Chapter 80

"Such a grand display... I thought you were some kind of amazing person, but it turns out you're just a failure, trying to break through the Profound Passage stage to enter the more unpredictable Primordial stage, only to end up burning yourself..."

Listening to Long Buli's muttering, Lu Buqi couldn't help but feel melancholic at her arrogance. However, he suddenly realized: "Primordial stage... what kind of realm is that?"

"I don't understand it either. It says here that it's a realm where one can use divine will to borrow the energy of the five elements of heaven and earth, and cast elemental spells. But it seems unreliable, since he didn't succeed... This is the notes of a solitary cultivator who was in seclusion."

Lu Buqi took the leather-bound book: "This... why hasn't it rotted?"

"Probably because of some mystical technique!" Long Buli replied. "This solitary cultivator was at least a Ninth Rank Mansion Formation, and his Profound Passage reached the Perfect stage. He should know a few tricks, right?"

"I really don't know how broad your knowledge is!" Lu Buqi looked at Long Buli in surprise, then he was completely captivated by the words on the first page of the notes.

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit are the fundamentals of human life, known as the three treasures of life: sufficient essence means sufficient Qi, sufficient Qi means full spirit, and full spirit means overflowing yang energy and boundless magical power."

"Essence is not just the essence from sexual intercourse, but refers to the essence that constitutes the human body, which is innate, hence it is also called 'Primordial Essence.' Through the inheritance of martial artists over thousands of years, it has been discovered that Primordial Essence is the strongest energy of the human body, especially manifested in the 'meridians,' 'marrow,' and 'blood.' Therefore, martial artists use their will to stimulate courage, marrow strength, and blood energy, which is the supreme way to cultivate and strengthen 'Primordial Essence,' known as the Body Cultivation Path."

Lu Buqi's understanding grew deeper: "I originally thought that the technology on Earth had already sufficiently analyzed the human body, but it's clear that in terms of exploring the essential potential of the human body, it is not as profound as the knowledge in this world."

Lu Buqi continued reading: "Qi is not just the breath, but the original 'Qi' of the human body, hence it is called 'Primordial Qi.' It embodies the impetus of the innate original fire, which the ancients also called 'Qi.' From the character shape, the 'Qi' character has four dots at the bottom, indicating fire burning below. This 'innate original fire' is also the original driving force of life, 'Primordial Essence.'"

"Using 'Essence' to carry the Qi of heaven and earth, and to warm and nurture 'Qi,' thus achieving communication with heaven and earth, absorbing Qi to live, and forming a mansion, allowing life to receive more nourishment, and thus achieving longevity, this is the Profound Passage Path."

"In the legends of Daoist internal alchemy from my previous life's China, it also mentioned that those who absorb Qi can achieve immortality. It seems this is indeed a great path, but in my previous life, the world's fate turned towards the technological industrial age, which led to the premature end of this culture. If it had continued to develop, it might have become a system similar to this world's." Lu Buqi felt deeply moved, and at the same time, he gained new insights into the three stages of the Profound Passage: Qi Absorption, Mansion Formation, and Primordial Control.

Seeing Lu Buqi engrossed, Long Buli surprisingly did not disturb him but signaled to Bu Hui, and the two of them walked to another room.

"I am known as Wuhen, having cultivated to the Ninth Rank Mansion Formation, and I am over three hundred years old, with my lifespan nearing its end, feeling unsatisfied. However, some sects are closed-minded and unwilling to exchange knowledge, so I had to travel across thousands of mountains, read countless ancient texts, and seek understanding and cultivation methods for 'Spirit.' However, throughout my life, I fear I have not achieved complete success. I only know that some powerful cultivators, upon a sudden heart movement, their Primordial Spirit begins, entering the Primordial Control stage."

"Seeking help from others is not as good as asking oneself, and asking heaven is not as good as defying fate! I secluded myself for twenty years, seeking the Primordial Path. I believe that although 'Spirit' is unpredictable and hard to fathom, after cultivating essence and Qi for many years, one should have some contact with it. However, cultivators cannot clearly perceive the Heavenly Dao. With my lifespan nearing its end and time running out, I decided to take a desperate gamble, using my will to drive the Primordial Qi of the Mansion Formation to invoke heavenly fire and refine my body. If successful, it would be fortunate. If not, I will stop here, leaving a warning for future generations that this path is not viable!"

Lu Buqi read the first page of the notes written by the solitary cultivator Wuhen at a steady pace. When he turned to the second page, he was invigorated, as there was more content. However, upon closer inspection, he realized that it was actually cultivation experience written before "this path is not viable."

Clearly, the solitary cultivator Wuhen ultimately failed in his quest for the Heavenly Dao, though it's also possible that he succeeded and simply forgot about this cave, wandering elsewhere.

As for the more detailed and targeted cultivation experiences in the later pages of the leather notebook, they were undoubtedly profound for a novice who hadn't even reached the Blood Qi stage of Body Cultivation.

However, Lu Buqi, who had some basic knowledge of Chinese Daoist internal alchemy, had his own views on the Body Cultivation, Profound Passage, and Primordial stages of this world.

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit... it seems that despite the myriad paths, they all lead to the same destination." Lu Buqi slowly closed the leather notebook: "Body Cultivation, Profound Passage, and Primordial stages, aren't they similar to the transformation of essence into Qi and Qi into spirit? And isn't the ultimate goal of my internal martial arts to achieve the unity of Qi and spirit?"

His thoughts drifted, and a vague scene from his previous life appeared in his mind. Lu Buqi muttered: "When I killed the Japanese ninja master Yashino Kyu, completely abandoning life and death, all my potential erupted, and there was a sense of wandering in the void..."

"Hey!" Long Buli's slightly angry voice interrupted Lu Buqi's thoughts: "You've been reading that old book for so long, and you're still mumbling to yourself. There are good things over here."

"Phew..." Lu Buqi exhaled a deep breath, shook his head regretfully, and tucked the leather notebook into his waist. He understood that although these things seemed useless now, they would play an immeasurable role when he reached the Profound Passage stage.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, one can always see higher and farther. No matter how much Long Buli despised Wuhen, for the current Lu Buqi, he was still a giant who had walked much farther.

When Lu Buqi arrived at the room where Long Buli and Bu Hui were, he saw that this room was much more abundant in items compared to the previous hall and room. This made him even more convinced that the solitary cultivator Wuhen had likely burned himself, or he wouldn't have left so many things behind.

This should be an alchemy room, slightly larger than the hall. In the center of the room was a black alchemy furnace about nine feet high, surrounded by several wooden racks, some intact and some collapsed. However, most of the wooden racks were empty, and there were many scattered jade bottles and porcelain jars on the ground, some intact and some broken.

Long Buli and Bu Hui seemed to have gathered a small pile of good items, waiting for Lu Buqi to come and share...

When Lu Buqi looked over, Bu Hui immediately bowed, her politeness making Lu Buqi blush, making it hard for him to believe that this beautiful woman was actually a mystic beast. He could only smile in response.

Long Buli said, "The other room is a meditation room, where the solitary cultivator usually meditated. There are only a few broken cushions, nothing else. But there are still many useful things here, and the most important is this!"

"Jade ring?" Lu Buqi looked at the object in Long Buli's hand with confusion: "Could it be..."

"Yes, this is a storage ring, but it's made to look like a jade ring. I already have one, so this one is naturally for you." Long Buli smiled lightly. "The solitary cultivator left it behind, so he probably didn't erase his will. I didn't use my will to check it, fearing it might recognize its master."

Lu Buqi took the storage ring. Although he had never used one before, he didn't feel too unfamiliar with it. He used his will to sense it, just like he would when exercising his courage and marrow strength.

At that moment, the jade ring slipped onto his right index finger as if it had a life of its own. Lu Buqi didn't pay much attention to it, but he was surprised to find that his consciousness now contained an irregular three-dimensional space, about twelve cubic meters, similar to Long Buli's storage ring.

"This should be the storage space of the ring. I never thought such a small thing could have such a mystical effect." As Lu Buqi marveled, Long Buli said, "Don't keep everything for yourself, hmm..."

Lu Buqi was about to ask how to take everything out when he heard a rustling sound, and a small pile of items appeared at his feet.

"Wow... let's divide the loot!" Long Buli's eyes lit up, and she suddenly squatted down. Lu Buqi, on the other hand, looked at the storage ring on his finger with interest: "So, you're so obedient, and my thoughts can achieve my goals."