Divine Transcendence

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"Yes, this time at dawn they gave me a Foundation Establishment Pill. With nothing better to do on the road, I passed through a quiet valley and couldn’t resist taking it. I never expected that with my mediocre talent, I would succeed in Foundation Establishment with just one pill. Truly a stroke of luck." Yuan Ming chuckled.

"Congratulations, congratulations! How can this be mere luck? This is the result of accumulated efforts paying off. Crossing this monumental gap adds a hundred years to your lifespan, and now the path to greatness lies ahead," Wu Lu hurriedly congratulated with a fist and palm salute.

"With this, we can still share a drink and merriment a hundred years from now," Yuan Ming replied. Both of them burst into hearty laughter.

"It was only after Foundation Establishment that I remembered something. When we were in the Bi Luo Cave, Brother Wu Lu, you must have already been at the Foundation Establishment stage, right? How did you manage to conceal your cultivation level and even fool so many elders?" Yuan Ming inquired.

Hearing this, a flash of pride crossed Wu Lu’s eyes before he quickly composed himself, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Ah, it’s just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."

"Brother Wu Lu, did you create this method of concealing your cultivation level yourself?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Where would I have such talent? The origins of this method are... complicated, please forgive me," Wu Lu glanced at Yuan Ming and said.

"Brother Wu Lu, with the destruction of Bi Luo Cave, I’m now a wandering soul. If I could learn your technique, I could disguise myself as a Qi Cultivation practitioner and find a way to join a prestigious sect," Yuan Ming sighed.

Upon hearing this, Wu Lu remained silent, his face contemplative, but he still shook his head and sighed, "Brother Yuan, if it were anything else, I might have agreed, but this technique really can’t be shared." "Brother Wu Lu, I have many magical artifacts, spirit stones, and even a spirit beast. If you’re willing to teach me this secret technique, whatever you ask for, I’ll do my utmost to fulfill," Yuan Ming said.

"To be honest, this technique for concealing one’s cultivation level is... it’s... I really can’t reveal it. If it weren’t for the mission assigned by my family, which forced me to act and break the formation, I would never reveal this technique. Please keep this a secret for me," Wu Lu said with a troubled expression. Although he was interested in Yuan Ming’s mysterious vines, he still refused.

"If that’s the case, Brother Wu Lu, don’t trouble yourself. I was too presumptuous. How about this—if I come across any secret techniques in the future, we can exchange them at equal value," Yuan Ming, knowing his bargaining chips were insufficient, tentatively suggested.

"Alright, we’ll talk about it when the time comes. Let’s not waste this rare reunion. Let’s enjoy a good drink and not let this meeting go in vain," Wu Lu said with a smile.

After speaking, he called over an inn attendant to set the table with more food and wine, and he began to drink and chat leisurely with Yuan Ming. As evening approached and they watched the sunset, Yuan Ming bid farewell with a fist and palm salute and returned to his lodging.

***

At night, Yuan Ming took out the Heaven-Stealing Cauldron again and lit a black incense stick. As the smoke wafted up, Yuan Ming quickly completed the possession and descended once more upon Wu Lu.

At that moment, Wu Lu stood by the window of his room, listening to the sound of the waves outside and gazing at the dark sea in the distance. He couldn’t possibly agree to Yuan Ming’s request from earlier that day. Suddenly, a snow-white bird with a red mark on its forehead appeared in the distant sky, flying towards him. The bird glided past the shadows of the trees and landed on Wu Lu’s windowsill. Wu Lu quickly reached out and caught the bird, removing a delicate jade slip from its ankle.

"A jade slip for messaging?" Yuan Ming thought to himself. When Wu Lu saw the jade slip, he instinctively frowned, clearly resistant to it. At the same time, Yuan Ming faintly sensed his inner thoughts: "Another mission, those ambitious old fellows in the clan are truly greedy."

As he spoke, Wu Lu took off the miniature jade slip and pressed it to his forehead. In the next instant, the contents of the jade slip appeared in Wu Lu’s sea of consciousness, and Yuan Ming also reviewed it.

The message was simple: infiltrate a sect called the Fire Element Sect as a new disciple, rise through the ranks to become a core disciple, and learn the sect’s core technique, the Red Fire Heart Method.

The jade slip contained the location and overview of the Fire Element Sect, mentioned the time of the next disciple recruitment event, and offered some advice and guidance. Additionally, it praised Wu Lu for not only completing the task set by his clan in infiltrating Bi Luo Cave but also for cooperating with the Dawn Alliance, achieving two goals with one action, which was highly commendable.

The clan recorded his achievements and promised that a tenth of the profits from the sale of the techniques and secrets obtained from Bi Luo Cave would be given to him.

As Wu Lu read this, he felt no joy but cursed inwardly, "Such a high risk for only a tenth of the profits? They’re all old fellows who only know how to give orders. If they’re so capable, why don’t they go themselves?"

After cursing, he couldn’t help but think that friends like Yuan Ming, whom he met by chance without many entanglements, were more precious and sincere. Yuan Ming, sensing his thoughts, couldn’t help but wonder if his psychological suggestion had been too much.

He reined in his doubts and remembered the real purpose of his visit, thinking to himself, "Sorry, Brother Wu Lu," and then began to secretly operate the Death Moon method, strengthening his own divine sense and firmly locking onto Wu Lu. Then, he began to repeat in his mind, "I haven’t practiced the secret technique in a long time; I should practice it again."

At first, it had no effect. But on the thirteenth repetition, Wu Lu, as if possessed, muttered, "I have to undertake another mission; I should get familiar with the secret technique."

He was stunned by his own thought, not understanding why it had occurred to him, but then he remembered Yuan Ming’s request from earlier that day and thought it was because of that. In fact, this was the third time Yuan Ming had suggested practicing the technique to conceal cultivation during possession.

His method of psychological suggestion was extremely limited; guiding the possessed person to perform a specific action was less likely to succeed the more complex the action or the less it fit the current situation.

Yuan Ming had thought he would surely fail, which is why he had tested the waters earlier in the day. Unexpectedly, whether it was because Wu Lu was reminded by Yuan Ming or because he had accepted a new infiltration mission and needed to review, he actually accepted Yuan Ming’s psychological suggestion.

He closed the window, set up a formation, released a spider that quickly spun a large web around the room, and then sat down on his bed to meditate.

Yuan Ming, sensing that Wu Lu was about to practice the secret technique, became excited and focused intently on the flow of Wu Lu’s magical power. Soon after, Wu Lu finished his meditation and began to silently recite the incantation of the secret technique.

Only then did Yuan Ming learn that this technique was called the Concealing Essence Art, a method of reversing the flow of magical power to seal some of the energy in the dantian, similar to a sealing technique.

As Wu Lu’s magical power reversed, his brow furrowed, his face turned red, and his breathing became rapid. The flow of magical power in the meridians was natural like a river when it flowed smoothly, but reversing it was like a tidal wave crashing backward, bringing indescribable pain. Even as a mere possessor within Wu Lu’s body, Yuan Ming could feel his agony and hear the rapid beating of his heart.

This reminded him of the time in the Hundred Thousand Mountains when he had saved Wu Lu and witnessed a similar scene, sending shivers down his spine. It seemed that practicing the Concealing Essence Art carried certain risks, and he would need to be careful when cultivating and using it in the future.

Fortunately, the process didn’t last long; after about a dozen breaths, the pain from the reversal of magical power disappeared, and the energy that had been scattered in the veins returned to Wu Lu’s dantian, restrained by a sealing force and falling dormant. His breathing and heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

Perhaps because it was only a practice session, Wu Lu’s aura only fell from the Foundation Establishment stage back to the seventh level of Qi Cultivation, without being completely sealed to become an ordinary mortal. After all, that would mean sealing all magical power, and the process of reversing the flow of energy and meridians would likely be longer and more painful.

After the practice, Wu Lu checked his body and found no abnormalities. He placed a hand on his dantian and silently recited the unsealing incantation. A surge of magical power entered his dantian from his palm, immediately releasing the seal. The awakened energy burst forth, causing Wu Lu’s face to redden and his head to spin. Before he could fully recover, Yuan Ming’s time for possession had come to an end.

When he awoke in his own room, he immediately sat in meditation, recalling every phrase of the incantation Wu Lu had recited and every detail of the flow of magical power.

***

With the support of his powerful soul, this was not difficult. After confirming every detail, Yuan Ming closed his eyes and began his first attempt.

Half an hour later, he lay on the bed with a flushed face and aching body, his chest heaving violently. The first attempt had failed as expected; the pain of the meridians reversing was now his alone to bear, and he realized how truly bone-deep it was. Everything had its price.

Yuan Ming grimaced and struggled on the bed for a while before finally calming down. Throughout the process, his mind never stopped pondering his mistakes, and as soon as he recovered, he immediately began his second attempt, followed by a third and a fourth.

As dawn broke, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged on the bed with a calm expression.

At that moment, the aura emanating from him was unmistakably at the seventh level of Qi Cultivation—he had succeeded. The Concealing Essence Art was indeed a heaven-defying technique. He took a moment to adjust his breathing, getting used to the state of his energy being sealed and suppressed, then got up and moved around the courtyard before using the unsealing method to restore his dantian’s magical power.

***

At noon, Wu Lu came to find Yuan Ming on his own initiative. Without asking, Yuan Ming knew he was there to say goodbye, ready to embark on his next mission.

Seeing Yuan Ming’s listless appearance, Wu Lu felt an inexplicable guilt. Yuan Ming, too, felt remorseful; after all, he had stolen Wu Lu’s secret technique, albeit through his own abilities, but it was still somewhat unfair to him.

Both harboring their own thoughts, they said their farewells, each telling the other to take great care. Clearly, the challenges they would face in the coming period were not easy, each fraught with risk.

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