Chapter 157 : Qi Refining Surpassing the Limit
Chapter 157: Qi Refining Surpassing the Limit
What was a Dharma Body?
A Qi Refining cultivator who could successfully take this step and forge the Dharma Body could practice flawless Qi Refining, comprehend the Dao beneath the heavens, and within a hundred days automatically form a Flawless Dao Foundation, comprehending Foundation Establishment.
What did the appearance of such a prodigy mean?
It meant the rise of an entire city, and it also meant the birth of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
If a cultivator of Flawless Qi Refining was willing to give back to their hometown, they could grant their birthplace Immortal Alliance policy support.
Counties could be elevated into prefectures, and prefectures into directly-governed prefectures, bringing benefit to millions of cultivators, giving rise to one Foundation Establishment cultivator after another, producing peerless prodigies famed for miles around.
If they were willing to nod and acknowledge a master, even the Five Great Grotto-Heavens would not reject such a prodigy. They could easily be accepted as disciples under Soul Formation cultivators, achieve Nascent Soul, and aspire to Soul Formation True Sovereignty.
Simply put, if such a level of Immortal Alliance prodigy truly appeared, they would absolutely not be someone Fang Yuchen could afford to offend, even if he was the grandson of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
It was precisely for this reason that Fang Yuchen’s attitude was so mild.
The young cultivator before him, although not having fully forged a Dharma Body, had already condensed a Dharma Body Prototype, and could step forward at any moment into the realm of Flawless Qi Refining.
Of course, this step might also never be taken.
But Fang Yuchen prided himself on being a clever man. Without conflicting interests, he would not rashly offend an Immortal Alliance prodigy who might soar into the heavens at any time.
“Miss Xu, this one is?” Fang Yuchen’s eyes showed curiosity, his tone amicable, utterly different from his domineering opening.
Hearing this, Xu Lingling, who had been staring blankly at Chen Beiwu, finally snapped back to herself.
“This is my good friend, Chen Beiwu.” She introduced softly, her voice still carrying a trace of daze.
If Xu Lingling remembered correctly, Chen Beiwu should have been at the peak of the Ninth Level of Qi Refining.
But how was it that after just a few days apart, his entire aura had changed?
Not only was he brimming with heroic vigor and high-spirited energy, but his very being seemed like an unsheathed spiritual sword, sharp and radiant, exuding a force that made her heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.
Could it really be because of one melody?
But the Cleansing Spirit Melody had a well-known nickname among cultivators: the “Genius Testing Melody”, not a “Temperament-Altering Melody”!
Or was it that after enlightenment, the changes in cultivation gave Chen Beiwu immense confidence, making his charm terrifyingly irresistible?
As she thought this, Xu Lingling glanced around, only to find that the surrounding female cultivators’ eyes were burning hot, their faces flushed with excitement, as if they might rush forward at any moment to devour Chen Beiwu whole.
Even her best friend Xu Ziqing, usually gentle and reserved, was staring at Chen Beiwu without blinking.
While Xu Lingling pondered, Chen Beiwu also became aware of his current situation.
Though the outcome was as he had initially anticipated—revealing his true cultivation and reasonably explaining his progress—the process was even more perfect, transforming a false enlightenment into a true enlightenment.
According to the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree, the two spirit seeds within his dantian and Qi Sea required at least three years, or even five, to fully complete their transformation.
Yet nearly three years had passed, and the Clear Spring Spirit Seed in his Qi Sea still had not transformed into Clear Spring Water, while the Green Wood Spirit Seed within Gold Egg had not ruptured to sprout its Green Wood Shoot.
But by listening to a single Cleansing Spirit Melody, he had entered enlightenment, and both spirit seeds naturally transformed, successfully nurturing the Spirit of Clearwood.
Thus, compared with his Heavenly Water Spiritual Root Purity of 83 points, his comprehension appeared even stronger.
What surprised Chen Beiwu was that, though he was at the Eleventh Level of Qi Refining, the Qi Refining Surpassing-the-Limit realm recorded in the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree was vastly different from the Eleventh Level cultivated through the Southern Wastes’ Qi Refining Aperture-Consolidating Method.
After the Clear Spring Spirit Seed transformed into Clear Spring Water, the spiritual power within his body became even more majestic and pure. A portion was even so condensed that it partially liquefied.
This liquefaction phenomenon was somewhat akin to the Twelfth Level of Qi Refining described in the Southern Wastes’ Seven Revolutions of Great Cycle Qi Refining.
A flash of insight struck Chen Beiwu’s mind, giving rise to a bold guess:
‘Could it be that the Immortal Alliance’s Qi Refining Surpassing-the-Limit (Eleventh Level) was equivalent to the Southern Wastes’ Twelfth Level of Qi Refining?’
“Gulp.”
As Chen Beiwu’s enlightenment ended, Gold Egg opened its mouth and collapsed weakly to the ground.
To nurture the Green Wood Shoot and step into the Qi Refining Surpassing-the-Limit realm, Chen Beiwu had instinctively drawn upon the Green Wood Spirit Seed within it during his enlightenment.
Having lost the spirit seed it had painstakingly cultivated for years, Gold Egg suffered heavy losses, its spirit depleted and its face listless.
If not for the Yin-Yang Blood-Purifying Pill at its heart replenishing its qi and blood, its cultivation years might have been drastically reduced.
‘You’ve worked hard.’ Chen Beiwu rubbed its head gently before placing it into his Spirit Beast Pouch.
The Immortal Alliance advocated the Dao of cultivation through beasts as a symbiotic, mutually supportive path.
In the early stages, Companion Beasts needed to provide sustenance for their contract cultivators to break through bottlenecks.
Once the cultivator achieved breakthroughs, they could, through the Companion Contract, in turn nourish and rapidly elevate the Companion Beast’s cultivation.
Though Gold Egg had lost its Green Wood Spirit Seed and its aura had weakened greatly,
once Chen Beiwu cultivated the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree together with it, using the Spirit of Clearwood for nourishment, Gold Egg would soon nurture Green Wood Shoot and Clear Spring Water within its body, causing its combat power to soar.
“Hello, I am Fang Yuchen. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Fang Yuchen extended his right hand, taking the initiative to greet him.
Chen Beiwu smiled faintly and returned the greeting.
At that moment, Su Miao, who had remained silent, suddenly stepped forward. Her breathtaking face revealed a gentle smile:
“Rare treasures for heroes—little friend, you must be cultivating the All Laws Converge, Heaven Book of the Divine Tree.
I happen to have a piece of five-hundred-year-old Thunderfall Wood in my hand. It can restore the vitality lost from your Golden Scale, preventing hidden injuries. Consider it my way of returning the favor for your enlightenment.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a silver-white branch suddenly appeared in Chen Beiwu’s hand.
‘Such speed!’ Chen Beiwu’s pupils contracted. He hadn’t even seen how the Thunder-Patterned Wood appeared in his hand.
This meant that if Pavilion Master Su Miao wished, she could take his life silently and effortlessly.
As expected, between a cultivator at Qi Refining Surpassing-the-Limit and one at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment existed an insurmountable gulf!
Seeing this, Fang Yuchen frowned briefly before relaxing again.
Not every cultivator shared his fondness for riding in “large carriages,” especially worldly married women.
All the more so with a beast-taming prodigy who had already forged a Dharma Body Prototype.
“Many thanks, Pavilion Master.” Chen Beiwu gave a polite bow and casually stored the Thunder-Patterned Wood into his Storage Pouch.
Seeing his crisp and straightforward action, Su Miao’s smile grew even warmer.
‘Vile temptress!’ Xu Lingling widened her eyes, unconsciously stepping forward to hook her arm around Chen Beiwu’s, as though declaring her sovereignty.
Seeing this, Xu Ziqing was unwilling to be outdone, moving to his other side, the two friends each taking a flank.
“Little friend, your enlightenment aura is truly extraordinary. You will surely achieve great success on the path of cultivation in the future. May I add you as a contact?” Su Miao asked with a soft, charming smile.