Chapter 296
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So it turned out that before True Person Fire Dragon set out to sea, he did in fact harbor the intention of passing down his Dao lineage. He stored all of his cultivation techniques, spirit treasures, and other belongings within a cultivation cave, to be left for a destined person to inherit.
Although this jade slip recorded the mountain range where the cave-dwelling was located, it did not mention the exact location. Not to mention the changes wrought by the passage of ten thousand years—who could say whether that mountain range still even existed? Even if the cave remained intact, the name of the place had likely changed countless times over. With such a vast continent and endless mountain ranges, how could Zhang Xiaohua possibly search for it?
Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret in his heart, blaming True Person Fire Dragon for being poor at managing his household.
When True Person Fire Dragon went out to sea, even though his cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and he was fully capable of riding his sword or using other spells to fly, the era was one in which all methods had perished. How could he bear to expend his own true qi? He had no choice but to rely on an ordinary sea vessel. Whether by fortune or misfortune, not long after setting sail, he encountered a massive storm. His ship was shattered by the waves and completely fell apart, leaving only scattered planks of wood. While he was grateful that he hadn’t brought any sailors or companions along, he also secretly cursed the shopkeeper who sold him the boat. Just like Zhang Xiaohua, he drifted at sea for several days before he happened upon this desolate island—thus began the remainder of his lonely life there.
However, in the jade slip, True Person Fire Dragon mentioned that it wasn’t that he couldn’t return to the mainland. Rather, it was because he had discovered a fire-attributed Yuan Qi on this desolate island, which allowed him to barely sustain his life. That was the reason he remained here.
This sentence stirred Zhang Xiaohua’s heart with excitement.
“If I can cultivate to Old Huo’s level, then even without a boat, I could still return to the mainland. That wouldn’t be too bad. Otherwise, I really might lose the will to go on.”
There was much more recorded in the jade slip—some common knowledge about the Immortal Dao, some basic spells and such. Zhang Xiaohua merely skimmed through them, not taking them to heart. What truly concerned him were the contents of the other five jade slips.
Sure enough, he found information about the other jade slips in one section.
“These five jade slips actually contain spells that True Person Fire Dragon comprehended while living on this desolate island. Wouldn’t that mean they’re only usable at the Foundation Establishment stage? Hmm, he didn’t specify, maybe they could be used even during the Qi Refining stage. What I’m really lacking now are spells that can be used in the Qi Refining stage. This jade slip seems to contain a few such techniques. Should I start by cultivating these foundational spells first? Once I have a solid base, then I can try cultivating the techniques in the other jade slips.”
Zhang Xiaohua hesitated for a moment, but after thinking it over, he made up his mind.
“I’d better take a look at what spells are in the other jade slips first. That way, I can make some plans. If I keep cultivating a single technique all the time, wouldn’t that be far too boring?”
Without a doubt, the other five jade slips had been sealed with restrictive enchantments by True Person Fire Dragon. To view the incantations within, one would first need to cultivate those restrictions. Zhang Xiaohua searched carefully through the jade slip’s contents and sure enough, in one section, he found the method for casting basic restriction techniques.
Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed. Truth be told, he had long been immensely curious about these kinds of restrictions. First, there had been the seemingly genuine snow accumulation in the blizzard, then the life-devouring forbidden ground of the Piaomiao Sect, then the white mist-like restriction in Xinji Town—and now, the light screen at the entrance of the cave that had actually been able to block his strength of ten thousand catties. All of them had stirred his heart deeply, making him eager to cast such wondrous things himself.
Although the jade slip recorded only the basic techniques for restrictions, the level of complexity was far beyond that of the Earth Escape incantation, and not unlike the complicated formulas found later in the pill refinement techniques.
However, unlike pill refinement, which Zhang Xiaohua had no way of putting into practice and could only study theoretically, the restriction techniques were something he could begin cultivating at any time.
Without delay, Zhang Xiaohua stepped outside the cave to check the time of day, then returned inside and began studying the restriction techniques.
For several dozen days in a row, he studied restriction techniques during the day and cultivated the Carefree Heart Sutra at night. After countless failures, Zhang Xiaohua finally comprehended the most basic form of a restriction technique and successfully applied it to a jade slip that was on the verge of losing its spiritual essence. Within his divine sense, the jade slip was immediately protected; without the corresponding technique, there was no way to penetrate it at all.
However, when he excitedly applied the newly-learned restriction-breaking method to the other five jade slips, he was dismayed to find that only one—an exquisitely small and delicate jade slip—was unlocked. The others remained completely unmoved. And when he sent his divine sense into it, what imprinted itself in his mind was: “Restrictions and Formations.”
“I’m gonna faint~” Zhang Xiaohua nearly coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. “Old Huo! You really don’t play fair, huh? This is one big trap! Only by mastering this jade slip can I comprehend the others—well played, truly well played!”
Just then, he heard a few cracks of thunder—ka-cha, ka-cha—echoing from outside. Zhang Xiaohua was instantly delighted and exclaimed: “Splendid, splendid! Looks like it’s time to stretch the limbs a bit.”
With that, he stored all the jade slips into his money pouch and walked out proudly.
The next day, Zhang Xiaohua returned to the cave full of vitality after tempering his body outside. He had already made up his mind. Since Old Huo had arranged things this way, there must’ve been his reasons. As someone new to cultivating the Immortal Dao, he was just feeling his way forward, crossing the river by touching stones. With such an arrangement in front of him, he had no choice but to follow along. In the end, cultivation was cultivation—whether one started with this or that made little difference.
Zhang Xiaohua first infused his divine sense into this jade slip—one that had remained untouched for ten thousand years—and browsed through it.
“So this is how it is—restrictions and formations are actually one and the same divine ability! When applied on a small scale, they’re called restrictions; when on a large scale, they’re called formations. Or perhaps, if Yuan Stones are used to supply Yuan Qi, it’s called a formation, but if it’s formed using only existing ambient Qi, then it’s a restriction. Heh, I get it now—it’s just like a person with two names. When you’re little, you go by your nickname, like ‘Dummy’ or ‘Leftover Dog.’ But when you grow up, you’re called Han Li or Zhang Xiaofan. Wait a second, why didn’t Mom ever give me a nickname?”
“A nickname, huh? ‘Meng’—that’s a nickname. I wonder what kind of formal name Abbess Jingxuan gave her.”
His thoughts began to drift off course.
After letting his mind wander for a while, Zhang Xiaohua finally focused again and resumed reading seriously.
To his surprise, True Person Fire Dragon turned out to be a true master of formations. He had a profound and unique system when it came to cultivating formations. Especially after reaching the desolate island, he devoted himself to studying formations in order to defend against the upheavals of Heaven and Earth, and his understanding of the Dao of Formations reached new heights. This unassuming little jade slip actually recorded the essence of his century-long cultivation in the formation arts.
Zhang Xiaohua read for a long time, knowing that this was not something that could be comprehended in a day or two. In his heart, though he still looked down on Immortal Fire Dragon for not leaving everything behind, he had already come to regard this light-as-air jade slip with the weight of a mountain.
And at the very end of the jade slip, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes suddenly lit up. There, several large words were inscribed: “Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart!”
What sort of cultivation method is this now?
Upon reading carefully, he finally understood: “So the cultivation of formations is closely tied to divine sense. The stronger the divine sense, the faster one can set up a formation. Moreover, since formations are fundamentally built upon calculating changes, the more powerful the divine sense, the faster the calculations, and the easier it becomes to comprehend.”
“This relationship between divine sense and formation cultivation is something True Person Fire Dragon had already vaguely perceived it early on, but it wasn’t until he had to contend with the Heavens and Earth by laying formations on this very island that he fully understood it. A pity that his True Qi was limited, and he wasn’t able to comprehend even more profound formations. Oh? In order to strengthen his divine sense, he actually devised a method to exchange True Qi for divine sense—and named it Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart?”
“But this cultivation method, he himself hadn’t fully succeeded in practicing it. He had only attempted the initial stages, felt it was effective, and then proceeded to extrapolate the later portions on his own. Whether those later parts were truly effective—he himself had no idea.”
Zhang Xiaohua stroked his chin thoughtfully.
He was well aware of the benefits of divine sense. Even putting aside the ability to distinguish between spiritual tools and jade slips, the mere fact that one could perceive things in darkness, or even see into other rooms, was enough to stir his heart. Moreover, the range of his divine sense was currently limited; if he could expand it, the potential advantages were beyond imagination.
“But still, this is just a theoretical method. What if it doesn’t work? Then again, think about it—Old Huo was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a true heavyweight. Even if it’s only theoretical, eight or nine times out of ten it should be valid. Otherwise, would he really dare write it down? Wouldn’t he be afraid people might dig up his remains and curse him from behind?”
Then, Zhang Xiaohua glanced again at the densely packed formation and restriction incantations before him. His head immediately began to ache—without the aid of exceptionally strong divine sense, when would he ever finish comprehending all this?
In truth, Zhang Xiaohua was underestimating himself. His divine sense had emerged far earlier than normal, and for reasons he himself wasn’t aware of, its growth had been remarkably rapid. Otherwise, with no previous exposure to restrictions, how could he possibly have mastered the foundational methods within just a few dozen days?
The method left behind by Old Huo was an utterly unorthodox one—it involved converting all of one’s True Qi into a mere sliver of divine sense. Such a method wasn’t just impractical during the era True Person Fire Dragon lived in—it would’ve been nearly impossible to practice. Even in the heyday of the Immortal Dao, few would have dared try it. Depleting all of one’s True Qi and then replenishing it back to fullness would consume an astronomical number of Yuan Stones or medicinal pills. And all of that, just for a tiny bit of divine sense increase? The cost-benefit ratio was absurd. Who would willingly cultivate such a method?
However, as fate would have it, this very deserted island just so happened to have a person who met all the conditions!
First of all, Zhang Xiaohua’s cultivation level was extremely low—only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. The True Qi in his body was limited to begin with. Secondly, Zhang Xiaohua possessed the Reclining Ox Stone, which contained a vast reserve of the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth. Even just prying off a tiny piece of that stone would yield a spirit stone that could sustain his cultivation for a long, long time—there was no need to worry about replenishing his True Qi.
One could say that this technique, Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart, might as well have been custom-made just for him.
PS: Last night, someone urged for more updates—2 votes. Thank you for the encouragement. I wrote a bit of the outline and hit a bottleneck. After the holiday, I expect to resume two chapters per day. As for “Metal” in the Five Elements, I didn’t forget to include it last chapter—it was intentional, hehe. Butterfly is impressive, so sharp and attentive—here’s a mental thumbs-up. If you think about it carefully, maybe you’ll figure out where that elemental energy is hiding.
