Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 69 The Great Luo Illusion Technique

The meeting with Song Yu did not last long. About half an hour later, Lin Jingchu left Baifeng Peak in his Qingyi Boat.

He first went to the sect's market to purchase some spiritual plants and herbs needed for alchemy during his secluded cultivation. At the same time, he put the top-tier magic weapon "Burning Heaven Flag," which was incompatible with his own attributes, on consignment at the Linglong Pavilion.

Upon arriving at the market, Lin Jingchu, as the "legendary figure" who was the first in thousands of years of the Luoyun Sect to win the Sword Trial Tournament, naturally attracted a lot of attention. Wherever he went, he was surrounded by crowds, which inevitably annoyed him.

However, this wasn't entirely without its advantages. When purchasing cultivation supplies, many shopkeepers were willing to sell them to him at extremely low prices, and some even offered to give them away for free.

The manager of Linglong Pavilion even patted his chest and guaranteed that he would do his best to get the "Burning Heaven Flag" auctioned off at the highest price and would not let him down.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Lin Jingchu returned to his cave, sealed off the protective barrier, and began his secluded cultivation.

Sunset and moonrise, time flies. In the blink of an eye, another cold winter has arrived.

In the quiet room of the cave dwelling in the bamboo forest valley, Lin Jingchu, dressed in a light blue cloud robe, was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, a slight, teeth-grinding "crackling" sound came from his skin, flesh, and bones, and the outline of his body twisted and changed like ripples on water.

A moment later, the person sitting in meditation transformed into the appearance of "Bai Haozhi"!

Bai Haozhi reached into his storage bag and took out a bronze mirror, bringing it close to his eyes to carefully examine the reflection in the mirror.

A young face, clear-cut and unrestrained, with a touch of rebelliousness, is reflected on the smooth mirror surface.

After observing for a while, Bai Haozhi's skin and flesh flowed and reshaped like water ripples once more. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an old man with black and white hair and a dignified yet kind face—Elder Feng.

Lin Jingchu pretended to stroke his beard, his mannerisms so lifelike that anyone unfamiliar with Elder Feng would have no chance of recognizing him. After a while, his form changed again, his flesh and bones cracked softly, and he finally reverted to his original appearance.

"Hoo..." Lin Jingchu let out a long breath, raised his hand to rub his slightly sore cheeks, and muttered to himself, "This 'Great Luo Thousand Illusions Technique' truly lives up to its reputation as one of the Thousand Illusions Sect's most treasured secret techniques; it's incredibly difficult to master. After practicing diligently for more than half a year, I've only just barely scratched the surface, and the transformations are still slow to activate. I'll have to wait until I've mastered it before I can achieve what the technique describes: a transformation that happens in an instant with a thought."

During this period of seclusion, apart from his daily practice, he devoted most of his energy to studying this secret technique.

This "Great Luo Thousand Illusion Technique" not only has the illusionary breath technique that can change cultivation level, but also the ability to disguise oneself, and it is divided into two levels.

The first layer is "Thousand Forms".

They can change their shape, appearance, and even gender at will. Maintaining the illusion requires very little mana, and it will not fail as long as they do not use more than 90% of their mana.

However, its drawbacks are also quite obvious: it cannot change the inherent characteristics of the practitioner, such as their aura and smell.

In addition, if a cultivator with a spiritual sense no less than their own were to investigate carefully, they would also find something amiss. Fortunately, such behavior is considered a provocation, and under normal circumstances, cultivators of the same level would not do such a thing.

The second layer is "painted skin".

This level not only increases the difficulty of cultivation significantly, but the process is also bloody and brutal—it requires peeling off the complete human skin of the target and extracting their soul; only by combining the two can a "painted skin" be created.

This skin has a limited number of uses depending on its quality; once used, it's discarded. Wearing it and using more magic than the original owner would accelerate its deterioration.

Although the conditions are demanding, the results are extraordinary. Once donned, not only will one's appearance and physique become exactly the same as the target's, but even subtle details such as one's own aura and scent will become identical to the target's.

Unless one encounters extremely powerful detection techniques or possesses a spiritual sense that is a whole realm higher, it is extremely difficult to detect any flaws.

"I'm not a bloodthirsty old demon, so I'm afraid I'll have a hard time using this second layer of 'Painted Skin' technique. I should focus on mastering the first layer, 'Thousand Appearances', first."

Lin Jingchu murmured a few words to himself, then focused his mind and began to try to transform into the appearance of other different characters from his memory, practicing repeatedly.

……

As the sun slowly rose, the vast expanse of snow reflected the sunlight, illuminating the valley exceptionally brightly.

As the sun rose to its highest point and warmth began to grow, a clear vibration suddenly emanated from the protective barrier at the entrance of the cave!

Sensing the fluctuation, "Song Yu," dressed in blue in the quiet room, stopped his hand seals, and his skin, flesh, and bones began to creak again.

A moment later, a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes returned to his original appearance.

Lin Jingchu quickly arrived at the entrance of the cave and waved to open the barrier.

Zhou Qinghe, who was waiting outside, stepped forward through the deep snow and handed over a storage bag: "Senior Brother Lin, this is the final payment for that top-tier magic weapon from last time, as well as the spiritual plants and herbs you requested."

"Thank you for your trouble, junior brother."

"I was just running errands, it's nothing troublesome." Zhou Qinghe smiled, and after delivering the items, he didn't linger. He cupped his hands and said, "Junior brother, I'll take my leave now."

Lin Jingchu watched him leave on his magical artifact, then re-closed the cave's restrictions before turning back.

During this period of seclusion, he did not completely cut off contact with the outside world. In addition to occasionally meeting with Song Yu at another secluded location, Zhou Qinghe also often helped him purchase spiritual plants and medicinal herbs.

In addition, Lin Jingchu's many commissions for his fellow disciples to refine top-tier magic weapons and set up special magic arrays have now all been handed over to Zhou Qinghe for handling, so that he can earn a cut from them.

Given Lin Jingchu's current reputation, he will receive even more of these kinds of requests.

Lin Jingchu went straight to the alchemy room, took out the several spiritual herbs that Zhou Qinghe had just brought, and neatly arranged them on the stone table next to him.

He prepared to start the furnace and refine a batch of pills to aid in improving his cultivation.

As a family of alchemists, the Song family has a large collection of pill formulas, including more than ten kinds suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators, not just the "Ice Heart Pill".

After mastering the art of alchemy, Lin Jingchu obtained the "Water Essence Pill" formula from Song Yu, which was just right for him.

Because he can share the efficiency of the "Heavenly Spiritual Root" during cultivation, unlike Old Demon Han, he doesn't need to eat elixirs like food. He only needs to refine them once or twice a month.

He had refined the "Water Essence Pill" several times and was already quite skilled at it. He immediately opened his mouth and spat out true fire, and with the movement of his hands, various processed spiritual herbs on the stone table flew into the pill furnace in a specific order.

The fire in the stove rose, and the aroma of medicine grew stronger.

As the sun set and disappeared into the earth, a clear and melodious sound emanated from the alchemy furnace. Lin Jingchu changed his hand seals, and the furnace lid flew up, releasing seventeen round pills with a moist, azure luster. He used his spiritual power to capture them in mid-air and suspend them in front of him.

"The timing is perfect." Lin Jingchu brought the newly made "Water Essence Pill" to the crevice in the cave's dome.

The bright moon had risen, casting its gentle light. He swallowed a pill and sat cross-legged to practice his internal energy.

Once the pill entered the abdomen, it transformed into a pure and gentle water-based spiritual energy, which spread throughout the limbs and bones, eventually converging into the meridians.

As the "Moon Gazing Technique" is activated, it is efficiently refined and absorbed, becoming part of one's own cultivation.