https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-397-Perfection-in-the-Third-Layer-Late-Golden-Core-Peak/12550235/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-399-Forming-a-Nascent-Soul-Part-2-/12550237/
Chapter 398: Forming the Infant Spirit (Part I)
Chapter 398: Forming the Infant Spirit (Part I)
[Talent Refresh, Reward Talent "Five Elements Spirit Body":
1. Significantly increase the absorption and refinement speed of spiritual energy;
2. When using the Five Elements spells and artifacts, the spirit body talent attributes can be superimposed.
Hidden Divine Ability Talent:
There is a certain probability of awakening the Thunder Spirit Root when cultivating the Five Elements technique.]
"Five Elements Spirit Body?"
Chu Ning was surprised as he looked at the refreshed spirit body talent.
He had clearly already gathered spirit bodies of all five attributes, so what did it mean to have another Five Elements spirit body?
Moreover, when Chu Ning looked at the introduction of the spirit body talent, he didn't find anything particularly special.
'Significantly increase the absorption and refinement speed of spiritual energy.' This talent seemed to be something that all kinds of attribute spirit body talents possessed.
It was just that before, it was limited to the absorption and refinement speed of different attribute spiritual energies.
"Could there be something special about the speed mentioned here?"
With this thought in mind, Chu Ning decided to temporarily skip the rest of the content and directly cultivate the Five Elements Chaotic Formula once again.
As he circulated the Five Elements Chaotic Formula, Chu Ning felt his body acting like a black hole, crazily absorbing spiritual energy.
"This speed..."
Chu Ning was astonished.
At this moment, he hadn't taken any pills or spirit fruits, nor did he have any spirit seeds in his body.
However, Chu Ning felt that his absorption and refinement speed of spiritual energy was as if he still had a pair of spirit seeds within him.
"So that's how it is!"
After cultivating for a while and confirming that his sensation was correct, Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, a hint of delight flashing in them.
Just before, he had been thinking that after refining the spirit seeds and entering the Infant Spirit stage, his cultivation speed might slow down significantly.
But now, with the refreshment of the Five Elements Spirit Body talent, as long as the cultivation place had sufficient spiritual energy, it would be as if he had spirit seeds in his body once more.
Subsequently, Chu Ning turned his attention to the second divine ability of the Five Elements Spirit Body.
"When using Five Elements spells, the spirit body talent attributes can be superimposed."
After some contemplation, Chu Ning understood.
Previously, each of Chu Ning's spirit bodies had a unique talent.
For example, the fire attribute doubled attack power, the metal attribute doubled seal-breaking power, and the water attribute doubled the effectiveness of entrapment.
But this only applied to spells and not artifacts.
Now, if he used Five Elements spells and artifacts, he would possess all of these effects simultaneously.
The most intuitive manifestation of this was probably his Five Elements Sword Array.
Before this, the might of the Five Elements Sword Array relied more on the strength of the array itself.
It didn't combine with Chu Ning's spirit body talents.
On the contrary, when using a single spirit sword to cast spells, he could exert the power of his spirit body talent.
But now, with the innate talent of the Five Elements Spirit Body, the power of the Five Elements Spirit Sword could also be maximized.
To give a simple example, when Chu Ning used the Five Elements Spirit Sword, which combined the five attributes, the sword light it emitted possessed the superimposed might of each of his spirit body attributes.
Whether it was for attack or breaking seals, this power could be doubled.
Similarly, the Five Elements Sword Array's power in entrapment or killing enemies could also be doubled.
"Ten years ago, the Five Elements Spirit Sword condensed the soul essence of two eighth-rank demon beasts with earth and wood attributes.
The sword light I emitted was still shattered by the sect master's spell, which contained the power of an Infant Spirit.
But now, even if the sect master is an Infant Spirit cultivator with the power of an Infant Spirit boosting his strength, he may not be able to withstand my sword strike."
A slight smile appeared on Chu Ning's face at this moment.
Firstly, he had already reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage, greatly enhancing the thickness of his spiritual power.
Secondly, the refreshment of the Five Elements Spirit Body talent would further increase his offensive power.
As for the last part about cultivating the Five Elements technique and having a certain probability of awakening the Thunder Spirit Root, Chu Ning was already very familiar with it.
The awakening would likely happen sooner or later; it was just a matter of time.
If it followed the process of the Ice Spirit Root's awakening, it might not even need to wait until the fourth layer of the Five Elements Chaotic Formula was perfected.
Having reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage, Chu Ning did not immediately consume the Spirit Illuminating Fruit.
His intuition told him that now was not the best time to condense the Infant Spirit.
"It is said that one of the biggest obstacles in condensing the Infant Spirit is actually the heart demon. Since that is the case, I should adjust my state of mind before attempting it."
With this thought in mind, Chu Ning stood up, took a step forward, and instantly appeared at the door of the cultivation room.
Void Escape!
It had taken him ten years to reach the peak of the late Golden Core stage, partly because of the refinement of the spirit seeds, but also because Chu Ning had spent a considerable amount of time cultivating this Void Escape technique.
Now, Chu Ning could use Void Escape to shift instantly within a distance of five zhang.
This distance was much shorter than the over ten zhang of the Phantom Escape, but Chu Ning still considered it extremely valuable.
This mystical technique was far superior to Phantom Escape in terms of lifesaving capabilities.
Chu Ning walked out of the cultivation room, and Cen Zikin also came to the courtyard when she heard the movement.
Seeing Chu Ning, her face lit up with delight.
"Have you reached the peak of the late Golden Core stage?"
Chu Ning nodded slightly.
"Yes, but I haven't consumed the Spirit Illuminating Fruit yet. I'll wait a bit longer before condensing the Infant Spirit."
"Mhm, that's good," Cen Zikin said, her smile fading slightly.
"You must not rush the process of condensing the Infant Spirit."
Chu Ning knew that Cen Zikin was thinking of her master's failure in attempting the Infant Spirit stage, so he smiled and said,
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't rush it."
"To the market square!" Chu Ning replied with a smile.
"Back when I was in Yanji Bang, my aspiration for cultivation first took root. I want to relive the experience and feel the drive of low-level cultivators once more," he explained.
"I'll come with you," Cen Zikin immediately offered.
Soon, a young cultivator couple could be seen wandering through Jiuhua City.
Even if they were spotted by other Jiuhua Zong cultivators, no one would be able to recognize them as Chu Ning and Cen Zikin, as they had both mastered the art of shape-shifting.
Chu Ning's Yin Wood Spirit Body allowed him to effortlessly conceal his aura to that of a Qi Refining cultivator.
Cen Zikin, despite having the power of the Yin Wood Spirit Body as well, was only at the mid-Golden Core stage. However, she could still easily manipulate her aura to disguise herself.
The only caveat was that higher-level cultivators might see through their disguise.
Unlike Chu Ning, whose deception was far more convincing.
Chu Ning stayed in Jiuhua City for nearly a month.
In one corner of the city, he sold his rudimentary talismans and used the spirit stones he earned to purchase spirit herbs. He then refined them into pills and sold them in the city's pill-refining area.
Once again, he felt the weight of each spirit stone and the effort required to obtain them.
He ventured to the place where loose cultivators gathered and watched as Qi Refining cultivators haggled over a single spirit stone.
He also went to the mountains surrounding the city and witnessed low-level cultivators risking their lives to hunt first-grade demon beasts.
After witnessing the nonchalance of high-level cultivators, Chu Ning was now more affected by the scenes of lower-level cultivators fighting and competing for cultivation resources.
He even went to a mortal city not far from Jiuhua City and observed the common folk going about their daily lives, working from sunrise to sunset.
Vaguely, he recalled fragments of memories from his past life.
Throughout this entire process, Cen Zikin stayed by Chu Ning's side.
She didn't know why he was doing this, and she didn't ask. She simply accompanied him from place to place.
A month later, the two returned to Jiuhua Zong.
Chu Ning opened up all the formations in his cave abode and summoned Bai Ling as well.
Then, he turned to Cen Zikin and said, "Zikin, I won't be meeting with the Sect Master and the Grand Elder. I've already discussed what I needed to with them.
What I need now is to stay true to my heart, and hearing more would be of no benefit.
You go and tell them that I plan to seclude myself to form my Infant Spirit in a few days."
"Alright," Cen Zikin replied, and immediately started to leave.
Chu Ning smiled and added, "Go and come back quickly. Once you return, we'll close the restrictions on our cave abode."
"There's no need to wait for me. I can wait outside as well," Cen Zikin paused in her tracks.
Chu Ning shook his head and smiled, "No need. I'll wait for you.
You'll face this step sooner or later, and it will be beneficial for both you and Bai Ling to experience it."
"Okay!" Cen Zikin replied, and without further ado, she flew off towards Jiuxiao Peak.
At that moment, inside Elder Yu Changge's cave abode on Jiuxiao Peak, Tang Xuan was also present.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators of Jiuhua Zong sat facing each other, their faces bearing a hint of gravity.
"Sect Master, in at most another ten years, my lifespan will be completely depleted.
And that's assuming there are no major battles during this time. From then on, Jiuhua Zong will have to rely on you," Elder Yu stated.
Upon hearing this, Tang Xuan fell silent for a moment.
Then, he lifted his head and looked at Elder Yu, his eyes filled with determination. "Grand Elder, rest assured. Back then, your Nascent Soul alone was able to sustain our sect for hundreds of years.
I will also do my best to ensure that Jiuhua Zong thrives and never declines."
"I trust in your capabilities, Sect Master," Tang Xuan said, letting out a soft sigh.
"But to be honest, the situation you face is more challenging than what I faced.
In the past few hundred years, aside from occasional coveting from the Daluo Zong, our sect hasn't faced significant pressure from other sects.
But now, things are different. The disputes among the Ten Great Alliances are intensifying.
The pressure on the Yunxiao Alliance is also increasing, and it won't be long before we get dragged into the fray.
Add to that the looming threat of the Extramundane Devilish Demons, and it's indeed a difficult path ahead for you alone."
"Don't worry, we also have Chu Ning and the other Golden Core elders," Elder Yu said, his expression calm.
Tang Xuan, however, shook his head. "While Chu Ning's prowess has greatly enhanced our sect's reputation, if something unexpected were to happen, our sect would likely bear the brunt of it."
At this point, Tang Xuan spoke with a solemn expression, "Sect Master, I ask that you promise me one thing. No matter what, we must ensure the continuation of our sect's lineage.
Please do your best to uphold our sect, I don't ask for much time. I believe that in the near future, another Nascent Soul cultivator will emerge to stand by your side."
"Yes!" A figure flashed through Tang Xuan's mind.
"Give it some time. Chu Ning has a high chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.
Grand Elder, rest assured, I will hold on until then."
As Elder Yu finished speaking, both of their gazes shifted towards the entrance of the cave abode.
"Oh? It's Elder Cen, and she's alone," they remarked.
(End of Chapter)
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