Chapter 286 – Intimidating Earthly Immortal Realm Cultivators, Comprehending the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art! [8k, requesting monthly tickets]
by spirapiraThe progress of speed-ripening spirit rice was slightly faster than Su Xing had imagined.
In one week, Su Xing had ripened approximately seventy million jin (35,000,000 kg) of spirit rice.
Combined with the spirit rice he had accumulated over the previous year and more, it came to exactly one hundred million jin (50,000,000 kg).
During this time, Su Xing had also set aside time to improve the spirit cultivation and alchemy puppets.
When August 5th arrived, Su Xing tidied things up.
Disguising his appearance and concealing his aura, he brought along the exotic metal ore he had excavated over the past week and flew by sword to Earth.
Inside the Villa, Jin Congxue had been waiting for quite some time.
As always, the two chatted over a fine meal.
Su Xing handed the new week’s ore to Jin Congxue, and after a moment’s thought, also passed along the storage ring containing spirit rice.
“There’s roughly one hundred million jin (50,000,000 kg) of spirit rice in here… exactly the amount for the trade with Great Xia’s government. Keep it with you for now, and after the transaction, just give me the Abyss Stones…”
“And here — this is the new week’s pills and exotic metal ore…”
Su Xing said, handing over several storage rings.
Seeing this, a warm feeling surged through Jin Congxue’s heart.
He was just handing over spirit rice worth a fortune to her, just like that… How much trust must he have in her?
Jin Congxue’s pretty face flushed slightly as she handed over the week’s goods, along with the refined exotic metal, to Su Xing.
Su Xing immediately extracted it all into origin energy, worth approximately fifteen thousand origin energy.
With that, adding in the origin energy provided by Lu Yuanwu, Su Xing’s remaining origin energy came to 43,214 points.
……
After leaving the Villa, Su Xing re-entered the spirit field grotto-heaven.
The simulation cooldown ended quickly, and Su Xing prepared to begin his ninety-eighth simulation.
“Begin simulation!”
【Current remaining origin energy: 43,214 points. Remaining simulation attempts: unlimited.】
【Simulation begins!】
【Drawing a gold legendary talent costs 1 origin energy point. Do you wish to draw?】
“Yes!”
Su Xing said silently.
【Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the purple talent Stronger with Age. Probability of drawing a gold talent next time: 70%…】
【Stronger with Age】: Purple talent. When your age advances and your remaining lifespan drops to twenty percent, this talent activates, increasing your overall strength by twenty percent…
“Sixty percent chance, and I still didn’t draw gold. My luck’s running a bit cold…”
Su Xing shook his head slightly and looked at the new talent.
“Hm? This seems to be a talent where you get stronger the older you get… But with only twenty percent of my lifespan remaining, can I even trigger this?”
Su Xing estimated that at the Human Immortal realm, he could live at least ten thousand years. As for simulating to eight thousand years or so… Su Xing didn’t dare hope for that.
“But come to think of it… didn’t I have a similar lifespan-type talent before?”
Su Xing looked toward a talent that had been lurking in the purple talent pool for a long time.
【Late Bloomer】: Purple talent. Automatically takes effect when your age exceeds one hundred years, doubling your cultivation speed from its current base. (Note: The prerequisite is… you must live to one hundred.)
“The Late Bloomer talent takes effect at one hundred years old… Last time my simulation reached the one hundredth year, which was equivalent to being 123 years old…”
“With twenty-three years of double cultivation speed, that’s equivalent to an extra twenty-three years of cultivation!”
Su Xing’s eyes lit up — this talent was finally proving useful!
And the longer Su Xing’s simulation lasted, the broader the coverage of the Late Bloomer talent would be!
Ultimately, it might be equivalent to the effect of several hundred extra years of cultivation!
“Tsk tsk… The Late Bloomer talent is truly incredible! Isn’t this way stronger than any divine body or holy body?”
Su Xing sighed inwardly. Looking at this purple talent now, its power level was somewhat off the charts!
“In future simulations… I’ll be able to bring this talent out!”
Su Xing murmured.
However, for this simulation, Su Xing still needed to plan things out.
“I need to cultivate the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art as soon as possible… Only then can I maintain rapid advancement in the Immortal realm…”
“And the Great Shaman Body Forging Art — I need to reach Perfection on the first layer as quickly as possible, find leads on the Earth Origin Pill, and figure out how to break through to the second layer!”
Su Xing’s thinking was clear: increasing his strength was the top priority right now.
Alongside cultivation, he would explore the Three Thousand Worlds to find the heavenly materials and earthly treasures he needed.
His gaze turned to the simulation panel.
【In the spirit field grotto-heaven, you realized you were in a simulation.】
【Ten days later, you made a trip to the Luotian Instance…】
【Afterward, you traded spirit rice with Great Xia’s government. Nothing unexpected occurred.】
【You contacted Luo Shuying, obtained a token, and entered the Spirit Realm.】
【Activating the teleportation array, you entered the Spirit Clan’s ancestral land, laid Luo Bing’er’s body to rest, and retrieved a portion of the Luotian Sect’s treasures and spirit liquid.】
【After completing all this, you returned to the spirit field grotto-heaven and focused on cultivating the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art.】
【In the second year, you made another trip to the Luotian Instance…】
【After exiting the Luotian Instance, you headed to the Beast Taming World to clear away obstacles.】
【Before leaving Earth, you found Old Dog Dragon, killed him, and gifted the low-grade pills left behind by the Luotian Sect to Xia’s military, hoping to help Earth hold on a bit longer…】
【Afterward, you traveled to Demon-Sealing Pass and met the aged human Emperor.】
【You asked him why he hadn’t broken through to Saint-stage. If he could reach Saint-stage, the Demon Saint crisis of year twenty-eight might be avoidable.】
【The aged Emperor told you that if he advanced to Saint-stage, he would need to enter Earth’s instance, and at that time, he would lose himself under the guidance of an unknown force…】
【After hearing this, you fell into deep thought, and handed him the Nine Revolutions Pill refined from Old Dog Dragon’s Dragon Pearl, hoping it might help him break through…】
In the Real World, Su Xing’s eyes lit up when he saw this.
“That’s right! The human Emperor is already at Emperor Peak… only one step away from Saint-stage!”
“With the Nine Revolutions Pill… he might actually be able to hold off the Demon Saint and buy Earth more time!”
Su Xing nodded slightly.
With his current physical body and cultivation level, a Nine Revolutions Pill refined from Body Integration stage True Dragon bloodline was virtually useless to him.
Better to leave it for Earth, to help things last a bit longer…
“So next, it’s off to the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!”
“Only there… can my body tempering cultivation grow quickly!”
“And I need to search for leads on the Void Spirit Stone and the Earth Origin Pill…”
Su Xing murmured, his gaze turning to the simulation panel.
【You arrived at the end of the Slaughter Battlefield, killed the Slaughter Apostle, entered the dimensional rift, and arrived at the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm.】
【In the fourth year of the simulation, you visited Celestial Secrets Pavilion, sold relevant intelligence, and earned a substantial sum of spirit stones.】
【You requested Celestial Secrets Pavilion to investigate the whereabouts of the Earth Origin Pill, whose primary ingredient is the Origin-channeling Flower!】
【Celestial Secrets Pavilion accepted your deposit, stating that if any leads on the flower emerged, they would notify you at the first opportunity.】
【After leaving Celestial Secrets Pavilion, you headed to the Celestial Demon City front lines to fight.】
【With your Human Immortal realm cultivation, you easily became a Chiliarch on the front lines.】
【At this time, the front-line pressure was not great. Alien beings with Medium Divine Power rarely appeared, which also meant your blood essence acquisition rate was somewhat slow.】
【Even so, relying on Human Immortal Realm Peak-level blood essence, your Great Shaman Body Forging Art continued to climb slowly.】
【Your strength grew day by day…】
【However, you devoted more of your attention to comprehending the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art.】
【Every day, 8 hours of comprehension, without fail…】
【Just like that, seventeen years passed in the blink of an eye…】
【In the twentieth year, your progress on the Great Shaman Body Forging Art was slow, with your strength gradually climbing to 7,800 mountains of power.】
【However, your progress on the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art was impressive. You estimated you could fully comprehend the first layer within a century.】
【That year, you discovered a Shadow Tribe deity on the battlefield.】
【You expended considerable effort to kill it…】
【However, you chose not to comprehend its divinity, because a single deity with Lesser Divine Power was insufficient to advance your spatial Dao by a tier.】
【You continued fighting on the battlefield, hoping to find alien deities with Medium Divine Power to kill and harvest blood essence from.】
【And so, another five years passed.】
【In the twenty-fifth year, after several years of lying in ambush and observing, you finally found a location frequently visited by an alien deity with Medium Divine Power.】
【Based on your observations, this alien deity’s strength was at the early-stage Earthly Immortal realm.】
【With your strength alone, without using No Martial Virtue, your chances of defeating it were eighty percent, but your chances of killing it were less than sixty percent.】
【So, erring on the side of caution, you reported this to the Earthly Immortal realm commander. Combining your forces, you ambushed the target for a month and successfully killed it!】
【After this battle, you became thoroughly renowned in Celestial Demon City!】
【Having participated in killing an alien deity with Medium Divine Power, you were nominated as a candidate for Earthly Immortal realm commander.】
【With one more battle merit to your name, even though your strength was only at the Human Immortal realm, you could become an Earthly Immortal realm commander.】
【You did not choose the large reward of spirit stones, but instead chose alien blood essence.】
【For the next five years, you entered closed-door cultivation, comprehending the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art and training the Great Shaman Body Forging Art…】
【In the thirtieth year, after exhausting the blood essence, your strength rose further to 8,500 mountains of power!】
【You could feel that you were drawing ever closer to Perfection on the first layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art.】
【For the next ten years, you continued fighting on the front lines, racking up illustrious battle merits.】
【In the fortieth year, you once again coordinated with the Earthly Immortal realm commander to successfully ambush and kill another deity with Medium Divine Power.】
【After harvesting its blood essence, you entered closed-door cultivation once more…】
【In the forty-fifth year, your strength grew to 9,000 mountains of power. Perfection on the first layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art was no longer far away.】
【At this point, relying solely on your physical strength, you could fight a Peak Human Immortal, and against an early-stage Earthly Immortal realm cultivator, your odds of victory exceeded ninety-five percent…】
【But to ensure you could leave the dangerous front lines as early as possible, you did not reveal your true cultivation, continuing to present yourself as a Peak Human Immortal.】
【In the fiftieth year, red-eyed aliens began appearing, and the front-line situation started to reverse.】
【Fortunately, with support from top-tier factions, the defenses still held.】
【As the front-line fighting intensified, your position gave you far more opportunities to acquire Earthly Immortal-level blood essence.】
【And so, ten years passed, during which you accumulated over three hundred jin (150 kg) of Earthly Immortal-level blood essence.】
【In the sixtieth year, your strength reached 9,500 mountains of power.】
【As you approached the first layer’s peak, training the Great Shaman Body Forging Art became somewhat more difficult…】
【That year, you provided intelligence warning of a Heavenly Immortal realm great demon ambush, earning battle merit and officially being promoted to Celestial Demon City Commander!】
【That same year, you received six hundred jin (300 kg) of Earthly Immortal-level blood essence as a reward.】
In the Real World, Su Xing raised an eyebrow when he saw this.
“Hm? Wasn’t it three hundred jin (150 kg) before? How did it become six hundred jin (300 kg) now…”
Su Xing pondered for a moment and understood the reason.
“It must be because of my elevated status… As someone on par with an Earthly Immortal realm commander, even Heavenly Immortals need to court my favor…”
Su Xing nodded slightly, then continued:
“So next, I need to find a way to leave the front lines. The accumulated blood essence is sufficient…”
“I should check with Celestial Secrets Pavilion for intelligence on the Earth Origin Pill, and the Secret Realm where the Void Spirit Stone is located should be opening soon…”
Su Xing murmured, his gaze turning to the simulation panel.
【You continued to stay at the Celestial Demon City front lines, quietly waiting for an opportunity to withdraw safely…】
【And so, three years passed.】
【In the sixty-third year, the alien forces launched a surprise attack on a city at the front lines. You rushed to provide support, where an alien deity equivalent to the early-stage Earthly Immortal realm was rampaging and slaughtering the city’s inhabitants.】
【You unleashed 1,600 Protective Sword Auras and single-handedly slew the deity.】
【Afterward, you feigned the appearance of having exhausted your lifespan, looking as if your lamp had burned dry, and requested to leave the front lines to retire in the rear.】
【Celestial Demon City approved your request and awarded you a badge symbolizing a front-line hero.】
【You received yet another large batch of Earthly Immortal-level blood essence, then retired with honor and left the Celestial Demon City front lines…】
【In the sixty-fifth year, after many twists and turns, you arrived in White Emperor City, where Celestial Secrets Pavilion still existed.】
【The young woman handed you a jade pendant containing intelligence on how to obtain the Origin-channeling Flower…】
In the Real World, Su Xing’s heart stirred when he saw this. He calculated the timing and said silently:
“Activate immersive simulation, duration: 31 days!”
【Ding! You have successfully activated immersive simulation. Remaining energy: 43,181 points…】
Su Xing’s vision shifted, and he appeared inside Celestial Secrets Pavilion’s intelligence shop.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, fellow Daoist?”
The young woman’s voice reached his ears. Su Xing’s expression grew somewhat complicated. After hesitating for a moment, he asked:
“I believe the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm will ultimately be destroyed… I want to leave this realm and flee to a safe world. Does Celestial Secrets Pavilion offer such a service?”
Su Xing felt that he had dealt with this young woman quite a few times now, and perhaps it was worth asking.
After hearing Su Xing’s words, the young woman shook her head slightly.
“I’m sorry. Celestial Secrets Pavilion only sells intelligence and goods… We don’t offer the service of transporting people across realms.”
“However, if you wish to leave this realm, I can point you toward a clear path… Consider it intelligence I’m giving you for free!”
Su Xing’s eyes lit up at this, and he asked, “What path?”
The young woman replied, “Join the Azure Cloud Sect… and go to the Azure Cloud Realm!”
“With the Azure Cloud Sect’s power, you’d have nothing to worry about for at least several thousand years… No fear of a complete alien invasion!”
Hearing this, Su Xing frowned slightly. The Azure Cloud Sect…
He certainly wanted to go!
But once he joined the Azure Cloud Sect, forget a hundred years — he wouldn’t even survive sixty.
Even if he joined as an ordinary disciple, Qingyunzi, having recovered his memories, would surely be able to sense Su Xing’s aura.
In the hands of a Grand Luo, what could Su Xing possibly use to escape?
So Su Xing pressed further:
“Is it only the Azure Cloud Sect? What about White Emperor City… or the Celestial Demon Prison?”
After hearing Su Xing’s words, the young woman shook her head slightly and said:
“Our Celestial Secrets Pavilion does not involve itself in worldly affairs. Apart from the safety of core disciples, we concern ourselves with nothing else…”
“And White Emperor City is merely an alliance of independent cultivators. Unless you’re an internal disciple at White Emperor City’s headquarters, you cannot leave this realm with them.”
“As for the Celestial Demon Prison…”
“The Celestial Demon Prison is too far away… Given their faction’s principles, they would certainly have their disciples fight to the death until the very last moment… to live and die alongside the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm!”
“So the only choice left for you is to join the Azure Cloud Sect…”
Su Xing fell silent after hearing this. Analyzing the facts, it did indeed seem to be the case.
So… escaping the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm could only rely on himself?
Su Xing sighed, cupped his fists in farewell to the young woman, and left.
He headed into White Emperor City and rented a cave dwelling for one year. First, he took out the intelligence jade slip and searched for information on the Origin-channeling Flower.
After reading through the intelligence, a flash of surprise passed through Su Xing’s eyes.
“The Black Water Realm — thirty years ago, a large quantity of Origin-channeling Flowers appeared there… no fewer than a hundred plants?”
The Origin-channeling Flower was the primary ingredient for refining the Earth Origin Pill, and also the only spirit herb Su Xing still lacked.
The Black Water Realm — Su Xing had first learned of this world back when he visited the Advent Cult’s mountain valley, where a Mahayana stage cultivator had originated from that realm.
“Perhaps, once I get my hands on a spirit vessel… I should make a trip to the Black Water Realm!”
Su Xing murmured, then began studying the Luotian Immortal Transformation Art.
He consumed a Spirit Awakening Pill and, with the aid of the Great Wisdom state, began his comprehension…
…
Soon, the immersive simulation ended, and Su Xing returned to reality.
“Not bad — one month of comprehension… and I’ve gained entry into the first layer of the Luotian Immortal Transformation Art…”
“From now on, I can cultivate normally and raise my cultivation level!”
Su Xing nodded with satisfaction.
“Then next, I’ll focus all my efforts on cultivating the Great Shaman Body Forging Art and the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art…”
His gaze turned to the simulation panel.
【You cultivated within White Emperor City for two years. In the sixty-seventh year, you ventured deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.】
【According to the coordinates in the intelligence, seven days from now, a secret realm containing the Void Strange Beast would appear near your location.】
【You prepared in advance, hoping to find Void Spirit Stones…】
【Seven days passed quickly.】
【One day, you felt a stirring in your heart. A hundred li (50 km) away, an intense spatial fluctuation flashed…】
【You knew — the secret realm had emerged!】
【Without hesitation, you rushed toward the secret realm’s location…】
【At the same moment the secret realm appeared, many demon cultivators throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains sensed its emergence and raced toward the location at tremendous speed.】
【The Advent Cult and independent cultivators from White Emperor City were farther away, but they too spurred their mounts onward and would arrive within days.】
【However, because you had obtained the secret realm’s location in advance, you were the first to step inside…】
【But upon entering the secret realm, you froze.】
【The intelligence contained no detailed description of the secret realm’s interior — only its location and timing. Everything else required your own exploration.】
【Your current location appeared to be a collapsed pocket dimension. Chaotic spatial currents sliced like blades — even a Human Immortal realm immortal who entered would face nine deaths for every chance of survival…】
【You extended your divine sense, hoping to locate the Void Strange Beast and the Void Spirit Stones…】
【But this void secret realm was like a labyrinth, filled with chaotic currents everywhere that severely interfered with divine sense.】
【You could only rely on divination and your own good fortune, heading in the direction your sixth sense pointed…】
【Fortunately, your deep comprehension of the spatial Dao kept you from getting lost in this void labyrinth…】
【In the end, after spending several days, you finally reached the deepest point of the void labyrinth!】
【You beheld the corpse of the Void Strange Beast…】
【The Void Strange Beast’s body was perfectly preserved. Its form somewhat resembled a small dog, yet it was the size of a person…】
【Beside the Void Strange Beast, you found several stones glowing with white light — the very Void Spirit Stones you needed!】
【Joy surged in your heart, and you immediately reached for the Void Spirit Stones.】
【Just as you stowed the Void Strange Beast away, you sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching.】
【Two late-stage Earthly Immortal realm Demon Kings, along with three late-stage Earthly Immortal realm human cultivators, arrived at the same time!】
【They turned their gazes upon you, eyes filled with surprise, seemingly unable to believe that a Human Immortal realm cultivator had beaten them here.】
【Seeing the five Earthly Immortal realm powerhouses who had arrived, you furrowed your brow. With your strength alone, holding off even one late-stage Earthly Immortal was no easy feat — let alone five.】
【After a moment of silence, you pointed toward the Void Strange Beast’s corpse, indicating you were willing to relinquish the beast’s body and only wished to leave.】
【Upon hearing your words, the two Earthly Immortal realm Demon Kings nodded in agreement. The human cultivators outnumbered them on the surface, so they naturally preferred you to leave.】
【However, a human cultivator concealed within a black robe revealed a chilling smile.】
【He said: The Void Strange Beast is accompanied by precious Void Spirit Stones. Though not as valuable as the corpse itself, they are still not something a mere Human Immortal realm cultivator should dare to touch…】
【Hearing this, you narrowed your eyes. After some hesitation, you took out one Void Spirit Stone and handed it over.】
【This time, you had obtained four Void Spirit Stones. To ensure your artifact refinement went smoothly, you needed to keep at least three…】
【However, this black-robed cultivator was clearly not someone upright. He pressed you aggressively, claiming you surely had more than one, and wanted to search your storage artifact…】
【Naturally, you refused. But the human cultivator stepped forward, seemingly about to take action by force…】
【Under these circumstances, you appeared to give up resisting. You cupped your fists, took out your remaining three Void Spirit Stones, and tossed them far toward the black-robed cultivator.】
【A flash of greed passed through the black-robed cultivator’s eyes… He reached out as if to grab the Void Spirit Stones.】
【At that very moment, you activated your Protective Sword Aura — sixteen hundred blades of sword aura combined with No Martial Virtue, and you struck at the black-robed cultivator!】
【This was your strongest blow!】
【With this strike, you were confident you could grievously wound even a late-stage Earthly Immortal realm cultivator!】
【The black-robed cultivator was caught completely off guard. He never imagined that a mere Human Immortal realm cultivator would dare to attack him…】
【But the instant he saw the sword aura, he reacted, swiftly releasing his Spirit Domain, forming layers of twisted space around his body.】
【This was actually a cultivator who had comprehended the Great Dao of Space in the Earthly Immortal realm! And he had integrated it into his Spirit Domain!】
【However, his reaction was ultimately half a step too slow…】
【His outstretched left arm was instantly severed. He suffered multiple grievous wounds, bleeding profusely, his combat strength greatly diminished…】
【Having grievously wounded an Earthly Immortal realm cultivator in a single strike, you swiftly retrieved all four Void Spirit Stones. Gripping the Blackice sword, you watched the surrounding cultivators with vigilance.】
【You pointed at the Void Strange Beast’s corpse, declaring you would not participate in the contest for it — all you sought were the Void Spirit Stones.】
【Seeing that you possessed the power to grievously wound an Earthly Immortal realm cultivator, they dared not ignore you and immediately stated you were free to leave at any time.】
【You nodded slightly, keeping your aura at full intensity as you swiftly departed the void secret realm and returned to White Emperor City…】
【You committed the labyrinth map within the secret realm to memory and drew a map.】
Back in the Real World, Su Xing felt his heart tremble at the sight of this.
“Tsk tsk… As expected, the cultivation world is all about licking blood off knife edges!”
“Only absolute strength… gives you a voice!”
Su Xing sighed with emotion. This secret realm expedition of killing for treasures had given him quite an education.
“It’s just a pity about that Void Strange Beast’s corpse… I probably won’t be able to face five late-stage Earthly Immortal realm cultivators simultaneously and seize the body until I reach the Earthly Immortal realm myself, right?”
Su Xing shook his head slightly. Still, obtaining the Void Spirit Stones this time had already satisfied his needs.
“Let me memorize every detail of this secret realm’s intelligence map, to make the next raid easier!”
“Activating immersive simulation…”
【Ding…】
Su Xing’s consciousness entered the simulated world, then returned. New memories of the secret realm now filled his mind.
His gaze returned to the simulation panel.
【After leaving the void secret realm, you cultivated within White Emperor City. In the blink of an eye, eight years passed.】
【In the seventy-fifth year, your Great Shaman Body Forging Art advanced further, reaching nine thousand nine hundred mountains of power — just one step away from Perfection of the first layer.】
【In the eightieth year, one day inspiration struck like a bolt from the blue. When the morning sun rose and the first wisp of purple qi entered your body, your mental state and comprehension became profoundly different.】
【You felt a lightness wash over your entire body, and your cultivation speed increased more than tenfold in a single double-hour!】
【2 hours of cultivation could match an entire day of bitter training!】
【You had finally entered the first layer of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art — able to absorb the qi of the 24 hours!】
【Each day, cultivating for just 2 hours could match a full day of ordinary cultivation!】
【Of course, you only had that 2 hours each day when the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art was effective…】
Back in the Real World, Su Xing took a deep breath at this sight, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.
“Not bad… eighty years of bitter cultivation, plus the two months of immersive simulation before… equivalent to a hundred years of hard training, and I’ve finally entered the first layer!”
“It’s just a pity — the true significance of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art’s first layer isn’t about increasing cultivation speed… but about saving time!”
“From now on, I only need to spend 2 hours on qi refinement… and the remaining time can be devoted to the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation without any conflict!”
After a pause, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in Su Xing’s eyes.
“If I could enter the second layer of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art…”
“Absorbing the qi of the twenty-four solar terms! Cultivating just twenty-four days per year would match two years of cultivation! Only then… would my cultivation speed truly skyrocket!”
“I just wonder how long this second layer will take?”
Su Xing was somewhat curious as his gaze turned to the simulation panel.
【One day, the Blessed by Fortune talent sent a warning. You knew the Advent Cult was likely coming to hunt you down.】
【So you acted decisively, preparing to leave and heading for the Hundred Thousand Mountains.】
【In the ninetieth year, you carved out a cave dwelling in the Hundred Thousand Mountains and entered seclusion for a full ten years!】
【One day, enlightenment dawned upon you. You sensed you had reached a certain bottleneck — your physical strength would grow no further…】
【You had finally cultivated the first layer of the Great Shaman Body Forging Art to Perfection!】
【Your pure physical strength reached the power of mountains and rivers, enough to physically contend with a Perfection-level Human Immortal realm cultivator!】
【A month passed. One day, you felt a deep unease, and so you performed divination…】
【You decided to flee to Celestial Demon City to evade pursuit.】
【In the ninety-first year, you traveled to the mountains outside Celestial Demon City and carved out a cave dwelling to cultivate.】
【You began cultivating the second layer of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art…】
【In the blink of an eye, ten years passed…】
【You remained completely baffled by the second layer of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art. The qi of the twenty-four solar terms required cultivation on the corresponding solar term days.】
【Only by comprehending the differences in heaven and earth’s qi on each solar term day could you enjoy the benefit of one day’s cultivation matching one month.】
【Over ten years, you pondered deeply, accumulating two hundred and forty days of cultivation, yet you had only gained insight into the qi of the Awakening of Insects.】
【On the day of Awakening of Insects, you felt your cultivation speed increase several times over compared to normal…】
【But complete comprehension of the second layer remained far out of reach…】
Su Xing nodded slightly at this and said:
“The Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art — the qi to be comprehended at each layer is different…”
“The first layer’s 24 hours qi — only during that 2 hours each day when the purple qi is born can one more precisely capture the essence of the technique…”
“And the twenty-four solar terms — cultivating on the corresponding solar term day allows for faster comprehension?”
Su Xing fell into thought. The Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art was essentially about absorbing qi.
This qi encompassed many things — Five Elements qi, natural qi, Great Dao qi, and so on…
“If that’s the case, could the experience from the Five Elements Cycle Art be applied to cultivating the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art?”
Su Xing pondered this as his gaze returned to the simulation panel.
【In the hundredth year, one day you felt a premonition — within days, calamity would arrive…】
【You knew that the one coming to assassinate you this time was most likely Blood Three.】
【But this time, you did not intend to sit and wait for death.】
【You went to Celestial Demon City to seek shelter. With your hero status, you naturally received special attention.】
【You explained that over the past years, you had inadvertently entered a secret realm and consumed heavenly treasures that healed your injuries. Now you had returned to serve on the Celestial Demon City front lines, once again fighting against the aliens!】
【In your words, you made no mention of Blood Three. You simply wished to stay within Celestial Demon City and fight the aliens together.】
【Although the upper echelons of Celestial Demon City found your story absurd, they could not discern why you had truly returned… and could only assume you possessed a patriotic heart and the will to fight the aliens!】
【Thus, you were assigned to the front lines to resist the alien army.】
【Upon arriving at the front, you finally understood just how dire the situation at Celestial Demon City’s front lines had become.】
【The millions of cultivators from days past… after a century of warfare, more than half had already perished. Fewer than a million remained.】
【The front-line defenses were riddled with gaps. With the current number of cultivators, it was impossible to hold enough key cities.】
【And compared to several decades ago, the aliens showed no signs whatsoever of weakening…】
【Especially the endless tide of red-eyed aliens on the battlefield, surging forward like a black tide…】
【You spent several days at the front, and the crisis seemed to temporarily abate.】
【It appeared that even Blood Three did not dare easily enter the Celestial Demon City front lines…】
【After all, Celestial Demon City was guarded by an avatar of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal!】
【You remained at the front for several months, observing the battles during that time.】
【Watching the alien army charge fiercely, then retreat in haste, you felt a strange sensation in your heart…】
【These aliens clearly had the strength to take Celestial Demon City in one fell swoop… yet they deliberately held back at the critical moment every single time!】
【They seemed to be… waiting for a certain moment to arrive?】