While it could not be used frequently, in life and death situations, even a brief surge of power could make a crucial difference.

This technique was far superior to the incomplete one used by the original protagonist.

That method not only caused immense pain during cultivation but also required extracting the souls of other cultivators, purifying them with a Soul Cleansing Stone, and absorbing them.

In terms of cruelty, it was even worse than cannibalism.

At least those who were eaten could still reincarnate, but that method destroyed even the chance of rebirth.

Xiao Shou had not expected his luck to be this good.

Then again, this was not simply luck.

He had created the foundation of the technique himself and it had been elevated through his Absolute Fusion ability into a Tier 4 technique.

Thinking of this, a deep sense of accomplishment filled his heart, leaving him unusually satisfied.

In a good mood, he soaked some Spirit Sand and used the waiting time to stabilize his rapidly improved cultivation.

Once it was stable, he dripped the spirit sand liquid into his eyes and then began practicing the Hidden Spirit Returning Soul Art.

He remained busy throughout the entire night.

By morning, after his first session of soul cultivation, Xiao Shou felt his mind clearer and calmer than ever before. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

It was as if a veil had been lifted from his thoughts, allowing his thinking to become faster and sharper.

Taking advantage of this clarity, he carefully reflected on his recent experiences and gains, gaining a better understanding of himself.

At the same time, he realized that it had been nearly half a month since he had left.

Back at Snowy Cave Mountain, there was only a child and a few puppets.

He could not afford to delay too long. Yet he was reluctant to leave the spirit sand beach.

However, given the seemingly endless supply of Spirit Sand, even if he spent years fusing it, he would not exhaust it.

He could not possibly stay away for years.

It seemed he needed to find a different method to obtain Tier 4 Spirit Sand.

He made this his top priority.

But having a clear mind did not mean he suddenly became clever.

Being naturally slow in this regard, he still could not think of a solution.

Just as he was feeling troubled, a paper crane filled with spiritual energy flew toward him.

A flying message?

Fu Young and An Yu had gone out for training, so who would be sending him a message now?

Xiao Shou who is puzzled caught the paper crane.

A hoarse male voice immediately sounded from it.

"Little boy, I am the one you have been searching for these past few days. If you want to see me, come alone before morning to the bamboo forest seven hundred miles outside the west gate. If you are late or bring anyone else, you should know what will happen to that little girl from the Chen family that you care about. Also, your hands are quite beautiful. Covering them is such a waste. I would love to collect them."

"The hand-obsessed murderer... Yufei!"

After delivering the message, the paper crane unfolded into a talisman.

Inside were a few strands of hair carrying Chen Yufei’s aura, which quickly turned to ash, leaving no trace behind.

At this moment, Xiao Shou had no time to think further.

He immediately released his divine sense to scan the surroundings.

Xiao Shou released his divine sense to scan the entire Chen family courtyard.

Aside from the restricted rooms of the two brothers and the main hall, there was no sign of Chen Yufei anywhere.

At this hour, she was usually busy in the kitchen, but now there was no one there.

Alarmed, Xiao Shou hurried out of the guest room.

He checked the main hall first, but it was empty.

He then went to knock on Chen Yufei’s door.

After a while, there was still no response.

Next, he knocked on the brothers’ room.

At this time, the two brothers had not yet gotten up due to their poor health.

When they heard Xiao Shou asking through the door whether Chen Yufei was inside, they replied that she had not returned yet and was likely delayed while buying groceries.

Even so, they forced themselves to get dressed and got out of bed unsteadily.

But when they opened the door, they found that aside from the two of them, there was no one else in the courtyard.

With both Chen Yufei and Xiao Shou missing from their usual places, the situation made them pause in confusion.

Chen Qingzhi frowned. "Why is he running around so early in the morning?"

Chen Zhiyi, however, sensed something was wrong.

A strange unease crept over him.

Activating his penetrating vision, he carefully scanned the surroundings.

In the kitchen, the rice had already been washed and placed in the pot with water added.

On the cutting board nearby were chopped vegetables.

The only thing missing was firewood for the stove.

The woodshed in the courtyard was also empty.

It looked as though his sister had been preparing breakfast, suddenly realized there was no firewood, and gone out to get some, only to never return.

But this made no sense.

Chen Zhiyi had grown up here.

He knew the situation well.

There were plenty of people in White Silver City who made a living by gathering firewood and selling it to general stores.

Families like theirs, who were relatively well off or had cultivators, always bought firewood directly from those shops.

And the nearest shop was less than a street away.

It was their regular place to buy supplies.

With his vision, Chen Zhiyi could clearly see that aside from the shop owner’s family, there was no one else there.

Combined with Xiao Shou’s earlier anxious search for Chen Yufei, he immediately realized what had happened.

His sister had run into trouble.

And Xiao Shou seemed to already know.

Why did Xiao Shou know?

Thinking back to how Xiao Shou had been deliberately disguising his hands every day, and recalling Su Rourou’s tragic condition, Chen Zhiyi’s heart tightened.