However, the minor flaws do not overshadow the merits. With the Nascent Soulâs phantom clone, he can truly be considered a Peak Great Cultivator, albeit without a physical body.
Once the phantom clone controlled the Nascent Soul, Great Cultivator Hua Yingâs soul crystal ring and his life-bound magical artifact could no longer be concealed. Controlled by the phantom clone, the Nascent Soul materialized them and delivered them out of the Nascent Soul.
Li Shiming took the soul crystal ring. Although Great Cultivator Hua Ying was not theoretically dead, his Nascent Soulâs control by the phantom clone allowed Li Shimingâs divine sense to enter the soul crystal ring without any hindrance.
Inside the soul crystal ring, he saw a fourth-grade top shuttle-shaped flying boat.
Shuttle-shaped flying boats are rare in the Cultivation World, where mainstream flying boats resemble ships.
Li Shiming instructed the phantom clone to remove the ownership mark from the fourth-grade top shuttle-shaped flying boat, then re-imprinted his own mark of ownership.
The âCrossing Void Shuttleâ, a fourth-grade top shuttle-shaped flying boat, was designed in shuttle shape for easy navigation through the sea.
Its specialty lies in blending with water upon entering the sea, making it undetectable unless scanned directly by the divine sense of a Peak Great Cultivator.
Its sky-flying capabilities are similar to other fourth-grade top flying boats, with comparable speed and defense.
"This is excellent!" Even Li Shiming, who had seen and possessed many fourth-grade top flying boats, couldnât help but praise after understanding the âCrossing Void Shuttleâs performance.
Once the âCrossing Void Shuttleâ enters the sea, it is almost impossible to detect.
Even with a divine sense scan by a Peak Great Cultivator, the scan range in the sea is limited, making it easy for the âCrossing Void Shuttleâ to escape a Peak Great Cultivatorâs pursuit by accelerating.
Thinking of Great Cultivator Hua Ying, he didnât even have time to activate his life-saving means, let alone a chance to use the âCrossing Void Shuttleâ.
Li Shiming handed the âCrossing Void Shuttleâ to the phantom clone, intending to use it for dealing with external matters for now. Later, when the clone Li Yuanba finishes his seclusion, the âCrossing Void Shuttleâ will be given to him for use.
He himself did not need it, as he had many life-saving methods, especially with the restoration of spatial energy to his teleportation ring, which is considered his strongest life-saving tool.
From Great Cultivator Hua Yingâs soul crystal ring, he also discovered some fourth-grade top lifestyle items, indicating that this was a cultivator who enjoyed the finer things in life.
"Oh!" As Li Shiming examined the soul crystal ring, he discovered a particularly special jade scroll.
The jade scroll was deemed special because its shape differed from ordinary jade scrolls.
Most jade scrolls are cylindrical, made from spiritual jade, while this jade scroll was composed of two cylindrical spiritual jades.
Both cylindrical spiritual jades emitted a dark golden glow, clearly indicating a top-grade jade scroll.
Seeing this special jade scroll, Li Shimingâs heart stirred as he thought of a possibility.
He took out the jade scroll and entered it with his divine sense, discovering two cultivation techniques he had guessed within the left and right side of the jade scroll: âFrost Condensation Divine Bookâ and âCold Heaven Scriptureâ.
At the intersection of the two jade scrolls, there was another cultivation technique named âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ.
As his divine sense swept through the three cultivation techniques in the jade scroll, all contents were recorded into IBMz15âs database.
Li Shiming used IBMz15 to examine the three cultivation techniques, immediately memorizing their contents and receiving IBMz15âs analysis of the techniques.
Both âFrost Condensation Divine Bookâ and âCold Heaven Scriptureâ are inheritance techniques, containing extensive records of cultivation experiences from predecessor cultivators, offering detailed references throughout nearly the entire cultivation process.
Any cultivator obtaining these inheritance techniques could safely cultivate them with proper guidance.
The only factor affecting cultivation progress is the cultivatorâs own aptitude and talent.
Thatâs why superpowers carefully select talented core cultivators to receive complete inheritance, ensuring their investment isnât wasted due to high potential.
As for âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ, it is a water element cultivation method. Through analysis, Li Shiming determined its ceiling is exceedingly high.
It offers certain enhancement effects for advancing to Peak Great Cultivator status, and even provides significant advantages for progressing to half-step Great Power.
The technique can potentially be cultivated all the way up to ascension, its quality nearly on par with âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ.
Judging which is stronger, âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ or âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ, is inconclusive. However, âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ is more accessible, as any water element cultivator can practice it.
Conversely, âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ requires a cultivator with five-element talent and mastery of Five Elements Divine Technique before practicing.
Though âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ is more powerful, in the past, Li Shiming might have prioritized âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ had he discovered it first over âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ.
He remembers clearly the risks he took to acquire the Five Elements Divine Technique for practicing âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ.
Too many unexpected events occurred while practicing the Five Elements Divine Technique, and but for his good luck, he might never have been able to cultivate âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ.
"Such techniques can only be used for reference!" Li Shiming regretfully remarked as he viewed âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ.
As an inheritance technique, âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ originated from an ancient great sect, which was inexplicably divided and scattered.
Yet, within âQingning Forbidden Scriptureâ, there still exist cultivation insights from previous seniors, making its cultivation process easier than that of âHeavenly Human Techniqueâ.
Li Shiming dispatched the phantom clone to participate in the Luanyang Palace, Guiyuan Sect, and Bitao Sect war. The mission concluded with the phantom cloneâs surprise attack on Great Cultivator Hua Ying, capturing Great Cultivator Yi Xiao.
For those aware of Li Shimingâs ability to defeat two Peak Great Cultivators, it wasnât much of a surprise.
Despite only dispatching a phantom clone, rumors from the Guiyuan Sect said that Li Shiming deployed a powerful spiritual pet along with four late-stage Golden Corpses.
Li Shimingâs formidable reputation was already acknowledged by numerous forces; this achievement merely added another accolade to his long list of feats.
In fact, his fame was overshadowed by ensuing events that captured the Cultivation Worldâs attention.
The Guiyuan Sect did not cease their assault on the Bitao Sect, sending more Great Cultivators and collaborating with several allies to blockade Bitao Sectâs resource channels.
The Guiyuan Sect even began consuming Bitao Archipelago, appearing determined to annihilate the Bitao Sect.
None of the superpowers in the Cultivation World are oblivious to the Guiyuan Sectâs ploy, applying pressure on the Bitao Sect for undisclosed reasons.
Given the presence of a Great Power within the Bitao Sect, its destruction wouldnât be feasible without exceedingly tenuous circumstances.
Approaching Bitao Sectâs mountain gate could lead to attacks by the Great Power at any moment; thus, Guiyuan Sectâs encroachment on Bitao Archipelago extends mainly to its outskirts.
The Guiyuan Sectâs objective is to communicate their position to the Bitao Sect, pressing them into negotiations.
Within the Bitao Sect, certain cultivators gained power, backed by the Great Power.
Amusingly, the new cult leader of the superpower Bitao Sect possessed only a Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak cultivation level.
The Bitao Sect still hosts two Great Cultivators, and not all of those killed by Li Shiming were part of Bitao Sectâs original Great Cultivators, some being hired aides.
Of course, Bitao Sectâs two Great Cultivators were nearing their life spanâs end, making them unlikely candidates to assume control.
The Nascent Soul Middle Stage Practitionerr assuming Bitao Sectâs authority is named Shi Sha, yet his main concern is locating Great Cultivator Hua Ying rather than negotiating with the Guiyuan Sect.
Inside Bitao Sect, Great Cultivator Hua Yingâs soul lamp still burns, signifying the continued existence of his Nascent Soul.