After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

Upon hearing this, the disciple in black was startled. After respectfully seeing off the cultivator surnamed Zhang, he carefully examined the two people in front of him.

These two, one at the first level of Qi Refining, appeared calm on the surface, but the way they looked around when they entered the Hall of Affairs had already revealed that they were indeed as naive and impulsive as they seemed.

The other one was somewhat unfathomable to him. This person's cultivation level fluctuated, sometimes resembling the Qi Refining stage and sometimes the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, unlike that hothead, Huo Yu's calmness and composure did not seem to be feigned.

However, considering who introduced these two people, this person's calm and composed attitude is quite reasonable.

The master of that cultivator surnamed Zhang was the Fifth Elder of the Ghost Control Peak. Although his strength ranked last among all the elders of the Yellow Spring Sect, his status within the sect was extraordinary.

It is said that this person has a close relationship with the Left Protector under the Demon Lord.

Although the black-clad disciple didn't know whether the rumors were true or false, he knew that the elder's status alone made him someone an ordinary inner disciple couldn't afford to offend. Therefore, he treated Huo Yu and his companion with a bit more respect.

"This is a storage bag that my Yellow Springs Sect prepares for each new disciple. It contains not only the clothing and cultivation techniques of my Yellow Springs Sect disciples, but also cultivation resources for the next year. You two junior brothers must keep it safe."

The disciple in black took out two storage bags and then specifically reminded him:

"Within the Yellow Springs Sect, there is no absolute order. Murder and robbery are commonplace in the outer sect. If you two junior brothers are not entirely confident in your strength, it is best not to go out for the time being. There is a set of formations in this storage bag. After you two junior brothers have chosen a cave dwelling, set it up in the cave dwelling. No one below the Foundation Establishment stage can force their way in."

Huo Yu nodded noncommittally.

Seeing this, the disciple in black stopped trying to persuade them. Instead, he took out a jade slip, activated his spiritual power, and a lifelike map appeared before the two of them.

The disciple in black pointed to a mountain in the lower left corner of the map, and the mountain immediately enlarged, taking up the entire screen.

The disciple in black explained in detail:

"This is the fourth peak where my outer disciples reside. These twinkling lights represent cave dwellings that are not yet inhabited. You two junior brothers may choose one of them as your place of cultivation."

Hundreds of points of light are densely distributed on this mountain peak, but only a dozen or so are lit. They are far apart and located in the corners of the fourth peak where the spiritual energy is relatively thin.

The disciple in black explained:

"You two junior brothers have come at an inopportune time. The once-every-twenty-years disciple recruitment ceremony just ended last year. Right now, the number of outer disciples is at its peak. After the aptitude test is completed in two and a half years, most of these cave dwellings will be available. At that time, you can come to the Hall of Affairs at any time to change to your preferred cave dwelling."

"Qualification test?"

Long Yucheng looked puzzled. Wasn't that a test only required during the entry assessment?

"The aptitude test is an assessment for outer disciples held every four years. It aims to examine their aptitude for cultivating the sect's techniques. Those who excel can enter one of the three peaks of Soul Refining, Ghost Control, or Shadow Seizing and be promoted to inner disciples. Those who perform exceptionally well may even be accepted as personal disciples by the elders. Those who fail will be expelled from the Yellow Springs Sect."

"Those who barely pass can cultivate in the outer sect for another four years and participate in the next aptitude test. However, each person only has three chances to participate in the test. Disciples who still cannot enter the inner sect after three attempts will also be expelled from the Yellow Springs Sect."

"There are still two and a half years until the next aptitude test. Disciples like you who entered the Yellow Springs Sect through recommendation less than four years ago are not required to participate. You two junior brothers can wait until six and a half years later to participate."

The black-clad disciple was exceptionally patient in his explanation this time. In the past, he would have simply sent the person away after giving them the storage bag and the cave dwelling, and would never have explained things in such detail.

In the end, Huo Yu and Long Yucheng each chose a cave dwelling. Long Yucheng chose a secluded place on the mountainside of the fourth peak, far away from the surrounding cave dwellings, while Huo Yu still chose a cave dwelling at the foot of the mountain.

After leaving the deacon's hall, Long Yucheng couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"It seems I'll be separated from Senior Brother Huo for a while from now on."

After listening to the words of the disciple from the Hall of Affairs, Long Yucheng made up his mind that he would never step out of his cave before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This demonic sect was far more dangerous than he had imagined before he came. Long Yucheng worried that he might not even be able to walk safely from the deacon's hall to his cave.

Huo Yu took out a semi-circular jade pendant from his storage bag and said:

"You can contact me through this if you need anything."

Long Yucheng took the jade pendant, carefully placed it into his storage bag for safekeeping, and solemnly bowed to Huo Yu, saying:

"For the past month or so, I am very grateful for your care and life-saving grace, Senior Brother. If you ever need me in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Huo Yu nodded slightly, watching the young man walk towards his newly assigned cave dwelling with a death-defying spirit. He already understood that Long Yucheng most likely wouldn't use the jade pendant to contact him, otherwise he would have asked Huo Yu to send him back to his cave dwelling earlier.

This younger version of Long Yucheng, at the first level of Qi Refining, possessed not only inexplicable confidence but also an arrogance ingrained in his bones, just like the Long Yucheng who perished with him in his previous life. This further confirmed that the two were indeed the same person.

Huo Yu stood there for a moment, then turned and flew back to his cave.

He had already achieved his goal of keeping Long Yucheng under his control. Since Long Yucheng chose not to ask him for help, he naturally wouldn't offer any assistance—he believed that not just anyone could kill the Chosen One.

Completely putting Long Yucheng's matter out of his mind, Huo Yu took out the jade slip containing the cultivation technique from the storage bag he had just obtained.

It's true what they say: you can't force a flower to bloom, but a willow can thrive if you don't intend to. Huo Yu never expected that the object he had been searching for to repair his soul would end up in his hands in this way.

This jade slip contains the basic cultivation techniques of the Yellow Springs Sect, which are divided into two parts: one called Soul Refining and the other called Ghost Control.

The Soul Refining Chapter records a technique for extracting the soul, which is completely different from the Ghost Control Chapter. The Soul Refining Chapter extracts the living soul and places it inside the Soul Banner. The Soul Banner nourishes and strengthens the soul, which is then used by the holder of the Soul Banner to fight enemies.

The Ghost Taming Chapter, on the other hand, involves subduing the souls of the dead and making them work for oneself. The method of nurturing these souls is not through the Soul Banner, but by nurturing them directly within one's own body.

What interested Huo Yu was not the technique of extracting souls and controlling ghosts, but the method of making soul banners attached at the end of the Soul Refining chapter.

This soul banner combines the functions of collecting and nurturing souls. Its core is actually three formations: one for collecting souls, one for suppressing souls, and one for nurturing souls. The three complement each other and none can be omitted.

Based on the number of arrays engraved on the soul banner, soul banners can be divided into Hundred Soul Banners that can hold a hundred souls, Ten Thousand Soul Banners that can hold ten thousand souls, and the Venerable Soul Banners that are said to be able to hold hundreds of millions of souls.

What Huo Yu valued was the formation that nourished the soul.

Although Huo Yu knew nothing about formations, the Soul Refining Manual included the method for making the Hundred Soul Banner for outer disciples. It had very low requirements for the crafter's weapon-refining skills and formation expertise, and the Soul Nourishing Formation within it was extremely simple, even rudimentary.

With his millennia of experience, Huo Yu was able to deduce the underlying principles of this formation from its operational method.

Combining the previous chapter on Soul Refining, Huo Yu repeatedly inscribed and deduced the array on the materials at hand. After nearly two months of dedicated research, he actually figured out a set of Soul Nourishing Techniques.