Chapter 961: Clues

Mi Li sighed softly. "I know this item is extremely rare, most likely impossible to find. I'll just seclude myself and study for a while to see if there are any other ways to heal my soul's injuries."

Hearing the despondency in her voice, Zu An's heart stirred, and he blurted out, "Don't worry, no matter how difficult it is, I'll do my best to find it for you!"

Mi Li had helped him so much. Though they were nominally master and disciple, they were truly like siblings; how could he stand idly by?

"Thank you so much," Mi Li said with a smile. From her tone, it was clear she didn't really believe Zu An could find the medicine. After all, such things were too rare; even an emperor might not be able to find it.

Sensing her dismissiveness, Zu An said nothing more, simply engraving the name "Purple Frost Divine Milk" deeply into his mind.

"Oh, right, you seemed to be struggling with breakthrough issues just now?" Mi Li's voice sounded again.

"Yes, I seem to have been stuck at this level for a long time..." Zu An explained his cultivation problems to her.

Mi Li replied, "Most cultivators accumulate vital energy bit by bit through years of practice. With the aid of formations and primal stones, the effect is much better. In your case, you could use the Taotie Heaven Devouring Art to quickly absorb others' cultivation and advance rapidly, but I don't recommend it. That would destabilize your foundation. It's better to refine your inner cultivation little by little through your own practice."

Zu An wondered, "The Taotie Heaven Devouring Art is ranked alongside techniques like the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. Theoretically, it shouldn't have such a major hidden flaw, should it?"

"This isn't some flawed technique like the 'Star Sucking Dafa'; how could it have such a major weakness?"

Mi Li replied, "The universe has yin and yang, and everything has its pros and cons. The Taotie Heaven Devouring Art is powerful precisely because it allows for rapid mastery, but this speed also leads to an unstable foundation. The reason previous Shang kings had no issues cultivating it was that their advancement was gradual; they had enough time to refine and absorb the cultivation of others."

"However, you possess three extraordinary techniques, and you've had one fortuitous encounter after another. Your cultivation speed has been far too rapid. At such a young age, you're already near the peak of the ninth rank. Probably no one in history can compare to you. As for your emperor, if he hadn't believed you inherited Old Man Mi's cultivation, thus severing your future advancement foundation, he would likely have grown wary and killed you long ago."

Zu An's heart tightened. Currently, besides Mi Li, only the emperor knew his true cultivation level. Others had various guesses about his power, but thanks to his "Bright Mirror Not a Stand" ability and the sachet provided by Consort Bai, their guesses were far from the truth.

"So what should I do next? I can't just go get beaten up, can I? With my current cultivation, even if I got beaten every day, my improvement would likely be very limited."

Mi Li replied, "Don't keep thinking that the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture relies on getting beaten to improve cultivation. That was merely Old Man Mi's shallow understanding leading him astray. Ultimately, the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture's advancement comes from cultivators constantly pushing their limits in battle, improving step by step. The more dangerous the battle, the more severe the injuries, and the stronger one becomes after recovery."

Zu An retorted, "Isn't that still relying on getting beaten up...?"

Mi Li: "..."

She ignored his comment and continued, "You will likely encounter danger on your trip to Yunzhong Commandery. That will be your opportunity for accumulation and advancement. However, breaking through to the Grandmaster realm is not so easy. It often requires the aid of rare treasures or the cleansing and tempering of the body by vast amounts of heaven and earth vital energy in certain blessed lands or grotto-heavens. Such things are hard to come by; I'll explain in detail when the time is right."

"So, for now, I should just refine my internal cultivation and solidify my foundation?" Zu An frowned slightly. He had indeed tried refining his cultivation during this time, but progress had been minimal, and further practice seemed unlikely to yield significant results.

"I told you all this because I don't want you to take shortcuts with the Taotie Heaven Devouring Art just to break through. Given your current situation, it's more suitable to temper your divine soul. Take this opportunity to temper your internal vital energy at the same time; the effect should be even better," Mi Li replied.

Zu An was startled: "Isn't tempering the divine soul something only possible at the Grandmaster realm? Wouldn't it be too early for me?"

"With your current cultivation, you wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage against lower-level Grandmasters; what you lack are soul-related techniques. Your circumstances are different from others. If it were any other cultivator, tempering the divine soul before reaching Grandmaster would easily lead to their physical body collapsing, but you don't have that problem," Mi Li explained.

Zu An was delighted: "Then how does one temper the divine soul?"

"Meditate, relax your entire body, and feel the qi of heaven and earth. First, visualize your mental power materializing. Don't use your eyes, nor vital energy, but use your mental power to perceive everything around you. Try to touch them. One day, if you can slightly move small objects with your mental power, you'll have achieved the introductory level," Mi Li explained, adding, "I'll first impart a chant that will help you train your mental power. Once you've reached the introductory level, I'll teach you the specific method for tempering your divine soul."

"Thank you, sis... Master!" Zu An was exceptionally pleased. If mental power could materialize, wouldn't he be able to touch many things remotely in the future?

As if guessing his thoughts, Mi Li's warning voice came through: "Oh, there's something I need to tell you. At first, your mental power will be very fragile. Absolutely do not try to touch living beings. Otherwise, if they have an intense reaction, you could suffer severe mental damage, or at worst, become an imbecile."

Zu An was startled: "That terrifying?"

"Of course. When cultivating mental power, never be too hasty, or your soul could easily be annihilated." Mi Li's voice gradually grew weaker again.

Zu An realized that Mi Li, as a soul body, had sustained such severe injuries, and speaking so much must have drained her significantly. He quickly said, "Oh, right, I just remembered I've cultivated the second half of the Primordial Chaos Scripture, which can heal others' injuries. I wonder if it can repair your damaged soul?"

"Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Mi Li's voice suddenly rose.

Zu An paused, then realized, and immediately explained, "That's not what I meant. My Primal Chaos Qi can now enter others' bodies to help heal injuries."

"No need, it's useless for me. I am currently a soul body." Mi Li also realized her reaction had been a bit excessive. She cleared her throat and said, "Go cultivate properly yourself. I need to go back to sleep."

After she finished speaking, silence returned to the room.

Zu An called out a few times, but there was no reply from Mi Li. For a moment, he felt an emptiness in his heart.

"I must find the Purple Frost Divine Milk for her!" His gaze grew more resolute. He quickly retrieved the Embroidered Uniform Guard's attire from the Glazed Pearl, changed into it, and, under the cover of night, slipped out of the room.

Silver Badge Envoy Xiao Jianren was in his room, reading by an oil lamp, when he suddenly felt a warning in his heart. He grabbed the knife beside him and looked behind him: "Who's there!"

He saw a figure sitting in the shadows not far away. Xiao Jianren narrowed his eyes, quickly recognized the other's attire, and hastily put away his knife: "Greetings, Lord Eleven!"

Zu An grunted. "There's something I need your help with."

Given the strict hierarchical structure of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there was no need for him to beat around the bush.

"Please give your orders, Lord," Xiao Jianren said, pleased. He had previously received orders to simply follow Sang Hong with his men, which had made him somewhat uneasy. Now, knowing there was a specific mission, a heavy weight lifted from his mind.

"Do you know anything about Purple Frost Divine Milk?" Zu An asked, looking at him nervously. Xiao Jianren was like a walking library; few could match his familiarity with the intelligence in the Embroidered Tower. If even he didn't know, then it would indeed be trouble.

Xiao Jianren was startled: "Could it be that one of the Lords has suffered damage to their divine soul?"

He asked somewhat indirectly, intending to ask if Zu An himself was injured, but fearing it would be taboo.

Zu An couldn't help but be pleased. It seemed the name "Purple Frost Divine Milk" hadn't changed in this world, which would make it much easier to find. "Don't concern yourself with that. Do you know where I can find Purple Frost Divine Milk?"

Xiao Jianren shook his head, "This is a spiritual item of heaven and earth, extremely rare in the world. If a local region hadn't presented Purple Frost Divine Milk as tribute to His Majesty years ago, I might not have even known about it."

"The Emperor has it?" Zu An frowned. That would be troublesome, but at least there was a target, which was better than blindly searching.

Xiao Jianren's expression changed. He thought, 'From your tone, it sounds like you intend to snatch it from the Emperor.' He quickly added, "Years ago, His Majesty's divine soul was severely wounded during a battle with the Demon Emperor, and it was the Purple Frost Divine Milk that restored him."

"So the Emperor doesn't have it anymore?" Zu An raised an eyebrow. He suddenly wanted to hang this squinting man up and beat him thoroughly. What a terrible habit, only speaking in riddles.

As if sensing his "killing intent," Xiao Jianren hastily said, "The one who presented the Purple Frost Divine Milk to His Majesty back then was the previous Duke of Yunzhong Commandery. If there's anywhere else in the world where this item can be found, it would most likely be Yunzhong Commandery."