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Taian Island, within the Island Protection Array.
"Bottleneck? Heavenly Tribulation?" Li Fan frowned as he flipped through the Cultivation Miscellany he had purchased.
Ever since returning from Myriad Immortals Island a few days ago, he had not stopped cultivating for a moment.
He had originally planned to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the Late Qi Condensation Stage in one go.
However, although he could feel that he was close to breaking through, no matter how much Li Fan practiced, he always felt that he was just a hair's breadth away.
This tiny, seemingly insignificant gap was like an insurmountable chasm, blocking Li Fan's path.
After reading through the Cultivation Miscellany, Li Fan finally confirmed that he had encountered a bottleneck.
In ancient times, the concept of a cultivation bottleneck was already well-known.
During the cultivation process, one's realm might get stuck at a certain point, unable to advance.
In the current world of cultivation, the impact of bottlenecks on cultivators was even greater.
Starting from the Mid Qi Refinement Stage, every cultivator would inevitably encounter a bottleneck when breaking through to each minor realm.
Such bottlenecks could not be broken through by mere hard practice alone.
One had to find the opportunity that they subconsciously sensed in order to overcome it and successfully break through.
This opportunity could be as simple as seeing a painting, drinking a cup of tea.
It could also be a sudden epiphany, a flash of inspiration during a life-and-death battle.
Or it could be a casual remark from someone else, or guidance from a senior cultivator.
In short, there was no pattern to follow, and one could only rely on the mysterious "Heaven's Will."
The existence of these bottlenecks undoubtedly greatly suppressed the cultivation speed of cultivators.
It was as if Heaven had sent a calamity to hinder cultivators from advancing.
Thus, cultivators also referred to these bottlenecks as Heavenly Tribulations.
In short, this Heavenly Tribulation had now befallen Li Fan.
His plan to break through in the short term had fallen through.
Sitting in the grand array for several days, Li Fan could not sense any opportunity for breakthrough.
Knowing that this could not be forced in the short term, he did not panic. He temporarily put aside the cultivation of the Lesser Derivation Water Technique and began to practice the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter.
The Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter had five layers, corresponding to the Prebirth Stage, Qi Refinement Stage, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul realms in ancient times.
The Prebirth Stage realm was a relatively special existence in the cultivation methods of some sects in ancient times.
It emphasized the expulsion of all the impure qi that one had acquired after birth, returning to the pristine state of the Prebirth Stage.
Those sects believed that starting cultivation from the Prebirth Stage would make it easier to comprehend Heaven's Will.
Both the speed and the upper limit of cultivation would far exceed those of ordinary cultivators.
The Heavenly Mechanism Sect was one of the sects that advocated starting all cultivation from the Prebirth Stage.
However, after the new methods replaced the old, cultivators no longer valued the harmony between heaven and humanity.
Thus, there was no longer any talk of returning to the Prebirth Stage.
But the most fundamental part of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter was the Prebirth Stage realm.
Therefore, what Li Fan needed to do was to use the Qi Refinement Stage to substitute for the Prebirth Stage and complete the first layer of cultivation.
Generally speaking, using a higher realm to substitute for a lower one would naturally be compatible, making cultivation relatively easier.
But things were not so simple when it came to the differences in cultivation systems between the ancient and modern methods.
Especially since Li Fan was still a beginner with only a few years of practice, his knowledge was severely lacking.
This was also why it took Li Fan a long time just to enter the initial stage, even with the help of the Jade Glass Pill and the boost to his comprehension.
Now, with the Lesser Derivation Water Technique stuck at a bottleneck, Li Fan began to cultivate the second layer of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter.
He planned to cultivate both techniques to the Mid Qi Refinement Stage to see if he could use this to break through the bottleneck.
After all, in this era, cultivation techniques were precious, and it was rare for an ordinary cultivator like him to be able to cultivate multiple techniques simultaneously.
According to the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter, after successfully cultivating the second layer, one would master the divine ability "Discerning the Mechanism."
"Discerning the Mechanism," as the name suggests, meant the ability to discern and sense various qi in the world.
This was the foundation of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter.
Only by first sensing the qi could one proceed to capture and refine it.
The difficulty of cultivating the second layer of the technique exceeded Li Fan's imagination.
If the Lesser Derivation Water Technique was straightforward and clear, with no unnecessary words, then the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter hid the cultivation methods in a pile of deliberately obscure terms, leaving one to guess and ponder.
Furthermore, it often included insights into Heaven's Will and anecdotes from the ancient cultivation world.
All these mixed together left Li Fan feeling dizzy and his blood boiling.
After reading it once, it seemed he understood. But when he tried to cultivate, he realized he hadn't understood anything at all.
Fortunately, Li Fan was not one to give up easily.
Despite the numerous difficulties, Li Fan persevered, studying and comprehending each word and sentence.
Another year passed as Li Fan diligently cultivated.
There was almost no progress in his cultivation of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter.
However, Li Fan did not lose heart.
On his second trip to Myriad Immortals Island to collect his agency fees, he exchanged 800 contribution points and five Taian Fruits he had accumulated over two years for some ancient cultivation insights.
Afterward, Li Fan activated the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Heavenly Profound Realm.
He did not practice any techniques but read these insights, comparing them with his own experiences over the past year.
It was like a sudden enlightenment, and all the questions that had puzzled him before were now answered.
At the exciting parts, Li Fan couldn't help but dance and cheer with joy.
At this moment, Li Fan finally understood the saying "If one hears the truth in the morning, one can die in the evening with no regrets."
Five days passed quickly.
With newfound insights, Li Fan hurried back to Taian Island and began another seclusion.
This time, his cultivation was vastly different from before.
All the obscure and difficult parts of the technique were now clear, and there were no more obstacles in his cultivation.
Li Fan quickly immersed himself in his practice.
Time passed unnoticed in cultivation.
On this day, a Golden Mist Spirit Qi, completely different from the Water Attribute Spirit Qi, suddenly appeared in Li Fan's dantian.
Li Fan opened his eyes, a joyful expression on his face.
"The second layer of the Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Chapter is finally complete." Li Fan let out a long sigh of relief.
He stretched his slightly stiff body and looked at the time, feeling a bit dazed.
He had not expected this seclusion to last a whole year.
In his perception, it felt like he had just taken a nap.
Fortunately, all the hard work had paid off.
Li Fan focused his mind, and as the golden qi gathered in his eyes, he activated "Discerning the Mechanism."
"Let me see what this so-called world qi actually looks like." Li Fan was excited as he tried out his new ability.
He looked toward Taian Island.
What he saw made his heart race.
A thick, black Death Qi, like a dense cloud, enveloped the entire Taian Island!
The thick Death Qi was almost tangible, making the island, which was still in daylight, look like the Netherworld!
He canceled the technique and tried again.
After several attempts, Li Fan finally confirmed that he was not mistaken.
"How can this be?" Li Fan was filled with shock and doubt.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly formed the Water Mirror Technique, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
What he saw was
the Death Qi gathering above his head, which was hundreds of times more intense than that of the mortals on the island!
(End of Chapter)