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Feng Baiyi had been gone for a day, and during that day, Xiao Wenbing, who was in seclusion, had successfully replicated ten golden pills under the control of his divine essence, without any distractions.
"Divinity is indeed a wondrous and useful thing," was Xiao Wenbing's only assessment of it.
Given his current level of cultivation, if he were to personally replicate two golden pills a day, it would already be a result of the Supreme Lord Laozi's divine intervention and the blessings of all the gods and Buddhas.
However, at this point, not only did he obtain all ten golden pills, but what surprised him even more was that his body still seemed to have plenty of energy left.
At this point, Xiao Wenbing was completely convinced that human potential is indeed limitless.
However, no matter what people do, it is impossible to guarantee that every bit of energy will be used effectively. It can be said that most of the energy is wasted on trivial matters.
This is not something people do intentionally, but rather because they cannot control their bodies.
Even cultivators, or even ordinary immortals in the celestial realm, cannot control their physical bodies and energy at will.
The only thing truly capable of doing this is divinity.
The ability to use every drop of energy in the most crucial and appropriate way, and to naturally find the shortest path to success—that is the power of God.
Perhaps this is an energy that only gods can control.
Xiao Wenbing is not a god, at least not yet. However, fortunately, he already possesses one of the most important conditions to become a true god.
He already possessed a divine spark, and moreover, it was a divine spark that had been shattered by the power of chaos and then restored—a divine spark that had lost its independent consciousness. Perhaps, one day, when he could merge with this divine spark, that would be the day he became a god.
However, that day was far too far away, so far that he didn't even have the confidence to wait for it.
While it's impossible to become a god in a day, there's still a good chance of achieving the Nascent Soul stage within a single day.
Nascent Soul – that's Xiao Wenbing's goal right now.
In terms of the power of realm, with each level increase, the spiritual power within the body is at least ten times greater than before.
Compared to those in the Golden Core stage, cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage are incomparable in terms of the speed of spiritual energy recovery, the absorption of energy from heaven and earth, and their own resistance to attacks.
However, the most obvious difference is the difference in energy between the two.
Within the same realm, advancement can be achieved through diligent practice to compensate for any shortcomings in aptitude. However, advancement beyond the Golden Core stage involves more than just the accumulation of spiritual energy.
The process of transforming into an infant is also a process of comprehending the universe. Without certain opportunities and cultivation, the Golden Core is already the limit that a considerable number of cultivators can reach.
After that, with each advancement in realm, some cultivators will be eliminated. The Tribulation Transcending stage cannot be reached simply through a thousand years of cultivation.
The Way of Heaven is fair. Although cultivators possess lifespans and powers that are difficult for ordinary people to attain, they still have to bear greater pressure.
Cultivating immortality is a journey against the heavens, fraught with thorns and difficulties. A slight misstep can lead to the destruction of one's soul and eternal damnation.
The Nascent Soul stage is the most crucial hurdle for cultivators to comprehend the Dao. Since ancient times, the only way to achieve this is to follow the natural order and let things unfold naturally.
Just like Feng Baiyi, because she comprehended the power of divine lightning while using the Gathering Lightning Technique, in that instant, her control over heavenly lightning had reached a certain level.
That was an astonishing level of attainment. That's why she was able to successfully break through the nascent soul and form a nascent soul.
But that was a shortcut, a shortcut that risked her life. If she hadn't been forced to, Feng Baiyi would never have made such a choice.
However, today, Xiao Wenbing consciously wanted to choose this fastest shortcut.
He knew there was danger involved, and quite a lot of it, but he wasn't gambling. On the contrary, he made this seemingly absurd choice precisely because he was almost certain of success.
Divinity—this is what sets him apart from other cultivators, aside from his pseudo-divine power.
With this special thing... or rather, this special skill, everything becomes possible.
The desire to ascend to heaven in one step, to directly break through the dantian and become an infant, is no longer a pipe dream or an unattainable fantasy, given the existence of pseudo-divine power and divine status.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 260: Tempering the Physical Body (Part 2)
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Under the control of the divine power, a continuous stream of energy flowed from the golden core into Xiao Wenbing's dantian.
There, a tiny golden core was spinning wildly, absorbing a portion of pure spiritual energy with each rotation.
Inside his dantian, it was even more magnificent and dazzling, and even his consciousness could clearly feel the uniqueness of this place.
The absorption of energy is not unrestrained; there is strict control over the amount of energy entering through the hands, which is always the maximum that the Golden Elixir can absorb.
However, the energy absorbed by the Golden Core is not used to replenish the body, but rather it spins around inside the Golden Core and flows towards the natal golden talisman above.
At this moment, his natal golden talisman was raised high, and powerful spiritual energy surged into it, swirling within the talisman before transforming into wisps of energy that flowed throughout his body.
This was the first time he had ever controlled his Golden Core and Natal Golden Talisman to do such a thing, but under the manipulation of his divine power, it was clearly not an overly difficult task.
The energy flowing throughout his body was constantly strengthening and tempering every cell in his body. This leaping intensification caused him immense pain. However, Xiao Wenbing's face remained expressionless, or rather, apart from the involuntary twitching of his muscles, he felt nothing.
Because at this moment, Xiao Wenbing's consciousness could no longer feel this rare and intense pain. He was merely an observer, someone who could only watch from the sidelines and had lost all say in his own body.
Since his body has been handed over to the god to control, then all the changes brought about by the body will naturally be borne by the god.
Of course, if he were to focus his consciousness into a particular cell, he could naturally sense the intense changes occurring there. However, Xiao Wenbing wisely avoided this almost unimaginable pain.
This inhuman torture is best left to the gods to handle.
However, the divine being clearly lacks pain receptors, because this pain, comparable to being torn apart by a thousand cuts, cannot slow down or change the divine being in the slightest.
Powerful energy flowed throughout his body until he had completely absorbed all the energy from the first golden core, at which point the divine spark reluctantly stopped.
Having taken control of his body, Xiao Wenbing let out a heavy groan of pain. The first feeling his body gave him at this moment was excruciating pain. Although the modification of his body's cells had been partially completed, the lingering pain was clearly not going to disappear so quickly.
A single golden core—I never imagined that absorbing the energy of just one golden core would be so difficult. It seems that without the help of a divine spark, my idea would certainly not be able to be put into practice.
Thinking back to how he had rashly entered the Golden Core realm after absorbing the energy of the Butterfly Fairy Golden Core, he felt extremely fortunate that he was only at the Core Formation stage at that time.
Below the Nascent Soul stage, the physical strength requirements for cultivators are not high. It can be said that as long as a person is healthy and has a bit of willpower, they can get through it.
However, to condense a Nascent Soul, one's physical strength must reach an unimaginably high level. This is because the Nascent Soul differs from the Golden Core; it is formed by absorbing the terrifying spiritual energy of heaven and earth. To contain this powerful little thing, an inhuman physique is naturally required.
With prolonged cultivation, each advancement in one's realm tempers the cultivator's physical body, and the increase in resilience with each higher level is substantial. Otherwise, how could the same body accommodate more than ten times the energy?
Regardless of the method used—whether it's absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth or cultivating one's Dao through martial arts—every cell in the body is unconsciously trained. Because this process takes a long time, it's not unbearable.
However, Xiao Wenbing's approach this time was to shorten the long process of change to a mere two or three hours. In other words, he wanted to concentrate the difficulties that ordinary cultivators would endure for over a hundred or even two hundred years into a short period of time.
Therefore, the immense suffering he endured was only to be expected.
Weiwen moved slightly, but another wave of sharp pain washed over him. With a wry smile, Xiao Wenbing gave up on getting up and sat cross-legged on the spot, concentrating his mind and calming his breath. It took a full hour for him to finally get through the aftershocks of the pain.
He slowly stood up, moved his body slightly, and immediately felt the difference in his body.
The saying goes, "No pain, no gain." His body had indeed undergone a complete transformation. Every muscle seemed to contain immense power, as if a single, gentle punch could flatten a mountain. Moreover, his skin... he could pinch it with his fingers...
Yes, I can sense it, but it's incredibly tough, probably comparable to crocodile skin. Looks like all that hardship wasn't for nothing.
He wiggled his arms and legs, and his head, which was almost stiff, when a ridiculous thought suddenly came to his mind: if another Dark God were to appear now, he could easily destroy it.
Of course, although Xiao Wenbing had a very good self-image, he also knew that it was just an illusion.
Let alone another Dark God, even if it were a master of the Food King's caliber, he could easily defeat me with one hand.
The reason he felt so arrogant was simply because he had suddenly become powerful. Although this level of power was nothing to the Food King and others, it was an insurmountable obstacle for him in the past.
Recalling every step he had just taken under the control of the god, Xiao Wenbing had to admit that he was utterly impressed by the god's near-perfect performance.
It was like a highly sophisticated computer, the divine essence was made just right, making Xiao Wenbing's consciousness look on in awe. He really didn't know how this thing was formed. Could it be that this was the potential hidden in everyone's body?
His first goal was to break through the Golden Core and become an Infant. To do this, he needed to accumulate a large amount of spiritual power. Because of his pseudo-divine power, he was able to replicate his original Golden Core, providing himself with a massive amount of spiritual power.
More importantly, this spiritual energy is of the same origin as his golden core, so there will be no risk of backlash after absorbing it.
If it were to absorb someone else's golden core, hehe... don't even talk about improving your cultivation level, just ensuring your dantian doesn't explode would be a blessing from your ancestors.
Now that the problem of spiritual power has been solved, as long as one has an extraordinary physique capable of withstanding powerful spiritual power, breaking through the nascent soul and forming a nascent soul is no longer a dream.
Now, having expended the energy of a golden core, he has finally succeeded in re-tempering his physical body.
Given the strength of his physical body at this point, he should be able to withstand the intense impact of breaking through to the next core.
He stretched, only to find the mirror spirit staring blankly at him, seemingly deep in thought. He smiled and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm thinking about your health."
"My body? Is something wrong?" Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise. To be honest, at his level, he could say he knew his body inside and out. With a thought, all changes in his internal organs could be seen without any way to hide.
Perhaps the only thing he couldn't touch was the potential zone belonging to the realm of gods. However, this zone was something that even true gods like the Treasure God were equally ignorant of, let alone him.
He didn't feel anything wrong with his body. Moreover, after the training he had just undergone, his physical condition had reached its peak, far exceeding his previous highest level.
However, after spending a long time with the Mirror God, he knew that the spirit of this artifact would not lie. Since it had discovered the anomaly, something must be wrong.
"Your physical strength surprises me greatly." Mirror God glanced at him, then suddenly sighed, "I never thought I would be so mistaken."
"Really?" Xiao Wenbing felt relieved. It wasn't a bad thing after all. That's good.
"Hmm, do you remember on Demon Suppression Star, when you simultaneously borrowed the divine power from both the Treasure God and the Little Golden Talisman to fight against the Dark God?"
"Of course, I think it's impossible to forget this matter." Xiao Wenbing sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. Even if he wanted to forget this matter, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
The Mirror God's tone was full of confusion, as if he couldn't understand the matter: "Back then, it's incredible that you were able to simultaneously contain and absorb two completely different divine powers without exploding and dying."
"Hmm?" Xiao Wenbing's expression changed slightly, but his face was covered in soot, so the change was not noticeable unless one looked closely.
But the Mirror God clearly didn't notice this and continued, "Since your body doesn't even care about the conflict between the two divine powers, why do you find it difficult to bear the spiritual power of a cultivator?"
"You mean..." Xiao Wenbing asked hesitantly, "that absorbing different divine powers will cause one to explode and die?"
The Mirror God was taken aback, its confusion deepening. A rare possibility suddenly occurred to it, and it tentatively asked, "Yes, don't you know?"
Xiao Wenbing silently shook his head. The Mirror God stared at him for a long time before finally understanding. It turned out that he wasn't doing this because he had any absolute certainty, but because ignorance breeds fearlessness...
Volume 4, Chapter 261: The Wonderful Uses of False Divine Power
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