Chapter 385 - 357: Tracing Back (Part 2)
Chapter 385: Chapter 357: Tracing Back (Part 2)
"Spiritual Power can only be increased by raising one’s cultivation level. There is no other way."
Zhao Lin felt reassured, but then a thought struck him. ’It seems he’s implying something.’ He quickly asked, "Elder, do you mean there’s a way to enhance Divine Sense?"
Elder Wu didn’t speak. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "There is indeed a Cultivation Technique that can enhance Divine Sense. It’s called the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill."
"This technique can condense Divine Sense and expand the Sea of Consciousness. It has nine revolutions in total."
"The first three revolutions are cultivated in the Qi Refining Realm, the middle three in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and the final three in the Purple Mansion realm."
"The first revolution increases your Divine Sense by thirty zhang."
"The second revolution increases your Divine Sense by forty zhang."
"The third revolution increases your Divine Sense by fifty zhang."
"Furthermore, it includes the ability to use your spiritual soul for attacks, defense, and other such abilities."
Zhao Lin’s heart pounded with excitement after hearing this.
He thought to himself, ’If I can cultivate it to the third revolution, my Divine Sense will increase by a total of one hundred twenty zhang. Even in the Qi Refining Realm, my Divine Sense would be comparable to, or even surpass, that of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.’
Elder Wu paused for a moment before continuing, "However, very few people practice this Cultivation Technique."
Zhao Lin was taken aback. "Elder, if this Cultivation Technique is so good, why do so few people practice it?"
Elder Wu held up two fingers and said, "Two reasons."
"First, the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill is a Cultivation Technique, not Magic. Cultivating it is like a Basic Cultivation Skill—it’s a gradual process. The difficulty of advancing each revolution is no less than that of raising your cultivation by a minor realm."
"It takes four hours to complete one cycle of the technique."
"Qi Refining Realm cultivators already spend a huge amount of time every day circulating their techniques to open their acupoints and practicing Magic. Add to that advancing their Daoist arts, and where would they find the extra time to practice such a time-consuming and laborious Cultivation Technique?"
"Therefore, those who practice the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill are all individuals of exceptional talent. An ordinary person who attempts it will only end up with nothing to show for their efforts."
Zhao Lin was secretly delighted. ’I barely need to spend time practicing Magic, and I’m in no rush to learn about Arrays. I have much more free time than an ordinary cultivator. This isn’t a problem for me.’ He then asked, "What about the second reason?"
Seeing that Zhao Lin hadn’t given up on the idea, Elder Wu said nonchalantly, "The second reason is that the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill is an exclusive Cultivation Technique of the sect. It must be exchanged for with Contribution Points."
"Furthermore, before cultivating it, you must swear a Dao Oath, vowing to never pass it on to others for all eternity. Otherwise, you will suffer heavenly retribution, and your body and soul will be obliterated!"
On the Xuanyuan Continent, sects were numerous, and their systems of Daoist arts varied. But all roads led to Rome. Basic Magic like the Wind Blade Skill or the Water Arrow Skill were more or less the same across all sects, with no real difference in their execution.
Only exclusive Cultivation Techniques were the true foundation of a sect. No wonder they were so highly valued.
’As for why important Cultivation Techniques and Magic had to be exchanged for with Contribution Points,’ Zhao Lin mused, ’I didn’t understand at first. Why not just buy them directly with Spirit Stones? Why bother creating this whole Contribution Point system?’
After returning this time, he had used his Contribution Points to buy some medicinal pills and to exchange for the right to cultivate in a Spirit Cave. Through this, he gradually began to understand.
If you bought a Cultivation Technique with Spirit Stones, it was just a transaction. The cultivator wouldn’t feel they owed the sect anything, much less be grateful, since Spirit Stones could be obtained in many ways.
But Contribution Points were different. Cultivators performed tasks for the sect in exchange for cultivation resources. This made the relationship between both parties much closer, ensuring the sect’s techniques and arts would be passed down.
"How many Contribution Points are needed to exchange for the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill?"
Zhao Lin asked after a moment of thought.
"The first three revolutions are five hundred Contribution Points each. The middle three are one thousand each, and the final three are two thousand each."
"That’s so expensive."
"Not at all."
Elder Wu chuckled. "Cultivation Techniques are rare. If you want to practice one, you naturally have to pay a price."
"And that’s just the beginning. Any Cultivation Technique related to Divine Sense will inevitably drain it."
"Unlike Spiritual Power, Divine Sense doesn’t recover quickly on its own. You have to take pills like the Spiritual Replenishing Pill, the Soul Nourishing Pill, and the Spirit Storage Pill."
"These pills aren’t a one-time thing; you have to take them regularly. The expense is even greater than exchanging for the Cultivation Technique itself."
After listening to Elder Wu’s explanation, Zhao Lin stared blankly into space.
’My sixteen hundred Contribution Points... I thought that was a huge sum. I figured that even if I cultivated in the Spirit Cave every day, it would last me a year or so. I never imagined it would be difficult to even exchange for the first revolution of the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill.’
"Thank you for clearing my doubts, Elder. This disciple will consider it further."
Zhao Lin said, snapping out of his daze.
"Mm."
Elder Wu waved his hand dismissively. "Since you’re here, there’s something I wanted to ask you."
"Please, Elder, go ahead."
"The sect’s grand tournament is in two months. Do you want to participate?"
Zhao Lin was stunned. "Elder, this disciple’s cultivation is only at the Qi Refining Third Layer. I’m not qualified to participate, am I?"
Elder Wu smiled. "The grand tournament has no cultivation restrictions. Some people participate even knowing they aren’t strong enough, just to prepare for the future."
"That’s why this old man is asking."
Zhao Lin weighed his options for a moment and said, "This disciple knows his own limits. I will not be participating."
The sect’s grand tournament was divided into two brackets, and given Zhao Lin’s age, he could only participate in the elite bracket.
Although he had killed Sheng Jinlong, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, Zhao Lin didn’t think he was skilled enough to place in the grand tournament.
Back then, he had Wei Shi helping to keep the enemy occupied and an Array to assist him. Even so, it had been an incredibly perilous fight.
Zhao Lin had learned from a senior disciple who had previously participated in the grand tournament that to even place, one needed to have mastered at least one major-success stage Magic.
Never mind the distant future; Zhao Lin wasn’t even confident he could defeat the teaching disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute.
Another very important point was that fighting would inevitably require using Magic. He had only been in the sect for a little over a year; if he suddenly displayed several expert-level Magic skills, it would cause trouble.
However, Zhao Lin was very interested in participating in the grand tournament three years from now.
Elder Wu wasn’t surprised. He nodded. "That’s fine. None of the disciples from our year are participating in the grand tournament anyway."
"In that case, our Spirit Dao Institute will hold its own little sparring competition to test the disciples’ progress in Magic over the past year or so."
At this, he raised an eyebrow and said, half-jokingly, "But let me be clear beforehand: for the sake of fairness, you can’t use your martial arts. Otherwise, there’d be no point in competing."
Zhao Lin smiled upon hearing this and cupped his hands. "As you command."
...
After bidding the elder farewell, Zhao Lin went to Songyu Peak.
There were no market squares set up around Han Chi County, so as to prevent outsiders from disturbing the disciples’ cultivation.
However, there was a small market on Songyu Peak with a dozen or so shops, making it convenient for the county’s cultivators to trade and purchase cultivation items.
At the market, Zhao Lin bought a bottle of Fasting Pills, a bottle of Yuan Condensing Pills, and exchanged one thousand Spirit Coins for one hundred Spirit Stones.
Buying the pills was just a cover; his main goal was to exchange for Spirit Stones.
After returning from his mission, Zhao Lin had focused on cultivating the Thunder Blade Skill. The skeleton from the bottom of the Feituo River had been shelved, but now he finally had the time to study it.
Back at his residence, he took the skeleton out of his storage bag.
The skeleton was perfectly intact—two hundred and six bones, not a single one missing.
Having practiced martial arts for many years, Zhao Lin had an intimate knowledge of human anatomy. He quickly arranged the bones into a human shape.
Then, from another storage bag, he took out Spirit Stones and stacked them neatly to the side.
’This is my first time tracing a skeleton’s origin. I hope I have good luck!’
Zhao Lin took a deep breath, reached out, and placed his palm on the skeleton’s skull.
The Spirit Cultivation Map reacted instantly, flaring with light.
According to the memories related to the Spirit Cultivation Map, absorbing an Essence Soul from a skeleton required consuming Spiritual Qi. So, Zhao Lin reached out with his other hand and placed it on the Spirit Stones.
SHHIIING!
The Spirit Cultivation Map extended countless tendrils, greedily absorbing the Spiritual Qi. The Spirit Stones quickly turned into a pile of dust.
At the same time, the faint image of a woman appeared in Zhao Lin’s mind.
The woman appeared to be in her thirties. Her eyes were bright and her jaw was rounded. She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but she had a gentle and graceful aura.
Zhao Lin knew the woman was a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, so her actual age was certainly much older than she appeared.
The woman was initially just a faint image, but with every Spirit Stone absorbed, her image became a little more solid.
Before he knew it, only a few of the hundred-plus Spirit Stones remained.
After the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the woman’s entire figure became lifelike.
The Spirit Cultivation Map also retracted its tendrils, stopped absorbing Spiritual Qi, and began to flicker, its surface suffused with a layer of red light.
"It worked!"
Zhao Lin’s spirits soared. He stared intently at the Spirit Cultivation Map, hoping to "trace" a Magic skill suitable for him.