Rising from Small Cloud Rain Technique

Ji An entered the grotto mansion, took a deep breath, and felt completely at ease.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here is clearly one tier higher than that at Red Flame Peak; in fact, his own grotto mansion’s Spiritual Qi was already sufficient for a breakthrough to the Chao Origin Stage.

Turning his head, he found he could see the outside scenery, evidently because the magic array here is a Mimic Array, which does not block the sunlight and moonlight.

Placing the Jade Slip on his forehead, Ji An carefully read its contents two more times.

Once he was sure he had fully memorized the secret technique, he placed the bottle of Nourishing Yuan Pills and a small gray bottle in front of him.

The gray bottle contained the Thousand-Year-old Stalactite, which can quickly restore magical power.

This was a gift from his master a few years ago, when he was summoned to Mingfeng Mountain to resist a demon calamity, and he hadn’t used even a drop.

He looked at the breakthrough secret technique, and theoretically, he shouldn’t need the Thousand-Year-old Stalactite, but for safety’s sake, he had it on hand.

Ji An sat cross-legged on the cushion woven from Calming Grass and immediately felt the Spiritual Qi spreading from the bottom up.

“The cushion is actually set right on a Spirit Vein Node, as if they were afraid a disciple wouldn’t have enough Spiritual Qi during a breakthrough.”

He grinned, calmed his spirit, and began operating the secret technique.

The secret technique was in the same lineage as the Evergreen Wood Skill, clearly integral to it, and posed no difficulty in its execution.

As the Cultivation Technique worked, dense Spiritual Qi flowed into his mouth and nose.

The grotto mansion turned into a sea of light, with Mo Green Jia Wood Spirit Light, bright green Yi Wood Spirit Light, pale black Gui Water Spirit Light, yellow Ji Earth Spirit Light, orange-red Ding Fire Spirit Light, and light gold Bing Fire Spirit Light, all gleaming like a cascade of stars.

There must be a special arrangement here, or else such a range of spirit lights wouldn’t be possible.

The moist aura of the Dao of Gui Water permeated the air, the nourishing Magic Intent of Ji Earth ascended, and the Wood Element Elemental Power began to germinate and grow, showing a dominant aspect, while the Qi Mechanism of Bing Fire and Ding Fire further bolstered the Wood Element Elemental Power.

Wood generates fire, but the plundering power of the Wood Element can absorb all strengths to nurture itself.

Similar to the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, the breakthrough to the Chao Origin Stage also involves several stages.

The basic requirements are an unharmed body with abundant blood and Qi, and overflowing magical power.

The breakthrough to the Chao Origin Stage requires withstanding a Spiritual Qi wash far exceeding that of the Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Ji An, being both a Magic Cultivator and a Foundation Level Body Cultivator, found this effortless.

His understanding of the Evergreen Wood Skill far surpassed that of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the condensed magical power possesses healing, germination, and growth characteristics, also fulfilling the requirements.

As for the Spirit Soul, years of consuming Tier Two Lower Grade Jade Dew Golden Bud Tea had significantly enhanced his Spirit Soul, already exceeding the standard of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, almost comparable to Chao Origin Stage Cultivators.

Only one great hurdle stood before him.

That was continuously adding ’kindling’ to the Light of Life until it meets the requirement to ignite the Primordial Life Fire.

Ji An cultivated the Evergreen Wood Skill, and if he managed to ignite the Primordial Life Fire, his lifespan would far exceed those cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage who practiced non-Wood Element Techniques.

In theory, it could reach six hundred years, a full extra century of life.

As the secret technique operated, Spiritual Qi surged through his Immortal Vein.

Compared to the usual trickling flow during cultivation, the current flow was like a mighty river, like a waterfall cascading down.

The magical power in his Dantian quickly brimmed, but threads of magical power still forcibly squeezed in.

The Stone Turtle swam merrily in the Sea of Magical Power, occasionally devouring some magical power.

Ji An calmly ’watched’ the Stone Turtle; during his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he worried it might cause trouble, but he no longer held that worry.

Simply put, his current speed of refining Spiritual Qi was fast enough, losing a bit wasn’t a big deal, just requiring more effort.

A slight sense of fullness and pain emanated from the Dantian and Ancestral Acupoint, but it was bearable. Ji An continued to quickly drive the secret technique, constantly refining magical power to fill the Dantian.

The initial step in igniting the Primordial Life Fire is to condense the liquid magical power, which is like water, into a thick paste, requiring constant ’pressure’ on the Dantian.

Body Refining Cultivators have an advantage, their sturdy bodies carrying the ability to withstand pressure, including a slightly higher pressure tolerance in the Dantian than Magic Cultivators.

…

The sun set in the west as Jia Yu walked out of the main hall, gazing towards the far mountain.

Above the grotto mansion where Ji An was in seclusion, a Spiritual Energy Vortex, five acres in size, swirled vigorously like a tornado, standing over five zhang high.

“Wow, this Spiritual Energy Vortex is enormous, not weak at all compared to Li Haoran!”

His heart surged with excitement; the grander the phenomenon induced by a cultivator’s breakthrough, the deeper the foundation it signifies.

Li Haoran held Celestial-Grade Talent along with a Metal Element Dao Body, one of the top-tier talents in the Cultivation Realm.

Quite literally, such cultivators are of a different species compared to others!

The Sect having one Li Haoran is a huge blessing, practically a ticket to a Golden Core Cultivator.

Now to have another disciple with equally deep foundations, how could one not be thrilled?

Throughout history, numerous examples prove that outstanding cultivators can elevate a force’s foundation significantly.

…

Ji An slowed the operation of the secret technique, his forehead covered with cold sweat, the fullness and pain in his Dantian becoming quite difficult to withstand, he was about to falter.

At this moment, he noticed a rather serious issue: the impact of talent on a cultivator is not solely about refining Spiritual Qi efficiently, but there are also many factors previously unnoticed.

According to the records in the secret technique, cultivators with higher talent would take much longer before feeling overburdened as he did now while operating the secret technique.

The speed of operating the secret technique slowed, immediately reducing the pain in the Dantian by a bit, but this meant the flow of magical power into the Dantian also decreased.

This way, it would take more time to accumulate enough magical power for compression.

Although things were quite challenging, Ji An was not discouraged, maintaining the secret technique’s operation at a bearable speed.

Compared to others, the difficulties he truly faced during this breakthrough were significantly fewer.

At least there is no worry about the barriers of the flesh and spirit soul.

The sunset has completely fallen, yet the light in the grotto mansion not only didn’t dim, it brightened slightly.

Various spirit lights appeared even more crystalline and translucent in the dark environment.

A crescent moon rose, its tranquil light shining into the grotto mansion.

Moonlight slightly twisted, its pale-silver glow drawn out by the secret technique, breathing into Ji An’s body.

Crystalline snowflakes fell in the sea of consciousness, and his spirit soul instantly felt a refreshing comfort, as if a traveler walking in the desert for days had just tasted cool sweet spring water; the pain in the dantian also lessened a bit.

As more moonlight was absorbed, the chill drove away the discomfort in the dantian.

’So moonlight actually has this effect, heaven indeed assists me!’

Ji An’s heart was delighted, and he immediately accelerated the operation speed of the cultivation technique.

The slowed spiritual qi surged in the immortal vein once again, like a wild horse released from its reins.

A layer of white frost congealed on the surface of his body, the cold on his body couldn’t conceal the heat in his heart.

Moonlight flowed, dawn arrived.

When the first ray of sunlight after sunrise shone into the grotto mansion and onto his body, Ji An felt a sudden tremor all over, and a thread of “sediment” appeared in the dantian.

The sediment was like threads, carrying the crystalline texture distinct from liquid magical power, sinking to the bottom of the sea of magical power.

It seemed to unveil a prelude, half an hour later the second thread of magical power sediment formed.

After another two double hours, the third thread of magical power sediment fell.

By the time the moon rose, nearly a hundred threads of magical power sediment were formed.

On the evening of the third day, all magical power in Ji An’s dantian completed its transformation.

Now, breakthrough into the second stage.

Ji An activated the secret technique for transformation, and the life light within the double kidneys leaped out, both silver fish simultaneously jumped into the dantian.

Like dragons returning to the sea, the life light fish joyfully chased each other, drawing a perfect circle.

During their swim, the life light fish continually absorbed magical power to grow themselves.

The Stone Turtle stopped, waiting quietly outside the circle.

The life light fish grew larger, from finger-thick to newborn baby arm-thick.

At this moment, the silver fish already changed appearance, increasingly resembling a carp.

One life light fish had dark green scales with light golden whiskers; the other life light fish had emerald green scales with light silver whiskers.

A sudden clarity rose in Ji An’s heart, the two life light fish were like the two sides of yin and yang.

At this step, the life light fish no longer needed Ji An to manipulate, he had more important matters.

’Capture’ the fire seed hidden within the dantian, thereby ’ignite’ the life light, stimulating the ’Primordial Life Fire’.

All human race cultivators, their dantian harbors this fire seed, it ’dwells nowhere,’ wandering freely within the dantian.

It is unseen to the eye, only captured through an ineffable sense.

Predecessors’ cultivation insights never described how to capture the fire seed, merely mystically mentioning, ’True mysterious true yin, self-calling self-breathing, like spring marsh fish, like hundred insects hibernating, vast qi vastness, spiritual wind habitual, neither turbid nor clear, non-mouth non-nose, no going no coming, no exit no entry, return to the source.’

The secret technique spontaneously operated, Ji An’s qi condensed internally, spirit wandered externally, the sea of consciousness remained in a void spirit realm, illuminating the dantian.

He seemed like a deity high above the nine heavens, looking down at all beings without sorrow or joy.

The bright moon dimmed, stars concealed.

A night passed, Ji An maintained the same posture without a single movement.

Golden sun leaped, illuminating the earth.

His body gradually warmed, but the speed of spiritual qi running in the immortal vein increasingly slowed, like river water entering a gentle rivercourse.

Gradually, spiritual qi ’accumulated’ in the immortal vein, eventually stopping its flow completely.

Around Ji An’s body, the light gold sun Bing Fire Spiritual Mechanism burned intensely.

He felt himself enter an unusual state, his body seemed to transform into deadwood.

In the dantian, the life light fish swimming happily originally also slowed down, motionless.

Ji An felt the world darken, deep blackness engulfed him.

Time seemed to decay as well, everything perishing in silence.

He calmly guarded his true heart, the sea of consciousness was empty and ethereal, no thought arose.

Unknown how long passed, maybe just a moment, Ji An sensed a thread of different qi mechanism floating in the dantian.

At the instant this thread of qi mechanism was about to vanish, his divine sense captured it.

Darkness disappeared, everything brightened.

A millet-sized white light ignited in the dantian, then slowly dropped.

Simultaneously, both life light fish leaped and bit onto that white light.

In an instant, the dual fish united, verdant flames rose at the center of the sea of magical power, emitting vibrant life light.

The Primordial Life Fire was achieved!