Chapter 376: Without Reaching The Martial Innate Realm, One Is Still An Ant (II)

"Master, there is no need to persuade me. I want to cultivate the Primordial Wuji True Technique," Lin Zheyu said firmly.

Elder Yang curled his lips and looked at Huang Baizhong, as if to say, "See, I told you he is stubborn."

"I heard from Wenzi that you have mastered the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art and can even maintain its operation during daily life?" Elder Yang interjected curiously.

"Yes. I previously cultivated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method and the Tortoise Breath True Technique, so my control over essence, qi, and spirit has already been honed to a considerable level. The greatest difficulty of the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art lies in sensing the existence of the spirit and spiritual soul and establishing a connection with the body. Once that is achieved, there is no further problem," Lin Zheyu said calmly.

Elder Yang and Huang Baizhong exchanged a glance. After hearing confirmation from Lin Zheyu himself, they could not help but marvel at his talent. Both of them had cultivated the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art and knew how abnormal its difficulty was. Fully mastering it was far from as easy as Lin Zheyu made it sound.

"I will test the strength of your spirit and spiritual soul. Do not activate your true intent. Let me see how long you can endure," Huang Baizhong said.

"Alright, Master. You may begin." Lin Zheyu nodded.

Very quickly, he felt a powerful, true intent pressure rise from Huang Baizhong and crush down toward him. Huang Baizhong stood with his hands clasped behind his back as the true intent pressure rapidly intensified. He carefully observed Lin Zheyu's expression, intending to stop the moment Lin Zheyu showed signs of being unable to endure. In Huang Baizhong's view, even though his disciple had reached the thirtieth rank on the Hidden Dragon List, he was still only at the Marrow Refining realm. Excessively terrifying true intent pressure might leave an indelible mark on Lin Zheyu's spirit and will.

Rumble.

Faintly, it seemed as though towering waves were surging across the sea, producing deafening roars. This was the illusion formed when the Azure Tide true intent was driven to its peak. Yet Lin Zheyu stood within Huang Baizhong's overwhelming true intent pressure as if he felt nothing at all. From beginning to end, his expression did not change. He remained relaxed.

He can remain expressionless even under this?

Elder Yang and Huang Baizhong kept their faces calm, but inwardly they were deeply shocked.

It was truly astonishing. Even Guo Wenzi, without using her own true intent pressure to resist, could not remain calm under such powerful true intent pressure from Huang Baizhong.

That should be enough...

Lin Zheyu sensed the increasingly terrifying true intent pressure and decided it was sufficient. His brows gradually furrowed, veins bulging across his body as if he were beginning to struggle.

Huff...

Subtly, Elder Yang and Huang Baizhong let out a sigh of relief. The true intent pressure Huang Baizhong was currently exerting had reached nearly seventy percent of his limit. If Lin Zheyu could have endured that with a calm expression, it would have been truly unbelievable. Seeing Lin Zheyu's brows knit tighter, Huang Baizhong immediately withdrew the true intent pressure and ended the test.

"Very good. Your spirit and spiritual soul are strong. The stronger they are, the less you are affected by true intent. If you cultivate the Primordial Wuji True Technique, your chances of success would not be small. However, besides the true intents of the Primordial Wuji True Technique, you have also condensed two others. In the future, there is a high possibility you may stop before reaching the Grandmaster realm. Have you prepared yourself for that?" Huang Baizhong asked slowly after a moment of thought.

Even after witnessing Lin Zheyu's talent in the Sacred Evolution Spirit Nurturing Art and the strength of his spirit and spiritual soul, he still felt uneasy.

"I have already prepared myself mentally. In life, one should advance boldly. If I shrink back now out of fear, even if I choose another technique, it will leave a heart demon within me and hinder my martial cultivation," Lin Zheyu said.

These were precisely the concerns of Elder Yang and Huang Baizhong. Only by sincerely accepting and willingly choosing another martial cultivation technique could one avoid problems. If one retreated out of fear, it was easy to form a heart demon. When the time came to advance to the Grandmaster realm and condense the Grandmaster's will, it would become extremely troublesome.

"

Sigh...

Since you have made your decision, we will follow your will. Once I settle a few matters, in a couple of days I will take you to the main sect to receive the Primordial Wuji True Technique cultivation method," Huang Baizhong said with a soft sigh, ultimately agreeing to Lin Zheyu's choice.

"Many thanks, Master!" Lin Zheyu cupped his fists in salute and expressed his gratitude.

Afterward, Huang Baizhong asked Lin Zheyu about some matters regarding cultivation and daily life. Not long after, he dismissed him. There was no need to test Lin Zheyu's strength. His ranking of thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon List was the best proof of his ability. That position was already very close to Liang En, one of the main sect's leading geniuses of this generation.

"This is the only way..." Elder Yang said softly.

"Indeed. Sometimes having a disciple who is too talented can also be a headache," Huang Baizhong said with emotion.

He had not expected that the genius disciple recruited from the martial cultivation exchange would turn out to be this astonishingly gifted. At the time, he had merely regarded Lin Zheyu as a talent on the same level as Chen Ding or Guo Wenzi.

"

Tsk.

You should be secretly delighted. If I were not too old to take on such a young disciple, I would never have yielded him to you back then," Elder Yang said with a sidelong glance and a chuckle.

Huang Baizhong smiled faintly and did not refute it. He truly had reason to be secretly pleased.

"Elder Yang, do you think Lin Zheyu has a chance to reach the top of the Hidden Dragon List?" Huang Baizhong asked with a smile.

"Yes! When Lin Zheyu challenged Xiao Shi, I did not go to watch, but I asked those who did. They all said he did not use his full strength. If he revealed everything, he might have entered the top twenty-five back then. Even now, he could likely contend with Liang En," Elder Yang said.

He looked at Huang Baizhong and scolded him somewhat irritably. "As his master, you understand your own disciple less than I do. I truly do not know how you fulfill that role."

"

Uh...

The situation escalated too suddenly. I did not expect it to grow so severe," Huang Baizhong said helplessly. "The northern lands may also fall. The Yao Heavenly Palace, the Mother of Pain, the northern barbarian tribes... All sorts of forces are entangled together. They hold the mentality that even if they cannot take it, they will not leave it to Great Wei, and they are opening space-time nodes everywhere. The north is already in chaos."

Huang Baizhong's expression darkened. As a Grandmaster, he had reached the peak of mortal strength, yet he could only deal with the weakest yaos and demons. This left his martial cultivation heart deeply frustrated.

"Do not think so much. Without reaching the Martial Innate realm, one is still an ant. What you must focus on now is completing more missions and exchanging for Spirit Nurturing Pills from the Directorate of Celestial Observation to strengthen your spirit and spiritual soul," Elder Yang said, shaking his head in admonition.

Spirit Nurturing Pills were extremely precious medicinal pills that could strengthen the spirit and spiritual soul after consumption. From the Grandmaster realm to the Martial Innate realm, what one cultivated was precisely the spirit and spiritual soul. After advancing to the Grandmaster realm, a martial artist's lifespan extended further, granting more time to temper the will and enhance the spirit and spiritual soul.

Only when the spirit and spiritual soul reached a certain level could one perceive the Bridge of Heaven and Earth within the body. Even after discovering it, one still needed to refine and strengthen oneself further to have a chance of successfully crossing the Bridge of Heaven and Earth and advancing to the Martial Innate realm.

"

Mm.

There is no shortage of missions now, but the danger is extremely great. A single misstep could mean death. We must also pay attention to Wuling City. After I take Lin Zheyu to the main sect, I will leave Azure Tide Pavilion in your hands, Elder Yang. The hidden forces are stirring. According to rumors, they may use Wuling City or Ruyang City as their point of breakthrough," Huang Baizhong said in a low voice.

The two began discussing major sect affairs and arrangements, considering whether to consolidate their forces to avoid being swept up in the coming turmoil.

***

The northern lands.

Far more barren than the Southern Barbarian Region, the area was filled with strange mountains and jagged rocks, with sparse vegetation as far as the eye could see. When the wind blew, it would stir up clouds of yellow sand. Though plant life was scarce, mineral resources were extremely abundant, giving the region crucial strategic importance to Great Wei. At this moment, above a desolate stretch of mountains in the north, boundless black clouds seemed to blanket the entire sky. Not only the sky, but even the space below was shrouded in darkness. The blazing rays of the sun were unable to penetrate that darkened expanse.

Roar, roar.

From within the darkened region, the roars of demon puppets echoed from time to time.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Suddenly, several figures shot out from the shrouded darkness and sped toward the distant barren hills.

"The mission is finally complete," the man on the left said excitedly.

Beside him stood a tall, powerfully built man with knotted muscles covering his body.

"There should be no further danger. You can deliver this on your own from here. I need to return to Wuling City to handle some matters," the man said calmly.

He was Pei Xuan, who had been absent for a long time. Previously, he had sent subordinates to assassinate Lin Zheyu, but the attempts had failed repeatedly, even costing him his most capable subordinate. This left him deeply resentful. After so much time, the one who had killed his father still roamed free. Though he could not identify the culprit, it was certainly connected to Lin Zheyu and the protector behind him.

Pei Xuan had originally intended to act personally, but urgent matters arose within the palace, and he had no choice but to obey the orders of the Yao Heavenly Palace's master. He still needed to obtain Demon Suppressing Pills from the palace master. Without them, the Baleful Yin force would soon erode him, causing him to lose his sanity and become a demon puppet driven only by instinct and slaughter.

"

Oh?

What else do you need to deal with? Is it that mundane family of yours? At our level, after becoming yao martial artists, ordinary family forces are of no use to us. I advise you to let it go. Wouldn't it be easier and freer to be alone?" the man beside him said disdainfully.

"

Hah

, you understand nothing. The more ties one has, the greater the chance of maintaining sanity. When all ties are gone, and one becomes completely unrestrained, the fall into becoming a demon puppet is not far away," Pei Xuan said with a cold sneer.

He took out a palm-sized bronze bell from his robes and casually tossed it to the other man before turning and leaving.

"

Hah

. A pointless struggle. After becoming a yao martial artist, if you want to survive, the only path is to submit to a powerful demon god like the Mother of Pain. There is no other way," the man said with a chuckle, putting away the small bronze bell before heading off in another direction.