Chapter 20: 20. Five Elements Silk Binding Hand, Skin Painting Soul Summoning Technique Song Yan was intensely focused on leather crafting, all other matters were beyond his current reach. With this wholehearted commitment and the foundational support of his "Profound Second Layer" body, his leather crafting speed increased rapidly. In just six months, he went from making one shadow puppet every three days to one every two days. Another six months passed, and he was able to make... one every day. Of course, outwardly it remained two days per puppet because... he helped Zhang Yin by crafting some for him. Zhang Yin was happy to "earn Contribution Points without working." After enjoying this benefit for a full year, he finally kept his word and invited an Inner Sect Disciple with red embroidery and a double flower face on his back. ... "Senior Brother, this Junior Brother of mine truly has talent in leather crafting. I understand that the entry methods of your Skin Master are only sold to disciples who have entered the realm and have talent... Is it possible for my Junior Brother to start practicing first?" "Junior Brother Zhang, let me repeat, it’s not selling. I am merely helping my master select some talented individuals to pass on our sect’s entry methods. If someone can enter the sect and showcase their talent through this, my master will naturally seek them out, which also helps nurture talent within the sect. As for the cost... it’s just to make those disciples realize that our sect’s methods are not cheap. By spending money, they learn to cherish it." "What Senior Brother said is absolutely right, very reasonable, I am enlightened." "Forget it, although he hasn’t entered the realm, there are some practices he can start. It’s also a way to broaden the talent pool for my master. Oh yeah, you just said... he makes one puppet every two days, with top quality. Let’s calculate it as a year, twelve months, 150 Contribution Points per month. So... I’ll sell my method for 1800 Contribution Points." "Isn’t that a bit too expensive, considering it’s just entry-level..." "Ah, this is to make those disciples understand our sect’s methods aren’t cheap. Do you think I really covet those 1800 Contribution Points? If it weren’t for my relationship with Junior Brother Zhang, I wouldn’t even be here." Senior Brother remarked earnestly. Zhang Yin eyed him. Senior Brother said, "Otherwise, wait until he has entered the realm to buy it. It will still be this price then, as the seller is me." Zhang Yin:... He sighed and said, "Senior Brother, let’s discuss it when we see Junior Brother Song." ... A moment later. The Inner Sect Disciple with red embroidery and a double flower face smiled satisfactorily at the young man in front of him. The young man, honest and straightforward, truly spent 1800 Contribution Points to buy his method. At this moment, he said, "I am Zhao Yijing, from the lineage of Master Shi. The techniques that my lineage needs to learn are not simple. ’Five Elements Silk Binding Hand,’ ’Skin Painting Soul Summoning Technique,’ mastering these two will earn you respect as a Skin Master anywhere. However, what I am teaching you today is only the entry-level ’Little Five Elements Hand’ from ’Little Five Elements Silk Binding Hand’ and the entry ’Skin Painting Technique’ from ’Skin Painting Soul Summoning Technique.’ "The hide of a demon beast is extremely dangerous, concealing the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Not to mention mortals, even those cultivating profound arts could suffer corrosion from touching it. Then forget being a Skin Master, even crafting a few hides could lead to injury. At worst, the hand could rot, or worse... lead to death." Zhao Yijing presented a box, saying, "So, the things you need are inside, you can start practicing early and get a head start. However, if you secretly give this method to someone else, undiscovered is fine, but if found out... hmph..." This Inner Sect Disciple snorted coldly. "I won’t," Song Yan replied, then opened the box to find six compartments within. One compartment contained two brand-new booklets, while the other five held ten peculiar walnuts. They were in pairs in each compartment, each emitting a mysterious aura he had never seen before. These items were definitely not something available in a market. The market, the market, to put it plainly, is just a derivative of the major sects, an important place for Loose Cultivator trade, but definitely not omnipotent. Because the major sects first need to ensure that their core cultivation techniques aren’t sold to others, why would they put such things on sale there? Contribution Points are a joke to the highest ranks of the major sects. These are merely rules they established. And rules are meant to serve the sect, the hierarchy cannot be overturned. Zhao Yijing added, "Junior Brother Song, even though these booklets are handwritten copies, they can indeed help you get started. If you really manage to enter the sect, you can find me at the main peak of Shadow Puppet Peak, and I’ll take you to meet Master Shi. At that time, you will find that spending those 1800 Contribution Points was worth the value. That’s all I have to say. You must work hard yourself." With that, the disciple didn’t linger, turned, and left. He weighed his identity plate, sensing the increased Contribution Points inside, and smiled contentedly. As for entering the sect? That’s impossible. Not because he gave fake goods, but because even with so many disciples on the main peak, under the guidance of famous masters, those who shouldn’t enter, simply won’t. Being a Skin Master is not something easy. ’Kid, just consider it a lesson bought with money. Daydreaming is not so easy,’ Zhao Yijing chuckled as he summoned a leather beast, mounted it, and flew away. ... ... In the morning light, Song Yan opened the booklets one by one and studied them closely. ’Little Five Elements Hand’ involves practicing so that both hands are unaffected by the five elements, specifically practicing with the "five pairs of Five Elements Walnuts" gifted in the box. Water is the gentlest, so start with the Water Element Walnuts. Switch to Wood Element Walnuts after three days, as water generates wood. After Wood Element, switch to Fire, Earth, and finally Metal Element. After half a month, switch back to Water Element. Repeat this cycle to practice the hands. The sequence must not be wrong, otherwise, injuries will occur. The "Five Elements Walnuts" contain balanced Five Elements Profound Qi, this... must be specially crafted by a master and isn’t easily bought. This also reminded Song Yan of the "Cultivation Method for the Third Layer of Refining Profound," which clearly requires a certain external object. Even if he gets that external object, he would quickly break through, but without it, he cannot. His system cannot create something from nothing, nor can it bring forth something that doesn’t exist to help him break through the realm. ’Skin Painting Technique’ requires "Painting to Enter Divinity." The painting drafts that these disciples received are not original works. Due to engraving reasons, each painting draft can only make one shadow puppet. Therefore, "Divine" drafts are very precious. Song Yan observed for a long time but was startled to find that no new spell had appeared on his panel. However, these two books didn’t seem fake. So, he started practicing according to them. Five Elements Walnuts turning in hand, observing things and searching for divinity, hidden in the heart. ... In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The Five Elements Walnuts had completed a cycle in Song Yan’s palm. And Song Yan suddenly had a sense that "Little Five Elements Hand" would soon appear on his panel. Obviously, popular spells just need to be extracted from the Jade Scroll to appear on the panel. But this kind of secret technique requires you to have a rough understanding and experience before it can appear on the panel. Realizing this, Song Yan decided to put the cultivation of "Skin Painting Technique" on the agenda. "Skin Painting Technique" states, "Observing things can search divinity." Meaning: you must look at living things to know how to paint them to show their true appearance. Although he didn’t understand what "painting more realistically" meant to a Skin Master, Song Yan knew it must be a crucial step. And he also chose a good place: Cuique Forest! Cuique Forest stretches across the main road from South Bamboo Peak to Shadow Puppet Peak, covering a vast area. As it lies over the remnant veins of the Profound Vein, some low-level demon beasts such as White Thorn Deer and Two-Headed Wolves exist here. The west reaches the Evil Land, so it’s quite safe. Song Yan asked thoroughly. Low-level demon beasts correspond to the Human Race’s Realm of Refining Profound from the First to Third Layer, while White Thorn Deer and Two-Headed Wolves are merely trash beasts of the First and Second Layers. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 In addition, disciples frequently travel this road between South Bamboo Peak and Shadow Puppet Peak, so it should be alright. Maybe, he would even have a chance to practice. After all, he had understood the "Condensing Evil and Controlling Profound Technique" and "Torrential Rain Evil" but hadn’t used them yet, unaware of their practical effectiveness. ... ... That night, Song Yan lay down, enjoying the service by Miss Qiu, then started pondering about the "Cuique Forest" journey, considering potential dangers. In another room, the Princess Consort of the Southern Prince was working with ordinary beast skin, also looking for something to do. Suddenly, Song Yan’s expression changed, as he seemed to hear a faint noise in the distance. The direction was precisely from Qi Yao’s room. Speaking of which, since Qi Yao returned from Qingxi Market the year before last, she seemed to have changed. How she changed, he couldn’t say. The noise was very faint, and if he hadn’t reached Profound Second Layer, or if Qi Yao’s cave mansion wasn’t nearby, so to speak, "neighbors," he wouldn’t have heard it at all. At this moment, Song Yan sat up from the bed, opened the stone door, hid behind an evergreen tree, and looked toward the distance. A chilly wind blew, it was deep winter, and in the dark mountains, a girl with an icy expression stood tall, pointing her sword at a handsome, long-haired young man not far away. The young man trembled and said, "Fairy Qi, I’m just stepping out... for some air, I meant no harm, nothing else..." Qi Yao coldly said, "I deliberately left the door open to see if you’d try to escape again and where you’d go. You’ve been a prince, you should know that here, you have nowhere to run. Even if you escape, it would be a dead end. Yet you still ran away, not down the mountain, but upward... what are you planning?" The mountaintop was precisely where South Bamboo Peak Master Cheng Danqing resided. The Southern Prince said, "I didn’t go to the top; I just wanted some air... I’m heading back now..." Before he finished, the young man suddenly started sprinting, surprisingly fast, evidently quite skilled. Qi Yao hadn’t reacted yet, and he had already covered several yards with two strides. As he ran, he yelled, "There’s..." A stone rapidly shot forward. "...fine..." The stone hit the back of his head. The Southern Prince couldn’t finish the last word "exploration," because his head exploded like a watermelon, with white and red scattering everywhere, the shattered body plunging forward. Song Yan stepped out from behind the tree, glanced at Qi Yao in the distance. In the moonlight, they exchanged a brief look. Song Yan waved his hand, saying, "Miss Qi, I killed your furnace. I hope you won’t blame me?" Qi Yao said nothing, only staring vacantly at the dead Southern Prince. Clearly... the country was devastated. Clearly... she was sincere. Clearly... she wanted to help him... She hadn’t even used "Fanatic Fans" on him. But the result was betrayal. This time, had Song Yan not intervened, her identity might have been exposed. Qi Yao asked, "Why did you kill him?" Song Yan casually replied, "An identity-less servant outside; kill them if need be. Isn’t this our Shadow Puppet Peak’s rule? How... would Miss Qi seek revenge for him?" Qi Yao took a deep breath, then coldly said, "You killed my furnace; how will I cultivate in the future? Perhaps... we could engage in dual cultivation. The complete version of the "Profound Qi Guiding Technique" contains a method for dual cultivation by two cultivators, albeit slower but feasible." She no longer wished for a "furnace." But she was determined to hide here, to uncover more Puppet Palace secrets. Thus, she decided to form a cultivation partnership with this unoffensive young man. Song Yan said, "No, you’re too troublesome." Qi Yao was taken aback. Song Yan was already yawning and walking away. Qi Yao remained silent, her beautiful eyes shutting, and after a long wait opened, seeming to have made a decision. Now she had experienced blood, death, betrayal, in less than two years yet felt as if she had endured many years. Qi Yao casually picked up the Southern Prince’s body, tossed it off a cliff, then returned ghostly to her cave mansion, closed the stone door, her face gradually sinking into the darkness.