https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-245-Ye-Guyue-Solitary-Moon-Death-/13506395/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-247-The-Will-of-Heaven-and-Earth-Cannot-Be-Changed-by-Human-Hearts/13506397/
Chapter 246: The Secret of the Second-Tier True Cultivation Technique
Chapter 246: The Secret of the Second-Tier True Cultivation Technique
Three days passed before Lv Yang finally ceased his actions.
Not far away, Ye Guyue lay sprawled like a drenched rag, her once-bright eyes now dull and vacant, her breaths shallow and uneven—gasping for air that barely escaped her lips.
Yet the gains had been immense.
Sitting cross-legged on the Reed Meditation Cushion, Lv Yang examined his spoils from the past three days—a thick, leather-bound tome bearing bold characters on its cover:
“Divine Weapon Forging Sword Manual!”
This sword technique was the Sword Pavilion’s prized Second-Tier True Cultivation Technique, the very foundation of Ye Guyue’s Nine Matron Celestial Demon Extermination Sword.
The crux of the technique lay in the word “refinement.” Cultivators entered the Pavilion’s Divine Weapon Realm, drawing its essence to fortify their spiritual foundation. Each extraction strengthened them, and at peak cultivation, they could forge a flying sword attuned to their very soul.
But this Spirit Harvesting was no mere gathering of spiritual energy.
True Spirit Harvesting meant seizing the essence of heaven and earth—be it human, beast, or rare treasure—and fusing it into one’s cultivation.
Take Ye Guyue’s Nine Matron Celestial Demon Extermination Sword, for instance. She had slaughtered nine demonic artifacts within the Divine Weapon Realm, channeling their essence into her masterpiece.
“But how does this relate to forming a Golden Core?” Lv Yang frowned. He understood the principle of Second-Tier Techniques but still lacked deeper insight—the missing nuances from Ye Guyue’s personal cultivation.
Without hesitation, he turned to her limp form. “Looks like we’re doing this again.”
For the sake of his own cultivation path, he dove headfirst into another round of Dao Discussion. By the time another day had passed—
“Ah! Now I see!” Lv Yang shoved Ye Guyue aside, his face alight with revelation. “The essence of a Second-Tier True Cultivation Technique lies in manifesting one’s own Golden Core within this world!”
“The difference is that Second-Tier Techniques first seize the essence of other Jie Tian. When this essence merges into one’s Golden Core, it becomes a fusion of external and internal Golden Core realizations—a process that greatly amplifies one’s connection to their own Golden Core.”
“This is why such techniques earn the Golden Core’s favor so readily!”
“A cultivator who masters a Second-Tier Technique won’t need to perform elaborate rituals—the Golden Core will actively respond to their call.”
That was the true power of the Second-Tier.
Of course, earning favor from one’s own Golden Core also invited fierce enmity from the Golden Core of the harvested Jie Tian. This hostility made Spirit Harvesting perilous, often inviting life-threatening calamities like Heaven-Sundering Malice. This risk was why cultivators avoided Second-Tier Techniques, preferring the safer Third-Tier methods.
But there was another reason—
Lv Yang suddenly furrowed his brow. “Her memories are gone again?”
The gaps in Ye Guyue’s recollections were widening. As her cultivation deepened, the effectiveness of his supplemental techniques waned. Resigned, he resolved to compensate with sheer repetition.
Another day passed.
Tossing Ye Guyue’s unconscious body aside, Lv Yang nodded in satisfaction.
“The other factor is scarcity of Jie Tian.”
“Not every Jie Tian harbors a Golden Core—most are like the ancient battlefield realms, crushed at the whim of True Monarchs.”
He exhaled. “If Second-Tier Techniques correspond to Jie Tian with Golden Cores, then First-Tier Techniques must align with Jie Tian containing Nascent Soul Formation Sovereigns.”
“That explains why First-Tier Techniques lead directly to Nascent Soul cultivation!”
“Furthermore, since Jie Tian are rare, different Second-Tier Techniques often target the same external Jie Tian’s Golden Core, differing only in their approach.”
Yet disappointment followed. “Pity—the Divine Weapon Realm seems to be a unique Jie Tian exclusive to the Sword Pavilion, akin to a Refinement Realm. Unless I reincarnate there, I can’t harvest its essence to cultivate this Second-Tier sword technique. I’ll have to plan for that after reincarnation.”
Shifting gears, he considered the Heavenly Primordial Universal Sovereign Divine Art gifted by Chongguang True Man—a Holy Sect Second-Tier Technique.
Though sharing the same foundational principles as the Divine Weapon Forging Sword Manual, it differed in its target and method of Spirit Harvesting.
“If the Sword Manual forges an Inherent Flying Sword through Spirit Harvesting, then the Sovereign Divine Art cultivates an Ultimate Dharma Body through the same process. Its corresponding Jie Tian is the Myriad Martial Realm.”
His eyes narrowed. “Not only the Holy Sect but even the Pure Land has discovered the Myriad Martial Realm, creating their own Second-Tier Technique to rival the Holy Sect?”
This was another challenge of Second-Tier cultivation—besides the hostility of harvested Jie Tian, rival sects’ cultivators could further complicate Spirit Harvesting.
“Still, the entry requirements are far more lenient.”
“Since Second-Tier Techniques don’t require prior Dao Foundation compatibility, they can be cultivated alongside other methods. Foundation Building cultivators can practice them without reverting to Refining Qi.”
Suddenly, a thunderous roar split the heavens.
Boom!
The earth trembled. A brilliant star ignited in the previously dim sky, its golden radiance instantly piercing the gloom. The light swept across the horizon, parting the Thirty-Sixfold Celestial Vanguard Clouds to reveal an endless, sapphire abyss. Within this void emerged a vast, shifting realm—its skyline glittering with palatial towers and jade pavilions.
“Master Chongguang succeeded!?” Lv Yang stared upward, startled—then quickly frowned. “No… it’s still a Fortune Ground, not a transcendent Cave Heaven!”
He’d witnessed a true Cave Heaven before—when the Sword Pavilion’s True Monarch perished in the Overseas Dominion, collapsing the Cave Heaven’s celestial foundations. The difference was stark.
Though majestic, this realm lacked the ethereal grandeur of a Cave Heaven. It was like comparing Refining Qi to Foundation Building—without ascension, status remained unchanged. No amount of power bridged that divide.
In short—it had failed.
Crack!
A sharp, resonant sound echoed through the hearts of every True Man below, a wave of indescribable sorrow crashing over them.
Especially those Foundation Building cultivators who practiced the Chen Earth Divine Ability.
This wasn’t their own grief but Chongguang True Man’s final thought, projected through the Golden Core to resonate with all linked cultivators.
A single thought stirred the heavens—a True Monarch’s hallmark. For a fleeting moment, Chongguang had stood on the precipice of True Monarchhood.
But it was still water without roots.
“Just one step… and still defeat.”
As if hearing a distant sigh, the golden radiance suddenly dimmed like a flame snuffed by wind. The luminous Fortune Ground crumbled, collapsing into darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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