Su Zhentian's efficiency was astonishing.
The following afternoon, a low-key black Maybach sedan pulled up at the foot of Dragon-Tiger Mountain on the outskirts of Lingnan City.
Dragon-Tiger Mountain, contrary to its impressive name, was just one of the many unremarkable low hills in Lingnan, sparsely populated and covered in dense vegetation.
Shan Hu stepped out of the car, followed by Su Zhentian and two sharp-looking Su family martial artists.
"Sir, this is the residence you designated," Su Zhentian respectfully pointed to a building halfway up the mountain.
It was a villa built entirely from natural stone and wood, with a simple and elegant style that blended into the surrounding forest, making it extremely secluded. The entire area around the villa had been purchased by the Su family under a private name, and tall fences had been erected, declared as a "private resort, closed to visitors."
"This manor was prepared by the Su family three generations ago for a retreat and has remained vacant, never used by anyone," Su Zhentian introduced. "We reinforced and cleaned it overnight and installed the most advanced surveillance system. Three kilometers above the manor, there is a natural waterfall and pond, offering excellent scenery, and it is the quietest spot."
Shan Hu nodded in satisfaction. Su Zhentian was not only efficient but also very thoughtful, having fully understood Shan Hu's requirements for "quietness" and "seclusion."
"Very good, Su Zhentian, you have done well," Shan Hu praised.
Hearing Shan Hu's affirmation, Su Zhentian bowed slightly in excitement: "It is the Su family's honor to serve you, Sir."
Shan Hu ignored him and headed straight for the back of the manor, where the terrain was noticeably higher. He was not interested in the manor itself, but the spiritual vein that his divine sense was keenly tracing.
He ascended along a winding mountain path. The higher he went, the fresher and more humid the air became.
Shan Hu stopped when he reached a cluster of massive rocks at the main peak of Dragon-Tiger Mountain.
He closed his eyes, feeling the coolness seeping through the cracks in the stones beneath his feet. This coolness reached deep into his heart, carrying a long-lost pure essence.
"This is the place."
He opened his eyes, which shone with intense light.
This cluster of rocks, seemingly ordinary, was in fact the spiritual energy confluence node of the Lingnan spiritual vein branch. Having been slowly nourished by the underground spiritual energy year-round, it had naturally formed a miniature Spirit Gathering place.
In his previous life, he was preoccupied with power struggles and resource grabs in the Capital, missing this secluded sanctuary in Lingnan. It wasn't until the full eruption of spiritual energy that major powers suddenly realized the value of the Dragon-Tiger Mountain range.
"Fortunately, this node remains undiscovered by the world," Shan Hu thought with relief.
He turned his head and spoke to Su Zhentian, who had been following silently: "Su Zhentian, I need you to do three things for me."
Su Zhentian immediately stepped forward: "Please command, Sir!"
Shan Hu said in a deep voice: "First, retrieve all ancient jade, rare metals, millennium sandalwood, and any antique possessing 'vital energy' or 'spiritual energy' from the Su family vault, and transport it all here. The more, the better."
"Second, with the utmost speed, find a virgin with a 'Water' element constitution. Ideally, from a martial arts family, with excellent aptitude."
Upon hearing this, Su Zhentian and the two Su family martial artists were stunned.
Searching for a "virgin with a Water element constitution"? This sounded strange, but Su Zhentian did not hesitate.
"Sir, rest assured, I will immediately procure the antiques and materials. I will mobilize all the Su family's resources to find the candidate with the 'Water element constitution.'"
Shan Hu waved his hand, his gaze distant: "The third task, and the most crucial one. Completely seal off this manor. No one is allowed near. I will enter seclusion here for a minimum of seven days, and no more than half a month. During the seclusion, no matter what happens, I must not be disturbed."
"Yes, Sir!"
Su Zhentian clearly felt the powerful determination and killing intent emanating from Shan Hu. He knew that this mysterious 'Master' was about to embark on an extraordinary period of cultivation.
After Su Zhentian and his men retreated, Shan Hu refocused his attention on the spiritual vein node beneath his feet.
"My Divine Soul recovery has reached the peak of the first level of the Xuan Tian Dao Inquiry Art. To break through to the second level, 'Divine Soul Condensation,' I must harness powerful spiritual energy. Although this branch vein in Dragon-Tiger Mountain is weak, it is enough to support my breakthrough."
He took out a few fragments of damaged talisman stones left from his past life from his ring. These talisman stones were once the cores of large-scale arrays. Although they were dim now, they could play a huge role after slight repair and recharging.
Shan Hu sat down cross-legged, his fingers rapidly forming seals.
"All Laws Return to the Origin, Spirit Gathering Array, activate!"
He first used his own remnant divine sense as a guide, combining it with the natural spiritual energy node of Dragon-Tiger Mountain to outline an extremely complex array diagram. He then compiled the list of antique materials. These materials would serve as "spiritual stone substitutes" in the initial stages of the array, providing energy for the grand formation.
To compensate for the insufficient spiritual energy, Shan Hu decided to construct a Dual Spirit Gathering Array: the outer array would use secular materials to absorb the free spiritual energy between heaven and earth; the inner array would connect directly to the subterranean spiritual vein, maximizing the extraction of the pure spiritual energy slowly released by the branch.
Once the array was complete, the peak of Dragon-Tiger Mountain would become a spiritual energy vortex, and under the impact of this power, Shan Hu's Divine Soul would reach the second stage of the Xuan Tian Dao Inquiry Art—Divine Soul Condensation!
By then, his Divine Soul would no longer be a phantom but would perfectly integrate with his physical body, and the power he released would be stronger and more stable.