In the luxurious room, Xu Fang sat on the floor, closed his eyes, and began cultivating Qi in his body. He didn't absorb Yin Qi from Long Xiu or Shen Yin, but the 'Ethereal Radiance Pill' purified his Yang Qi, removing impurities and achieving a balance of Yin and Yang Qi in his body, enhancing his cultivation.
'Ding'
"Even though I held back, I've already increased my cultivation by three stages in just the last two months," Xu Fang murmured, opening his eyes after a few minutes of cultivation.
After that, Xu Fang waved his hand, and a blue shade of green-colored fruit appeared in his hand. It's not a simple fruit, but it is a rare herb named 'Jade Blue Spirit Berry'.
Xu Fang read about it in the library of the LOG treasure: 'Jade Blue Spirit Berry' is one of the seven Demonic Herbs.
The Jade Blue Spirit Berry is renowned for its mesmerizing azure hue and potent spiritual properties. Nestled among verdant foliage in the deepest, most secluded corners of the mystical realm, this elusive berry is said to possess the power to awaken and enhance one's spiritual senses with unparalleled clarity.
Each berry is a radiant gem of translucent blue, emitting a faint ethereal glow that pulses with otherworldly energy. Its surface is smooth and lustrous, reminiscent of polished jade, while within, its flesh exudes a delicate fragrance that tantalizes the senses.
Xu Fang had discovered the Jade Blue Spirit Berry in the storage room of the LOG treasure. Initially, he wanted to consume it right away, but he only had one berry. So, he planted it in the herb garden to duplicate more. Now, he had plucked one from the garden, leaving another for further duplication. Apart from the Jade Blue Spirit Berry, Xu Fang had also found one other Demonic herb in the storage room, named Soul Shroud Lotus.
However, that herb is still too young to be consumed, so Xu Fang decided to save it for later.
According to a book Xu Fang had read, a person should only consume a maximum of five Jade Blue Spirit Berries in their lifetime. Now, he was about to consume his first berry to awaken his Spiritual Consciousness.
Normally, Spiritual Consciousness awakens when someone reaches the Divine Realm. But with the help of the Jade Blue Spirit Berry, one could awaken it even before breaking through to the Divine Realm.
Xu Fang smiled as he bit into the Jade Blue Spirit Berry, savoring its juicy sweetness in three quick bites. As the essence of the berry flooded his body, he felt a surge of spiritual energy enveloping his mind, lifting his consciousness to new heights.
With the mystical properties of the Jade Blue Spirit Berry, Xu Fang connected with unseen forces of the universe, gaining profound insights into the mysteries of existence and unlocking the secrets of the soul.
After a few minutes, the effects of the Jade Blue Spirit Berry subsided, and Xu Fang opened his eyes, sending his spiritual energy out to explore the extent of his newfound senses.
"Wow, 30 meters? That's amazing!" Xu Fang exclaimed with happiness and satisfaction, pleased with the expansion of his spiritual awareness.
After Xu Fang stood up and took a bath, Xu Fang left the mansion and paused at the gate, contemplating where to go first.
"I think I need to start practicing secret martial arts moves first, then I'll go to the Formation Tower and Craftsmen Tower," Xu Fang decided, speaking in a low tone as he walked towards the Training Grounds.
In a short while, Xu Fang arrived at the training grounds to practice his martial arts secret moves from his previous life. Initially, after discovering Elemental Techniques from the Techniques Tower, he had put aside the idea of using secret moves with Qi and Elemental Qi.
However, during his practice in the forest against artificial magical beasts, he realized the limitations of his chosen techniques. God Level Techniques were powerful but consumed too much Qi for his current cultivation.
Xu Fang had been practicing martial arts but had not attempted to learn secret moves until now. His body was not ready for it earlier, but he had since strengthened it enough to master all secret moves.
In his previous life, he had learned three different types of martial arts: 'Whispering Lotus Blade', 'Dragon's Fist Mastery', and 'Shadow Serpent'. Xu Fang had already mastered all the secret moves of Whispering Lotus Blade and Dragon's Fist Mastery, and half of the secret moves of Shadow Serpent martial art. Now, he was determined to complete his mastery of these secret moves.
In this life, Xu Fang decided to start by practicing 'Whispering Lotus Blade,' just as he did in his previous life. The martial art comprised five secret moves, all of which Xu Fang had already mastered earlier.
'Whispering Lotus Blade' was a deadly yet graceful martial arts style, with each of the five secret moves symbolizing the blooming stages of a lotus flower.
1. Lotus Embrace: The first move involved swift, circular strikes mimicking the opening petals of a lotus.
2. Swaying Stem Slash: The second move utilized fluid footwork, allowing the practitioner to maneuver around opponents like a lotus swaying in the wind.
3. Blossom Burst: The third move combined speed and precision for rapid strikes resembling the blossoming of a lotus flower.
4. Petals of Tranquility: The fourth move incorporated deceptive feints and calming movements, lulling opponents into a false sense of security before delivering a strike.
5. Zenith Bloom: The final move, a powerful and concentrated strike, represented the fully bloomed lotus and was capable of ending a battle with a single, decisive blow.
Eager to test his body's current strength and relying on the clear memories of martial arts and secret moves in his mind, Xu Fang began practicing all the moves. In his previous life, he had taken three years to learn martial arts but had dedicated more than nine years to completely master all five secret moves.
Xu Fang entered the training grounds, where ten six-foot wooden puppets stood on the left side for practice. Each puppet represented different cultivation levels and defense capabilities, ranging from the first puppet equivalent to the Qi Meridian Realm, the second puppet to the Qi Initiate Realm, and so forth.
Approaching the first puppet, Xu Fang waved his hand, summoning a katana with a black handle. Pulling the katana from its scabbard, he closed his eyes, disconnected all his Qi and elements, and began recalling the first secret move. Slowly, he started swinging the katana in a horizontal zig-zag, followed by a clockwise circular motion, resembling the movements of a lotus flower.
"Slash" "Slash" "Slash"
Xu Fang opened his eyes. It was time to test the first move, 'Lotus Embrace.' He repeated the same movements but this time to attack rather than learn.
Succeeding on the first try due to his prior mastery, Xu Fang was still shocked when he observed the results of his attack on the puppet.
"Only with the first move is enough to injure a Qi Meridian level cultivator, even without adding Qi or elements," Xu Fang realized, astonished that his martial arts secret moves had such potency without the infusion of Qi or Elemental force.
Although the injuries inflicted on the puppets were not severe, the demonstration showed that even the first move could be a formidable defense for non-cultivators if they learned these secret moves. The puppet's chest bore the marks of a powerful strike, and after a brief moment, it regenerated.
Xu Fang continued practicing the first move, 'Lotus Embrace,' a few more times on the Number 2 puppet. Then, he closed his eyes, recollecting the movements of the second move, 'Swaying Stem Slash.'
Opening his eyes once more, Xu Fang began moving around the puppet with agile motions, swinging his katana. His movements mimicked the swaying of a lotus in the air.
"Slash" "Slash" "Slash" "Slash" "Slash" "Slash"
As Xu Fang's attacks landed on the Number 2 puppet from all directions, visible slashes appeared on its wooden body.
Xu Fang didn't pause and continued practicing his second secret move for the next few minutes. Afterward, he stopped and began recalling his third secret move, 'Blossom Burst,' closing his eyes to visualize the movements.
Wanting to understand his body's limits, Xu Fang realized that, in his previous life, he didn't use his secret moves extensively due to his weaker body. In his last fight, he could only execute the fifth secret move three times before exhausting his body's stamina. The stamina required for one fifth-level secret move equaled three to four times that of the fourth-level secret moves and the same for lower-level secret moves.
"Slash" "Slash" "Slash" "Slash" "Slash"
Opening his eyes, Xu Fang unleashed his third secret move, 'Blossom Burst,' on the Number 2 puppet. Increasing his speed, he struck rapidly and precisely, the katana movements resembling the blossoming of a lotus flower on the puppet's body.
Upon inspecting the puppet's body after completing his third secret move, Xu Fang observed serious injuries. It indicated that the third secret move could seriously harm Qi Initiate Realm (Qi Practitioner) cultivators lacking a defense-type artifact for protection.
Undeterred, Xu Fang practiced his third secret move a few more times, revealing no signs of exhaustion in his body. Closing his eyes once again, he began recalling his fourth secret move.
Opening his eyes, Xu Fang approached the Number 3 puppet and executed his fourth secret move, 'Petals of Tranquility.' The move involved calm and deceptive feints, creating a false sense of security before launching an attack.
"Slash" "Slash" "Slash"
Xu Fang advanced calmly, delivering three slashes with full agility, forming the shape of a lotus petal in this move. Upon inspecting the puppet's body afterward, Xu Fang found it to be equally seriously injured as the Number 2 puppet after the third secret move.
"Impressive," Xu Fang remarked in a satisfying tone.
He continued practicing his fourth secret move a few more times before closing his eyes to remember his final secret move, 'Zenith Bloom.' The chest of the puppet in front of him bore the number 3.
Xu Fang opened his eyes and made a decision. Instead of changing the puppet, he wanted to try his final move, 'Zenith Bloom,' on the Number 3 puppet.
Positioning himself a little away from the puppet, he began swinging his katana, mimicking the fully bloomed lotus, before delivering a single, decisive slash on the Number 3 puppet.
"Slash" "Boom"
The body of the Number 3 puppet burst into small pieces after Xu Fang's slash struck, only to regenerate shortly afterward.
"Wow..." Xu Fang exclaimed in amazement as he observed the results of the attack on the puppet's body.