"The Cultivation Technique is absent," Vajra hesitated for a moment as if pondering, then responded.
"Can you tell me how to practice it?" Yuan Ming asked eagerly.
"This comes naturally; I have no way to articulate it," Vajra considered for a while but then shook his head.
Yuan Ming felt somewhat disappointed.
"Alright, I'll teach you how to read another day," Yuan Ming had no choice but to say, "Take this and eat it; it should be beneficial for you."
Yuan Ming took out a Copper Skin Pill and gave it to Vajra, who didn't hesitate to take one and consume it.
"I feel so hot inside," Vajra expressed after eating the pill and waiting a while.
"That should be the medicinal power working; it's beneficial for you. You go ahead and cultivate," Yuan Ming said.
With a wave of his hand, Yuan Ming took out a Spiritual Beast Bag and stored the White Ape King Kong inside.
He had never fully understood the cause of King Kong and Hua Zhi's mutation and enlightenment.
Recalling the experience of obtaining the two demon beasts, he faintly felt there was a connection between their appearance and the two demons he saw in his mind right after he had obtained the Stealing Heaven Tripod and fell into the water in the Southern Border.
...
In the following days, Yuan Ming secluded himself, and seven days quickly passed, the Tai Chi Pattern of the Stealing Heaven Tripod regaining its brightness.
Seven days had gone by, and he wondered if the Zhenling Sect would start to suspect him.
He took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod and a stick of Black Incense. This new Black Incense was made from materials Hu Tu had purchased for him, using the incense ashes of the Zhenling Sect. He was curious about the effect.
After briefly pondering, Yuan Ming lit the Black Incense, recalling the face of the Sixth Uncle. Darkness soon enveloped his vision.
When his consciousness returned, he had possessed the body of the Sixth Uncle, appearing in a place resembling a Beast Garden, looking at a group of fiery red young foxes, holding a notebook and occasionally recording something, seemingly observing their habits.
After briefly surveying his surroundings, Yuan Ming began trying to influence the Sixth Uncle with suggestions, making him talk to someone who knew the details about the murder of Gu Qiulong.
The effect of the Black Incense made from the Zhenling Sect's incense ashes was apparently not bad, as after just three or four suggestions, the Sixth Uncle stopped his work and walked to the other side of the Spirit Beast Garden, quickly finding an elderly man with a black beard who was engrossed in writing something in a building.
"Lin Hai, are you looking for me?" the black-bearded man stood up and asked.
"Gu Zhen, how is the investigation into the matter of my grandnephew Qiulong going? Why haven't there been any updates?" the Sixth Uncle asked gravely.
To Yuan Ming's delight, not only did the Sixth Uncle follow the vague suggestions precisely, but he also managed to find someone fitting the criteria exactly. The effect of the suggestions was even better than before using the incense ashes of the Zhenling Sect.
"Lin Hai, since the Sect has sealed the matter, there must be reasoning behind it; you should avoid inquiring too deeply," Gu Zhen glanced at the Sixth Uncle and said.
"It seems the Sect has already investigated quite a bit; this matter concerns the death of my grandnephew, so I ask you, Brother Gu Zhen, to inform me," the Sixth Uncle bowed slightly in request.
Gu Zhen's expression showed difficulty, and he didn't speak.
"Gu Zhen, be straightforward," the Sixth Uncle urged.
"Alright, the Sect Master has visited the scene. Besides your grandnephew Gu Qiulong, there was another corpse dressed in Chang Chun Temple's apparel. Judging by the surface situation, it appears they died fighting each other," Gu Zhen whispered.
"A Chang Chun Temple Cultivator! Have they identified who it was?" the Sixth Uncle gasped in shock.
"This person was a Foreign Affairs Elder of Chang Chun Temple, Xu Changqing," Gu Zhen revealed.
"Xu Changqing? I've never heard of him. How did they end up fighting to the death? What were they fighting over?" the Sixth Uncle's brows furrowed tightly.
"I'm not sure about that. The storage magical tools of both Gu Qiulong and Xu Changqing have vanished. Besides the two of them, there was likely a third person at the scene, possibly the Shuiyun Temple Master," Gu Zhen speculated.
"The Shuiyun Temple Master? Qiulong wouldn't have gone to Shuiyun Temple for no reason. Where is the temple master now?" the Sixth Uncle asked.
"The temple master is missing. The other Taoists of Shuiyun Temple haven't seen when Gu Qiulong arrived," Gu Zhen informed.
"Besides these findings, the Sect also discovered another situation; your other grandnephew, Gu Qiuming, suddenly disappeared ten days ago, and his daughter Gu Hui vanished seven days ago," Gu Zhen continued.
"Gu Qiuming? I saw him a few days ago. Could he be related to this matter?" the Sixth Uncle was visibly shaken.
"I don't know about that; the Sect has already sent people to search for the three of them discreetly," Gu Zhen mentioned.
Afterward, the two discussed for a long time until the Black Incense burned out.
Yuan Ming deduced that Gu Qiuming must have seen his message and fled with his daughter. The Shuiyun Temple Master, realizing that Gu Qiulong was dead, feared the Zhenling Sect's wrath and also disappeared.
The next morning, Yuan Ming visited the Treasure Spirit Pavilion.
Yuan Ming demanded the Winged Bird that he entrusted Gu Qiuming to hatch for him, but the shop assistant said Gu Qiuming had been missing for many days. Yuan Ming flew into a rage, demanding compensation. The shop assistant demurred, claiming the shopkeeper was absent and asked Yuan Ming to return another time.
With a plan in mind, Yuan Ming returned home and, seven days later, once again possessed Xu Chuan, the Qi Refining Disciple that Gu Qiuming had arranged to host him.
The Black Incense was lit.
At that moment, Xu Chuan was busy in a Spirit Beast Garden, and Yuan Ming started attempting to influence him with suggestions.
Soon, Xu Chuan ceased his work and walked towards the other side of the Spirit Beast Garden, finding a young man.
"Xu Chuan, are you looking for me?" the young man stood and asked.
"Gu Qiuyang, you're well informed. Do you know how the investigation into the disappearance of Gu Qiuming and his daughter is going?" Xu Chuan asked.
"Why do you ask?" Gu Qiuyang said.
"Just curious," Xu Chuan sighed.
"You're worried about Gu Hui, aren't you?" Gu Qiuyang said with a smile.
"Stop beating around the bush," Xu Chuan urged.
"Gu Hui left on the day that Gu Qiulong died," Gu Qiuyang said quietly.
Yuan Ming subtly prompted Xu Chuan to inquire further, influencing him three times before Xu Chuan obliged with the question.
"What is the identity of the person who killed Gu Qiulong?" Xu Chuan asked.
"The sect is keeping it confidential, so I don't know. Gu Hui is so beautiful, there's no telling how many people in the sect are disappointed by her departure. You're one of them, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you be so attentive to Gu Qiuming?" Gu Qiuyang said.
"That's not the case; I just pity Gu Qiuming being one-armed," Xu Chuan denied.
Yuan Ming nodded slightly and influenced Xu Chuan again, asking about the Core Formation Stage ancestor, Gu Qiulong.
This time he influenced him only twice before Xu Chuan casually steered the conversation towards some matters within the sect.
The influence on Xu Chuan through suggestions seemed easier? Yuan Ming's thoughts stirred.
Through their casual conversation, Yuan Ming learned about the situation of Gu Qiulong's Core Formation Stage ancestor, who was currently in seclusion.
Yuan Ming finished asking all his questions and his mind shifted to Black Incense Possession.
He had caused possession of a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator using Black Incense made from the Xuanhua Temple's incense ashes, and compared to possessing Xu Chuan this time, he concluded that the effect of Zhenling Sect's incense ashes was indeed superior to that of Xuanhua Temple.
However, influencing Xu Chuan's behavior this time initially required four or five instances, but later it became increasingly easy. What was going on?
An idea flashed through Yuan Ming's mind as he suddenly recalled the situation when he had possessed the old emperor.
After consecutive influences, some strange changes seemed to have occurred between Yuan Ming and the old emperor, with the latter becoming more compliant to his influence.
Could it be that the more frequent the influences, the more obedient the possessed subject would become?
Upon this realization, another idea surfaced in Yuan Ming's mind.
He mimicked his previous method with the old emperor, repeatedly influencing Xu Chuan with suggestions.
Time passed by, and the possession period was quickly coming to an end.
At that moment, the Divine Soul Power in the Sea of Consciousness of Xu Chuan suddenly vibrated, as if undergoing some transformation.
Yuan Ming hurriedly probed, and Xu Chuan's consciousness became exceedingly compliant, unreservedly accepting Yuan Ming's influence without any resistance, as if obeying Yuan Ming's will was a matter of course.
This feeling was mysterious, akin to a demon beast that had been affixed with a Beast Taming Rune, thoroughly tamed.
At that moment, Yuan Ming's vision darkened, signaling the end of the possession period.
His consciousness returned to his body, but his face showed an unmistakable joy.
It seems that with Black Incense Possession, as long as there was enough time to continuously apply influence, it was indeed possible to affect the other party and ultimately have them completely at one's disposal.
Why this was the case could be that the continuous influences touched the deepest part of the possessed person's Divine Soul, leaving an indelible mark that rendered them submissive.
However, based on his judgment, the effects of such suggestions might not be the same for everyone. For those with particularly strong wills or exceptionally powerful Divine Souls, the effects might be less pronounced, at least they wouldn't be influenced so easily.
"From now on, let's call this ability 'Soul Seal,'" Yuan Ming thought to himself.
With this ability, there would be much more he could do when possessing others.
Yuan Ming collected his thoughts and considered his next move.
Based on the information gathered from the two possessions, the Shuiyun Temple Master and Gu Qiuming and his daughter's disappearance remained without evidence; the Zhenling Sect was unlikely to suspect Hagon.
This matter would remain untroubled for the time being.
Yuan Ming pulled out the Incense Making Secret Manual and turned to the back, where it listed truly precious Spirit Incense such as Purple Mysterious Incense and Red Butterfly Fragrance.
He picked up a silver token from the ground next to him and communicated with Hu Tu through a transmission, instructing him to procure the materials required for making precious incenses like the Purple Mysterious Incense.
Upon hearing that Yuan Ming was going to make new incenses, Hu Tu and his companion were overjoyed and immediately purchased a large batch of materials.
Yuan Ming had already mastered the process of making these kinds of Spirit Incense, and soon, he transformed one spiritual material after another into Spirit Incense, displaying them on the counter and shelves.
Just as he had speculated, as soon as the Purple Mysterious Incense and other Spirit Incense appeared, they were immensely popular. Not only did Qi Refining Stage Cultivators come to purchase, but also a substantial number of Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators; in just one month, he earned three thousand Spirit Stones.
Yuan Ming also tentatively placed three sticks of Seven-step Immovable Fainting Spirit Incense on the shelves.
Yuan Ming had mixed incense ashes into the Seven-step Immovable Spirit Incense. With the magical effect of eliminating any fluctuations of Spiritual Power, once ignited, the incense was colorless, odorless, and devoid of any Spiritual Power fluctuations, making it nearly undetectable—truly bewitching people imperceptibly.
The price of each stick of Seven-step Immovable Fainting Spirit Incense was comparable to that of a Low Grade Magical Artifact.
The reputation of Xuanhua Spirit Incense Shop gradually spread, and several auction houses in the workshop took notice and approached to do business—wanting to sell the Spirit Incense at auctions. Yuan Ming didn't pay attention to the auction houses, as the time for auctions had not yet arrived.
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