After a night of violently absorbing the killing aura, although Feng Zikang appeared somewhat haggard, his eyes shone with vigor, and the qi within his Dantian circulated ceaselessly, forming the first inner circulation of True Qi and thus breaking through the first layer of Yin Qi.

At the center of the spiraling inner breath of his Dantian, a demon seed was secretly sown, minuscule as a mote of dust, spinning slowly, occasionally flashing with a thread of black light.

"Good! Truly worthy of being my disciple, Ye Tiansheng. You’ve drawn qi into your body in just one night! Looking at your wretched state, you must have suffered quite a bit? Did you take the Huasheng Pill?"

"I took one."

Feng Zikang answered honestly. His current grimy appearance was not what Ye Tiansheng had imagined—that he had persevered until the end, sustaining external injuries before finally taking the Huasheng Pill to pull through. On the contrary, by the final moments, he had been completely at ease, expertly regulating the residual killing aura of the demon seed into his Dantian, nurturing the nascent foundation. All his wretchedness stemmed only from being caught completely off guard at the beginning.

"Junior Brother Feng has extraordinary talent, achieving Yin Qi entry in one night, congratulations, congratulations!" Huo Zhongguang said with a beaming smile, though inwardly he cursed sourly: What nonsense, he even used the Huasheng Pill. There’s no need to worry about meridian capacity at all. Throw anyone into an ancient battlefield for a night, and they can easily draw qi into their body! Having such a good master makes one truly envious.

"Um... Senior Brother Huo..."

The two outer sect disciples had also waited until dawn, yet they gained almost nothing. The longer the time spent, the sparser the killing aura they could absorb. Near dawn, it was almost intermittent, even less effective than cultivating outside. Thinking of the cost of two spirit stones, the two felt like weeping but had no tears, hoping to report the situation to see if they could get some compensation.

"Hmph, time is up. Hand over your jade tokens quickly and leave. Do not linger without permission!"

Towards these outer sect disciples, Huo Zhongguang’s face immediately darkened, his eyes snapping open like a fierce demon. The two dared not dither any longer, reluctantly handing over their jade tokens and departing dejectedly, blaming only their poor luck.

The master and disciple returned to the Small Bamboo Grove. Ye Tiansheng did not break his promise. Since Feng Zikang had successfully entered the first layer of Yin Qi, he did not hoard his treasures and generously bestowed upon him an Eight Treasures Storage Pouch.

"This storage pouch is no ordinary item; it is refined from the skin of the East Sea Spiny Fish, combined with eight treasures including Purple Spirit Crystal. Its storage space is a full eight times larger than a common storage pouch. Your grandmaster personally crafted this and passed it to me; now it is time to pass it to you!"

Feng Zikang was overjoyed. Storage pouches were essential tools for initial cultivators, allowing for the categorization and carrying of spiritual herbs and magic treasures. However, for disciples in the early Yin Qi stage, the space in a storage pouch was too small; once a few common pills and personal items were stored, it was full. If they obtained any rare materials or heavenly treasures, having nowhere to store them was truly awkward. They would have to wait until the late Yin Qi stage, when they could control their vital energy more skillfully, to upgrade to the superior Qiankun Bag.

Now, this Eight Treasures Storage Pouch, due to the rarity of its refining materials and the embedding of various divine stones and treasures, possessed a storage space rivaling that of an average Qiankun Bag.

This would provide an enormous advantage when venturing out to train and scavenge for materials and treasures.

Ye Tiansheng imparted the incantation for summoning and retrieving items, handing the storage pouch to Feng Zikang, and smiling, "There are still dozens of spirit stones inside, just right for your current needs. You have just drawn qi into your body, and now you must consolidate your cultivation. Work hard and diligently, strive to break through to the fourth layer of Yin Qi as soon as possible."

Feng Zikang thanked his master and put away the storage pouch. Ye Tiansheng then inspected his physical condition and was full of praise.

This disciple’s hundred meridians were all open, and the inner qi circulation in his Dantian was established in a respectable manner, spinning continuously. His entry into the first layer of Yin Qi could be called perfect.

"Since you successfully achieved Yin Qi entry today, your master’s mind is also relieved of a burden. For the next few years, you only need to focus on diligent cultivation. When you reach the fourth layer of Yin Qi, you can begin learning my School of Arms Daoist Arts. Your master has been negligent in cultivation for a long time and must enter seclusion for a while to seek further progress. During this time, if you have any questions, you may seek out your Martial Uncles across Dragon Tiger Mountain for guidance..."

Ye Tiansheng paused, as if remembering something else: "However, Martial Uncle Xiao of the Water Moon Pavilion has a rather eccentric and reclusive temperament; it is best if you visit her less often."

Feng Zikang acknowledged this. Ye Tiansheng scratched his head, pondering if there was anything else to instruct.

"Oh yes, consulting with your fellow disciples during practice can greatly aid your early cultivation. Since Yu Chun has a good relationship with you, you can visit Red Stone Peak often."

Miao Yuchun? Feng Zikang sneered inwardly. Even if his master hadn't mentioned it, he would certainly seek out that fellow to clarify the truth of the past events. He then respectfully bowed: "I shall strictly follow Master's instructions. I will naturally seek guidance from Senior Brother Miao often."

Ye Tiansheng nodded with satisfaction, then meticulously pointed out the locations of the various hidden books and elixirs within the Small Bamboo Grove, holding nothing back, and instructing Feng Zikang that he could use them freely over the next few years if needed.

Three days later, Ye Tiansheng entered seclusion to contemplate the Golden Core Dao. Feng Zikang stood respectfully by his side, only relaxing after his master set up the restrictive formations to seal his six senses.

This master was perhaps too good to him, which made the form of the Formless Heavenly Demon feel somewhat constrained. Fortunately, Ye Tiansheng was dedicated to cultivation and paid little heed to mundane affairs; his seclusion would last several years, granting him a period of freedom.

After Ye Tiansheng entered seclusion, Feng Zikang dared not slack off for the first few days, carefully circulating his demonic arts to observe whether the demon seed, which had already absorbed a large amount of killing aura before the seeding, would cause any problems. After several trials, he discovered that the demon seed showed no abnormalities; if anything, it seemed more solidified after absorbing sufficient spiritual energy. The first step of demon seeding was a great success.

He set his mind at ease. Since the demon seed was established, the next goal was to cultivate the first and most critical innate demonic divine ability.

The Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation!

The so-called innate divine ability was the first supernatural power intrinsically linked to his cultivation of the Demonic Way. After the Formless Heavenly Demon possessed a body, if this Incarnation ability was not cultivated, it would remain inextricably bound to the fleshly body. But once the Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation was cultivated, it could separate from the physical body, which possessed a similar principle to the Nascent Soul of the Righteous Path.

Of course, the Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation he could cultivate in the early demon seed stage was like a firefly compared to the bright moon when measured against the Nascent Soul—the difference was not insignificant. Only after tempering the demonic body and advancing the Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation to the sixth stage would it possess effects equivalent to a Nascent Soul.

The current Demonic Incarnation was merely the projection of a demonic thought leaving the body, capable only of covert surveillance and bewitchment. It was inherently fragile; much like the original Formless Heavenly Demon body, if it strayed too far from the host body and was exposed to the True Solar Fire, it would vanish into nothingness, let alone contend with others.

Yet, despite its weakness, the Formless Heavenly Demon Incarnation possessed its own unique wonders when used appropriately.

In half a day, the divine ability was complete. Feng Zikang manifested his incarnation, and indeed, the sensation was exactly the same as when he was the Formless Heavenly Demon. However, with the physical body behind him as an anchor, he felt a comforting warmth, and his courage was somewhat bolstered.