Chapter 123 - 112: Dharma Body at Great Success
Due to the ongoing Sect war, the price of the Qingyang Body Protection Secret Talisman had risen significantly.
Lü Zhong benefited greatly from this, as his Spirit Stone income from making and selling talismans increased considerably.
Thanks to this, he was able to resume his previous regimen of taking one Spiritual Universe Pill per day.
Four months later, he finally cultivated the Spiritual Universe Dharma Body to Great Success.
The benefits of achieving Great Success in the Spiritual Universe Dharma Body were far more apparent than those from Small Success.
His strength alone increased by a thousand jin.
Now, a single punch from Lü Zhong could easily unleash ten thousand jin of force. Splitting mountains and shattering boulders was a trivial matter.
Furthermore, his resistance to attacks had also improved.
For example, when he activated the Dharma Body now, a golden membrane of light would condense on his skin.
This membrane had an excellent cushioning effect that dissipated force, greatly mitigating damage from Lower-grade Magical Artifacts. It also provided stronger defense against Magic Skills.
With the Spiritual Universe Dharma Body at Great Success, he could withstand a Fireball Bullet without injury.
However, what pleased Lü Zhong most was the improvement to his aptitude from Body Refining.
Unlike ordinary Body Refining Techniques, the Spiritual Universe Dharma Body focused more on nourishing the body. While it didn’t provide the massive strength boosts or insane defensive improvements of other techniques, it did make his meridians tougher, which was an indirect way of improving his cultivation aptitude.
Letting out a long breath of Dense Qi, Lü Zhong rose and pushed open the door, stepping out of his Quiet Chamber.
In the courtyard outside, the Printing Machine clanked and whirred.
The Spirit-Seeking Rat, with the help of Hong Fu and Li Hejun, was diligently printing out pages.
The pages contained neither a Cultivation Technique Mantra nor a Talisman Making Book.
They were storybooks.
’I can’t just be feeding three extra mouths for nothing.’ Lü Zhong had once come across some of the popular Cultivation Novels and found the writing terribly crude. That’s when he got the idea to try publishing his own book.
And the content? The legendary tale of a certain Celestial Venerable Hann, of course.
To his surprise, the book was a hit as soon as it was released.
Although the target audience was mortals, whose spending power was naturally limited, the book was so well-received that sales brought in over twenty Spirit Stones a month.
This was an outcome Lü Zhong hadn’t anticipated.
"Master." Hong Fu and Li Hejun curtsied.
"Come here, you two." Seeing how hard they were working, Lü Zhong decided it was time to guide them on the path of cultivation.
The first step to beginning cultivation is, naturally, introducing Qi into the body.
This step can be either difficult or easy.
The most difficult method is to cultivate the Breathing and Exhaling Skill on one’s own, slowly accumulating a sense of Qi until one finally succeeds at introducing it into the body.
The process is extremely time-consuming. His body’s previous owner took a full five years to accomplish it.
Lü Zhong had no intention of going down that road. After all, his goal was just to train a few useful helpers.
Without wasting words, he formed a hand seal, began chanting, and cast the Object Control Skill.
Soon, a large, translucent, azure hand formed of magic took shape.
The book, *Flying Star Sect’s Magic Introduction*, had been of immense help to him. After systematically learning the fundamentals of Magic Techniques, mastering Qi Refining Stage Magic Skills was no longer so difficult. As long as he was willing to put in the time, he could learn them.
The Object Control Skill was a perfect example.
With a wave, the magical hand sank directly into Hong Fu’s lower abdomen, the location of her Dantian.
What Lü Zhong needed to do now was guide his Wood Spirit Power through a minor circulation within her body. This method, often used by Sects and cultivator families, could accelerate the process of introducing Qi into the body.
After several Minor Circulations, Hong Fu’s skin was flushed red like a cooked shrimp.
"Did you memorize that feeling?" Lü Zhong asked.
"I... I did." Hong Fu collapsed weakly to the ground, her expression more excited than ever.
Li Hejun was just as excited, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Seeing her expression, Lü Zhong remained placid. "You don’t have a Spirit Root," he said, "so you can only practice a different type of technique."
"Master, can I become an Immortal... an Immortal Master that way?" Li Hejun asked, placing a small hand over her heart, her face taut with nervousness.
Lü Zhong shook his head. He heartlessly uttered two words: "You can’t."
At his words, Li Hejun’s slender frame trembled and her eyes grew red. But she quickly took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Please teach me the technique, Master."
"Mm." Lü Zhong nodded.
What he planned to teach Li Hejun was a Charm Technique.
In terms of raw power, a Qi Refining cultivator could undoubtedly crush a mortal. However, that didn’t mean mortals were helpless. Whether through giant bows and bed crossbows or a variety of insidious poisons, even a cultivator could be brought low by an unexpected trick. Even if they survived, they would suffer a total loss of face.
The Charm Technique was one such method.
Qi Refining cultivators varied greatly in their mental fortitude. It was only natural that some would be unable to control themselves when faced with a beautiful woman.
Li Hejun was a natural-born beauty. If she were to practice the Charm Technique...
...and supplemented it with various Enchanting Secret Medicines, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to bewitch a cultivator.
...
A thunderstorm raged across the city.
A Spiritual Shield enveloped Lü Zhong, warding off the downpour as he walked along the empty streets.
’For a cultivator with Four Spirit Root Talent like me to quickly break through to the Late-stage Qi Refining, simply consuming and refining Pills isn’t enough. I need to find other supplementary methods.’
’The Spirit Gathering Array is one option.’
’This array can draw out the Spiritual Qi from Spirit Stones and create a small area with a high concentration of it. Cultivating inside would increase my training speed. While the effect isn’t as pronounced as taking Pills, its advantage is that the resulting Spiritual Power is pure and free of impurities. There’s also no risk of accumulating Pill Poison.’
’Aside from its high cost in Spirit Stones, there are no other downsides to cultivating with a Spirit Gathering Array.’
Ordinarily, Lü Zhong wouldn’t be in such a hurry to break through to the Late-stage Qi Refining. But now, with the Heling Sect clashing violently with the Golden Rainbow and Luoyun Sects, he felt a pressing sense of danger.