Long Di raised a brow at this, "Impressive."
"T-Thank you," Shen Ling replied.
"So, I'm going to need to destroy your two cauldrons."
****
"Come again?"
Shen Ling stared back at Long Di with a dumbfounded expression.
Did the word impressive not mean impressive to him? Did impressive mean your cauldrons are a bad joke that needs to die because they are not bad enough to be funny, yet not funny enough to be relevant?
"Why?" This was the only question that Shen Ling managed to ask.
"Your situation based on your race is a bit… peculiar." This was the only word that Long Di found to be apt.
Shen Ling cocked her head cutely to the side in a questioning manner. "How so?"
"Well, no matter how much of a mixed breed or hybrid you might be, you can be considered an Abyss Ghost all the same. After all, I'm unable to check the purity of your bloodline, but new evidence has allowed me to be sure that your appearance alone indicates that you have, at least, an Abyss Ghost bloodline with a purity of 40%."
This was information given to Long Di by the Destiny Scale within him. For reasons unbeknownst to Long Di, the Destiny Scale had an unusually large volume of information about Abyss Ghosts.
This was incredible since at the moment, there were probably only a handful of people in the entire cultivation world who had what could be considered substantial information about Abyss Ghosts.
Of course, it only gave Long Di the bare minimum of information required to complete their current task.
"Oh yeah. I also have a cultivation technique that's a bit more attuned to you."
Long Di had no intention of letting them know that all of this was coming from a steel stele that lived rent-free in his mind sea. There was just no way to explain all of that in one or two sentences, and as far as he was concerned, that was too much work.
"A new cultivation technique? I don't know…" Shen Ling was a bit hesitant to change her cultivation technique.
This was because, out of everyone here, she was the only one required to start over, and even more so, switch to an entirely different cultivation method. She would be walking her own path and truth be told, she was scared to do so.
Everyone else could consult each other for anything they were unsure of, but she would only be able to rely on herself.
"I-I really don't want to abandon the cultivation method the elders taught me. They chose to teach me, who had nothing, what little they knew."
Long Di stared at her for a moment in silence before he finally reacted, as if coming back to life. "Come here. I'll show you the technique, and if you don't want to use it, I won't force you."
Long Di got this idea from the Destiny Scale after he forced/annoyed it into telling him how he could convince her.
"Okay." Shen Ling took a few nervous steps until she was standing right in front of him.
"Don't reject me. Just let it flow into you." After Long Di's suspiciously phrased a stranger-danger-esque instruction, he planted his index finger on her forehead.
A gentle wind kicked up around the two as Long Di's finger shone with a violet-gold light.
Shen Ling's eyes were closed, and the information from the cultivation method resonated with her on a spiritual level, unlike anything else.
Feng Yu and the others were unaware of anything else going on around them. Feng Yu immediately went into cultivation mode the moment she got her spirit stone from Long Di.
As a result, Long Di and Shen Ling were the only ones who were conscious of their surroundings.
However, at the moment, they didn't care about this. Their full attention was affixed to the current task.
The information for this cultivation method was extremely profound. Ancient runic characters could be seen swirling around Long Di's finger before they disappeared into her forehead.
A few minutes later, the last string of runes flowed into the area between her brow.
"Abyss Scripture."
The name of the cultivation method escaped Shen Ling's lips as a gentle whisper. It sounded intimate to her, as if she had known it all her life.
"I accept."
Immediately after, Shen Ling, of her own volition, chose to abandon the previous cultivation method and take on the Abyss Scripture.
[Place your palm on her forehead and the other on her abdomen and then advise her to summon her cauldrons.]
'Destiny Scale, if you do anything—'
[I won't, I already gave my word that I would listen to your requests regarding this. I won't harm her.]
After receiving the Destiny Scale's assurance, Long Di instructed Shen Ling the way the Destiny Scale told him to.
Dum…
Two cauldrons burst into existence behind Shen Ling. The first was a white cauldron that mirrored Feng Yu's lone cauldron. The second one, however, owned unto itself a grand air.
It was a striking red that overshadowed the white medial grade cauldron in all aspects. They both rotated slowly, as all cauldrons do. This simple rotation seemed to contain within itself the secrets of heaven and earth.
"Do it."
Shen Ling's voice came out once again. It wasn't forceful in any way, but it also left no room for negotiation. It was an odd feeling.
Dum!
A wave of energy surged from Long Di before it travelled to both his arms. It disappeared into Shen Ling's body and for a while, there was no reaction.
Bumph!
"Ah."
Suddenly, Shen Ling's body shuddered as the energy inside her body erupted. The shockwaves, as if possessing a mind of their own, travelled an unknown path as they made their way to her cauldrons.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a crack appeared on the surface of the high-grade cauldron before it covered the entirety of its exterior.
Shen Ling's face paled as the rotation stalled. A sound akin to glass breaking inside the cauldron rang out before the cauldron exploded!
"Ack!"
A mouthful of blood erupted from Shen Ling! The strength in her legs left her. She only remained standing because of the strong grip that Long Di had as he held her forehead and abdomen.
Long Di's eyes narrowed when he saw this. 'Is the process to destroy the cauldron so… intense?'
'What do you think?' The voice of the Destiny Scale resounded in Long Di's mind. 'This is not the destruction of her entire cultivation base, but a carefully executed high-level procedure where I am undoing a specified stage, her cauldrons.'
Even though the Destiny Scale spoke so as to allay Long Di's worry, he couldn't help but feel off as he stared at her in this state.
"Continue."
Her voice came out in a whisper with the same steadfast conviction.
Another surge of energy escaped from Long Di and took the same path they did before erupting in her body.
It didn't take long before the same thing happened to her medial-grade cauldron. It exploded into white dots of light, a stunning sight!
Unfortunately, no one was able to enjoy this sight as Shen Ling spat out another mouthful of blood. Long Di immediately laid her on the ground and after listening to the Destiny Scale once more, placed his hand on her abdomen again.
Whoosh…
A gentle wave of energy came from Long Di's hand as wisps of energy seeped into her body.
"Ugh…"
A few minutes later, her lips opened a crack to introduce a groan. At almost the same time, her white lashes fluttered before she opened her eyes.
Her starry eyes rested on Long Di for a moment. He repeated his normal gesture of poking her forehead with his finger.
Out of nowhere, Long Di expressionlessly shoved a spirit stone into her grasp, before he spared her a single word.
"Begin."
Without a word, Shen Ling heeded his request and found a spot near the others where she sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
Long Di studied her features for a moment. He really wanted to see this cultivation method in action.
When she was alone with them, she didn't bother to wear her veil, so her beauty was on full display.
Her hair retained its mystical nature as it waved and undulated. It appeared like mist and yet not like mist at the same time, a mesmerising contradiction. Her milky white skin shone under the sun.
Her eyes, which had many stars before, were now pitch black. On anyone else, this would be a harrowing sight. It would appear like the empty sockets of a corpse, but on her, this was not the case. On her, this somehow served to further increase her already fairy-like grace.
She closed her eyes and ran the method exactly as she remembered it. She was now back at the peak of the Tan'tien Saturation realm.
For most people, suffering such a blow to their cultivation base, whether intentional or otherwise, would find it hard to calm down. However, she was able to get back on cultivation immediately, as if the earlier occurrence was a part of daily life.
Sssshhhhhh…
As she gripped the brightly shining stone in hand, a dark mist slowly materialised around her. It slowly increased in density before it completely hid her from view.
After a while, all that remained was a pitch-black area. Its darkness radiated a profound depth. There was a chasmic element to it that made one feel lost.
[Don't stare at it.]
The sound of the Destiny Scale's ancient will rang out in Long Di's head, shaking him from a stupor he didn't know he was in. It was then that he realised he was walking towards this abyssal mist unaware.
"What just happened?" Long Di was confused.
[You lasted a lot longer than I thought. However, it's dangerous to stare at the Abyss Ghost's cultivation technique. This method brings to the world the true form of the abyss that exists everywhere. It can draw in your very consciousness where it would wander in the boundlessness of it for eternity. Well, it's easy to avoid once you're aware of it, especially at this stage. Just don't peer too deeply into it.]
"Got it, and thanks," Long Di was lucky the Destiny Scale was here to rouse him from his trance. "So, I guess you're going to come out now and help them in their cultivation, right?"
[Correct, but before that.]
"What is it?" asked Long Di.
[I was examining your body.]
"Why?" Long Di's brow raised, not for the first time today.
[I was curious.]
"Again… why?" His brow reached even higher, as if it had grand ambitions.
[Forget that. Are you aware that you possess a special-grade physique?]
Long Di's brow wanted to sprout wings and fly when he heard this, "… Excuse me?"