Chapter 88 Great Progress in Strength, Wild Ambition, Longjiang Prefecture
Accompanied by Little Miao, Yi Chen took a stroll and hunted a few game animals. By noon, he returned to the brown bear's cave, feeling fully content and satisfied.
After a round of barbecuing in the wild, Yi Chen lay on the bear skin inside the cave, squinting his eyes in comfort.
It wasn't until now, by extracting vital energies from food and absorbing the light of heaven and earth, that he once again accumulated a surplus of energy to full capacity.
"My state has been adjusted to its optimum. It's time to make a breakthrough to the eighth level of the True Pure Yang Skill," he thought.
Having rested for a while, Yi Chen smoothly sat up cross-legged.
This secluded place was perfect for a breakthrough!
Glancing at Little Miao, who was fervently performing pull-ups on the rock wall to help with digestion, Yi Chen slowly closed his eyes.
He had a premonition that with this breakthrough, his strength would make substantial strides.
With the enhancement of four-dimensional data by the cultivation technique, the Spirit-Breaking Realm and Agility-Breaking Realm seemed to be within reach.
After adjusting both body and mind to their best state, Yi Chen let out a roar within his heart.
In an instant, five hundred Deep Red Value points were deducted, and at the same time, an overwhelming flood of memories suddenly emerged in his mind.
It was the familiar data reading segment once more.
Memory unfolded like a glance at whirling flowers.
In the deep ravines and secluded valleys, a young Daoist, eating the aura of dawn and drinking the dew, painstakingly circulated the deep purple Pure Yang Inner Qi.
Such was his meditation for eighty years. Aside from refining his deep purple Inner Qi to a cohesive and satisfactory state, vibrant with a purple aura, he ultimately failed to grasp that faint opportunity hidden in the obscure.
Purple extreme gives birth to green.
Difficult, difficult, difficult.
As difficult as the long, gloomy night.
Eighty years passed, and the once-young Daoist now had hints of white in his hair.
This was the result of eighty years of meditative sitting, burning the essence of his life.
The long night is hard to understand, yet there are Daoists who travel far with a lantern.
He began to leave the valley, determined to measure the world with his feet.
Purple extreme gives birth to green, but where does the meaning lie?
He intended to measure it with his feet, to discover with his eyes, and to feel with his heart.
Another eighty years went by.
There was a Daoist who traveled with a lantern, and still, the long night was hard to understand.
His deep purple Pure Yang Inner Qi remained dazzling like purple crystal, flowing gently, yet the hint of green he anticipated still did not appear.
However, after eighty years of travel, the Daoist now knew what he lacked.
Purple extreme gives birth to green; previously, he thought the key lay in the character for "extreme."
"Extreme" is the key to everything.
But he was both right and wrong.
After one hundred sixty years elapsed, he refined his deep purple Pure Yang Inner Qi to a level unimaginable by ordinary people, every detail perfected in his grinding and polishing.
Then, one hundred sixty years later, when he inadvertently saw a charred peach tree struck by lightning sprout anew, bamboo knots forming across the rock face, and a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis on that peach tree.
The Daoist, relying on the provisions accumulated over the years, suddenly had an epiphany.
He was wrong, terribly wrong.
One sentence from a true transmission, an entire scripture from a false one.
When he kept trying to push his deep purple Inner Qi to an impassable state, all his subsequent efforts were like holding a religious ceremony inside a snail shell, with precious little room to maneuver.
The extreme in "Purple extreme gives birth to green" was not about pushing Inner Qi to its limit, but rather about the creation and transformation within the realm of the spirit.
Now, the once-young Daoist was no longer young, though his stature remained impressive and extraordinary. However, his vital energies had begun to show signs of fatigue.
The Daoist returned to the familiar valley once again.
Facing the rising morning sun, today, he was ready for one last attempt.
If one hears of the Dao in the morning, they can die content in the evening.
Purple extreme gives birth to green; it signifies rebirth after a resolute end.
How can it be achieved?
From death comes life.
The Daoist drained three jars of strong liquor, laughing heartily as he released the constraints on his Inner Qi.
Raising a finger, a deep purple flame ignited at its tip, at first the size of a soybean, then suddenly expanding.
The Daoist's entire body, and all his internal organs, were enveloped in this purple blaze.
The unrestrained burning of the deep purple Pure Yang Inner Qi ignited his flesh.
Burn! Burn!
Burn everything, to either come out purified or to perish and be extinguished.
Enduring the agony of the fierce fire consuming his body, the Daoist perceived the changes around him.
He felt the passing of his own life.
He felt the silence and the void.
He felt rebirth!!!
A new and magnificent power began to brew in the aftermath of the silent death.
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He finally grasped that slim chance to breakthrough that was looming in the unknown!
Now was the moment!
The Daoist roared to the heavens, his voice vibrating the woods, echoing so loudly that it stopped the clouds in their tracks.
Burning flames consume the body, mud dissolves the bone, in the long night searching for the light proves futile.
Butterflies flap their wings as new sprouts emerge, the time when extreme purple generates vibrant green has arrived.
The slightly slack skin on his body began to rapidly shed, revealing skin as smooth as egg whites.
He was reborn!
His memory abruptly ceased there!
However, unlike his previous breakthroughs, Yi Chen was so moved by the images in his memory that he found himself with tears streaming down his face without realizing it.
In an instant, he locked eyes with the Daoist in his memory, and under the reflection in his heart, countless insights and emotions flooded in.
A stroke of green started to emerge within his Inner Qi!
Extreme purple generates vibrant green.
The eighth level of the True Pure Yang Skill was achieved!
The first hint of light green Inner Qi that appeared acted like a signal. As soon as it emerged, it began to crazily absorb the deep purple Inner Qi around it.
A new round of enhancement had begun.
However, this was not the end.
...
...
Half an hour later, Yi Chen slowly opened his eyes and summoned his unique virtual screen.
[Name: Yi Chen]
[Lifespan: 18/211]
[Strength: 66—he broke through the Strength-Breaking Realm once: Penetration Level 1 (Strength carries an additional shock penetration effect), Strength Essence Level 1 (Strength attribute effect increased by 20%)
Stamina: 61—he broke through the Body-Breaking Realm once: Extra Energy Reservoir Level 1 (After energy storage is complete, total stamina and Inner Qi increased by three times), Overload Recovery Level 1 (Stamina consumption doubled, body's self-healing power increased by five times)
Spirit: 52—he broke through the Spirit-Breaking Realm once: Divine Defense Level 1 (Protect spirit, strengthen the defenses against soul-type magic attacks.)
Agility: 52—he broke through the Agility-Breaking Realm once: Agility Level 1 (Agility attribute effect increased by 10%)]
[Cultivation Technique: Eighth level of True Pure Yang Skill (Traits: Body Enhancing, Intense Heat, Divine Power, Warding Off Evil, Tenacity, Qi Returning, Ignition, Pure Yang.) Active Skill: Pure Yang Overwhelming Power (Azure flames scorch the sky, applied on oneself, significantly enhances physical quality and Inner Qi activity, strengthens the ability to break spells, lasts for eight minutes with no period of weakness)
Active Skill: Soul Ignition Technique (The most intense heat comes from burning, igniting one's own potential, exchanging lifespan for might, currently igniting two years of lifespan for a 50% increase in strength and Inner Qi, up to a maximum of a fivefold increase in overall strength.)]
[Cultivation Technique: Fourth level of Yin Yang Cave Divine Pupil Technique (Traits: Eagle Eye, Night Vision, Yin Qi Perception, Mind Reflection Level 1, Malice Perception Level 1.)]
[Passive Abilities: Danqing Painting Skill Level 1, Auspicious Event Host Level 2, Funeral Host Level 3. Culinary Skill Level 3]
[Origin Point: 0] (Can be obtained through exercising the body, can improve the four dimensions of strength, stamina, spirit, and agility.)
[Deep Red Value: 126.] (Can be obtained through special items or by killing demons, evil spirits, etc. Used to enhance Cultivation Technique levels or for deduction.)
Yi Chen's attribute panel had undergone a earth-shattering change.
This was an unprecedented transformation.
Firstly, his lifespan had shot up from the previous 128 to 211, a terrifying increase of a whopping 83 years.
Next, his strength and stamina had passively made significant progress, with strength increasing by 15 and stamina by 11 points.
The spirit attribute had even broken through with added blessings, gaining a Divine Defense ability, which greatly improved Yi Chen's weak spot in mental defenses.
Agility was a bit short of breaking through, but Yi Chen poured all his accumulated Origin Points into it, making an all-out effort, and his agility also successfully broke through once, significantly increasing his speed and closing the gap in his agility.
As for changes in his cultivation technique, naturally, the True Pure Yang Skill had broken through to the eighth level. The previous active skill, Extreme Yang Transformation, was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a derived new active skill, Pure Yang Overwhelming Power.
The cost of the Soul Ignition Technique had also increased, with the previous ignition of one year's lifespan for a 50% increase in Inner Qi and strength now requiring two years—a doubling of the cost.
Yi Chen pondered for a moment and did not find it strange, as the strength he now possessed was incomparable to his former self. If the cost were still one year, it would have been somewhat unreasonable.
An unparalleled feeling of strength emerged in Yi Chen's heart. He felt that he could now defeat three of himself from yesterday, winning easily.
"Finally, I've taken another small step towards controlling my own destiny."
"I, am stronger!"
Yi Chen pulled open his clothes to look at the crimson blood-like mark on his chest, revealing a satisfied smile.
Compared to natural disasters, Yin Manor was the major concern at his current stage.
This was also the main reason he was now headed for Dragon Tiger Mountain.
After all, an entity capable of confining the old Heavenly Master was something that could not be too heavily guarded against.
He could still vividly remember the rows of spiritual tablets in the grand hall of Yin Manor and those faded photographs...
After regaining control of his emotions, Yi Chen, with Little Miao by his side, briskly walked out of the cave.
A big and a small bear skin were also tucked into his bag. With his superhuman physique, carrying a little extra was no bother at all.
In the future, he and Little Miao would often need to camp outdoors while on the road. The pair of bear skins would serve them both perfectly.
Perfection.
"According to the map, with my current pace, I am two to three days away from Longjiang Prefecture. Once there, I can enter the city and recuperate a bit."
"Firstly, I need to replenish and purchase some essential supplies, and secondly, I need to prepare some high-energy blood food or heaven and earth treasures rich in energy. Longjiang Prefecture, as a prefectural city, will certainly be rich in resources."
With that in mind, Yi Chen put away the map and signaled Little Miao to hit the road.
Man and cat hastened along the mountain path.
Two days later, a towering Daoist with a peculiar black cat emerged from the wilds, with the tall walls of Longjiang Prefecture visible in the distance.
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