Chapter 121 - 120: Extraordinary Spirit
The next morning, news that the Royal Manor’s Manor Master had been killed by thieves spread throughout the entire Royal Manor. Every single tenant rejoiced.
After the Government Office inspected the scene, they concluded it was the work of his enemies. After all, his evil deeds over the years had long incited public outrage.
The tenants he had tormented and the Martial Artists from nearby all sought revenge against his wives and children. Without him to shield them, his family stood no chance against their frenzied enemies.
Soon, they were either dead or had fled, and the great Li Family was wiped out in the blink of an eye.
For the time being, the position of the Royal Manor’s new Manor Master remained vacant. The appointment should have been made by the elder Crown Prince, Xia Wuyang, but since he was currently "on his deathbed" and not long for this world, he couldn’t be bothered with the matter. Thus, the position was left empty.
The Government Office was also waiting for Xia Wuyang to "pass away" before deciding on a new Manor Master. It wouldn’t be much longer anyway.
What no one knew, however, was that this decrepit Crown Prince was already a supreme expert, capable of rivaling a Super Grade Celestial Human.
Ten days passed in a flash. Xia Wuyang’s overall power had increased by a large margin. Most importantly, his Spiritual Power was about to reach one hundred ninety points, which would trigger a new epiphany.
Ever since his last insight into the path of an Extraordinary Spirit, Xia Wuyang had spent considerable time searching for a catalyst, yet he always felt as if separated by a thin veil—something he could see but couldn’t quite touch.
The bottleneck to the Tenth Floor of the Enchanting Heart Technique was as solid as bedrock; no matter how he assaulted it, it remained unmoved. If not for the heaven-defying properties of his Supreme Talent Seven-Aperture Exquisite, his Spiritual Power would have long since stagnated.
Ultimately, it was because his spirit had not yet become Extraordinary. The eleventh floor of the Enchanting Heart Technique corresponded to the Extraordinary Spiritual Realm; without a catalyst, and without an Extraordinary Spirit, a breakthrough was impossible.
’Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi... How am I supposed to perceive it? How do I make contact?’ Xia Wuyang’s brow was deeply furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously tracing patterns in the empty air. Yet he always felt he was missing something crucial to reach the wondrous Extraordinary Realm.
Spirit +1!
Before he knew it, a new day had dawned. His Spiritual Power increased by another point, bringing with it a new epiphany.
In that instant, his Sea of Consciousness thrummed, entering an unprecedented and profound state. He felt like he was on the verge of sensing something.
He sensed the gentle breeze flowing through the air and tried to grasp the trajectory of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within it!
He recalled the Enchanting Heart Technique’s descriptions of Spiritual Qi blending, and understanding dawned on him!
He sensed the aura of all creation, realizing it was around him at all times!
...
An unknown amount of time passed before a flash of insight struck Xia Wuyang.
’So that’s how it is!’
Merging Spiritual Power with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi wasn’t about forcing a breakthrough; it was about yielding to the natural flow. This was the principle of moving in harmony with the heavens.
In fact, with Spiritual Power nearly two hundred times that of an ordinary person, he should have grasped this principle and merged with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi long ago.
In that instant, the world around him suddenly became completely different.
What was once seemingly empty air was now suddenly a kaleidoscope of colors.
Crimson Fire Spiritual Qi, blue Water Spiritual Qi, golden Metal Spiritual Qi, yellow Earth Spiritual Qi, and verdant Wood Spiritual Qi... Many other special types of Spiritual Qi were flowing slowly, and he could even faintly glimpse a world belonging entirely to Spiritual Qi.
That must be the True Realm mentioned in the ancient texts. It was said to contain even more abundant and purer Spiritual Qi, but absorbing it meant facing something called "True Pollution." The slightest misstep could lead to Qigong Deviation.
The reason Qi Refining Martial Artists were called True Monarchs was that they could enter the True Realm, absorb the vast and pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and refine it into True Qi. This allowed them to perceive some of the world’s underlying truths—for instance, the very fact that the world was suffused with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was one such truth.
Previously, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had been completely unresponsive to his Spiritual Power. But now, after he adjusted its frequency using the methods from the Enchanting Heart Technique, it began to actively gather around him.
’Use the body as the vessel and the spirit as the guide; draw in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to merge and refine...’
Xia Wuyang chanted the incantation that had suddenly come to him. His Spiritual Power spread out like a vast net, and seizing this catalyst, it began to slowly merge with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. It started with only a few scattered motes, but as his control over the frequency grew more precise, a flood of Spiritual Qi poured into his Sea of Consciousness.
The instant the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flooded his Sea of Consciousness, Xia Wuyang felt as if his entire being had been cast into a crucible. The agony far surpassed any physical pain; it was a tempering that acted directly upon his Spirit, and even his soul.
The soul was Hidden deep within one’s Spiritual Power, protected by its layers. This metamorphosis into the Extraordinary Realm didn’t just affect the Spirit; it affected the soul as well.
The agony was therefore unimaginable. Other Body Refining Martial Artists at this stage typically tempered their Qi Blood first, refining it into a True Seed to step into the Extraordinary Realm.
The pain of tempering Qi Blood was far less than the pain of tempering one’s spirit and soul, and the path of Body Refining was also less difficult.
Thus, after generations of relentless research and trials, the ancestors of the Human Race had finally forged a path to the Extraordinary Realm through Qi Blood. After the breakthrough, they would use the newly formed True Qi to elevate their body and Spirit to the Extraordinary Realm as well, a much easier process.
But Xia Wuyang’s situation was different. His Spiritual Power was immense and encompassed seven different aspects, which naturally included Willpower.
Under these circumstances, ascending to the Extraordinary Realm via his Spiritual Power was actually less difficult for him, though the pain was far more intense.
’Just hold on!’
Xia Wuyang gritted his teeth and circulated the Enchanting Heart Technique with all his might.
Under the tempering of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, his Spiritual Power underwent a rapid, qualitative transformation. The once formless, intangible power gradually condensed, taking on a faint pink luster. This was, of course, an attribute of the Enchanting Heart Technique; the Extraordinary Spiritual Power cultivated through it was pink.
It was dense yet nimble. Furthermore, since Xia Wuyang had modified the Enchanting Heart Technique to be tailor-made for himself, the resulting Spiritual Power far surpassed others’ in both its immensity and purity.
This nimble quality came from a trace of Spirituality that had infused his Spiritual Power, causing its might to increase exponentially. This opened up infinite future possibilities, allowing him to accomplish feats that ordinary people would find inconceivable.
As his Spiritual Power transformed, the bottleneck of the Enchanting Heart Technique shattered. He broke through from the Tenth Floor to the eleventh, immediately hit the next bottleneck, and then smashed through to the Twelfth Floor.
It was a natural progression, a series of consecutive breakthroughs. Upon reaching the Peak of the Twelfth Floor, Xia Wuyang could sense that the gate to the thirteenth floor was not far off. It wouldn’t be long before he broke through once more.
This was a perfect example of a deep foundation leading to explosive progress. With his level of Spiritual Power, he should have broken through to this stage long ago.