Chapter 0347: Rank 4 Imperial Body
Time flies quickly for someone in the middle of cultivation.
When Ning Cheng saw that the broken crystal stone had turned even dimmer, he did not continue using it. At this moment, he had already cultivated to the Soul Essence 8th Level; if he ultimately consumed this crystal stone, at max, he would only reach the Soul Essence 9th Level in his cultivation.
Shi Qionghua had still not come back, so Ning Cheng could only continue with his Body-Forging.
Body-Forging not only needed rich amounts of Spiritual Qi, but one also had to find a place suitable for Body-Forging. However, in the Sifting Orchid Star, there was no shortage of places ideal for Body-Forging.
Ning Cheng collected the jade card for the immortal cave that Shi Qionghua had left behind and temporarily left the place he was staying. He knew that his cultivation currently was still too low; at least in regards to the cultivators staying in the Sifting Orchid Star, his current Cultivation Level was indeed quite small.
The first place that Ning Cheng reached was a place filled with Spacial Turbulences. Although this site that he was at was only at the periphery of the Spacial Turbulences and was not very serious; but after Ning Cheng entered, his clothes were utterly shredded apart revealing his bare naked body. Fortunately, there was no one in this place; as such, he did not feel too much uncomfortable with his current predicament.
The Body-Forging Cultivation Method left behind by Shi Qionghua had only completed a single heavenly cycle, when the flesh on Ning Cheng’s entire body started bleeding under the effects of the shearing powers of the Spacial Turbulences.
Although he could feel his body strengthening up slowly, Ning Cheng still thought that it was too slow. He then began to integrate the Embracing Yang God Tactic with the Body-Forging Cultivation Method left behind by Shi Qionghua. With the help of the Mysterious Yellow Formless Cultivation Method, fusing the two Body-Forging Cultivation Methods was not very difficult for Ning Cheng.
With the new Body-Forging Cultivation Method being improvised continuously, Ning Cheng also slowly began to move deeper into this place rich in Spacial Turbulences. This kind of movement, even he was unaware of it.
He had only moved forward a single foot when Ning Cheng’s entire body was once again covered with many bloodstains. But even with a bloodstained body, he still entered a kind of Body-Forging state of mind, as if he was gaining an epiphany.
Body-Forging Cultivators rarely had any kind of sudden enlightenment, especially since Body-Forging and Cultivation were two entirely separate concepts. Once one encounters an epiphany in Body-Forging, it was very much possible to lose their lives. Moreover, Body-Forging was a process that just did not need any insights, as it entirely relied on the harsh nature of the inferior environment to quench the corporeal body.
“Katcha” A crisp snap immediately sobered up Ning Cheng from his current enlightenment. Not waiting for him to understand his current environment, a poof sound emerged, as a Spacial Blade Light swept across his waist, carving out a long, bloodstained mouth; causing blood to instantly spray out in the form of mist.
Ning Cheng immediately was shocked in his heart, as he hastily backtracked his steps. At this moment, he discovered that he had unknowingly arrived at an area densely packed with Spacial Turbulences. In this place, there were not only the usual Spacial Turbulences, but there were even Spacial Wind Blades. If Ning Cheng chose to move further ahead, he might end up encountering much denser and even more powerful Spacial Wind Blades. At that point, he would not know how he would end up dead.
Ning Cheng sucked in a mouthful of cold air; he had been immersed in Body-Forging for a full month. In addition to a slight consolidation of his body under the Body-Forging Cultivation Method, he was not able to discover any progress. He was still stuck with a Rank 2 Spiritual Body. Other than his Spiritual Body growing slightly more condensed, he had not achieved anything.
The jade strip left behind by Shi Qionghua contained a clear introduction, that is, if one chose to undergo Body-Forging, then they would have to withstand loneliness and endure a lot of pain. However, Ning Cheng was not too resistant when it came to facing such pain levels. Moreover, he also felt that the speed of this kind of Body-Forging was too slow.
After swallowing a few pills, Ning Cheng decided that he could not continue to go on like this, as such he returned to the immortal cave under the cliff. He decided to first focus on alchemy; he already had piles of Spiritual Grasses from Rank 5 to Rank 7, once transforming all of it into pills, he would then continue with his Body-Forging. He was aware that there was a Rank 6 Profound Pill called the Cleansing Earth Pill, which could provide him with a massive help during Body-Forging.
……
One month later, Ning Cheng was able to refine Supreme Grade Rank 5 Profound Pills with ease. Four months later, Ning Cheng was able to produce Supreme Grade Rank 6 Profound Pills, the ‘Clean Lotus Pills’, officially advancing to a Tier 6 Profound Pill Master. Six months later, Ning Cheng was successfully able to refine a cauldron full of medium grade ‘Clear Jade Pills.’
‘Clear Jade Pills’ was Rank 7 Pills, although it was just a batch of Medium Grade Rank 7 Obstruction Resisting Pill, the restorative True Essence contained within it was simply not something a Rank 6 Pill could compare to. The appearance of ‘Clear Jade Pills’ also meant that Ning Cheng had finally become a genuine Tier 7 Pill Grand Master.
But at this moment, Ning Cheng was feeling quite regretful. He just had no more Rank 7 Spiritual Grasses on his body to continue experimenting. Otherwise, he was sure that he could become a Supreme Grade Tier 7 Pill Grand Master within a month.
Six months later, other than the Spiritual Grasses that were wasted, the rest of the Spiritual Grasses were turned into piles of pills by Ning Cheng. Profound Replenishment Pills, Rapid Essence Pills, Clean Lotus Pills, Cleansing Rain Pills, Profound Life Pills, Cleansing Earth Pills……
Amongst the twenty kinds of pills, the most important to Ning Cheng were the three pills, the Clean Lotus Pills, the Cleansing Rain Pills, and the Cleansing Earth Pills. Moreover, all these three were Rank 6 Profound Pills.
Cleansing Rain Pill was a top quality healing pill since Ning Cheng was to undergo Body-Forging. Thus he absolutely needed healing pills. The Cleansing Earth Pill was a Body-Forging Pill that could help accelerate the process of solidifying the cultivator’s corporeal body. As for the Clean Lotus Pill, it was used to wash away the pill poisons from the pills consumed and also to remove other impurities from the body.
With the three pills mutually reinforcing each other, Ning Cheng thought that he was almost ready to begin. If even after using all these supplements, he was still unable to speed up his process of Body-Forging, then he just had no other alternatives that he could use.
……
Arriving at the last place he cultivated, the place filled with Spacial Turbulences; to avoid his clothes being torn off once again by the Spacial Turbulences, Ning Cheng just took off all his clothes in advance before stepping in.
The tearing Spacial Turbulences once again swept over. If it was because of a psychological effect or if it was because of his usage of the Mysterious Yellow Formless to fuse the Body-Forging Cultivation Methods to make it even more powerful, Ning Cheng felt his body’s quenching speed had turned significantly faster.
Ning Cheng slowly moved forward into the Spacial Turbulence, although his body’s quenching speed has increased a lot, as he approached the place where he was previously severely injured, it still caused his body to erupt with several blood-stained gashes because of the Wind Blades. Ning Cheng did not dare to continue moving forward, he swallowed a Cleansing Rain Pill, then crazily operated the Formless Body-Forging Cultivation Method in that place, while simultaneously resisting the surrounding disorderly Spacial Wind Blades.
“Chi” Sounds of blood splashing resounded unceasingly, as these small Spacial Blade Lights continued to slide across Ning Cheng’s skin, although they were able to bring out a bloody trail, they were unable to rip into Ning Cheng’s body.
However, as Ning Cheng’s corporeal body was being increasingly enhanced over time, it caused many light ‘Ka-Ka’ sounds to suddenly emerge. When those tiny Spacial Blade Lights grazed past Ning Cheng’s body, these few small Spacial Blade Lights were simply not able to lacerate Ning Cheng’s flesh. This caused Ning Cheng to become overjoyed, he knew in his heart what those several light ‘Ka-Ka’ sounds meant. It was an indication of the partial reorganisation of his bones, at this moment; he became aware that he had finally advanced to a Rank 3 Spiritual Body.
He had only just started practising Body-Forging, yet was already able to advance to possessing a Rank 3 Spiritual Body, which for Ning Cheng was an enormous encouragement. He continued to make his way forward very carefully; the places filled with Spacial Turbulences were the best places for Ning Cheng to practice Body-Forging. The turbulence on the periphery was quite weak, but it became more powerful the more inside one went, even the strength of crisscrossing Spacial Blade Lights increased exponentially the deeper one went.
After carefully making his way forward for about ten feet, a sense of extreme danger washed over him. Ning Cheng subconsciously moved his body, but a ‘Puff’ still emerged as a bloody arrow sprayed out of him; half of Ning Cheng’s shoulder was almost cut off. If he had not advanced to a Rank 3 Spiritual Body, then at this moment he would have completely lost his arm. But with half of his shoulder almost cut off, it resulted in an incredibly terrifying pain to erupt within him.
Ning Cheng immediately became aware of the danger in this location, here there were crisscrossing Spacial Blade Lights in all directions, having a shoulder split off would be considered a light injury; if severe, then one might even end up having their waist split open.
Even if that was the case, Ning Cheng still did not back down. He realised at this moment that those words from Uncle Yu were not without merit. For one to undergo Body-Forging, they can entirely not be timid, if at such a moment they turned fearful, then they would forever be unable to advance to possessing an Imperial Body.
Fortunately, Ning Cheng had made adequate preparations; after he swallowed a Cleansing Rain Pill, he then took two Cleansing Earth Pills one after another. Operating the Formless Body-Forging Cultivation Method to the extreme, the ingested Cleansing Earth Pills started to fuse into his essence blood, allowing Ning Cheng to feel that his corporeal body was growing more and more condensed.
The continually crisscrossing Spacial Wind Blades appeared and disappeared at random, although the first Spacial Wind Blade had almost cut off Ning Cheng’s shoulder and arm, the subsequent Wind Edges were still causing Ning Cheng some injuries, at least they were not as dangerous as before. Moreover, Ning Cheng was also getting more and more comfortable in being able to deal with them.
On the surface, Ning Cheng looked covered entirely in blood to the point that anyone would think that he was seriously injured, but the fact was that only Ning Cheng was apparent that the injuries inflicted on him were not fatal at all. Instead, they were just some fleshy wounds. The only time when the pain felt unbearable for him was when those Wind Edges managed to touch his bones that kind of pain felt genuinely excruciating.
As one month passed by, Ning Cheng grudgingly passed it through the slow process of Body-Forging. At the start of the second month, although Ning Cheng had still not yet advanced to an Imperial Body, he could now wholly ignore the Spacial Wind Blades flashing around him. The surface of his body even began to scab over, showing that there were only some fleshy wounds; even the scars created by the Wind Edges that reached to the bones were starting to heal up.
Ning Cheng once again chose to head deeper into the Spacial Turbulence, all the while thinking if he could combine the Body-Forging Cultivation Method with the usual Cultivation Method that he was cultivating. Otherwise, if he ended up spending time on Body-Forging and then utilise a separate amount of time over regular cultivation, it would only end up being a waste of precious time for him.
As Ning Cheng walked deeper into the Spacial Turbulence, he once again began to be injured.
Ning Cheng would get injured, cultivate, then get hurt once again, before going into cultivation once again, this kind of process repeated day after day as a dull routine.
Three months later, Ning Cheng no longer felt that he was progressing, at the same time he also did not feel as if he reached the threshold to the Rank 4 Imperial Body. Ning Cheng knew that he had no choice but to go in deeper. Only then would he have the opportunity to advance to a Rank 4 Imperial Body.
But after moving a few feet forward, several Wind Edges struck onto Ning Cheng’s body without any warning, piercing deep into his body and reaching his bones; causing bone cracking sounds to emerge, resulting in Ning Cheng coming to an immediate stop. If he suffered a more substantial injury than this, would he still be able to survive? Not to mention, could he even move after crazily operating the Body-Forging Cultivation Method?
The area already had incredibly dense Spacial Wind Edges, while Ning Cheng’s flesh and blood was already flying in all direction; even his skeleton was fracturing inch by inch. Ning Cheng’s complexion was turning paler; it felt as if the next moment his body would not belong to him anymore. He immediately grabbed a Cleansing Earth Pill and a Cleansing Rain Pill, before swallowing both of them simultaneously, but at the same time crazily operated his Body-Forging Cultivation Method.
At this moment, Ning Cheng chose to not act frugally with the pills he had, nor did he think about the repercussions of overusing the Cleansing Rain Pills. If he was unable to advance in this place, then he could only retreat from here.
The terrifying medicinal nature of the pills quickly repaired and reorganised his skeleton, as the Cleansing Rain Pill promptly healed his injuries. “Kacha” a sound emerged, Ning Cheng felt as if the first fracture that he had suffered over his skeleton had automatically reverted, at the same time the rest of his fractured bones were also quickly restructuring themselves and healing at an incredibly rapid pace.
His flesh that was dripping with blood also healed up in a flash, moreover with a speed that could be visibly observed with the naked eye, as it turned back to what it looked initially. His body was still being swept by the Spacial Wind Edges, but these Spacial Wind Blades other than leaving a faint trail over Ning Cheng’s smooth and robust body quickly disappeared; unable to cause even the slightest bit of injury to Ning Cheng.
Finally was able to advance to a Rank 4 Imperial Body. However, Ning Cheng did not feel much joy. He had used a modified Cultivation Method, used a lot of Cleansing Earth Pills and Cleansing Rain Pills, yet advancing to the Rank 4 Imperial Body was still so painful. If he wanted to proceed to a Rank 5 Imperial Body, then it would only be a lot harder. It would honestly be a difficult struggle to improve, at least without the help of foreign objects or even more advanced level pills like the Cleansing Earth Pill, it would be challenging.