Chapter 626: Cultivation
Chapter 626: Cultivation
In the seawater, Chen Chuan followed Talu as they continued to dive deeper. Initially, there was still some light, but as they descended, the surroundings gradually darkened and became increasingly indistinct.
However, this didn't affect Chen Chuan much. As a fighter with altered senses, his perception was sharp, and even without this ability, his spiritual energy and projected domain allowed him to clearly sense the changes in the external environment.
Talu made a hand gesture, indicating that the entrance was not far ahead.
Chen Chuan, however, couldn't sense anything, even when he projected his spiritual energy to its maximum range.
It seemed that these long-term stable rifts were indeed different from those that suddenly erupted.
The rift in Central City had burst with bright light and powerful airflow, and many lifeforms emerged from within, giving off a strong presence. But here, he couldn't detect even a trace, which explained why it had been lost after its initial discovery.
Chen Chuan couldn't help but admire the previous generation of Talu who had rediscovered this rift. Back then, they didn't know the exact location and weren't even sure if the rift truly existed. Finding such a place in the vast ocean was a daunting task.
As they continued to descend, Talu suddenly disappeared from Chen Chuan's senses. He hesitated for a moment, then followed her direction and dived deeper. Instantly, he felt the seawater around him recede.
The next moment, he found himself standing on solid ground in a place illuminated by a faint glow. The entire space resembled a spacious hall, supported on both sides by rib-like, curved bones in layers. The light emanated from the inner walls, becoming brighter as they moved forward, but not glaring. This place didn't seem like a rift anymore.
At that moment, water droplets on both of them rolled off their skin, leaving their bodies completely dry, especially Chen Chuan, whose body emitted white steam, drying the moisture inside his clothes in no time.
Talu, with her thick eyebrows and bright eyes, asked, "Mr. Chen, are you practicing the Forge Breath Technique?"
"Yes," Chen Chuan replied.
"The Forge Breath Technique is a secret teaching within our sect," Talu explained. "I've heard that the cultivation conditions are very strict. I've seen those who have mastered it, but your performance seems different from theirs."
She had seen those practitioners with red, hot skin and thin mist around them, but she hadn't seen anyone like Chen Chuan, who seemed to emit white steam. If it weren't for the close-range sensation of warmth and his unique breathing rhythm, she wouldn't have been sure.
Chen Chuan nodded. Secret teachings and techniques could vary among fighters due to differences in altered tissue coverage and individual traits.
His altered tissue coverage was extremely high, and he cultivated the Zhouyuan Technique, which made his external display even more powerful than the orthodox Forge Breath Technique.
However, anyone familiar with these techniques could identify his cultivation method from his breathing rhythm at close range.
At that moment, Chen Chuan surveyed the surroundings, "I've been to some rifts, and they are vastly different from this place."
Talu looked up and said, "This is because our Singularity Sect's predecessors have developed this place over generations, achieving a balance with the other side.
One of our ancestors combined with a lifeform within the rift, and many of our secret teachings are contained within his domain."
"And he is..." Chen Chuan started to ask about the ancestor's location but quickly realized a possibility and looked around again.
Talu calmly replied, "We are inside his body."
She walked a few steps into the open space and said, "It is because of this ancestor's body that the rift entrance has become so stable. However, all invasions must be endured by this ancestor.
It is said that long ago, he had consciousness, but gradually, it faded away, leaving only his body's instincts to maintain this place."
Chen Chuan understood why he couldn't feel the usual sensations upon entering this place; it was due to the unique lifeform's influence.
"It is said that within every stable rift passed down from the ancient era, there is a lifeform combined with an existence from the other side, and they should all be predecessors from various fighter sects," Talu explained.
Chen Chuan sensed the lifeform, which was peculiar. It lacked spiritual energy and possessed only a certain instinct, just as Talu had described.
Following Talu, they reached the end of the space, where a wall made of countless intertwined tendrils twisted together.
As Talu approached, she didn't make any noticeable movements, but the intertwined tendrils seemed to sense her presence and slowly uncoiled, revealing a gap from which a bright light emanated.
Chen Chuan immediately felt a spiritual invasion, accompanied by strands of essence, though not as abundant as when the Heavenly Gate opened, but still noticeable. A gap had indeed formed.
Talu kindly reminded him, "Mr. Chen, if you wish to cultivate here, it's best to stay in this area. It's not advisable to venture outside as there might be unforeseen dangers. My body can instinctively repel external threats, but if you go out, you may be sealed out and find it difficult to return."
"I understand, thank you for the reminder," Chen Chuan said solemnly.
Talu took a few steps back, and the tendrils closed in on themselves. She added, "Mr. Chen, the rift is currently unstable. Keeping it open during the day for an extended period will lead to abnormalities, which might attract attention from above. If you wish to cultivate, it's best to wait until nightfall. Let's head back for now."
Chen Chuan nodded; after all, he already knew the location, and he had some preparations to make. He and Talu climbed out of the rift and scaled the cliff to return to the top, a task that was effortless for both of them.
Once the moisture on his body had evaporated, he made his way towards the thatched hut with his suitcase.
At that moment, Morning Cry was perched on the suitcase Chen Chuan had left behind, and it chirped at his approach.
Chen Chuan patted the suitcase a few times before picking it up and following Talu downhill, intending to find a place to stay.
Fei Guang Island had a population of three to four thousand, with the largest village at the base of the central cliff housing over two thousand people. The disciples of the Single Stream Pavilion were mostly from this village.
Of course, there were also those who traveled great distances to seek apprenticeship, but as their backgrounds were often unclear, few were accepted in the end.
Since ancient times, the Single Stream Pavilion had been the protector of Fei Guang Island and its surrounding waters. Before the decline of the Warrior Pavilion, Talu held a very high position. The rulers of Ro Wang Island often came here to be nominal disciples.
However, with the decline of the Warrior Pavilion, Ro Wang Island was annexed by other island nations, becoming a pure tourist island. Over a hundred years, the memories of the surrounding waters had faded, except for the people of Fei Guang Island, who still revered them as their guardian deities.
As Chen Chuan was personally brought by Talu, the villagers offered him the best vacant room for travelers. After settling his belongings, he took a quick bath and went out to buy some things and tools.
Around five or six in the evening, he returned to the cliff with a newly purchased waterproof bag, carrying Morning Cry.
He sat at the cliff's edge, one hand resting on his bent knee, with the Snow Lady Saber casually placed beside him. He admired the magnificent sunset glow in the sky, his expression relaxed and carefree.
The sea breeze ruffled his hair, causing it to sway continuously. The rays of the setting sun illuminated his face and the front of his clothes, casting a golden-red hue, while the sky around him turned a deep purple.
Ever since arriving on the island, he had felt a sense of relaxation, a mental ease as if soaking in a warm spring.
With his spiritual level, he could sense the island's positive impact on the mind and body. It seemed the Single Stream Pavilion had good reasons for choosing this location.
He sat until the sky darkened completely, then stood up, picked up the waterproof bag, and leaped from above into the sea.
Having visited the spot during the day, he could now sense its presence, and this time, he quickly located it. After diving several hundred meters, he felt the seawater recede, and once again, he entered the rift.
As he walked forward, water droplets rolled off his body with each step, accompanied by wisps of steam.
When he reached the tendrils, they seemed to remember his domain from earlier and immediately split open, allowing light to shine through and illuminate his body. A powerful airflow followed, causing his hair and clothes to flutter.
He stood there, absorbing the experience for a moment. Although past cultivation sessions had been more effective, he heeded Talu's advice and didn't venture further.
Letting go of the bag, he allowed it to drop to the ground and took another step forward. Just over a meter from the entrance, he sat down, setting the Snow Lady Saber aside. He felt the essence flowing from within the rift and began practicing the Spirit Reflection Technique taught by Teacher Xue.
After a while, he realized that his cultivation was much more efficient than usual, and he didn't need any additional medicinal aids.
Normally, during spiritual cultivation, he relied on incense and medicine for assistance, and as his spiritual energy strengthened, the quality of these aids would improve. But here, he didn't need them. However, an unavoidable issue arose: the second me above showed strong signs of etherealization.
Some sort of infection seemed to accompany it.
Ignoring these phenomena, he sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, immersing himself entirely in cultivation.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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