"Shush, shush, shush!"
Yu Ci took three steps forward, his sword in hand swinging like a rod of iron, humming through the air, its sound piercing the silence. For a moment, he managed to suppress the thunderous palm strength of his senior brother, Bao De. Even though the "Primordial Qi Great Capture" had erected a wall of energy as solid as copper and iron, the howling Sword Energy still managed to penetrate it with a single strike. Seeing the formidable sword momentum, Bao De had no choice but to retreat, losing his initial advantage.
It was a frigid winter day, but the Still Heart Temple was bustling with activity. In the specially designated martial arts arena in the rear hall, Yu Ci, bare-chested, displayed his well-defined and smooth muscles. His opponent, Bao De, was among the earliest Outer Disciples in the temple to condense into a Yin Spirit, entering the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage. Although his progress had been limited by his qualifications, he had managed to forcibly project his Yin Spirit out of his body in the following twenty years, advancing to the Nature-Connecting Upper Stage. His Cultivation Level was indeed pure. When the "Primordial Qi Great Capture" was displayed, his palms and fingers thundered, shaking the temple more than ten yards away. However, such a formidable force was forced to retreat within ten strokes by Yu Ci.
Yu Ci did not use the sword intent of the Half Mountain Mirage, but the basic Yuan Spirit Sword Control Technique. Each of his swords was a direct and powerful attack, using the sharp and solid Sword Energy to move freely in Bao De's thick True Breath frenzy. The residual force of the wind hit his bare muscles, sounding like a heavy hammer on a drum, and Yu Ci's blood and energy surged under this impact.
The surrounding area was filled with cheers. Although this fight was largely reserved, it was extremely exciting. Especially since this was already Yu Ci's seventh consecutive victory over his peers, and he was fighting against Bao De, who was a rank higher than him. More than half of the cheers from the crowd were for him, with Bao Guang's voice being the loudest.
"Stop!"
Old Daoist Yu Zhou, sitting on the steps, suddenly called a halt. Bao De, as if pardoned, immediately jumped out of the ring, shaking his head and smiling bitterly, "Impressive!"
A familiar disciple laughed, "After achieving Yin Spirit, the deep potential of the body is released. This is a time of rapid progress, of course, it's impressive."
"I've also experienced the stage of Refining Yin Spirit, releasing potential, but I was never as terrifying as him!"
"Terrifying? That's quite apt!"
At this point, Yu Ci stood in the ring, sword in hand, hot steam rising from his body. His muscles twitched slightly, his tendons and flesh had completely stretched out in the eight consecutive fights. He didn't feel tired at all, on the contrary, he felt more energetic. His body seemed to be full of endless strength, wishing he could shout out a challenge, find a stronger opponent, and fight again.
The crowd suddenly fell silent. Yu Ci turned his head, only to see the white-haired Old Daoist Yu Zhou pulling out his sword, smiling as he walked down the steps.
"I shall be your opponent!"
Amidst the uproar of the crowd, he didn't give Yu Ci any chance to respond. There was a flash of sword light piercing the air.
The outcome of such a battle, needless to say, was obvious.
Half a moment later, Old Daoist sheathed his sword. Bao Guang came over, put the precious sword away, and glanced at Yu Ci, chuckling.
Yu Ci lay on the cold stone slab, gasping for breath. He was too exhausted to respond to Bao Guang's taunts. Fatigue had seeped into every corner of his body, yet his heart was still pounding steadily and powerfully. His spirit was still in a state of extreme excitement. Driven by this state, he could feel a stream of strength gradually returning to his limbs. He moved his fingers. If there were to be another round at this moment, he was sure he could rise and fight again!
Yu Zhou waved away the onlooking disciples and stared down at him. After a long while, he said, "Well done... but how did you do it?"
Yu Ci grinned. The process of manifesting the "Mental Image" was, indeed, his proudest achievement over the years.
Yes, he didn't draw the "Mental Image", he manifested it.
Through the reflection of the Divine Bronze Mirror and the changes in the overall layout, the "Mental Image" was no longer an empty delusion, but a tangible existence that could be deduced and converged according to rules and laws. Although this "existence" was still somewhat vague and couldn't be considered a complete state of the "Mental Image", the reality was the best proof. He had solidly stepped into the Nature-Connecting Middle Stage, stimulated his deepest potential, and his Cultivation Level had entered a period of rapid progress.
Throughout the process, he had almost perfectly utilized all available resources. His thoughts were clear from beginning to end, progressing step by step without any redundant steps. Looking back now, he was still very proud and willing to share this with Old Daoist.
Of course, the process was mixed with Yu Ci's thoughts and ideas, as well as the key element of the Divine Bronze Mirror. Yu Ci only clarified his thoughts. As for how to implement it, it was somewhat vague. In fact, he wished Old Daoist would ask more. Now that he was in a good mood and there were no outsiders, even the secret of the Divine Bronze Mirror didn't seem to matter much. Unfortunately, Old Daoist didn't ask in detail, but still left him considerable room for maneuver, only praising:
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"You have reached the pinnacle of your current stage of speculation, structure, and law. It's not 'depicting', but 'manifesting', from illusory images to concrete existence. Such a method, I'm afraid even Junior Brother Jie hasn't thought of. Hmm, it does have some flavor of the Empirical Department."
With that, he laughed, and after laughing, he shook his head: "It's a pity, it's still not complete."
Just as Yu Ci nodded, Bao Guang, standing by, was unhappy: "I think it's already very impressive."
The young Taoist was quite envious of Yu Ci's progress, perhaps with the intention of effective imitation. But for his own disciple, Old Daoist was blunt, giving him a stern look:
"If it were an ordinary Primordial Qi Method, it would be acceptable, but the Primordial Root Qi Method, which has been welcomed into the Ancestral Master's Hall, cannot be so simple. Judging from the Sect's cultivation in recent years, the depiction of the 'Mental Image' is indeed difficult. However, once successful, it is an unparalleled advancement, even capable of skipping two stages and directly allowing the Yin Spirit to leave the body..."
Bao Guang, under the intense gaze, shrank back. Yu Ci winked at him and finally stood up, admitting honestly, "In the end, I took a shortcut."
"There's nothing wrong with taking shortcuts. Anyone who sees it would praise it as 'broad-minded' or 'ingenious'. However, the homework that needs to be done cannot be neglected. Although your Yin Spirit has formed, it is not yet shaped. This situation should be due to a lack of..."
"A lack of concept!"
Yu Ci understood his own limitations very well. He calculated the 'Mental Image' from the perspective of a structural whole, rather than understanding the Physical Image and letting things take their course. Thus, according to what Meng Wei said in her letter, he lacked a consistent concept, or the 'skeleton' of the Mental Image. No wonder in his 'Inner Void of the Heart', the Mental Image in the small lake in the middle of the mountain forest was always a faint shadow, unclear, and the 'True Spirit' shining outside was a constantly changing mist, hard to shape.
The Old Daoist was very pleased to see his clear understanding, but he still reminded him, "The main goal of Refining Yin Spirit in cultivation is to stimulate potential, but the stimulated potential still needs to be properly controlled. Your Yin Spirit has formed, but it is a semi-finished product. In terms of 'control', it is somewhat lacking."
In just a few words, Yu Ci's body was filled with power again, driving the circulation of Qi and blood, and his whole body was slightly hot. The surging feeling made him want to roar a few times to release it. This was exactly what the Old Daoist said.
Seeing his appearance, the Old Daoist suddenly asked, "Are you really unwilling to go to Sheer Cliff City?"
Yu Ci didn't understand his meaning.
The Old Daoist, with his hands behind his back, slowly paced, "If it was a consideration before, but now, looking at your state, I really suggest that you should take action. Concepts are either sought in extreme tranquility or mastered in extreme movement. Given your current situation, it's hard to calm down! It's better to put yourself in a more complex environment, hone your will in human interactions, and strive for progress.
"Speaking of which, why don't you want to go to Sheer Cliff City?"
"Because..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Yu Ci suddenly lost his words. Yes, why didn't he want to go?
Without a doubt, this was an opportunity. According to the Old Daoist's experience, this trip would be beneficial for the confirmation of the "concept" of the Mental Image. Before, he didn't want to go, perhaps because he didn't want to delay his cultivation. But now, with the initial appearance of the Mental Image and the formation of the Yin Spirit, it was a good opportunity to experience and verify. Why didn't he want to go?
His thoughts flowed, momentarily passing through several "acquaintances" in the city of Sheer Cliff: Jin Huan, Tu Du, Zheng Yan...
When the gaunt face of Monk Zheng Yan became clear, Yu Ci suddenly understood:
Perhaps, he was afraid?
He had long harbored a thought, that ants should avoid the battles of giants. Within the entire Lichen Sect, no one understood better than he did the grand conspiracy hidden after the upheaval of Sky Rift Valley. It was a level he was currently absolutely powerless to touch, even if he achieved the Yin Spirit, and made great progress in his cultivation. Knowing this situation, and still intending to go to the main bases of Monk Yi Xin and Lu Mingyue, one would need not only extraordinary courage but also an adequately foolish mind to do so.
Wait!
Yu Ci suddenly realized his description was inappropriate. Who was the fool? Was it Li You, who was clamoring to return to the mountains, or the yet unseen Immortal Elder Xie Yan?
The evident fact was: No one was a fool. The two cultivators sent by the Sect's Mountain Gate were still alive to this day, undamaged despite being trapped in a conspiracy.
Why was this?
Yu Ci went to see Yu Zhou. The old Daoist was still confused, but at this moment, Yu Ci remembered his words from the study a few days ago, "If you go to Sheer Cliff city, you represent our Lichen Sect. Others should see a change in you, and you should see a change in yourself..."
In fact, he had never made that turn.
In the past, even with the Divine Map that reflected the universe by his side, Yu Ci was ultimately a lone individual. The more secrets he knew, the heavier the pressure became, until it was unbearable, and he could only escape far away. But now, the situation had fundamentally changed. The Divine Map might be gone, but he was now an Outer Disciple of the Lichen Sect. If he went to Sheer Cliff city, he would represent the entire Lichen Sect.
From a "collective" perspective: The cultivators in Sheer Cliff city were not one or two isolated individuals, but the extended arm of the Lichen Sect, the feelers observing and reflecting the city's information. It could be imagined that if there were any changes, this enormous entity that has dominated the Broken Realm Mountain Range for tens of thousands of years would move thunderously, crushing any object that defied its will and dignity into dust.
What a spectacular sight!
In a sense, the cultivators sent to Sheer Cliff city were the guides of the Sect's massive power, the tide-riders controlling the raging waves. At this moment, where was the ant?
With this thought, Yu Ci suddenly felt a sense of liberation and began to laugh, "Go, why not go?"
The power of the collective is immense, brothers and sisters, let's join hands, support with votes and collections!
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e