Yao Long would normally travel beyond the Crystal Spring Sect, hence his disappearance would not be noticed for some time. Even if they noticed his disappearance, Chu Chen would not likely be a suspect due to his reputation for having a lousy cultivation level.
However, Chu Chen was sure that Yao Jinghai would eventually link it to him. He had already made preparations for a duel with this genius within the external disciples. Before that happens, he had to cultivate like a madman to increase the odds of him winning said duel.
Chu Chen took a look at the 20 over elixirs he spent all his savings on and took a deep breath.
These elixirs could greatly strengthen his body. It was sufficient to replace half a year's worth of excruciating training.
By Chu Chen's estimate, he should be able to temporarily stabilize his unstable spiritual powers with the help of these elixirs, allowing him to steadily breakthrough to the tenth level of Spiritual Mist Stage.
With that decided, Chu Chen packed up and carefully sat cross-legged on the bed. Looking at the small mound of elixirs, he nodded and took a skin-tempering elixir, placing it in his mouth before swallowing it in one gulp.
The spiritual elixir melted in his mouth, instantly transforming into a hot current that spread through his entire body from his stomach. In that instance, Chu Chen felt that his body was burning up. His skin turned scarlet, like hot iron being smelted, giving off waves of heat.
A powerful force was surging under his skin, refining it. It was as though an invisible hammer was smiting him, refining his skin.
Shortly, Chu Chen's body started sweating bullets. It was as though he had just undergone several hours of intense exercise.
Refining the body was all about refining one's skin, muscles, meridians, blood, bones, and bone marrow. From the inside out, each step making one's body stronger and firmer.
Each type of elixir had its own effects and uses. Although Chu Chen trained hard for three years, it did not help him no matter how many elixirs he took because his cultivation stage was stunted, not providing him the spiritual energy needed to digest and absorb the elixirs.
This time, Chu Chen realized that his body had almost instantaneously fully absorbed the elixir after ingesting it. Moreover, the effects were especially pronounced.
By right, he should only have a strengthened soul, but his body had somehow undergone some changes as well. Could it be due to the melding with that eaglet clone?
It seemed to have the superior constitution of being invulnerable. Could his physical body have also benefitted from that plight?
Chu Chen noticed the speed his body absorbed the elixir's effects was abnormal. In less than an hour, he would be able to completely absorb the effects of a level-1 elixir.
Just like that, as the elixirs entered his stomach one by one, his entire body was like a piece of steel that was being repeatedly refined and reforged.
After one full day, the elixirs were mostly all consumed. A deep sound reverberated from within his body. He tightened his fist, feeling the seemingly boundless energy within him.
Finally, he had some semblance of success in training his body! Next would be to try achieving the great perfection stage of Spiritual Mist Stage!
'Oh right, that jade slip with a black spiritual gleam must be a treasure from Black Fog Valley. What kind of cultivation would it contain? I should be able to check it out now.'
With that thought, Chu Chen quickly took out the ordinary-looking jade slip and closed his eyes, probing with his spiritual senses.
'Hm?'
Chu Chen, who was in full focus suddenly frowned. His spiritual senses swept through the entire jade slip but found nothing. The expected cultivation method or secret skills were not present. What was going on?
He clearly sensed the black spiritual gleam coming from it earlier. If there was nothing within, why would it exude a spiritual gleam?
'Maybe I need something more than spiritual sense? Maybe it required using spiritual consciousness to detect its presence?'
Just as the thought popped into Chu Chen's mind, he immediately sharpened his concentration and quickly activated his spiritual consciousness.
Once his spiritual consciousness was activated, he could see a black dragon-like beam shooting into the sky. Its entire body was a smooth black color. Even the ordinary-looking jade pendant turned black on its edges, looking as though it was sculpted from the rare black jade.
When his spiritual consciousness was fully immersed into the black jade slip, his body trembled briefly!
Everything around him faded into the void. It was as though he had entered an entirely new dimension. In the grey-toned world, a few words seem to hang in the air as they glowed with a blinding radiance.
"Great kindness is like water. Water benefits and does not fight!"
Above that line of words were a few more vaguely hidden words. They were blurred and he could only vaguely make out the three words behind it as "Spiritual Genesis Mantra". As for the other words in front, he could not read it no matter how hard he tried.
Seeing those words, Chu Chen's mind suddenly experienced an epiphany. A set of cultivation mantras naturally appeared in his mind. This set of mantras was not difficult to understand. It was only around a hundred words, straight forward and easy to understand.
After careful study, he noticed that this cultivation method's essence was mostly similar to the beginner level cultivation method that Crystal Spring Sect passed down—Spirit Drawing Mantra.
It was basically teaching others how to quickly enter a meditative stance, how to sense spiritual energy, how to draw in the spiritual energy to temper the body, and refine true essence. Apart from that, there was nothing special.
After checking it out, Chu Chen was stunned. This cultivation method was exactly the same as the Crystal Spring Sect's Spirit Drawing Mantra. What was the point of learning it?
Meditate, sense spiritual energy, and refine true essence. Chu Chen had already learned to do this. For him, this cultivation method was useless, dull, and a waste of his time.
However, that was an item that carried a hint of the magical fog from Black Fog Valley. If he did not at least give it a try, would that not be a waste of a great opportunity?
With that in mind, Chu Chen focused on his meditation and sat in the
When compared to the Spirit Drawing Mantra of the Crystal Spring Sect, Spiritual Genesis Mantra was around 70 percent similar. There were only some slight differences in some critical portions of Qi circulation and refining, therefore making it really easy for him to comprehend.
With Chu Chen's talent, it only took him a short time to fully familiarize himself with this cultivation method.
However, when he practiced it, he could not help frowning. It was the same steps of drawing in spiritual energy to refine the body, yet it was extraordinarily slow when cultivating Spirit Genesis Mantra.
When he normally cultivated Spirit Drawing Mantra, one the flood of spiritual energy essence entered the body, it would quickly rush into the dantian's Qi ocean to be refined into true essence, which will then circulate within his body through the meridians in a continuous cycle.
Nevertheless, when cultivating Spiritual Genesis Mantra, the amount of spiritual energy that entered his dantian was only twenty percent of the usual volume. Its cultivation rate was five times slower than Spirit Drawing Mantra!
What was going on?
Chu Chen frowned, then tried using Spiritual Genesis Mantra once more to make sure he had thoroughly learned the essence of this cultivation method. He once again cultivated, making sure to follow the instructions exactly.
Without realizing it, half a day had passed. When Chu Chen awakened from his deep meditative stance, he was shocked to see that half a day of hard work had only refined five percent of the spiritual energy that he normally would using his usual method.
Five percent! What did that mean? It was 20 times slower! How could his cultivation speed slow down?
'What stupid method of cultivation is this?!'
With an angry heart, Chu Chen stopped his plan and ceased his cultivation. At the rate he was going, when would he ever get to the point he needed to be at?
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