pertwk Chapter 273 Cultivation in the Minefield: Different Ideologies
Chapter 273 Cultivation in the Minefield: Different Ideologies
Chapter 273 Cultivation in the Minefield: Different Ideologies
"Your senior has great perseverance, which I sincerely admire."
Chen Yi clasped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xuan Yin Zhenjun.
"What's this?"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun waved his hand, his tone indifferent, "The cultivation world is full of life-and-death crises. This current danger is at most an opportunity hidden within the crisis."
However, the level of that lightning pool ahead is too high and too dangerous for you. Once inside, try to cultivate only on the edge and avoid the central area.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun ultimately cherished her disciples and did not allow Ning Bu'er and Chen Yi to venture into dangerous places like she had.
The two agreed and followed Xuan Yin Zhenjun into the cave.
The cave was about several tens of feet square. Ning Bu'er and Chen Yi found a spot on the rock wall to sit down and prepare to begin their cultivation.
Even the edge of the rock wall, after being bombarded by heavenly lightning for tens of thousands of years, has long been transformed into a lightning wall, with a rich aura of third-grade high-quality lightning spirit lingering on its surface, and wisps of lightning flowing between the rock wall patterns.
This concentration of lightning spirit power was just right for Ning Bu'er, who had just advanced to the Nascent Soul stage and needed to temper the Thunder Yin Demon Flame, to achieve the desired cultivation effect.
For Chen Yi, this also allows him to replenish the missing lightning spirit power in his body and stabilize his cultivation.
As for the thunder pool several meters in diameter in the middle of the cave, and the golden thunder spirit essence that had settled at the bottom of the pool, Chen Yi coveted it, but he also knew that his strength was insufficient, so he did not dare to have any thoughts of taking it for the time being.
However, now that he has come to this treasure land, he has secretly resolved to regard this place as the core location for replenishing his Thunder Spirit energy, and there is absolutely no way he will leave easily.
Beside him, Xuan Yin Zhenjun also found a spot to sit cross-legged, about two zhang away from the two of them, maintaining a safe distance from the central thunder pool. This made it convenient for him to watch over the younger generation and also to use the scattered thunder spirit power around him to nurture the demonic flames.
a few days later.
"Click"
A deafening roar came from above, as if it had exploded right next to my ear.
A bolt of silver-white lightning, as thick as a bucket, crashed down, carrying a destructive and violent aura that instantly illuminated the entire cave.
The moment the lightning dissipated, a drop of golden lightning liquid, the size of a fingernail, condensed from the core of the lightning array above, carrying an overwhelming power, and slowly fell.
"Clap!"
The sound of the golden liquid falling into the thunder pool seemed slight, but in reality, it was like a thunder spirit spell unleashed with all its might by a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Instantly, a monstrous burst of lightning erupted within the Thunder Pool. The flying lightning threads carried terrifying lightning spirit power nearly equivalent to that of a mid-stage fourth-order cultivator, interspersed with soul lightning fluctuations capable of paralyzing the physical body and scorching the soul, spreading outwards.
"Be careful!"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun let out a low shout, and before the sound had even faded, dense black demonic flames rose around him.
The demonic flames surged like a living thing, condensing into a thick wall of flames in front of her, blocking most of the lightning liquid splashing from the air.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
.
A series of ear-piercing sounds rang out as the violent power of the lightning spirit clashed violently with the demonic flames, sending sparks and arcs of electricity flying everywhere.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun's demonic flames flickered under the onslaught of the thunder spirit, but with the help of this domineering thunder power, he quietly tempered his innate divine power and Nine Yin magic, and his aura became more and more condensed in the battle.
At the same time, she kept a close eye on the movements of the two people behind her.
She wasn't worried at all about Ning Bu'er's reaction.
Her own disciple, like her, was a well-known cultivation fanatic.
As the lightning liquid splashed towards him, Ning Bu'er not only did not retreat, but his demonic flames suddenly rose, and he took the initiative to meet the scattered lightning spirit liquid.
Although her demonic flames were far inferior to Xuan Yin Zhenjun in power and were of a much lower level, the quality of her demonic flames was exceptionally pure. This was clearly the result of years of deep integration with her own lightning spirit power, giving her a foundation far more solid than that of ordinary cultivators. She naturally possessed a unique advantage in terms of resistance to and absorption efficiency of lightning spirits.
Even so, Ning Bu'er couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Her demonic flames could barely absorb and refine those tiny strands of lightning, but a single drop of condensed lightning liquid pierced through her demonic flame defenses with overwhelming force.
At the critical moment, Ning Bu'er suddenly mobilized more than ten lightning crystal cores in his body, gathering them all on his shoulder.
The lightning crystal core shone brightly, barely blocking the impact of the drop of lightning liquid. It only caused her some superficial injuries to her shoulder, but she also took control of the precious drop of lightning liquid.
Ning Bu'er then gritted his teeth and staggered back, enduring the burning pain in his shoulder as he sat cross-legged. He immediately began to circulate his cultivation technique to refine the drop of lightning liquid, attempting to further strengthen the demonic flame and the Nine Yin magic power that shared the same origin.
Witnessing the almost life-or-death cultivation methods of the master and disciple, Chen Yi remained calm and noncommittal.
This kind of reckless cultivation method, which disregards damage and only seeks to make the most of every moment, has never been his choice.
Although he might be able to forcibly absorb a few drops of condensed lightning liquid with the system's devouring ability, it could easily lead to a dangerous situation.
What if Xuan Yin Zhenjun fails to block most of the lightning liquid's impact?
What if the golden lightning liquid falling from the sky doesn't land precisely in the lightning pool and instead accidentally floats onto his head?
Even if they survive, they will inevitably suffer serious injuries, making it a losing proposition.
The path of cultivation is long, so it's best to be cautious. He has plenty of time, so there's no need to take risks for a temporary opportunity.
Chen Yi calmed down and began to think about how to find a safe, stable, and efficient cultivation method.
In the blink of an eye, a feasible idea emerged in his mind:
If there were enough high-grade materials here, he could easily emulate the method he used on the third floor of the Thunder Soul Sect's Inheritance Hall in the Lake and Sea Secret Realm to refine a simple anti-electric cage formation.
It can precisely control and absorb the dissipated lightning spirit power for its own cultivation, and can also filter out overly violent lightning spirit attacks, forming a reliable protective barrier.
Unfortunately, he currently lacks the high-grade materials needed to craft such a magic array, so this idea has to be put on hold for the time being.
However, Chen Yi was not without alternatives and quickly devised a sound strategy.
When the first wave of lightning attacks swept in, Chen Yi's lightning crystal armor instantly lit up, and a light blue crystal light covered his entire body, steadily resisting most of the scattered lightning power, while simultaneously absorbing and refining it.
If he encountered a powerful lightning droplet, he would dodge the attack with a swift movement, never taking the hit head-on.
This cautious approach, while allowing him to avoid danger, also only replenished a very small amount of the lightning spirit within his body, resulting in a slightly slower cultivation progress.
The Xuan Yin True Lord, who was not far away, took in the whole scene. A look of disappointment flashed across his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, and he was relieved.
After all, no one is perfect. Not all cultivators can be like her and Ning Bu'er, who are not afraid of pain or injury, and are even willing to risk their lives to seize a sliver of cultivation opportunity.
Chen Yi's cautious approach is understandable and not a mistake.
However, Xuan Yin Zhenjun couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
She had higher expectations for bringing Chen Yi here for secluded cultivation:
Under the personal protection of his late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Chen Yi should have been able to absorb the maximum power of the Thunder Spirit without any worries, and even break through his own potential limitations by taking advantage of the violent impact of the high-level Thunder Spirit droplets, condensing Thunder Crystal Marrow in one fell swoop, and officially taking a step towards the fourth rank.
It should be understood that the opportunity to have a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator as a personal protector is extremely rare in the entire cultivation world, and once missed, it is hard to find again.
But now it seems that Chen Yi's timid and cautious approach, which only seeks stability, makes it unlikely that he will achieve the level she expected during this secluded cultivation.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun pondered to himself that the path of cultivation is inherently connected to many things in the world. If one fears danger and retreats at all costs, one is destined to miss those great opportunities that can change one's destiny.
The saying goes that fortune is found in danger. Cultivation is inherently going against the will of Heaven. How can one easily make progress without taking risks?
She gently shook her head, sighing silently in her heart: In the end, it was still a little short.
Chen Yi was still a step behind her in terms of courage and diligence, falling short of the kind of super body-refining genius she had imagined, the kind who only emerged in great eras.
Perhaps her investment in Chen Yi will ultimately be in vain, as Chen Yi will most likely never reach the level she needs.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun felt a little disappointed in Chen Yi, but Ning Bu'er beside him was completely unaware.
She was already used to Chen Yi's steady and methodical way of doing things. At this moment, she was immersed in her own world of cultivation and had no time to pay attention to anything outside.
The splashing lightning power around him posed a significant challenge to Ning Bu'er.
She relied entirely on the peak-level third-tier lightning crystal cores within her body for support. The process of resisting and absorbing them was extremely strenuous, and every ounce of her mind was focused on refining the lightning spirit, leaving her no energy to pay attention to others.
On the other side, Chen Yi temporarily stopped cultivating after surviving the first wave of lightning splash.
He reached into his storage bag, rummaged through it for a moment, and after finding a few items, he pondered for a moment and then summoned three turtle puppets.
"I'll borrow a few turtle shells for a bit, and return them when I'm done."
Chen Yi silently recited a phrase in his mind, his hands moving without stopping as he displayed his exquisite technique for dismantling the puppet.
With a flash of spiritual light at his fingertips, he quickly and easily removed the shells from the three turtle puppets, then used his magic to lift the shells into the air.
He made a hand seal with his fingertips, continuously injecting magical power into the tortoise shell, fixing it to a size of half a person's height, and then connecting the three pieces of the tortoise shell together to form a stable triangular round shield.
Chen Yi moved and stood firmly in the center of the triangular shield array. This shield array could be controlled to shrink or expand at his will, which was just enough to block out the excessively fierce lightning spirit droplets.
Of course, Chen Yi did not use these tortoise shells directly, but instead performed a simple treatment:
On the one hand, it activated the crystal array defense originally attached to the tortoise shell, strengthening its protective capabilities;
On the other hand, the puppet crystal was deliberately left behind so that it could absorb the lightning power splashed onto the surface of the tortoise shell.
He only needs to draw upon the lightning spirit power filtered through the tortoise shell from the puppet crystal to replenish the lightning crystal consumed in his body.
To outsiders, this arrangement appears safe and secure, and it doesn't waste the opportunity presented by the Thunder Spirit. However, it has one drawback: it removes the pressure of life-or-death crises, lacks sufficient challenge, and makes it difficult to unleash the potential that cultivators can only achieve when facing life-or-death situations.
Chen Yi's arrangement was actually based on other considerations.
One of his core objectives was to use the tortoise shell as cover to conceal his special ability to directly absorb the power of thunder spirits through the system.
With this tortoise shell shield array as a cover, even if he absorbs more and stronger lightning spirit power in the future, he can still make sense of it. If others ask, he can just say, "My tortoise shell has strong defense and can filter and refine lightning spirits" to get away with it.
Besides this, Chen Yi had another plan.
He could use this break in his cultivation to re-refine the lightning crystal defensive array attached to the tortoise shell.
In his spare time, he quietly circulated his magic power to replace the original lightning crystal arrangement units on the tortoise shell one by one, replacing all the low-level lightning crystals with higher-level and higher-quality lightning crystal cores, thereby greatly improving the defensive strength of the tortoise shell.
If this modification is successful, it will be a crucial step towards refining the most core component of the puppet turtle towards the fourth-tier level.
Sure enough, for the next few dozen days, Chen Yi remained safely hidden behind the shield formation made up of three tortoise shells.
Each time the golden liquid lightning spirit fell into the lightning pool from the air, causing a violent splash, this tortoise shell shield array perfectly blocked the impact, while he calmly absorbed and refined the scattered lightning spirit power at the center of the shield array.
The lightning spirit power that had been depleted in his body due to the breakthrough to the fourth level of body refinement was being replenished rapidly at a visible speed, and his aura was becoming increasingly abundant.
Unlike Chen Yi's ease, Ning Bu'er gradually began to feel strained.
At first, she could barely refine the splashing lightning spirits, but as time went on, she would be seriously injured every time she absorbed them. She relied entirely on her obsession to force herself to stay afloat, and her face became increasingly pale.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun witnessed all of this and could only sigh silently in his heart.
The intensity of the lightning spirits here is still too high for Ning Bu'er, far exceeding her current tolerance limit.
When she saw Chen Yi looking increasingly relaxed and at ease behind the tortoise shell, she couldn't help but curse him inwardly. This kid really knows how to take shortcuts, actually thinking of using a tortoise shell to avoid risks and safely absorb the thunder spirit.
Left with no other choice, Xuan Yin Zhenjun could only quietly adjust the focus of his defenses, shifting more of the demonic flames that were originally intended to block the splashing lightning liquid and protect Chen Yi to support Ning Bu'er. Intentionally or unintentionally, this also gave Chen Yi's side more opportunities to receive the lightning liquid.
After this adjustment, another half month passed.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun was surprised to find that even though she kept revealing more lightning liquid to Chen Yi, the shield formation composed of the three tortoise shells remained as stable as Mount Tai. Chen Yi was safe and sound inside, showing no signs of injury. Moreover, the lightning crystal aura in his body was steadily increasing and becoming more and more powerful day by day.
What surprised her even more was that the aura of lightning crystals emanating from the three tortoise shell shields themselves was also increasing in intensity, clearly indicating that they had undergone some kind of enhancement.
On the other hand, Ning Bu'er had already reached her limit. Her body could no longer contain any more fourth-order lightning spirit power. She could not even refine a trace of the scattered lightning spirit aura. She could only grit her teeth and hold on to prevent herself from collapsing.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun could no longer suppress her curiosity. Being straightforward and sincere, she asked, "What kind of tortoise shell is that? Is it really that useful? Could I take a look?"
Seeing this, Chen Yi knew he couldn't refuse, so he used his magic to lift up a tortoise shell and handed it to Xuan Yin Zhenjun for her to examine.
Upon seeing this, Xuan Yin Zhenjun was immediately shocked. His eyes narrowed, and his tone was urgent with disbelief: "What are you up to? This is such a waste!"
"You actually covered most of the ninety-nine strands of lightning crystal cores on these tortoise shells?"
She scanned the tortoise shell with her divine sense and instantly grasped its inner workings. Her tone became increasingly urgent: "Being able to do this means you already possess the strength to break through to the fourth rank and condense the Thunder Crystal Marrow!"
"I will personally protect you here. Such an exceptional opportunity—if you don't seize it now, when will you?!"
"Ahem—this matter is not urgent."
Chen Yi coughed lightly, his expression remaining calm, and slowly replied, "My foundation is not yet fully solid. In any case, the power of thunder spirits here is inexhaustible, so I might as well lay a more solid foundation first, and then it won't be too late to break through to a higher realm."
"It's good that you can focus on your cultivation, and I can also use this earth thunder spirit to refine the demonic flame, but Fuji can't hold on any longer."
Xuan Yin Zhenjun frowned, his gaze sweeping over Ning Bu'er, who was standing to the side with a pale face. His tone was somewhat impatient. "Her staying here is no longer for cultivation, but for torment."
You'd better hurry up. Once you've finished your assault, I'll take Fuji back to heal and rest for a while before we come back.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun pondered to herself that Ning Bu'er had initially made rapid progress with the help of the Thunder Spirit, which had pleased her greatly, but she had not expected that her momentum would be insufficient and that she was now at her limit.
On the other hand, Chen Yi is as slow as an old tortoise and uses all sorts of fancy external aids, but his foundation is very solid, making him much more resilient than Ning Bu'er.
She really didn't want her disciple to suffer here with Chen Yi for nothing, so she couldn't help but urge him on.
Chen Yi followed Xuan Yin Zhenjun's gaze to Ning Bu'er. He saw that her breathing was disordered and cold sweat was seeping from her forehead. She was obviously at her limit. After a moment's thought, he made a decision.
He manipulated the tortoise shell shield formation to shrink into a ball, protecting himself, and slowly walked to Ning Bu'er's side.
"Fairy Ning, you appear to be in poor condition. Would you like me to help you heal temporarily and mitigate some of the backlash from the lightning spirit?"
Chen Yi asked in a calm tone.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen. I'll leave it to you then."
Ning Bu'er weakly raised her head, her voice soft but filled with gratitude.
Their conversation was frank and straightforward, without any pretense, which caused Xuan Yin Zhenjun, standing to the side, to glance at them slightly, secretly surprised:
This kid is clearly a body-refining cultivator, so could he also be practicing healing arts?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she sensed an incredibly pure, peak-level third-tier life energy surging forth from Chen Yi's body.
This energy, carrying a warm, verdant feel, spread out from Chen Yi's palm. Then, he raised his hand and pressed down precisely on Ning Bu'er's back.
Xuan Yin Zhenjun subconsciously activated his divine sense to investigate and clearly saw:
The green light traveled along Ning Bu'er's meridians like a living thing. Wherever it passed, her damaged body and meridians, which had been damaged by the power of the fourth-order lightning spirit, were rapidly healing and repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"This energy contains such a profound essence of life?"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun's eyes widened in astonishment. He muttered to himself, "With only third-tier cultivation, he can heal injuries caused by fourth-tier lightning spirit power so quickly. Such an effect would be remarkable even for a Nascent Soul cultivator!"
She carefully sensed it with her divine sense and became increasingly alarmed: "This is the peak Golden Core level Azure Wood spiritual power?"
No—this purity and power are far beyond what a single-pattern Golden Core cultivator could possess; it's at least a second-pattern Golden Core cultivator, and very likely even a third-pattern Golden Core cultivator!
It might even far surpass the level of an ordinary three-patterned Golden Core!
The insight of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is exceptionally sharp. Chen Yi's healing power and Dao essence were already at the level of a three-patterned Purple Extreme Golden Core when he formed his core. In the years that followed, through dual cultivation with Yue Qingqiu, his power was nourished and purified by her Nascent Soul-level Moon Spirit Power, raising his various abilities to another level. Chen Yi's current power level has indeed surpassed that of an ordinary three-patterned Purple Extreme Golden Core cultivator and is about to reach the threshold of a four-patterned Golden Core cultivator.
At this moment, Xuan Yin Zhenjun looked at Chen Yi with new respect.
She had known Chen Yi for some time, but had never heard that this young man was actually a Purple Extreme Golden Core cultivator with three-patterned wood attribute magic power.
[Powerful physical training talent, a defense as solid as a tortoise shell, coupled with such formidable healing magic—]
Xuan Yin Zhenjun's heart surged with turmoil, muttering to himself, "What path does this kid intend to take? Could it be that he wants to become an indestructible golden beetle demon?"
Discovering yet another hidden skill of Chen Yi, she grew increasingly suspicious, yet couldn't help but inwardly grumble:
[It's strange that he's so afraid of death and always has to have a backup plan.]
On the other side, Chen Yi continuously channeled his Azure Wood spiritual energy through his fingertips, carefully tracing Ning Bu'er's meridians and healing most of her injuries before slowly withdrawing his hand.
Just as he was about to turn around and return to the tortoise shell shield formation to continue his cultivation, the voice of Xuan Yin Zhenjun rang out again.
"Kid, since you're so good at healing, I suppose you're not afraid of getting hurt. Lend my apprentice your tortoise shell."
Xuan Yin Zhenjun spoke directly, without much preamble.
Chen Yi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He looked up at Xuan Yin Zhenjun, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Senior, I remember that your sect's cultivation philosophy has always been to forge ahead bravely, hone oneself, and not rely on external aids, right?"
Xuan Yin Zhenjun paused slightly upon hearing this. She said that because her lineage was not good at crafting weapons and did not have any good things to use. Right now, wouldn't it be a waste not to use the things she had?
Immediately, she shamelessly replied, "Under normal circumstances, of course, one must rely on one's own cultivation."
However, on the other hand, as long as it does not affect the cultivation of one's foundation, it is acceptable to appropriately use external aids to avoid danger.
Stop talking nonsense. Are you reluctant to part with this temporary magic weapon?
"You flatter me, senior. Of course, it's fine." Chen Yi said calmly, not taking it too seriously.
As soon as he finished speaking, he manipulated his magic to activate the temporary lightning crystal shield composed of the three tortoise shells, and slowly moved it to Ning Bu'er's side.
He then briefly explained to Ning Bu'er how to use the tortoise shell shield, including how to activate the lightning crystal array on the tortoise shell for defense, how to guide the array patterns to absorb the power of lightning spirit, and how to transfer the filtered power of lightning spirit into the body for refining, among other key points.
Chen Yi explained things clearly and logically, and Ning Bu'er nodded frequently as she listened. A trace of color returned to her originally pale face, and her eyes gradually brightened. She sincerely praised, "Fellow Daoist Chen, you really have a lot of ideas. You can even think of such a clever use."
Xuan Yin Zhenjun, who was not far away, saw all of this and listened to Chen Yi's explanation. He felt a little itchy and couldn't help but want to try out the effect of the tortoise shell shield.
But then he thought again that he was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. If he were to ask a junior Core Formation cultivator to borrow such a hastily made magic weapon, he would probably be laughed at by his fellow cultivators.
In the end, she suppressed her curiosity out of consideration for her status and pride.
In fact, Xuan Yin Zhenjun was always at the forefront, and every time she directly caught the golden lightning spirit liquid dripping from the sky and splashing violent lightning liquid after it hit the lightning pool, it was not as easy as it seemed on the surface. It was just that her dignity as a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator made her unwilling to show it.
Thank you to reader 3138 for the 66666 coins! Thank you so much! Wishing you great fortune!
Thank you again to Mr. He Wu for being the leader of this alliance. I wish Mr. He Wu great wealth!
I'm too busy at the end of the year, so I'll add an extra chapter later to thank the patron.
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