In the realm of cultivation, once one reaches the stage of the Primordial Spirit, the next step is to cultivate the physical body, refining it into jade bones, an Immortal Body, and a Dharma Body to withstand the Three Calamities.
At Zhang Chen’s level, he’s already at the pinnacle of mortal capabilities. To advance further requires understanding the Law of Heaven and Earth and attaining the Heaven and Earth Fruit Position.
But this is merely a demonstration of realm; in terms of true strength, according to the current division of cultivation realms, Zhang Chen still has a long journey ahead.
For instance, if the Primordial Spirit seeks to achieve the Fruit Position, understanding the law is required, isn’t it?
To comprehend the law, one must hone the Primordial Spirit and continuously strengthen it, right?
To refine the Primordial Spirit, the most primitive method is to perceive the Law of Heaven and Earth. However, this process is extremely lengthy; one fears that before achieving the Fruit Position, the Three Calamities will have already found you, reducing you to ashes.
To expedite the strengthening of the Primordial Spirit, predecessors have invented countless Secret Techniques, serving as shortcuts that Zhang Chen must attain.
Predecessors have already created Secret Techniques, so why should Zhang Chen arduously comprehend and cultivate on his own? Expecting him to perceive the Law of Heaven and Earth, discover Divine Techniques, and achieve Fruit Position to surpass the Three Calamities, who knows how many years it would take? By then, he’d likely have perished under the Three Calamities and Celestial Five Declines.
Including forging a Dharma Body and refining jade bones—of which there are naturally various grades—methods and secrets to refine the Dharma Body have been studied over tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of years by several generations of people. The gap between their methods and yours, using the most primitive ways alone, is beyond measure.
It’s like the difference between primitive society using friction to create fire and using a lighter in the 21st century, the disparity is as vast as cloud and mud.
Can the primitive society’s iron refining method compare to alloys forged with modern high-tech hammering?
"Therefore, I must find the next Cultivation Technique to forge the strongest Dharma Body. For me, the best body refining technique is the Nine Revolutions Profound Skill. I have now mastered the Mountain-moving Technique, already laying a foundation for cultivating the Nine Revolutions Profound Skill. Should I find the method for Nine Revolutions Profound Skill, entry-level progress must be extremely swift." Zhang Chen contemplated.
"There are three prerequisites to the Nine Revolutions Profound Skill: The first is the ’Powerful Warrior Moving Mountain,’ which I have now perfected, reaching the limit under the Immortal Dao, unable to break through further unless attaining the Fruit Position. The second is ’Profound Technique Transformation.’ The third is ’Giant Heaven Opening.’ I just don’t know where these two Cultivation Techniques are located. Finding them will rely on fortune and fate, or perhaps establishing a great force to mobilize resources in search of them."
In the darkness, Zhang Chen’s eyes shone brightly: "Since this world has the Powerful Warrior Moving Mountain technique, then certainly Profound Technique Transformation and Giant Heaven Opening must also exist. Perhaps they’re in higher heavens within the Spiritual World, or maybe finding that Big Black Dog, who had the Powerful Warrior Moving Mountain technique, could hint at the whereabouts of the other two Cultivation Techniques."
Thinking of that cursed Big Black Dog, Zhang Chen’s eyes gleamed with insight; he roughly had a plan.
Instead of aimlessly searching for Cultivation Techniques, Zhang Chen felt like a headless fly, searching as if looking for a needle in a haystack, but the Big Black Dog was a clue; surely the Big Black Dog knows.
"Tell me, do you know where that Big Black Dog went?" Zhang Chen asked.
Back when the Spiritual World’s First Heaven collapsed, it was uncertain whether the Big Black Dog survived. Had Zhang Chen known earlier, he would have protected the Big Black Dog then.
"With the collapse of the Spiritual World’s First Heaven, that Big Black Dog must have fallen into the Material Realm; it is in this world," said the Great Freedom Celestial Demon Dao.
"Alive or dead?" Zhang Chen urgently asked.
"With its level of cultivation, spatial turbulence couldn’t kill it. But the changes in the world’s Law of Heaven and Earth make it extremely unfriendly to such creatures; even if it’s not dead, it should be living a fate worse than death," said the Great Freedom Celestial Demon Dao.
Zhang Chen thought of the Princess, who directly ascended to the Thirty-Three Heavens, and now the entire era has changed, becoming unsuitable for those ancient beings to exist.
Zhang Chen closed his eyes after hearing this: "I hope that Big Black Dog is still alive and well; before I find it, hopefully, no one has eaten it."
The tent gradually returned to calmness, and Zhang Chen slowly drifted into sleep. As the morning birds began chirping, Zhang Chen slowly opened his eyes to see Mrs. Zhang already preparing breakfast, while the two little ones were practicing martial arts, strengthening their bones, as Chengyu sat cross-legged practicing the Visualization Technique.
Experiencing this situation, everyone understood the importance of strength, and all began diligently cultivating.
Zhang Chen sat up in the tent, watching the diligently cultivating crowd with a contented expression, then stood up and walked out of the tent, helping Mrs. Zhang prepare breakfast. But seeing the cornmeal porridge for breakfast, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but furrow his brow: "Why are we eating this?"
Mrs. Zhang chuckled bitterly: "We’re running low on money; we must spend sparingly."
"Out of money?" Zhang Chen was stunned, never imagining he would one day be troubled by financial issues, as money was readily attainable for him. Ever since achieving success in cultivation, he had never lacked money.
"I should have searched those robbers yesterday to see if they had any money," Zhang Chen said, before disappearing on the spot using the Earth Escape Technique.
As for stealing from wealthy families?
Stealing money is impossible; Zhang Chen has already achieved enlightenment and now needs to subdue the Six Thieves. How could he commit such a theft?
Zhang Chen reached the battlefield, checked the bodies on the ground, and frowned, saying, "Only twenty taels of silver? They’re all paupers!"
"I can buy some herb seeds, then use time acceleration to cultivate old herbs to sell for money."
He had a way to generate wealth.
Back at his camp, Zhang Chen’s family finished breakfast and continued their journey. As Zhang Chen passed towns and villages, he noticed changes south of Qinling.
He saw divine lights flowing in the towns and villages, indicating the birth of divine spirits and people gathering incense to embark on the Divine Spirit Dao.
Watching the divine lights soaring into the sky from afar, Zhang Chen remained silent, holding the reins of the horse carriage leisurely.
"What are you looking at?" Chengyu sat on the cart’s edge, swinging his legs idly.
"Look at that town in the distance, dozens of divine lights rising, with divine spirits occupying the town," Zhang Chen pointed to an unknown town in the distance.
"As the situation in the Northern Land ferments, the Old Temple Master has enfeoffed natural gods, Prince Pingbian gathers incense and enfeoffs divine spirits. Now, the Incense Divine Dao has spread throughout the world," Chengyu took a deep breath.
"I see the strongest aura in that town has reached the ninth level, at least the peak of the eighth level, not far from the ninth," Zhang Chen seriously observed for a while, then sighed faintly, "We laboriously cultivate for years, decades, centuries, and millennia, yet can’t match others’ achievements in a day, it truly makes one’s heart sour."
Seeing the envy on Zhang Chen’s face, Chengyu quickly advised, "The Incense Divine Dao obtains a divine position so easily, there must be downsides we don’t know about. These downsides simply haven’t manifested yet, don’t be blinded by it. The power of Incense Divine Dao comes too easily, distorting one’s will, with many side effects. We’re naturally gifted, achieving Yang God in the future is inevitable, we shouldn’t take shortcuts and damage our cultivation."
"Of course I know the keys to this and would never walk the Incense Divine Dao," Zhang Chen patted Chengyu’s head, "I’m just lamenting! Now those nobles obtained the God Sealing Technique, the future life of ordinary folk will be harder."
He pondered when to take action to steal the power of incense. Now enlightened, he wouldn’t act rashly; he wouldn’t offend divine spirits with merit for commoners or ones protecting a region, only targeting those oppressive ones. Even if he steals their incense power, he wouldn’t fall into demonic barriers.
Utilizing the Qi Observation Technique, he saw the divine spirit’s aura in the city was pure, not surrounded by the force of cause and effect, presumably just enfeoffed, without time to commit evil.
"I’ll wait a bit longer! These divine spirits are noble achievements, I don’t believe they won’t commit evil," Zhang Chen contemplated.
While the carriage was rolling along, they didn’t travel far before seeing roadblocks in the distance, with dozens of officials checking passers-by and merchants.
"How odd! In this desolate countryside, what’s bringing officials out here to check merchants?" Zhang Chen wondered.
The so-called royal power doesn’t reach the countryside, not only does royal power not reach the countryside, but even city constables won’t leave the city without necessity. Now these constables are in the countryside setting up checkpoints on official roads, it’s clearly not normal.
"What should we do? We don’t have a travel permit," Mrs. Zhang said worriedly.
Zhang Chen quickly pondered; if he turned around to escape, it would seem suspicious, surely attracting attention from officials and causing trouble.
"Our family quietly left the Northern Land without anyone knowing; these officials should not be targeting us," Zhang Chen first confirmed the officials weren’t there for them, then rapidly expanded his thinking:
"But our travel permits and dialects don’t match, a slight misstep could cause trouble, so how do we avoid these officials?"
Numerous thoughts flickered through Zhang Chen’s mind. At this point, turning to flee was too late; the officials already noticed the family, waving from afar signaling them to come over.
"Running is not an option, we’ll go ahead and check. If we can’t bribe them, we’ll have to resort to force," Zhang Chen thought grimly, watching the officials waving at them, calmly leading the carriage forward.