[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin":3,"chapter-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-406":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The First Iron Rice Bowl of Great Jin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},152092,261,"Chapter 406: Desire's Dead End","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-406",406,"\u003Cp>The Great Dao manifested in an instant, and in the next it vanished without a sound, like a bubble, as if it had never appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lightning tribulation was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not the single bolt of lightning that ordinary cultivators see during tribulation, but a chaotic tribulation cloud woven from countless fine electric serpents, containing the terrifying power to open the Great Dao and reshape the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It descended with a roar, its momentum so vast that before the creatures of the Four Spirit Realm could witness it, it dissipated without warning, like receding tidewater, and in an instant the clear blue sky was restored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the effects of the manifestation of the Dao of the Flesh continued to ferment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the mountains and forests, the keen-sensed beasts were the first to be overwhelmed by the loss of the Dao’s disappearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had originally been limited by their bloodline talent in their cultivation bottlenecks, their flesh bound by an invisible shackle; they had charged against it day after day, but with little effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Dao manifested, they clearly felt that the layer of restriction within them was slowly loosening, their blood and qi power becoming unprecedentedly active and vigorous, their sinews, bones, skin, and membranes seeming to cheer and rejoice, eager to welcome a stronger challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feeling was so real, so intense, that they could barely hold back from raising their heads and roaring to the sky, proclaiming the joy of this breakthrough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The human body cultivators across the lands felt it even more directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had taken polishing the flesh as their sole goal, already tempering their bodies to the limit, yet the gate to a higher realm had always remained tightly shut to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Dao manifested, they too felt that gate begin to loosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The barrier that had never budged no matter how they struggled now emitted faint “crack” sounds, like a frozen lake surface beginning to show fissures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spark of hope was quietly kindled in the hearts of every body cultivator and beast who sensed the loosening of the flesh’s shackles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They seemed to see their future path infinitely broadened, to see realms once distant becoming within reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet just as this flame of hope burned fiercely, the “Dao of the Flesh” that had led them to see the way suddenly disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trajectory that had once been clearly visible and radiated an alluring glow, the Dao resonance that had once made them feel infinite possibilities, all vanished in an instant, as if they had never existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lamp that showed the way had gone out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was the body cultivators and beasts who had just felt the craving for power, or the various strong observers elsewhere, they all recognized this with extreme clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief shock, intense disappointment and regret, like a plague, swept across the entire Four Spirit Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the resentment of having touched the threshold, only to be forcibly shut out; the despair of seeing a smooth road ahead, only to find that there was no road at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth returned to silence, leaving only the lingering, immense psychological gap caused by sensing what “could have been” but “was not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did it fail?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the Xuan Mansion, Lu Tingzhen was inexpressibly disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Central Holy Land, though Wei Zhenjie also felt some regret, he quickly adjusted his mindset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had not witnessed the opening of the first Dao of the Four Spirit Realm, as one of the few who knew the identity of the Lord of the Mausoleum of Light Hall, he clearly understood that the Lord’s current state of mind and vision were insufficient to bear the responsibility of “Dao Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For cultivators, taking too big a step is not a good thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by walking steadily can one walk far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she had already touched the threshold of the “Dao,” opening it was only a matter of time. Giving her more time to comprehend might be good for her, and good for the Four Spirit Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The native powerhouses were disappointed, but the foreign cultivators lurking in various parts of the Four Spirit Realm all breathed a sigh of relief in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Four Spirit Realm had truly produced a Dao Lord who opened a Great Dao, many of their schemes would likely come to naught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Opening a Great Dao is not that easy. That Lord of the Mausoleum of Light Hall is nine times out of ten a greedy and reckless brat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dao suddenly manifested and then suddenly vanished, and even the lightning tribulation failed to condense. The Lord of the Mausoleum of Light Hall must have made a mistake in cultivation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Wutong Grove, Hua Changxi was completely unaware of the effects caused by the manifestation of the Dao of the Flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the light chain within her body that linked the seven chakras had dimmed and lost its luster. Aside from the abdominal wheel still swirling with light currents, the other six chakras had turned gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been rash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She should not have acted so recklessly, attempting cultivation without adequate preparation and with only a half-baked understanding of the enormous risks and deep secrets contained in the eighth chapter of the *Nine Transformations Mystic Art*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after cultivating, she should not have been greedy, opening all seven chakras in an attempt to reach the heavens in one step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Physique Chakras are divided into eight stages: First Stage: Open the Root Chakra; Second Stage: Open the Abdominal Chakra; Third Stage: Open the Navel Chakra; Fourth Stage: Open the Heart Chakra; Fifth Stage: Open the Throat Chakra; Sixth Stage: Open the Brow Chakra; Seventh Stage: Open the Crown Chakra; Eighth Stage: Link the Seven Chakras to achieve the Dao of the Flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This should have been a step-by-step, natural process, like building a great tower: the foundation must be solid before each layer can advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the immense potential-stimulating power within the Parasol Tree Forest, along with the astonishing effects brought by the Profound Yellow Fruit, greatly encouraged her but also confused her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That power made her feel as if she were omnipotent, with infinite and inexhaustible potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Driven by this mindset, her eyes were blinded by greed and impatience, and she unexpectedly conceived the arrogant idea of opening all seven chakras at once and cultivating the eighth chapter to perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never known that she could be so \"greedy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, before today, she had always believed that body cultivators had no mental obstacles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Body cultivators seek not spiritual roots, but only themselves; they use flesh and blood as a furnace, use tendons and bones as a pillar, and seek the true meaning of power in the struggle against pain and limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her understanding, the world of body cultivators consisted only of the strength of power and the limits of the physical body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those inner demons born from love, obsession, and fear were merely various thoughts that arose when spiritual root cultivators, while comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, let their souls become too scattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since she began cultivating the *Nine Revolutions Mystic Art*, she had always thought so, and had practiced and realized it accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, looking at the black flame on her Nascent Soul heart, she knew she was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether a Dharma cultivator or a body cultivator, it is merely the cultivation method that a person chooses; at the core, it is the person!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a person, they have desires, the seven emotions and six desires, joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, and the desires and fears hidden deep in their heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether comprehending heaven and earth or tempering the physical body, in the end, what one must face is one’s own complex, changeable, and weakness-filled heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi raised her hand to cover her chest; this sudden attack of the thunder tribulation allowed her to once again clearly \"see\" the fear in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't expected that although her strength was clearly constantly advancing, the unease in her heart had not disappeared, nor even eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at the black flame on her Nascent Soul, and her brow directly twisted into a knot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her thoughts, her fears, under the amplification of the black flame, could already influence her judgment and shake her mind, causing her behavior to become out of control to a certain extent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation she now faced was that the black flame amplified desires, desires swelled, fueling the black flame, as if she had fallen into a circular dead end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she continued like this, under the stimulation of the black flame, she would gradually lose herself among various desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi took out the eight-petal black-and-white lotus lamp obtained from Zhu Yan and Chu Junshan, with a somewhat troubled expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the black flame is lit, it cannot be extinguished; only by lighting the white flame can the influence of the black flame be balanced and neutralized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how exactly was she supposed to light the white flame?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi thought of those cultivators she had seen before who simultaneously lit both the black and white flames; those people were all attached to the imperial family and the Zhu family. Perhaps she could find a way to contact these people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hum~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The One Thought Communication Device vibrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu: “Master, the Qihuang Pavilion is convening a meeting of pavilion masters, and they specifically named you to attend in person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at it and couldn't be bothered to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, Yu Fu sent another message: “The Pavilion Master said that if you don't show up, the rumors outside will be true, and you are the Lingguang Hall Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at the content of the message, her eyes flickering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qihuang Pavilion was established with the imperial family taking the lead, and the Pavilion Master is a consort who married a princess. Is the imperial family trying to verify her identity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi thought of the tribulation clouds that had just disappeared; could it be that people outside thought she was injured, causing the thunder tribulation to recede?\u003C\u002Fp>",1696,"2026-05-29T04:11:04.856Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","bd31941a63cfe0d488d8fef9b2e72b7a5721edb2de72c66f53360c0b766bdc61","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-407","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-405",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]