Cultivation through Skin Making

The past, fermented by time, re-entered her memory.

At this moment, Song Yan lifted his head and met her gaze.

Wang Susu smiled sweetly and lowered her head.

She understood.

Even a true demoness would be emotionally moved, from the depths of her divine soul, by the indescribable feeling of reunion with an old acquaintance.

Song Yan's expression shifted slightly, and he smiled freely, but said nothing more.

Having recognized each other was good enough.

The two sat back down with a mutual understanding, continuing their skin making, with the atmosphere now much more harmonious.

...

...

Another month or so passed...

An Li's "Chaotic Heaven Cleansing Profound Pill" was finally refined. It was her limit, though it had some flaws.

Song Yan took the elixir, and after many attempts using his wisdom, successfully enhanced the lower grade Earth Profound Root to a middle grade Earth Profound Root.

What required a "probability of enhancement" for others, was a "certainty" for him.

With this accomplished, the heavy burden on his heart was finally lifted.

In addition to skin making and cultivation, he began a new endeavor: personally creating a profound treasure.

For those at the Purple Mansion, profound artifacts and treasures were already meaningless waste products.

But the profound treasure Song Yan intended to craft was not ordinary.

It was not for attack, nor did it possess defensive capabilities, nor did it have any mystical bloodline or cause and effect functions.

Its sole purpose was to properly store "White Cave Crystal Jade."

So that when Song Yan wanted to use it, he could draw upon its power and characteristics at any time without damaging or excessively consuming it.

This was akin to removing the "Five Elements White Cave Crystal Jade" from the center of the "Five Elements Gathering Profound Array" and the "Divine Soul White Cave Crystal Jade" from the "Myriad Souls Banner Sacrificial Refining Array" and concentrating them in one place.

This was the profound treasure Song Yan set out to create—a pair of gloves.

A pair of gloves that could be worn on the left hand.

These gloves would be embedded with eight large White Cave Crystal Jades.

For this, he spent a large amount of contribution points, nearly depleting his entire fortune, to exchange for the top-grade array materials superior to Soul Gold Stone, known as "Soul Gold Marrow." It's said that only half a piece of Soul Gold Marrow might appear among every thousand pieces of Soul Gold Stone, indicating its preciousness. And reportedly, the only material better than "Soul Gold Marrow" is the legendary material known as "Secret Realm Remnant."

Besides "Soul Gold Marrow," there were also materials such as "Ice Spirit Sea Silk," "Lotus Silver Hundred-Link Vine," and others that made the profound treasure flexible and resilient.

After dedicated research into artifact refining with wisdom, and spending contribution points to rent a Purple Mansion level artifact refining furnace, Song Yan began refining directly.

He spat out qi blood flames, smelted Soul Gold Marrow, forged the profound treasure embryo, attempting step by step, then embedded the White Cave Crystal Jades of the Five Elements, Evil Qi, Divine Soul, and Cause and Effect into it.

After three days and nights, the gloves took shape, their surface presenting a soft platinum color, adjustable in size, with no damage regardless of compression or extension by dozens of times.

The Five Elements White Cave Crystal Jades were set in the five fingers.

Evil Qi and Divine Soul were at the finger roots.

Cause and Effect was in the palm.

...

...

Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye.

Early Stage of Purple Mansion was easily surpassed.

Middle Stage of Purple Mansion was naturally achieved.

Though Late Stage of Purple Mansion was not reached, Song Yan clearly understood how to take this step.

"My thoughts," just like "protective thoughts" and "killing thoughts," require a concentration and recognition of the differences between "oneself, heaven and earth, and all beings."

With differentiation, the existence of self is possible.

By stepping out, clarity follows.

In this regard, Song Yan lacked nothing.

He had rolled at the edge of the Sea of Suffering for a century, and in the worldly turmoil, had understood what kind of person he was and how he differed from others and the heavens, rather than being muddled and unaware.

However, he was still one step short: the "Purple Mansion Secret Technique."

The "Purple Mansion Secret Technique" is the process of weaving one's thoughts into a "Purple Mansion level profound treasure," much like the Tower Thought Attack of the Corpse-Eating Wolf Race's "Bee Cloud Massacre Miasma."

Clearly, the Formless Ancient Race had its own "Secret Technique Inheritance."

This secret technique was called "Hundred Forms Life and Death Stake."

Song Yan originally intended to cultivate this, but through Gusha Mountain's ancient texts and the experiences of predecessors, he realized: Each Purple Mansion can possess only one Purple Mansion Secret Technique, which is also known as a lifebound secret technique. This lifebound secret technique has a significant impact on subsequent realms.

It was for this reason that he stopped.

Since lifebound secret techniques are comprehended by individuals.

Then "Hundred Forms Life and Death Stake" was naturally comprehended by the "Ancestor" in "Ancestral Blessings of the Formless Shattered Immortal."

Having been granted the divine soul inheritance of the Formless Ancient Race, if even the lifebound secret technique was cultivated from them, then... he would become completely integrated into the Formless Ancient Race, becoming one of them.

This, of course, seemed fine.

But wasn't this entirely following someone else's path?

In a world where cause and effect are heavy, following someone else's path isn't necessarily a good thing.

Moreover, he never forgot the fact that "Yin Yang Profound Dragon granted him the innate inheritance of the Formless Ancient Race."

If someone, especially an "Ancestor" unknown of how many years old, gave something, they surely expected a return.

And until now, he had not repaid it.

Thus, while he was grateful to the Formless Ancient Race, he... remained vigilant.

Therefore, he neither sought it nor cultivated it.

...

...

On this day, Song Yan stood up, the aura of the Early Stage of Purple Mansion unconstrainedly spread out, while the aura of the Middle Stage was hidden. He had to consider, if he displayed the strength of the Middle Stage of Purple Mansion but did not cultivate the "Formless Life and Death Stake," what would others think?