Along with Zhang Chen’s spiritual awakening, that Qi Cultivator realm which had not advanced for a long time finally made progress again.
[Skill 7 (Tier 2): Nine-Turns of the Returning Pill (Perfection)]
[No experience points required to advance.]
The next moment, the Golden Finger Interface refreshed again:
[Skill 7 (Tier 3): Civil and Martial Fire (0/100000000)]
Looking at Skill Seven, Zhang Chen’s pupils shrank, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Without any experience points, I can actually step into the realm of Civil and Martial Fire? This isn’t relying on spending experience points, but comes from my own spiritual comprehension and the transformation of my Cultivation Realm."
"My own comprehension can offset the deduction of points. But to complete the cultivation of Civil and Martial Fire actually requires one hundred million experience points? Isn’t that a bit too outrageous?" Zhang Chen’s eyes were full of incredulity.
That’s a hundred million experience points! He would have to accumulate for more than half a year to scrape together that many points.
But there was no time to bother with points. As Zhang Chen leveled up once more, he only felt his own Magical Power undergo some inexplicable change, constantly trembling and transforming within his body. It was as if there was an invisible flame in his meridians, refining and purifying that Magical Power.
The Cyan Lotus evolved from Zhang Chen’s Magical Power had now bloomed to three and a half grades, with still half of it yet unopened. It might be because Zhang Chen had not fully completed cultivation of the Third Realm, so it had yet to fully blossom.
And at this moment it seemed as if an invisible flame was tempering the foundation of his Magical Power, or as though some hidden water vapor was irrigating the Cyan Lotus, nourishing its growth and causing the Cyan Lotus to undergo some strange transformation.
"So-called Jade Liquid and Golden Core doesn’t literally mean refining a pellet; ’Pill’ refers to circulating endlessly in cycles. And the Advancing Martial Fire and Retreating Yin Rune is to make the Magical Power undergo another transformation, thereby influencing the change of the soul, preparing for the forging of the Primordial Spirit." Sensing the changes of Magical Power in his body, a thoughtful look appeared in Zhang Chen’s eyes.
However, with Civil and Martial Fire, Zhang Chen began to suffer. He became extremely sensitive to the natural wind of the outside world; that slight breeze brushing his skin felt like steel blades scraping his bones until they ached. The heat and chill mixed in the wind seemed infinitely magnified, plunging Zhang Chen into an ice mountain and a sea of fire, his entire being extremely fragile.
"At this realm, my soul has already begun to gradually resonate with Heaven and Earth, beginning to adapt to the Qi Mechanism of Heaven and Earth. For the Primordial Spirit to be born, it must come into contact with the natural winds and Qi of the outside world, come into contact with the natural keys of the outside world. Civil and Martial Fire is to refine the external natural breath of the Law into the body, to temper it into the soul, so that after the soul gathers the Primordial Spirit, it will have the ability to wield Divine Power and grasp the Laws of Heaven and Earth." Zhang Chen pondered inwardly.
The Moonlight fell upon his skin, its chill like an ice cellar. Strands of cold air, like the depths of the harshest winter, drilled into his flesh and blood through his pores.
Fortunately, he had a Technique to absorb the Power of the Moon, which could dispel part of the pain, but only part. His perception still felt as if he had fallen into the depths of winter, his body about to freeze stiff.
Zhang Chen hurriedly stood up, rummaged in the donkey cart and pulled out a tiger-skin coat, wrapping himself tightly. Only then did he feel a bit warmer. Although it was summer now, Zhang Chen not only did not feel hot, he instead felt extremely cold.
Zhang Chen’s strange behavior alarmed Chengyu, who was cultivating in the distance. Chengyu’s consciousness probed over, and the instant that consciousness touched Zhang Chen’s skin, goosebumps instantly rose all over Zhang Chen. That consciousness was actually like tangible matter, carrying a gloomy, icy chill as it swept across Zhang Chen’s skin.
"What is this?" Zhang Chen felt that Qi Mechanism his skin perceived, and his eyes were full of disbelief.
"What’s wrong with you? Why are you wrapped in tiger skin in the middle of summer?" Chengyu walked over from the tent. "I just sensed something off about you. Did something go wrong in your cultivation?"
Looking at the approaching Chengyu, Zhang Chen’s eyes were full of shock. He finally understood what that cold power earlier was—it was Chengyu’s consciousness.
When a Cultivator of the Divine Soul Dao reaches the Exorcism realm, their consciousness can leave the body to control matter. Consciousness is originally something illusory, but Zhang Chen had actually perceived the power of that consciousness with his fleshly body. Zhang Chen finally understood what kind of transformation his cultivation path had undergone.
"I more or less understand now why the Golden Finger told me to break through on my own. Only by doing so can I truly comprehend the crux within. Only by personally walking through it can I truly and realistically sense the subtleties within. This Civil and Martial Fire already involves tempering the Laws of Heaven and Earth, as well as tempering my will. It really does require me to walk this path myself." Zhang Chen said inwardly.
The Third Realm of a Qi Cultivator is far from just the Third Realm of a Qi Cultivator; it has two key points. First, the process of proving the Dao in order to comprehend a trace of True Yang of the Returning Pill. In this process, one constantly tempers a single thought, purifying it to the Extreme—that is the key to transforming that thought into True Yang and into the Primordial Spirit. This is the foundation of the Great Dao. Even if I later cultivate to the Supreme Realm, able to toy with Heaven and Earth, grasp the Laws of Heaven and Earth, with Heaven and Earth decaying yet I remaining undying, the sun and moon extinguished yet I remaining undying, that ’true self’ that will not be assimilated by the Laws of Heaven and Earth depends on this. A thought personally tempered by oneself is of course different from something stuffed in by someone else in a cramming manner. Second is the process of Gathering Primordial Spirit.
"This realm really does require me to walk through it myself. The importance of the Primordial Spirit goes without saying. Let alone that I am just a minor Cultivator now; even if I later prove the Dao and become a Primordial Saint, the Primordial Spirit is still my foundation. No wonder during this process the Golden Finger does not recommend that I directly level up!" Zhang Chen thought to himself.
Facing Chengyu’s concern, Zhang Chen tightened the tiger skin on his body, smiled, and said, "I’ve reached a key point in my cultivation, this is actually normal. You don’t need to worry."
"Is cultivating immortality really this weird?" Chengyu muttered, still a bit unconvinced. "Hey, are you really okay?"
"Of course I’m fine. Go to sleep." Zhang Chen soothed Chengyu with a sentence.
Hearing this, Chengyu looked at Zhang Chen half-believing, half-doubting, then simply plopped down beside him. "No way, I’m staying here to keep an eye on you. If anything happens to you, I can look after you right away."
Zhang Chen didn’t refuse. He just poked at the campfire before him; the power of the flames shone on his skin, as if it were directly scorching his flesh and blood, making his skin ache, but he still didn’t activate the Fire Extinguishing Pearl.
The whole process seemed to be acting on the flesh, but in truth it was his Power of the Soul being developed, starting to gradually familiarize itself with this world, touch this world, and adapt to everything in this world, preparing for his Primordial Spirit Emergence and future grasp of the Law of Heaven and Earth. This was a necessary process for him, absolutely not to be ignored or skipped.
Zhang Chen reached out and rubbed Chengyu’s little head. From the other’s eyes he saw a trace of worry, so he smiled and comforted Chengyu: "Don’t be afraid. Once my transformation is complete, we’ll soar straight to the sky in one step. Even a Yin Spirit Daoist will be no more than an ant before me."
"Really?" Chengyu stared fixedly at Zhang Chen. "You’re not allowed to fool me."
"Of course I won’t fool you." Zhang Chen said with narrowed, smiling eyes.
At this moment the Moonlight poured down like the tide. Zhang Chen looked at the Moonlight in the sky and silently stirred the Bloodline Power in his body, actively accepting the Power of the Moon into his flesh.
The next instant, a bone-piercing chill swept through his whole body. Zhang Chen felt as if even his marrow was about to freeze solid, about to be locked in that boundless yin cold. Yet his expression did not change as he endured. He could feel his soul becoming active at this moment, and even the speed at which the Magical Power in his body was transforming began to increase.
The two of them chatted for a while. Chengyu was, after all, just a child; at some unknown time he fell asleep. Zhang Chen, meanwhile, took out the Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror to reflect the scene, then put it away after a moment. "Dugu Qiu has already left the Northern Land. What a headache. How am I supposed to solve my lifespan problem?"
Zhang Chen stayed awake all night. When a ray of morning light rose at the horizon, that radiance fell on his skin like hot coals, making Zhang Chen tear off the tiger-skin coat on his body.
"Let it all come even fiercer, then." Zhang Chen activated the Sun Collection Skill. A vast, overwhelming torrent of Great Sun Essence flowed down, making his body feel as if it were in a furnace. He even started to suspect that in the very next moment he would be melted by that furnace.
But under the stimulation of that Great Sun Essence, his soul was even more active than during the night, letting Zhang Chen clearly know that this process was greatly beneficial to him. This was his foundation. During the process of his Primordial Spirit being nurtured, the more complete his understanding of Heaven and Earth, the more comprehensive the Laws of Heaven and Earth he witnessed, the greater his future foundation and potential would be.
Just then the clanging of cookware rang out in the darkness. Zhang Chen swept his eyes across the gloom before him and saw Mrs. Zhang already starting to prepare breakfast. The two little ones were practicing martial arts, while only Chengyu, looking at the thinly clad Zhang Chen, had a trace of worry in his eyes.
"It’s too hot in the daytime!" Zhang Chen pointed at the sun in the sky.
"I’ll go find some ice for you, to help reduce the heat." Chengyu said.
"No need! This is also part of my cultivation. If I want to transform and become stronger, how can I not pay a price? Go sit and cultivate, don’t mind me." Zhang Chen said to Chengyu.
Hearing this, Chengyu glanced at Zhang Chen, said nothing more, and turned to practice the Visualization Technique.
Breakfast was meat porridge. Zhang Chen ate it with evident relish. After finishing the porridge, the family prepared to set off. At this moment, Chengyu somehow produced a palm-leaf fan from somewhere and gently fanned it toward Zhang Chen. "Zhang Chen, I found you a palm-leaf fan. Hurry and fan yourself so you won’t be so hot."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen rolled his eyes. That breeze hitting his skin felt no different from a knife scraping across it, so he said irritably, "Don’t make trouble. Just take good care of yourself."
As he spoke, Zhang Chen rummaged in the carriage and found a gauze cloak and a bamboo hat, unhurriedly covering himself up. This way he could reduce the harm from the natural wind without delaying his absorption of the Sun and Moon Essence for cultivation.
He knew very well that he didn’t have much lifespan left; he had to grind out the Authority of Wood Element as early as possible.