Chapter 349: Deep Accumulation Before Explosive Growth (I)

Roar!

From within the mountain forest, waves of beastly roars erupted. Over the past few days, the roars had grown increasingly frequent, and the entire Soaring Serpent Mountain had become more and more tense. Lin Zheyu and Gu Ye came to the mountainside and stood atop the watchtower, overlooking the whole stretch of forest below.

"Do you hear those roars? According to the scouts, they are caused by demon puppets roaming about and hunting vicious beasts," Gu Ye said softly as she gazed at the distant forest.

"Are these demon puppets powerful?" Lin Zheyu asked.

He had not encountered many demon puppets. When he had been weak, he had seen them once in Songyi City. Demon puppets were rare and mostly hid deep within remote mountains and ancient forests. After he grew stronger, he had not gone out of his way to seek them, and thus had not met them again. These creatures, though lacking intelligence and fighting purely on instinct, felt no pain and had no sense of touch. Coupled with their abnormal defenses and regenerative abilities, they were extremely troublesome opponents.

"Very strong. This time, demon puppets at the Force Transformation realm may even appear. And with the Yao Heavenly Palace, the various evil cults, and other factions interfering, things may get troublesome," Gu Ye said.

Lin Zheyu silently watched the distant forest. There was little heaviness in his heart. Instead, he felt eager to try. Since his strength had risen, he had not yet fought with complete abandon. He wanted to find an opponent and engage in a battle to his heart's content, to test his current level of strength and the limits of his physique. After advancing to the Marrow Refining realm, his body had undergone another terrifying improvement and had become unimaginably strong. Even he did not know what level his physique had reached.

"

Heh

, you seem quite interested in those demon puppets?" Gu Ye said with a smile, noticing his expression.

"I am somewhat interested. I have always heard that demon puppets are terrifyingly strong and hard to deal with. Back when I was weak, I could do nothing against them. Now that I have grown stronger, I feel the urge to test myself against them," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"

Haha

, there will be plenty of chances in the future. The situation is not quite right right now. If something truly happens, do not lose your head. If things look wrong, immediately head up the mountain and enter the grand formation of Soaring Serpent Mountain. Do not concern yourself with the medicinal fields," Gu Ye instructed.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister. I would not gamble with my own life," Lin Zheyu replied.

After chatting with his senior sister for a while, Lin Zheyu returned to his residence. Having just broken through and gained Origin Force, he planned to raise his strength further in case some danger arose that he could not handle. By then, it would be too late.

Creak~.

Closing the door, Lin Zheyu took out a small wooden basin and the bottle of spirit liquid that Gu Ye had given him before. He had already used two-thirds of it, and now only one-third remained.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 5]

[Skills: Furnace Tempering Body Technique (Perfection), Tortoise Breath True Technique (Sixth Stage: 0%), Azure Tide Boundless True Technique (Sixth Stage: 70%)]

Lin Zheyu looked at the data within his consciousness. His Origin Force had increased by 4 units. After advancing to the Marrow Refining realm, the Origin Force gained from breaking his limits had increased again, which put him in quite a good mood.

I will first try the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art and see what effect using Origin Force to enhance it will have.

He had long wanted to try using Origin Force to enhance the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art. However, whether it was condensing blood qi or advancing to the Marrow Refining realm, both had urgently required Origin Force, so he had no choice but to postpone it again and again. Most importantly, the effectiveness of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art was closely tied to the strength of one's physique. The stronger the physique, the better the results of the technique. Only after breaking through to the Marrow Refining realm would using Origin Force to cultivate the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art be the optimal choice.

I wonder how much energy cultivating the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art consumes. Maintaining its operation in daily life barely drains stamina or blood qi, but that is under normal conditions. If I devote my full focus and cultivate it wholeheartedly... it seems the consumption still would not increase by much,

Lin Zheyu pondered.

The Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art was a gradual, grinding technique. It relied on daily accumulation, using the physique to nurture the spiritual soul over time. Its subjective initiative was low, and improvement could only come slowly with the passage of time. Lin Zheyu poured the spirit liquid into the wooden basin and extended his right hand into it.

Use 1 unit of Origin Force to cultivate the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art.

In an instant, Lin Zheyu's mind blurred and entered his consciousness space. Within the vast white expanse, he sat cross-legged on the ground and devoted himself entirely to cultivating the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art. Once mastered, this art required only a sliver of attention to maintain its operation. Even when fully focused, the efficiency of its circulation did not improve much. The advancement of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art was extremely slow, and within the consciousness space, he could not sense any clear enhancement of his spiritual soul.

Yet in the room, Lin Zheyu's body underwent obvious changes. Under the influence of mysterious energy, the energy contained within the spirit liquid was drawn into his body and transformed into surging golden blood qi. That blood qi quickly vanished again, and through a wondrous process guided by the mysterious energy, it turned into strands of pure spiritual energy. These strands merged into his consciousness, strengthening his spiritual soul.

After a few breaths, Lin Zheyu slowly opened his eyes. There was not the slightest trace of fatigue in them. Cultivating the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art with Origin Force was as simple to him as eating and drinking, as though he had meditated in his consciousness space for a very long time. Not only did he feel no exhaustion, but he felt incomparably powerful.

My perception has become clearer...

Lin Zheyu examined the changes in his mind. He could not sense precisely how much his spiritual soul had improved. He could only infer its growth by observing changes in his perception and reactions. The moment he opened his eyes, it felt as though someone with severe myopia had regained perfect vision through surgery and was seeing the world clearly for the first time. His perception had become far sharper!

As I suspected, improving the spiritual soul indirectly enhances perception and reaction speed. If I can elevate my spiritual soul to an extremely terrifying level, then even without condensing a Grandmaster Domain, perhaps I could achieve a similar effect through overwhelming perception alone.

Combat experience was difficult to accumulate in a short time, and it was equally hard to cultivate powerful battle awareness and techniques quickly. But the spiritual soul was different. With the help of Origin Force, Lin Zheyu could elevate his spiritual soul within a short period. Once his spiritual soul grew stronger, his perception and reaction speed would improve as well.

If I continue improving like this, could I possess strength comparable to a Grandmaster realm martial artist while still in the Marrow Refining realm?

Lin Zheyu wondered.

His current strength was comparable to that of a Force Transformation realm martial artist. The most significant difference between a Grandmaster realm martial artist and a Force Transformation realm martial artist lay in the possession of the Grandmaster Domain. In terms of pure true strength, physique, and raw power, a Grandmaster realm martial artist was not overwhelmingly stronger. Their true power lay in their profound knowledge of martial cultivation, vast combat experience, and the Grandmaster Domain formed after refining their martial arts. In the eyes of a Grandmaster realm martial artist, when a Force Transformation realm martial artist made a move, flaws covered their entire body. Once those flaws were found, the grandmaster could easily defeat or even kill them.

That was the strength of a Grandmaster realm martial artist. Yet such an ability might be approximated by elevating the spiritual soul and relying on perception pushed to the extreme. It would be equivalent to a diminished version of the Grandmaster Domain.

"

Heh

... I am thinking too far ahead. I have not even advanced to the Force Transformation realm, yet I am already dreaming of rivaling a Grandmaster realm martial artist," Lin Zheyu said with a self-mocking chuckle.

After experiencing the effects of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art, Lin Zheyu did not continue enhancing it. The improvement of the spiritual soul could not grant him powerful combat strength in a short time, nor could it provide strong life-saving means. He decided to first cultivate the Furnace Tempering Body Technique and raise his physique.

Once his physique strengthened, it would not only increase his power and survivability but also enhance the effectiveness of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art. The stronger the physique, the better the nurturing effect. After raising his physique, using Origin Force to enhance the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art would yield even greater gains.

It consumed less than a third of the spirit liquid. Not bad. The remainder should be enough for 3 units of Origin Force to cultivate the Furnace Tempering Body Technique.

Lin Zheyu observed the remaining droplets in the basin. The spirit liquid did not mix with water, so he could roughly judge how much had been used by the leftover drops.

Use 3 units of Origin Force to cultivate the Furnace Tempering Body Technique.

He extended his hand into the basin and transmitted the thought. In an instant, his mind blurred, and within the consciousness space, he began endless cultivation. There, he did not have to worry that violently circulating blood qi would injure his body or damage his martial foundation.

He drove his blood qi madly. Vast golden currents rampaged through his body, and as they surged through each acupoint, terrifying impacts brought intense pain. He felt as though his body were about to be torn apart. Though the method was crude, the results were obvious. His body burned fiercely, like a blazing furnace, and the temperature of his physique was two or three times higher than during normal cultivation.

Because of the excessive force, Lin Zheyu completely released control of his blood qi. The vast golden currents spilled outward and condensed around him into a roaring five-clawed golden dragon. Inside the room, his body burned intensely. Surging blood qi churned within him, and under the influence of mysterious energy, his muscles, skin, and bones strengthened at an astonishing speed.