My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Chen Yi had just injected three carefully accumulated True Yuan, yet before putting them to use, the Serpent was unexpectedly slain on the spot.

After that, he hadn’t had the chance to inspect the Longevity Bridge.

Now, Chen Yi held his breath, concentrating fully on observing the changes within his body.

Compared to before, the flow of True Qi had slowed down; more apertures were being squeezed by Primordial Qi, occasionally causing a faint burning sensation that stirred a vague sense of irritation.

The most significant change, however, came from his Dantian Sanctuary.

As Chen Yi willed it, the Dantian in his Sanctuary appeared in his consciousness. Now that his Sanctuary had just opened, within it, Primordial Qi swirled like air amidst rising mist, seemingly evoking a sense of an immortal realm—this was what people called Qi Refinement.

Within the swirling mist, faintly, he could see a vortex condensing into the roots of a great tree—this, in turn, was referred to as Foundation Establishment.

Back then, he had used True Yuan to break through three realms, including two major realms and one minor. By his Taoist cultivation level, he was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, but as a Martial Artist, the Sanctuary he had opened was far smaller than that of typical Taoists, its outer layer enveloped by dense True Qi, pressing against the Sanctuary.

True Qi and True Yuan competed for apertures—this was precisely why Taoism and Martial Arts seldom succeeded in Dual Cultivation. Tao suppressed Martial Arts, and Martial Arts suppressed Tao. Apart from a few rare sects, no one knew the method to harmonize the two.

Moreover, Chen Yi noticed that his state of mind had become more prone to fluctuation now.

For ascetics, whether Taoist or Buddhist, state of mind was paramount; hence a fluctuating mind had both advantages and drawbacks. The advantage lay in swift detection and adjustment, enabling continuous progress until one could face a mountain’s weight without batting an eye, viewing the turbulence of wind and clouds with calm indifference. The drawback, however, was the risk of succumbing to inner demons. The once-world-renowned Wu Buxu was originally a follower of High Purity Taoism, yet his inner demons consumed him, leading him astray from the Longevity Path and ultimately excommunicating him from the sect.