Chapter 100 - 99: Inner Mansion
Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Inner Mansion
His words were like a splash of cold water, instantly sobering up the hot-headed Shouheng and Shouye.
Cold sweat trickled down their backs, their earlier excitement completely gone. They quickly bowed and said, "We were foolish, Father. Thank you for your guidance! We understand now."
Seeing that they had taken his words to heart, Chen Li’s expression softened, and he said no more.
He carefully poured the freshly brewed medicinal soup into a coarse porcelain bowl and handed it to Shouye. "This soup’s medicinal power is immense. It might just give you the push you need. Drink it, then immediately circulate your energy to absorb it. Don’t waste its potency."
"Yes, Father!"
Shouye took the bowl with both hands. Not daring to delay, he immediately sat cross-legged to the side, took a deep breath, and downed the warm liquid in one gulp.
The moment the liquid entered his stomach, it transformed into a searing torrent that spread to his limbs and bones.
Shouye didn’t dare to be careless and immediately focused all his effort on guiding this powerful medicinal energy.
Soon, the flow of his qi and blood accelerated. His skin flushed slightly, and a series of soft but dense CRACKLING sounds came from his joints as his aura climbed and condensed at a visible rate.
"Father, what is this medicine? Its effects are so strong!"
After a long while, Shouye opened his eyes, a look of shock on his face.
Chen Li asked, "How are the effects?"
Shouye carefully assessed the changes and said, "I feel... I’m about to break through to the Divine Treasure realm and achieve Blood Refining Perfection."
Chen Li, standing to the side, nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
Seeing Shouheng staring at him expectantly, he laughed and chided, "You can take it after you get back from the County Examination."
...
The eighth day of the third month.
The Qingming festival had just passed, and the spring examinations were near. It was almost time for Shouheng to take the Martial Examination.
Before Shouheng left, Chen Li thought for a moment and decided to also teach him the Prajna Glaze Observation Heart Method.
"Father, just how many treasures do we have? You’ve got to tell me!" Shouheng said after memorizing it, his shock mixed with boundless curiosity.
Chen Li laughed and chided, "You little rascal. Are you hoping I’ll die early so you can inherit all these treasures?"
"You’ve wronged me, Father! I’d never think such a thing! I wish you boundless fortune and a life as long as the heavens..." Chen Shouheng cried, proclaiming his innocence.
"Alright, alright, go on. Don’t keep your master and fellow disciples waiting."
Seeing him getting more and more absurd, Chen Li cut him off and added a few simple words of advice. "Be careful in all things, and think before you act. Just do your best in the Martial Examination. You don’t need to fight for a top rank."
"Don’t worry, Father. I’ll remember."
Shouheng nodded solemnly, swung himself onto his newly bought steed, and rode away from Lingxi.
...
After Shouheng left, Chen Li began his attempt to break through to the Third Level of the Spirit Realm: the Inner Mansion Pass.
Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, he didn’t hesitate. He picked up the medicine bowl and drank the last portion of the prepared Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup in a single gulp.
The immense medicinal power instantly dissolved, surging through his limbs and bones like a torrential flood from a broken dam.
’It’s time.’
Chen Li’s mind was perfectly clear. He took a deep breath and began guiding his Inner Qi, which surged like a raging river toward the deepest parts of his five viscera and six bowels.
The Inner Qi first sank into the lungs, associated with the Metal element. A sharp, austere intent spread, causing his lungs to tremble slightly and dramatically increasing the power of his Breathing Technique.
Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, and finally, Fire generates Earth, spreading its essence throughout his body to nourish his bones.
At first, Chen Li had to carefully guide and maintain this five-element cycle with his Intention, and its speed was slow and steady.
But as the cycle continued, his internal organs seemed to be fully activated. The generative and destructive connections between them grew tighter, and the cycle began to accelerate on its own. The flow of Inner Qi became increasingly smooth and natural.
Chen Li was slightly alarmed. He tried to control the acceleration but found that once his organs formed their own system, the flow of Inner Qi had faintly slipped beyond the complete control of his Intention.
As if it had a life and rhythm of its own, the cycle spun faster and faster, until it was whirling madly like a pinwheel.
Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth—the five elements generated one another in an endless cycle.
Chen Li focused his Heart Spirit, not daring to relax for even a moment.
After an unknown amount of time, the frantic cycling finally reached its peak before slowly receding like the tide, gradually calming.
When the last wisp of turbulent Inner Qi settled, Chen Li immediately felt an unprecedented, wonderful state.
Within his organs, the Inner Qi no longer needed his deliberate guidance. It now circulated on its own, following the five-element generation path in a slow, endless loop.
The Heart’s fire was warm, the Kidney’s water trickled, the Liver’s wood sprouted, the Lung’s metal descended with austerity, and the Spleen’s earth transported and transformed...
His five organs had formed a perfect, self-contained micro-cycle, a world unto itself.
The Third Level of the Spirit Realm.
The Inner Mansion Pass—achieved!
Chen Li felt an indescribable comfort and immense vitality coming from his organs. With every breath, this Inner Mansion Little World would naturally absorb, transform, and merge energy into the cycle.
This meant that even if he stopped his Cultivation now, his Inner Qi would continue to grow at a slow but visible rate.
[Congratulations to the Host for breaking through to the Inner Mansion Pass, the Third Level of the Spirit Realm. Reward issued: Ape Strike Skill.]
’A Martial Art?’
Chen Li paused, but after reading the description, he was truly stunned.
This Ape Strike Skill wasn’t an ordinary Martial Art, but a Secret Technique for cultivating Divine Sense.
Unlike the Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing, the Ape Strike Skill was a Secret Skill for Divine Sense combat.
After reaching the Entry-level, one could condense a Divine Ape Battle Soul with supreme offensive power. It was a manifestation of a Cultivator’s own Divine Sense. With a single thought, the Divine Ape would appear to strike an enemy’s soul, invisibly obliterating their consciousness.
When Chen Li extracted the reward from the system, he was speechless.
The Ape Strike Skill was inscribed on a piece of Turtle Shell.
’My Divine Sense hasn’t fully solidified from its illusory state. If I practice this Ape Strike Skill, I can only manage one move at a time. Any more and my Divine Sense will be severely damaged.’
After studying it carefully, Chen Li couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
’Practicing one move at a time... it’ll take forever to master this Skill.’
But he still couldn’t resist giving it a try.
He immediately tried to channel the phantom figure seated above his Dantian, mimicking the motions to practice the Ape Strike Skill.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
The glazed, illusory figure that had been sitting silently in the center of his Dantian Qi Sea abruptly opened its eyes.
Though it was blurry, Chen Li clearly saw the phantom erupt with an aura completely different from his own—one filled with fighting spirit.
Then, something even more shocking happened.
The Qiankun Ruyi Staff, which had been leaning quietly in a corner of the meditation room, seemed to answer an unseen summons. With a HUM, it transformed into a streak of light, passed straight through physical barriers, and entered Chen Li’s body, appearing in the phantom’s hand.
With the staff in hand, the phantom’s form suddenly expanded. It was no longer seated but stood tall and proud. Its body swelled in size as if manifesting a cosmic dharma form.
Suddenly, it let out a silent roar, then leaped powerfully into the air. It raised the Qiankun Ruyi Staff high, merging all the power Chen Li had gathered with its own. It all transformed into the shadow of a staff strike that seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth, which it then brought down ferociously into the void of Divine Sense.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chen Li felt his entire sea of consciousness tremble violently, as if it had been smashed by a heavy hammer.
His vision went black as countless golden stars burst before his eyes. An intense dizziness and a tearing sensation instantly overwhelmed him. Before he could even react, his consciousness plunged into a brief darkness.
...