Chapter 319
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Chapter 319: A Thousand Years in a Single Glance
North State, the Land of the Far North
In the third month of the underground cave, the area covered by the formation was filled with colorful flowers, adding a touch of color to the cave.
One year later, three-tenths of the spirit medicine brought in by Lin Jiang had survived. Lin Jiang continued to close himself off at irregular intervals, ranging from three to five days or even half a month. After waking up, Lin Jiang would take care of the flowers and spirit medicine.
Then he would draw spiritual talismans, read books about Pills, Talismans, Items, and Formations. Lin Jiang brought a whole storage bag filled with these books, enough to last him a long, long time.
By the fifth year, Lin Jiang was able to refine second-order formations on his own. He also found several spiritual veins in the underground cave, attracting spiritual energy and further improving the concentration of spiritual energy within the formation. This ensured his daily cultivation.
On the tenth year, Lin Jiang reached the pinnacle of third-order high-grade in his talisman drawing skills. The corners were filled with finely drawn spiritual talismans, and the materials for third-order talismans were also completely used up.
By the twentieth year, Lin Jiang had finished reading all the alchemy notes he had brought along. However, Lin Jiang had not brought a Pill Furnace or any materials, so he couldn’t determine his own proficiency.
On the thirtieth year, Lin Jiang finished reading all the crafting notes. He dug out some low-level crafting materials from the storage bag and made some daily necessities. Lin Jiang was hesitant to use up the rare crafting materials.
When Lin Jiang turned fifty, his cultivation finally reached the peak of the golden core stage. When he left Xuanmiao City, Lin Jiang didn’t have any elixirs, so he had to endure hardship and continue his cultivation.
After reaching the peak of the golden core stage, Lin Jiang didn’t rush to break through to the nascent soul stage. He knew his own aptitude very well. Without a Purple Heart Pill, Lin Jiang would never waste his chance.
By the time Lin Jiang reached eighty years old, he had already read all the information he brought with him three times. He was very familiar with it. Lin Jiang began practicing various secret techniques.
At the age of one hundred and fifty, Lin Jiang attempted to break through to the nascent soul stage for the first time. Without any elixirs, he forcefully pushed through. Theoretically, a cultivator shouldn’t need elixirs to break through any major realms.
However, theory is one thing and reality is another. The chance of a successful breakthrough without elixirs is only around one percent. The probability of a breakthrough is extremely low. The environment in the cultivation world doesn’t allow for an easy path. The expectations of the elders, the competition for resources, and the pressure from rivals and enemies all force cultivators to strive for faster breakthroughs with higher probabilities.
That’s how breakthrough elixirs like the Building Foundation Pill, Five Elements Golden Fruit Pill, and Nascent Soul Achieving Pill came into existence. Due to high demand, their prices skyrocketed, far exceeding their actual value.
In today’s cultivation world, besides extremely poor independent cultivators, no one would attempt to break through without elixirs. The conditions simply don’t allow for it.
Lin Jiang naturally failed in his first breakthrough attempt. Luckily, without the strong medicinal power of elixirs, the damage to his body was minimal. He recovered after three months of rest.
As early as his eightieth year, Small Shadiao had already awakened. Most of his injuries had healed, except for his wings. Zhou Huaiying had crushed his wings, so Lin Jiang had to perform surgery on him.
Without any medicine for pain, his wings were cut open. The bones inside were broken and then slowly put back together. Small Shadiao was in so much pain that he cursed loudly.
After many years of recovery, Small Shadiao fully healed. Lin Jiang didn’t have many Beast Spirit Pills left, so after eating them all, he instructed Small Shadiao to practice on his own.
The demonic race also has its own heritage. They inherit their bloodline naturally, from birth. They absorb the spiritual energy of the world and can slowly advance in power.
Like other members of the demonic race, Small Shadiao mainly practices through deep sleep. While asleep, their bodies naturally absorb the surrounding spiritual energy to improve their cultivation. However, Small Shadiao doesn’t like this slow method of practice.
Because Small Shadiao was used to being free, he found the outside world very enjoyable. There was plenty of delicious food and beautiful fairies to chat with. But Lin Jiang didn’t allow him to go out, so he could only practice by sleeping.
In the second century, Lin Jiang attempted a breakthrough without any spiritual medicine for the second time, but he failed again. Lin Jiang then focused on practicing secret techniques. It took him a hundred years to master the Lamp Burning Technique and the Concealment Technique.
In the three hundred and fiftieth year, Small Shadiao finally reached the mid-stage of the fourth rank. However, Small Shadiao confessed that without any special treasures or opportunities, he had very little hope of breaking through to the fifth rank. Maybe he would only be able to reach the later stage of the fourth rank in his old age.
The lifespan of the demonic race is not fixed. Different members of the race have different lifespans. The Aurora Falcon has a relatively average lifespan among the demonic race, living for about two to three thousand years in the mid-stage of the fourth rank. Small Shadiao is younger than Lin Jiang by several decades and can live for a long time.
In the three hundred and sixtieth year, Lin Jiang attempted a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage without any spiritual medicine for the third time. This was the closest he had ever been to success. He had already reached the stage of shattered essence and condensed infant, with only one step left. This greatly increased Lin Jiang’s confidence.
"Even with the highest quality jade box and nearly four hundred years of time, the effectiveness of the Purple Heart Pill has decreased by twenty percent. We can’t wait any longer, we must break through within twenty years."
Lin Jiang opened the Purple Heart Pill and took a quick look. The Purple Heart Pill has been successfully refined for hundreds of years. Lin Jiang kept it in the highest quality jade box, but it was still slowly losing its effectiveness.
"Dad, when are we going out? We have been here for tens of thousands of years, right?"
"Don’t be ridiculous. You won’t live for tens of thousands of years. Do you really think you’re like me?"
Lin Jiang said, as he had a system that could keep track of the years. He had only been here for three hundred and eighty years. Small Shadiao was truly foolish.
But it’s not his fault. The area he could move around in was just about ten acres, and he had already counted the number of stones on the ground. It was really boring. In the mountains, where there was no sun or moon, it was normal to forget the passage of time.
"Dad, I miss my wife."
"Cut it out. Pretending to be innocent in front of me? Even though you have a wife, you still go to the Zhongmiao Building."
"Dad, I hope my wife hasn’t run away with someone."
"Cheer up, what if he’s dead?"
"······"
"Go practice and try to keep him alive for ten thousand years."
Lin Jiang waved his hand, and Small Shadiao swiftly ran away. It realized that it couldn’t compete with someone and decided not to bother anymore.
In the four hundred and twentieth year, Lin Jiang finally decided to use the Purple Heart Pill. His cultivation had long been impeccable, breaking through three times without any pills. This time, he would definitely succeed.
"You hold onto these spirit stones. Once the spirit stones in the Spirit Gathering Formation are depleted, you replenish them for me. Don’t let the spiritual power of the formation run out, understand?"
Lin Jiang awakened Small Shadiao and asked it to protect him. All the accumulated spirit stones were taken out. The Spirit Gathering Formation brought by Lin Jiang wasn’t large, only able to hold a few thousand spirit stones at a time, which was not enough spiritual energy. That’s why they needed Small Shadiao to temporarily supplement it.
"Dad, do we have enough spirit stones?"
"Yes, the Spirit Gathering Formation has been adjusted. We’ve turned off everything except the necessary formations and spiritual medicines. We’re fully supporting my breakthrough."
Lin Jiang nodded, his hands now filled with high-quality spirit stones. He had used up the others, but he had been accumulating spiritual energy from the spiritual veins for many years, and the energy was almost becoming misty.
After giving instructions, Lin Jiang directly closed the formation and placed the Purple Heart Pill and the assisting elixirs in front of him. He started his breakthrough once again.
Having gone through numerous breakthroughs, Lin Jiang was familiar with the process. He broke his painstakingly condensed golden core and filled his dantian with spiritual power.
Using his divine sense to condense spiritual power, he outlined the embryonic form of the Nascent Soul. This step took Lin Jiang three years. After the Nascent Soul took shape, the journey was not over. The next crucial step was to establish a connection.
Using his divine sense as the catalyst and spiritual energy as the foundation, Lin Jiang gave birth to a new divine spirit for the Nascent Soul. In theory, even if the physical body shattered after the Nascent Soul, as long as the Nascent Soul was unharmed, it could survive independently because the Nascent Soul existed semi-independently from the physical body.
This process was long and complex, requiring persistent efforts. Simply relying on spiritual power to restore depleted spiritual energy was not enough. That’s where the Purple Heart Pill came in, along with the assisting elixirs, which protected Lin Jiang’s meridians from being damaged by the powerful medicinal force.
In the four hundred and fortieth year, as a tremendous pressure erupted, the Nascent Soul within Lin Jiang opened its eyes, bright and lively. The connection was successful, and the breakthrough was a success.
"After nearly nine hundred years of arduous cultivation, the Nascent Soul has finally formed."
Lin Jiang let out a long howl, releasing the pent-up frustration in his heart. He felt quite content. He had been in the cave for four hundred and forty years already, and in two more years, he would reach the complete age of nine hundred. For most people, the Nascent Soul stage would become nearly impossible to attain.
At this time, Nascent Soul was very fragile, and Lin Jiang had no intention of leaving. He continued to meditate and stabilize his cultivation.
Small Shadiao felt bored outside the formation, counting the remaining spirit stones. It was starting to feel that life was boring. If it didn’t go out for a walk soon, it would become depressed.
Bozidar Notgonatell
i really like this novel a lot so interesting!