Immortal Cage - Chapter 36 Shackles, Encountering a Calamity
Yu Lie revelled in joy in his room for quite some time. In his excitement, he suddenly looked at the black stone wall he had just pierced and thought to himself:
"It seems I'll have to arrange a special target for testing in the future. Otherwise, if I really damage this stone room, I'll have to pay for it, and it might easily expose my cultivation traces."
Approaching the hole in the stone wall, Yu Lie casually hung something over it to block the opening. The rest, he would deal with after leaving the room.
Having completed the cultivation of the Blood Poison level, Yu Lie's poison technique could be considered to have achieved a minor success, a cause for celebration.
In the days that followed, Yu Lie continued to cultivate while also working in the poison chamber. The minor success in his poison technique made his work in the poison chamber much easier.
Because he could first extract the most toxic parts of living creatures, then drip his own blood on them, using various methods taught by the poison technique to determine if his body could withstand the toxicity of the poison.
As long as he could withstand the toxicity, Yu Lie could boldly dissect and slaughter living creatures with his own hands, swiftly and skillfully, familiarizing himself with the anatomy.
Even if a misjudgment occurred and toxins ended up on his hands, he could use his poison technique to consume his qi and blood, neutralize and expel the foreign toxins entering his body, or even intentionally absorb them.
For the cultivation of the "Five Poison Refining Organs Guidance Technique," it was only after reaching the Blood Poison level that the likelihood of sudden death began to significantly decrease.
However, without the guidance of a renowned master or possessing a special innate constitution, the possibility of reaching the Blood Poison level was very low, only around ten to twenty percent.
Such stringent conditions naturally led to intense effects.
The minor success in his poison technique also brought Yu Lie's physical body to a level that pleasantly surprised him. As he had anticipated, the blood poison enhanced the vitality of his internal organs, increased his physical endurance, and improved his absorption of spiritual energy and medicinal baths, subtly enhancing his foundation.
This led Yu Lie to think:
"If I can achieve mastery in poison techniques, mastering all three poisons and cultivating a body that is immune to a hundred poisons, then compared to ordinary cultivators, my foundation should be considered excellent!"
According to what Yu Lie had heard in his family, for cultivators, the primary goal of reaching the Dao Child realm was not to acquire various martial skills, demonic powers, or inhuman methods. It was a step-by-step transformation from a mortal body that consumed grains and inhaled mundane qi to becoming a pure and serene cultivator!
In simpler terms, the most crucial aspect of the Dao Child realm was to cultivate a unique constitution before advancing to become a Dao Disciple. Constitutions like the Hundred Refinements Thunder-Fire Body or the Hundred Poisons Immunity Body were considered above average.
Such constitutions not only increased the success rate of advancement but also made future cultivation much more efficient. Certain advanced techniques and skills would have corresponding requirements for such constitutions.
Without laying a solid foundation in the Dao Child realm, even if one later broke through to the Dao Disciple realm, their foundation and cultivation would be akin to someone lacking innate talent, with insufficient reserves and potential.
Despite the profound methods of the Immortal Dao, there might be opportunities for adjustments later on, but the cost would be something that ordinary third-grade cultivators could not bear.
Yu Lie had also heard that only cultivators with special constitutions had the opportunity to become true Foundation-Building Daoists in the future. Otherwise, having an imperfect constitution would be a hindrance at the eighth-grade Dao Disciple realm and a shackle at the seventh-grade Dao Official realm.
At that point, if the physical body was not robust, the soul would find it even harder to strengthen, leading to continuous setbacks!
These reasons were the main factors why Yu Lie chose to practice the "Five Poison Refining Organs Guidance Technique." Not only could it rapidly enhance his qi and blood, but it could also grant him a unique constitution. While it was risky, it was by no means a short-sighted technique.
In the town of Blackwater, Yu Lie, utilizing the minor success in his poison technique, continued his daily cultivation, realizing more and more that he had not chosen the wrong path.
His qi and blood became increasingly vigorous, progressing day by day, far surpassing all his previous achievements.
Immersed in the joy of cultivation, Yu Lie found it difficult to extricate himself. He was sprinting towards the middle-level Dao Child realm!
However, just as Yu Lie felt he was on the verge of a complete transformation, an unexpected situation arose.
As his poison technique became purer, the demonic energy within him diminished, leaving only a trace. If that trace of demonic energy was not consumed, it would disappear completely.
But even this last trace, after refining for three to four days and even risking going to more remote areas to catch larger and fatter Black Serpent Fish for medicinal purposes, still lingered within him, motionless, showing no signs of being consumed.
This realization pulled Yu Lie out of his blissful cultivation, making him aware that he had encountered a bottleneck.
On that day, Yu Lie once again ventured to a more remote location, attempting to catch even larger Black Serpent Fish. He wanted to use more potent medicinal baths to break through the final threshold.
As he fished, Yu Lie pondered:
"Unfortunately, the Daoists in town often give lectures and teachings only once every three to six months. It hasn't even been two months since the last lecture..."
If Yu Lie wanted to consult the Daoists, he would have to wait at least a month, which would be quite agonizing for him.
As for seeking advice from the middle-level or high-level Dao Children in town, he didn't have a suitable candidate at the moment and had to be cautious.
While pondering, the sound of water splashing was heard, and another Black Serpent Fish was hooked.
The fish caught was not very large, and all the Black Serpent Fish caught that day did not meet Yu Lie's expectations.
Frowning slightly, Yu Lie had run out of bait, but with a decent catch, he decided to call it a day. He prepared the fish, put them in a wine cup, and carried a miscellaneous fish and a Black Serpent Fish as he headed back to town.
Under the dark sky, Yu Lie walked alone.
The air was heavy with moisture, and the mountain wind wailed like ghosts. Occasionally, he would glimpse a few ghostly figures by the riverbank.
Whether it was because he had strayed quite far from the safe zone or simply due to his recent streak of bad luck, Yu Lie did not reach the town as smoothly as usual that day.
On the dirt road ahead, two figures, one tall and one thin, cloaked in black robes, gazed at Yu Lie with faintly discernible eyes.
Furrowing his brows, Yu Lie stopped in his tracks, looking at the people blocking his path.
A brief and rough voice came from the front:
"Drop your things and pass through."
Yu Lie immediately realized that he had often passed by the riverbank and finally got his shoes wet, and now he was being stopped by someone.
After a moment of hesitation, Yu Lie surveyed his surroundings.
Without a word, he obediently dropped the hooked claws in his hand to the ground, then slightly bowed and sidestepped to go around.
Seeing Yu Lie so compliant, the intimidating aura emanating from the two individuals slightly softened. The thin person among them immediately picked up the fish Yu Lie had dropped on the ground.
The tall figure remained standing firmly on the ground, coldly watching Yu Lie.
As Yu Lie was about to pass by, the thin person's voice sounded with surprise:
"Big brother, we have goods!"
Upon hearing this, the figure being watched coldly by Yu Lie reacted, turning to look at the thin person and asking, "How many?"
But at that moment, a stranger's voice sounded near the tall figure's left ear:
"Not many, just one."
The tall figure's body instantly tensed up!