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Chapter 430 The Powerful on the Other Side of the World: A Review of Their Gains
"what?"

In the courtyard, Ma Jianguo was startled by the sudden shout. He sat up from the recliner and quickly went over to open the courtyard gate.

Standing outside the door was indeed Old Wang from next door, gesturing loudly and boisterously.

"What's all the fuss about? I think your ancestral graves are emitting smoke."

Ma Jianguo was disturbed and spoke with displeasure.

Old Wang, however, pointed towards the back mountain and teased with a wink:
"I'm serious, look! The smoke is rising even brighter than the stove fire used for a big feast in the village!"

"What nonsense are you talking about..."

Ma Jianguo muttered something in annoyed, but when he looked in the direction the finger was pointing, his gaze suddenly froze.

Near the top of the back mountain, a thick plume of grayish-white smoke rose from the ground.

Like a pillar reaching for the sky, it soars straight into the clouds, only to be affected by the wind in mid-air and slowly disperse into a cloud canopy.

This sight is truly bizarre.

He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, then looked more closely to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

That plume of white smoke must have come from the narrow crevice at the top of the water prison.

"what happened?"

Countless thoughts flashed through Ma Jianguo's mind in an instant.

The scene before us is clearly caused by the release of true energy, which evaporates a large amount of water from the deep pool.

Could it be that Fang Cheng has already successfully "established his intention" and begun operating the "Thunderfire Cauldron" to attempt to shape his realm?
But isn't this a bit too much?

That kid is indeed a martial arts prodigy, one in a hundred years, but his internal energy shouldn't be this exaggeratedly abundant...

Or perhaps... he went astray in his cultivation and went into a state of demonic possession?

He frowned, frantically searching his memory.

However, after searching through all the family's records, they could not find any record that matched the scene before them.

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, a gust of wind suddenly rose, bringing with it a hint of earthy dampness.

A few raindrops then fell, landing on his tightly furrowed brow.

The sky had darkened sometime earlier.

Large, dark clouds, like spilled ink, quickly gathered and enveloped the village, completely obscuring the sun.

The sky suddenly darkened, as if evening had arrived prematurely.

Neighbor Old Wang looked up at the sky and muttered:

"Hey, this weather is so strange! It changed so suddenly. It was sunny just a moment ago, and now it's raining? I need to hurry home and bring in the laundry!"

As he spoke, he no longer cared about watching the strange sight of "smoke rising from the ancestral graves" and ran towards his own yard.

At the entrance of the courtyard, only Ma Jianguo remained standing there, staring blankly towards the back mountain.

I let the cold rain, carried by the wind, slant against my body, soaking my clothes.

His expression shifted constantly, sometimes revealing ecstatic joy, and sometimes shrouded in deep worry.

....................................

Another corner of the world.

The wind here seems to be solid.

It crashed into the jagged black rocks and was instantly torn apart, turning into countless shrill, chaotic blades.

Ice crystals and pebbles mingled within, sweeping across this forbidden zone of life.

The air was incredibly thin, yet hot enough to scorch the lungs.

Any flesh exposed to the elements will lose all its temperature within moments and freeze into a gray statue.

This is the most mysterious place in the world, a frozen land that even the gods hesitate to tread.

Blizzards howl incessantly year-round, dominating this desolate wasteland.

At this moment, a figure sat cross-legged on the smooth, mirror-like ice.

He was wearing an old, dark mountaineering suit with a worn-out zipper that revealed the brass underneath.

He wore a simple pair of goggles that covered most of his face.

He looked like a hiker who had unfortunately gotten lost.

However, within three feet of him, there was an eerie silence.

The storm, powerful enough to tear flesh apart, seemed to have struck an invisible barrier, transforming into a gentle breeze that couldn't even stir a wisp of his clothing.

Before him lay a layer of ice several meters thick, with a hole the size of a bowl carved out of the center.

He held a simple fishing rod made from the bone of an unknown animal in one hand.

A nearly transparent thread dangled downwards, disappearing into the bottomless, dark lake beneath the ice.

Fishing in polar ice lakes at an altitude of several thousand meters is already beyond the realm of common sense.

But this person was incredibly focused and calm, remaining completely still.

It was as if he wasn't fighting against the harshest forces of nature, but rather enjoying a leisurely afternoon by the pond in his own backyard.

A strange harmony was achieved between the person and this violent world.

I do not know how long it has been.

His hand holding the rod trembled very slightly.

It wasn't the fish that took the bait.

Rather, it is a kind of throbbing, originating from a deeper, more distant place.

More accurately, it was an extremely subtle resonance.

It was as if someone on the other side of the earth had gently struck a drum, using the entire planet as a drum.

This vibration transcended physics, reaching the fundamental rules of the universe, and rippled outwards.

For the vast majority of people with special abilities in the world, this ripple is like a gentle breeze.

But for him, it was no less than seeing a storm brewing.

He slowly raised his head.

The gaze behind the goggles seemed to pierce through the raging wind and snow, through the thick clouds, and look into the endless void.

"Ok?"

A soft "hmm" escaped from his throat. The sound was not loud, but it was like the clash of metal and stone, causing the howling wind to pause.

Then he closed his eyes.

In an instant, the noise and cold of the outside world vanished.

In his perception, the entire planet transformed into a giant sphere composed of countless meridians and points of light.

The direction of the mountains and the rhythm of the ocean currents are all clearly visible.

On that familiar eastern continent, a dim node suddenly burst forth with a blazing light like the sun!

The light was pure and domineering, full of the meaning of creation and domination.

It started as just a spark, but in an instant, it ignited itself in an almost brutal way, illuminating a corner of the world.

What surprised him even more was that deep within that intense light, he also "smelled" a familiar "scent".

That's the spirit of Ma Family Tai Chi: profound, upright, and with a touch of stubbornness.

But now, this spirit has been completely refined and sublimated by the newborn sun, becoming more magnificent and more unfamiliar.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze behind his goggles as deep as the sea.

"Is someone in the Ma family's water dungeon... attaining enlightenment and solidifying their true self?"

He muttered to himself, a hint of rare surprise in his voice.

He knew that place all too well.

It was once his place of asceticism, where he imprisoned himself and tempered his character.

Unexpectedly, years later, someone else took the same path there, and even... became more domineering.

"interesting."

he said softly.

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly jerked the fishing rod upwards!
A beam of silver light burst through the ice, carrying with it a shower of ice shards, and was precisely flung in front of him.

It was a strange, scaleless, silvery-white fish struggling violently on the ice, emanating a bone-chilling cold.

The next moment, an invisible stream of scorching heat swept over him.

The strange fish froze instantly.

The water inside the fish evaporates instantly, turning it into a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside dried fish that even exudes a strange meaty aroma.

He casually gathered up the dried fish and stood up from the ice.

The raging wind and snow seemed to soften somewhat as a result. He took off his goggles, revealing an ordinary-looking face.

It could even be said that it is quite young, showing no signs of being eroded by wind and snow.

However, when your gaze falls on his eyes, your entire perception is overturned.

Those were eyes that defied description—bright, deep, and indifferent.

It seems as if it does not belong to this era, having witnessed the changing of the years and the cycle of all things.

At that moment, he raised his eyes, gazed eastward, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"This stagnant pool is finally about to stir..."

....................................

Inside the water dungeon, it was pitch black.

Only the occasional water droplets seeping through the cracks in the rock face dripped into the shallow pool, creating a crisp, lonely echo.

A figure sat cross-legged on the stone platform in the center.

The bare, muscular body was outlined indistinctly in the dim light.

That once smooth head was now covered with a thick layer of short, jet-black hair.

Each strand of hair is as strong as a needle, gleaming with a healthy sheen in the dim light.

It was as if the land beneath my feet had sprouted a thriving meadow, brimming with untamed vitality.

The golden flames burning around him had long since subsided and disappeared, and the surrounding water vapor no longer rose.

But this body was even more oppressive than before the seclusion.

Every muscle is as if it has been meticulously calculated and polished, with smooth and distinct lines that subtly embody the principles of mechanics.

They cling tightly to the bones, exhibiting a dense texture similar to that of bronze casting.

Beneath its seemingly calm surface, volcanic lava seems to be lurking, ready to erupt at any moment.

Even though he remained completely still, the air in the water prison became heavier, like a sleeping war god statue suppressing the surrounding darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, the "sculpture" moved.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

In an instant, two beams of lightning, as solid as real electricity, shot out from his pupils!

The blinding light instantly tore through the darkness, illuminating the cave, which was several meters in diameter, as bright as day.

Where the light shines, the mottled carvings on the stone wall, the dried silt at the bottom of the pool, and even the dust particles suspended in the air are all clearly visible.

These unusual phenomena are one of the signs that arise when one's spiritual power overflows after achieving the "Refining Qi into Spirit" stage, thus interfering with reality.

Electricity can be generated in an empty room!

The lightning flashed and disappeared in an instant, and the cave returned to darkness.

But those eyes were like two cold stars lit up in the deepest night, shining brightly.

"Uu——"

Fang Cheng slowly exhaled a long breath.

This breath, though stagnant, shot straight out like a white arrow for several meters before slowly dissipating into the damp air.

An unprecedented sense of fulfillment and control filled my heart.

It was as if from that moment on, he truly became the master of his own body and soul.

Fang Cheng's gaze was intense as he looked around.

At first glance, the scene inside the water dungeon was no different from when we entered.

It was still deep darkness, with only a sliver of light leaking through the narrow gap overhead, the only source of light in this space.

However, upon closer inspection, it is completely different.

The originally slippery moss on the stone wall had long been scorched and peeled off by the high temperature, fully revealing the dense inscriptions left by the predecessors.

Fang Cheng slowly scanned the handwriting.

Suddenly, the focus froze on a few lines of poetry that appeared quite complete.

The characters were written in a vigorous and flowing style, deeply carved into the stone wall, as if they were not carved with a knife or axe, but rather drawn out by fingers.

There's a vague sense of familiarity between the lines, and it exudes a domineering and arrogant spirit.

Fang Cheng stared at the few lines of poetry, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, and recited them softly:
"Alone amidst the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth, I revisit the essence of my cultivation from the beginning."

"He is cunning and resourceful, and bold and courageous, as he traverses the Big Dipper and reverses the South Star."

"Ghosts wailed and gods howled as the golden cauldron collapsed; chickens flew away and dogs turned to dust as the jade furnace emptied."

"How can ordinary people seek this? It cannot be fully understood until one reaches the realm of the extraordinary."

After reciting the poem, a surge of heroic spirit welled up in my heart.

An ancient person sat here in meditation, attained enlightenment, and left this poem to record their state of mind.

Now, I have also reached this point, and may even go further!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Fang Cheng stood up and stretched his limbs, which had been sitting for a long time.

As the limbs stretched out, a series of crisp popping sounds emanated from all the joints of the body, as dense as popping beans.

He opened his palm, then slowly clenched it.

With his fingers clenched, the knuckles protruded, and beneath the taut skin, every muscle resembled a tightly twisted steel cable, concealing a terrifying power that instilled a sense of reassurance.

Just how strong am I right now?
The thought that crossed Fang Cheng's mind quickly calmed down the surging passion in his heart.

A pale blue light screen slowly unfolded before my eyes.

Fang Cheng calmly focused his gaze on the panel, taking stock of the results of his intensive seclusion.

First and foremost, the most direct and crucial objective of this trip was the generation of the exclusive skill [Visualization].

This signifies that he has fully mastered this special meditation method that complements Qigong.

The concept was set with "true fire of the sun" as the absolute core.

"Sculpting Realm" has opened up an "inner world," laying a solid foundation.

From then on, his soul was no longer a rootless duckweed, but had a territory where it could continuously grow and evolve.

This inner world is both the source of his power and his strongest spiritual fortress.

Secondly, there is the transformation of the physical body.

With a thought, Fang Cheng clearly visualized the data in the attribute interface in his mind.

【Strength: 65】

[Agility: 64]

[Physique: 65]

【Spirit: 70】

After digesting the remaining flesh and blood of the Crimson Eye, the body's various attributes once again experienced a leap in improvement.

Among them, Strength and Agility increased by 3 points and 2 points respectively.

After breaking through the 60-point limit, the physique continued to climb steadily, reaching 65 points.

The increase in mental attribute was the most dramatic, soaring by 10 points to reach a high of 70 points.

At this moment, Fang Cheng was able to clearly capture the entire process of all the water droplets condensing and falling on the surrounding rock walls at the same time.

It could even discern the trajectory of a tiny speck of dust within the beam of light before its eyes.

The body's bone density, muscle toughness, cell activity, and recovery ability have all been elevated to a whole new level.

The whole person, from the inside out, is like a furnace that has been completely recast, full of boundless life energy.

Corresponding to the changes in the physical body is the expansion of the dantian's capacity and the purification of true qi.

Originally, "dantian qihai" was just a metaphor.

At this moment, it has transformed into a truly vast and boundless ocean.

The storage capacity of true qi has thus been expanded several times over, and more importantly, its quality has been improved.

Having been repeatedly tempered by the true fire of the sun, the true energy is now more condensed and pure, and can be circulated as easily as an arm or finger, with power that is incomparable to what it was before.

Now, if he were to face an S-class expert like Luo Lie again, Fang Cheng was confident that he could defeat him even more easily.

I will never repeat the same mistake and be dragged into a bitter battle where my true energy is about to be exhausted.

Unlike when he was later surrounded by three men in black, he was not forced to unleash his potential and use his last bit of life force to fight, as he did later.

From now on, the ability to sustain one's inner energy will no longer be a weakness.

And the trump card of "unleashing potential," which is essentially a life-threatening strategy, can finally be truly shelved.

It will never be used unless it is a matter of life and death or an invincible enemy.

(End of this chapter)