Beside everyone, whether lying, sitting, or leaning against a tree trunk, there was a corpse with pale skin, completely naked, painted with intricate black lines.
"Whew... so exhausting just to bring them out, how do you tell the quality of a Spirit Corpse? I canât tell at all."
"Brother Wang, we must speak precisely.
Just now Senior Brother Wei mentioned, all buried here in the Corpse Forest are the most primitive Grass Corpses, still far from Spirit Corpses."
"Iâve studied this. Look at the initial markings on the chest of the corpse; the closer they are to a five-petal plum blossom, the greater its potential..."
"Exactly, the ones weâve dug up are primitive Grass Corpses, and the markings on their chests are incomplete. They need further cultivation to be completed.
Grass Corpses cannot move. But if their chests can form a complete five-petal plum blossom mark, they can walk under a Corpse Driverâs control, and we wonât have to carry them ourselves. Such corpses are called Walking Corpses.
If they can form two plum blossom marks, a weak spirit can develop, and they might even move on their own without needing the Corpse Driverâs control."
"Elder Zhuang, what do you think of my Grass Corpse?" Wang Wenbai, who had a notable background among the crowd, suddenly asked the black-robed elder guarding the Corpse Forest, who was meditating in the pavilion.
However, the black-robed elder didnât even lift an eyelid, clearly uninterested in dealing with this naive newcomer.
Wang Wenbaiâs expression turned somewhat awkward, but he didnât dare to lose his temper with the elder. Instead, he looked around irritably.
"Let me have a look." At this moment, Wei Jian, who had a high emotional intelligence, stepped in to save the situation, and inspected the Grass Corpse Wang Wenbai had dug up, nodding repeatedly, "Junior Brother Wangâs Grass Corpse, the plum blossom mark on its chest is already formed with four petals, just a step away from five.
With a little nurturing, it could easily advance to a Walking Corpse, and its potential is remarkable."
Wang Wenbaiâs expression improved considerably upon hearing this.
"Junior Sister Youâs Grass Corpse is also quite good. I saw it in the forest just now; the plum blossom mark on its chest is nearly complete." Said a female disciple among the crowd.
To her left, You Qingyi stood quietly, like an iceberg lotus.
Beside her was a corpse clothed in black robes, and from the slightly raised chest, it was evident that this was a female corpse.
"Geez, why havenât I managed to dig up a female corpse?" Someone sighed.
"What are you thinking? Our sect has strict orders that disciples can only select corpses of the same gender.
Even if a female corpse is buried before you, you wouldnât be able to dig it up due to array restrictions." Another person replied with a sneer.
"No wonder my shovel couldnât get near one of those corpses!" Someone suddenly understood and exclaimed.
As the conversation continued, Lou Yi grabbed the corpse by the neck and swaggered out of the Corpse Forest.
âCreak... creak!â
The corpse continued to struggle, limbs flailing.
âSwish swish swish!â
At that moment, everyoneâs attention was drawn, all eyes turned towards him.
"Whatâs going on? Why is his Grass Corpse moving?" Someone wondered.
"How could this be possible!" Wei Jianâs expression changed, as if he had witnessed an impossible event.
The Elder Zhuang, who had kept his eyes closed tightly like a dead person, abruptly opened his eyes with a hint of surprise.
"Innate Spirit Corpse?"
After speaking, he closed his eyes again.
"What? Itâs a Spirit Corpse!" Someone who understood abruptly shouted.
Those like Wang Wenbai, Rong Xuejian, and You Qingyi, with their rich family backgrounds, all showed expressions of shock.
"The corpses in Corpse Planting Peakâs Corpse Forest were meticulously selected from various cities of our country, and the sectâs experts etched arrays onto them before burying them deep in the ground.
Over time, their heads would break through the earth. Usually, these are Grass Corpses that assist our sect cultivators in their cultivation." Seeing many people confused, Wei Jian felt the need to explain and began to speak,
"The initial potential of Grass Corpses can be gauged by the plum blossom mark on their chests; the closer to five petals, and the clearer, the greater its potential.
If it initially forms a complete mark, itâs an Innate Walking Corpse, and Junior Sister Youâs Grass Corpse is nearly there.
However, the occurrence of an Innate Walking Corpse is extremely rare, and such corpses have potential far exceeding ordinary Grass Corpses, equivalent to mid-upper grade Spirit Roots among cultivators.
As for Spirit Corpses above Walking Corpses, our sect has not seen one in over a hundred years..."
"Hiss..."
Hearing Wei Jianâs explanation, everyone couldnât help but take a deep breath, their gazes towards Lou Yi full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
âWhy is this kid so lucky?â
âWhy isnât this lucky one me?â
Some even decided to act directly.
"Name your price." Wang Wenbai strode towards Lou Yi, his expression arrogant but his tone incontestable, "Exchange that Spirit Corpse for me. Whatever you want, cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, elixirs, talismans, or even guidance from higher-level cultivators, I can get for you."
Seeing this, Wei Jian furrowed his brow, opened his mouth but eventually said nothing.
He looked at Elder Zhuang seated in the pavilion, noticing him unmoved, clearly showing no desire to intervene.
The other people on the scene exchanged glances, many with light in their eyes anticipating a show.
The new disciples, having just joined the sect, hardly had any interactions or existing bonds.
"No deal." Lou Yi shook his head and replied.
According to Wei Jianâs recent explanation, this Innate Spirit Corpse is equivalent to a Super Grade Spirit Root among human cultivators.
Its potential is unimaginably vast; only a fool would trade it away.
Upon hearing Lou Yiâs blunt refusal, Wang Wenbaiâs face changed, and he proclaimed boldly, "Nurturing this Spirit Corpse early on requires an enormous amount of resources. If youâre not capable, itâs a total waste.
Only in my hands can its potential be fully realized!"
His words carried an air of entitlement, as if such valuable things like a Spirit Corpse should only belong to him.
"Youâre idiotic." Lou Yi left those words before moving back into the crowd, unwilling to engage further with Wang Wenbai.
Seeing Lou Yiâs rude demeanor, Wang Wenbai became furious, his eyes flickering with cold light.
"Boy, you canât afford to offend just anyone. Do you know I..." Wang Wenbai began to threaten.
But before he could finish, Elder Zhuang abruptly opened his eyes, coldly staring at Wang Wenbai.
His gaze was like two sharp blades shooting through the void.
Wang Wenbaiâs face changed, and the rest of the threat got stuck in his throat.
"Fine, fine, just donât regret it later!" Wang Wenbai sneered, "Though the Spirit Corpse is strong, itâs far more difficult to control early on compared to a Grass Corpse.
Letâs see how you manage it; you canât just hold its neck forever!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Spirit Corpse in Lou Yiâs hands stop struggling.
Then, as it was set upright by Lou Yi, it lifted its stiff steps and quietly walked behind Lou Yi, without uttering a word.
"..." Wang Wenbai got slapped again.
Elder Zhuang showed a hint of surprise for the second time, gazing deeply at Lou Yi before closing his eyes again.
"Youâve already learned the Corpse Control Technique?" Wei Jian exclaimed in shock, seemingly even more stunned than when he recognized the Spirit Corpse.
"Just luck." Lou Yi replied.
He glanced at the Attribute Panel, noticing something new under the magic section: Corpse Control Technique (Beginner 0/1)
Previously, he had researched the Corpse Control Technique thoroughly.
This time, upon contact with the corpse, he directly grasped the basics easily, bypassing the introductory phase.
Having mastered the Corpse Control Technique, he naturally could immediately control the Spirit Corpse.
Additionally, advancing from beginner to the next mastery level required just a single point of energy, something Lou Yi had never encountered before.
...