Chapter 60: Single-Minded Dual Use (Seeking Subscriptions! Seeking Monthly Votes!)

Divine Sense!

To a certain extent, it is an ability exclusive to Foundation Establishment cultivators or those above Foundation Establishment, being the "manifestation" of the original Spirit Sense leaving the body, and the "spirit" among essence, qi, and spirit.

However, there are no absolutes; some people with extraordinary talent still have a chance to let their Spirit Sense leave the body and evolve into Divine Sense before Foundation Establishment.

For example, Yunhe once saw in the Qingzong Sect's classics a special cultivation body called the Spirit Bright Body.

This body provides little aid in cultivation, but it can make a cultivator's Spirit Sense more substantial, allowing condensation of Divine Sense before Foundation Establishment, and after Foundation Establishment the Divine Sense is far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, Divine Sense also brings many conveniences in the ways of drawing talismans, concocting pills, refining artifacts, and forming arrays.

Therefore, once this body appears, if it is taken in by a powerful sect, there is a high probability of becoming a master in one of the four arts of immortal cultivation.

However, such special cultivation bodies as the Spirit Bright Body are rare; in most cases, a cultivator breaks through Foundation Establishment and condenses Divine Sense, which is common knowledge.

"It is said that a cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage can project their Divine Sense twenty to thirty zhang away, and within the range of their Divine Sense, all matters are revealed in minute detail."

"But my Divine Sense now is only about one zhang two chi?"

"Compared to a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, it is far inferior, but whatever the case, this is Divine Sense!"

"He is able to condense Divine Sense naturally thanks to that strand of essence blood gained from the Demon Beast Body."

"That strand of essence blood, merely the portion that leaked out, was enough to greatly accelerate the awakening of spiritual wisdom in the surrounding demon beasts; now it only acts on his single demon beast body, so the benefit is enormous."

"Although that strand of essence blood has not yet been fully digested and absorbed by him, each time he refines a portion, he feels his Spirit Sense becomes more lively and his thoughts clearer; likewise, it provides considerable aid when cultivating techniques and studying talisman ways."

"His ability to remember the medicinal theories and properties muttered by Qian Dajiang is also related to this to some extent."

"Yunhe himself never expected that when his Demon Sense and Spirit Sense grew strong enough, he would actually condense Divine Sense!"

"I have achieved minor success in body refinement, comparable to a Qi Refinement Fifth Layer cultivator. Although it is hard to play a big role in actual combat, it ensures vigorous qi and blood, slows the body's decline, and together with having condensed Divine Sense, am I not almost satisfying two of the three vital passes of essence, qi, and spirit needed to break through Foundation Establishment?"

"He patted his thigh and stood up, his lowered eyes flashing with excitement."

"As my cultivation base continues to rise, body refinement must continue as well, and Divine Sense will become ever more condensed; when my cultivation reaches Qi Refinement Perfection, body refinement and Divine Sense will inevitably grow stronger. Then, even without Foundation Establishment Pills, I will naturally break through the Foundation Establishment barrier, increasing my success rate by at least twenty to thirty percent!"

"Breaking through the Foundation Establishment barrier for Qi Refinement cultivators does not necessarily require Foundation Establishment Pills."

"In the early era when Foundation Establishment Pills had not yet appeared, Qi Refinement cultivators breaking through Foundation Establishment mostly relied on themselves, or sought spirit objects that increased qi and blood or strengthened Spirit Sense to assist; these spirit objects were called Foundation Establishment Spirit Materials."

"However, without Foundation Establishment Pills, if a cultivator's assault on Foundation Establishment fails, they either suffer a major setback in cultivation base and greatly reduced potential, affecting a second attempt, or they directly fail and die—this is the 'death gate' for Qi Refinement cultivators."

"Moreover, the effect of Foundation Establishment Pills is not merely to increase the success rate of breakthrough; more importantly, they protect against failure."

"A cultivator who has taken Foundation Establishment Pills, if they fail while assaulting Foundation Establishment, will at most lose some cultivation base and become physically weak, without damaging their foundation."

"I am now at Qi Refinement Seventh Layer, but I estimate I am not far from the Eighth Layer, and it is time to prepare for Foundation Establishment."

"He rose and walked outside."

"A fresh breeze brushed his face; Yunhe inhaled deeply, feeling his whole body's hair relax and feeling exceptionally refreshed."

""Have you heard, Yunhe?""

"Qian Dajiang, who had been muttering to himself for a long time, suddenly spoke."

""What?""

""Recently a strong band of cultivator bandits has appeared, robbing caravans everywhere, even the Wei family's caravan was looted. The sect dispatched law-enforcement disciples to investigate, but they were beaten back, and now the elders have all been mobilized.""

"Yunhe's eyebrows rose upon hearing this."

""Elders?""

"Most of those who can hold the position of Elder in the Qingzong Sect are old members of the sect, and their cultivation base is at least Foundation Establishment."

"Since even Foundation Establishment cultivators have been mobilized, it seems this band of cultivator bandits really gives the Qingzong Sect a headache."

"In fact, cultivator bandits are impossible to eradicate completely; as long as they do not go too far, the Qingzong Sect and similar powers mostly turn a blind eye."

"After all, if one speaks frankly, most cultivators have done some banditry to some extent."

"The Qingzong Sect merely sends disciples to patrol from time to time, both for training and for show."

"But it is relatively rare for the elders to be mobilized."

""It seems the goods stolen from the Wei family contain something good.""

""Who says otherwise?""

"Qian Dajiang stood up, shrugged his shoulders, showing he didn't really care, and patted his robe, saying with a smile: ""How about we go together to listen to the Talisman Pavilion Chief's lecture on talisman ways later?""

""Sure.""

"This is one of the benefits of being a sect disciple: a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator will occasionally impart some knowledge."

"Although this occasional may not be frequent."

"Night."

""Enough.""

"Yunhe, sitting cross-legged on the bed, showed a joy he could hardly restrain."

"Then he saw a spiritual plant emitting a faint fragrance appear out of nowhere in his hand."

""Indeed, the size and spiritual qi content of what can be 'transmitted' between the two bodies depends on the strength of the Spirit Sense, no, the Divine Sense.""

"Now that his Divine Sense has condensed, although it can only project one zhang away, it is still a qualitative change."

"Moreover, more importantly."

"At this moment, if someone else could also shuttle their consciousness between the two bodies like him, they would find that while his Cultivator Body remains conscious, his Demon Beast Body's eyes are also open."

"The two bodies can actually be awake at the same time!"

"However, the gaze of the Demon Beast Body is somewhat dull."

"Only after Yunhe calmed his mind and diverted part of his attention did the Demon Beast Body's eyes gradually regain their luster and begin to move its limbs."

"But the movements of the Demon Beast Body are also visibly stiff, like a marionette pulled by strings."

"After a while, the Demon Beast Body stopped moving, lay prone on the ground, and fell into sleep."

""Huu—""

"Yunhe wiped the sweat from his forehead."

After condensing divine sense, I can indeed control two bodies at once, but perhaps because my divine sense is still too weak and I haven't mastered the skill of doing two things at once, that sluggish feeling is especially obvious.

That feeling is like the left eye watching one scene while the right eye watches another; not only do I need to watch them together, I also have to remember every detail in the moving scenes.

Based on this difficulty, increasing it by several dozen times is roughly Yunhe's current feeling.

In short, it's just one sentence.

My brain isn't enough.

But no matter how you say it, this is a good start.

"My requirements aren't actually high; as long as one body can function normally, the other body can just cultivate on its own." Yunhe muttered.

If both bodies can maintain a cultivation state simultaneously, his Cultivation Base increase speed will necessarily improve by more than one level.

Moreover, the Demon Beast Body also has a precious Gathering Spirit Pearl, so its cultivation speed shouldn't be slow either.

Although his spiritual roots are poor.

But Yunhe feels.

"The Great Dao can be expected."

The next day.

Yunhe, having changed his appearance, walked out of the market pill stall expressionlessly.

He straightaway darted into the complicated alleys of Qingshan City.

When he came out again, he had already restored his original appearance.

Since achieving minor success in body tempering, comparable to a Qi Refinement Fifth Layer cultivator, Yunhe has gained effortless control over the muscles of every part of his body; by adjusting his facial muscles, he can become another person.

Although in the Qingzong Sect, as a menial disciple, he can directly exchange Spirit Stones at the pill pavilion for Elixirs, exchanging too much would inevitably attract some attention.

He is merely a menial disciple; even if he is at the late Qi Refinement stage, just keeping bees, even if the bees are rather extraordinary, how could he earn so many Spirit Stones?

After all, Yunhe's current demand for Elixir is double.

The Cultivator Body needs to eat, and the Demon Beast Body can likewise increase its cultivation speed through Elixir.

Therefore, he has to sell some of the spiritual plants transmitted by the Demon Beast Body to obtain Spirit Stones for buying Elixir.

Moreover, through some contact with the outside world, he can also better obtain information about the Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Three Low-grade Ling Stones for one pellet of the Supplement Spirit Pill—tsk, really expensive."

"The Supplement Spirit Pill is an Elixir for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators to refine their Cultivation Base; compared to the Spirit Nourishing Pill, it is much more expensive."

However, perhaps because he has taken too many Spirit Nourishing Pills, their effect on Yunhe is really pitifully small.

"My current monthly honey yield from three hundred Red Pattern Spirit Bees is still not enough to offset the Elixir consumption needed for cultivation; no wonder so many cultivators cannot afford Elixir."

"Logically, with three hundred Red Pattern Spirit Bees, the monthly yield should be at least thirty jars of Red Pattern Spirit Honey, each worth five Low-grade Ling Stones, making one hundred fifty Low-grade Ling Stones per month."

"Such an income, even for a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, cannot be considered low."

"But in reality, his actual earnings are not that much."

"On one hand, as a menial disciple, his monthly honey harvest inevitably has to be turned over to the sect to fulfill the menial disciple's monthly quota."

"Although it's not as high as the cut taken at the River Stream Market, it's still not little."

"On the other hand, the place allocated to him by the sect is insufficient to support the honey‑gathering needs of three hundred Red Pattern Spirit Bees."

"After all, Red Pattern Spirit Bees aren't ordinary bees; their demand for nectar is relatively high."

"That is, the spiritual energy on Mount Qing is richer; otherwise the yield would be even lower."

"Therefore, relying solely on honey cannot satisfy his cultivation needs."

"Fortunately, besides honey, Yunhe has also achieved minor success in the Way of Talismans, being able to exchange some Spirit Stones by selling talismans."

"Moreover, adding the spiritual plants gathered by the Demon Beast Body allows him, while purchasing enough Elixir for daily cultivation, to still have some left over."

"Of course, Yunhe only sells those spiritual plants less than a hundred years old; those over a hundred years old he plans to store, waiting for news about the Foundation Establishment Pill, then sell these spiritual plants to see if they can be exchanged for a Foundation Establishment Pill."

"But expensive as it may be, there's a benefit to being expensive; taking it like this, the cultivation speed has indeed greatly increased."

He entered the market's talisman selling place.

He didn't prepare to set up a stall.

"Although setting up a stall would earn more Spirit Stones, it takes too much time."

"To earn a few Spirit Stones, spending days or even longer to sell them is not as good as using that time to draw more talismans, which both increases proficiency and earns back the Spirit Stones, and takes far less time."

"For others, drawing a talisman requires talisman paper, beast blood, mana and energy, plus the failure rate, making the cost of producing a talisman still high."

"But for Yunhe, drawing a talisman only requires purchasing talisman paper; as for beast blood, the Demon Beast Body has plenty, so it's virtually zero cost."

"Moreover, he has already condensed his divine sense; drawing a first‑grade upper‑quality talisman is uncertain, but the success rate for drawing a first‑grade middle‑quality talisman is still quite good."

"Therefore, he mostly directly packs and sells talismans to the talisman shop, saving time."

"However, today he had just prepared to walk into the talisman shop when he was called out."

"Yun, Yun Dao, are you Fellow Daoist Yun?"

"The speaker seemed cautious, with a hint of surprise, but mostly nervous."

"Yunhe followed the sound and, upon seeing the person who called him, couldn't help but be startled."

"Sister‑in‑law?"

(End of chapter)