Chapter 226 – Aptitude Surpassing the Heavenly Spirit Root, Preparations for Body Integration Breakthrough!

Su Xing looked at his newly drawn talent and shook his head.

As expected, he still hadn’t drawn a gold-quality talent.

“Chess Grandmaster… I once heard about this in the Luotian Assembly dungeon. Among the hundred Daos of cultivation, chess, painting, and other such arts — if one achieves a sudden epiphany, they can ascend to immortality on the spot…”

“However, this Dao is no less difficult. Biting off more than you can chew helps nothing… I’ll stick to honest cultivation!”

Su Xing shook his head slightly and began formulating his goals for this simulation.

“Attempt a breakthrough to the Body Integration stage! With two Origin Forces in my possession… I have at least a sixty percent chance of breaking through!”

“On top of that, if I can find the spirit vein dragon and make the spiritual energy in the spirit field grotto-heaven even more abundant, the odds of a successful breakthrough could reach eighty percent!”

Su Xing murmured to himself.

“But on Earth, Emperor-level powerhouses mysteriously disappear… I wonder if I’ll encounter the same thing after breaking through to the Body Integration stage? Will I be targeted by the blood moon?”

Su Xing wasn’t certain about this, but regardless, he had to give it a try.

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【In the spirit field grotto-heaven, you realized you were in a simulation.】

【Out of caution, you didn’t rush to break through to the Body Integration stage, but instead began studying the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【You went to the market, purchased many fish fry, dug a pond in the spirit field grotto-heaven, and stocked it with the fry.】

【Half a month later, after accumulating a full day’s worth of Great Wisdom state enhancement, you prepared to enter the Luotian Assembly dungeon.】

Su Xing nodded slightly at this and silently intoned:

“Activate immersive simulation function, duration twenty-four hours!”

【Ding, you have successfully activated immersive… remaining energy: 2,415,030,000 points.】

As the simulator’s notification faded, Su Xing appeared inside the Luotian Sect.

After completing the series of quest procedures, Su Xing arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.

Going straight to the fifth floor, Su Xing quickly found the objective of this trip.

“Heaven-tier technique, Myriad Blazing Flame Art!”

“This technique is meant for cultivation after the Body Integration stage, and at its peak, it’s powerful enough to break through to the Human Immortal Realm!”

“I’m not far from the Body Integration stage… it’s time to start planning for the technique I’ll need afterward…”

Su Xing murmured, then began memorizing the Myriad Blazing Flame Art.

Under the enhancement of the Great Wisdom state, Su Xing’s memorization speed was remarkably fast.

In just one day, Su Xing had memorized a full quarter of the entire Heaven-tier technique.

When the immersive simulation time ended, Su Xing returned to the Real World and nodded approvingly:

“Not bad. The Myriad Blazing Flame Art shares a direct lineage with the Thousand Blazing Flame Art… Transitioning from the Thousand Blazing Flame Art to the Myriad Blazing Flame Art will undoubtedly be much easier!”

Su Xing estimated that by the end of the next simulation, he should be able to memorize the Myriad Blazing Flame Art in its entirety.

Spending no more than ten million energy to obtain a Heaven-tier technique for free — that was truly a bargain.

His gaze turned once more to the simulation panel.

【Another half month passed, and the appointed time with Luo Shuying arrived.】

【You joined the Advent Cult and became one of the Advent Cult’s Protectors.】

【You quickly attracted a large following of admirers.】

【But this time you had no interest in building your position within the Advent Cult, because you had already decided to defect, aiming for a longer simulation duration in order to break through to the Body Integration stage.】

【Within the Advent Cult, you refined pills daily. Higher-quality pills such as Essence Nurturing Pills and Organ Tempering Pills were still beyond what your puppet could produce.】

【In the second year, you visited the Luotian Assembly dungeon once more, preparing to continue memorizing the Myriad Blazing Flame Art.】

“Activate…”

【Ding, you have successfully activated immersive… remaining energy: 2,412,630,000 points.】

…

Soon, one session of immersive simulation ended. Su Xing finished memorizing another portion of the Myriad Blazing Flame Art and returned to the Real World.

Looking at the simulation panel before him, Su Xing murmured:

“Breaking through to the Body Integration stage requires a place with extremely dense spiritual energy…”

“To be safe, if I summon the spirit vein dragon into the spirit field grotto-heaven, that should suffice.”

“But the spirit vein dragon could easily attract Protector Dragon’s attention… To prevent any surprises, I should first study the micro spirit-gathering formation, so this simulation doesn’t go to waste…”

【After leaving the Luotian Assembly dungeon, you returned to the Advent Cult.】

【As always, you refined pills daily.】

【In the third year, seeing the time was ripe, you took Luo Shuying and defected from the Advent Cult.】

【You provided Great Xia with many pills, and Great Xia gained many new powerhouses.】

【After that, you devoted yourself entirely to studying the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Setting up the micro spirit-gathering formation required comprehension of the Dao of Talismans, so you began studying the Dao of Talismans.】

【And so, two years passed.】

【In the fifth year, thanks to the Talisman Expert talent, in just two years you had already achieved an introductory level in the Dao of Talismans.】

【You could successfully inscribe talismans from First through Third Rank.】

【But this alone was far from sufficient, so you continued delving deeper into the Dao of Talismans.】

【And so, another two years passed.】

【By the fifth year, you were able to achieve preliminary mastery of Fifth Rank talisman inscription, and were not far from reaching Minor Mastery in the Dao of Talismans.】

【Thus, you prepared to formally begin studying the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【In the sixth year, after six years of breeding, the number of spirit carp in your spirit field had grown to tens of thousands.】

【You took out the spirit carp, sensed the flow of spiritual energy through their bodies, and began attempting to inscribe the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Over the course of a year, thousands of spirit carp died at your hands.】

【Your comprehension of the micro spirit-gathering formation improved significantly, but you still hadn’t reached the introductory level.】

【You began purchasing a new batch of spirit carp, continuing to inscribe spirit-gathering formations on them daily.】

【And so, another year passed.】

【In the seventh year, you finally achieved introductory mastery of the micro spirit-gathering formation, capable of setting up an ordinary-quality First Rank spirit-gathering formation.】

【An ordinary-quality First Rank micro spirit-gathering formation was equivalent to the daily cultivation speed of a Five-element mixed spiritual root cultivator.】

【You continued your research into the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【In the eighth year, you were already able to set up excellent-quality First Rank micro spirit-gathering formations.】

【You consolidated your foundations by inscribing this formation on every spirit carp in the pond.】

【Through day after day of studying the spirit-gathering formation, you progressed rapidly.】

【And so, two years passed.】

【In the tenth year, you were able to successfully inscribe excellent-quality micro spirit-gathering formations.】

【When this spirit-gathering formation was successfully activated, it was equivalent to the cultivation progress of a four-attribute mixed spiritual root cultivator practicing day and night without rest.】

【But for you, this speed was still somewhat slow.】

【So you continued attempting to learn the Third Rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【In the eleventh year, your accumulated efforts bore fruit, and your comprehension of the micro spirit-gathering formation advanced further. You successfully set up a Third Rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【From there, you began attempting to inscribe the spirit-gathering formation on spirit chickens.】

【The flow of spiritual energy in spirit chickens was very different from spirit carp, and through this process, your understanding of the essence and flow of spiritual energy deepened further.】

【And so, another three years passed.】

【In the twelfth year, you successfully inscribed a Fourth Rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【If this spirit-gathering formation were inscribed on a spirit chicken, it could grant the spirit chicken a cultivation speed comparable to that of a Dual-Attribute Spirit Root cultivator.】

In the Real World, Su Xing couldn’t help but marvel at this.

“This micro spirit-gathering formation is truly marvelous beyond measure!”

“Placing it on a chicken can actually give that chicken a cultivation speed equivalent to a Dual-Attribute Spirit Root cultivator?”

One had to understand — not every cultivator possessed aptitudes like a Heavenly Spirit Root or True Spirit Root.

A Dual-Attribute Spirit Root was already considered genius-level among ordinary cultivators.

And with the micro spirit-gathering formation, one could essentially mass-produce genius cultivators!

“At this rate… if I successfully master the Sixth Rank micro spirit-gathering formation, wouldn’t I be able to create cultivation aptitude rivaling that of a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator?”

“At that point… it would mean my own cultivation aptitude would effectively double!”

At this thought, Su Xing couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【Having successfully set up the Fourth Rank micro spirit-gathering formation, your mastery of this formation was approaching Minor Mastery, and your rate of progress slowed somewhat.】

【But you were not discouraged, continuing to practice setting up the micro spirit-gathering formation daily using spirit carp and spirit chickens.】

【And so, another two years passed.】

【Year fourteen: you can now arrange excellent-quality micro spirit-gathering formations, and your passive cultivation speed is even slightly faster than that of an ordinary Dual-Attribute Spirit Root cultivator.】

【You begin attempting to learn the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Year fifteen: arranging the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation is even more difficult than you imagined.】

【In just one short year, thousands of spirit carp and over a thousand spirit chickens have died at your hands.】

【You discover that these spirit pets, due to their limited innate aptitude, cannot withstand micro spirit-gathering formations of too high a rank. The excessively fast rate of spiritual energy absorption causes their bodies to explode and die.】

【As a result, your study of the micro spirit-gathering formation has hit a bottleneck.】

【Year sixteen: you begin cultivating superior spirit chickens and spirit carp, using them to continue learning the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【At the same time, you begin attempting to inscribe micro spirit-gathering formations on puppets.】

【Two more years pass like this.】

【Year eighteen: through your relentless efforts, you have finally barely mastered the arrangement of the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【A fifth-rank spirit-gathering formation can grant a Five-element mixed spiritual root cultivator a cultivation speed comparable to a True Spirit Root cultivator!】

【What’s even more astonishing is that this micro spirit-gathering formation operates non-stop twenty-four hours a day, making its effects even more terrifying.】

【Year nineteen: your mastery of the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation has risen another level.】

【You feel that you should now be able to use yourself as the test subject, inscribing the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation onto your own skin.】

【But out of caution, you decide to experiment on Little Beauty first.】

【The puppet you named Little Beauty has been confirmed by you as a puppet cultivator. Unlike ordinary puppets, puppet cultivators can actually cultivate and enhance their own cultivation level.】

【Little Beauty, who was once at the Foundation Establishment stage, has now become a Golden Core cultivator.】

【Compared to spirit carp and spirit chickens, Little Beauty, as a puppet cultivator, may lack autonomous consciousness, but her constitution more closely resembles that of an ordinary cultivator.】

【If the micro spirit-gathering formation can successfully operate on Little Beauty, it means you can inscribe it on yourself as well.】

【One day, after making thorough preparations, you begin attempting to inscribe the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation onto Little Beauty’s body.】

【You first conduct a meticulous study of the spiritual energy circulation within Little Beauty’s body. This process alone lasts several hours.】

【After all, unlike the plentiful spirit carp, there is only one puppet cultivator Little Beauty — you must proceed with the utmost caution.】

【You take out the materials for arranging the formation and begin attempting to inscribe the micro spirit-gathering formation on Little Beauty’s back.】

【The spirit brush traces elegant lines across the puppet’s back. You are utterly focused, fully immersed in the inscription of the micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【Stroke by stroke, you strive to make every detail as meticulous as possible.】

【A full day and night passes like this…】

【You maintain control over every detail. Your Subtle Realm divine sense is displayed to its fullest at this moment, beads of sweat faintly trailing down your forehead.】

【Several more hours later, even the posture of your hand holding the brush has grown stiff… the spiritual energy and divine sense throughout your body begin to waver.】

【But you still grit your teeth and persevere. You have come to fully appreciate the difficulty of arranging the micro spirit-gathering formation — it is an enormous drain on one’s mental focus and vital energy.】

【Even a high-rank cultivator would struggle to maintain this level of intense mental concentration and painstaking effort for long…】

【After an unknown amount of time, the thought of giving up begins to form in your mind, because the circulation of spiritual energy in a humanoid body is simply too complex.】

【Hundreds of thousands of meridians, millions upon millions of spiritual energy flow patterns — they leave you mentally and physically drained.】

【But you still grit your teeth and hold on. Just then, you suddenly feel a wave of lightness wash over your entire body.】

【On the puppet’s back, the lines of spiritual energy circulation seem to glow faintly, and you can effortlessly capture every single detail.】

【Seeing this, you hurriedly adjust your breathing and immerse yourself once more in this wondrous state of perception.】

【You have successfully triggered a Spontaneous Epiphany…】

【From this point on, your vision contains nothing but this micro spirit-gathering formation, nothing but the constantly shifting, flowing spiritual energy. You are utterly focused…】

【In the blink of an eye, two days have passed…】

【When you emerge from the state of epiphany, you feel a sense of wistful loss.】

【But when you see the completed micro spirit-gathering formation before your eyes, joy instantly floods your heart!】

【You succeeded! You have successfully inscribed a fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation on the puppet cultivator, and it is of excellent quality!】

【An excellent-quality fifth-rank spirit-gathering formation brings the passive cultivation speed rating to eighty!】

【Not far off from the Heavenly Spirit Root standard of one hundred cultivation levels.】

【Though you are utterly drained in mind and spirit at this moment, you feel an extraordinary sense of fulfillment.】

【You can sense that you are not far from being able to craft a sixth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation.】

【As for fifth-rank excellent-quality spirit-gathering formations, you can now craft them with ease.】

【Your mastery of the micro spirit-gathering formation has reached Minor Mastery-level!】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief at this, a trace of satisfaction on his face.

“Not bad! Successfully learned the fifth-rank excellent-quality micro spirit-gathering formation…”

“Eighty cultivation levels… though it hasn’t reached the Heavenly Spirit Root standard, it’s not far off!”

One had to understand — Su Xing’s cultivation speed was already 150 times that of an ordinary Five-element mixed spiritual root cultivator!

If this fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation were added on top of that, Su Xing’s cultivation speed would reach a staggering 230 times!

This had undoubtedly surpassed Heavenly Spirit Root quality, reaching the cultivation speed of an even higher-grade spirit root!

“The Scripture Pavilion of the Luotian Sect once recorded that above the Heavenly Spirit Root lies the Super Spirit Root!”

“Super Spirit Root cultivators are one in a billion! They are true children of destiny, born as the seeds of immortality!”

“If I relied on lottery draws, perhaps I could obtain a gold-quality spirit root, which should be what they call a Super Spirit Root…”

“But the odds are just too low! Rather than pinning my hopes on luck, it’s better to rely on myself!”

After a pause, Su Xing said with satisfaction:

“The micro spirit-gathering formation, combined with my mutated Heavenly Spirit Root aptitude — even if my cultivation speed doesn’t match a Super Spirit Root, it probably isn’t far off!”

Su Xing’s confidence in his future Body Integration stage cultivation grew even stronger.

One had to understand — for a Body Integration stage cultivator, breaking through even a single minor realm might require a hundred years.

If Su Xing didn’t further improve his aptitude, perhaps a single simulation would only raise him by one or two minor realms, and that pace would be far too slow…

As the saying goes, a craftsman must first sharpen his tools. With the micro spirit-gathering formation, Su Xing could absolutely ensure rapid cultivation progress even during the Body Integration stage!

“Next, I can attempt the breakthrough to the Body Integration stage!”

With this thought, Su Xing’s gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【After comprehending the fifth-rank excellent-quality micro spirit-gathering formation, you are mentally drained, so you decide to recuperate for a while first.】

【Three months quickly pass, and your physical, mental, and spiritual state has been adjusted back to its peak.】

【One day, sensing an inner calling, you cast a divination for yourself. The hexagram reads greatly auspicious.】

【So without further hesitation, you take out your materials and prepare to inscribe the micro spirit-gathering formation on your own body.】

【The micro spirit-gathering formation is a matter of great importance. If it fails, while it won’t cost you your life, it will disrupt your energy flow and cause your spiritual energy to be unsettled for some time — unfavorable for your cultivation.】

【Though you are fully confident in arranging the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation, you, ever the cautious one, still choose to divine beforehand.】

【You focus all your concentration, your brush dancing like a dragon and serpent, and begin inscribing the micro spirit-gathering formation on the skin over your dantian.】

【The entire process takes approximately two hours.】

【Without the slightest mishap, you succeed!】

【A palm-sized micro spirit-gathering formation, exquisitely crafted and resembling a tattoo, appears on your skin.】

【You settle your mind and sense the enhancement the micro spirit-gathering formation bestows upon you.】

【Without you even circulating any technique, the surrounding spiritual energy automatically bores into your dantian, transforming into your own spiritual energy.】

【With the micro spirit-gathering formation, you are essentially cultivating automatically around the clock, twenty-four hours a day!】

【Moreover, this micro spirit-gathering formation can automatically replenish any spiritual energy you expend…】

【Your cultivation speed and spiritual energy recovery speed have been massively enhanced!】

【After completing the fifth-rank micro spirit-gathering formation, you begin preparing for your breakthrough to the Body Integration stage.】

【Year twenty: you travel to the Beast Taming World and spend one year slaughtering the entire army of Legendary-tier demon beasts.】

【This is done to secure more ample time for your Body Integration breakthrough.】

【Year twenty-one: you travel to the Age of Immortals and Martial Arts dungeon and enter the Myriad Wood Sect ruins.】

【Empowered by Origin Force, you shatter Perfected One Myriad Wood with a single punch, simultaneously freeing the spirit vein dragon.】

【The moment the spirit vein dragon breaks free, its aura begins to leak out.】

【To prevent Protector Dragon from detecting anything amiss, you destroy the Myriad Wood Sect ruins.】

【Afterward, you shield the heavenly secrets and erase all traces.】

【You leave Earth and enter the Demon-Sealing Pass dungeon.】

【Within the city of Demon-Sealing Pass, you find a secluded corner, deploy the Technique to Shield from Heavenly Divination, and enter the spirit field grotto-heaven.】

【After entering the spirit field grotto-heaven, you console the spirit vein dragon you kidnapped.】

【You feed it copious amounts of spirit liquid, and the spirit vein dragon quickly drinks itself into a Spirit-Drunkenness.】

【The spirit vein dragon falls into a deep slumber within the grotto-heaven. The spiritual energy it exudes further elevates the quality of the spirit field grotto-heaven.】

【From this point on, you cast divinations daily.】

【Thanks to the bonus from your Blessed by Fortune talent, your daily hexagrams read as minor fortune, but rarely do you see a greatly auspicious reading.】

【Finally, one day, you divine a greatly auspicious hexagram once more…】

【You hesitate no longer. You immediately consume a large quantity of spirit liquid and begin preparing for your breakthrough to the Body Integration stage!】