Chapter 330 - 226: Metamorphosis Success, News from the Xu Family
Chapter 330: Chapter 226: Metamorphosis Success, News from the Xu Family
But it wasn’t enough.
’I must further break through my Body Refining.’
Lin Changheng immediately took out the Thunderstruck Grass he had traded for. Following the instructions recorded in the supplementary Magic Technique for the Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood, he began attempting to use the thunder to refine his body and break through his bottleneck.
SIZZLE!
The moment the charred Spirit Grass was in his hand, he felt arcs of lightning dance in his palm.
It was quite painful, like being pricked by needles.
But for Lin Changheng, whose Body Refining had reached the Peak of Tier Two Middle Stage, this was nothing.
"Exhale... Inhale!"
Lin Changheng focused his mind, immediately circulating the Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood Cultivation Technique at full power while simultaneously attempting to draw out the Thunderbolt Power contained within the Thunderstruck Grass.
The silver threads of electricity, which had been flowing faintly between his fingers, seemed to find an outlet in that instant, and suddenly erupted with violence!
A blinding silver light flared. Strands of the Power of Thunder and Lightning, each as thin as a hair yet razor-sharp, shot out like living creatures and slammed into the meridians of Lin Changheng’s hand!
"Hmph!"
Lin Changheng let out a muffled grunt. He felt a tyrannical tearing and searing pain instantly spread from his palm, his entire arm going numb. It was as if countless red-hot steel needles were being driven into his flesh, or as if he’d been caught in the aftershock of a true Celestial Thunder.
This was no gentle energy. This was the most primal, unyielding power in existence—a force of destruction that governed cosmic punishment!
Though it had become more contained after its initial frenzy, its power was still incredibly fierce.
Wincing in pain, he dared not hesitate and immediately began to handle the power as the method described.
At once, the vast Blood Qi in his body was mobilized, surging to his arm in an attempt to repair the flesh and meridians torn and burned by the lightning. Following the Magic Technique’s instructions, he struggled to guide these terrifying wisps of Thunderbolt Power and integrate them into his own body.
However, the process was far more painful and difficult than he had imagined.
The Thunderbolt Power was incredibly wild and untamable, rampaging through his arm. Everywhere it went, spasms of excruciating pain shot through his meridians, tiny blood vessels burst, and a spiderweb of charred black marks surfaced on his skin.
If his physical foundation hadn’t been so exceptionally firm, that first strike alone would have been enough to destroy his hand!
"I will... refine it!"
Lin Changheng clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his forehead. Sweat poured down his face like rain, only to be instantly evaporated by the fine arcs of electricity crackling around him.
He endured the pain—enough to make one pass out—and with immense willpower, he bound the few wisps of destructive lightning. He forcibly dragged them into a specific route through his meridians, beginning to circulate and refine them according to the technique.
But each cycle was like having his bones scraped with a rasp and pounded with a hammer of lightning!
Yet amidst this extreme pain and destruction, the vitality inherent in the Evergreen Body of the Ancient Wood was also awakened.
Wood governs life; thunder governs destruction. Within his body, destruction and vitality formed a brutal yet effective cycle.
’Still not enough...’
Soon, Lin Changheng cried out in pain and could no longer continue. He realized there was likely a flaw in the Magic Technique’s design, or perhaps... it was simply too idealistic.
’The person who devised this technique probably never actually tried it themselves.’
Just as Lin Changheng was about to forcibly expel the Power of Thunder and Lightning from his arm, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.
’It might be worth a try!’
Gritting his teeth, Lin Changheng activated the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities. A powerful suction erupted, drawing out the Wood Element Vitality from within the Thunderstruck Grass, where it was entangled with the Thunderbolt Power.
A normal plant’s vitality is fixed within its form, incredibly solid and impossible to extract. But the Thunderstruck Grass was unique; its Wood Element Vitality was a product of the lightning strike. Its foundation was unstable, intertwined and adrift with the thunder, and thus could be drawn upon.
Under his deliberate control, the vitality slowly gathered and washed over his injuries.
WHOOSH!
To his surprise, this unique Wood Element Vitality had a remarkable healing effect on the damage caused by the Thunderbolt Power.
Lin Changheng felt a refreshing coolness spread through him, the unbearable pain subsiding.
Guided by the Divine Power True Intent, the unique Wood Element Vitality followed in the wake of the Power of Thunder and Lightning.
Each time the lightning tore through him, the vitality would surge forward to repair the newly regenerated flesh and meridians, making them tougher and the power within them more condensed.
A rhythm of pain and relief, rising and falling, became the dominant theme of his ordeal.
The Thunderstruck Grass in his palm began to steadily dim. Its stored Thunderbolt Power and Wood Element Vitality were drawn out, wisp by wisp, and absorbed into his body, becoming the crucial resources he needed for Breaking the Realm.
For Lin Changheng, this was a contest of will against pain, and more than that, a metamorphosis of destruction and rebirth.
But at least he could feel it: the bottleneck was genuinely starting to loosen.
That was enough!
...
「The next day.」
Lin Changheng left his Seclusion Room bright and early.
His physical condition was obviously strange, but his eyes were shining brightly.
Clearly, the Thunderstruck Grass was having an effect.
Moreover, it wasn’t completely used up, giving him an excellent chance of breaking through his bottleneck with it.
He was in a good mood because of it.
The reason he didn’t continue his seclusion until after his breakthrough was twofold. First, he genuinely needed a break; the pain from the lightning was excruciating, and even the strongest willpower could only endure so much.
Second, if all went as expected, the Black Robe Cultivator from the previous day who held the Iron would be visiting, and Lin Changheng needed to be there to receive him personally.
As it turned out, he didn’t get to greet his visitor right away. Instead, he received a letter from the Black Water River Xu Family.
It was from Tantai Feiyue.
Aside from the usual pleasantries and expressions of longing, she mainly mentioned several key points.
First, nine years had passed since her breakthrough to the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment, and she still felt that the Third Layer was completely out of reach.
It felt like a dead-end path, a bottomless pit.
She was feeling dejected and frustrated by it.
Reading this, Lin Changheng took up his brush to write a comforting reply, hoping she would regain her spirits.
If she could reach Foundation Establishment with a Lower Grade Spirit Root, then surely she could fight for Core Formation in the future. Even a Fake Core would grant her another hundred-plus years of life and allow her to be a dominant force in a region.
That being said, he knew rationally that the probability of Tantai Feiyue breaking through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment was quite low, perhaps even a distant dream. But he couldn’t say such discouraging words to her; it would only be a blow to her morale.
All he could do was encourage her.
If she gave up, all chance would be lost.
If she persisted, there might still be a glimmer of opportunity, a possibility to make an attempt.
...
Second, Xu Hanji had also broken through to the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment before the year’s end. It had taken him about nine years, close to ten, which was considerably faster than Tantai Feiyue.
The disparity was due to their Spirit Roots.
However, as a Tier Two Talisman Master with Lin Changheng’s support, Tantai Feiyue was much better off in terms of resources than Xu Hanji. This made up for the gap, so her Lower Grade Spirit Root only cost her an extra two or three years compared to his Middle Grade Spirit Root.
Still, Xu Hanji paled in comparison to Mo Zhaoli, who was on the verge of having an Upper Grade Spirit Root.
...
Third was about the opening of the Secret Realm.
The members of the Xu Family were playing it safe. They felt their prospects were good enough to just advance steadily, step by step. Unwilling to enter the Secret Realm themselves, they quietly gave their entry slot away to a Foundation Establishment-level Loose Cultivator with whom they had a close and trusted partnership.
This cultivator lacked resources and had no attachments, so for the sake of his cultivation path, he wanted to take a gamble in the Secret Realm.
So, he was registered under the Xu Clan’s name to obtain the entry slot, and he agreed to certain conditions laid out by the Xu Family, making it a satisfactory arrangement for both sides.
As long as the Xu Family didn’t openly auction the slot or make a big show of profiting from it, the Purple Extreme Sect wouldn’t bother to interfere. The sect possessed that much magnanimity and skill in managing its subordinates.
...
Additionally, Tantai Feiyue mentioned one last thing.
Xu Fugui’s fifth son—the one with the Middle Grade Spirit Root—had been injured in Magical Combat while seeking an opportunity. His condition deteriorated rapidly, his cultivation path was utterly destroyed, and shortly after returning to the clan, he fell into a depression and took his own life.
This was a huge blow to Xu Fugui.
He seemed to have aged a decade in an instant.
This son had carried all his hopes for the future. Unable to break through to Foundation Establishment himself, he had prayed his children would be able to, fulfilling their father’s dream.
In a single day, it was all shattered.
In truth, judging by the fifth son’s Cultivation progress, he had a decent chance of reaching Foundation Establishment. But because he lacked Resources, he had to go out and gamble, which led to this result...
Lin Changheng paused. Fugui had always sent a letter every year, but he had yet to receive one this year. So this was the reason.