Episode 58

  Look, it's already nightfall, and no one comes to care for himself. Insufficiently bored, he sits on the ground thinking, with doubts in his heart, and also feeling sour and uncomfortable. Zhen'er had long been called away by a group of Yixiu Men disciples and several other sects close to Yixiu Men. Insufficient saw this and sighed, like many other Yixiu Men disciples, he closed his eyes and remained silent.

  Bored to death, I let my thoughts wander aimlessly, and gradually, they became as calm as still water. Reflecting on the battles and trials of Dao techniques, I realized that their wonders matched what I had cultivated myself. I understood that cultivating the body is about using the divine method to guide the movement of the inner breath, stirring up the potential of the ordinary flesh, and tempering the bones and veins of the physical body. The deeper the cultivation, the slower it becomes, the more solid the body becomes, until it reaches an extremely high level, surpassing ordinary gold and stone by a hundred times! However, the difficulty is also extremely great, and only those who can endure the pain can achieve this. For it is difficult to stir up the potential, and the time spent is enormous. As one approaches the limit of what the physical body can bear, if one forces oneself too much, the flesh will collapse, and life will be in danger! Unless one has reached a higher level of cultivation, where one can control the body and spirit, how dare one continue to temper the body? Therefore, those who cultivate the body most enjoy using combat techniques to increase their cultivation, next they enjoy the effects of alchemy, and when their cultivation reaches a certain stage, the physical body that has been tempered becomes strong. Although its external appearance is still that of flesh and bones, it is no longer ordinary!

  Insufficient in the body of great achievement, only lacking a major breakthrough. Today, observing the ten major sects' practitioners' fighting methods, I gained a lot. Not only did I gain insight and understanding, but also tempered my five spirits. When I was about to leave this place with the crowd and Cha'er, I secretly used the Golden Body Technique and the Taiyi Mysterious Spirit Technique to calm my mind and verify my understanding. Before long, I entered a state of meditation, where there was no object, no other, and no self! I only felt as if I were in a vast, boundless dark world, where all I could hear was human speech, but not see human figures. It's as if the hearts of people in this world are even darker than this! Inside, I searched for a path without finding one, sought a direction without finding one, couldn't distinguish east from west, and didn't care about south or north. Suddenly, from a distant place that seemed to be at the edge of the sky, a point of spiritual light flashed, and a streak of heavenly light came from the void, born out of thin air, gently swaying, like a faint spark that was about to extinguish itself, yet stubbornly flickering without disappearing! Then, a loud humming sound rose up, and I suddenly felt a strong gust of wind coming, its power unmatched, almost able to blow away the yellow sand of the desert, and seemingly able to shake the giant stones and high mountains. However, that small spark of firelight was not afraid of the fierce wind, still swaying back and forth without dispersing or extinguishing! After a while, the wind passed, and in the darkness, a torrential rain suddenly poured down, its ferocity like a deluge. Insufficiently, I secretly thought to myself:

  "Oh no, the fire will surely be extinguished by this heavy rain!"

  But the flame was like a fire in water, burning even more fiercely without getting smaller or extinguished. It continued to flicker softly, emitting a faint light, yet it didn't seem to grow larger either. I couldn't help but feel astonished, staring at this strange and unusual glow, silently unsure of what to make of it.

  "If I could get a closer look at it, maybe I'd be able to see something!"

  The idea was unfinished, but the fire seemed to have a spirit and actually moved over slowly.

  "Good heavens! What's going on here? This fire is so strange, I wonder if there's something eerie about it!"

  As the faint light floated to his head, he couldn't even lift his eyes to look at it. The fire suddenly burst forth like ice breaking on a rocky surface, scattering in all directions and transforming into countless twinkling starlights that descended from above. Gradually, it seemed as if numerous stars were surrounding him, forming a circle of light that enveloped him within.

  Insufficiently startled, he raised his eyes to take a closer look and saw that the tiny starlights were as small as dust particles, each one shining with a faint glow. Although they were incredibly small, their shape was still clearly visible, like miniature golden statues.

  The fire on his head, however, was like the light of a lantern, gently swaying back and forth without extinguishing or dispersing. Instead, countless golden light points flew out from the flames above, rushing towards him in a flurry.

  Insufficiently felt a sense of wonder, but he continued to recite the Golden Body Incantation and the Taiyi Mysterious Spirit Incantation. The small golden statues surrounding him also increased in number, layer upon layer, until they finally formed a massive golden sphere that pressed against his spiritual domain and physical body.

  At this point, Insufficiently felt an overwhelming force, as if a giant mountain was crushing him, making it difficult for him to resist. Suddenly, the ten cultivators from the top ten sects who had been testing him earlier gathered around him, their faces twisted in anger as they unleashed their ultimate techniques towards Insufficiently, who was surrounded by the golden sphere.

  Insufficiently was shocked and terrified, but he summoned all his strength to defend himself. However, the ten cultivators' divine abilities were too powerful, and they launched a simultaneous attack that Insufficiently couldn't withstand.

  He tried to dodge, but it was impossible. He could only endure the blows. The golden statues surrounding him suddenly turned inward, like blades piercing his body. His skin split open, his muscles tore apart, and his bones shattered into dust.

  Insufficiently felt an unbearable pain and let out a loud cry, his eyes turning red as blood gushed forth. The small golden statues poured in through the opening, disappearing from sight. His body felt like it was being cut by countless blades, pierced by countless needles, and he couldn't bear the agony.

  Even his spiritual domain began to lose clarity, and Insufficiently's consciousness started to fade. He was terrified, but he continued to recite the Golden Body Incantation and the Taiyi Mysterious Spirit Incantation, hoping to maintain his clarity of mind and avoid losing himself in the midst of this chaos.

  However, his five senses were no longer under his control, and his physical body couldn't move. He slowly lost consciousness, feeling as if he was drifting aimlessly, surrounded by darkness with no way out.

  "Could it be that someone has died! And yet they still die like this! ............"

  "Brother is so lazy! How can you still be sleeping when we all need to go watch the battle!"

  Insufficient to hear the words, woke up, only to see the sun shining brightly, the peach forest flowers in full bloom. Not far away, Senior Brother Gao, Lin, and Kuang were walking forward with Big Brother, laughing and chatting. Insufficient didn't know he had fallen asleep, and was laughed at by them! He couldn't help but look down on himself a little! Without thinking, he let out a sigh and muttered to himself:

  "Although the cultivator's senses are extremely sharp, it is as if they themselves are unaware, while everyone else moves, yet they themselves remain completely oblivious. This must be a sign of their low spiritual power. No wonder others laugh at me, from now on I will definitely have to cultivate diligently!"

  Although he was muttering to himself, in his heart he was overjoyed, knowing that last night's cultivation had already broken through the Forging Body stage and achieved the realm of the Law Body, which was a great gain! Chang'er stared at him in surprise:

  "Insufficient elder brother, why are you sweating all over your head?"

  Although she asked, Chang'er's heart was actually very clear, knowing that the insufficiency was already beyond the physical body and had entered the realm of the law body! This is a small step, but with Chang'er's ability, it can be naturally ignored. However, in the cultivation of insufficiency, it is not a big step, so she is overjoyed.

  "Chang Er, did you gain anything from yesterday's several trials?"

  "What did you gain? Ah! Not enough, brother. I had a great time playing with several senior brothers and sisters. They are all willing to help us two enter the Yixiu Gate to learn Taoist magic!"

  "Alas! Chang'er, having come to this place to watch them compete, should have had the intention of learning and improving. How is it that she only plays and frolics with others?"

  "I know it's not enough for brother! Let's hurry up and catch up!"

  Then the two of them followed Yixiu and others to the big platform in the apricot forest for a trial.

  He walked a few steps, and suddenly felt that he was greatly different from usual. With just a slight movement, he felt his body light as if it were about to fly, yet the energy in his entire body was hundreds of times stronger than before! His senses were sharp, and his spiritual awareness opened up, making everything seem clear and visible; every sound seemed loud and clear in his ears! It was truly amazing! On one hand, his body felt as solid as gold or stone, while on the other hand, it felt light as a feather, as if he had completely lost all weight. This made him feel unaccustomed for a moment. He took a deep breath, circulated his internal energy using his special technique, and slowly guided it through his meridians. Then, he let it flow back into his body, washing every inch of his flesh and bones clean, before finally returning to his dantian. As he did this, he felt that his entire body had become a medium for absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making him feel like an extension of the universe itself! The energy pouring into his body was immense, overflowing and surging in like a great tide. He was overjoyed, thinking that this must be what everyone else experienced as well, without suspecting anything unusual. He continued to cultivate with a happy heart, feeling as if he were absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with ease. This method of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body was completely different from the usual methods used by cultivators! His grandfather had passed away early, so no one had taught him any techniques. The "technique" he used was simply whatever came to mind at the time. As for Xing'er, although her cultivation method was similar, she didn't dare reveal it, and even if she did, Bu Yuxiang wouldn't have listened anyway! Besides, humans and demons cultivated in different ways, so no one dared teach him anything. Thus, he had developed his own unique method of absorbing spiritual energy. At this moment, his essence, energy, spirit, power, and technique were all united as one, and the ocean of his spiritual awareness was slowly expanding, revealing the embryonic form of a small world. Inside this world, the five elements transformed into a small child with a red body, who looked around in confusion, seemingly amazed by this new world! Bu Yuxiang didn't know that this scene was only possible for those who cultivated their spiritual awareness, and his own cultivation method was truly extraordinary - he had actually cultivated his spiritual awareness before condensing his primordial spirit! He was indeed a rare individual among cultivators.

  It wasn't long before they arrived at the apricot forest trial grounds. There seemed to be more cultivators here today than yesterday. The cultivators from various sects gathered together, while others who were traveling and studying were scattered about in twos or threes on the trial platform or around the periphery, mostly practicing physical and magical cultivation. Some were even practicing yuan condensation and awareness gathering, but there were very few of these, only a handful. However, they were all high-ranking cultivators from the top ten sects, sitting in elegant seats and chatting with each other while drinking wine. Chu Jin was also standing among the crowd of Qingyuan Sect cultivators, smiling as he looked towards Bu Xu and Yan'er. Bu Xu smiled back and nodded, but Yan'er made a face at him before bursting out laughing. The Qingyuan Sect cultivators saw this and turned to look at Yan'er, all of them astonished by her beauty, which was like that of a celestial being! Little did they know that Yan'er's true form was even more beautiful than this. The Qingyuan Sect cultivators surrounded Chu Jin, pointing and talking about something as they looked at Yan'er. Bu Xu used the Five Spirits Domain to cover up the Qingyuan Sect cultivators in front of them, but he heard them asking Chu Jin to introduce them to Yan'er.

  "Hmm! The wisdom of the gods is indeed mysterious!"

  It was just such thoughts that were suddenly interrupted by a loud shout that startled him awake:

  "Hold! Quiet down! All of you young masters, today's trial is also the fifth match in a row. After that, all of you can practice on your own. Just don't be too arrogant, it's allowed among the various sects! As before, this kind of practice cannot have a unanimous decision, and the result is not within the scope of competing for treasures."