Chapter 119 - 118: Extraordinary Opportunity
In Yun Liyue’s Sleeping Palace, Xia Wuyang gently held the unconscious Pan Mo’s delicate hand and murmured, "Mo’Er, your revenge is almost complete. I’ll let that mother and son suffer a while longer, and then I’ll send them on their way."
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a stark, cold silhouette.
The mother and son, who once treated human life as worthless as weeds, were finally tasting the bitter fruit they themselves had sown.
Before Yun Liyue came to visit Pan Mo, Xia Wuyang had already slipped away unnoticed and returned to Wenhua Hall.
As the new day began, his Spiritual Power increased by another point, smoothly reaching one hundred eighty.
His Spiritual Power flowed like a brilliant Star River, and in a trance, he once again entered a state of epiphany.
The medical principles of the Herbal Tomb... various techniques and methods of Alchemy... the human body as a microcosm... A vast array of concepts flooded his mind.
His Alchemy Skill once again began to advance by leaps and bounds, and his medical skills progressed just as rapidly. But just as he was comprehending his medical and Alchemy skills to a certain degree, inspiration suddenly struck, and he had a revelation.
’So, beyond the microcosm of the human body, there is the macrocosm of the outside world. The so-called Extraordinary state is the fusion of this microcosm and macrocosm!’
’My Spiritual Power reached the mortal peak long ago. I could have actually broken through to the Extraordinary Realm when it neared one hundred points. But I hadn’t yet grasped the path to the Extraordinary or found the right opportunity. It is only because I also possess the Supreme Talent Seven-Aperture Exquisite that I could continue to improve instead of stagnating.’
’To make my Spirit Extraordinary, I need to merge with the macrocosm of the outside world. That means I must connect and fuse with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to induce a qualitative change and grant my Spirit true Spirituality. Only then can it be considered an Extraordinary Spirit.’
...
From these medical principles, Xia Wuyang suddenly understood the method to achieve an Extraordinary Spirit, which was also the method to step into the True Monarch Realm.
As long as he found an opportunity to fuse his Spiritual Power with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, he could make his Spirit Extraordinary.
Once his Spiritual Power became Extraordinary, entering the Body Refining True Monarch Realm would be as easy as flipping his hand. When he cultivated to the Super Grade Celestial Human Realm, he would no longer need to search for an opportunity to condense a True Qi Seed; he could just use his Extraordinary Spiritual Power to forcibly create one.
And Xia Wuyang could clearly feel that he was only one opportunity, one epiphany, away from his Spirit becoming Extraordinary.
Unfortunately, this epiphany had been mostly spent on the Herbal Tomb and was now coming to an end. He could only wait for the next one, which would be in ten days.
A smile crossed Xia Wuyang’s lips. It was only a ten-day wait, not a long time at all.
During this epiphany, Xia Wuyang also gained some understanding of the Qi Refining Stage.
The essence of Spiritual Power is an internal energy, different from Qi Blood and True Qi. Qi Blood originates from the physical body, True Qi from the outside world, but Spiritual Power comes directly from the soul.
An Extraordinary Spiritual Power is not an increase in strength, but a metamorphosis of its very essence.
It was like a fish leaping from the water, breathing air for the first time, and seeing a whole new world.
He could also faintly sense the barrier that hindered the extension of his Spiritual Power—a natural screen formed by the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
This world is filled with the intangible Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which Body Refining Martial Artists cannot use at all. Only by finding an opportunity to communicate with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi can they utilize a small amount, absorb it into their bodies, and transform it into True Qi Power.
This epiphany also clarified his path to the Extraordinary Realm. He needed to continue improving his Spiritual Power. During his next epiphany, he would most likely achieve an Extraordinary Spirit and would be able to raise his Enchanting Heart Technique from the Tenth Floor to the Twelfth Floor, perhaps even be on the verge of breaking through to the Thirteenth Floor.
Before then, he needed to prepare well for his Spirit to become Extraordinary. Once it did, the benefits it would bring would be absolutely beyond imagination.
To say nothing of other benefits, when using the Enchanting Heart Technique, Soul Capturing Technique, Enchanting Heart Step, and so on with an Extraordinary Spiritual Power, even a Super Grade Celestial Human would be completely powerless to resist.
Among all Tenth Grade Martial Artists, he would likely have no rival. Only those True Monarchs who had broken free from the mortal coil could possibly pose a threat to him.
’I must seize the opportunity during the next epiphany!’
A glint of determination flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes.
Understanding the path to an Extraordinary Spirit, and even the path to becoming a True Monarch, was undoubtedly the greatest gain from this. For this alone, studying the Herbal Tomb was not in vain.
However, his progress in the Alchemy Dao during this epiphany was also significant. Although he did not advance to High Level Mortal Alchemist, his medical and Alchemy skills had improved by a large margin, and he even had some insights into the future realm of a Spirit Pill Master.
"For a Spirit Pill to have Spirituality, you must draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into it during Pill Formation. That’s the only way to refine a true Spirit Pill..." he murmured. "And that’s why, to become a Spirit Pill Master, one must first reach the Qi Refining True Monarch Realm. You have to use the True Flame Power to give the Elixir a chance to draw in—or fuse with—the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi."
As dawn approached, Xia Wuyang finished his cultivation, returned to his Sleeping Palace, and continued to dally with the Palace Maids, enjoying every worldly pleasure.
Only when he "couldn’t take it anymore" did he return to the Practice Room, claiming to be resting when he was actually cultivating again.
With each additional day of cultivation, Xia Wuyang’s overall strength rose another notch. It would not be an exaggeration to say he was advancing by a thousand miles a day.
As long as he could delay for long enough, he would eventually become invincible and kill all his enemies.
But in his current position, how could things possibly remain calm and peaceful?
Before he could enjoy even a few days of peace, Andrew came forward, holding a secret letter. "Your Highness, a letter from the Capital Suburban Imperial Manor. It says... it says they have a serious deficit this year and hope Your Highness can allocate ten thousand taels of silver to cover the shortfall."
Leaning back in the arms of a Qiuci Dancer, Xia Wuyang flinched. A look of astonishment crossed his face. "Ten thousand taels? Where would I get that much silver? I don’t have it! Tell them to get lost and stop keeping me from my beautiful girls."
As he spoke, he pulled the Fox Girl on his left down onto the bed, showing no intention of dealing with the matter. Andrew could only withdraw helplessly.
What Andrew didn’t know was that killing intent was already surging in Xia Wuyang’s heart. He was, in fact, preparing to deal with this matter personally.
Xia Wuyang had only one Royal Manor to his name; the rest had been stripped from him by Emperor Xia and given to other Princes and Princesses.
If this sole Royal Manor hadn’t been the only thing his mother, the Empress, left him, it too would have been snatched away by others long ago. It was one of the few properties still officially under Xia Wuyang’s name.
The land was fertile, mostly prime farmland, and in previous years, the rental income alone amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver. But ever since he was deposed, this Royal Manor had often been late with its payments. Several years ago, it stopped paying its taxes altogether, always making excuses.
And now, not only were they not handing over any revenue, they were demanding he cover their losses with ten thousand taels of silver. This was simply going too far.