Pupil technique.

Song Yan recalled that the first time he encountered a pupil technique in the Cultivation World was outside the Lingyuan Ze Night Market.

According to Qin Xijun, the Senior Brother on night watch who called himself "Chen Qi" had cultivated a special pupil technique.

He felt a little excited.

In the Cultivation World, using Divine Sense to probe and scan for information would always leave some traces.

For example, when probing another Cultivator’s Cultivation Realm, it was very easy for the other party to detect it.

In Song Yan’s view, a pupil technique was a method that allowed one to know things without needing to scan with Divine Sense.

The Sword Planting Technique recorded that the Insightful Void Sword Eye was also divided into several stages.

The part he could Cultivate at this time was naturally the simplest and lowest-grade portion.

During the activation of the pupil technique, he would be able to clearly see the flow of spiritual energy around him and discern some of the most basic illusions.

It didn’t sound very powerful, but Song Yan was already satisfied.

He was still in Changping, and there weren’t many good conditions to Cultivate the Lingyun Intent movement technique, nor the various sword techniques in the Essentials of Swordsmanship.

This Sword Dao pupil technique, however, could be attempted first.

However, he was not in a hurry to Cultivate it.

Instead, he turned his gaze to a qiankun bag at hand.

The appearance of this qiankun bag was identical to the qiankun bag he obtained from Wang Xi during the trip to Jiran Valley.

It was Shen Huai’s qiankun bag from the Profound Origin Sect.

In Avici Hell, to ensure that this person could not use any secret techniques to avoid death and prolong her life, she was beheaded by his sword, and all the spiritual items on her body were taken by him.

For Shen Huai’s belongings, Shen Yu later argued with Xu Ziqing, but it ultimately came to nothing.

These things naturally became his own.

He activated his spiritual energy to erase the spiritual energy imprint on it and then extended his Divine Sense into it.

There were indeed many things in the qiankun bag.

After a rough sorting, he set aside some useless sundries and clothes.

Shen Huai’s wealth was quite substantial; she had over six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones on hand alone.

To his surprise, there was also a single green Mid-Grade Spirit Stone among them.

Low-Grade Spirit Stones had mixed spiritual energy, and there was usually no talk of elemental attributes.

However, when it came to Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, the spiritual energy within them began to have qualitative distinctions.

Previously, during the battle at Peach Blossom Dock, among the items Qin Ying allowed them to choose from, there was a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

The color and texture of that one were very similar to the one Shen Huai possessed before him.

Song Yan held it in his hand and carefully felt it; the spiritual energy within it was likely predominantly wood-attribute and the most pure.

Within Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, there were still many other attributes of spiritual energy.

But compared to Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a certain attribute of spiritual energy was already very clearly and prominently distinguished.

The Spirit Stones Song Yan, Rong, and Wu obtained from slaying Talisman Puppets in the painted world were light purple.

Therefore, the lightning-attribute spiritual energy within them was the most prominent.

If one could Cultivate a corresponding attribute Cultivation Technique with the aid of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, the speed should be twice the result with half the effort.

He put away all the Spirit Stones.

He looked at the other items.

One of them was the Spiritual Artifact made of several copper coins.

Unfortunately, this copper coin Spiritual Artifact was first destroyed by the ghost in Avici Hell. Before its damage could be repaired and its spiritual energy replenished, Shen Huai took it out again, attempting to block that trace of Sword Dao True Essence.

Now it was shattered beyond repair and completely unusable.

It would be more trouble than it was worth to spend effort and Spirit Stones to find someone to repair it, so there was no need.

Next was the jade pendant.

He held it in his hand and carefully examined it for a while, but found nothing special about it.

The first time Song Yan killed Shen Huai, this jade pendant emitted some emerald spiritual light, seemingly to restore her vitality.

He then beheaded Shen Huai again, precisely because he was worried about this item.

Without further hesitation, he simultaneously extended his spiritual energy and Divine Sense into it, erasing the remaining imprints.

In a short while, the refining was complete.

This was a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact; it had no offensive capabilities but could automatically use the stored green wood spiritual energy to heal a Cultivator’s injuries during battle.

However, it now seemed that his decision to behead her for caution was actually unnecessary.

Because this jade pendant Spiritual Artifact could only repair some external wounds and reverse injuries in the meridians.

Shen Huai’s fatal injuries could not be healed at all.

Finally, there was the hairpin.

This hairpin was agile and elusive, and could be categorized as a ’needle’ type Spiritual Artifact, which was precisely the culprit that almost killed him that day.

However, Song Yan was not interested in needle-type Spiritual Artifacts.

He put it back into the qiankun bag, intending to sell it for Spirit Stones when he returned to the Sect.

Besides these, there were also many Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and other useful items in the bag, which Song Yan collected into his own qiankun bag one by one.

After tidying up some things, he picked up a Jade Slip.

This was something found in Shen Huai’s qiankun bag, seemingly a secret technique for observing spiritual energy and Qi.

This secret technique seemed to have no name when Shen Huai obtained it; the Jade Slip referred to it as "observing spiritual energy and Qi."

Coincidentally, the Insightful Void Sword Eye he found in the Sword Planting Technique today also possessed similar functions.

However, it was clear that the two each had their own merits.

The Insightful Void Sword Eye, which saw through illusion and reality, could observe the flow of spiritual energy during battle and seize the opponent’s weaknesses.

It focused more on combat and killing.

Shen Huai’s secret technique, on the other hand, focused more on tracing origins and tracking.

It could reveal clues from a Cultivator’s every move, thereby deducing the Dao secrets and secret techniques that person cultivated.

It could even infer what unused spiritual Talismans, Spiritual Artifacts, and so on, that person possessed.

However, the cultivation of this secret technique was extremely complex, requiring a thorough understanding of the attributes and characteristics of various spiritual items.

The effort and time required were simply too much.

After much thought, Song Yan temporarily put it aside.

Although he didn’t have the idea of selling it yet, he wouldn’t consider cultivating it in the short term.

His insights from Avici Hell made him decide to focus more on Sword Dao-related cultivation.

To be as pure as possible, so that he could go further on the path of the Sword Dao in the future.

After methodically sorting everything out, he then began to Cultivate the pupil technique.

He calmed his mind and focused his spirit, embracing the One.

Song Yan sat cross-legged on the bluestone floor, closed his eyes, and slowly adjusted his breathing.

A moment later, he brought his fingers together, overlapping them in front of him.

Spiritual light shimmered at his fingertips.

Within the Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, the Sword Qi that was born and died around his Lifebound Flying Sword now slowly emerged from his fingertips like silkworms spinning silk.

Guided by a trace of spiritual energy, it climbed to his glabella.

The first wisp of Sword Qi seeped into his Jingming acupoint.

"Hiss—"

His eyelashes trembled violently, and a sharp stinging sensation, like being pricked by needles, came from both eyes.

He quickly stabilized his mind, endured the intense pain, and slowly dispersed some of the Sword Qi.

"The Qi Circulation was still too fast; I almost injured my eyes."

He couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

The secret technique stated that when cultivating the Insightful Void Sword Eye for the first time, one must circulate Qi slowly and never be too hasty.

Song Yan’s Qi Circulation just now was already extremely gentle and careful, yet it was still too fast.

"Hoo—"

He stabilized his Qi Circulation and gently exhaled.

"Sword emerges from the illusory abyss, eyes like suspended pearls..."

He silently recited the key incantation of the secret technique and continued to slowly guide the Sword Qi condensed at his glabella towards his eyes.