Chapter 203: The Stairs
Chapter 203: The Stairs
Hmm!
With a single thought, Chen Mu exchanged 10,000 experience points for a chance to simulate, and proceeded to simulate the Mountain Root Concept.
In an instant, a flood of complex memories and realizations rushed into his mind.
He saw himself walking amidst vast mountains and rivers, climbing to the peak, overlooking the misty seas and clouds.
He saw himself as a rock, standing atop the mountain, enduring the winds and sun, unchanging through the ages.
He witnessed thundering skies, raging winds, blazing flames, and surging floods. He saw the sea transforming into mulberry fields, saw bamboo and trees thriving, fruits ripening and falling. He saw a child picking peaches on the mountain, growing old and frail, but the mountains remained unchanged.
Suddenly, everything vanished.
In its place appeared countless strands of silk, representing the essence of the Mountain Root in the world, entering his line of sight. He gently reached out, grasping one of the strands, and instantly felt a profound stillness, heavy and solid.
Crack!
The wooden tub beneath Chen Mu seemed to bear the weight of his body, cracking under the pressure, waking Chen Mu from his simulation. Water seeped through the cracks at the bottom of the tub.
"This is the mountain's power, this is the Mountain Root Intention Realm."
Chen Mu stood up in the tub, his gaze penetrating the clear water, focusing on the cracks he had created at the bottom.
Just then, as he grasped the power of the Mountain Root Intention Realm, his weight seemed to increase several times, even tens of times, causing the tub's bottom to crack under the strain.
"Among the Eight Trigrams, the Wind, Thunder, and Fire Intention Realms all belong to the Skyward Primal, making them the easiest to merge. Additionally, there is the immovable, solid Mountain Root, which connects the earth to the sky, and has no conflict with the Wind, Thunder, and Fire Trinities."
Chen Mu raised his right hand, and flames burst from his palm. The flames condensed into a blade shape amidst the raging winds, and then threads of lightning wove across the fiery blade. Finally, his entire arm became heavy, as if weighed down by a massive burden.
However, he waved his hand, dispersing this attack without unleashing it.
In truth, cultivating multiple Intention Realms is not an easy task, especially when it comes to merging the powers of different realms. It's even more challenging when it comes to integrating forces between different realms. The reason Chen Mu has always found it effortless to merge the power of Intention Realms is that he has cultivated the most correct path of the Skyward Primal, and all of them belong to the Eight Trigrams.
For instance, the Water Cavern and Fiery Cauldron Intention Realms are completely incompatible. Even if one cultivates both to the second step, when it comes to unleashing their power, it's almost impossible to merge them without any loss, making it extremely difficult to achieve the strength of two realms combined. Often, the resulting power is barely one and a half times, or even less.
However, the Wind, Thunder, and Fire Trinities are closely related, and the Mountain Root is particularly compatible with all other realms except the Marshy Lake. Therefore, having cultivated the Mountain Root Intention Realm to the second step, Chen Mu still found it effortless to unleash the combined power of four realms. This was a true manifestation of fourfold Heavenly might.
Nevertheless, the upcoming challenge of cultivating the Water Cavern and Marshy Lake Intention Realms would not be so straightforward.
In Chen Mu's judgment, after cultivating the Water Cavern and Marshy Lake, he would become more versatile, able to take advantage of heaven and earth in various environments. However, merging these six realms into a single force and unleashing the complete power of sixfold Heaven and Earth is incredibly difficult, almost impossible.
To change this situation, one must comprehend the most fundamental Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal! In other words,
Among the Eight Trigrams, no matter how one circles back, the Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal remain the core. Cultivating all six realms to perfection, they still conflict with each other, making it impossible to merge them into a cohesive whole. It's similar to the Four Seasons Intention Realms cultivated by the Pavilion Master of Mystic Mechanisms. Adjacent seasons can be combined more harmoniously, but seasons like midsummer and deep winter, being opposites, conflict and hinder perfect fusion.
However, once the Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal are cultivated, the situation changes drastically. They become completely compatible with each other.
For instance, Zhou Hao, the true disciple and leader of the Upper Mystic Peak in the Azure Lotus Sect, had cultivated the Mountain Root, Water Cavern, Marshy Lake, and Gale Whirl Intention Realms to the second step at an early stage. However, he did not continue with the Fiery Cauldron and Thunderclap Intention Realms but focused on the most crucial Earthly Primal Intention Realm. In the New Talent Register, his Earthly Primal Intention Realm was only at the first step.
If the Earthly Primal Intention Realm were cultivated to the second step, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly. Facing the top-ranked Zuo Qianqiu in the register, he might not win, but he would not lose by four swords.
"Cultivating four Intention Realms among the Eight Trigrams, one reaches a bottleneck before mastering the Skyward Primal and Earthly Primal."
Chen Mu spoke to himself.
Of course, if one only seeks to enhance the power of Intention Realms, they can cultivate realms outside the Eight Trigrams, such as the Four Seasons. However, merging realms from different systems is even more challenging.
Any of the Four Seasons Intention Realms, when cultivated to the second step, provides roughly double the power. But if one cultivates the Eight Trigrams and then cultivates the Four Seasons, even reaching the second step in one of the Four Seasons, the actual increase in power is far less than the expected sum. This is because different systems are difficult to integrate, leading to conflicts that hinder the full potential of the combined power.
It can be said that regardless of Yin-Yang, Five Phases, or any other system, cultivating multiple Intention Realms will encounter bottlenecks. Unless one thoroughly comprehends and integrates the realms, mastering the complete Yin-Yang or Five Phases Intention Realms is the key.
"One who can manifest a portion of the power of Heaven and Earth is at the threshold of the Organ Realms."
"Only two or three portions are considered average strength."
"Those who can manifest four or five portions are among the exceptional ones."
"Around seven portions is considered extremely strong in the Organ Realms, and they can surpass some of the weaker Six Viscera Realms."
"To manifest ten portions is the pinnacle of the Organ Realms, approaching the limit of this level."
"As for surpassing ten portions and above... If one can reach this level without the aid of spiritual weapons, relying solely on their own abilities, they must have mastered the complete Yin-Yang, Four Seasons, and Five Phases Intention Realms, and stepped into the second step. Only then can they reach that domain, which is also the highest peak of the Organ Realms. Even in the higher Six Viscera Realm, they are not considered weak."
Chen Mu looked up at the ceiling, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome and into the sky.
Currently, without using the Evil Exorcising Thunder Spear, and relying solely on his own strength, Chen Mu could unleash an explosive power close to seven portions of Heaven and Earth. This made him stronger than many who had barely stepped into the Six Viscera Realm, and if the rankings were redone at this level, he would be among the top twenty.
However, compared to the absolute peak like Zuo Qianqiu and Yuan Yingsong, there was still a considerable gap.
These two could manifest power around nine portions, and they were the exceptional ones of this generation.
Soon, Chen Mu collected his thoughts and looked at the system panel again. There were still over twenty thousand experience points remaining, and without hesitation, he exchanged these points for two more chances to simulate. He began the simulation once more.
As the experience points and simulation chances were consumed, a flood of complex memories and insights poured in.
In the veil of the unknown, Chen Mu felt as if he were gazing upon a mountain peak that soared like a pillar supporting the heavens. He took a step forward, feeling lost, but this time, instead of stepping into empty air, a series of continuous stone steps appeared on the mountain peak, stretching endlessly into the distance.
He walked up the steps, not knowing how far he had gone, his body feeling heavier with each step, as if turning to stone, making it increasingly difficult to climb. Eventually, he stopped at a certain point, unable to go further.
He turned around and looked back.
It seemed as if he was still at the foot of the mountain.
As Chen Mu's thoughts gradually returned to him, he didn't hesitate and started another simulation.
Another wave of intricate memories and insights washed over him, and his stiff, stone-like body regained strength. He continued climbing the steps, one by one, but it gradually became more challenging and heavy. He stopped again, but this time, when he looked back, he could finally see the end of the steps.
Looking up, he couldn't see the mountain peak.
He had no idea where he was on this seemingly endless staircase.
Suddenly, the illusion vanished.
Chen Mu's consciousness returned to the room, and he noticed that the bottom of the wooden tub was now covered in cracks, water gushing out and soaking the entire room, seeping out under the door.
"Ah, Brother Mu, why is there so much water?"
Wang Ni, who had been waiting outside, entered the room with a clean, snowy-white handkerchief.
"The wooden tub is broken, but I'm fine."
Chen Mu responded calmly and stepped out of the tub. He didn't take the handkerchief Wang Ni offered but instead shook his body slightly, causing countless tiny water droplets to scatter and fall like glass beads.
Wang Ni wasn't surprised by this scene and merely blushed, stepping back a few paces. She put down the handkerchief and brought over the clothes prepared for Chen Mu.
Chen Mu allowed Wang Ni to help him dress, all the while sensing the changes in his Mountain Root Concept.
"As expected, after stepping into the second step, continuing to delve deeper, there isn't a significant qualitative change. Two simulations only enhanced the Mountain Root Concept's power slightly, probably by about a quarter."
Chen Mu's heart sank as he wasn't surprised by this.
The gap between the second and third steps of an Intention Realm was like a chasm, a process of accumulation without significant qualitative changes. According to his understanding, from the initial entry into the second step to reaching its limit and touching upon the bottleneck of the third step, the power enhancement was roughly double.
For the Mountain Root Concept, reaching the limit of the second step and touching the boundary of the third step would allow one to harness about twice the power of Heaven and Earth."
Furthermore, the deeper one delves into any Intention Realm, the easier it is to get lost within it. One needs to refine their Martial Will to control it."
"From what I can see, it's estimated that eight to nine simulations are needed to push an Intention Realm to its second-step limit. The actual power increase is only 'one portion' of Heaven and Earth's power. It seems that cultivating a second Intention Realm alongside the first does indeed provide a greater boost to one's strength. No wonder Master Sister Meng said that in the Organ Realms, cultivating one Intention Realm to its second step is a significant milestone, and it's not just for a single reason that she suggested starting to cultivate other Intention Realms as well.
Chen Mu recalled some of the common knowledge about cultivating Intention Realms that Meng Dan had shared with him long ago.
(Chapter End)
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