Chapter 715 |
“Finally, I’ve comprehended this secret technique completely.”
Lu Qing was naturally unaware of the happenings beyond the starry sky.
He had been secluded within the Jade Transformation Chamber, immersed in his comprehension of the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth.
On this day, he finally grasped the essence of the technique, his understanding complete and without the slightest doubt.
Of course, comprehension and practice were two different things.
To truly master the technique, he would still need to cultivate step by step.
Nevertheless, the benefit of complete comprehension was obvious—it would greatly hasten the speed of his cultivation.
“Let’s begin by condensing the Divine Soul Imprint.”
The first step of cultivating the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth was to condense a special Divine Soul Imprint.
This imprint was of utmost importance—it could be said to be the very foundation of this supreme secret technique.
The stronger the Divine Soul Imprint, the higher the chance of successfully imprinting and anchoring it upon the World Origin Energy itself.
In the next moment, the power of his divine soul surged within his brow acupoint, and an imprint began to take form.
Of course, this alone was far from enough.
The might of the World Origin was vast beyond imagination; attempting to brand one’s imprint upon it was no easy feat.
A regular Divine Soul Imprint would be shattered into dust before it even neared the World Origin.
Thus, Lu Qing had to repeatedly temper this imprint according to the method described in the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth, until it gained a trace of indestructibility—only then could it withstand the overwhelming might of the World Origin.
In the end, it would become like the undying mayfly, anchored and coexisting with the World Origin itself.
“An undying nature, hm…”
Lu Qing recalled the Heavenly Witch Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations left behind by that great existence of the Wu Clan.
That supreme body cultivation technique also pursued the path of indestructibility.
It seemed that at a certain level, all powerful cultivators’ pursuits eventually converged upon the same truth.
Centering his mind, Lu Qing focused once again on cultivation.
With the urging of his will, the Divine Soul Imprint began to twist and distort, collapsing inward and shrinking endlessly.
Then, as it reached the limit of compression, there came a faint sound—
crack!—and the imprint shattered completely.
A faint sting rippled through his divine soul.
“Failed, huh… indeed, the control is still not precise enough. Keeping the imprint balanced on the edge of destruction, sensing the meaning of life and death—it’s not that easy.”
Lu Qing analyzed the reason for his failure.
Indeed, the method of condensing the imprint required one to repeatedly compress it through countless transformations—
each time bringing it closer to annihilation, yet not allowing it to be destroyed.
Every compression was an experience of life and death.
Only through countless cycles of destruction and rebirth could one comprehend that faint trace of undying intent—
and finally forge an indestructible imprint.
Only such an imprint—tempered through a hundred tribulations—could endure the overwhelming might of the World Origin and successfully anchor upon it.
“But that cold old man… with his level of strength, he shouldn’t have possessed such precise control over the divine soul. How did he manage to condense his imprint and succeed in imprinting it?”
Lu Qing frowned in thought.
Perhaps he had used some kind of treasure to assist him?
He thought about it for a while but couldn’t figure it out.
Shaking his head, he discarded the distraction and refocused on cultivation.
After several failures, Lu Qing began to grasp the knack of it.
This time, he successfully guided a new imprint through one cycle of destruction and rebirth.
He injected a trace of divine soul power into it again and began the second compression.
That went smoothly as well.
But by the third compression, his control slipped—and the imprint was destroyed once more.
“It seems the amount of divine soul power injected each time also needs to be carefully managed,” he noted to himself.
Time passed as he continued his patient tempering.
Ten days later—
“Finally… the Hundred Tribulations Imprint.”
Lu Qing opened his eyes, fatigue showing faintly within them.
Within his brow acupoint floated an imprint radiating a strange aura—one that faintly carried a sense of indestructibility.
In these ten days, he had failed nearly a hundred times before finally succeeding.
According to the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth, a Hundred Tribulations Imprint was the bare minimum required to withstand the World Origin’s might.
“Condensing this imprint took quite a lot of divine soul power…”
It had consumed nearly one percent of his total divine soul power—but that was from his perfect divine soul.
For others, it would have been impossible.
“Still, the Hundred Tribulations Imprint isn’t enough.”
It was merely the foundation—the lowest threshold.
If one wished to truly devour and merge with the World Origin, ultimately replacing the will of the heavens with one’s own, one had to condense the Thousand Tribulations Imprint, or even the Ten Thousand Tribulations Imprint.
Otherwise, like the ephemeral mayfly, one could only borrow the World Origin’s power for resurrection—never truly command it.
Lu Qing’s eyes gleamed with determination.
With his talent, he would not stop at mere entry-level mastery.
Although continuing would risk the destruction of his painstakingly forged imprint—
and thus harm his divine soul—he deemed the risk acceptable.
With his vitality and resilience, recovery would not be difficult.
So he began again.
After countless repetitions, his movements grew smoother, his mind colder and more focused.
The cycles of near-destruction became faster and faster.
Ten more days passed, and he forged the Thousand Tribulations Imprint.
Yet he did not stop.
One month later—
The final compression was complete.
A brilliant light burst forth from his brow acupoint, illuminating the chamber.
When it faded, a mysterious Divine Soul Imprint floated quietly within him—ever-shifting, ever-changing.
Occasionally, cryptic runes shimmered upon its surface, emanating a feeling of eternal indestructibility.
“The Ten Thousand Tribulations Imprint… at last.”
Exhaustion filled Lu Qing’s eyes, but joy soon followed.
He had spent over a month—nearly without rest—constantly walking the knife’s edge between existence and annihilation.
Even his perfect divine soul now appeared dim from the strain.
But it was worth it.
After countless cycles of life and death, the Ten Thousand Tribulations Imprint had been born.
“The power within this imprint… it’s equivalent to my entire divine soul. The difficulty of this technique is truly terrifying.”
Indeed, the energy contained within it was so immense that if released as an attack, it could annihilate any Nascent Soul cultivator below the Fifth Tribulation.
But Lu Qing would never use it so recklessly.
This imprint was the culmination of all his effort—the foundation of his future ascension.
In all the countless techniques he had ever practiced,
none had been as difficult as the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth.
Not even the Heavenly Witch Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations compared.
Calming his thoughts, Lu Qing refocused himself.
Condensing the imprint was merely the first step.
Next, he would have to brand it upon the World Origin itself—only then would the technique be truly complete.
But first, he needed to recover his divine soul.
He retrieved a jade bottle from the Heaven and Earth One Qi Bag and swallowed all the pills inside.
These were pills refined by a fallen Nascent Soul cultivator, effective for restoring divine soul power.
For ordinary cultivators, even one pill would suffice.
For Lu Qing, he needed them all at once.
As the medicinal power spread and mingled with his abundant life force, his divine soul rapidly recovered.
Within an hour, he had returned to peak condition.
Yet he did not rush back into cultivation.
He stepped out of the chamber to relax his mind.
Outside, the area was tranquil.
His Puppet Avatar and Xiaoli were both cultivating quietly.
Sensing his presence, the Puppet Avatar opened its eyes briefly, then returned to meditation.
“Ah Qing, you’re done cultivating?” Xiaoli asked, hopping onto his shoulder.
“Not yet,” Lu Qing replied with a faint smile, stroking its soft fur.
“I’ve reached a crucial point, but my mind was too strained. I needed a break.”
“That secret technique you’re cultivating… is it really that hard?” Xiaoli asked in surprise.
In its mind, Ah Qing’s comprehension was unmatched.
No technique could ever truly trouble him.
For him to feel mental fatigue—it was almost unthinkable.
“This technique is… a bit different from the rest. But don’t worry, I’ve already grasped it.”
Lu Qing gently rubbed Xiaoli’s head to reassure it.
“Mm. Then be careful,” Xiaoli said softly, nuzzling his hand.
Holding the little creature for a while, Lu Qing felt his mind relax.
After a short rest, he set Xiaoli down.
“All right, I’ve recovered enough. Time to continue cultivating.”
“Okay! Good luck, Ah Qing!” Xiaoli said, waving its tiny claws.
Lu Qing smiled, turned, and returned to the quiet chamber—
ready to begin the next stage of the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth.
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