Sun Lingtong had long mastered the technique of Soul Search, so he knew the differences all too well.
The normal Soul Searching Technique treats the target’s memory as if it were a book. Soul searching is merely finding a specific line in that book.
But the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique is not like that.
Using this spell, one can transform the target’s memories into their own, as if they had experienced them personally.
This, of course, has huge drawbacks, but Ning Zhuo’s Heavenly Capital Self perfectly solved this problem!
"Little Zhuo, your greatest disadvantage is your age! The time you have spent cultivating is really too short."
"But with the Heavenly Capital Self and the Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique, you can turn others’ cultivation experiences into yours, maximizing the resolution of your age disadvantage."
"Each time you cast the spell, it’s equivalent to gaining a lifetime of someone else’s experience, an astonishing effect!"
The more Sun Lingtong spoke, the more excited he became, shaking Ning Zhuo’s shoulders uncontrollably.
Ning Zhuo, however, remained much calmer than his family elder.
He slowly shook his head: "No matter how powerful the Heavenly Capital Self is, it still has its limits. It’s just that at present, we haven’t discovered them yet."
Sun Lingtong laughed heartily and began to look forward to the future: "Little Zhuo, your perception is extraordinary, and you’re good at summarizing. You’ve learned many things on your own. Now, with such a shortcut in cultivation, your progress will be terrifyingly fast!"
Ning Zhuo looked at the Merit and Achievement Slaughter Tower in his hand: "The Boat Burning Soul Crossing Technique has five drawbacks. I’m not afraid of the others, but I worry about the Red Lotus Karma Fire consuming me."
"The reason I went to the Evil Slaying Hall was to control the accumulated sins on me."
"I just burned all the souls in the gray jar, and I had previously burned the Silk Lady’s soul cloth. I need to see what the state of my merits and sins is."
Sun Lingtong took a step back, quietly waiting for Ning Zhuo to act.
Without hesitation, Ning Zhuo infused mana. The Merit and Achievement Slaughter Tower once again shone brightly, but this time, Ning Zhuo was measuring himself.
The tower began to tremble, and after a few breaths, the tower started shaking!
Golden radiance surged forth like a fountain, gushing wildly from the tower.
Immediately, a golden pillar of light shot out from the tower, piercing the sky. If not within the array space, it would undoubtedly cause a massive stir outside.
Ripples of blue and gold light emanated from the Green Jade Lotus Platform’s base.
The Sinborne Fire on the first layer almost extinguished.
While the Merit and Achievement Book on the second layer frantically flipped through its pages. Golden characters appeared and then vanished one after another on the pages.
"How can this be?" Ning Zhuo was slightly taken aback, then noticed the Buddha Heart Demon Seal in his Divine Sea being triggered again, affecting the Merit and Achievement Book.
Like in a fierce gale, the book’s pages flipped uncontrollably, yet not a single word remained etched.
And on the third layer, the statue almost came to life, its gaze seemingly penetrating the tower to focus on Ning Zhuo, a smile appearing on its face: "Good! Good! Good!"
It spoke words of praise, showing great admiration for Ning Zhuo.
Sun Lingtong, who had been observing all along, squinted against the blinding golden light: "Little Zhuo, you’re quite the virtuous person, with not a single sin?"
Although the Merit and Achievement Book failed, Ning Zhuo had already refined the tower, so he knew quite clearly: "Strange, my merits are tremendous, yet I have not the slightest sin."
"What’s going on?"
For a moment, Ning Zhuo almost doubted whether the tower was measuring wrongly.
This was nearly impossible to occur.
Even a living saint, would they have no sin whatsoever? One must know, to err is human. Everyone makes mistakes, and these often become sins, accumulating on a cultivator.
Sun Lingtong narrowed his eyes, considering a possibility: "Perhaps it’s counterbalancing; your merits have offset your sins."
Ning Zhuo also contemplated this aspect: "It seems that the Heavenly Yang Merit we’ve gained is more valuable than we imagined."
Under normal circumstances, merits and demerits shouldn’t negate each other.
Just as Ning Zhuo had recently measured a large number of Demon Cultivators’ souls in the Qi Refinement Realm. Their sins and merits were clearly recorded in the Merit and Achievement Book, the amount of sin, the amount of merit, perfectly evident. If they could offset each other, such coexistence wouldn’t appear.
Yet Ning Zhuo had only merit, not a trace of sin.
He looked at Sun Lingtong: "Perhaps you are the same. Let me measure for you."
"Sure, sure," Sun Lingtong agreed without hesitation.
He too had participated in the war against the Lord of Wangchuan and had played an extremely crucial role in Wangchuan Immortal City.
Indeed, logically, he should have a share of the Heavenly Yang Merit, and not a small one!
Ning Zhuo, efficient in his work, activated the Merit and Achievement Slaughter Tower, aiming at Sun Lingtong.
The tower hummed softly, the tower body trembling, expelling Buddha’s Golden Radiance once more, though its grandeur visibly weaker than Ning Zhuo’s.
The Sinborne Fire did not react, while the Merit and Achievement Book recorded every deed of Sun Lingtong, from childhood to the battle involving the Wangchuan Underworld.
"Huh?!" The statue on the third layer suddenly widened its eyes with anger.
One moment praising Sun Lingtong, and the next, suddenly speaking out.
"Good, good, good... my ass!"
The Underworld Judge suddenly erupted in anger!
This statue, after all, was an integral part of the Merit and Achievement Slaughter Tower. Hence, it was well aware of the contents of the Merit and Achievement Book.
It was their cooperation that enabled the Merit and Achievement Slaughter Tower to unleash its power to discern and evaluate merits and sins.
The Underworld Judge discovered the truth—this young cultivator before them was gravely sinful, unforgivable, and the object of Yin Heaven’s loathing!