At this moment, Ryan Clark's soul strength was also sufficient to begin visualization practice. However, Ryan Clark did not immediately return to his room to meditate, because cultivation is a matter of both urgency and patience. Having finally broken through his realm, Ryan Clark was filled with joy; to force himself to calm down and meditate at this time would actually be harmful.

Moreover, ever since Ryan Clark arrived in this world, he had always felt a sense of crisis. His own strength was insufficient and he could not protect himself, so except for eating and buying medicine, he rarely went out. He was determined to improve his abilities, for if he encountered trouble outside without the strength to back himself up, it would be stifling—this could be considered a kind of aftereffect of being a transmigrator.

Now that Ryan Clark had finally broken through to the Qi Nurturing stage, he could be considered a master in the martial world. With the addition of spell techniques and talismans, he was more than capable of self-preservation, and thus most of the pressure in his heart was lifted. Therefore, this was the perfect time for Ryan Clark to relax and rest, rather than to train.

Ryan Clark sat on the ground, leaning against the edge of the small well. In his right hand, he held a small jug of yellow wine he had found in Old Brooks's room; in his left, a scroll collected by Old Brooks, left behind by a Daoist predecessor, titled "Jin Kui Zi Discusses All Kinds of Ghosts and Spirits." It explained what constituted heterodox ghosts and spirits, and recounted various supernatural anecdotes, with a strong flavor reminiscent of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio." At this moment, the autumn air was crisp and refreshing, a gentle breeze was blowing; reading a page or two, taking a sip of wine, and swaying his head in delight when engrossed, he truly felt the carefree pleasure of leisurely reading the "Huangting."

In this world, after death, there is no reincarnation. If there is no one to offer sacrifices, the soul gradually loses its memories after seven days, slowly merges into the world after ten days, and completely dissipates after a hundred days—unless there is a great grievance or obsession, or the soul encounters a place filled with yin energy, which can stabilize the soul and turn it into a yin ghost. As for cultivators, their souls are countered by the laws of heaven and earth; when the body dies, the soul is destroyed, unless one has cultivated to the Yin Spirit stage, which can resist this fate. Therefore, people place great importance on ancestral worship; enjoying the offerings and sacrifices of a family can preserve the soul for several years. The more people who offer sacrifices, the longer the soul persists, but unless one can comprehend a method to convert the power of incense and vows into their own cultivation, the maximum is only about a hundred years. All souls that receive sacrifices are collectively called ghosts and spirits.

Those with great grievances and obsessions gradually become yin ghosts. Their obsession is revenge, and their actions are driven by this obsession. They rarely possess intelligence or clarity, though a few, whose obsessions are not malicious, may retain their wits, but their cultivation is unconscious. Generally, the older they are, the more powerful they become; those without intelligence will slowly gain wisdom after ten years or so. Those who encounter places of yin energy are similar, gradually becoming yin ghosts, but unlike the former, they have no obsession with revenge and retain intelligence and wisdom, though their cultivation lacks any inheritance. To persist, they must consume blood food, yang energy, or soul power. These two types, along with souls that have not dissipated within a hundred days, are collectively called heterodox ghosts and spirits.

Because they must consume blood food, yang energy, or soul power, heterodox ghosts and spirits often harm people. However, if their cultivation is insufficient, they cannot approach those with strong vital energy; if they do, the vigorous energy will burn their yin souls, and in severe cases, they will be utterly destroyed. At the same time, heterodox ghosts and spirits who have not cultivated to the out-of-body stage often take advantage of cultivators during their practice, stirring their emotions to induce inner demons, causing them to go astray, and thus giving the ghosts a chance to consume the cultivator's soul power.

This ability to stir others' emotions is an innate talent of heterodox ghosts and spirits, and can be exercised from a great distance. There are three main ways to counter this talent: first, set up an array to isolate inside from outside, but Ryan Clark does not know how to do this yet; second, maintain absolute focus during cultivation, so that no stray thoughts arise in meditation, rendering this emotional manipulation ineffective; third, possess a soul-suppressing magical artifact, which Ryan Clark also lacks.

Even so, the calming sandalwood incense specially made by Old Brooks can help focus the mind and slightly suppress the influence of heterodox ghosts and spirits. So overall, as long as Ryan Clark does not let his thoughts wander during cultivation, there should be no danger. Moreover, as long as his mind is not bewitched, if anything feels wrong, he must immediately exit meditation, even at the cost of injuring his soul.

Ryan Clark spent a pleasant day, and by evening, he had gathered his mind and reached a peak state. Bathing, changing clothes, burning incense, and worshipping heaven and earth—through this series of steps, both mind and spirit reached a state of ethereal tranquility. Of course, once he became more practiced or his cultivation deepened, he would no longer need so many complicated steps; often, after just a breath or two, he could reach this tranquil state.

Ryan Clark sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, closed his eyes, focused his mind, embraced his original spirit, and soon entered a meditative state. Once in meditation, he began to visualize the divine intent of the "Clear Breeze and Bright Moon Illuminates the True Spirit Method" recorded in the "Treasure Record." At first, he would always get distracted halfway through the visualization and fail, just like an ordinary person trying to focus on one thing but always having their thoughts scatter, then suddenly realizing and returning to the original focus.

Ryan Clark was not discouraged, knowing this was normal. He began to practice the method for gathering thoughts described in the "Clear Breeze and Bright Moon Illuminates the True Spirit Method," imagining himself as the supreme master, overlooking all his thoughts. Countless thoughts rose and fell, filling his entire sea of consciousness, but as the master, he gathered all these thoughts within the sea of consciousness, no longer letting them rise and fall.