https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-752-The-Power-of-a-Single-Palm-Retreating-a-Hundred-Li/12942757/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-754-A-Hundred-Years-in-the-Cavern-A-Year-in-the-World/12942759/
Chapter 753: Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit, Effortless
Chapter 753: Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit, Effortless
Rustling!
A gentle breeze blew, stirring the trees and their leaves, creating a rippling effect that resembled waves from a distance.
Luo Chen sat cross-legged on a protruding green stone in the mountains, overlooking the undulating treetops below and then turning to look back at the cave mansion behind him, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"Is it the wind blowing, or is she moving?"
It had been three to four months since Fu Qinglan absorbed the Illusionary Core for cultivation.
During this time, she had not left her abode, and Luo Chen had not strayed far, always standing guard outside the cave mansion.
Initially, it seemed unremarkable, but gradually, Luo Chen began to sense something unusual.
Within the cave mansion, Fu Qinglan's cultivation seemed completely unguarded. Her Nascent Soul directly escaped the Purple Mansion, and her Nascent Soul devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in large gulps.
Such behavior, under normal circumstances, was practically suicidal!
Without the protection of the Purple Mansion, exposing the Nascent Soul like this and entering a deeper state of cultivation was akin to inviting the world to assimilate her.
Yet, surprisingly, she showed no hesitation!
At that moment, Luo Chen recalled some words Fu Chaosheng had spoken in the past.
A top-tier Ancient Sea Dragon, swallowing clouds and spitting mist, transforming the sun, moon, and stars, and forming a Heavenly Cavern within its body. This world was almost identical to the outside, yet it formed a unique membrane due to the physical separation of the Sea Dragon's body.
If cultivators cultivated within it, they could largely avoid being assimilated by the world.
Even those who merged with the heavens and earth would face the same situation! Therefore, Luo Chen understood the reason for Fu Qinglan's fearless behavior at this moment.
But another question arose!
Although the spiritual energy in this world was abundant, it was not concentrated. Was it worth entering the Heavenly Cavern for cultivation every five hundred years, solely to take advantage of this immunity from assimilation?
Fu Qinglan's subsequent changes gradually provided Luo Chen with an explanation.
She wasn't cultivating Qi at all; instead, through the Nascent Soul as an intermediary, she allowed her Divine Soul to interact with the world, attempting to comprehend something.
Luo Chen knew that this something was the so-called Principle Essence.
However, this cultivation method was usually only practiced by late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and Fu Qinglan's early start might prove futile.
But everything changed with the special resource of the fourth-rank Illusionary Core.
After months of persistent cultivation, it seemed that Fu Qinglan had indeed touched upon some Principle Essence.
Currently, Luo Chen was paying attention to the changes in the outside world while also keeping an eye on Fu Qinglan's cultivation.
After several months, he had already grasped some clues.
"No wonder the opportunity of the five-hundred-year Great Competition is not given to those old-generation cultivators who are just one step away from the Huashen Realm, but is specifically reserved for new Nascent Soul cultivators like Fu Qinglan."
"No wonder, before entering the Mirage Dragon Cavern, aside from consolidating their realms, the sect elders strictly forbade them from over-cultivating."
"All of this is to maintain the state of initially entering the Nascent Soul Realm!"
When cultivators first enter the Nascent Soul Realm, they instinctively draw closer to the world, and there is little separation between them.
However, during subsequent cultivation, they will continuously reinforce the Purple Mansion's barriers to prevent assimilation by the world.
As a result, their realms will continuously advance, and safety is also guaranteed.
But at the same time, they gradually become estranged from the world, thus losing some of the Nascent Soul's innate abilities.
This explanation might sound a bit awkward.
For example, consider a human baby! Before birth, a baby resides in amniotic fluid, and at this stage, humans are naturally capable of swimming.
But after birth and as they grow, to prevent drowning, the instinct to swim is suppressed, and they develop an aversion to water, gradually losing the ability to swim.
To regain the innate skill of swimming, one might even need to undergo postnatal learning and training.
Comparing the Nascent Soul to a baby, the world to water, and comprehending Principle Essence to swimming, the analogy becomes more understandable.
The intention of the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect's ancestors was precisely this.
They wanted the new generation of Nascent Soul geniuses to grasp the ability to "swim freely" in the world while still in the stage where the Nascent Soul has not yet resisted the world and retains its innate closeness.
Furthermore, they aimed for these geniuses to directly grasp the Principle Essence that suited them! In this process, the spirit acumen within the fourth-rank Illusionary Core had a similar function to the umbilical cord providing oxygen to the baby in the womb.
"The Heavenly Yuan ancestors truly had noble intentions and far-reaching thoughts!"
Luo Chen was filled with admiration.
This was the advantage of having a sect to guide one's cultivation.
The sect had even provided the subsequent cultivation methods, shortcuts, and ways to grasp powerful abilities early on to the younger generation.
He could only admire them without any covetous thoughts.
It was simple; these methods must have many tricks.
For example, how to utilize the power of the Sea Dragon, how to unlock the absorption of the Illusionary Core to grasp that strand of Heavenly Mystery, and how to use this strand to comprehend the principles.
Most importantly, the Illusionary Cores in the Mirage Dragon Cavern all belonged to the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect's disciples!
As Dao Guardians, they could only watch, not use them! If they forcefully took them, they would face severe consequences after leaving the sect.
Not to mention the Soul Transformation Powerhouses, even the numerous Nascent Soul True Men of the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect were not to be taken lightly.
All Luo Chen could do was help guard and consume a few Vast Origin Pills prepared in advance to enhance his cultivation.
In this regard, Luo Chen was not idle.
Inside the Heavenly Cavern, the spiritual energy was scattered and not ideal for Nascent Soul True Men's cultivation, making it twice the effort for half the result.
However, with the assistance of high-grade Vast Origin Pills, Luo Chen's cultivation was not hindered.
Additionally, with the strand of Primordial Qi bestowed by the Alchemy Sage during his ascension, Luo Chen felt that breaking through to the second layer of the Nascent Soul Realm was within reach.
...
Two more months passed.
On this day, clear footsteps echoed from within the cave mansion.
Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the approaching person.
Fu Qinglan pouted, her face filled with disappointment.
"Did it fail?"
"Yes, I've let you down, Brother Dao."
"No matter, we'll just find another Fourth Rank Illusionary Core!"
Luo Chen replied calmly, then stood up, his white robe billowing lightly.
Fu Qinglan opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only reluctantly nod.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Brother Dao. But Fourth Rank Illusionary Beasts are hard to find, and we'll probably have to go out and search for them slowly."
Who would have thought!
Luo Chen merely smiled lightly, showing no concern for this issue.
"Follow me!"
Fu Qinglan was puzzled, and she rose into the air, following Luo Chen.
However, when she tried to manipulate the external spiritual energy, she stumbled for a moment.
Luo Chen stopped in his tracks and frowned at her.
Fu Qinglan quickly explained, "The Nascent Soul has been away for a long time, and now that it has returned, there's some difficulty in communicating with the external spiritual energy. It's nothing serious."
Luo Chen nodded, accepting her explanation.
The Nascent Soul's true form naturally has an easy time manipulating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but after being away for a long time and suddenly returning, the presence of the physical body as an intermediary can make it feel unfamiliar, which is quite normal.
At this thought, he also understood why this century's Great Competition was so different from the usual ones, requiring the intervention of Dao Guardians.
At this moment, people like Fu Qinglan were at their most vulnerable, focusing solely on their cultivation path and lacking the strength to protect themselves, thus needing others to safeguard them.
However, this also made him curious about why Shi Ju dared to enter the Heavenly Cavern without a Dao Guardian back then. Although he later brought Qi Xiongcheng to the Great Competition, his initial decision showed that Shi Ju had the confidence to protect himself.
What was he relying on?
...
Eighty li away from Fu Qinglan's cultivation mansion.
There was a vast plain, extremely wide, with a length and width of ten li each, roughly equivalent to a small town.
But from their perspective, the plain didn't seem that spacious.
This was because there were three large mountains surrounding it, forming an encirclement that enclosed it on all sides, leaving only one exit.
Luo Chen and Fu Qinglan stopped at this spot.
Fu Qinglan looked around in confusion, "Are there Fourth Rank Illusionary Beasts here? They're so well-hidden that I didn't even notice them when I was right in front of them?"
Luo Chen's expression was calm as he bent down and placed his hand on the ground, which was covered in lush green grass.
"There aren't any now, but there will be soon."
A jade box covered in soft silk was placed on the ground by him.
Fu Qinglan's gaze focused, and her expression changed slightly.
Inside the jade box was a white pill, emitting a rich glow.
If she wasn't mistaken, this should be one of the five pills personally crafted by the Alchemy Sage before his ascension.
Why was Luo Chen taking out such a precious item now?
As she wondered, she happened to see Luo Chen standing up and looking back at her, his eyes full of meaning.
Fu Qinglan was startled, then shook her head.
"Brother Luo, don't worry. This is your item, and I have no intention of coveting it."
Luo Chen tugged at the corner of his mouth but said nothing.
Instead, he leaped into the air.
His ten fingers danced, and restriction after restriction flew out from his hands, disappearing into the three surrounding mountains.
Moreover, triangular flags shot into the ground like arrows.
Fu Qinglan blinked, surprised that Luo Chen was also proficient in the art of formation deployment.
Furthermore, his casual and relaxed manner indicated that he had a thorough understanding of the terrain and the flow of spiritual energy in this area.
However, could these restrictions and the formation flags alone restrict the intangible Fourth Rank Illusionary Beast?
The next moment, Fu Qinglan's pupils contracted.
In the void, a small gray cauldron flew out, spinning rapidly.
The mouth of the cauldron was upside down, like a lid, covering the void.
The white-robed Daoist pointed at the gray cauldron, and it instantly disappeared into the void, leaving no trace.
"Next, we'll wait for the rabbit to come to us."
In the sky, Luo Chen spoke.
Fu Qinglan's gaze shifted between him and the open jade box on the ground, her expression half-believing, half-doubting.
...
One day.
Two days.
As time passed, the doubt on Fu Qinglan's face grew stronger.
Eventually, she couldn't help but seek out Luo Chen, who was meditating on a mountain peak.
"Brother Dao, will this really work?"
Luo Chen opened his eyes and stared at her calmly.
He said nothing, just staring at her, making her heart race with unease.
After a moment, Luo Chen sighed.
"Since we have some free time, how about you tell me about your cultivation in the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect? I've been a carefree cloud and wild crane since childhood, and I'm quite curious about sect cultivation."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a table and a meditation cushion appeared.
On the table were wine, dried meat, and fragrant beans were laid out.
Fu Qinglan hesitated for a moment, then sat down.
Luo Chen poured her a cup of wine, and she began to talk about some interesting stories from her sect's cultivation, both to satisfy Luo Chen's curiosity and to pass the time.
"I was twelve when I was tested and found to have dual wood and water spiritual roots, so I entered the Wuzhi Mountain Range for cultivation. It's been over two hundred years, almost three centuries now!"
"Sect cultivation is actually quite boring."
"Every day, there are morning and evening classes, reciting scriptures, opening meridians, and guiding energy..."
"There are seventy-two famous peaks in the Wuzhi Mountain Range, mostly occupied by Nascent Soul True Men. These Nascent Soul True Men mostly come from noble clans. We don't emphasize master-disciple inheritance, and apart from listening to lectures from the sect elders, we cultivate individually."
"If I had to say something interesting, it would probably be the decade minor competitions within the noble clans and the century-long grand competitions for the entire sect. During these competitions, outstanding disciples of various realms from the major clans gather to compete. Haha, we consider these events as major affairs, but in Brother Dao's eyes, they're probably just child's play!"
"These beans are delicious... Are they bitter hazelnuts?
Despite the challenges, he has managed to prepare such exquisite food, no less than some of the delicacies in our sect."
"It's not like everything has been smooth sailing. The sect regularly assigns tasks. There are no demons in Central State, but some places near it are still occupied by demonic beasts. The sect periodically releases such tasks for us to handle. Additionally, there are other large and small tasks, some of which require traveling to other continents..."
"Since the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect is primarily composed of immortal families, internal conflicts aren't as intense, but the struggles between families have never ceased. The reason my grandfather went to the Northern Sea to serve as an Elder of the Commercial Alliance was to use his position to avoid family competition and buy me more time to cultivate to the Primordial Spirit Stage."
"From this perspective, Grandfather has indeed protected me too well. Please forgive my younger sister if she behaves childishly from time to time."
...
As Luo Chen drank, he listened to Fu Qinglan talk about the sect's cultivation matters.
She spoke with some enthusiasm, but Luo Chen lost interest halfway through.
The sect was peaceful and quiet, with few disturbances.
Occasional competitions were mostly within the rules.
Even Fu Qinglan, who had been cultivating for a long time and found it boring, gradually sought ways to pass the time, like playing Go.
But towards the end, Luo Chen's attention was once again focused.
He couldn't help but wonder, under these conditions without large-scale deadly battles, how many cultivators of various realms had the Heavenly Yuan Dao Sect accumulated over thousands of years? And even though Central State was vast, could it truly accommodate so many cultivators sharing these resources?
Combining the events at the Northern Sea Immortal Sect of Fairy Isle and the Eastern Wilderness Ghost God Valley, Luo Chen couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario. The tiger lying dormant in Central State might no longer be able to restrain itself and was about to break free, reaching out to the other continents of the Mountain Sea World!
Suddenly, Luo Chen waved his hand, and the wine and snacks between the two disappeared.
"It's here!"
He rose into the air, and the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to gather towards him.
Fu Qinglan followed his gaze into the distance.
Between the towering mountains, a white light was approaching at an incredible speed.
Without any hesitation, it was heading straight for this ten-mile-wide plain!
She looked at Luo Chen in amazement.
The formation he had set up amplified the medicinal power of the Heavenly Fate Pill and spread it to a thousand-mile radius, but he controlled it to an extremely appropriate degree, so only high-level illusory beasts could sense it.
It seemed that he had indeed waited for the rabbit.
Luo Chen's light laughter further confirmed her thoughts.
"It really is a rabbit!"
The white light was extremely fast, but as it moved, it hopped and jumped, easily covering several miles.
Upon closer inspection, amidst the gathering and dispersing clouds, its ears were pointed, and its eyes were lively, indistinguishable from an ordinary rabbit.
The rabbit came at an incredible speed, rushing into the plain surrounded by three mountains, heading straight towards the quiet jade box on the ground.
At that moment, the jade box suddenly disappeared.
The rabbit was startled and looked up at the sky.
A huge phoenix spread its wings and swooped down towards it with a piercing cry.
The rabbit was in a panic.
A large amount of cloud energy gathered, and its body began to swell rapidly.
Five zhang, ten zhang, fifty zhang, a hundred zhang...
A giant rabbit, over a hundred zhang tall, angrily pounced on the phoenix.
But in Fu Qinglan's eyes, it seemed like she had already foreseen its fate.
"It's seeking its own death!"
Boom! The giant rabbit and the phoenix collided.
The massive spiritual energy waves surged like tides, impacting the surroundings.
The phoenix gradually dissipated.
The giant rabbit was turned into a sea of clouds.
Within it, a condensed beam of white light flickered in and out of sight.
Luo Chen, high in the void, watched this scene and nodded to himself.
As he had expected, a fourth-rank illusory beast's strength was comparable to a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator without any powerful techniques. The only tricky part was probably its ability to gather and disperse without form, making it difficult to kill.
The Phoenix Blazing Wilds he had unleashed was enough to rival a full-power attack from an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
With prior preparation, dispersing its main body wasn't a difficult task.
The real challenge lay ahead.
Fu Qinglan anxiously said, "It's trying to escape!"
Luo Chen waved his hand, "It won't get away."
Luo Chen reached out and grabbed the void! The next moment, a giant cauldron descended from the void, rumbling as it covered the entire sky.
Not only that, but the three surrounding mountains also emitted rays of light, completely enclosing the ten-mile-wide plain.
Within, a white light darted back and forth, the clouds dispersing and gathering, gathering and dispersing.
After a stick of incense's time, it finally ran out of strength.
"Capture!"
The cauldron's mouth opened wide, sucking in the illusory core, and then the Primordial Cauldron rapidly shrank, eventually landing in Luo Chen's hand.
Fu Qinglan watched this scene and couldn't help but exclaim, "This treasure of yours has an incredibly powerful suppression and sealing ability. Even among True Artifacts, it must be one of the best!"
"You flatter me. Compared to your sect's Worn Chessboard, it's just a flickering firefly."
Luo Chen spoke as he tightly grasped the white rabbit's illusory core.
If Lin Jingtang were here and saw how easily Luo Chen had hunted down a fourth-rank illusory beast, he would probably be shocked speechless.
It had taken him tremendous effort to defeat the Withered Tree illusory beast, and he had even let its illusory core escape.
But Luo Chen had done it effortlessly.
"Take it."
Luo Chen tossed the illusory core, and it landed in Fu Qinglan's hand.
"With this, it should be easier for you to comprehend the Principle Essence."
Fu Qinglan tightly held the illusory core in her small hand and nodded heavily.
"I won't let you down!"
The two returned to the mansion as if nothing had happened.
Half a year later.
Fu Qinglan emerged from the mansion in the mountains, as if nothing had happened.
She looked dejected.
S
"Is it still not enough?"
(End of Chapter)
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