Chapter 26

Huaxia Jiu laughed, but his laughter was somewhat stiff; it was the first time he had ever laughed in his life.

However, he kept laughing, and soon his laughter became more natural, with the muscles on his face becoming more relaxed. His smile was pure and radiant, even more radiant than the sun and purer than the purest spring water in the world.

After seven days, Huaxia Jiu finally transformed his mechanical body into a flesh-and-blood human body.

Although there were still some differences, no one would doubt that Huaxia Jiu was a human. For example, a normal human heart is on the left side of the chest, but Huaxia Jiu's was on the right. The bones inside his body, although greatly changed during the transformation, were still primarily made of titanium alloy, fused with the essence of the bones of a human-shaped dragon corpse, making them even more solid, flexible, and coordinated. Even inside the bones, something similar to bone marrow was produced.

Another issue that troubled Huaxia Jiu and which he did not know how to solve was that his brain was almost completely different from a human's. He had no brain fluid, no cerebrum or cerebellum, and no distinction between the left and right brain. Under the flesh and bone of his skull, there was only a colorful light ball. His soul was also in the space Huaxia Jiu referred to as the "brain," or perhaps inside the colorful light ball.

Inside the colorful light ball, Huaxia Jiu's soul and thirteen folders floated. The rest of the space was like the universe, dark and deep, mysterious and profound.

After the initial excitement and joy of having a human body, Huaxia Jiu gradually calmed down and began to think about his next steps in his usual extremely rational manner.

Although Huaxia Jiu now had a flesh-and-blood body, it also meant he was more susceptible to death. Even if he left the deep ravine, it would be very difficult for him to safely leave the Cangman Mountains with his current strength.

Compared to ordinary humans, Huaxia Jiu's greatest advantage was a soul comparable to that of a Dantian Realm cultivator and a powerful physical body.

After several breaths, Huaxia Jiu had already planned his next steps and began to act decisively.

Huaxia Jiu now had a body and had obtained cultivation methods from Ma Zhike and Yu Mingfu's memories, so he could naturally begin to cultivate. Moreover, because he had successively absorbed the souls of the tiger demon king, Ma Zhike, and Yu Mingfu, all of whom were at the Dantian Realm, his soul strength was already comparable to that of a mid-Dantian Realm cultivator. However, his soul was not innate but formed by chance, which might pose significant hidden dangers. Although Huaxia Jiu vaguely sensed this, he lacked sufficient knowledge about the soul to make a judgment, so he could only temporarily set this matter aside.

In the darkness, Huaxia Jiu sat cross-legged on the ground, took a deep breath, calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and reviewed the cultivation method of the Ice Blood Sect, the "Xuanbing Huaxue Shengong," from beginning to end in his mind.

According to Ma Zhike's memory, the "Xuanbing Huaxue Shengong" was the foundation of all the Ice Blood Sect's techniques and methods. It was created by the sect's founder, Ice Blood Holy Demon, who combined it with another cultivation method. After generations of Ice Blood Sect masters refined it, it is now considered a supreme cultivation method that can rival the creation of heaven and earth. Of course, this was just Ma Zhike's own understanding.

This cultivation method involves absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, circulating it through the meridians, and finally gathering it in the dantian to form a true essence lake. While strengthening the physical body, it also transforms the body's blood into a special energy, which the soul absorbs to grow stronger. The advantage is that the soul strength grows faster at the Lingjing and Dantian Realms. The disadvantage is that it causes significant damage to the body and, over time, the soul becomes impure, affecting the advancement to the Out-of-Body, Seeking the Dao, and Ascension Realms. Only by using the Ice Blood Sect's ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing and unique secret techniques can these hidden dangers be eliminated.

After thoroughly understanding the cultivation method of the "Xuanbing Huaxue Shengong," Huaxia Jiu began to review the cultivation method of the Tianyi Sect from Yu Mingfu's memory.

The "Tianyi Duanshen Jue" is the foundation of all the Tianyi Sect's cultivation methods. It was discovered by the sect's founder, Tianyi Zhenren, in an ancient cave a thousand years ago. He then completed it based on his own insights. After generations of Tianyi Sect cultivators refined it, it is now considered a well-known supreme cultivation method in the Da Wu Empire. Of course, this was also Yu Mingfu's memory.

This cultivation method, in addition to absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to form true essence within the body, emphasizes strengthening the body and refining the soul.

First, strengthen the body, then refine the soul! Only after the body is as strong as steel can the soul be refined!

Strengthening the body means, like secular martial artists, to train and toughen the body, laying the foundation for the body to withstand the refinement of the soul.

Refining the soul is actually refining the spirit. It involves placing the soul in harsh and cruel environments to stimulate it, thereby refining the soul's form. During this stage, the soul is controlled by the body, and the stronger the body, the more it can withstand the pain of soul refinement without the nervous system collapsing, and the soul's pain will not cause death.

According to the speculations of the Tianyi Sect's masters, the reason this cultivation method is incomplete is that it lacks the most profound method of soul refinement, which should have been a gentler secret technique. Since the Tianyi Sect's disciples could not comprehend this secret technique, they had to use other methods as a substitute. Over generations, the Tianyi Sect developed a set of torturous techniques to refine the soul, which could be chosen from.

The advantage of this cultivation method is a solid foundation, with a more condensed soul and a stronger physical body at the same realm. It also makes those who cultivate it extremely resilient and tenacious, with a strong will and a character that is good at enduring.

However, the disadvantage is that progress at the Lingjing and Dantian Realms is slower. For example, although Yu Mingfu and Ma Zhike were both third-generation grandmasters of their respective sects, the former was already over a hundred years old, while the latter was only in his fifties.

After understanding the content of both cultivation methods, Huaxia Jiu suddenly realized that every time he absorbed someone else's soul energy, it only made his soul grow in size, seemingly becoming stronger, but in reality, the density of his soul's form increased only slightly, and his face remained unclear. This was what was meant by an insufficiently condensed soul and a weak foundation, or in other words, a low density of soul energy.

After clarifying the advantages and disadvantages of both cultivation methods, without much hesitation, Huaxia Jiu decided to cultivate the Tianyi Sect's "Tianyi Duanshen Jue."

Huaxia Jiu's physical body was forged from a dragon's body, making it far stronger than an ordinary human's. According to Huaxia Jiu's estimation, even the physical body of an ordinary Dantian Realm cultivator might not be as strong as his. Therefore, he did not need to spend a lot of time and energy strengthening his body; he only needed to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and convert it into true essence in his dantian.

He adjusted his posture according to the position in Yu Mingfu's memory, took a deep breath, calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and entered a state of tranquility. This process is called "entering meditation," which is the most basic practice for cultivators and the foundation of their success.

To enter meditation, one must have a mind as still as water and no other thoughts. It sounds simple, but countless humans have been blocked from the path of cultivation because they could not achieve this.

However, as soon as Huaxia Jiu closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, he entered meditation without any difficulty. Although his mind stored vast amounts of information like the stars, his personal experience was like that of a newborn baby, or more accurately, a baby with intelligence far surpassing that of an ordinary adult. This was the reason he could easily enter meditation.

Simple thoughts, no distractions.

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