But even as the spiritual energy began to become more active, Lu Xuan found that his cultivation had stagnated. A true stagnation. No matter how hard he cultivated, he remained stuck at this stage, making no further progress.
The reason for this is a very unfortunate fact: Lu Xuan had no further cultivation techniques.
He discovered that the Qi cultivation method of the Ape Strike Technique could only reach the Great Cycle of Yuan Qi at most. Sun and Moon cultivation were merely offensive techniques and could not truly improve one's cultivation level.
This was an almost despairing reality. However, Lu Xuan did not lose heart. He had also overcome the challenges of starting from scratch. At worst, he could develop a high-level Qi cultivation method himself.
Once this idea was conceived, Lu Xuan dedicated a century to it. He successfully deduced the cultivation method following the Great Cycle and experimented within his body, compressing his true qi and successfully obtaining a drop of liquefied true qi. This marked the beginning of the Qi-to-Liquid Transformation technique. But it ended there.
He knew he couldn't go on. Because... he was dying.
As a cultivator, Lu Xuan is only a little over 170 years old. Under normal circumstances, he could live to be at least over 200 years old. However, over the years, he has experimented with various Qi cultivation methods within his own body countless times. On many occasions, he has severely damaged his meridians.
Cultivating immortality is no joke, especially when it involves walking through a thicket of thorns with no path.
Although the primordial energy of heaven and earth has become much more vibrant than before, that's about it. It's simply incomparable to the cultivation world depicted in movies and TV shows.
The difficulty of this path is no less than that of Lu Xuan's previous step of building something from scratch.
Knowing he was running out of time, Lu Xuan remained calm. He sensed that the power of time travel had reached its limit.
In other words, he knew he was about to face another time travel. In fact, if he could live a little longer, this time he might be able to travel through time alive.
Lu Xuan was very interested in this. He knew that after transmigrating, his body would regain its youth, and all his injuries would be fully healed. So he wasn't worried at all.
His disciples, along with Hong Gu, had all passed away several years ago. He had no ties in this world and was ready to embrace the next.
However, at this final moment, he was still somewhat unwilling. He had obtained the Muchen Pearl from Ghost Blows Out the Light a long time ago. But he had never touched the Imaginary Space or the Serpent God.
Since he was going to transmigrate anyway, he figured he might as well make a grand entrance before he left. So, before his transmigration power kicked in, he went to the Kunlun Temple alone.
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End-of-volume summary
First of all, I apologize; this volume was terrible.
There were various reasons, but the main one was that the restrictions imposed by the Republic of China were unexpectedly strict.
I had read some novels about the War of Resistance against Japan before, and I felt that the content was somewhat more lenient. So I wrote it, and then...
The editor gave me a stern warning, and I had no choice but to completely delete about thirty chapters. This resulted in a large amount of disjointed plot, and I apologize that the reading experience was definitely very poor.
I'm quite disheartened myself. As a radical youth, I was preparing to kill Okamura Yasuji, skin Tojo Hideki alive, hang the Japanese Emperor, and poison 100,000 Kwantung Army soldiers. Now it's all gone. I wonder if everyone remembers that after killing the centipede demon, its inner core was in Lu Xuan's hands, intended for later concocting that super poison to use on the Kwantung Army. But it's all gone now.
And then there's the "artwork demon" storyline. I didn't expect it to be so strictly controlled! I originally wrote a plot where Lu Xuan would bring back artworks from various countries and display them in the Forbidden City. I thought it would be pretty cool. But even that's not allowed…
Both anticipated climaxes and exciting moments were gone, and I myself lost interest. The plot of *The Tomb of the Earthly Immortals* lacked the buildup from the earlier parts, making it feel dry and uninteresting. So, I decided not to force a continuation. This is the end; let's prepare for the next volume. Once again, I apologize to everyone…
The next volume will be about Game of Thrones. As a Game of Thrones fan, I write about Game of Thrones in almost every book I write. But each one is different. This time, it will definitely be different from the previous two. You'll find out when you read it.
Also, please take a look at the last chapter of this volume. At the end, I've provided some background information.
This time, the protagonist transmigrates while still alive. This is quite different from previous times.
Lastly, I apologize again, and see you in the next volume.
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Chapter 231 A Brand New Chapter
Lu Xuan woke up from a drowsy state. He hadn't felt this way in a long time.
The first time he transmigrated, he was hit on the back of the head and then beaten up; that was the feeling. Only that time, his injuries were mostly superficial. This time, Lu Xuan felt he was suffering internal injuries.
To be precise, Lu Xuan felt his meridians were in complete chaos. His originally vast vital energy was running rampant, causing him excruciating pain throughout his body. It felt like he had gone into a state of demonic possession in martial arts novels.
He looked around and found himself in a tent. Some furs were laid beneath him, and a blanket covered him. Aside from that, the tent was very basic, with no other belongings in sight. He could vaguely hear voices outside, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Lu Xuan felt he was in a very bad state.
He concentrated, trying to recall what had happened. The mere thought sent a sharp pain through his head. Fortunately, he remained conscious, and he vaguely remembered what had occurred.
Relying on his ability to traverse and purify debuffs, Lu Xuan decided to commit a suicide mission at the last moment. His main motivation was his intense curiosity about the imaginary space and the power of the Serpent God. Therefore, before leaving, he decided to try and experience that power.
At the last moment before his transmigration, Lu Xuan suddenly intervened, placing the Muchen Pearl back into the Serpent God's remains, restoring its lost power. However, before he could even sense anything, he completely lost consciousness after the transmigration.
When he regained consciousness, he was already in this place. From his surroundings, he couldn't tell where he was, let alone what dynasty he belonged to. So Lu Xuan focused his attention on himself.
He barely managed to channel a wisp of his inner energy, examining his body bit by bit.
In martial arts novels, having all the body's meridians severed is basically what he's in now. During his examination, Lu Xuan discovered that his body seemed to have been flooded with a massive amount of energy in an instant, causing his meridians to be unable to withstand the pressure and resulting in their rupture.
His vital energy, lacking guidance, was running rampant. This was the root cause of his severe pain and weakness throughout his body. However, the good news was that his body was recovering.
Or rather, some more powerful energy is gradually repairing his body. Just like the power of his transmigration, Lu Xuan could feel another power within him. This should be the culprit that caused his meridians to sever completely. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the power of the Serpent God that he activated before transmigrating.
Lu Xuan focused his consciousness, trying to explore that energy. The next second, everything went black. His consciousness instantly spiraled out of control, and he felt himself falling into endless darkness.
This was a void. There was no light, no sound, no energy. He couldn't even perceive time. His consciousness was hazy, almost losing himself. The next second, Lu Xuan awoke with a start. His consciousness instantly plummeted back into his physical body.
In that instant, the headache and excruciating physical pain nearly made him faint. Fortunately, he was old enough and had cultivated immortality for many years, which strengthened his will, and he managed to pull through. However, he was also covered in sweat, and a double exhaustion of mind and body overwhelmed him.
Listening to the sounds outside, it seemed that not much time had passed, which relieved Lu Xuan.
He had a vague idea of what it was.
In the final moments of his transmigration, he must have activated the power of the Serpent God. According to the laws of transmigrators, the power of transmigration is usually incredibly powerful. Even the power of the Serpent God couldn't possibly contend with it.