The Grandmaster, Dao Yuan Xian Shi, had once told Ling Tian that the Lie Yang Jue was a top-tier cultivation technique, capable of producing Samadhi True Fire when cultivated to its peak.
This Samadhi True Fire was immensely powerful, not only for eliminating enemies and vanquishing evil spirits but also for refining artifacts and concocting pills.
The reason Dao Yuan Xian Shi did not cultivate this technique himself was that it demanded extremely high physical fitness and cultivation levels. Without reaching a certain degree of cultivation, it was difficult to even grasp the basics of the technique.
Back then, by the time Dao Yuan Xian Shi's cultivation reached the threshold for practicing the Lie Yang Jue, he was already over forty-five years old. His physical functions had declined, making him unable to support the cultivation of this technique.
Furthermore, the Lie Yang Jue generated a large amount of fire poison during its cultivation process, requiring a woman with a special physique to cultivate it alongside him. As a Taoist, where would he find such a person?
Therefore, Dao Yuan Xian Shi placed his hopes on Ling Tian. As long as Ling Tian could reach the threshold before the age of thirty, he could begin cultivating.
To Dao Yuan Xian Shi's surprise, Ling Tian had obtained a great fortuitous encounter, unlocking the Key to the Spiritual Realm, and had also found a treasure land for cultivation in Wangjia Village, causing his cultivation to surge.
This time when Ling Tian ascended the mountain, Dao Yuan Xian Shi examined Ling Tian's cultivation and was delighted to discover that Ling Tian could now practice the Lie Yang Jue, finally giving his approval.
Ling Tian's true essence within his body circulated along a specific route, and during this process, his body greedily absorbed energy from the sunlight.
This energy converged into Ling Tian's true essence, undergoing a profound transformation.
Normally, true essence was difficult to see with the naked eye. However, when one's true essence was exceptionally profound and projected outwards, it could be seen as a milky white energy.
But now, if Ling Tian's true essence were released, it would be seen to have a faint reddish hue, the color one sees when closing their eyes and facing the sun.
If a thermometer were inserted into Ling Tian at this moment, it would undoubtedly show his body temperature had risen to 42 degrees Celsius and was still climbing.
For ordinary people, this would be a dangerous situation. However, for Ling Tian, his body felt not only comfortable but incredibly at ease.
This true essence, infused with solar energy, circulated through Ling Tian's meridians, continuously burning away impurities within his body and tempering his physique.
Finally, this true essence converged at Ling Tian's shoulders and the top of his head, the three points where his Yang Fire burned even more intensely.
In Taoist theory, the shoulders and the top of the head each possess a Yang Fire, also referred to as True Fire or other names.
These three fires fluctuate in strength depending on one's fate and physique. Young, strong men have the most vigorous Yang Fire, followed by women.
The elderly, the young, or those who are weak and sickly have very diminished Yang Fire.
A weakened Yang Fire leads to frailty, susceptibility to illness, and makes one vulnerable to the invasion of malevolent spirits.
Under normal circumstances, the three fires of the human body, as long as the person is alive and not ensnared by Yin energy, will reignite. However, in abnormal states such as death, near-death, or unconsciousness, the fires will extinguish and will not reignite within a short period, or may not reignite at all.
After Ling Tian completed one cycle of circulation, the transformed true essence within him finally merged into these three Yang Fires.
If the Yang Fire of an ordinary young adult man was the size of a lighter flame, Ling Tian's Yang Fire was about the size of a fist!
An hour later, Ling Tian suddenly felt his true essence waning and immediately stopped.
He checked his body and was greatly surprised.
Just now, he had transformed his true essence and then used this transformed true essence to temper his body and purge impurities, much like refining steel.
During this process, the original, untransformed true essence within him was heavily consumed. The untransformed true essence remaining in his body was now almost completely depleted.
Ling Tian roughly calculated that this conversion of true essence was essentially a refinement of his original true essence.
However, the quantity of true essence after refinement was only one-tenth of the original amount!
Only now did Ling Tian understand why Grandmaster insisted on waiting until his cultivation reached a certain level before practicing the Lie Yang Jue.
If his cultivation were insufficient and he didn't have enough true essence, he might not even complete one cycle before his true essence ran dry. This would not only prevent him from mastering the divine technique but also damage his fundamental being!
Ling Tian went to the pavilion in the third-floor greenhouse. This was the place with the densest spiritual energy in Ling Tian's home and the core of the spirit-gathering formation.
He cultivated here for another two hours until the true essence absorbed within his body was almost full, at which point he stopped.
Ling Tian felt the changes in his body. Although he was bare-chested, he felt no cold. His entire body was warm, as if he were basking by a fireplace.
The three fires above his head and on his shoulders burned joyfully. Ling Tian could even sense that these three fires seemed alive, possessing emotions of their own.
Ling Tian knew well that these three fires were extraordinary. According to the descriptions in the Lie Yang Jue, the fire atop his head was called the Divine Fire, which could be used to cultivate the spirit and attack various spiritual entities.
The fire on his left shoulder was called the Life Fire, also known as the Fire of Life, related to vitality, and could be used for healing and artifact refining.
The fire on his right shoulder was called the Karmic Fire, a fire representing destruction, capable of burning and destroying everything.
When the Karmic Fire was cultivated to great mastery, it could even easily burn through metal!
Of course, Ling Tian still had a very long way to go to reach the stage of mastery described in the technique!
...
Inside a nightclub in Jiangshan City, this was a famous den of extravagance in Jiangshan City, rumored to offer any service imaginable as long as one had the money.
At this moment, in a luxurious private room of the nightclub, two men, surrounded by a group of alluring women, were clinking glasses incessantly.
If Ling Tian were present, he would have recognized both men. One was Bai Haotian, the young master of the Bai family, and the other was Jin Peng, the young master of the Jin family in Jiangshan City.
It was not unusual for these two playboys to be together. The Jin family was involved in illicit businesses, and the Bai family often employed underhanded tactics.
Birds of a feather flock together; these two families had numerous business collaborations. It was perfectly normal for these two scions to be in each other's company.
Originally, the two young masters had come out for entertainment with women, but as they drank, their mood turned somber.
"Brother Bai, it's been more than half a year since we last met."
"Yes, I was beaten and crippled, then fell seriously ill. I almost died!"