Chapter 354: Chapter 339: Green Wood Spirit Body, Body Refining Divine Techniques [3 updates, please subscribe!]
In the mountains, years seem to pass without notice, not knowing the cold or heat of the seasons.
In the blink of an eye, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian have stayed in the cave dwelling deep in the Wilderness for seven years.
Zhouyang had never expected to stay in the depths of the Wilderness for so long.
Originally, according to his plan, once the former owner of this cave dwelling transitioned into a ghost cultivator and led him to the "Nine Heavens Profound Gold," he would immediately leave and return to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
However, plans can’t keep up with changes.
There were two changes: the first was that transitioning to a ghost cultivator took much longer than he expected.
Even with the cave owner’s Golden Core Stage eighth-layer cultivation, it took them three and a half years to achieve this.
The second was that Jiang Fengxian, after three years of seclusion and taking three pieces of the "Cloud Mist Immortal Tea" and two Tier Four top-grade spirit pills provided by him, suddenly broke through to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion and then asked him to act as her guardian for a few years while she attempted to reach the Golden Core Stage!
To be honest, if someone else had just advanced to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion and immediately talked about achieving the Golden Core, Zhouyang would have suspected they were crazy about forming a core.
But when Jiang Fengxian made this request, he found it impossible to refuse her.
The reason was simple; Jiang Fengxian was not an ordinary Ninth-Layer Purple Mansion cultivator but a Spirit Body Cultivator with a special spirit body.
Yes, after advancing to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion and preparing to attempt the Golden Core formation, Jiang Fengxian finally revealed to Zhouyang that she was a Spirit Body Cultivator.
According to Jiang Fengxian, her spirit body was called the "Green Wood Spirit Body," naturally suited for practicing wood element techniques.
As is well known, any cultivator with a spirit body is destined to reach the Golden Core Stage unless they die prematurely.
This explains why, during the division of treasures, she said she didn’t need any spiritual objects for assisting Golden Core formation.
Indeed, for a Spirit Body Cultivator, these spiritual objects are irrelevant, as they are certain to form a Golden Core regardless.
Upon learning that Jiang Fengxian was a Spirit Body Cultivator, Zhouyang was shocked but had no reason to refuse her request.
What’s more, when Jiang Fengxian made the request, she promised to share her experiences and insights into core formation with him once she succeeded.
Even for this experience and the chance to witness the phenomena of core formation firsthand, he couldn’t refuse Jiang Fengxian’s request.
Thus, he waited, and it took nearly four more years.
Now, after seven years, while Jiang Fengxian’s core formation has yet to yield any results, Zhouyang’s cultivation has reached the peak of the Third Layer of the Purple Mansion with the help of various spiritual objects and elixirs.
If not for fearing suspicion from advancing too quickly to the Fourth Layer of the Purple Mansion, he could have taken the Tier Four Middle Grade Spirit Pill "Chongxuan Pill" to attempt a breakthrough.
"Elder Xu, Jiang Daoyou has been in seclusion for almost four years with no movement at all, what’s going on? Isn’t it said that Spirit Body Cultivators are certain to become Golden Core Stage cultivators? Is it possible that the rumors are wrong?"
In the garden of Cyan Cloud Garden, Zhouyang stared unblinkingly at the main hall where Jiang Fengxian was in seclusion, his face full of confusion and concern, transmitting his doubts to the former owner of Cyan Cloud Garden.
The original owner of the Cyan Cloud Garden was surnamed Xu, named Xu Song, and was a Golden Core Stage eighth-layer loose cultivator during his lifetime.
After obtaining the "Nine Heavens Profound Gold" from a secret realm, he initially intended to trade it for treasures that would help him in Nascent Soul formation, but he ended up being hunted by a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.
In the pursuit from the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, he managed to escape into the depths of the Wilderness Jungle using an array and his pre-prepared escape methods, but his body was destroyed by the techniques of the Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, forcing him to flee as a primordial spirit into the "Spiritual Treasure Token," waiting for a chance to possess and be reborn.
Like the "Nine Heavens Profound Gold," the "Spiritual Treasure Token" was another treasure Xu Song obtained from a secret realm, crafted with the Tier Six Spirit Wood "Soul Nourishing Wood," and could be used as a container for the divine soul of a body-less cultivator.
The divine soul or Golden Core Primordial Spirit of a cultivator without a body could be nourished by the treasure’s power, preventing its demise, and even stopping any reduction in lifespan.
Of course, this nourishing effect couldn’t last forever, and according to Xu Song’s estimates, the effect would fade after at most a thousand years, and then those who should die would still die.
The treasure map obtained by Li Zhengwei was specifically created by Xu Song before abandoning his body; he had his spirit pets take them out of the cave and into the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
He made three identical treasure maps in total, given to the three spirit pets he raised in the cave to take out, but in the end, only one spirit pet successfully brought the map to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
This treasure map, after circulating among countless middle-to-low-tier cultivators for over three hundred years, eventually ended up in the hands of Li Zhengwei and was decoded by him.
But what Xu Song never expected was that the treasure-seeker he waited over three hundred years for did not become a target for his possession and rebirth, but instead became his master!
Yes, his master!
After transitioning into a ghost cultivator, Xu Song signed a "Nether Contract" with Zhouyang, acknowledging him as his master and becoming Zhouyang’s ghost servant.
Of course, he did not become Zhouyang’s ghost servant without any conditions. According to the contract he and Zhouyang established, he could become Zhouyang’s ghost servant and assist Zhouyang loyally in cultivation and battles in the future.
However, Zhouyang must agree that if someday they are fortunate enough to form a Nascent Soul, he has to diligently seek out the legendary "Netherworld Passage" and let him enter the legendary "Netherworld" for cultivation.
The matter of forming a Nascent Soul is still far off for Zhouyang. If they are indeed fortunate enough to form one in the future, he would already be at the pinnacle of the cultivation realm, and finding the so-called "Netherworld Passage" would require nothing more than issuing a reward notice.
So, he agreed to Xu Song’s condition without hesitation and formed a contract with him.
After the contract was formed, Xu Song, this late-stage Purple Mansion ghost cultivator, settled completely in the "Spiritual Treasure Token" and became Zhouyang’s behind-the-scenes advisor and teacher.
Whenever Zhouyang encountered any questions or problems in cultivation, he would consult Xu Song, never truly regarding him as a servant.
And Xu Song, as long as he could answer Zhouyang’s questions, would do so without reservation, faithfully fulfilling his duties as a servant.
The collaboration between the man and the ghost was quite pleasant, at least for now.
Thus, upon hearing Zhouyang’s question now, Xu Song, hidden within the "Spiritual Treasure Token," immediately responded, "The legend is undeniable; Spirit Body Cultivators indeed have no possibility of failing in Core Formation. However, the young girl just advanced to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion and likely spent some time consolidating her cultivation, which is why there hasn’t been any news yet."
Xu Song practiced up to the Eighth-Layer Golden Core Stage during his lifetime, lived over seven hundred years, and had personally witnessed several Spirit Body Cultivators. Zhouyang had faith in his words.
"Let’s set that matter aside for now. How is the translation of the ’Silver Talisman Text’ I requested of you coming along?"
Zhouyang nodded slightly, withdrew his gaze, and changed the topic to another issue.
It turns out that several years ago, during his exchange about Artifact Refining Skills with Xu Song, he unexpectedly learned that Xu Song knew quite a lot about the "Silver Talisman Text," so he handed over the imprint he had taken from the Beast-Faced Dragon Cauldron’s interior for Xu Song to translate.
Upon hearing Zhouyang inquire about this, Xu Song immediately said, "It’s almost done, just give me another year or two, and I should be able to translate the entire content."
"From the content you’ve translated so far, what does this ’Silver Talisman Text’ document?"
"If my translation is accurate, those ’Silver Talisman Texts’ should be recording a highly potent method for cultivating Body Refining Divine Techniques."
"Body Refining Divine Techniques?"
Zhouyang raised his eyebrows, his eyes showing a hint of shock.
In the cultivation realm, although some do practice body refining techniques, it is mainly done by middle-to-low tier cultivators who are left with no other choices to enhance their battle strength.
In most cultivators’ eyes, the path of body refining is seen as an insignificant and unworthy endeavor, not worth the time spent for cultivation.
After all, human cultivators are inherently weak physically compared to demon beasts, barbaric beasts, or even the barbaric alien race. Cultivating body refining techniques seems to be using one’s weaknesses against strengths, and not worthy of wasting time on.
And what’s the use of a strong body?
No matter how strong a cultivator’s body might be, it cannot surpass those beasts that specialize in body refining, right?
Yet what has become of the barbaric beast race that once ruled the world?
Doesn’t this demonstrate the failure of body refining?
For these reasons, in the cultivation realm, the path of body refining has never prospered, and Zhouyang had never heard of any sect primarily focusing on body refining techniques.
But now, Xu Song tells him that the "Silver Talisman Text" in his possession is a method for cultivating Body Refining Divine Techniques, which leaves him astonished.
It should be noted that any method termed as "Divine Technique" requires at least the Purple Mansion Stage to begin cultivating, and one must reach the Golden Core Stage to thoroughly master it. To achieve great success, one must even reach the Nascent Soul Stage!
What does this indicate?
This indicates that the human cultivation realm has, at some point, possessed a Nascent Soul Stage Body Refining Cultivator!
Because creating a divine technique requires a minimum of Nascent Soul Cultivation to accomplish!
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, your physical body is already stronger than many of your peers. If you cultivate a Body Refining Divine Technique, in the future, although your body strength might not equal that of the same-tier barbaric beasts, reaching the same tier as the demon beasts shouldn’t be an issue. This would be extremely beneficial whether for magical combat, or when venturing into secret realms where magical cultivation might be suppressed!"
Xu Song continued with his suggestion, clearly hoping Zhouyang would cultivate that Body Refining Divine Technique.
After all, to him, the stronger Zhouyang becomes, the greater the possibility of regaining his freedom in the future.
However, Zhouyang did not rashly make a decision based on Xu Song’s words. He just shook his head, saying, "Let’s talk about it later. This Body Refining Divine Technique has never been heard of before. Even if it does exist, it must be difficult to cultivate. Whether to truly practice this divine technique should wait until Elder Xu has fully translated it."
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