Chapter 11

The earth's spiritual energy is becoming increasingly thin.

This is not due to the earth entering the industrial and technological eras.

This situation has been in place for thousands of years, involving a massive secret concerning the cultivators on earth.

For cultivators, spiritual energy is fundamental. The thinning of spiritual energy means that the difficulty of cultivation increases infinitely.

Therefore, most cultivators are now at the Qi Condensation stage, and those who truly reach the Foundation Establishment stage are very, very few.

Gufan is also a cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage, but he is already at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, the peak of this stage. One more step forward, and it would be a crucial step for cultivators—Foundation Establishment!

Some have said that one is not a true cultivator until they reach the Foundation Establishment stage.

This shows the importance of the Foundation Establishment stage.

And now, when Gufan cultivates, a spiritual energy vortex actually forms. If other cultivators saw this, they would be so astonished that their eyes would pop out.

When others cultivate, the spiritual energy they can gather is so minimal that it can only be described as a 'thread' or a 'strand.' As for a spiritual energy vortex, it is something they can't even imagine.

Now, when Gufan cultivates, a spiritual energy vortex appears directly. The difference is unimaginable.

After cultivating for about two hours, Gufan finally stopped.

Cultivation is not about the longer the better; the body has an absorption limit. Exceeding this limit does not help cultivation and can even damage the foundation.

"Seal!" Gufan felt the seal within his body, his expression somewhat dazed.

This seal is the work of his master, with the sole purpose of slowing down Gufan's progress.

Gufan is a congenital Dao body, a very high-level and superior cultivation physique.

Those with a congenital Dao body are natural cultivators, extremely favored by heaven. Even without deliberate cultivation, the surrounding spiritual energy slowly nourishes them. When they actively cultivate, it forms a spiritual energy vortex, leading to rapid progress.

This is also the key reason why, even with the thinning of spiritual energy on earth, Gufan can still form a spiritual energy vortex during cultivation.

In fact, if it weren't for his master's seal, the spiritual energy vortex Gufan forms during cultivation would be much, much larger.

The reason Gufan's master sealed him is very simple: to prevent his progress from being too fast!

Others can't speed up even if they want to, but Gufan is being forcibly slowed down.

Comparing people can really make one angry.

"Master said that the ninth level of Qi Condensation is not truly complete. There are actually four more levels in the Qi Condensation stage: the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth levels. These require very high standards from cultivators. I am a congenital Dao body, and with the seal controlling my speed and enhancing my foundation, why haven't I felt the existence of the tenth level yet?" Gufan muttered to himself, a bit puzzled.

"It seems I'm not ready yet!" Gufan firmly believed his master's words, and his doubts quickly dissipated, his resolve rekindled.

Then, Gufan took out his suitcase, found a box, opened it, and saw several ancient books inside. Taking a deep breath, he began to read.

With his cultivation speed restricted, he didn't need to worry about his cultivation like others. Therefore, Gufan spent more time on other aspects.

The medical techniques of the Immortal Physician Sect were one aspect, and there were others that Gufan also explored.

For example, some cultivation methods, talismans, and even some ghost and divine techniques! The breadth of Gufan's exploration is something no current cultivator can match.

After spending two hours, Gufan finally finished his cultivation. Actually, these 'miscellaneous studies' were already completely under his control. Now, he just needed to deepen his understanding and improve his proficiency.

Thus, Gufan finished his daily routine and fell asleep!

Gufan fell asleep, but Zhu Kun couldn't sleep at all, or rather, he dared not sleep!

After returning from the academy complex, Zhu Kun gathered almost all his brothers, over a hundred people, in his base.

Although Gufan is very powerful and gives him a very dangerous feeling, the thought of being controlled makes Zhu Kun feel extremely unwilling!

Zhu Kun set the time for after midnight!

He wanted to see if the pill really worked.

If it didn't work, Zhu Kun would attack!

If it did work, Zhu Kun would attack even more!

However, good intentions are often met with harsh realities.

When midnight arrived, Zhu Kun, who was fine, suddenly convulsed all over. It felt as if countless ants were tearing him apart from the inside, the intense pain almost making him faint.

Even Zhu Kun, disregarding his leader's image, rolled on the ground and screamed in front of all his subordinates!

His grotesque expression, painful screams, and undignified rolling stunned all his subordinates.

Especially Liu Zi and Gouzi, who swallowed their saliva subconsciously, their faces pale and bloodless.

Ten minutes!

It took a full ten minutes for the pain to subside.

By then, Zhu Kun was completely drained of energy, lying on the ground motionless, trembling and shivering slightly.

"Quick, what are you all standing there for? Take care of the boss!" Liu Zi shouted, rushing forward first.

Zhu Kun was helped to take a bath and then massaged.

It took a full hour for him to recover.

But after recovering, Zhu Kun's thoughts had completely changed.

It wasn't about being unwilling to continue causing trouble for Gufan even if the pill worked!

Instead, he had no intention of causing any trouble for Gufan at all.

Because Zhu Kun realized that if he continued to be tormented by that pain, it would be more terrifying than death!

Moreover, Zhu Kun remembered Gufan's words: this was only one percent of the true pain!

Thinking about this, Zhu Kun's scalp tingled.

He absolutely could not provoke Gufan again! Absolutely not!

Therefore, Zhu Kun ordered everyone to look at the photos of Gufan taken by Liu Zi and Gouzi, making sure every subordinate remembered them.

"If anyone dares to provoke this person and cause me trouble, I will kill them with my own hands and throw them into the sea to feed the sharks!" Zhu Kun said through gritted teeth.

Liu Zi and Gouzi trembled all over, knowing that everything was their fault. They were truly afraid that the boss would make them disappear from the world in a fit of anger.

"As for you two... come with me to see him tomorrow! To apologize to him!" Zhu Kun had to show his attitude. Besides, the pill would cause an episode once a month, and Zhu Kun needed the antidote. He really didn't want to experience that pain again.

After the subordinates dispersed, Zhu Kun couldn't sleep at all, thinking about that pain made him shudder...

Gufan got up and ran directly to Donghai University.

It wasn't for exercise; as a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, ordinary exercise had no value for him.

Gufan's purpose was just to practice boxing.

It was also a way to maintain his 'combat power.'

Although it was a holiday, there were still many people exercising on the playground, which was a bit unexpected for Gufan.

People are now paying more and more attention to their health.

With no choice, Gufan had to settle for not using spiritual energy and just practicing boxing with his physical strength.

Although this didn't help much with his cultivation, it helped him stay familiar with the techniques and prevent them from becoming rusty.

"You're doing pretty well, young man!" An old man in sportswear was also practicing boxing nearby. He noticed Gufan, watched him for a while, and finally couldn't resist approaching to talk to him.

"Just messing around, sir, don't laugh at me!" Gufan smiled shyly.

Gufan always respected the elderly, as his master was also an old man.

"You're not just messing around; you're a true expert, I can tell!" The old man smiled.

Gufan smiled shyly again. Although he didn't use spiritual energy, his congenital Dao body gave him a very strong sense of everything. Any boxing technique in Gufan's hands was not a secret. He could master it effortlessly and could be considered a 'master'!

Besides cultivation, there are also ancient martial arts on earth, and a group of people known as superhumans! These are people with special abilities!

Boxing, palm techniques, footwork, sword techniques, knife techniques, and staff techniques are all techniques that can be mastered by these three groups.

In the end, the only difference is the energy that supports these techniques.

For cultivators, it's spiritual energy; for ancient martial artists, it's internal energy; and for superhumans, it's elemental energy!

"I see you have a broad range of knowledge. What do you think of Tai Chi?" Liu Qingyuan, intrigued by Gufan's shyness, asked.

"Tai Chi... there are many types, said to have been created by Zhang Sanfeng. In reality, Zhang Sanfeng only popularized Tai Chi and made it widely known. The history of Tai Chi is very, very long. Now, there are many schools of Tai Chi, but unfortunately, none of them have truly captured its essence! The principle of using softness to overcome hardness is well-known, and many people know that softness contains hardness, but few truly master it. In my view, this is not the essence of Tai Chi. The essence of Tai Chi lies in yin and yang, involving the principles of yin and yang..." Gufan smiled and stopped, seeing no need to continue.

"Very insightful! I didn't expect you to have such a deep understanding of Tai Chi! Truly enlightening!" Liu Qingyuan said sincerely.

"Sir, don't laugh at me!" Gufan smiled shyly.

"However, I see that your Tai Chi doesn't belong to any school, but it gives me a familiar feeling. Young man, can you tell me where you learned your Tai Chi?" Liu Qingyuan asked.

This was his true intention!

"Familiar? Sir, show me your Tai Chi!" Gufan was quite surprised and smiled.

"Ha ha ha, good! Young man, if there's anything wrong, please point it out!" Liu Qingyuan laughed and, after taking a deep breath, began to move!