Chapter 1043 - 724: Primordial Dao Body
The passage of time is swift, like a white horse flashing past a crack. In the blink of an eye, four years have quietly slipped away.
On Surprising Sword Island, within the practice room of the cave mansion.
Shen Xuan sat cross-legged, slowly opening his eyes.
His eyes contained an inner brilliance, divine luminescence flowing.
"In cultivation, one loses track of time; today, I have reached two hundred and fifty years old."
He muttered softly, his tone filled with emotion.
During these four years, Shen Xuan lived a reclusive life, rarely leaving Surprising Sword Island.
Most of his time and energy were devoted to arduous cultivation.
Every two months, he opened the furnace once to refine Golden Transformation Pills, maintaining the cooperation with Commerce Alliance and the Zhang Family.
He saved several high-quality Golden Transformation Pills, polished the Alchemy Dao, and refined his fire control skills.
Occasionally leaving the island, he concealed his tracks, venturing to hidden lairs in desolate mountains and deep valleys, either to strengthen arrays or to widen escape routes to perfect his retreat.
Meanwhile, he nurtured the ever-growing swarm of Shadow-devouring Demon Insects.
His daily cultivation schedule was packed.
Daily unwavering Fire Technique cultivation was fundamental.
He pondered the [Tai Chi Primordial Technique], considering his future path of the Dao.
The [Wind and Thunder Escape Technique] and [Million Illusory Forms] were the divine powers he poured his heart and soul into, striving to perfect speed and transformation.
The [Silver Flame Fire Bird] and similar fire control techniques needed to be continually practiced to maintain his sense.
The [Flaming Cloud Demon Body] was especially his primary focus over these four years.
For this, he did not hesitate to spend a large amount of time to completely refine and absorb the Inner Core Essence Blood of the demon Flaming Cloud Leopard.
The mysterious jade talisman flashed slightly with light, the characters clear.
[Lifespan: 250/910]
[Divine Power: Tai Chi Primordial Technique proficiency (18/200)]
[Talent: Minor Achievement of Flaming Cloud Demon Body (16/800)]
[Talent: Minor Achievement of Nirvana Phoenix Body (8/800)]
[Dao Rhyme: 10267988]
The progress of the [Tai Chi Primordial Technique] was relatively slow.
It wasn’t due to a lack of diligence on his part; it was because this ancient technique’s inheritance was esoteric and profound, requiring more power of the divine soul and insight into the Great Dao as it progressed.
"This matter is not urgent for now."
Shen Xuan suppressed a trace of his anxiety.
"The urgent task is to first settle the matter of the [Primordial Fire Pill]."
Previously, with his own accumulation and the aid of the Nine-Colored Treasure Lotus, he successfully elevated the Ice Technique Golden Core to a Primordial Ice Pill.
Now, with the Nine-Colored Treasure Lotus even more powerful than before and having cultivated the [Tai Chi Primordial Technique], his understanding of "yin and yang complementary, primordial as one" far exceeded the past, giving him more confidence.
Shen Xuan’s eyes were deep, gazing into the void as if seeing the laws of the Great Dao in the unseen.
"Heaven and earth divide into yin and yang, where there is positive, there is negative."
"The pure spiritual air rises as Spiritual Qi, the turbid air sinks as Demonic Qi."
"The so-called Dao and demon originate from the same source, being the two sides of the Heavenly Dao’s operation, like light and shadow following one another."
"Those who cultivate the Dao inevitably harbor demonic nature in their heart; those who cultivate demons also hold a Dao Heart on their Spirit Platform."
"The Dao is me, the demon is me, heaven is me, earth is me, all living beings and phenomena..."
"All are me."
"Only by encompassing, harnessing, and integrating various forces can one truly touch the wondrous realm of primordial as one."
...
Seven days later, Shen Xuan slowly completed his cultivation and opened his eyes.
Gazing internally at his dantian, the original Fire Technique Golden Core now circulated with a layer of continually integrating and transforming primordial light, as if containing a small world balanced in yin and yang.
The Primordial Fire Pill was complete.
The fusion process was smoother than anticipated.
The Nine-Colored Treasure Lotus’ spiritual light became ever more mysterious, providing a harmonizing force far superior to before.
Due to cultivating [Tai Chi Primordial Technique], his understanding of yin-yang balance had deepened.
The mysterious jade talisman’s light flowed.
[Talent: Mastery of Primordial Fire Spirit Body (12/400)]
His realm of Dao Body fell from "Minor Achievement" to "Mastery."
Shen Xuan could clearly feel that the total magical power within his body was more vast, circulating smoothly and harmoniously.
As his mind reached a thought, spiritual power could be born in an instant.
The various mysteries were far surpassing those of the previous singular [Nirvana Phoenix Body] or [Flaming Cloud Demon Body].
Shen Xuan softly exhaled, suppressing the joy arising in his heart, stood up, pushed the door open, and walked out of the practice room where he had been in seclusion for many days, taking a brief break.
"Pill Master Shen."
Zhang Zezhong greeted him respectfully: "Zhang Shifan and Lady Hu, along with their children, are waiting in the outer reception room for an audience."
On days when the furnace was not being opened for pill refining, Zhang Zehua and Zhang Zezhong took turns on duty, managing some daily chores on Surprising Sword Island and standing ready for Shen Xuan’s orders.
Four years ago, Zhang Shifan and his wife followed Shen Xuan’s suggestion and carefully selected a talented, virtuous young boy and girl from the Zhang family’s younger generation as their formal children.
The names were inscribed in the ancestral register.
This move indeed worked.
The Zhang family elders seeing Zhang Shifan and his wife having heirs to carry on their legacy, no longer suggested Zhang Shifan take a concubine.
Thus, a family dispute quietly disappeared.
Since then, Zhang Shifan and his wife frequently visited Surprising Sword Island.
First, to avoid too much attention from the Zhang family members.
Second, the island was quiet, suitable for privately imparting Daoist techniques.
For Zhang Shifan, it actually didn’t matter.
The Zhang family was a sword Dao family, and his sword Dao inheritance was not uncommon within the clan.
The key was his Dao companion, Lady Hu.
Lady Hu cultivated an extremely niche and rather taboo path of Poisonous Gu Technique.
This path’s inheritance was always secretive, with strict rules, often passed down singly.
His daughter Zhang Tian’Er, upon adoption, also took a Celestial Dao Oath never to transmit the Poisonous Gu Technique outside.
Even the Zhang family patriarch Zhang Shixiu had no authority to intervene or inquire about this.
On the expansive Surprising Sword Island, usually, besides Shen Xuan, there were only the Zhang family Pill Masters on duty, making it peaceful and safe.
For Lady Hu, it was indeed the perfect place to teach Poisonous Gu Technique.
Shen Xuan’s gaze fell on Zhang Zezhong standing before him, briefly appraised him, and slightly nodded: "Not bad. Zezhong, you’ve finally caught up with Zehua, breaking through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment."
At this moment, Zhang Zezhong’s complexion was ruddy, his aura solid and steady, his eyes contained a hidden divine light, clearly indicating that his realm was stable.