"Let me think of a way?"
"Yes, you are my strategist. When problems arise, of course I'll turn to you for solutions."
"Wenbing, the path of cultivation is indeed fraught with difficulties, and there are hardly any shortcuts to take," the Mirror God said with a frown, earnestly instructing him, not wanting anything to happen to Xiao Wenbing.
“Hehe…that’s natural.” Xiao Wenbing chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, “Mirror God, but this time I’ve discovered something.”
"What is it?" Mirror God asked with a look of surprise. What could have made Xiao Wenbing suddenly work so hard?
“I’ve noticed that Yaqi and Baiyi have changed,” Xiao Wenbing said to Mirror God, his smile fading.
"What?" Mirror God was greatly surprised. After thinking carefully for a moment, he shook his head and said, "They haven't changed." He paused, then emphasized, "I assure you, they are still them."
"Sigh..." Xiao Wenbing sighed and said, "Haven't you noticed that since Baiyi obtained the Heavenly Thunder Sword and Yaqi woke up, their cultivation has made great strides?"
"This... seems to be true."
After a moment of contemplation, the Mirror God had to admit that Xiao Wenbing's words were indeed very reasonable. Three thousand years later, after Feng Baiyi regained her position as the new master of the Heavenly Thunder Sword, her cultivation had reached an unfathomable level.
The Heavenly Thunder Sword can directly connect with the purest chaotic power within the Heavenly Thunder Wall. Those who can wield this divine sword are no longer beings belonging to the cultivation world.
Xiao Wenbing didn't know what realm Feng Baiyi had reached, and even the Mirror God couldn't tell. Just as they couldn't discern Xiao Wenbing's current realm, the representative of the power of destruction was equally shrouded in mystery.
However, one thing is certain: Feng Baiyi, who has mastered the true power of destruction, is definitely no less powerful than Xiao Wenbing at this moment.
As for Zhang Yaqi, perhaps due to absorbing a large amount of Five Elements power while healing her physical body, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, no less than Xiao Wenbing's. The feeling she gave him was as if she had already surpassed the Nascent Soul stage and directly reached the Separation and Union stage.
In just over a month, Xiao Wenbing, through a series of fortuitous events, continuously broke through his own limits and reached a level similar to the Nascent Soul stage. However, unexpectedly, Feng and Zhang achieved achievements no less than his, which made Xiao Wenbing, while filled with excitement, also feel a sense of loss.
After the great battle with the Dark God, he made up his mind that he must master the most powerful force and never let history repeat itself.
The feeling of regaining something lost is wonderful, but he has no intention of experiencing that heart-wrenching pain again. Therefore, his current strength is far from enough.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Mirror God asked.
"I'm asking you."
"Ask me?"
"Yes, you need to devise a training plan for me so that I can see results in the shortest possible time."
"Hmm. You've made up your mind?"
“Yes, I’ve made up my mind.” Xiao Wenbing replied solemnly, with an unprecedented seriousness.
"Alright, I do have a few ideas."
Xiao Wenbing's eyes lit up. "As expected of the Mirror God!" he thought. He had racked his brains but couldn't come up with a single solution, while the Mirror God had devised several in the blink of an eye. The difference between them was truly extraordinary.
"First, you can seek help from the Baby God."
"Looking for the Treasure God?" Xiao Wenbing was very surprised. Why would he need to look for it?
"The divine power of the Baby God is one of the most powerful energies in the world. If you absorb it all, you can probably reach the level of the Baby God."
With a glare, Xiao Wenbing angrily said, "Nonsense! Even if the Treasure God agreed, I still couldn't convert divine power into my own."
“Well then, let’s try a different approach,” Mirror God immediately said. “Borrow a weapon from Treasure God.”
"What is that?"
"Two-severed blade, with this blade in hand, kill anyone you meet, slay any demon you encounter. This blade has the special ability to absorb the souls of living beings and transform them into spiritual power. It is estimated that after killing hundreds of millions of living beings, you can be ranked among the immortals."
"Two...broken swords?" Xiao Wenbing's expression immediately turned strange: "Mirror God, do you know how great a sin it is to kill billions of living beings?"
"I know, but you're alright."
"Huh?" Xiao Wenbing was really puzzled this time. Why would someone who had killed hundreds of millions of living beings be unharmed?
"Don't forget, you also need to save the Tree of Life in the Flame Realm. Once you succeed, the merit you accumulate will amount to more than 100 million lives. So, even if you kill a river of blood, it doesn't matter."
Xiao Wenbing was dumbfounded. Was there any logic to this? He shook his head slightly and sighed, "Even if you're right, don't you know that when the Two-Broken Blade absorbs and transforms the life of others, it also absorbs a portion of the soul of the wielder?"
"Of course I know, but it doesn't matter. At worst, your mind will disappear, but you will have a divine status and can become the Dark God."
“Dark God…” Xiao Wenbing twitched his lips twice and said angrily, “Mirror God, I’m serious.”
"Alright, alright," Mirror God said helplessly, "To tell you the truth, you can borrow the Universe Ring from Zhang Yaqi. With the blessing of the power of order, the Two-Broken Blade won't hurt you."
Xiao Wenbing's eyes lit up. Indeed, when he used the Two-Broken Blade as a hoe in the main hall of Wanbaotang, he had avoided injury by using the power of order from the Qiankun Ring to protect himself. This proved one thing: the power of order could completely restrain this strange divine artifact.
Ascending to immortality by killing billions of living beings—that's a brilliant idea, isn't it? Anyway, we don't even know these beings; they're dead, so be it.
But, should I do it myself...?
Looking at his hands, Xiao Wenbing suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach. Although he hadn't enjoyed the delicacies of the cultivation world for several days, he still suddenly felt a strong urge to vomit.
With a pursed lip, Xiao Wenbing said decisively, "Next."
"Isn't this method good?"
“I said…” Xiao Wenbing glared at the Mirror God, trying his best to show his greatest indignation: “Next.”
"Alright." Mirror God made a helpless gesture. He said, "Since you won't accept this best method, then let's begin refining the pills."
"Alchemy?"
"Indeed, the path of cultivation is long. Only by cultivating diligently for millions of years, day after day, can one possibly reach the pinnacle. However, there are some shortcuts that can be taken. For example, alchemy."
Hope rekindled in Xiao Wenbing's eyes: "Tell me, what kind of pill should we refine?"
"The elixir of immortality."
"Immortal... Pill?"
"Exactly. Although some pills in the cultivation world contain powerful spiritual energy, your body has already undergone the tribulation of water and fire, so ordinary pills can no longer be effective. Therefore, we must refine immortal pills to solve the current problem."
"Is it an elixir of immortality?"
"Exactly."
"Excellent, practice a little more."
The Mirror God was taken aback. He asked, "Why?"
"We can give some to our masters and the others too, so they can all become immortals together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
The Mirror God sneered and said, "Making ordinary cultivators take elixirs? How could you even think of that?"
"What, it won't work?"
"Of course." Just as Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief, the Mirror God suddenly added, "As long as they can withstand the tribulations of water and fire and survive, they will probably be able to enjoy the elixir."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then chuckled awkwardly. Enduring the ordeal of fire and water? That was a joke! If he hadn't possessed extraordinary abilities and intervened at the crucial moment to save his life, he might already be dead.
What if it were another cultivator...?
It's estimated that being reduced to ashes is his only fate.
“Alright, then let’s refine the elixir. Wait…” Xiao Wenbing suddenly remembered something and asked, “The elixir you’re talking about must be made from ingredients from the Immortal Realm, right?”
"Of course, without materials from the celestial realm, how am I supposed to refine elixirs?"
Xiao Wenbing frowned and said, "Mirror God, this is the cultivation world. Where are you going to get materials from the immortal realm?"
The Mirror God was also taken aback. After pondering for a long time, he finally sighed, "Alas... I have forgotten again that your abilities are severely insufficient, and you are unable to create things from the Celestial Realm."
Xiao Wenbing's face darkened, and he said, "If I could create things from the Immortal Realm, I could just create immortal pills directly. Why would I need to go through all this trouble and start a furnace to refine them?"
The Mirror God glanced at him disdainfully and said, "Do you think elixirs are so easy to make? Let me tell you, without personally refining one or seeing the finished product, it is absolutely impossible to create an elixir out of thin air."
"It's so complicated."
"Of course, if you make a mistake while refining a magical artifact, at most its efficacy will be greatly reduced. But it's different with pills. If there's even the slightest change, then the person who takes it... hehe..."
Xiao Wenbing smiled for a moment. Of course, he understood that every medicine has some toxicity. If someone took the wrong pills... the trouble would be quite something.
He sighed, then suddenly remembered that he had talked with the Mirror God for a long time, but hadn't come up with a single clue.
This is not to say that the Mirror God lacks insight, but rather that the two of them have different perspectives and levels of understanding on issues, which is why the conflict between them is irreconcilable.
Shaking his head, he realized that it was better to rely on himself than on others; he would have to find a solution himself.
Volume 5, Chapter 4: The Spirit Gathering Array of the Divine Realm
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Jade Cauldron Sect is a secluded place in the back mountains. Although it cannot be said to be completely devoid of human habitation, it can be described as a place where humans and animals rarely appear.
This place is undoubtedly the best training ground for cultivators.
As long as defensive formations are set up nearby to prevent wild animals and pedestrians from disturbing the area, this place can also be a good place for cultivating one's mind and character.
The predecessors of the Jade Cauldron Sect have all established their cave dwellings here, and many have practiced meditation and cultivation here. However, now, the master of this place is about to change.
Xiao Wenbing looked around and used his spiritual sense to investigate. After confirming that no one was around, he said softly, "Mirror God, this must be the place."
"The environment here is nice, but don't you regret it?"
"Of course not," Xiao Wenbing said firmly. He would really regret it if he didn't try!
He wanted to improve his cultivation level, but after discussing it with the Mirror God for a long time, he still had no clue what to do, so he decided to find a way on his own.
Xiao Wenbing's method was very simple. He now had tens of thousands of Nascent Souls. If he left so many Nascent Souls unused, wouldn't that be a waste of resources? It would be such a pity.
Although he unintentionally refined tens of thousands of Nascent Souls in the Flame Realm, the vast majority of them were contained within Xiao Wenbing's dantian and kept in a state of hibernation, preventing them from having any opportunity to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
You can't blame him for being timid. Anyone would become cautious if they suddenly had tens of thousands of Nascent Soul cultivators.
Logically speaking, his cultivation level has already surpassed the Nascent Soul stage, or rather, it's a strange Spirit Division stage. If he were to make another great leap forward, there would likely be dangers ahead. Therefore, the most urgent task is to maintain stability...
However, after witnessing the progress of Zhang Yaqi and Feng Baiyi, his pride was greatly hurt. Since the method proposed by the Mirror God was unsuitable for him, he had no choice but to turn his attention to these Nascent Soul cultivators.
The fastest way for cultivators to cultivate is to absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth through their nascent soul. The more primordial energy one has within their body, the higher their cultivation level will be. The cultivation process is essentially just the process of absorbing primordial energy from heaven and earth.
Therefore, accumulating vital energy is the most basic cultivation that cultivators need to do.
To shorten this process, experts at the Nascent Soul stage typically create several smaller, differentiated Nascent Souls to absorb the energy simultaneously, and after reaching a certain number, they reassemble these smaller Nascent Souls into one.
Once all the nascent souls merge into one, they will reach the stage of separation and union. They will then be only one step away from transcending the tribulation.