LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 11: Nurturing a Wisp of Primordial Spirit, Overlooking Heaven and Earth_2
Cultivating his Primordial Spirit was of critical importance to Shen Qing. The formations he cast through incantation gestures were not stable enough, and he did not want to take the risk. Therefore, he decided to take out this Array Flag and use it for a more reliable solution.
Shen Qing's fingers flew with agility, the small flag in his hands moving dynamically. Following his directions, it traced mysterious trajectories in the air, finally settling firmly in every direction around the wilderness temple.
As Shen Qing chanted a spell softly, the several small flags emitted a faint luminescence, gradually forming a barrier formation.
Once the formation was complete, the entire wilderness temple seemed to be enveloped by an invisible barrier, completely isolated from the outside world.
Even those with a high level of cultivation could hardly peek into its secrets unless they had cultivated a Primordial Spirit or Divine Thought.
When all was assuredly safe, Shen Qing took out a stick of Guardian Spirit Fragrance.
Guardian Spirit Fragrance was part of the official salary given by the Great Zhou Court to its formal officials.
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Each person was entitled to only one stick per month, which had the effect of calming the mind and stabilizing the soul.
Most officials only used it as an aid during their daily cultivation practices.
In truth, Guardian Spirit Fragrance could also serve as a focal point during a martial master's cultivation of the Primordial Spirit or Divine Sense to prevent the artifacts from fluctuating unstably, thus avoiding irreversible damage to the cultivator.
After becoming the Yongzhou Chief Officer, Shen Qing had saved some, and he had received another bunch when he left Taiping County. This was the perfect time to use them.
Shen Qing took out all the sticks of Guardian Spirit Fragrance, mobilized his Spiritual Power, and planted them around him as the center.
The whole wilderness temple inside and out was densely packed with them.
Shen Qing snapped his fingers and lit them all without sparing any.
In an instant, thin plumes of smoke rose from the incense like Spiritual Snakes, curling up into the air and emanating a fascinating fragrance that refreshed one's heart and clarified the mind.
With the smoke permeating the air, Shen Qing felt as if all the noise and chaos surrounding him were isolated by this mysterious force. His state of mind started to become tranquil and profound, as if he were in an endless sea of calm, undisturbed by any waves.
He pondered carefully, allowing the power from the Guardian Spirit Fragrance to guide him in sweeping away all distractions and obsessions, leaving nothing but the purest essence of self.
"It's about time."
Having made all the preparations, Shen Qing took out an Old Ginseng Pill.
This was a gift from Military Marquis Li Zhen Tian of the Li Family, greatly beneficial in cultivating the Primordial Spirit.
To be cautious, Shen Qing had once shaved off the outer layer to feed to cats and dogs; no negative effects appeared, confirming its authenticity.
Now, it was also time to use it.
There are varieties of strength within the Primordial Spirit realm, and a breakthrough at this moment would determine seventy to eighty percent of it.
Seeing that everything was ready, Shen Qing didn't delay any further. He swallowed the Old Ginseng Pill and entered a state of deep meditation amidst the boundless tranquility.
As the Elixir reached his stomach, a warm and powerful force exploded instantly within his body.
Shen Qing felt his body and mind enveloped by an endless tranquility, seizing the opportunity to delve wholly into his cultivation, unifying all thoughts into meditation.
Under his mental guidance, the Spiritual Power around his body surged like awakened rivers, tumultuously flowing.
Shen Qing's body gradually became enveloped in a faint glow, brimming with vitality.
For all the martial masters of this world, the Primordial Spirit realm was the ultimate realm they yearned for in their dreams. Once someone broke through to this realm, they could be called a Great Power.
As the name suggests, the Primordial Spirit realm is associated with the Primordial Spirit.
A martial master in the Spirit Void Realm is someone who continuously excavates their innate domain, integrating it extensively to integrate with and blend into the profound mysteries of nature and the universe.
When a martial master's Primordial Spirit harmonizes with the universe to a certain indescribable threshold, they could cultivate a strand of Primordial Spirit, achieving Spirit Void Perfection.
And once this Primordial Spirit can leave the body, even just an inch, that is the genuine Primordial Spirit realm, detached from the mundane world.
This realm's breakthrough hinges on the concepts of "condensing" and "merging."
To condense is to refine the Spiritual Power within the body to the utmost, so that it transitions from substance to void, reaching a state of resonance with the nature's Spiritual Energy; to merge is to integrate the Primordial Spirit with all things in the universe, to grow stronger until it can fully manifest and not be dissipated by the stray Spiritual Energy in the world.
Once someone breaks through to the Primordial Spirit realm, the cultivator can master all kinds of incredible Divine Powers, as if becoming a True Master themselves, capable of changing heaven and earth with endless transformations.
Shen Qing formed a hand seal and guarded his Divine Sense.
First was "condensing."
Shen Qing gathered his entire body's Spiritual Power like a trickle of streams, continuously refining it, constructing a framework based on the contours of his own form.
In this process, he continuously filled the framework with his true self while also ceaselessly infusing it with Spirit Essence.
Under the dual enhancement of the overwhelming power from the Old Ginseng Pill and the tranquil efficacy of the Guardian Spirit Fragrance, Shen Qing's mind reached an unprecedented level of focus, not daring to slacken or show negligence for even a moment.
Finally, after his unremitting efforts, an almost indistinct Primordial Spirit Embryo identical to his appearance quietly took shape and kept improving.
When the stage of "solidifying" was achieved, what followed was the even more critical "fusion."
Shen Qing took a deep breath, let go of his mind, and allowed that now refined Primordial Spirit Embryo to merge with the nature's Spiritual Energy of the outside world.
At that moment, the stray Spiritual Energy around him seemed to transform into bone-scraping knives, madly assaulting his newly condensed Primordial Spirit Embryo, attempting to tear and destroy it.
Shen Qing immediately felt as if he were experiencing it himself.
As each part of the Primordial Spirit Embryo was chipped away, he felt as if a piece of his own body was being carved off, enduring the torture of "death by a thousand cuts."
It was an indescribably painful and excruciating ordeal.
Large beads of sweat kept seeping out from Shen Qing's forehead.
Shen Qing had never thought that condensing the Primordial Spirit would be such a painful process.
However, there was no thought of giving up, he kept clenching his teeth and persevering without retreat.
This was the inevitable path of condensing the Primordial Spirit, one that could not be skipped.
Shen Qing continually used his own Spiritual Power to repair and strengthen the Primordial Spirit. With each piece that was chipped away, he replenished it accordingly, persistently contending with the stray Spiritual Energy of the outside world.
It felt like an eternity to him.
He didn't know how much time had passed when, just as Shen Qing felt he could no longer hold on, a thunderous boom echoed within his heart.
It was as if some sort of shackle had been completely shattered; at that moment, that wisp of newly born Primordial Spirit burst forth with supreme divine splendor, becoming one with the nature's Spiritual Energy of the outside world, with no more rejection between the two.
All discomfort and pain disappeared without a trace, replaced by an unprecedented sense of power and serenity.
"I did it!"
Shen Qing felt ecstatic in his heart. He knew he had successfully condensed the Primordial Spirit, reaching the late phase of the Spirit Void Realm, just one step away from the Primordial Spirit Realm.
He carefully examined his own Primordial Spirit, like a flawless work of art, feeling completely satisfied.
"If that's the case, why not try to take that step? To nurture a wisp of Primordial Spirit, and look down upon the world."
If anyone were here, they would surely think Shen Qing was indulging in fantasy.
To gather the Primordial Spirit was already very difficult, and now that the newly condensed Primordial Spirit was extremely fragile, to think of leaving the body was far too risky.
But Shen Qing was always a decisive person, uninterested in procrastination.
He stimulated the Six Paths Reincarnation Technique, with the power of the Mortal path and his unwavering determination.
In the Sea of Consciousness, he recalled the first time he climbed to the peak of Mount Tai, standing at the edge of a cliff.
At that time, the sea of clouds churned wildly, and he could look up to see the horizon at sunrise, while looking down made the climbers seem as insignificant as ants.
The howling cold wind made his legs go weak.
At this moment, Shen Qing imagined himself standing on top of that high mountain, and then he leaped.
A violent sense of weightlessness spread through him.
Shen Qing felt his whole body lighten as his view suddenly elevated.
He looked around, still within the broken temple, without any change.
Only when looking down from above, he could see another self.
Shen Qing's expression slightly changed, a rush of elation surged across his face.
He rose to the sky, standing between heaven and earth, looking down on all things, instantly feeling a surge of lofty aspirations.
"This is, the leaving of Primordial Spirit from the body... I've broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm, I've succeeded!!!"
Ordinarily, leaving the body by an inch would signify success, but he had plunged from heaven to earth upon his first attempt of condensation.
Even though Shen Qing didn't know how others would manifest their breakthroughs to the Primordial Spirit Realm, he realized his method was too unconventional, likely "different from normal people."