Chapter 430: Hard Cultivation

Duan Rong looked at the data panel appearing before his eyes, shook his head, and tossed the old horsetail whisk in his hand back to its original place.

It was merely an Unranked artifact spirit; he couldn't be bothered to devour it at all.

Duan Rong proceeded to read the old items within the Cultivation Secret Chamber one by one, but the results were all the same. He placed the paperweight he was holding onto the stone side table, his gaze flickering slightly; there were seven such Cultivation Secret Chambers here, yet the personal disciples on Yunfu Peak likely hadn't even reached seven in number.

The Cultivation Secret Chamber he was currently in had perhaps never been entered since it was built. Although it was covered in dust and the artifacts were old, because no one had entered, no Divine Soul imprint had eroded or been carved into the artifact spirits, and thus the artifact spirits could not grow.

As Duan Rong thought this, his brows suddenly furrowed.

He immediately rose from the waist-drum-shaped stone seat in front of the table and walked slowly out of the Cultivation Secret Chamber. He stood silently at the stone doorway, looking toward the Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue not far away.

Duan Rong's expression at this moment was somewhat solemn; his gaze locked tightly onto the two-person-tall Immovable Wisdom King Statue as he walked up to it.

Duan Rong gently pressed his palm against it and whispered to himself, "Spirit Reader."

Then, in the somewhat dim space of the stone chamber, a data panel glowing with a faint, eerie light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Looking at the data before him, Duan Rong's breathing hitched slightly. His guess was correct.

This Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue actually contained the cultivation method of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

Artifact: Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue

Spirit Artifact Tier: Tenth Rank

Devouring Requirement: Host's Level 10 Spiritual Power (Met)

Devouring Effect: Thirteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete), Fourteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete), Fifteenth Layer of Womb Treasury Sutra (Incomplete)

Seeing the word "incomplete" on the last line of the data panel, Duan Rong's brows involuntarily twisted into a knot. He carefully examined the Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue before him, confirming that the statue was perfectly intact, without the slightest bit missing, not even a single crack.

After a moment of thought, Duan Rong understood the reason for this.

Since the artifact spirit of this Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue contained the Womb Treasury Sutra, it meant someone had once used this statue to cultivate the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth layers of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

It was just that when cultivating the Womb Treasury Sutra, four statues were required to form a Mandala; in other words, this Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue was only one-fourth of the whole.

Naturally, the cultivation method was also only one-fourth.

"Devour!" Duan Rong whispered in his heart, and the data panel before him flickered, collapsed, and vanished into nothingness.

However, to find the complete cultivation method for the thirteenth to fifteenth layers of the Womb Treasury Sutra, he would have to find the other three matching statues. It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to ask Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao why this statue was here and where the other three had been taken.

There was no rush for this, after all, he hadn't even finished cultivating the twelfth layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra yet. For now, the fastest way for him to increase his strength was to build up his cultivation in the Qi Refining Realm.

After Duan Rong finished devouring the artifact spirit of the Immovable Wisdom King Stone Statue, he returned to his own Cultivation Secret Chamber.

Wu Shidao had said that one claw and one tail would be enough for him to cultivate for half a year. Duan Rong decided to cultivate diligently in this Secret Chamber for a while; as a personal disciple of a Sect Elder, the resources and treatment were truly impeccable—everything was ready-made, and there were even people outside to serve him, so one only needed to focus on cultivation.

Duan Rong walked to the corner of the Secret Chamber and gently turned the beast head located there.

A narrow little stone door on the stone wall in front of him suddenly opened.

A burst of cold, yin energy permeated the air; the little door before him felt like the entrance to a ghost realm, chilling and eerie.

Duan Rong walked in slowly and looked toward the Black Jade Pool in the center of the floor, only to see that the claw and tail inside had already frozen into hard ice sculptures.

With a flash of a blade, Duan Rong, holding the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade, sliced off a piece of Beast Meat, then reached out and opened a long, black jade box.

In mid-air, the blade flashed like a phantom, and seven or eight thumb-sized pieces of meat dropped into the black jade box, arranged in order, without the slightest disorder.

Duan Rong closed the lid of the black jade box and turned to leave.

The black jade box in his hand was indeed biting cold. Duan Rong had already drawn a thin layer of Heaven and Earth Qi from his dantian to wrap around his palm, but he was only walking from the small stone room to the meditation cushion. Even over such a short distance, the cold, yin energy had already penetrated the Qi, leaving his palm icy cold.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged and immediately set down the black jade box. He stared at his right palm and saw that a thin layer of frost had already formed on it.

Duan Rong mobilized the remaining Heaven and Earth Qi in his dantian, circulating it through the meridians in his palm for several breaths before the thin frost slowly melted away.

This cold, yin energy was truly formidable; no wonder it could seal the Heaven and Earth Qi contained within the Beast Meat.

Duan Rong opened the black jade box in front of him. The moment the box opened, visible wisps of cold air rose up and dissipated into a mist.

Inside the box, the meat had actually frozen into individual "Ice Sugar Gourds."

Duan Rong looked at the "Ice Sugar Gourds" before him, his gaze flickering.

He had originally thought that upon reaching the Qi Refining Realm, there would at least be more complex methods of refining medicine.

He hadn't expected that there would be no refining at all, returning directly to the most primitive mode of "eating raw meat and drinking blood."

It really was a bit magical, wasn't it!?

As Duan Rong thought this, he pinched one "Ice Sugar Gourd" and popped it into his mouth.

Once it entered his mouth, Duan Rong immediately used his Heaven and Earth Qi to wrap around the "Ice Sugar Gourd" to prevent the cold, yin energy it contained from freezing his internal organs.

The "Ice Sugar Gourd" was swallowed into his belly and wrapped by the Heaven and Earth Qi in his dantian; the ice coating on the surface gradually melted, revealing the Beast Meat inside.

At this moment, Duan Rong drove his cultivation technique and began to refine that mass of meat.

As he refined it, the extremely pure Heaven and Earth Qi contained within the Beast Meat gradually began to emanate.

The purity of that Heaven and Earth Qi, and its affinity with his body, immediately startled Duan Rong.

After Duan Rong advanced to the Qi Refining Realm, he had already practiced several times; the Heaven and Earth Qi within Changliu Mountain was indeed rich. But richness and purity were two different concepts.

Richness referred to quantity, but purity referred to quality.

At this moment, with the extremely pure Heaven and Earth Qi gushing out like a spring in his dantian, Duan Rong immediately began to circulate his breathing and absorb this Heaven and Earth Qi.

Duan Rong had already obtained his cultivation level directly through devouring artifact spirits; his circulation, breathing, absorption, and refining were already extremely proficient, to the point that even a talented cultivator would need at least half a year to reach such a level of proficiency.

Despite this, with Duan Rong's efficient proficiency, about ten percent of the Heaven and Earth Qi gushing from his dantian still failed to be absorbed and dissipated.

Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, Duan Rong felt a sudden pang of heartache.

If other cultivators knew of Duan Rong's thoughts, they would surely be greatly astonished; some dissipation during the process of absorption and refining was unavoidable, and even having only ten percent dissipate like Duan Rong did was only possible when one was extremely proficient in their cultivation technique.

But Duan Rong was not satisfied. He suddenly flipped his hand and placed two Porcelain Bottles in front of him; these were the Bone Marrow Gray Matter of a High-Tier Beast that Zhu He had given him a few days ago when he first entered Yunfu Peak.

Duan Rong opened the stopper of one of the bottles and sniffed it gently; it was odorless.

Then he gently shook the bottle and could feel that it seemed to be some kind of viscous liquid inside.

Duan Rong then tilted his head back and poured out a drop from the bottle's mouth; it was a drop of thick, gray liquid.

As that drop of thick, gray liquid entered his throat and Duan Rong swallowed it, his entire body immediately began to tremble like a winnowing sieve.

A burning, intense pain surged through his internal organs, dantian, and meridians; in just an instant, Duan Rong's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror.

He spurred his thoughts, using his Divine Sense to inspect his body internally.

Under the probe of his Divine Sense, everything was revealed in minute detail, and he quickly discovered that it was not poisoning.

Duan Rong's heart eased slightly, and he continued to circulate his cultivation technique, breathing and exhaling; the difference manifested now, as the extremely pure Heaven and Earth Qi surging within his dantian did not dissipate even a single bit, being entirely absorbed and refined by him.

If anyone knew that this situation was occurring with Duan Rong inside this Cultivation Secret Chamber, they would certainly consider it a miracle.

A cultivator who had just advanced to the Qi Refining Realm only a few days ago was actually able to achieve zero dissipation.

Of course, this was under the bonus effect of the High-level Primal Beast Bone Marrow Gray Matter.

This High-level Primal Beast Bone Marrow Gray Matter could actually permanently increase a cultivator's affinity with Heaven and Earth Qi, but the effect of this permanent increase was very small, like drawing silk from a cocoon.

However, after swallowing a drop of Bone Marrow Gray Matter, the affinity would increase significantly for several hours, and it would only slowly drop back down after several more hours.

Duan Rong frantically circulated his cultivation technique, swallowing an Ice Sugar Gourd about every hour.

One must know, this was not temporary breath regulation and refining; this was the circulation, absorption, and refining of cultivation, where every wisp refined would eventually become the Original Qi within the dantian—this was a true cultivation realm, a process of grinding away like water wearing down stone!

For someone like Duan Rong, who had just entered the Qi Refining Realm, to be able to swallow an Ice Sugar Gourd every hour—this cultivation speed was almost a certain limit, truly unsurpassable.

Although it is said that Mental Power has a great influence on cultivation, on one hand, it refers to the perspective of delicate control; on the other hand, it means that the stronger the Mental Power, the faster one can become familiar with and achieve a Round and Harmonious state in the complex process of absorption, breathing, and refining, thereby causing the efficiency of cultivation to rise with the tide.

But Duan Rong was already in a state of being familiar and Round and Harmonious the moment he started!

From this day on, Duan Rong practiced bitterly every day, as if addicted to cultivation.

The first few days were fine, but after half a month, Lu Geng and Wang Yue began to mutter; after a month, even Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao were a bit worried and came to see Duan Rong several times.

Fan Hongjiao reminded him to balance work and rest; although bitter cultivation is a good thing, being too bitter can easily lead to pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Although Duan Rong kept agreeing in his mouth, he still continued his fierce, non-stop cultivation every day.

In fact, they could not understand it at all, and that was correct. Because for them, cultivation was an extremely mentally exhausting task.

By the time one reaches the Qi Refining Realm, the process of absorption, breathing, and refining is so complex! Moreover, many things are tangled together; after an hour of cultivation, their Divine Soul would already be overdrawn.

And only after they had practiced for years and years, finally becoming familiar with it, would it basically no longer consume their Divine Soul, and it could naturally circulate on its own. But by this time, they had basically advanced and entered the next stage of cultivation, so the difficult road began all over again.

But Duan Rong was in a familiar state from the start, with basically no consumption of his Divine Soul; it was just a purely physical labor.

It was also because of this that he could practice day and night without rest. Watching this method of practice, Fan Hongjiao and Wu Shidao were terrified, fearing that this kid might have an accident and Zhu He would come back to settle scores with them.

This day, Duan Rong looked at the empty Black Jade Pool and felt a wave of depression; he was just about to achieve the First Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, but the Beast Meat in the Black Jade Pool had actually run out.

Didn't Wu Shidao tell him it would be enough for half a year? It had only been a month, and it was gone.

What Wu Shidao spoke of was a normal person; at the very least, when he himself had just advanced to the Qi Refining Realm a few days prior, that amount of Beast Meat was enough for him for over half a year. Considering Duan Rong's talent was different from ordinary people, he had understated it a bit and only said half a year.

But this guy Duan Rong, who couldn't keep dry food in his dog kennel, had finished it all in one month.

Since it was gone, he had to find a way. It was the same problem as the one encountered in cultivation before.

Before, it was the problem of medicinal supplements and Pills; now, it was the problem of Beast Meat. Essentially, it was still the same problem.

It was just that Beast Meat had only one source: the Dark Forest.

Could he just go down there?

Duan Rong had already considered this matter; he might not be unable to go down into the Dark Forest.

If his own cultivation consumption was fast, asking Fan Hongjiao, Wu Shidao, and the others to take him into the Dark Forest once a month was clearly unrealistic.

This problem still had to be solved by himself.

This Dark Forest, he still had to go.

But before going, he had to get Wu Shidao's Topographical Map to study it, and then do his homework properly.

This day, Duan Rong came to the top of the pavilion, outside Wu Shidao's room; before coming, he had already asked Wang Yue and knew that Wu Shidao was in the room.

Duan Rong knocked on the door lightly and called out, "Senior Brother Wu!"

A moment later, the door opened.

Wu Shidao looked at Duan Rong with deep eyes.

For this past month, Duan Rong had been practicing bitterly in the Cultivation Secret Chamber, unwashed and unkempt. At this moment, one could see his hair was matted and his appearance was haggard.

"Little Disciple, you practice so bitterly, Senior Brother is very impressed, but everything has its limits..."

Duan Rong said, "Senior Brother, I know. I came because I want to borrow that Topographical Map of the Dark Forest you have to take a look."

"What are you doing?" Wu Shidao looked at Duan Rong quite nervously, fearing he was going to stir up some trouble again.

Duan Rong said, "Nothing! It's just that I've been tired from cultivation lately and want to study the Dark Forest to clear my head. I just happened to remember you had a Topographical Map here, so I wanted to borrow it for a look; if it's inconvenient, then forget it."

"Convenient! How could it be inconvenient?" Wu Shidao laughed.

Regarding Duan Rong's affairs, Fan Hongjiao had already come to discuss it with him several times. Fan Hongjiao's meaning was that he had to rest for a few days at least every month and could not stay in the Cultivation Secret Chamber all the time. If he wouldn't listen to advice, the two of them were prepared to take mandatory measures.

Now, hearing that Duan Rong wanted to take the initiative to stop his cultivation and clear his head, this was equivalent to solving a big problem for Fan Hongjiao and him, not to mention this Topographical Map—which of these direct disciples hadn't seen it?

(End of this chapter)