Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

I don't know how long I sat there in this dark and quiet underground chamber; it was as if even the passage of time had become blurred.

When the essence, qi, and spirit within Xia Dong's body finally crossed that last invisible barrier, forming a perfect closed loop that is interconnected and endlessly regenerating, a clear buzzing sound, like the cracking of an ice river, emanated from within her body.

The basic chapter of "Changchun Xingqi Jue" is finally complete!

At the very moment of perfection, Xia Dong felt a jolt throughout his body, and his entire "innate constitution" underwent a profound and earth-shattering transformation.

The wisp of innate "qi" that had been lingering deep within his heart suddenly dissipated without warning, transforming into countless wisps of misty blue fog that completely permeated his limbs, bones, and internal organs.

This is not the dissipation of one's cultivation, but rather an ultimate sublimation.

Xia Dong clearly felt that his flesh, bones, and even the smallest hairs, after merging with this dispersing "Qi", actually developed an indescribable sense of lightness, as if his heavy mortal body had acquired an incredible "Qi transformation" characteristic.

Xia Dong immediately calmed his mind and focused his inner vision.

The ancient, weathered bronze bell floated silently, emitting a distant chime that only he could hear.

Meanwhile, the crimson text on Zhong's body, describing his condition, had quietly undergone a real change.

My gaze shifted downwards, settling on that line of text:

[Spiritual Root: Empty]

Previously, Zhong's assessment of his spiritual root was "none".

Now, the word "nothing" has disappeared, and it has been replaced by the word "empty".

The bronze bell's deductions and descriptions of its own state are always extremely accurate, yet they always carry a hint of ineffable profound mystery.

Xia Dong stared intently at the character "空" (empty), noticing that it appeared and disappeared intermittently on the mottled bronze bell wall, seemingly there and not there.

Each flicker seemed to wander between reality and illusion, exuding a profound Taoist charm that lies between "existence" and "non-existence".

"A spiritual root with the void attribute?"

Xia Dong was greatly surprised.

He read extensively and learned from the Eagle Wolf Guard's top-secret records and the "Miscellaneous Records of Cultivation" in the market that most cultivators' spiritual roots are mixed spiritual roots containing the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Those with excellent aptitude may even develop mutated attributes such as wind, thunder, and ice, or even a single five-elemental attribute of heavenly spiritual root.

But he had never heard of a spiritual root in this world called "Void".

With this doubt and expectation, Xia Dong did not hesitate. He immediately closed his eyes and began to circulate the Qi-refining method of the "Mysterious Yin Scripture," trying to absorb the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.

Once the magical power is activated, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surges into the body under the guidance of the divine consciousness.

"Twenty percent!"

The spiritual energy that roamed freely between heaven and earth flowed into his body through his pores and orifices. After completing one major cycle, he managed to retain a full 20% of the spiritual energy, perfectly transforming it into his own profound Yin power!

This is a true qualitative leap.

It should be noted that when the basic chapter of "Changchun Xingqi Jue" was about to be completed and was at a bottleneck, he tried his best, but his spiritual energy conversion efficiency was stuck at 10%, making it difficult to make any progress.

Now, efficiency has doubled.

Although Xia Dong was well aware that a 20% spiritual energy conversion efficiency would be considered at the bottom level of a mixed spiritual root in the cultivation world, and the degree of spiritual energy refining and absorption would still be very average.

However, a mortal root that was riddled with holes and could hardly refine any spiritual energy was forcibly reshaped and elevated to the level of a spiritual root capable of refining 20% ​​of spiritual energy.

This inconceivable cultivation method is absolutely defying the heavens.

As magical power flowed freely within his body, Xia Dong gained a deeper understanding of this newly formed "empty" spiritual root.

He discovered that when he breathed, although the speed at which he absorbed spiritual energy was not fast, his whole being was in extremely close harmony with the surrounding heaven and earth.

He seemed to have transformed into a void vessel, encompassing all things.

In this state of "emptiness", he felt that he was in harmony with the rules of this world like never before. With each breath, he had a mysterious feeling of communion with the heavens and man and merging into the void.

In this ethereal state of communion with nature, a profound realization flashed through Xia Dong's mind.

He finally understood the essential difference between "Qi" and "magical power" within his body.

The "Qi" cultivated through the "Changchun Xingqi Jue" is inward-looking. It does not rely on external means, nor is it bound by the Five Elements laws of heaven and earth. What it elevates is the purest "origin" of life. It will gradually push this mortal body of flesh and blood to a higher level of life.

The "Mysterious Yin Power" cultivated through the "Mysterious Yin Scripture" is outward-oriented. It is a product born in accordance with the laws of this world and the heavens. Power is a tool for connecting heaven and earth, used to cast spells, control magical artifacts, and manipulate the rules of the world.

...

...

Xia Dong slowly stood up and stretched his limbs.

As he moved, a clear, crisp sound, like jade colliding, could be faintly heard from within his body, rather than the dull cracking of bones typical of martial artists.

This is a sign that the body is gradually adapting to its new "root system" after "Qi" disperses into the limbs and bones.

He felt lighter than ever before, as if a thick, invisible shackle had been removed, and even his breathing became incredibly smooth.

Xia Dong did not rush to leave seclusion. Instead, he sat down cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and began to thoroughly review and summarize his cultivation achievements over the past year.

"Now, I have a solid foundation for the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit."

He secretly calculated in his heart:

Martial Arts (Refined): Has entered the Inner Strength Realm. With the help of the "Mysterious Yin Kidney Refining Technique", not only is the Qi and blood as heavy and solid as lead and mercury, but also the Divine Palace is opened in the kidneys, attempting to nurture the "Mysterious Yin Divine Water" which is extremely Yin and soft.

Immortal power (qi): With the steady progress of the "Mysterious Yin Scripture" and the accumulation of elixirs, his magical power has reached the third level of Qi Refining.

Divine Sense (Spirit): Through the extreme exploitation of talisman making and alchemy, his divine sense has reached the fifth level of Qi Refining perfection. Although he is stuck at a bottleneck due to the lack of higher quality Yin Sha Pills, this level of divine sense strength is definitely remarkable among low-level cultivators.

He is skilled in all cultivation arts: he can achieve a 90% success rate in making Qi Gathering Pills and various basic talismans. For cultivation below the Foundation Establishment stage, he no longer has any financial problems.

"However, the basic chapter of the 'Eternal Spring Qi Circulation Technique' is complete, and it has successfully helped me transform my innate abilities. But... what about the techniques after the basic chapter?"

The "Changchun Xingqi Jue" is a practice that directly points to the origin of life, and its potential is immeasurable. Xia Dong naturally did not want to stop there.

Xia Dong's gaze gradually deepened, and an idea that had been brewing in his mind quietly took shape.

"Qi" governs the internal, cultivating the origin of life and the foundation of immortality; "Dharma power" governs the external, cultivating the laws of heaven and earth and serving as a means of protecting the Dao.

"One is internal, the other external. Now that the basic chapter of the Changchun Qi Circulation Technique has been perfected, it's time to integrate the Xuan Yin Scripture into it."

His divine sense instantly sank into his sea of ​​consciousness, gazing at the ancient, weathered bronze bell.

Do it when you think of it.

Without any hesitation, Xia Dong flipped his wrist and poured out the accumulated spirit stones from his storage bag.

"Suck it."

Guided by Xia Dong's divine sense, the spiritual energy of a pile of spirit stones transformed into a dazzling light, which was then poured into the ancient bronze bell in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness.

The spirit stones, having lost their spiritual energy, turned into a pile of grayish-white powder.

hum!

Having absorbed a massive amount of spiritual energy, the ancient bell suddenly erupted with a magnificent, soul-shaking chime. On the bell's surface, the ancient and twisted scarlet characters began to flash and recombine wildly.

Xia Dong's mind and spirit.

The practice routes of "Changchun Xingqi Jue" and the profound mysteries of "Xuanyin Jing" are being incorporated into the deduction of the ancient bell without reservation.

He waited quietly.

"Bronze bell, let me see what kind of path you can deduce for me."