Eternal Tale

The era of peace they enjoyed was hard-won, paid for by the blood of their ancestors. In ancient times, cultivators had to be exceptionally strong to survive relentless battles against powerful beings and other dangers. Over generations, humans claimed their place in the world, while other beings, who either submitted or survived through bloodshed, passed down a deep-seated fear of humans. This environment meant that today’s cultivators, despite their strength, couldn’t easily reach the same heights of power as those from ancient times.

In times of catastrophe, humans showed unmatched unity and creativity, creating advancements that many creatures could only envy. Humans might be ordinary, but their ingenuity was truly remarkable.

If a practitioner fully mastered body tempering, even a single punch could wield tremendous force. Even when their spiritual power was depleted, they could rely on their bodies to slice mountains and split seas—their very form becoming a priceless treasure.

“But my meridians are severed, my spiritual path blocked; there’s no easy way forward,” Chen Xun muttered as arcs of white lightning crackled around his body. Sparks danced over his form, transforming his hair to silver and filling his eyes with a cold, steely light. The sheer energy coursing through him revealed an unfeeling, relentless determination to push forward.

His qi and blood pulsed with newfound energy, sending ripples across the sea, which vibrated out in all directions. Encased in a dazzling white glow, his body seemed to radiate a strange brilliance as he scrutinized the body-tempering techniques he’d acquired.

“Seems there are no shortcuts here,” he said with a sigh, noting several spirit herbs that could be used as substitutes for beast blood in tempering, though their costs were staggering.

Without the vast resources they had on their island, he would’ve tossed these manuals aside long ago. They demanded far more than the average cultivator could afford to consume. Modern cultivators would fight for a single mineral vein, and even that would likely only be found after years in the Forbidden Sea.

The path of body tempering would make enemies everywhere. Da Li had relegated it to a supplementary art—a wise choice, considering its challenges.

Chen Xun felt the potent force left by his tribulation still lying dormant within him, having only impacted his outer body. He had yet to fully integrate it or understand the right method of refining it.

He closed his eyes, choosing a basic technique at random to practice while observing his body. As he began to release the restrained power, his body shone with intense white light, unfurling the latent energy he had stored ever since he survived the tribulation.

When he had transcended the Nascent Soul tribulation, he’d forcibly compressed that energy within himself. Even as a Golden Core, he had felt the presence of this hidden strength but had been unable to release it. This was why he’d been searching so urgently for a body-tempering method.

Now his body tightened, and his veins swelled visibly as the tribulation force began to circulate within, guided by the manual’s instructions.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The air around him pulsed with a primal rhythm, like the deep breaths of a massive beast, carrying an air of foreboding danger.

“The body-tempering arts act as an amplifier, granting the system’s power even greater effectiveness…” he muttered, his voice merging with the thunderous beat. “But this technique falls short. I need to craft my own profound method, create secret orifices within to act as reserves.”

At his words, white lightning flared from within, sending towering waves across the sea that surged endlessly into the sky, transforming the dark waters into a churning, restless surface. Black fish with jagged teeth floated to the top, charred from the crackling energy.

The manuals floated around him in mid-air, their pages turning but staying focused on the introductory body-tempering stages; Chen Xun hadn’t bothered with the advanced techniques yet. He’d always believed that the foundation held the real wisdom. Grasping the initial stages fully was no waste of his status as a Nascent Soul peak cultivator; the mental clarity of his level allowed him to understand each detail deeply.

At the center of the island’s quarry, Xiao Chi’s eyes widened as he noticed the raging lightning by the shore. “Brother Ox, can Big Brother use lightning spells?”

“Moo~~” Brother Ox exhaled, also stunned. Big Brother was releasing the tribulation power stored within, even at the risk of wasting it!

Xiao Chi gasped. Could it be that Brother Xun had never truly unleashed his full power? When they had first seen Chen Xun’s colossal Nascent Soul, it had been overwhelming, and even then, he hadn’t used all five Nascent Souls simultaneously.

Brother Ox didn’t bother with such complex thoughts. When it came to techniques, he left the decisions to Big Brother, trusting his guidance completely. After a brief glance, he returned his attention to the formation diagrams, the teleportation array requiring ample spirit stones, and modifications were in order.

In their past journeys through the Nine Palaces Mountains, they’d discovered a method of converting five-element energy into spiritual energy. Still, finding a stable container for it, something akin to spirit stones, remained elusive.

“Moo~” Brother Ox resumed his work with intense focus, surrounded by Starshifting Black Ore. Even if some were wasted, Big Brother wouldn’t hold it against him.

“Brother Ox, I’m off to mine more.”

“Moo~”

Brother Ox nodded, positioning himself outside the quarry and dedicating himself to the intricate array designs. Teleportation arrays were notoriously complex, with even a small error potentially leading to fatal spatial dislocation or a deadly space storm. ＲåꞐȪ฿Еś

Xiao Chi stole a glance at Brother Ox before enlarging his body, throwing himself into the task of gathering ore. He knew his strength was limited, but every bit of help he could provide was valuable.

With formation flags stationed at the five cardinal points, Brother Ox deftly manipulated them, pulling additional materials from his storage ring and beginning with a smaller teleportation setup. He took a deep breath, fully committed to creating a unique formation—a five-element teleportation array.

By the shore, Chen Xun immersed himself in meditation. His hair now a brilliant silver, his gaze had become chilling and inhuman, utterly detached and devoid of emotion. The tribulation energy seemed to stir an inner darkness, revealing a different side of him.

Looking toward Brother Ox’s direction, he felt a rare flicker of calm, his expression softening as various manuals hovered around him. He began writing down his insights in his notebook, fully absorbed in his research.

“‘Five Element Profound Arts,’ body apertures… I’ll name it that for now. After all, it’s my own creation,” he mused, feeling the familiar sense of power from the system’s enhancement. “Thank you, ancient sages; I’ll make sure this knowledge lives on!”

With that, he slipped into deep meditation, communing with the essence of the world and beginning to glimpse an entirely new path.

This surge of insight revealed to him a hidden realm within the energy fields of the world—the pure essence of creation itself.

Essence, or vital energy, was the primal force that permeated the body from birth, first felt in the mother’s womb and buried deep within after birth. The essence of the heavens was elusive, interwoven in the structure of existence itself.

Chen Xun’s eyes lit up with awe, realizing that he had barely scratched the surface of heaven’s mysteries. Spiritual energy was merely the outer layer of a profound reality.

“Amazing,” he muttered, instinctively setting up an incense burner in respect. “Heavens above, I, Chen Xun, yield in admiration!”

He continued poring over the introductory pages, analyzing each word with methodical precision, as the tribulation’s energy circulated through him in harmony. And so, time slipped away unnoticed.

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