Chapter 588: Limit (II)
"Mm. The cultivation systems of the Shamanic Clan and the Ancient Yao share certain similarities with martial cultivation. You can begin your research there. There are quite a few studies on those subjects in Section Three. Use them as references. Read more, observe more, think more, accumulate more..." Xia Ping said calmly. "You're still young and have only just begun the process of breaking your shackles. Don't rush into cultivation. Wait until you're truly certain before taking that next step."
After speaking, he waved a hand, signaling for Lin Zheyu to leave.
"Yes, Senior." Lin Zheyu cupped his fists in salute toward Xia Ping, who had already closed his eyes again, then headed toward Section Three.
The crisp sounds of footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Xia Ping opened his eyes and watched Lin Zheyu's departing figure before letting out a quiet sigh. Meanwhile, Lin Zheyu arrived at Section Three. His eyes swept across the densely packed collection of texts. Most were recorded in jade slips, while a smaller number were preserved on specially treated parchment.
A quick glance revealed that most of the collection consisted of research notes. Actual Shamanic Clan and Ancient Yao cultivation techniques were exceedingly rare. Such techniques were difficult to obtain in the first place. The Shamanic Clan relied primarily on inheritances from ancient ruins, leaving very few written manuals in circulation. Ancient Yao techniques, meanwhile, were passed down through bloodline inheritance, making written records even scarcer.
In the markets, Lin Zheyu had managed to acquire a few techniques, but they were either incomplete or extremely basic, low-level manuals. He had never encountered a complete high-level technique, nor did the Martial Alliance's Library Pavilion possess any. What it did have, however, was an abundance of research notes related to them.
For now, these notes were the only resources he could use for study and contemplation. After searching for a while, he finally found the texts he wanted. At present, his research focused on two areas. The first was the unknown regions hidden within the Divine Repository realm. The second was the Primordial Golden Body.
Because of the Heavenly Dao Shackles, it had become nearly impossible for his physique to undergo any significant further improvement. His only options were to explore the mysteries hidden within the divine repositories in hopes of finding a way to break his shackles or to seek answers through the Primordial Golden Body itself.
According to Lin Zheyu's original design, the Primordial Golden Body was intended as a powerful body-refining technique. Yet as he continued to develop it, the emergence of Martial Divine Patterns gradually steered it in a different direction.
It had become less of a pure body-refining art and more akin to a Golden Body Form technique. Fortunately, that suited his circumstances perfectly. As long as the Heavenly Dao Shackles remained unbroken, improving his physique was virtually impossible.
The Golden Body Form, however, seemed far less constrained. If he could continue improving the amplification it provided, he might eventually gain enough power to break the shackles within his body. Even so, the challenge was immense. The Primordial Golden Body was a technique he had created himself. Refining and perfecting it would require enormous accumulation and understanding. And the further he advanced, the more difficult each step would become.
***
Time passed slowly. Two days later, in the courtyard...
Rapid breaths echoed throughout the courtyard. Each exhalation stirred a small gust of wind. Lin Zheyu's face was flushed crimson, and sweat had completely soaked his clothes. The muscles across his body trembled faintly, while bulging veins wound around him like creeping vines.
More than ten minutes later, Lin Zheyu slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air. His body staggered several steps before he steadied himself against a wall. His eyes remained tightly shut. His essence, qi, and spirit had fused into a single whole. It felt as though his soul were undergoing a transformation as the frequency of his spirit climbed at a terrifying rate.
At the same time, within his sea of consciousness, the golden Heavenly Eye radiated dazzling light. Its emotionless golden pupil remained fixed on the nearly tangible golden soul form. Through the Heavenly Eye's vision, Lin Zheyu clearly witnessed what happened at the instant his body broke past its limits.
The essence origin and essence and qi within him underwent a sudden transformation, condensing into two streams of incomparably pure energy. They surged straight upward into his sea of consciousness and merged with his soul. The moment they did, the soul began to ascend. The energy particles composing the soul form started vibrating faster and faster, climbing to an astonishing frequency beyond comprehension.
Lin Zheyu panted heavily as he slowly opened his eyes. Exhaustion practically spilled from his gaze.
"It's still not enough. Just what exactly is Origin Force? Even the golden Heavenly Eye can't see through the process by which it's obtained," Lin Zheyu muttered softly.
Ever since returning to Yanwu City, he had used the golden Heavenly Eye every time he pushed past his limits, carefully observing the process that accompanied the acquisition of Origin Force. The Heavenly Eye truly lived up to its name. Its capabilities were extraordinary, and Lin Zheyu had gained tremendous insights from it. His understanding of the process by which essence, qi, and spirit transformed when the body surpassed its limits had deepened considerably. IHowever, it was understanding, and only understanding.
Lin Zheyu had already attempted to replicate the process. However, without relying on the original method of tempering and pushing his physique beyond its limits, he could not trigger the same miraculous transformation of the soul. Refining and purifying essence, origin, and qi was relatively easy to imitate. The real challenge came afterward.
He still had no way to make the soul's frequency rise so rapidly to such an astonishing level and undergo ascension. When he finally achieved that, he suspected he would not be far from uncovering the source of Origin Force and unraveling the secret behind his cheat.
A gentle breeze drifted through the courtyard, carrying a faint floral fragrance. Lin Zheyu sat down cross-legged. With a thought, a spirit stone flew out of his storage pouch and landed in his hand. As he absorbed its energy to replenish his blood qi, he turned his attention to the data panel in his consciousness.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 76]
[Skills: Earth Shrinking Technique (Perfection), Seven Absolute Sabers (Fifth Stage: 3%), Primordial Golden Body (Third Stage: 100%)]
After this period of accumulation, his Origin Force had risen to 76 units once again. Opening the three great divine repositories had greatly enhanced his essence, qi, and spirit, and the amount of Origin Force he gained each time he broke through his limits had finally increased as well.
However, the further he progressed, the more difficult further growth became. Each breakthrough now yielded only a single additional unit of Origin Force, bringing the total gain per breakthrough to 6 units. Even so, Lin Zheyu was already quite satisfied. If he could one day fully understand the process by which breaking one's limits and elevating the soul produced Origin Force, that would be even better.
Four hours later, much of Lin Zheyu's blood qi had recovered. He glanced at the Spirit Resonance Sphere inside his storage pouch, slowly rose to his feet, and vanished from the spot with a slight sway of his body.
Inside the Martial Hall.
"Greetings, Hall Master." Lin Zheyu cupped his fists toward the burly man seated within the main hall.
The burly man before him was named Lin Xian. He was exceptionally tall and broad-shouldered, with a perfectly bald, round head and slightly dark skin. Every time Lin Zheyu saw him, he was reminded of Dwayne Jobson from his previous life, which always left him with a strange feeling.
"There's no need to be so formal. Come, try this spirit wine I just got my hands on. The flavor is quite unique. See what you think," Lin Xian said with a smile.
He was a remarkably straightforward man. Although Lin Zheyu had only met him a handful of times, he could already tell that Lin Xian had a good temperament and was the sort of person worth befriending as a fellow cultivator.
Lin Zheyu smiled and took a seat across from him. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
He lifted the cup and took a sip. The spirit wine was rich and mellow, its flavor lingering pleasantly on the tongue. As it flowed into his stomach, it felt like a refreshing chill spreading through his heart beneath a blazing sun, yet at the same time like a spark of fire igniting within him amidst bitter cold.
"Excellent!" Lin Zheyu savored the sensation for a moment before letting out heartfelt praise. Calling it a taste of ice and fire intertwined would not have been an exaggeration.
"Heh, it's not bad, right? It took quite a bit of effort to acquire this stuff. I don't have much of it, so you only get one more cup." Lin Xian leisurely refilled Lin Zheyu's cup.
Lin Zheyu accepted without hesitation and slowly enjoyed the second cup. After the usual exchange of pleasantries, Lin Xian smiled and said, "I heard you've opened the spirit divine repository and awakened a spirit divine ability. Apparently, you've got a unique knack for tracking people down.
"The Martial Hall has a new assignment for you. You're not going to brush me off again with the excuse of secluded cultivation, are you?" Lin Xian shot him a sidelong glance and curled his lip.
Back when he had been racing to build his strength and rid himself of the threat posed by Fan Hongwei, Lin Zheyu had turned down quite a few Martial Hall assignments. His excuse every time had been seclusion for cultivation.
"My seclusion is over. Feel free to assign whatever task you have in mind, Hall Master," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile.
"Good. Then I'll leave this matter to you. As it happens, you've been there before. The location is in the Chaotic Star Sea to the east."