Drawing Fiend into the Body, Perfection in Body Cultivation

"You want to draw fiend energy into your body?" Inside the cave dwelling at the bottom of the lake, Wang Yuan stared at Luo Chen in surprise. Luo Chen nodded. "Indeed." Wang Yuan frowned. "Weren't you planning to devote yourself wholeheartedly to the path of refining Qi, without any distractions?" *He's misunderstanding me!* Luo Chen gave an easy smile. "Brother Wang, in your eyes, Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering is a technique for tempering the body and refining one's intent. To me, however, it is a Qi-refining method—and even a soul-refining technique." "Understood!" Having known each other for years, they shared an effortless tacit understanding. The moment Luo Chen said those words, Wang Yuan grasped his meaning. Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering had originally been created to refine essence into Qi and step onto the immortal path. Yet because its creator was a grandmaster of martial arts, it inherently possessed unique attributes that tempered the spirit, refined the intent, and even strengthened the body. It was fair to say this was a low-tier technique with exceptional adaptability. Wang Yuan had chosen to develop it toward body tempering. Luo Chen had initially used it to hone his will, but now intended to steer it toward refining his spirit. Having grasped Luo Chen's plan, Wang Yuan nevertheless prudently asked about his progress with Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering, just to be safe. Drawing fiend energy into one's body was no laughing matter! Luo Chen was naturally full of confidence. His proficiency had long reached the Perfect level, merely one step shy of the Master tier. Tempered over many years, his will was unyielding. Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he commanded his spiritual sense with fluid ease. Controlling a mere wisp of fiend energy entering his body would pose little trouble. Seeing Luo Chen's confidence, Wang Yuan retrieved a piece of floating rock from his storage bag. "Though my focus in recent years has been on consolidating my Qi Refining Great Perfection, the fiend energy I've accumulated isn't much either. Take this piece first..." Luo Chen gently pushed the floating rock back toward him. Meeting Wang Yuan's puzzled gaze, Luo Chen pointed downward toward the ground. "There should be plenty of earth fire fiend energy down there, shouldn't there?" Wang Yuan blinked and replied instinctively, "Mount Xiaohuan's spirit vein relies on earth fire to exist. Naturally, earth fire of a discernible grade will give birth to corresponding Earth Fire Fiends. But... if you draw away the Earth Fire Fiend, won't this earth fire spirit vein be ruined?" Suddenly, the realization hit him. He pointed at Luo Chen, caught between laughter and tears. "You're planning to strip everything bare before leaving!" Luo Chen grinned. "Brother Wang, speak plainly! Do you have a way to harvest the Earth Fire Fiend?" Wang Yuan gave a helpless sigh. "I relied on Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering to step onto the immortal path and attain the second realm of body cultivation. What do you think?" "Let's get moving!" *** Inside the alchemy chamber, Luo Chen had sent away all extraneous personnel, remaining entirely alone. Staring at the aperture where the earth fire was drawn forth, his scalp tingled faintly. He had never expected Wang Yuan's method for harvesting the Earth Fire Fiend to be such a crude one: diving into the depths of the earth vein in person to seek out earth fire fiend energy amidst the blazing magma. At the thought of swimming through churning, molten lava, Luo Chen shuddered. *Fortunately, Mount Xiaohuan is an extinct volcano. Otherwise, that Blazing Sun Art I cast back then might have triggered far worse consequences than carving out a small lake.* After waiting for a while with no sign of movement, Luo Chen paced idly around the chamber. Drawing away a large amount of fiend energy from the earth fire would effectively "ruin" this place. Not that the mountain would collapse, but without the essence of the Earth Fire Fiend, the earth fire here would completely lose its grade. Even the Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring at the summit would likely be destroyed once its balance of yin and yang was disrupted. Luo Chen felt a twinge of regret. For an alchemist, earth fire was always the finest tool. After advancing to Foundation Establishment, a cultivator could utilize liquefied spiritual energy to unleash Foundation Establishment true fire, far superior to ordinary fireballs. However, few Foundation Establishment True Cultivators would ever deploy such true fire unless pushed to a dire extremity; the drain on their spiritual liquid was simply too severe. Generally speaking, true fire was reserved for refining magic treasures or unleashed in critical moments. Why were magic treasures the standard hallmark of Core Formation cultivators? Precisely because Core Formation cultivators could unleash true fire at will to nourish and refine them. Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator obtained a magic treasure, they would have to spend ages slowly tempering it before they could command it freely. Back then, Mi Shuhua appeared to wield three magic treasures, yet in his desperate final stand, he failed to kill even a single early Foundation Establishment cultivator. Evidently, more treasures was not necessarily better—what mattered was suitability. Considered in this light, it was entirely reasonable that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect reigned supreme in combat prowess. Upon advancing to Foundation Establishment, the sword sect bestowed a sword pellet upon its disciples. And a sword pellet was a magic treasure embryo! Cultivators began continually nurturing and refining it from the Foundation Establishment stage. Once it advanced to the rank of a magic treasure, even as a fledgling low-grade treasure, its might would far outstrip ordinary low-grade magic treasures. *The Dao of Artifacts is not one bit inferior to the Dao of Alchemy. From forging to nurturing to wielding, it is steeped in profound principles.* *What a pity that without this earth fire, my alchemy efficiency will probably drop back down in the future.* *I wonder if they have any over at Taishan Market...* Thoughts drifted endlessly without bound. As Luo Chen let his mind wander, time ticked away second by second. Suddenly, a steaming figure flew out from the aperture channeling the earth fire. "Mission accomplished!" Clad in a fire-warding robe, Wang Yuan tossed ten floating rocks to Luo Chen. Luo Chen asked in astonishment, "This many?" Wang Yuan patted his storage bag. "I still have more here. Though I've reached the second realm of body cultivation and tier-one earth fire fiend energy has little effect on me, having some is better than none." Luo Chen happily stowed away nine of the floating rocks. Turning around, he activated the formation left behind by the Mount Ailao cultivators and drew forth a wisp of earth fire. The flame was noticeably diminished, less than a third of its usual strength. "What a pity for this spiritual ground." Wang Yuan smiled faintly. "It was your decision. What, having second thoughts?" "What is there to regret?" Luo Chen shrugged, spreading his hands. "We're leaving anyway. We can't very well walk away empty-handed! And if we're taking something, keeping it in our own bodies is best!" Wang Yuan's expression turned stern. Looking at Luo Chen, he warned gravely, "The first time channeling fiend energy into the body is usually the most dangerous. Try it right here; I'll keep watch for you." "Alright!" Luo Chen wasted no words. The floating rock he kept behind was meant precisely for this moment. Before Wang Yuan's eyes, Luo Chen tossed it upward, leaving it suspended in midair. A strand of spiritual power drifted out and slipped into the sealed honeycomb pores. Fiend Control Incantation! Luo Chen's current method of manipulating fiend energy was no longer just the crude technique from Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering; it also incorporated the Fiend Control Incantation gifted to him by the Mount Ailao cultivator from Xianzhu Residence. Consequently, controlling the fiend energy and drawing it into his body had become vastly smoother. Under Luo Chen's control, a faint red flame soon emerged and slowly merged into his body at his chest and abdomen. In a single instant, agonizing pain surged through his entire frame. Gritting his teeth, Luo Chen resisted the agony with tremendous willpower. He even had the composure to gauge the severity of the pain: slightly worse than his ordinary practice of Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering, but far below the trial of the tongue's root during Foundation Establishment. Wang Yuan's instructive voice reached his ears. "Perceive your true nature, unite spirit and intent! "Draw the fiend into your body; shatter it to integrate it! "Remember, you must not only endure the pain, but also learn to shatter anything and anyone that brings you pain! "Now—what is it that brings you pain?" Guided by an inner instinct, Luo Chen directed a surge of spiritual power to crash violently against the tiny flame within him. In an instant, the flame shattered! Countless fiery currents scattered in wild flight, boring into Luo Chen's skin, bones, blood, and acupuncture points. At the same time, an agony like searing branding irons erupted violently, akin to a volcanic eruption. Luo Chen shuddered violently as illusory flames flickered across the surface of his body, warping the surrounding air. Wang Yuan's face changed drastically. He reached out instinctively, but paused before touching Luo Chen. Under his watchful gaze, the illusory flames seemed drawn by some unseen force and whooshed back into Luo Chen's body. All the scorching heat was contained entirely within him. "Burning within the five viscera, forging all five organs! "He grasped this principle so quickly? "No, could it be that this earth fire fiend energy is exceptionally suited for his cultivation?" Wang Yuan murmured to himself, looking thoughtful. He stepped back a short distance, quietly observing Luo Chen's cultivation. He watched until dawn broke. "Phew..." Luo Chen exhaled a long breath—not merely in the figurative sense, but quite literally. A plume of soot-black smoke drifted from his mouth, stretching out long like a vapor dragon. Startled, Luo Chen hastily cast a Cleansing Art to disperse every trace of smoke and ash clinging to him. Then he stood up. *Crack, pop...* A dense flurry of popping sounds burst out suddenly, like soybeans roasting in a dry wok or bamboo joints splitting apart. Luo Chen froze once more. "Don't move!" Along with the shout came a burst of inner force, striking Luo Chen with a sharp slap. It neither hurt nor itched. Yet that burst of force carried the full power of a blow from a low-grade artifact! "Brother Wang, what is this?" Wang Yuan smiled faintly and nodded at him. "Indeed. You have achieved perfection in the first realm of body cultivation." "Just like that?" Even though he had already guessed as much, hearing the confirmation still felt surreal. To his understanding, body cultivation required relentless tempering and grinding, forging a peerless physique through repeated trials of blood and fire. The man standing before him was a prime example. Yet along his own journey, though he had engaged in plenty of battles, he had fought more like a mage in the online games of his past life—a mobile artillery turret slinging nuclear spells from afar. He rarely clashed with enemies in close-quarters melee. How could he have reached the perfection of the first realm of body cultivation so easily? Seeing his incredulous look, Wang Yuan chuckled. "Did you think body cultivation was difficult?" "Uh, isn't it?" "Not at all!" Wang Yuan shook his head. "Or rather, low-tier body cultivation isn't difficult at all." Under Wang Yuan's explanation, Luo Chen realized he had held a major misconception. Body cultivation differed fundamentally from Qi refining. The latter demanded slow, patient grinding day after day to build a grand foundation. The former, however, was all about resource accumulation. If you had enough resources, you could shatter through obstacles in a single bound! "Why else is there a mortal saying that 'the poor pursue scholarship, while the wealthy practice martial arts'? Without some wealth at home, no one dares to cultivate the body. Think back on how many resources you've poured into your body over the years. Using Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering now merely poked through the paper screen." Luo Chen was struck by realization. He had indeed invested immense effort and resources into this body of his. Wang Yuan continued with fluent ease, expounding on his insights into body cultivation like a torrential river. "Of course, don't get ahead of yourself. On the surface, you possess the boundary of the first realm, but if you were pitted against a true first-realm body cultivator without using immortal arts, you would lose miserably. High-tier cultivators generally possess strong physiques because spiritual energy nourishes the flesh. But they rarely rely on their physical bodies to fight. After all, body cultivators and Qi refiners employ entirely different styles of combat—whether in techniques, tactics, courage, or strategy." Seeing that Wang Yuan seemed ready to lecture endlessly, Luo Chen cut him off with a wry smile. "In other words, I have the cultivation boundary of a body cultivator, but none of the actual practical combat power, right?" Wang Yuan nodded. Luo Chen replied nonchalantly, "No matter. It's an unexpected pleasant surprise anyway. My primary focus remains on Qi refining." "It is excellent that you understand that." Wang Yuan pulled a thick volume from his storage bag. "Still, stones from other hills may serve to polish jade. From time to time, you can study the concrete methods of body cultivation. When backed into a corner, it might just serve as a trump card for you. Come to think of it, you achieved Foundation Establishment and I haven't given you a congratulatory gift. This Wang Clan Secret Manual is a training system I developed myself, combining my early martial arts, recent insights into body cultivation, blood dao techniques, and that Heavenly Roc Transformation. Take it and read through it, then return it to me later!" Luo Chen's eyes lit up as he accepted it at once, muttering under his breath, "A gift that has to be returned?" Wang Yuan scolded him with amused exasperation, "Of course you have to return it! I haven't even figured out my own path to the third realm of body cultivation yet! Lastly, do not put blind faith in everything written in this manual! You must adapt it to your own physical condition and extract only the essence. Understand?" Luo Chen happily stowed it into his storage bag. He understood! How could he not? After all, this manual was tailored specifically to Wang Yuan himself and would not be entirely suited to anyone else. After exchanging a few more words, Wang Yuan departed. Luo Chen remained in the alchemy chamber; he still had pills to refine shortly. While no one had arrived yet, he checked his status once more. His original intention in drawing the fiend into his body was never body cultivation; reaching perfection in the first realm was merely an unexpected bonus. His true objective remained bolstering his soul's foundation! After a night of cultivation, the growth in his soul was not particularly pronounced. His projected spiritual sense had only expanded by one or two meters. For spiritual sense measured in li, this was hardly a significant leap. Even so, it was an undeniable improvement. This proved that his reasoning was sound. This hybrid technique, Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering, truly exerted a subtle effect on refining the spirit—it was simply inefficient. If its proficiency reached a higher level, would that trigger a qualitative change? He opened his attribute panel. [Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering: Perfect (401/500)] Seeing that number, Luo Chen's spirits lifted!