Within the Island Protection Array of Tai'an Island.
"Bottleneck? Heaven's Calamity?" Li Fan flipped through the purchased "Miscellaneous Notes on Cultivation," his brow slightly furrowed.
Ever since returning from Ten Thousand Immortals Island a few days ago, he hadn't stopped cultivating for a moment. Originally, he intended to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the late stage of Qi Refinement in one go. However, even though he felt he was not far from breaking through, no matter how Li Fan cultivated, he always felt he was just a sliver away.
This seemingly minor gap was like a chasm, blocking Li Fan's path. After perusing "Miscellaneous Notes on Cultivation," Li Fan finally confirmed that he had encountered a bottleneck.
In ancient times, there was the concept of cultivation bottlenecks. During cultivation, one's progress might be stuck at a certain point, unable to advance. In today's Immortal Cultivation World, bottlenecks have an even greater impact on cultivators. From the mid-stage of Qi Refinement onwards, every cultivator will inevitably encounter a bottleneck when breaking through each minor realm.
These bottlenecks cannot be overcome by mere hard work. One must find the opportunity sensed in the depths of one's being to dissolve it and successfully break through. This opportunity might come from seeing a painting, drinking a cup of tea, a momentary epiphany, a flash of insight during a life-and-death battle, or even a casual remark from someone else or the careful guidance of a senior. In short, there is no pattern to follow; it depends on the "will of heaven."
The existence of bottlenecks undoubtedly suppresses the speed of cultivation for cultivators, like a calamity sent by the heavens to hinder their progress. Thus, cultivators refer to it as Heaven's Calamity.
Now, this Heaven's Calamity had descended upon Li Fan, thwarting his plans for a short-term breakthrough. After sitting idly within the array for several days, Li Fan still couldn't sense where his breakthrough opportunity lay. Knowing that this couldn't be forced in the short term, he didn't rush and temporarily set aside the cultivation of the "Small Cyclic Water Art," turning instead to the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal."
The "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal" has five layers, corresponding to the five major realms of Innate, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul in ancient times. The Innate realm was a special existence in some sects' techniques in ancient times, emphasizing the expulsion of all impure qi acquired after birth to return to a state of innate purity. These sects believed that starting cultivation from the Innate realm made it easier to comprehend the Dao, with both the speed and potential of cultivation far surpassing that of ordinary cultivators.
The Heavenly Mechanism Sect is one of the sects that advocates starting all cultivation from the Innate realm. However, after the new methods replaced the old, cultivators began to seize the heavens and earth, no longer emphasizing the unity of heaven and man. Naturally, the concept of returning qi to the Innate was abandoned. But the foundational part of the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal" is the Innate realm. So what Li Fan needed to do was to use Qi Refinement as a substitute for the Innate realm to complete the first layer of cultivation.
Generally speaking, using a higher realm to substitute for a lower one should naturally be compatible, making cultivation relatively easy. However, the differences between ancient and modern cultivation systems make it not so simple. Especially since Li Fan was just a novice who had been cultivating for a few years, with a severe lack of relevant knowledge. This is why it took Li Fan a whole year just to get started, even with the aid of the Glass Pill, which enhanced his comprehension.
Now, with his cultivation of the "Small Cyclic Water Art" encountering a bottleneck, Li Fan began to cultivate the second layer of the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal." He planned to cultivate both techniques to the mid-stage of Qi Refinement simultaneously to see if he could break through the bottleneck this way. After all, in this era, techniques are precious, and ordinary cultivators like him who can cultivate multiple techniques simultaneously are rare.
According to the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal," mastering the second layer allows one to grasp the divine ability of "Discerning Mechanism." As the name suggests, "Discerning Mechanism" enables one to sense and differentiate the various qi mechanisms between heaven and earth. This is the foundation of the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal." Only by sensing and differentiating the qi mechanisms can one proceed to capture and refine them.
The difficulty of cultivating the second layer exceeded Li Fan's expectations. If the "Small Cyclic Water Art" straightforwardly instructs you on how to cultivate without any superfluous words, then the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal" hides the cultivation methods within a heap of seemingly profound terms, leaving you to ponder and deduce. Not only that, but it also occasionally intersperses insights into the Dao and anecdotes from ancient cultivation history, mixing everything together, leaving Li Fan dizzy and his qi and blood surging.
After reading it once, he seemed to understand it, but when he tried to cultivate, he realized he hadn't understood anything. Fortunately, Li Fan was not one to give up easily. Despite the difficulties, he patiently studied and comprehended every word and sentence.
In Li Fan's diligent cultivation, another year passed. The cultivation of the "Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal" showed almost no progress. Li Fan was not discouraged. On his second trip to Ten Thousand Immortals Island to collect his agent's remuneration, he used 800 contribution points and five Tai'an Fruits accumulated over two years to exchange for some insights into ancient cultivation techniques.
Afterward, Li Fan activated the auxiliary cultivation mode in the Heaven's Mystery Realm. He didn't cultivate the techniques but merely read these insights, comparing and verifying them against the experiences he had summarized over the past year. Like a sudden enlightenment, all the perplexing issues he couldn't figure out before were now resolved. At the exciting parts, Li Fan couldn't help but dance with joy and delight.
At this moment, Li Fan finally understood the saying, "If I hear the Dao in the morning, I can die content in the evening." Five days passed quickly. With newfound understanding, Li Fan hurried back to Tai'an Island and began another closed-door cultivation session. This time, the cultivation was indeed different from before. All the obscure and difficult parts of the technique were now clear, and the cultivation proceeded without hindrance. Li Fan's mind soon immersed itself in the process.
In cultivation, time is forgotten. One day, a golden mist-like spiritual energy, completely different from the water attribute spiritual energy, suddenly appeared in Li Fan's dantian. Li Fan abruptly opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.
"The second layer of the 'Thousand Mysteries Jade Golden Seal' is finally mastered." Li Fan exhaled deeply. Stretching his slightly stiff body, he glanced at the time, feeling a bit disoriented for a moment. Unexpectedly, this closed-door session had lasted an entire year. Yet, in Li Fan's perception, it felt like he had merely taken a nap.
Fortunately, the hard work had paid off. With a thought, Li Fan gathered the golden spiritual energy in his eyes and activated "Discerning Mechanism." "Let me see what the so-called heavenly qi mechanisms truly look like," Li Fan thought excitedly as he tried the divine ability for the first time.
He gazed towards Tai'an Island, only to witness a scene that made his heart pound. Thick black death qi, like dense dark clouds, enveloped the entire Tai'an Island! The dense death qi was almost tangible, casting the island, still in daylight, into a scene resembling the underworld!
Withdrawing the spell and casting it again, Li Fan looked several times to confirm he wasn't mistaken. "How could this be?" Li Fan was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he quickly conjured a Water Mirror Technique and looked at his reflection.
He saw,
In the mirror, the death qi gathered above Li Fan's head was a thousand times denser than that of the ordinary people on the island!
(End of Chapter)