The book describes many methods to become immortal, and what Wang Bo taught him was just a small part of the formula.
According to the book, the formula can draw spiritual energy into the body. There is a corresponding formula for each level of cultivation. What he had been practicing before was the formula for the first level of Qi Condensation.
As he flipped through the book, He Cong memorized the remaining formulas. He learned from the book that in order to practice the formula, one must possess spiritual roots.
There are many types of spiritual roots, and how to test for them is not recorded in the book. It only mentions that those with spiritual roots often have some special talents, such as those with Water Spiritual Roots having a good affinity with water, and those with Fire Spiritual Roots liking heat and fearing cold, and so on.
Seeing this, He Cong was instantly discouraged. He had been practicing for more than half a month without any progress, fearing that he did not have spiritual roots.
As he continued reading, He Cong suddenly felt a jump in his heart.
On the last page of the book was the word "Possession".
It described how ordinary people could take over the bodies of those with spiritual roots. The process was extremely cumbersome and required several special tools.
Seeing this, He Cong suddenly felt a chill all over his body.
A sense of foreboding surged up in his heart. He silently noted down the content and carefully placed the book back in its place. When he looked at Wang Bo again, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.
In his memory, whenever Wang Bo read, he seemed to linger on the last page of the book.
Back in his room, He Cong suddenly realized that Wang Bo was trying to possess him.
The reason why he taught him the formula was probably to determine whether he had spiritual roots.
This also explained why there were so many formulas recorded in the book, but Wang Bo only taught him a small part. He was afraid that if He Cong cultivated too high, it would be difficult to possess him!
"Sure enough, people's hearts are treacherous. The people in the village want to harm me, the officials want to capture me, and Wang Bo wants to possess me. It seems that I can only rely on myself!" He Cong muttered to himself.
"Since there is no problem with this cultivation formula, I cannot slack off in my cultivation. Wang Bo only taught me the first level of the formula because he is afraid that I will cultivate to a higher level. According to the records in the book, it is not easy for ordinary people to possess those with spiritual roots. If I can cultivate the Immortal Dao to a higher level, I should not be afraid of the possession technique!"
"However, before that, I still need to test Wang Bo."
The next day, He Cong deliberately pretended to be lazy in front of Wang Bo, occasionally dozing off.
Seeing He Cong like this, Wang Bo immediately came over to scold him.
It seemed that He Cong's cultivation was more important than anything else to Wang Bo.
He even threatened He Cong that if he did not cultivate seriously, he would call the officials.
Even if He Cong was stupid, he could see that there was something fishy about Wang Bo's behavior.
He simply went along with Wang Bo's wishes, deceiving him into believing that he was seriously cultivating.
Soon, a year passed.
During this time, He Cong practiced almost every day. At first, there was no effect, which made He Cong doubt whether he really had spiritual roots.
It was not until half a year ago that he felt a faint warm stream in his body.
This warm stream seemed to be the spiritual energy from the heaven and earth.
Although he successfully absorbed the spiritual energy, his progress in cultivation was still slow. It took him nearly five more months to barely advance the formula to the second level.
After his cultivation improved, He Cong clearly felt much stronger, and his perception of the outside world became more acute.
As time passed, he noticed that when Wang Bo looked at him, there seemed to be a mixture of longing and disappointment in his eyes.
And so, the two harbored their own secrets, and another two years passed.
During this time, He Cong finally advanced the formula to the third level.
The improvement in his cultivation made his mind clearer, and his body seemed to undergo some subtle changes, with his strength noticeably greater than before.
Over these years, Wang Bo seemed to have given up. He did not urge He Cong to cultivate anymore, and even let He Cong continue to manage the morgue.
However, while He Cong was managing the morgue, Wang Bo noticed that He Cong's strength seemed to have increased significantly.
After observing for a while, Wang Bo became suspicious and asked, "Have you succeeded in cultivating the formula?"
He Cong was startled and his mind was in turmoil, but looking at Wang Bo, who could not probe into his cultivation, his heart calmed down. He pretended to look desolate and replied, "I don't know if there is a problem with the cultivation formula. I haven't succeeded in cultivation."
"Well, I'll go out for a while." Wang Bo's expression changed unpredictably. After a moment of contemplation, he left the morgue with a final statement.
Seeing Wang Bo leave, He Cong felt a vague sense of unease.
Several hours passed, until late at night, before Wang Bo hurried back to the morgue. He seemed to have no intention of resting that night, sitting on a high-backed chair and staring at the room where He Cong was.
At this moment, He Cong was sitting upright on the bed in his room, feeling a sense of impending danger.
As expected, when the midnight hour arrived, a figure in black skillfully lifted the tiles above He Cong's room and stealthily slipped in.
As soon as the figure saw He Cong, he raised his dagger and stabbed straight towards He Cong.
He Cong had never encountered such a situation before. In a panic, he instinctively propped up the bed with one hand and took a step back to avoid the attack.
Failing with the first strike, the figure in black twisted his wrist and stabbed again.
He Cong couldn't afford to be careless. He instinctively activated the formula, and as the spiritual energy surged within him, the attacker's movements seemed to slow down. He Cong dodged narrowly, avoiding the attack.
Having evaded this blow, He Cong did not hold back, raising his fist.
A faint light flashed where He Cong's fist was, and with a loud bang, the figure in black flew backward, crashing into the wall.
Even He Cong was surprised at how strong he had become. As he watched the motionless figure in black, He Cong breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he relaxed, he heard Wang Bo's voice behind him.
"You've really succeeded in your cultivation! I said, how could someone struck by lightning survive, unless that person has the Thunder Spiritual Root. It seems that my guess was correct!"
He Cong's face changed drastically as he turned around.
As he turned, a fragrance rushed into his nose.
The next moment, things in front of him became blurry.
In a half-conscious state, He Cong felt himself being lifted onto the bed and tied up with coarse hemp rope. As the effects of the drug dissipated, his consciousness gradually cleared.
As soon as he woke up, he tried to struggle, but it was in vain.
"Hehe, you're awake? Your scheming is quite deep. If I hadn't hired an assassin to test you, I wouldn't have known that you had successfully cultivated that formula!"
As Wang Bo spoke, he placed several strange-shaped objects by the bed.
He Cong recognized them. These bizarre objects were exactly what was needed to possess someone, as recorded in the book!