txolops Chapter 178 Golden Core Crystallization
Chapter 178 Golden Core Crystallization
At this moment, Luo Ming did not resemble a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation who had scattered his power and was rebuilding his cultivation. Instead, he resembled a Nascent Soul cultivator who had lost all his magical power due to severe injuries.
Although his spiritual sense has only reached this level, and his supernatural abilities and secret techniques are still far inferior to those of a true Nascent Soul cultivator, he can absolutely crush a Core Formation cultivator in terms of spiritual sense.
In the future, whether Luo Ming is cultivating immortality techniques or fighting with other cultivators, he will definitely have a great advantage.
"Is this... the strength of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator's spiritual sense?"
Overjoyed, Luo Ming unleashed his incomparably powerful divine sense in all directions with a single thought.
The array formations and restrictions within the secret chamber could not withstand the pressure of this divine sense; the array patterns flickered violently, emitting a buzzing mournful sound, as if they were about to collapse.
The fat sunbird beside it was so overwhelmed by this pressure that it trembled all over, its limbs went limp, and it collapsed to the ground, unable to even lift its head.
Just as Luo Ming was immersed in the joy of his rapidly increasing spiritual power and was recklessly urging it on, a sudden feeling of weakness surged from his limbs and bones, rushing straight to his mind.
His expression changed drastically, and he quickly restrained the violent divine power around him. He was secretly shocked—his divine power was too strong, and his physical body and remaining magic power could hardly support it.
"Do you feel that your physical body is becoming increasingly weak and your qi and blood are stagnant?" The voice of Tianjing Sanren came from the side, with a hint of probing doubt. The Xuan Yuan Pearl hovered slightly around him, its spiritual light faintly appearing.
Luo Ming's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Senior, do you know the reason for this?"
"Hmm... If I'm not mistaken, your spiritual power is too strong, but you lack the corresponding magical power to support it, causing the spiritual power to backfire on your physical body."
Tianjing Sanren spoke slowly, his tone becoming more solemn, "You should know that divine sense is born from magical power. Refining essence into qi and then refining qi into spirit is a gradual process. Right now, your spirit is strong but your qi is weak, and your foundation is unbalanced. Before your magical power reaches the Core Formation stage, you must not use your divine sense casually, otherwise your physical body may not be able to bear the weight, and you will eventually explode and die."
An overly strong divine sense backfired on the physical body? Luo Ming's heart stirred; why did this feel like a divine refinement technique?
Once the spell begins, it cannot be stopped, and in the end, the cultivator's physical body will not be able to withstand the heavy pressure of their divine sense, resulting in them going into a state of demonic possession.
Fortunately, his spiritual power wouldn't keep increasing indefinitely, so there was no need to worry about that.
"If I refine my physical body to the level of a demon beast, will I be free from worry?" he asked hastily, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
"This... is theoretically feasible." Tianjing Sanren pondered. "The physical bodies of demonic beasts are inherently powerful, capable of bearing even stronger divine senses. However, physical cultivation is extremely difficult. Without the assistance of rare and precious materials, even if one spends a lifetime, one may not achieve much. In comparison, focusing on cultivating magical power is the quickest and most reliable method."
After saying that, he felt a little more puzzled. Why was this kid asking this? Did he want to cultivate his physical body as well?
"Senior, rest assured, I am aware of the risks," Luo Ming replied, cupping his hands. "There is no danger in this cave, and I will not recklessly use my divine sense."
After speaking, he focused his mind and withdrew his divine sense until it was completely gone before raising his eyes to look at the Spirit Gathering Cauldron in front of him.
With a slight thought, a grayish crystal flew out of the cauldron and landed steadily in his palm. He immediately focused his attention and examined it carefully.
The crystal was no bigger than a thumb and was inconspicuous. It did not emit any spiritual light, but Luo Ming sensed an indescribable sense of familiarity from it, as if it were a part of his own body.
"This golden core has been refined into this state; I wonder what use it is now?"
"This is formed from pure spiritual energy and infused with a trace of true demonic energy. After being repeatedly tempered by the spirit fire of the Fat Sun Bird, it is actually a rare material for magical treasures."
Tianjing Sanren manipulated the Xuan Yuan Pearl, which flew out of the cauldron and circled the crystal once. His tone was somewhat bewildered, "Even I can't figure out its specific uses. Keep it for now; it may come in handy in the future."
The events of this day were all unbelievable. Even though he had cultivated to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and was well-informed, he couldn't help but be secretly amazed, as it was a truly eye-opening experience.
Since he didn't understand its uses yet, Luo Ming didn't delve any deeper. Using the remaining weak magical power in his body, he put the gray crystal into his storage bag, then sat cross-legged in the center of the spirit-gathering array that had already been set up, and began to cultivate the "Azure Nether Scripture" by forming hand seals with his fingertips.
In order to make it twice as effective to rebuild one's cultivation after dispersing one's power, the cultivation place he set up would probably make even a Nascent Soul cultivator envious.
Inside the cave, the spiritual energy was already abundant, enough to support the cultivation of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator. Luo Ming also placed the Spirit Eye Spring, which he had obtained in his early years, beside him, increasing the concentration of spiritual energy by two layers. Wisps of spiritual energy condensed like white mist, swirling around his body.
The most ingenious thing is this spirit-gathering array—the array's core is densely covered with mid-grade spirit stones, and the few stones at the array's center are even high-grade spirit stones that Nascent Soul cultivators are reluctant to use easily, which has pushed the concentration of spiritual energy in this secret chamber to an unbelievable level.
Cultivating in this environment is much faster than taking pills. If it weren't for the fact that a cultivator's meridians are only so wide and the total amount of spiritual energy they can withstand at any given time is limited, then if they were to take pills internally, the combined effect of internal and external enhancements would make their cultivation speed even faster.
Moreover, the Qi Refining stage is a process of laying a solid foundation, and it is not the best to just rush it.
Luo Ming held his breath, cleared his mind of all distractions, and completely emptied his thoughts. Following the incantation of the *Azure Nether Scripture*, he slowly sensed the surrounding spiritual energy. Initially, his dantian was empty as a valley, and his meridians were sluggish. Only a few wisps of spiritual energy were drawn to him by his body's instincts. However, he remained calm and composed, using his powerful divine sense to introspectively examine himself, subtly regulating his breathing and intention to guide the spiritual energy slowly into his body.
The Azure Nether Scripture truly lives up to its reputation as the supreme cultivation method of the Taiyi Sect of the Great Jin Dynasty. Even the introductory mental cultivation method exudes a sense of righteousness, vastness, and profound depth, subtly aligning with the boundless principles of the Azure Nether. Each realm of the cultivation method has its own exclusive techniques, progressing layer by layer to achieve the ultimate goal of cultivation.
The Qi Refining stage, named "Azure Dew Condensing Edge Technique," is about nourishing Qi with water and tempering metal with Qi, ultimately achieving a state of harmony between metal and water and the free circulation of Qi throughout the body.
Luo Ming carefully comprehended the true meaning of the technique. Following the instructions, he first drew upon the water elemental energy of heaven and earth, allowing it to slowly circulate throughout his meridians, nourishing the blood and qi. Then, he introduced the metal elemental energy to merge with it. One soft and one hard, one smooth and one sharp, the two streams of energy flowed slowly through his meridians, gradually merging into one, perfectly natural.
"Senior Tianjing, we will need your help from now on."
Several days later, Luo Ming, who had reached the first level of cultivation, opened his eyes. A flash of inspiration appeared in his eyes, and he cupped his hands and said to Tianjing Sanren.
"Hehe, the magical power you cultivate using this method is probably unmatched among your peers, far surpassing that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators."
Tianjing Sanren laughed loudly, made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the twelve Xuan Yuan Pearls immediately transformed into twelve streams of light, which swiftly swept across Luo Ming's dantian, setting up a profound array to steadily envelop the gaseous magic power within the dantian.