The sun finally sank in the west, and the entire earth entered the night with a sigh.
The little earthworm inside the Palace of Heaven had also completed its long journey, expelling a plump and full Dao essence.
The time when the sun first rises and when it is about to set is the best for cultivation in a day. The sun is warm but not intense, nurturing but not harmful, especially for初级修者, it can well protect the Dao pulse. There have been examples of people cultivating at noon, only to be burned by the sun's true fire, which stirred their heart fire, burned their bodies, and destroyed their pulses.
This is what is called morning receives purple qi, evening draws crimson clouds.
Even Jiang Wang, with his physique trained in martial arts since childhood, felt that his vital energy was being squeezed to a critical point. If he went further, it would damage his vital energy. The earthworm inside the Palace of Heaven also seemed a bit listless.
Of course, at this critical point, the body does not feel weak. The Dao essence nurtured in the Palace of Heaven, like tiny hearts, is constantly pumping power.
All of this made Jiang Wang deeply understand the teachings he received in class. From the power of vital energy to the birth of Dao essence, this is a sublimation of power, the premise for humans to become extraordinary.
It is said that true martial cultivators do not nurture Dao essence, but purely temper their physique and refine their vital energy, which is another path.
In today's world, feudal lords rise, sects stand like forests, and a hundred schools of thought contend. The great way is endless. It can be said to be a golden age of cultivation. Of course, for Jiang Wang in Zhuangguo, he has no other choice.
Jiang Wang carefully manipulated the Dao essence to move inside the Palace of Heaven, to fill the already well-remembered Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array diagram. This process is not easy. Because a person's spiritual power, like the power of vital energy, also has its limits at a certain stage.
For cultivators like Jiang Wang who have just embarked on the path to the extraordinary, moving the Dao essence twice a day is the limit. More would lead to spiritual fatigue, and in severe cases, it might even damage the mind.
Jiang Wang was well aware that the foundational array diagram he chose would take a long time, so he especially dared not waste time, treading on thin ice. Any slight mistake would mean starting over.
And he did not give himself the time to start over.
There are only two opportunities to list the array points in a day, and he cannot miss any! Even though the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array is much more complicated and difficult than the Gui Yuan Array.
Suppose someone cultivates with Jiang Wang at the same time, and he chooses the Gui Yuan Array as the foundation. Then, based on the perfect listing of the array points, he will definitely be much faster than Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang does not know whether his choice is right or not, but since he has made the choice, there is no turning back. He can only move forward and do his best.
Fortunately, he did quite well. When the last pulse-dashing cultivation of the day ended, dozens of Dao essences were suspended in the Palace of Heaven, each plump and full, like the ripe rice in the autumn fields, exuding the smell of harvest. These will all be his provisions for "ascending to heaven."
However, for Jiang Wang, there is still one important thing.
At this moment, the dormitory is empty. Ling He and Du Yehu have both gone on missions. Having already entered the inner court, they naturally crave the Pulse-Opening Pill even more.
Jiang Wang's mind sank, and he entered the Tai Xu Illusion.
Today is the fifteenth of the seventh month, the challenge day of the month. If there is no accident, he will face the challenge of the owner of the Qingyu Altar today. He will smoothly—be demoted.
It is still the familiar scene, the great starry sky.
Jiang Wang sat cross-legged, silently watching the sundial shadow, waiting for the moment of the challenge.
He wanted to see the strength of the true strong people in the world. Although he had "heard" such fierce clashes in Huanzhen Temple, he had never seen them with his own eyes. Dong A's move last time was against an opponent with no resistance.
Sitting in the starry sky, he felt his heart also become vast.
When humans first looked up at the starry sky, history began to charge. Compared to the vast star rivers, everything in the human world is so small and illusory.
He did not know how much time had passed when the sundial shadow showed five ink characters—The challenger forfeits.
Jiang Wang felt relieved, but also had an inexplicable sense of regret.
He kept the merit produced by the Dongzhen Xu blessed land this month, but that might only be because of the strong deterrent of the former owner of the blessed land. The fiery figure named Zu Guanglie!
People who enter the Tai Xu Illusion generally conceal their real-world identities. Except for themselves, no one knows what kind of fame they have in the Tai Xu Illusion. So few people know that the master of Dongzhen Xu in the Tai Xu Illusion is the great Chu talent Zu Guanglie in the real world. Now even fewer people would know. Even if someone had accurately guessed from the fighting style before, they would have to overturn it now.
Because generally speaking, when people in the real world die, their identities in the Tai Xu Illusion will also disappear. But Zu Guanglie's forced promotion of Zhurong's true body almost burned through time and space, and because of a strong attachment and other reasons intertwined, an accident occurred. This made the Tai Xu Illusion fail to reclaim the virtual key in time, which was imprinted by Jiang Wang. He thus inherited everything Zu Guanglie had in the Tai Xu Illusion.
Blessed land twenty-three, Dongzhen Xu! This month's merit production is 1850 points.
...
"Dao-Enacting Platform," Jiang Wang muttered in his heart.
A bamboo table just appeared in front of him out of thin air, but it did not seem out of place at all. It was as natural as crops growing from the ground, although the process was ignored.
There was nothing on the bamboo table except for an open jade book, which was blank at the moment.
Jiang Wang had already had one experience. He just needed to visualize the cultivation technique he wanted to deduce, invest the corresponding merit, and the deduced technique would appear on the jade book. The previous foundational array diagram, Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array, was obtained through the deduction of Gui Yuan Array.
Now that the foundational array diagram is not yet complete and the Dao vortex has not been born, the Dao essence is getting fewer and fewer. It is unrealistic to deduce Dao techniques. Even Jiang Wang himself has only simulated in his mind and has never really practiced Dao techniques. After all, in the early stages of cultivation, the Dao essence is too precious.
But it cannot be said that the merit is idle and left for later. Remember, the path of cultivation is such that if you do not advance, you will retreat. Tomorrow and accidents, who knows which will come first. So it is only right to make yourself as strong as possible at each stage.
Jiang Wang thought for a moment and chose a fierce sword technique from the several sword techniques he was best at for deduction.
And the merit he chose to consume was 1850 points!
The entire atmosphere of Zhuangguo is to value Dao techniques and belittle martial arts. But Jiang Wang has no choice at this stage. The foundation is not yet laid, and he dare not use even the strongest Dao techniques.
And since he has chosen to strengthen his sword technique, he will do his best and spare no effort.
The jade book on the bamboo table instantly filled with many characters. It was the ordinary sword technique that Jiang Wang had learned from the outer court of the Fenglin City Dao Academy, which had nothing special except for its fierceness. But at this moment, the number of merit on the sundial shadow was constantly decreasing, and the characters on the jade book on the bamboo table also began to change wildly.
Jiang Wang focused his attention and watched as the characters seemed to evolve into human figures, dancing with swords. The dance became faster and faster, until finally it seemed to blend into one.
Jiang Wang couldn't help but squint, and he had the illusion of being pricked by the sharpness!
When he blinked and looked again, the characters on the jade book had calmed down, and what appeared in front of him was a profound sword technique that he had never seen or even imagined before!
When he was in the outer court, Jiang Wang was recognized as the best in sword technique. But at this moment, as he read this sword technique, he suddenly felt that what he had practiced before was just a rustic style, suitable only for farming!
The number of merit on the sundial shadow had already been reduced to zero, but Jiang Wang let out a satisfied sigh.
It was all worth it!