Chapter 29: Gathering Yin, Condensing the Soul, and the Birth of Spiritual Consciousness:
Elder Chen looked at the four righteous sect prodigies lying on the ground, their expressions far from peaceful, his eyes shining with excitement. "These four materials are already of a higher grade than anything I have in stock. You can pick one of them to refine into a spirit corpse. If you really plan to donate the rest to the sect, I can convert them into sect contribution points and record them for you."
Chu Ge shook his head and smiled. "Junior Sister Dugu doesn’t have suitable materials either. Let her choose one first, and the rest can be donated to the sect. There’s no need to record any contribution points. As the Holy Son, it is only right that I contribute to the sect."
Chu Ge thought to himself that these contribution points were useless to him. The sect’s resources were already at his disposal, so he might as well donate them openly and leave a good impression.
Dugu Mingyue felt warmth in her heart as she saw how Chu Ge always considered her. Ever since her parents had passed away unexpectedly, the elders of her family had only cared about taking her Supreme Bone. If she hadn’t escaped in time, that Supreme Bone would have already been removed and given to her cousin. It had been so long since she had felt this kind of care. Her eyes stung slightly, and she had the sudden urge to cry. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring in return. If she had the chance in the future, she would definitely repay Senior Brother Chu well. However, she suppressed her emotions and bowed slightly to Chu Ge. "Thank you, Senior Brother Chu."
Chu Ge simply waved his hand with a smile. Elder Shi was pleased to see the sect’s two top talents getting along so harmoniously. Only with a thriving sect could he also benefit.
Elder Chen saw that Chu Ge truly had no interest in contribution points and didn’t insist further. He directly picked a male corpse for Chu Ge. Chu Ge shook his head and refused, showing the corpse of Zhao Xiaoqing that he had kept. Elder Chen then picked a female corpse for Dugu Mingyue and handed it over. "I’ll gladly accept the remaining materials then. If you ever need anything, just come to me. Also, these two storage bags contain auxiliary materials for refining spirit corpses. Keep them safe, and once you return, you can start refining them according to the technique."
"Thank you, Elder Chen."
"Thank you, Elder Chen."
A moment later, Elder Shi also handed each of them a storage bag. "These contain the monthly resource allocation for personal disciples, as well as sect robes and the sect’s rulebook. Go through it when you have time."
With this, Elder Shi had completed the newcomers' procedures with Chu Ge and Dugu Mingyue. He then left to report back to Sect Master Zhao Chunyang.
When Chu Ge returned to the main peak, it was already afternoon. Looking at the magnificent sunset in the sky, he had an idea. This peak didn’t have a name yet, so from now on, he would call it Sunset Peak. He casually pulled a massive boulder over and wrote the words "Sunset Peak" on it with his finger. Clapping his hands in satisfaction, he returned to his cave dwelling.
Opening the storage bag given by Elder Shi, he was surprised to find 100 supreme-grade spirit stones inside. Supreme-grade spirit stones, high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade spirit stones had a conversion ratio of 100:1. A single low-grade spirit stone was enough to sustain a wealthy mortal family for a whole month. Compared to righteous sects of the same level, the difference was astonishing. Even personal disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sacred Sect only received ten supreme-grade spirit stones per month. The foundation of an ancient and powerful sect was truly extraordinary.
Chu Ge put the storage bag aside and opened the one from Elder Chen. A surge of Yin energy rushed out, but instead of discomfort, he felt a deep sense of ease. This was the Spirit-Control Sect’s specially crafted Yin Gathering Formation. Chu Ge was highly proficient in formations, and after a brief study, he fully understood its structure. The formation used black iron as its base, obsidian as its core, and was reinforced with peachwood stakes inscribed with ancient runes. It was arranged meticulously according to the principles of Yin-Yang and the Eight Trigrams.
He went outside and placed the formation plate in an empty area. As the formation activated, the surrounding Yin energy seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, converging toward the center and forming a swirling mist of Yin energy. "Not bad quality," Chu Ge commented lightly before putting it away.
The second item in the storage bag was a specially crafted Soul Condensing Banner. This banner was woven from ten-thousand-year-old silkworm threads, embroidered with intricate ghostly faces. Each stroke of the embroidery contained the power to suppress and gather Yin souls. Chu Ge infused it with spiritual energy and gave it a gentle wave. The banner seemed to come to life, emitting low, sorrowful wails as it resonated with the Yin wind, absorbing the surrounding Yin energy.
The third item was a pitch-black pill that emitted a faint scent, a mix of decay and vitality. It was the Spirit-Control Sect’s secret Yin Gathering Pill, refined from over a hundred Yin-attributed herbs through a special alchemical process. Consuming it greatly enhanced the concentration of Yin energy within a corpse and stabilized its soul.
With these three items, the first step of refining a spirit corpse—Gathering Yin and Condensing the Soul—could now begin. Chu Ge found the most Yin-rich location on Sunset Peak and placed the formation plate there. As the formation activated, the entire peak’s Yin energy was drawn toward the center, forming a thick, swirling mist. In an instant, a dense fog of Yin energy condensed and rotated.
Chu Ge placed Zhao Xiaoqing’s body into the formation’s center, and the Yin mist eagerly surged into the corpse. He then took out the Soul Condensing Banner and infused it with spiritual energy. Immediately, the howling Yin wind intensified, and the gathering of Yin energy accelerated. The thick mist continuously poured into Zhao Xiaoqing’s body. Next, Chu Ge flicked the Yin Gathering Pill into Zhao Xiaoqing’s mouth. He sensed the pill quickly dissolving, transforming into cold streams of energy that flowed through the corpse, resonating with the formation’s Yin energy and reinforcing every part of the body.
A faint glow of spiritual light began to emerge from Zhao Xiaoqing’s corpse. Chu Ge sat cross-legged and activated The Corpse Control Codex, entering a tranquil state of absolute focus. He carefully observed every change in Zhao Xiaoqing’s body, adjusting the intensity of the Yin Gathering Formation and the Soul Condensing Banner to ensure the perfect balance between Yin energy and the soul.
As time passed, a faint blue glow gradually spread across the corpse’s surface. This was the first sign of successful soul condensation, marking the near completion of the first stage—Gathering Yin and Condensing the Soul. Only after this step could the spirit corpse enter the second phase—Awakening Spiritual Consciousness. At that stage, the spirit corpse would gain basic movement capabilities and no longer be a lifeless body.
Even though this was his first time refining a spirit corpse, Chu Ge remained calm and unhurried. He meticulously guided the Yin energy, refining Zhao Xiaoqing’s body step by step toward perfection.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Chu Ge finally stopped and opened his eyes. Looking at Zhao Xiaoqing’s corpse, now radiating a dense blue glow, he smiled in satisfaction. If the other disciples of the Spirit-Control Sect saw this, their eyes would surely pop out in shock. Normally, if a disciple managed to produce even one percent of this glow in the first stage, they would stop refining immediately. The soul would grow stronger as the process continued, but one wrong move could cause the soul to explode, rendering the corpse useless.
Good corpses were extremely rare resources. After all, major sects typically protected their disciples well, making it difficult to obtain high-quality bodies. Only someone as reckless as Chu Ge would dare to push the refinement to its limits. Under normal circumstances, reaching his current level of refinement was an impossibility—something that could only happen in one-in-a-trillion cases.
Fortunately, Chu Ge had The Corpse Control Codex. The name of the technique might have sounded crude, but its effectiveness was nothing short of miraculous. Even at the first stage of corpse refinement, it had already demonstrated its heaven-defying power.