Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 294 The Surprise Brought by Su Li: The Great Perfection of the Life Core
"Divine consciousness imprint?"

Xiao Chen frowned slightly: "Could you tell me in detail?"

Ironically, this was yet another completely new thing that he had never heard of before.

Without guidance from family or mentors, one has to learn many things through trial and error in practice.

Moreover, in the cultivation world, becoming self-taught is a pipe dream.

Many ancient books and secret cultivation methods are only preserved in the library of major powers, or passed down orally.

The most serious problem is that the inheritance of various cultivation methods, alchemy, artifacts, talismans, and other Taoist arts has been almost entirely monopolized.

There is no normal channel for independent cultivators to obtain [the necessary resources].

You either risk going to various ruins and secret realms to try your luck, or you join the major forces and work for them.

"Of course, no problem, just a moment."

Su Li readily agreed, showing no intention of keeping it a secret.

She carefully erased the divine imprint and checked it again to make sure nothing was missed.

Then he sat down next to Xiao Chen and said, "It's a rather complicated matter to explain in detail. We have to start with cultivation levels."

"As one's cultivation level increases, divine sense will have different functions."

"For Foundation Establishment cultivators, releasing their divine sense is a means of investigation. For Golden Core cultivators, it also enhances their combat abilities."

"You must have felt that way too, right?"

What she said is almost common sense.

But Xiao Chen didn't really feel this deeply.

There are actually many techniques involved in combat between Golden Core cultivators, since their opponents are not fixed targets, as they can both run and fly.

In the midst of swift maneuvering, one inevitably uses divine sense in conjunction with spells to launch attacks, as well as to manipulate spiritual weapons through divine sense.

However, looking back, Xiao Chen basically relied on brute force to overwhelm his opponents during battles, without using any special skills.

Especially after experiencing the convenience and high explosiveness of fists and feet through body tempering, he hardly ever used offensive spiritual weapons anymore.

"I do feel that way."

Xiao Chen nodded and asked, "So the divine sense mark is related to the nascent soul?"

Su Li continued, "That's right. The origins of similar spells are all closely related to the Nascent Soul stage, and the main reasons can be divided into three points."

"Firstly, as a cultivator's cultivation level breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, the strength of their spiritual sense will further increase."

"This provides the foundation for cultivating different divine sense techniques."

"Secondly, with the expansion of the range of divine sense, it becomes easier to observe and comprehend the great principles of heaven and earth."

"For Nascent Soul cultivators, expanding the range of their divine sense can bring convenience to their cultivation."

"Thirdly, for those who cultivate the Dharma, if they want to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future, the strength of their divine sense is also essential, at least it must reach a certain limit."

"In other words, this is a hurdle that we will have to face sooner or later."

Xiao Chen immediately understood; so there was such a connection between them.

He immediately guessed what would follow: "So, starting from the Nascent Soul stage, even if it's just for cultivation, everyone needs to find ways to increase the strength of their spiritual sense."

"And once the strength of one's divine sense increases, one will try to utilize this power."

"This led to the development of various divine sense techniques, such as divine sense imprints. I think I'm right, aren't I?"

Xiao Chen had previously come into contact with some demonic artifacts that affected divine consciousness, such as the Soul-Sweeping Bell.

Therefore, it wasn't hard for him to imagine that this thing would be used as some kind of offensive weapon.

"That's right!"

Su Li nodded in affirmation: "Moreover, due to the difference in the strength of divine sense, such methods are difficult to detect."

This is also easy to understand.

When a Foundation Establishment cultivator uses their divine sense to probe a Qi Refining cultivator, the Qi Refining cultivator remains completely unaware.

The difference between major realms is not just about the amount of spiritual energy that can be mobilized; it also affects many other aspects.

Faced with this situation, Xiao Chen's best course of action is to break through to the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible and thus enhance his spiritual sense.

In addition, one should also attach sufficient importance to the secret methods of spiritual consciousness.

It seems that this is an indispensable ability for a Nascent Soul cultivator, and he cannot afford to have any shortcomings in this area.

After the breakthrough, you must promptly collect and cultivate the relevant divine sense techniques.

"That's it, I understand."

Keeping this in mind, Xiao Chen sat up from the beach and took out a box of exquisite pastries: "As a reward for this information, please have some snacks."

The box contained six celadon plates, each of which looked as if it held a flower.

The outside is made of puff pastry coated with amber honey glaze, with petal-shaped sugar slices surrounding the top, and a trembling lychee at the center.

"Golden Silk Glazed Pastry from Jin Hua Fang!"

Su Li gasped in surprise, instinctively covering her red lips with her hand, her eyes filled with disbelief: "How did you know that this is my favorite food?"

When she was still a Golden Core cultivator, she would occasionally visit the market.

Unfortunately, this signature dessert, which cost as much as 600 spirit stones per box, was too expensive for her at the time, so she only tried it twice.

Upon seeing it again, long-forgotten memories immediately resurfaced.

His tone involuntarily carried a hint of excitement.

"Well, I had a feeling you'd like this, and it seems I wasn't wrong."

Xiao Chen placed the wooden box in her hands: "Try it."

Actually, it was a coincidence. The truth is that he packed one of each of the twelve kinds of pastries sold at Jin Hua Fang.

And this is the one that just happened to be taken out.

"Well, it's delicious."

Su Li took a small bite, her eyes narrowing into slits: "It's been so long since I've had such delicious pastries, you should have a piece too!"

She handed the box back to Xiao Chen, gesturing for him to eat with her.

"Okay!"

Xiao Chen originally wanted to refuse, since he had already eaten it once.

But on second thought, she did not refuse the kindness.

At worst, we can just bring back more food later; that's much better than being so polite and deferential.

"I also have a gift for you!"

After sharing the pastries, Su Li took out the Nine Dragons Painting and handed it to Xiao Chen, explaining its effects in detail.

"You're always running around outside, carrying this map might be useful for self-defense."

She pointed to the extra layer of restriction on the scroll: "I slightly modified the way the scroll is activated."

"Now, just like activating a talisman, you can use it by injecting true essence."

Ok?
Xiao Chen was somewhat taken aback: "Wait, you also understand the Dao of Arrays?"

If that's the case, wouldn't it be possible to disable the surveillance array outside the island?
"What I actually studied was weapon crafting."

Su Li explained, "Because back then, within the sect, only the art of weapon crafting could be cultivated to the third level; other arts were limited to the second level."

To put it bluntly, small sects have no choice but to learn whatever is available.

"That's right."

Xiao Chen didn't know much about weapon crafting and found it hard to imagine what it would be like for Su Li to craft weapons.

Logically speaking, cultivators shouldn't need to use hammers to forge weapons, right?
However, on the other hand, as the Holy Maiden of the Witch Clan, she may look rather frail, but in reality, her vital energy and strength are quite astonishing.

Even if it requires swinging a hammer, there's absolutely no problem.

"I studied engraving, which doesn't require much effort."

Seemingly guessing Xiao Chen's thoughts, Su Li quickly explained, "It mainly involves adding inscriptions to the artifact blank, which is similar to drawing talismans."

"Or it could be adding or adjusting restrictions, similar to casting a spell."

There are specific subcategories to weapon crafting. Not all inheritances require hammering; there are also methods such as weaving or engraving.

"Oh, I see. I understand now."

Xiao Chen accepted the Nine Dragons Painting: "Thank you for the painting. Things have been a bit chaotic outside lately, so I feel much more at ease with this."

He sensed the immense power sealed within the scroll.

To be honest, such a thing would be almost impossible to find outside, and it would definitely be worth several million spirit stones.

I never expected that Su Li would be willing to give it to me directly.

She's being way too generous.

Xiao Chen didn't really have anything good to give in return, so he could only keep this kindness in mind for the time being.

I will repay you many times over when I encounter a suitable spiritual object in the future.

"Are you ready to begin your cultivation?"

Su Li then asked, "Let me help you refine the blood crystal."

As she spoke, she took out the magical artifact, made a hand gesture, and gently touched it.

Suddenly, the sphere flashed with light, and a blood crystal floated out from its interior.

"This is a new usage that I learned from the inherited memories."

Su Li smiled and explained, "Using magical artifacts can preserve blood crystals and minimize the loss of their power."

Xiao Chen naturally wouldn't object: "Okay, then I'll trouble you."

His main purpose in returning this time was to use the Blood Crystal to cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Life Pill.

After ten months apart, Su Li had accumulated ten blood crystals.

Moreover, thanks to the preservation of the sorcery artifact, the power within the blood crystal was almost completely preserved.

Despite the need to prevent absorbing too much blood crystal at once, which could lead to an inability to adapt.

Xiao Chen actively controlled the absorption frequency of the blood crystals, refining only two crystals per day.

But it only took two short days, on the afternoon of the twelfth day of the first lunar month.

He successfully gathered a full 999 strands of true essence within the Life Core.

After completing the final condensation of true essence, Xiao Chen clearly felt his life core become fuller, reaching its maximum limit.

Without external assistance, this is the limit of what it can contain.

But it doesn't matter, blood crystals can not only help refine true essence, but also increase the total amount of qi and blood.

On the third day, with Su Li's help, Xiao Chen slowed down the rate at which he absorbed the blood crystals.

He transported that rich energy of blood and qi throughout his body and absorbed it.

Since it can no longer be quickly converted into true essence, the absorption efficiency is much slower than imagined.

It took Xiao Chen a full three hours to barely absorb a blood crystal.

He even thought at one point that his total blood and qi had reached its limit.

Fortunately, it turns out that the total amount of Qi and blood that a cultivator can hold is also far more than imagined.

"I didn't expect it to take so long."

After Xiao Chen finished refining, he let out a long sigh of relief: "It looks like I might have to trouble you for a few more days."

Blood crystals are highly aggressive, actively and rapidly injecting large amounts of blood and qi into the body of those who come into contact with them.

To slow down this process, Su Li needs to stand aside and occasionally move the blood crystal away.

Then, at the appropriate time, it is put back in, so that the speed at which the Qi and blood are infused can be controlled by this person.

"It's okay, I have nothing to do anyway."

Su Li gently shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind at all: "It's good that I can help you."

She didn't seem to feel any boredom or tedium from waiting for so long.

Instead, he sat cross-legged to the side, staring intently at Xiao Chen, just as he had for the past three hours.

Two more days passed. Every morning, Xiao Chen would cultivate by taking advantage of the surge of spiritual energy.

Then review the different spells you have at hand one by one.

At this time, Su Li would always sit on the reef with her knees drawn up, looking down at him as he cultivated.

In the afternoon, he would first practice his martial arts three times in front of the sea to activate his blood and energy.

Then, take the opportunity to absorb blood crystals and continue to expand your total blood and qi.

At this time, Su Li would sit cross-legged next to him, supporting her head with one hand to observe, and using the other hand to help him move the position of the blood crystal.

When night falls.

The two will do what they did last year: light a campfire on the beach, grill or cook some food, and chat about the latest happenings in the outside world.

Xiao Chen naturally brought back the storybooks from Lingtong Pavilion, which were disguised as intelligence reports.

Because Su Li stayed on the island and never went out.

So these messages were almost all new and interesting to her.

However, she preferred listening to Xiao Chen recount his experiences along the way rather than reading intelligence reports.

When they encounter something that interests them, they will ask further questions about the environment and specific circumstances at the time.

There's nothing wrong with talking about these things.

Aside from keeping it a secret from Hextech, Xiao Chen doesn't mind sharing his observations.

Before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the lunar calendar.

"Wait here for a bit, I have something good to show you."

As night fell, Xiao Chen first led Su Li to the highest point in the middle of the island.

Then he ran to the beach alone and took out the real fireworks he had prepared earlier from his storage ring.

Last time I used magic to simulate fireworks, but the effect of the Fire Crow spell was significantly worse.

So this time he specially bought a large number of fireworks and lit them all at once.

"Whoosh~, thud!"

A moment later, just as Su Li was wondering what he was doing, she suddenly heard a cracking sound.

Immediately, colorful fireworks lit up the entire edge of the island.

Looking around, all you see are dazzling fireworks.

"How is it? Isn't it beautiful?"

Xiao Chen returned to the center: "I also brought glutinous rice balls, twenty different kinds of fillings, totaling exactly two hundred catties. That's enough for a good night."

Considering that they were both body cultivators, he brought extra of them.

In the cold winter wind, I hold up a bowl of steaming hot glutinous rice balls.

Through the rising steam, I watched the blooming fireworks reflected in the eyes of the person beside me, illuminating her beautiful face.

Being able to eat your fill at the end is undoubtedly a happy thing.

Two hundred catties of glutinous rice balls were too much, so much so that after eating them, before we even had a moment to rest, it was already midnight.

The full moon on the fifteenth of the month was exceptionally bright, almost covering the earth with silvery light.

Su Li stood on the mountaintop, as if draped in a layer of pure white gauze.

She tilted her head slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and stretched out her arms wide: "Thank you for your help tonight too."

Xiao Chen naturally understood what she meant, and stood up to hug her and help suppress the curse: "By the way, I was thinking of asking last time, is your witch artifact not of a high enough grade?"

"The tradition says, are there any other witchcraft artifacts stored there?"

"I'll go find it for you and give it a try."

If the curse can be completely suppressed, then we can consider finding a way to leave Silent Island.

Su Li's eyes flickered: "Perhaps the grade is not high enough, but there is no mention of other magical artifacts in the inheritance for the time being."

"And I feel that perhaps it's because I haven't fully adapted to this magical artifact yet."

"After a few more days of adjustment, I might be able to completely suppress the curse."

She blushed slightly as she spoke, but it didn't matter; the two of them were so close together that they couldn't see each other's faces.

The moonlight condensed into pillars, transmitting down a wealth of ancient knowledge from the Moon Witch Clan.

As images flashed by.

Xiao Chen witnessed the Moon Witch Clan launching a large-scale sacrificial ceremony, where they slaughtered a giant snake that measured over five thousand feet in length and mixed its blood into wine to share with their clansmen.

Some of the shamans, who appeared tall and strong, even performed a demonstration of eating raw snake meat.

It's unclear when this ritual took place, but it certainly seemed to embody a strong sense of martial virtue.

It's hard to imagine what kind of upheaval could have caused such a powerful ethnic group to decline.

What followed was a massive war.

The Moon Witch Clan appears to be at war with another Witch Clan tribe, with both sides engaging in offense and defense.

Xiao Chen noticed that the banner of the Moon Witch Clan was silver-white, with a bright moon embroidered on it.

The other side was carrying a sea-blue flag with ripples on it.

It appears to be a sea witch or water witch tribe.

It's unclear how long the fighting lasted, but both sides finally stopped.

The following scenes were fragmented and disjointed, making them particularly difficult for Xiao Chen to follow.

For some reason, he felt that the screen switching speed had increased significantly.

The moon seemed to have become much brighter, especially the beam of moonlight that fell on Su Li, which was almost blindingly strong.

With the help of the power of the lunar eclipse, her cultivation level increased once again.

The self-imposed restrictions shattered instantly.

A powerful aura immediately erupted from his body, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to surge and even making the small mountain beneath his feet tremble slightly.

"Su Li, are you alright?"

Xiao Chen immediately sensed something was wrong. While calming the surrounding spiritual energy upheaval, he inquired about her condition.

"I'm fine, my cultivation level is just increasing."

While controlling the increasing power within her body, Su Li promptly explained, "I don't know why, but the power of the lunar eclipse seems to have increased again."

She had previously discovered that the power of the lunar eclipse would become stronger as her cultivation level increased.

However, in the past few months, this growth has increased significantly and shows a trend of intensifying.

At the same time, the lunar eclipse also appears to have undergone new changes.

Under the full moon, Su Li felt an extra boost of power.

It seems she has received a blessing or amplification power that is beyond her control.

As long as the moonlight shines on her, the circulation of true essence within her body will accelerate, the recovery speed of true essence will greatly increase, and the strength of her divine sense will significantly increase.

Their ability to sense the spiritual energy of the surrounding world has also increased significantly.

Her halting explanation seemed somewhat unclear.

Xiao Chen, on the contrary, guessed what had probably happened first.

It is perfectly reasonable that the Moon Witch Saintess possesses greater power under the moonlight.

He was actually a little envious, since the ability to improve one's cultivation simply by looking at the moon.

Judging from the aura emanating from her, Su Li was nearly twice as strong as when the two first met.

Xiao Chen estimated that even if she wasn't at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, she was probably not far off.

If this pace continues, it probably won't take more than a few years to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

Judging solely from the speed of cultivation, it's simply outrageous.

"what?"

Su Li suddenly noticed something was amiss: "You... how come you're tainted with evil energy?"

With the blessing of the lunar eclipse, her sensory abilities were already greatly enhanced.

Furthermore, given that the two were standing quite close together, she immediately noticed something was amiss.

After a brief moment of surprise, Su Li immediately tensed up: "Is it because of the problem left over from our last trip to the Witch Tomb?"

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Why didn't you tell me beforehand?

She gripped Xiao Chen's arm with one hand, leaned back slightly, and looked up into his eyes.

His tone was urgent and slightly panicked.

The evil energy is a malevolent and foul energy that will invade all living beings equally and cause almost irreversible consequences.

In some legends, being tainted by evil energy can even have a very negative impact on a cultivator's fortune.

Su Li even immediately thought that Xiao Chen's misfortune of having his consciousness imprinted by a Nascent Soul True Monarch might be related to his being tainted by evil energy.

She immediately felt guilty.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have brought up the matter of the Witch Tomb in the first place.

"Um, I think you might have misunderstood."

Xiao Chen was a little confused by her continuous questioning: "It has nothing to do with Wu Ling. I'm not feeling unwell. I'm fine."

No, how did you figure out that I was tainted by evil energy?

Does the power of a lunar eclipse still have such an effect?

However, considering that the Witch's Tomb cleverly used evil energy as a trap, the Moon Witch Clan may actually have some knowledge of evil energy.

"Are you... really alright?"

Su Li seemed visibly disbelieving, her voice even trembling slightly.

"It's really okay."

Xiao Chen thought for a moment and then used a delaying tactic: "Look, this matter is not urgent."

"I'll tell you the reason after the lunar eclipse ends."

What he actually meant was, "Wait for me to come up with a reason. I'll tell you after the lunar eclipse is over."

Su Li's eyes still held a hint of suspicion, but she did not press the matter further.

Since Xiao Chen said he would speak, she would wait until the lunar eclipse ended to listen.

But her arms involuntarily tightened, and she hugged him even more tightly.

After a long hour, the lunar eclipse ended successfully.

Su Li didn't bother to check the blood crystal. She looked up at Xiao Chen again, but didn't urge him. She just gazed at him quietly.

"Actually, I have a natural affinity for evil energy. Absorbing evil energy is not only harmless, but it can also help with cultivation."

Xiao Chen had already come up with a reason: "I also have other evil energy stored on me, you see."

He took out the Xin Jinbao gourd and immediately drew out a wisp of evil energy into his body to show that he was safe and sound.

"It is also for this reason that I have already broken through to the late stage of Golden Core in the path of Dharma cultivation."

As he spoke, he deliberately displayed his aura: "The reason it went so smoothly is because the Burial Abyss Fiend obtained from the Witch Tomb was of great help."

"I didn't say so before because such a thing sounds unbelievable."

"You probably won't mind if I absorb the Burial Abyss Fiend for cultivation without permission, right?"

Upon hearing this question, Su Li quickly shook her head: "Of course I don't mind."

Then he finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, I see. I thought..."

She was only halfway through her sentence when her pretty face flushed red, and her voice dropped completely, making it difficult to hear clearly.

He then hurriedly changed the subject: "Um... I saw the location of the other evil energy in the inherited memories before."

Do you need any other malevolent energy?

(End of this chapter)