Between the two breakthrough methods, the "Calming the Mind-Mechanism" method was considered quite remarkable if it could mobilize sixty to seventy percent of the body's power to break through the cage, whereas the "Spirit-Self Unity" method could reach over ninety percent.
And so its peril lay precisely here. This method left absolutely no leeway, driving a person relentlessly upward—one either succeeded or could never return.
Even with Chen Chuan's foundation at this moment, as his primordial life vitality continuously converted into fuel to feed the growth of his spirit, his frame grew noticeably leaner, and his originally lustrous skin turned dull and lusterless for a time.
Yet what was bought in return was a spirit condensed as solid as physical substance.
When this spirit was steered by his will and stretched upward in accordance with the method, it immediately sensed ubiquitous encroachments. Countless bizarre phantoms, both real and illusory, surged in one after another, whispering temptations and allurements in an attempt to hinder his spirit's ascent. Higher still, numerous entities seemed to be peering and coveting, waiting for him to cast himself into their snare.
Even had he been within his own world, this situation would have been unavoidable; here in the world across the rift, what he suffered was undoubtedly vastly more severe. Moreover, with virtually no protection from his second self right now, all of this fell upon him to endure alone.
Yet these contaminations were not only external evils assaulting him, but also nourishment for his advancement. Every erosion was a polishing, causing his spirit to undergo a transformation; as long as his primordial qi was not completely depleted and dispersed during this process, he would inevitably greet the final metamorphosis in the end.
Nor was he completely devoid of shielding right now. On one hand, he had the protective cover of the glowing radiance; on the other, that shell-shaped object continually welled forth to provide support. This allowed his expenditure to be swiftly replenished, steadily sustaining his spirit's upward momentum.
At this juncture, he needed to shatter that barrier above in a single burst. If one failed to do so, or lacked sufficient foundation, one would need to renounce or embrace a certain trait to propel the spirit further upward.
Yet he had no need for such measures.
Originally, through his various trials and enhancements, he had already possessed the strength to step into the world's top thirty, or even top ten. Someone of that caliber already had a plausible chance of entering that realm without making vows of renunciation. Now, having doubled his power on top of that, he possessed enough strength in his original foundation alone to smash through that barrier.
At this moment, his spirit was steadily ascending toward that threshold. Midway through, he felt no sense of waning stamina; his soaring upward momentum never slackened in the slightest, reaching the summit in the span of a breath. In the next instant, that incomparably condensed spiritual power violently smashed through the barrier!
His spirit jolted fiercely. In that split second, the entities that had been circling and peering around him seemed cast far behind, vanishing all at once. It was as though he had broken into an entirely new world; his spirit merged and blended with its surroundings, almost becoming one. It felt as if he had suddenly shed all external burdens, thoroughly relaxed, pure, nimble, and free.
Yet his old body still remained behind, requiring his spirit to return and carry that vessel into transcendence. Reaching this stage, however, a thought suddenly arose in his heart: to cast that body aside and depart alone to revel in absolute liberation.
This was an instinctive impulse after the spirit completed the Metamorphosis of Spirit—unwilling to carry any further encumbrance, yearning to cast off the original self. This was the "mind-demon" mentioned in the method.
Humans possess many thoughts, and the mind undergoes a thousand shifts; yet no matter how it changes, its first principle is to exist for oneself. Now that the spirit had metamorphosed first, becoming an "outer self," it naturally possessed selfish intentions for its own sake. This was inevitable.
Yet spirit originated from the physical body to begin with. If it abandoned the vessel to which it belonged, though it might persist here for a brief while, it would ultimately lack roots and grounding. Even setting aside the difficulty of sustaining itself, once external contamination arrived anew, continually assailing and pressing upon it, there would be no way to replenish it, making dispersal and destruction unavoidable in the end.
Perhaps one could choose to attach oneself to certain entities here, but abandoning oneself to submit to the alien was the worst of all paths; if one did not end up as their food, one would lose one's original wisdom regardless.
Once this meaning was understood and the stakes made clear, the spirit would return naturally. Therefore, in the key formulas, this was called: "Subduing qi and refining intent to ferry the old body; inner guarding and outer tempering, the second pass"!
He did not allow his spirit to act willfully. Conveying the stakes from his heart, he instantly dispelled that headstrong desire to flee, withdrawing it with ease and causing it to sink back down into his physical body.
This was the final step, known as: "Guiding the primordial mechanism to achieve true transformation; nourishing essence and life, the third pass." Once this step was completed, as yin and yang shifted and light arose from the heart, the inner and outer would be illuminated throughout, attaining Spirit-Self Unity.
At this moment, as his spirit fed back into his body, he felt a sudden tremor course through him. A stream of white qi seemed to burst forth from the crown of his head, gathering above like a canopied cloud, from which wisps of light fell like rain and dew.
The mutated tissues all rejoiced and leaped with vigor, greedily absorbing the nutrients brought by the spirit and using what they gained to assist the body in completing its final metamorphosis.
In just a short moment, his somewhat emaciated body had returned to fullness. At the same time, faint fissures formed across the surface of his skin, and small flakes began to peel away, dispersing into countless tiny fragments outside.
Beneath what sloughed away, newly formed jade-smooth skin was revealed, seemingly coated in a layer of soft fluorescence.
His hair had also grown slightly longer, looking as if dyed in deep ink, glistening with a gentle luster. He was still the same person, yet he appeared completely reborn.
When the cloud-qi overhead slowly settled and everything merged into his body, Chen Chuan opened his eyes. A brilliant gleam flashed within his pupils, and around his entire form, a faint radiance shimmered.
With these three passes crossed, at this very moment, he had formally stepped into the ranks of martial artists.
As stated in the Taibai Contemplation: "Harmonizing yin and yang, uniting spirit and qi; passing the Heavenly Gate to bear the profound mechanism." Hence, this realm was named "Bearing the Profound Mechanism"!
He looked at the glow in his hands. In the past, he had needed to steer with his spirit to borrow the power of the world across the rift for his own use. But upon becoming a martial artist, both his spirit and body had undergone metamorphosis, their very essence fundamentally transformed; thus, this had become power that welled up spontaneously from within himself.
How much spiritual perception power one could channel and wield depended not only on a martial artist's original foundation, but also on their specific cultivation after achieving this realm. And even without anyone telling him, he knew that the quantity and intensity of this power would directly dictate the height of a martial artist's combat strength.
The spiritual perception power possessed by each martial artist was actually distinct. Previously, when drawn and borrowed from across the rift, it was of course uniform, with no fundamental difference. But now that it emanated from one's own physical body, it bore one's profound individual imprint, varying from person to person just like Mind Jin. Indeed, upon reaching this current realm, this power and Mind Jin had essentially merged into one, indistinguishable from each other.
*So then, what is my jin...?*
Amidst his contemplation, a thunderous boom resounded. He looked up to see the cracks ahead splitting wider and wider, with the largest gaps already a finger's width across.
Evidently, in just this short span of time, the figure on the other side was on the verge of shattering the barrier.
Watching the spot, Chen Chuan rose slowly to his feet, his gaze calm and deep as he looked ahead. As the vibrations grew violent, cracking sounds rang out. Several fractures could hold no longer, snapping open into a jagged gap that looked like interlocking broken teeth.
Through this opening, the colossal frame of the black-armored general on the opposite side came into view.
From behind his faceplate, the black-armored general's gaze seemed to spot Chen Chuan standing amidst the radiance opposite him. At first, he made no move. But in the next instant, with a deafening crash, a massive hand shoved open the still-narrow fissure, lunging straight toward where Chen Chuan stood to seize him.
Yet halfway through its reach, the hand came to an abrupt halt. On the opposing side, a fist was planted squarely against the palm, stopping it dead in its tracks.
Behind his faceplate, the black-armored general's eyes showed a flicker of surprise, which quickly curdled into ferocious savagery. His five fingers clamped down instantly, intent on crushing the fist along with the arm behind it.
Yet the moment he squeezed, the general's body shuddered. The black qi shrouding him wavered, and step by step, he was forced backward out of the fissure. From within the rift emerged a fist coated in flowing golden liquid, pushing steadily against his palm as it extended outward.
Wisps of radiant golden liquid swirled and flashed, spreading from the surface of the fist to the arm behind it, and flowing over the tall, upright figure beyond. Then, as if something had been ignited, with a resounding boom, a cloud of golden flame dense as liquid flared into being.
Pushing against that massive palm, the tall figure stepped forward. With every stride, the ground cracked and collapsed, the air trembling violently. The dripping golden liquid seeped into the crevices of the earth, turning into dense, billowing white vapor that curled upward in wisps.
Under the impact of such force, the barrier separating the two worlds shattered like a brittle wall. Dazzling light burst outward, accompanied by the iridescent glow of the relic that had vanished for a moment only to reappear, surging straight up into the vault of heaven the instant it reached the outside.
Across the way, the three martial artists—Yao Zhiyi, Xiao Wan, and Zhao Zhenye—sensed the commotion and turned their heads. There, amidst the blinding brilliance and iridescent glow, a tall figure clad in flowing golden liquid like molten magma, enveloped in rising white steam, walked out from the other side while holding back Wei Guochan's palm.
Watching the thick white steam billowing upward and the golden luminescence forming a massive aura of light behind him, all three narrowed their eyes in shock. Was this... another martial artist?!
Once outside, Chen Chuan gave a slight thrust of his fist. The black flames and golden stream detonated outward simultaneously. The black-armored general was thrown back more than a dozen paces, his knee crashing heavily onto the ground with a loud thud before he finally halted his momentum, the black smoke around him churning frantically.
The black-armored general paused for a moment, then snapped his head up. His figure surged forward in a blur, his colossal frame shaking the earth. Before he even closed the distance, their fields collided first. Where the lights intersected around them, countless fractures instantly spiderwebbed like branching lightning, but the black-flamed aura was the first to give way, shattering abruptly.
In the next instant, with a deafening boom, the black-armored general's massive frame was sent flying. Like a cannonball, he bounced across the distant earth several times before plowing out a massive crater.
Maintaining the posture of his punch, Chen Chuan glanced toward the black-armored general half-buried in dirt and dust, and said calmly, "Your strength is too weak."
……
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Chapter 767