Chapter 56: Meridian Condensation Success, Sharpness Retained
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Returning to the courtyard on Yundan Peak, Ye Li activated the isolation formation personally set up by Monk Muyun. Instantly, the courtyard was completely cut off from the outside world, the clamor vanishing, leaving only a comforting silence. She knew that these three months of confinement would be a golden opportunity for her to digest the insights gained from the secret realm and improve her strength.
The courtyard was filled with the fragrance of the plants, the stone table cool. Ye Li didn't rush into cultivation, but sat in meditation for a long time, replaying the life-and-death struggles in the secret realm, the shock of the inheritance cave, the perilous siege, and the turmoil after returning to the sect, all like a scroll in his mind. Every narrow escape, every time his spiritual power was exhausted, every time he faced a powerful enemy with determination, these were all precious resources that tempered his Dao heart.
Her past life experience taught her that while increasing strength was important, the settling and sublimation of one's state of mind also affected how far one could go on the path.
Three days later, Ye Li's inner world was clear and peaceful, and she finally began her formal retreat.
She first focused on achieving a breakthrough in her cultivation. The spiritual energy of the peak of the Spiritual Awakening Realm was already overflowing, and the extremely cold spiritual energy in her Dantian Qi Sea was swirling like mist, only the final condensation and qualitative change were missing.
She didn't rush to break through the bottleneck, but instead took out the second drop of Star Origin Liquid. This liquid contained the power of the star origin, which was not only powerful but also could nourish the soul and refine the essence of spiritual power. It was an excellent treasure for strengthening the foundation when breaking through the realm.
After swallowing that drop of dreamlike liquid, the familiar, overwhelming energy once again washed over her body. But this time, Ye Li channeled it in a completely different way. She didn't use it to violently attack the realm barrier. Instead, she manipulated this pure energy like the finest chisel, repeatedly scrubbing and tempering her meridians, bones, internal organs, and even every inch of her flesh.
The "Emperor's Scripture of the Underworld" was operating at its peak. The spiritual energy within her body, enhanced by the Star Essence Fluid, became increasingly pure and condensed. Its extremely cold properties seemed to be imbued with a hint of the vastness and depth of the stars. The fragments of the Samsara Mirror also emitted an unprecedented radiance, helping her to precisely control this immense energy and avoid wasting even a single bit.
This was a painstaking process that took a long time. Ye Li remained calm and composed, her mind completely immersed in the inner world, guiding this transformation that felt like a complete rebirth.
After 49 days, the energy of the Star Essence Fluid had been completely absorbed and refined. At this moment, her body was as clear as glass, her meridians as broad and strong as the trunks of rivers, her spiritual energy as pure and condensed as mercury, and her soul power had increased by a full 30%! Her foundation was so strong that it far exceeded the imagination of ordinary cultivators in the Awakening Spirit Realm.
"It's time."
Ye Li's mind moved, and he began to guide the extremely cold spiritual power that was as vast as the tide and as condensed as steel, and madly compressed it towards the core of the Dantian Qi Sea!
Rumble!
Invisible thunder seemed to resound within his body! The vast spiritual energy violently rolled and collided under the high pressure. Every collision eliminated the last trace of impurities and transformed into a higher form.
The process was extremely painful, like crushing and reassembling all of his bones and flesh. But Ye Li's heart was as firm as a rock, and his consciousness, protected by the clear light of the Samsara Mirror, was extremely clear. He precisely controlled the strength and rhythm of the compression.
I don’t know how long it took, but when the compression reached a critical point, the extremely dense spiritual energy fog in the center of the dantian suddenly collapsed inward!
A drop of crystal clear liquid spiritual power, emitting extreme coldness and starlight, quietly condensed!
Then came the second drop, the third drop...
Like a spark that sets the prairie on fire, liquid spiritual energy is constantly being generated, and eventually converges into a miniature stream that looks like an ice crystal galaxy, flowing slowly in the dantian - this is the sign of entering the meridian condensation realm, and the spiritual vein is initially formed!
However, Ye Li's spiritual veins were completely different from those of ordinary cultivators. The spiritual veins of ordinary cultivators at the Condensation Vein Realm were mostly gaseous or initially liquid, with a single color. Hers, however, were not only completely liquid, but also a deep, dark blue, shimmering with tiny specks of starlight, emitting an aura of profound coldness, yet vast and majestic. Its quality was so high that it far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level!
The moment the spiritual vein took shape, Ye Li's aura suddenly surged! A powerful pressure spread out uncontrollably. If it weren't for the formation blocking it, it would have alarmed the entire Yundan Peak in an instant!
She had officially entered the Vein Condensation Realm! And she had entered this realm with an unprecedentedly strong foundation!
After achieving a breakthrough in his cultivation, Ye Li did not come out of seclusion. Instead, he struck while the iron was hot and began to concentrate on practicing the two new inheritances.
The first level of "Universe Traceless Steps" was "Star Flash." Previously, due to insufficient spiritual power and her initial training, she could only teleport short distances. Now, with both the quality and quantity of her spiritual power soaring, and her understanding of space deepened by this breakthrough, she could once again perform "Star Flash" with a completely different effect.
Within the quiet room, her figure would sometimes vanish like smoke, only to solidify several feet away the next. Sometimes, several afterimages would appear simultaneously, making it difficult to distinguish true from false. At other times, she seemed to blend into the surroundings, completely fading away. Her movements became increasingly erratic, her range increasing, truly imbued with the rudiments of "tracelessness." She estimated that, now fully wielding "Star Flash," she would be enough to render even cultivators below the mid-stage Spiritual Residence Realm unable to track her at short range.
The first move of the "Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger" was "Ice Mark." As her cultivation level increased and her understanding of its profound meaning deepened, the power of this move underwent a qualitative transformation. She pressed her fingers together like swords, without contact, and pointed through the air. A stream of condensed, almost transparent, icy force shot out silently, yet as fast as lightning. Wherever the force passed, the air froze, leaving bottomless ice marks on the rocks. The sealing power contained within was even stronger, enough to instantly freeze the spiritual energy of cultivators of the same level.
She even began to attempt to reach the threshold of the second move, "Sealing the Spirit." This move involved a deeper understanding and manipulation of the essence of spiritual energy, and was extremely difficult. However, with her past life experience and the aid of the Samsara Mirror, she was able to initially simulate the meaning of "sealing," though it was not yet suitable for actual combat.
Besides her body movements and finger techniques, Ye Li also began systematically organizing the basic insights into spatial laws and scattered insights into formations and talismans that accompanied the legacy of Venerable Xuan Huan. While unsystematic, this knowledge opened the door to a new world, elevating her understanding of power to a new level. She experimented with optimizing the simple spirit gathering formation she mastered, increasing its effectiveness by nearly 30%. Her understanding of talismans also deepened, and she believed her next talisman creations would be of even higher quality.
During this period, she also maintained a single-line contact with Lin Feng through the Youge Order to understand the developments in the outside world.
The news from Lin Feng shows:
Gao Sheng and Shi Feng have recovered from their injuries and been discharged from the hospital. Zhan Kuangfeng and his men are extremely hostile to Ye Li, but have not made any obvious moves yet, as if something is brewing.
The news of the secret realm inheritance did circulate in a small circle inside and outside the sect, attracting some prying eyes, but they were all secretly blocked by Master Muyun.
The initial operation of Youge went smoothly. Xia Zhihe provided several effective medicinal recipes, Sun Xiaohou gathered some valuable information about nearby markets and sect missions, and Zhao Xiaoyi managed the internal communications in an orderly manner.
After Qin Yixuan returned to Bishui Pavilion, there was no further news.
Ye Li wasn't surprised by this. Zhan Kuangfeng was holding back for now, perhaps waiting for a better opportunity to strike, or perhaps investigating her. Under the sect's protection, she was temporarily safe from outside covetousness. She was relieved by Youge's smooth start.
During the final month of her retreat, Ye Li stopped focusing on improvement and instead focused on "comprehensive integration." She integrated her newly improved skills, body movements, finger techniques, and combat experience from her past lives into a comprehensive process. She simulated battles with various enemy types in her mind, searching for the optimal solution.
When she woke up from her deep meditation, the three-month confinement period had quietly ended.
He slowly opened his eyes, the light in them introverted and deep as the abyss. His aura was round and full, without any of the sharpness he had just experienced after the breakthrough, instead giving people a sense of unfathomable depth.
She stood up and stretched her muscles. The spiritual vein in her body, like an icy galaxy, flowed slowly, containing tremendous power.
"The peak of the early stages of the Condensed Veins Realm..." Ye Li felt the surging power within her, a faint smile curling her lips. This retreat had yielded results far exceeding expectations. Not only had she successfully broken through, but she had also completely solidified her realm, cultivating both of her inheritances to the minor success stage. Her overall combat power had increased by more than tenfold compared to before entering the secret realm!
Now, if she faced Goldman Sachs again, although she didn't dare to say that she could win the battle, with the weirdness of "Universe Traceless Step" and the sharpness of "Ice Soul Sealing Heaven Finger", it would not be difficult for her to escape unscathed, and she might even have a chance to make Goldman Sachs pay a heavy price.
She removed the formations in the courtyard, and sunlight poured in. She pushed open the gate, and fresh air from the outside world rushed in.
The end of her confinement meant she would once again face the turmoil of the sect and the storms of the outside world. But at this moment, Ye Li had been reborn and had enough confidence to deal with everything.
She looked calmly in the direction of Zhan Kuangfeng, with no sadness or joy in her eyes.
"It's time to go out for a walk."
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