Chapter 25

Second Update!

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In the mountains, time passed swiftly. Two months later, Wang Lin sat in the dream space with his eyes closed, practicing breathing exercises. In these two months, he had thoroughly studied the mysterious bead.

This bead could be entered three times a day, each time for more than twenty hours, totaling six days.

In the real world, two months had passed, but in reality, he had cultivated for a year.

Cultivation was an extremely tedious matter. Wang Lin hadn't felt this before, but during these days, he deeply experienced it. With the help of the spring water, he didn't even need to eat, spending his days in meditation and breathing exercises.

He repeatedly absorbed the spiritual energy brought by the spring water in his body in a pattern of one long and three short breaths. If not for his strong will and the hopeful eyes of his parents often lingering in his mind, he might not have been able to persist in this boring cultivation.

Especially when he thought about Wang Zhuo being able to condense the first layer of Qi in three months, a strong sense of unwillingness immediately surged in Wang Lin's heart. He almost never left his room, immersing himself in cultivation without any regard for anything else.

In the Hengyue Sect, Wang Lin was a laughingstock, a minor figure. Although many people envied him, few paid attention to him.

Sun Dazhu had long forgotten about this disciple. Even when he occasionally thought of him, anger would immediately surge, and he would forcibly filter Wang Lin out of his mind.

Given these circumstances, plus some precautions Wang Lin took, every time he was about to fall asleep and enter the dream space, he would immediately put the bead in his pocket. Thus, these two months passed peacefully, and no one discovered Wang Lin's mysterious bead.

In these two months, the amount of spring water Wang Lin drank was incalculable. Whenever he felt a lack of spiritual energy in his body, he would immediately drink a few large gulps.

If Sun Dazhu knew about this, he would surely be heartbroken and furious, and might even kill this disciple with a single palm. In the entire Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world, it was extremely rare for a cultivator to indulge in drinking spirit-infused spring water all day like Wang Lin. Only some old monsters in the sects could enjoy such privileges, controlling the most spirit-rich caves in the mountains to achieve the effect of spirit-infused spring water.

Spiritual energy was of utmost importance to cultivators. The Zhao Kingdom was not a place rich in spiritual energy, though it was sufficient to nurture several sects. If someone knew that Wang Lin was cultivating in such a manner, they would be as heartbroken as his master.

If this spring water were used to refine pills, it would certainly increase the success rate of pill refinement. Although materials were crucial, the presence of spirit-infused substances could produce miraculous effects.

With the almost endless supply of spiritual energy, the spiritual energy in Wang Lin's body continued to increase.

One day, while practicing breathing exercises in the dream space, Wang Lin clearly felt the spiritual energy flowing through his body. With each breath, two white dragons of spiritual energy spewed from his mouth and nose.

A sensation of ants crawling gradually emerged from within and outside his body, like a tide sweeping over every part of his body. Drops of black substance, emitting a foul smell, were expelled from his sweat pores, quickly soaking his clothes. Wang Lin was unaware of this, as he was immersed in a wondrous feeling, clearly seeing the spring water in his body continuously breaking down, with threads of spiritual energy slowly altering his body's structure.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Lin opened his eyes, a never-before-seen brightness shining in them.

His mind was clear, and his heart was as calm as still water. Various experiences from his youth flashed through his mind: his father's loving gaze when he was learning to speak, his mother's caring words during late-night studies, his parents' hopeful expressions before he entered the Hengyue Sect, the mocking faces of relatives, and the envious looks of villagers. He viewed all these as if they were strangers, calmly observing each one.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, a bitter taste rising in his heart. At the moment he entered the first layer of Qi Condensation, he had a moment of enlightenment.

According to the Three Chapters of Qi Condensation, the first layer of Qi Condensation was like a gate. Those who could push it open would enter the ranks of cultivators, thus severing all ties with the mundane world and dissolving their attachments.

Everyone experienced this process when they reached the first layer of Qi Condensation. Wang Lin didn't know how others fared, but he could sever all mundane ties except for the affection for his parents.

With a light sigh, Wang Lin patted his clothes and stood up.

His eyes were bright, and he looked around. He could now perceive the differences in the dream space, such as the luminous bodies around him. Previously, he couldn't detect any abnormalities, but now he could see that these luminous bodies had spiritual energy flowing within them. Although he still couldn't discern specific changes, it was like a blind man regaining his sight compared to before.

As he was observing, a tearing sensation appeared, but it was much milder this time. Although it still hurt, it no longer made him break out in a cold sweat.

In the real world, Wang Lin opened his eyes, sat on the bed, and pondered for a moment. He immediately picked up the gourd and opened it. The spring water inside now seemed to emit a faint, light spiritual energy, indicating an abundance of spiritual energy.

A smile appeared on his lips. After reaching the first layer of Qi Condensation, he could now sense the spiritual energy in the world. Taking a deep breath, Wang Lin suddenly realized that his body was sticky. Looking down, he chuckled. The Three Chapters of Qi Condensation mentioned that when one broke through to the first layer, a large amount of impurities would be expelled from the body, a necessary stage in body transformation.

Wang Lin pushed open the door. It was already afternoon outside. He walked lightly and quickly out of the east gate, heading to the mountain spring. He found a downstream location, took off his clothes, and washed thoroughly. The black impurities were greasy and took a long time to wash off completely.

After washing, he lay on a nearby rock, looking up at the sky, recalling a cultivation technique described in the Three Chapters of Qi Condensation.

It detailed a basic cultivation technique called "Gravity Spell." As long as one reached the first layer of Qi Condensation, they could use it.

The Hengyue Sect, which had unified the Zhao Kingdom 500 years ago, had declined but still possessed a vast number of cultivation techniques. In principle, each inner disciple could freely choose from the scripture hall, though the elders often advised choosing sword cultivation.

Sword cultivation focused all cultivation on a flying sword. Although it was difficult to cultivate later on, it was powerful and easy to master in the early stages. The Gravity Spell was a basic cultivation technique for controlling a flying sword.

In addition to the Gravity Spell, the Three Chapters of Qi Condensation also recorded two other techniques: Fireball and Earth Split.