Within the Throat of the Star Spirit, Chen Chuan stayed for more than half a month. During this time, as expected, no one came to disturb them, granting them a period of relative peace.
He spent nearly all of his time cultivating. With vast amounts of cultivation resources poured into his progress, and because the rapid-growth phase of his mutated tissue had not yet completely passed, his strength advanced at a tremendous pace.
From the cultivation methods he had acquired, advancing toward the Dongxuan View hinged upon a single concept: "aliveness." Every bit of mutated tissue within the body had to be brought to life.
This "aliveness" did not mean endowing the tissue with an independent will of its own, but rather thoroughly infusing his own will and life imprint into every single fiber and strand of mutated tissue.
That way, once the transformation was complete, every fiber of mutated tissue would be able to absorb energy descending from the higher layers of the sky, storing it and unleashing even more formidable power.
When that stage arrived, even if a fighter were left with only mangled remnants of limbs, they could regenerate them from those fragments, or even project a duplicate body resembling their own relying purely on the power of a portion of their tissue.
It was just like the enemy he had encountered before who attacked him using only a severed arm, or Mr. Fan, who could reconstitute another complete self from nothing more than a pool of fresh blood.
The key to this lay not only in the physical metamorphosis, but also in the tempering and fusion of spiritual power. Every bit of mutated tissue had to be blended with his spirit in the same way, and only when the two were united was it truly complete.
Back then, Yuwen Yuanqi had died and his spirit had perished; though his physical body possessed boundless vitality, it was ultimately of no use, amounting to nothing more than an empty shell.
Setting aside cultivation resources, the difficulty of this cultivation was exceptionally high. It was usually difficult to temper and integrate oneself all at once, so various approaches existed. The most common cultivation route was the method of dispersing first and unifying later—beginning by tempering and integrating parts of one's limbs.
Apart from that, there was also the method of first refining the internal organs, qi, and blood before refining the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh. Naturally, the finest method was complete, holistic integration, an approach historically known as the "Unified True Form." This corresponded precisely to the saying: "Preserve the True Form, Gather the Spiritual Visage."
This method of refinement was undoubtedly the most difficult, but because it emphasized the whole, its results were also the greatest.
This was the very technique he was currently employing. The only drawback was that if one began by refining a localized part or a specific tissue, completing that part meant prematurely possessing a portion of the Dongxuan View's power; even if one suffered severe trauma, as long as that portion was preserved, one could recover swiftly.
Since his method was an incremental, whole-body elevation, his strength would grow increasingly formidable in the later stages, but it did not provide sufficient life-saving capability at the very start. Yet this did not matter, for he possessed his second self, meaning this downside could be safely ignored.
At present, the greatest dilemma was not the cultivation itself, but the scarcity of cultivation resources. Judging by the situation over the past few days, excluding the medicine allocated to him back home, the resources obtained from the Throat of the Star Spirit could only sustain him for about three months.
However, this was also because he needed to advance his physical and spiritual cultivation simultaneously, and medicines for spiritual power were already in short supply. Moreover, Elder Liefeng had diverted a portion of them, leaving so little behind that it was only enough for three months.
The requirements for physical cultivation alone, on the other hand, could sustain him for over half a year.
Therefore, once matters here concluded, he would need to find a way to search for resources elsewhere.
He had been in his tent pondering his cultivation when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound. It seemed to come from deep within the esoteric ritual, stirring his curiosity. He stood up and stepped out of the tent, and Chaoming followed right after him.
The security personnel stationed around the perimeter immediately grew vigilant as well.
Just then, Awan was seen galloping toward them on horseback. Arriving near, he swung down from his mount and said in now-fluent Great Shun speech, "Mr. Chen, the ritual has begun! The Elder asked me to invite you over!"
Chen Chuan nodded, told Awan to follow behind, and with a tap of his toes, shot forward like a beam of light. In an instant, he traversed the central avenue, arriving at the location of the fissure moments later.
When he touched down, he saw Elder Liefeng and two other First Folk standing before the fissure, dressed in magnificent ceremonial robes. Each had their arms outstretched toward the sky, while a peculiar melody drifted across the surrounding plain, making it feel as if all the terraced platforms were gently vibrating.
Elder Liefeng and his people had attempted it many times, and only today had they gained a preliminary grasp of the ritual. During their rehearsal, it had unexpectedly triggered a resonance.
Now, even if they wanted to stop, they could not; their bodies involuntarily performed various ceremonial gestures in time with the drifting melody.
Chen Chuan glanced over and saw that a kind of spiritual power of the same origin descended upon them through the dazzling fissure, guiding them through various intricate ritual movements, each set executed in perfect synchrony.
However, he also noticed that this spiritual power was rapidly depleting.
According to Elder Liefeng and the others, the Isutar people's Ancestral Corridor lay inside. It was very likely that their ancestors had used some method to preserve their spiritual power from ancient times. This was by no means impossible, since the shamans appeared to be individuals adept in spiritual abilities.
Perhaps they had anticipated that their descendants might face crises and fail to assemble enough people to conduct the ritual properly. Thus, the ritual itself might not require absolute precision; as long as it met a certain standard and was performed by the appropriate bloodline, it would trigger the power within to resonate with them.
He did not step forward to interfere, waiting patiently where he was. The ritual itself was unexpectedly lengthy. He waited for nearly half a day before the spiritual power gradually exhausted itself and the surrounding tremors subsided.
The fissure portal, which had shaken violently at first, had now completely stabilized.
At this moment, everyone looking on felt that the scene before their eyes had subtly changed. What they had seen before was merely an ancient ruin, laden with vicissitudes and the heavy sedimentation of time, but now it felt brimming with life and vigor.
Elder Liefeng and the other two had fallen prostrate on the ground in the final moments. Now he slowly stood up, called over some First Folk from the outer perimeter to give a few instructions, turned back to salute Chen Chuan and the others, and then led the two into the fissure.
Chen Chuan waited patiently where he was. The fissure had now become stable enough, so he knew there shouldn't be any issues.
If the First Folk could successfully gain control of the ritual core this time, it would mean they had officially reclaimed this sacred ground.
Elder Liefeng and the others emerged after being inside for roughly two hours.
All three of their faces were brimming with joy and excitement.
In Elder Liefeng's hand was a long, feathered staff bearing distinctive First Folk craftsmanship, and draped over his shoulders was a brightly colored ceremonial cloak.
At that moment, he walked over to Chen Chuan alone and offered him a deep salute in the traditional First Folk etiquette.
"Mr. Chen, thank you. Thank you for your assistance. Our ancestors have now formally answered our call. In just one more day, the entirety of the Throat of the Star Spirit will truly return to the embrace of the Isutar people."
Pausing, he looked up. "I also have good news. We have sensed the presence of the sacred beasts with whom we formed a holy covenant. We are currently trying to contact them. If they respond to us, we will be able to supply the offerings Mr. Chen requires."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod.
It would naturally be ideal if that could be accomplished, but he could not count on it too heavily. These so-called sacred beasts were presumably trans-limit creatures.
Back then, they were able to forge an alliance with them because of the mighty Isutar Dynasty. Now, things were far harder to say.
He said, "Elder Liefeng, if you need any assistance, you can always contact us."
Elder Liefeng shook his head. "Your esteemed side has already helped us more than enough." Reaching inside his colorful cloak, he took out a ring woven from grass and leaves.
"This is something I just retrieved from the Ancestral Corridor. It is a gift bestowed upon you by the spirits of our ancestors, Mr. Chen. Please, you must accept it."
Chen Chuan looked at it. On the surface, it appeared to be merely an item woven from mutated plants, but looking closely, he discovered it was actually a relic.
However, its exact grade could not be determined at a glance.
He did not refuse, thanking him and accepting it.
Generally, one needed only to probe with spiritual power to gain a rough understanding of how to use a relic. This time, however, he couldn't tell right away. The item seemed far from simple, so he could only take it back and study it slowly.
Elder Liefeng added, "Mr. Chen, I noticed that you have an animal companion. Inside the Ancestral Corridor grows a type of kaqi fruit. In the past, our animal companions loved eating them, and they offered tremendous benefits. I will have someone bring some over shortly as a gift for your companion."
He said earnestly, "Please do not refuse. You have helped us far too much, and this is the least we can do to repay you."
The First Folk's mutated plants were truly remarkable, and a fruit preserved within the fissure was clearly of treasure-grade quality. Chen Chuan naturally would not decline. He said, "Then I will gladly accept."
Elder Liefeng was delighted. He was very eager to foster good relations with a powerhouse like Chen Chuan, who was willing to take responsibility and treated them with great goodwill.
He genuinely hoped that Chen Chuan would become even stronger and attain higher standing in Great Shun, for that would likewise benefit the Isutar people.
At this point, Chen Chuan said, "There is a matter from earlier. Since you were busy with the ritual, Elder Liefeng, I didn't have time to mention it, but I feel it is necessary to tell you."
Sensing the gravity in his tone, Elder Liefeng reined in his smile and asked, "Mr. Chen, what might it be?"
Chen Chuan immediately recounted encountering Gluttony and how that man had set up an esoteric ritual at the entrance of the cave. Previously, Elder Liefeng and his people had been constantly preparing for the ritual, so he had not found an opportunity, but now was a convenient time to speak.
Hearing this, Elder Liefeng's expression shifted, and he said in a heavy voice, "This matter... may very well be connected to that traitor from back then."
Chapter 1098