Chapter 79: Under Currents
Every day is school, with private lessons from Lu Guangming on Fridays, and occasionally visiting the Qinglin Fair on weekends to replenish spiritual rice and elixirs.
It's noteworthy that the market is quite well-stocked, especially after the deaths of many cultivators. As long as you have enough spirit stones, there's always someone selling spiritual rice.
However, the one thing that's troubling him is that the 'Divine Power of Vajra' is hard to master.
Since this technique doesn't show up on the attribute panel, it's difficult for him to work on its proficiency.
Qinglin Fair.
Within the cave dwelling, Fang Xing traded with Su Ye once more, spending a lot of spirit stones to purchase a significant amount of her remaining 'Boiling Blood Liquid.'
Thanks to these spiritual liquids, the Dragon Elephant Art has advanced rapidly, something he cannot afford to ignore. Even though he still has some left, it's essential to stock up.
However, Su Ye mentioned that this would be the last transaction as she is already adjusting her state, preparing for the last phase before establishing her Foundation.
By the time they meet again, she might have become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
'I'm actually looking forward to her becoming a Foundation Establishment, and when she can't resist finding trouble with me...' Fang Xing mused, toying with the laser gun in his hand, feeling a bit of anticipation.
Given the unexpected amount of 'Boiling Blood Liquid' he acquired, he reckons he could cultivate the Dragon Elephant Art to a master's level!
By then, not only would he comprehend the true essence of the Dragon Elephant, but his physique would also rival that of a second-tier body-training cultivator!
A second-tier body refiner is on par with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, not to mention Su Ye who is newly promoted and weaker; she is perfect as a test subject.
'Actually, I might not even need to master the Dragon Elephant Art. With it at the proficient level, combined with other methods, I might even try to fight against the Foundation Establishment?' Fang Xing pondered, holding an ancient book in his hand titled 'Overview of the Spiritual Beings of the Great Wilderness,' documenting many spiritual beings discovered in the Great Wilderness.
Such readings included 'Records of Cave Mysteries', 'Scenery of the Great Wilderness,' and others... Because they aren't cultivation manuals or secret techniques, nor do they involve the hundred arts of immortality, they're quite cheap, costing just a few spirit sands apiece.
During his leisure time, he often takes them out to read, enriching his own knowledge so as not to seem unsophisticated.
"Body refinement, body refinement..."
At this moment, Fang Xing was frantically flipping through ancient texts, trying to find a spiritual item suitable for himself.
The Vajra Prajna Divine Power was indeed challenging to master, as Lu Guangming had already mentioned that it entirely depended on one's comprehension ability.
Even if one managed to grasp the basics, the resources available to support the cultivation of S-class martial arts were exceedingly rare, beyond the reach of even most martial artists.
Therefore, he had to find a workaround.
"Ah, here we go... the Nine-Eyed Bodhi Seed, a legendary sacred relic. Simply holding it is said to unlock wisdom and enhance comprehension... but it hasn't appeared in the world for ten thousand years..."
Fang Xing firmly memorized this particular spiritual item and continued his search.
"Blood Bodhi... it's been thousands of years since anyone's seen it, let's move on..."
"Dragon's Blood... a true dragon is at least a Tier 3 creature, I don't have a death wish, let's move on..."
"Nether Cold Spring, can it truly temper the body? Maybe... I wonder where a cold pool like that might exist. It could be considered..."
"Blood Essence Stone? Uncertain of its origin... what's its purpose? I'll just keep it in mind for now..."
Fang Xing skimmed a few more entries and flipped another page, finding a new description:
"Vajra Fruit, a treasure for body refinement that can break through bottlenecks in cultivation techniques... a Tier 3 spiritual fruit, perhaps... but alas, it's still nowhere to be found..."
He studied the accompanying illustration intently; the Vajra Fruit was a golden fruit the size of a fist, with frost-white patterns on its surface.
"Like the Nether Cold Spring and Blood Essence Stone, these are spiritual items immensely beneficial for body refinement..."
Fang Xing committed all this information to memory, preparing himself for any future opportunities to encounter them.
Suddenly, he felt a stirring within and rose to his feet.
Within his body, his five organs roared.
Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys... fiery red, emerald green, bright yellow, blazing white, profound black... it was as if his organs were ignited by flames of different colors, and his inner energy was stimulated to circulate at a heightened pace!
"The refinement of the five organs is complete; have I now opened the path to cultivate the six organs?"
Fang Xing murmured to himself.
"The Three Stages of Martial Arts are akin to uncut jade!"
"To transform uncut jade into a piece of beautiful jade that shines with unparalleled brilliance, it must undergo continuous refinement."
The process involves the internal energy constantly tempering the five organs, refining them to perfection.
Fortunately, with the aid of spiritual rice, a cave estate, and Qi-enhancing elixirs, his innate true energy recovers rapidly, thus the speed of refinement is astonishingly fast.
By now, he has completed the refinement of his five organs, correlating each with the Five Elements, and has begun the cultivation of the six internal organs.
The six organs include the gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and the triple heater.
Within Fang Xing's body, the powerful internal energy circulates first along the triple heater, moving from the lower heater to the middle heater and then to the upper heater, repeating this cycle.
"It feels akin to opening the Ren and Du meridians..."
He opened his eyes, which shone brightly, and glanced at the attribute panel:
【Third Stage: Uncut Jade】
"Indeed, I have broken through to the level of the six organs..."
"At this rate, could I possibly breakthrough to the Fourth Stage before the Hundred Star League Exam? I have already mastered the Intent Realm; the Mud Pill Palace is but a thin veil. Once the Uncut Jade Stage reaches perfection, piercing it should be no challenge!"
...
On Starling Eagle.
Having long fallen into disrepair, it was already in a state of ruin.
A tall figure dressed in a pitch-black trench coat and wearing an odd hat suddenly walked into it.
The restroom was marked with flickering lights and shadows, some urinals stained with suspicious filth, making one almost hesitant to set foot.
Frowning, the figure approached the innermost stall and lightly tugged on the rusty door handle.
Click!
The moment the door opened, a room of over twenty square meters appeared from within, dimly illuminated by flickering candles. In this somber setting, several individuals either stood or sat, forming a circle as they attentively listened to one person preaching in the midst.
"The Gate of Nihility is everything; it is the One and the All, encompassing everything related to the concept of doors in this world…"
The man in black removed his hat, his facial muscles shifting fluidly until they settled into a slightly youthful face, revealing him to be none other than Liu Wei!
"Couldn't you have picked a better place?" he complained, looking dissatisfied as he addressed the elder delivering the sermon.
Seemingly unfazed by Liu Wei's words, the elder continued extolling the virtues of the Gate of Nihility until after a long pause, he finally turned towards Liu Wei and said, "The Bureau of Prevention increased their crackdown on our sect last year. It was hard enough to keep this base intact…"
"Your spatial expansion technology is indeed remarkable." Liu Wei glanced around, marveling at how this space was squeezed into what seemed like an external restroom cubicle of less than one square meter.
"Heh… it's simple. As long as one is a higher disciple of our lord, one can easily manipulate space…" The elder chuckled, his expression becoming solemn and serious again, "It is all a blessing from our lord…"
"Then why don't we just open a door to go anywhere on the planet… or even escape this planetary prison?" Liu Wei pressed further.
"The intense fluctuations of spatial transmission would attract the Bureau's attention. If they believed we were plotting something significant and used orbital cannons to target us from space, it would be perilous…" explained the elder, "Of course, the small fluctuations from spatial expansion are negligible…"
"I understand." Liu Wei nodded, stepping aside.
Suddenly, with fervor, the elder raised his hands and declared passionately, "The deity said… Let all things be transparent… Let them flow seamlessly… The upcoming Hundred Star Examination will be our stage!"
"All for the Gate!" chanted the cultists as they rose, receiving their tasks before respectfully withdrawing.
After a long silence, the elder looked at Liu Wei again.
"I visited the black market and made some connections with the Blood Cage Fight Arena…" Liu Wei briefly relayed the completion of his mission, frowning as he asked, "Are they really connected with the resistance?"
"Of course it’s true. The Blood Cage Fight Arena is quite the place, heh…" The elder sneered. Liu Wei realized the arena’s background was beyond his imagination.
The Resistance, a rebellious force within the Federation, was primarily composed of bio-engineered humans.
Within the Nestling Star, there are indeed branches of the Resistance.
Or rather, the Resistance is composed of a group of humans who want to defy destiny, and they hardly have a qualified leader, remaining quite scattered.
Because of this, they have contacts with many different factions.
Liu Wei's identity is actually quite easily trusted by the Resistance.
After all, the Resistance loves to recruit bioengineered humans, especially those with potential.
Moreover, they don't even mind having ties to dark gods!
Liu Wei's identity as a follower of a dark god, at the very least, proves he is definitely not a spy for the Blue Star Federation!
"Well, I shall take my leave now."
He paused in silence for a moment, preparing to take his leave.
"Wait…"
An elder suddenly called out to him, "That friend of yours… he's called Fang Xing, isn't he? The regional bishop already has his eyes on him! He has the potential to become a deity's scion…"
"Fang Xing?"
Liu Wei responded, "Last time he messed up our plans, and the Prevention Agency has been watching him closely. Making a move might be difficult…"
"The Prevention Agency can't stop us," the elder hissed. "Fang Xing is still at the Unhewn Stone stage. For his age, he's a true genius with the potential to get into a top-tier academy. You do know what that means?"
Hearing this, Liu Wei clenched his fists secretly.
"Additionally, to have a non-believer devoutly committed to our Master's embrace, it's best done before the Boldness stage… Martial insight is the root for many non-believers to resist divine grace…"
The Boldness stage is so named because it means even when facing a dark god, one has the courage to draw their blade!
This is a warrior's vow to themselves, representing an unyielding martial will.
Winning over a warrior beyond the Boldness stage is exceedingly difficult.
"But… Fang Xing seems to have already grasped the power of insight?" Liu Wei questioned.
“Comprehending the power of realms is never the same as advancing one's courage... To plant a 'divine seed' without detection, one must nurture it from a young age. Before reaching the Courageous stage is the optimal period.”
The elder watched Liu Wei's departing figure, his eyes growing dim. "Go forth... I hope you will not disappoint me... yet again!"
]
(End of Chapter)