation could be detected, and only by controlling his emotions without any lapses could he truly attack the enemy without them even realizing it.
Under Xiao Yan's steady and careful forging, the tip of the Hidden Shadow Needle finally transformed from an illusory gray into a solid form. The entire needle, without revealing any sharpness or aura, was finally complete thanks to Xiao Yan's efforts!
Xiao Yan felt that the Hidden Shadow Needle on his forehead no longer required him to release his soul power to maintain it, and he knew that he had finally succeeded. However, the shadow of his previous failure was still too strong, so Xiao Yan first quietly opened his left eye, afraid of disturbing the Hidden Shadow Needle, and carefully checked it over, but there was nothing wrong.
Xiao Yan finally stood up with a sigh of relief, guiding the Hidden Shadow Needles to circle around him a few times. This Heaven-Rank Soul Skill, after several months of work, had finally been successfully crafted.
This needle cannot be condensed during battle; it must be prepared in advance. After all, the requirements for condensing the Shadow Needle are extremely strict. Xiao Yan even guessed that the creator of the Pill Tower probably couldn't condense it while fighting.
However, there is good news: three Heavenly-Rank Soul Skills can be stored in one's mind in advance. Xiao Yan believes that even a five-star Dou Zun would suffer greatly from such a triple attack.
Looking at the unassuming Hidden Shadow Needle, Xiao Yan felt an unusual, almost unbearable urge to test its power with someone. Normally, Xiao Yan wouldn't have this thought after mastering any fighting technique, because the Hidden Shadow Needle was exceptionally difficult to create. This made him even more eager to see its effects, and since it was so difficult to condense, he couldn't just release it empty-handed for a test.
Xiao Yan looked at the restriction with a sense of relief. This place was indeed his blessed land, allowing him to master the Hidden Shadow Needle technique with almost no effort. Xiao Yan didn't want to leave immediately. Since this was a natural training ground, he should make good use of it.
Although the time for the Pill Gathering is very tight, there is still enough time to condense all three Hidden Shadow Needles in just one or two days of cultivation.
Xiao Yan also sat cross-legged again to recover his condition, and would begin the second condensation process once he was in a fully recovered state.
Time passed slowly, and Xiao Yan's condition had not yet recovered to its peak when he suddenly opened his eyes. His soul perception sensed that another person with a Spirit Realm soul was heading towards the mountaintop.
Xiao Yan immediately stood up. His Dou Qi was suppressed in the mist, preventing him from unleashing his full power; he needed to be extremely careful. He chose to leave in another direction. Shortly after, he detected three familiar auras. They were the auras of Chen Xian from the Xuanming Sect and the two elders. Xiao Yan could roughly guess what the four of them were up to by suddenly appearing on the mountaintop.
Xiao Yan was also thinking of leaving this area first and figuring out who the soul in the Spirit Realm was...
……
"Are you sure that's Xiao Yan on the mountaintop?" Elder Mu Gu of the Soul Palace asked Chen Xian. He was the first eighth-grade alchemist to arrive after receiving the information.
"Absolutely fantastic!"
"Xiao Yan, oh Xiao Yan, I discovered you all alone, even the heavens won't help you!" Elder Mu Gu chuckled coldly, "Hehehe..."
Elder Mu Gu's movements were even more swift than Chen Xian had imagined. After simply confirming with Chen Xian that Xiao Yan was still in the mountains, he immediately headed towards the summit. It seemed that his desire to kill Xiao Yan was even stronger than Chen Xian's, and Elder Mu Gu's performance gave Chen Xian even more confidence.
The strength of the Spirit Clan's top eight-grade alchemists is obviously different. Among the six, only Elder Mu Gu and Ling Zhuo are at the Dou Zun realm. Although Dou Qi cannot be used on the mountain now, Dou Zun still has an advantage.
Not to mention that Elder Mu Gu comes from the Soul Hall, and his methods are far more complex and ruthless than those of the younger generation, making him the best choice.
However, when the four of them reached the mountaintop, Elder Mu Gu frowned deeply because he could no longer sense Xiao Yan's presence.
"What a cunning little rascal!"
Elder Mu Gu didn't worry for long, because a sudden change occurred a moment later, and Xiao Yan's figure was completely exposed!