Fairyland Sunshine

Chapter 149: Breaking through the Barriers and Collecting the Heavenly Powers

(This is a long passage about cultivation, avoid it if you don’t like it)
It is often said that the difficulties on the path of spiritual practice will not disappear once they are overcome. On the contrary, they will always reappear inadvertently.

……

Once upon a time, when Xu Heng had not yet cultivated Xuan Guang, Qiao Cheng set a test for him.

This test was the question of choice in spiritual practice that had been passed down since ancient times, but Xu Heng did not get caught up in it and instead passed it easily.

But what he didn't expect was that he would suddenly encounter this problem again at this stage.

He did not pursue a deeper foundation when practicing Qi, but after he cultivated Xuan Guang, he was able to obtain opportunities and fortune again and again, and cultivated powerful magic power that far exceeded that of his peers.

But what comes with it is the difficult journey of finding the evil.

Whether it is the Xuanshuang Yin Sha planted in the sect or the Jiuyin Zhen Sha under the volcano, they are more than enough to provide those with superior Taoist foundations with the condensation of Sha, but they are not enough for Xu Heng.

If it weren't for the fate with the Taoist priest, Xu Heng was able to go to the Nine Netherworlds and collect the Xuanming Yin Sha, and he might still be trapped by the Ning Sha now.

Therefore, Xu Heng could not help but find that the question of choice in practicing Taoism that has been passed down since ancient times is indeed not without reason.

The great way is always balanced, has a deep foundation, and powerful magic. The benefits of the great way to achieve longevity are indeed not necessarily comparable to the various difficulties and obstacles that arise from it.

Therefore, after he concentrated his energy, the question of choice suddenly popped up in his mind again.

Should I continue to practice Taoism?
He has already condensed the evil spirit of the Nine Yin True Evil in his physical body. As long as he can cultivate a yang-attributed qi of similar level, he will be able to cultivate a yin-yang Taoist body. This will definitely be of great benefit to his future cultivation of yin and yang.

But on the other hand, it can also be predicted that because of the physical body refining, Xu Hengding will once again increase his magic power -

Although the stage of refining Gang is not as difficult as finding evil, Xu Heng had already obtained the method of refining Tian Gang from Master Lu.

However, the stronger the magic power, the more effort it will take to pass this level, and after that, it will not be a smooth journey. These are obvious.

It might sound funny if it were said to others, but Xu Heng actually began to hesitate about it, and became more and more confused. He even thought of returning to Tianchi Mountain and asking Master Qiao for help before making a decision.

It was not until Ling Junzi interpreted that hexagram that Xu Heng suddenly felt enlightened.

When Master Qiao tested him, he never told him which was more important. That question has no answer from ancient times to the present.

Then what's the point of asking Master Qiao for help? In the end, it all depends on one's own heart.

I never even thought about this before, and just let it go naturally. Now I don’t have to worry about it.

When you encounter a fork in the road, you should be bold and keep a calm mind when faced with ambiguous situations. Xu Heng sought the Tao, and he cultivated the Yin-Yang Taoist body for his own Tao. As for strengthening his body and increasing his magic power, those were unexpected gains and were by no means negative effects. How could he be afraid of them like a tiger?

As for difficulties and obstacles, just cut them off with one sword!
……

Xu Heng had already decided to cultivate the Yin-Yang Taoist body before refining the Gang. As for dealing with Master Lu Ze, he just did it casually.

Thus, the matter was resolved. Xu Heng explained a few words to Ling Junzi and was about to leave. Ling Junzi couldn't help but ask, "Brother, you are not going back to the island? ...Aren't you going to wait for Master to return?"

"Junior sister, you misunderstood." Xu Heng said, "I am going to the Tiangang aura to try to refine the Tiangang. When I rest, I will return to Yuechi Island." "What?" Ling Junzi asked in surprise, "Brother, are you going to try to refine the Tiangang now?"

Although the magical powers of Condensing Sha and Refining Gang are very different, in orthodox Taoist practice, they are just different stages of the same link. So theoretically, after Condensing Sha, you can start Refining Gang immediately.

However, in reality, even if we ignore the problems such as the failure to fully condense the evil spirit resulting in the overflow of Qi, or the need to refine magic power, there is still a lot of work to be done at this point, so only a very small number of people will start to practice Gang directly after condensing the evil spirit.

Of course, for Xu Heng, if he wanted, he could just practice the Qigong directly.

In fact, he has also decided to cultivate the Dao body and refine the Qi, but the time is destined not to be too short. It will be more than enough for him to comprehend the Dao and practice magic in the meantime.

Xu Heng smiled at Ling Junzi, then raised his body and turned into a beam of flame that shot straight into the sky.

But in just a moment, he had broken through several layers of clouds. Looking up, he could see the sharp and whistling energy coming and going, and he had already arrived below the Tiangang atmosphere.

To refine Tiangang, just entering the Gangqi layer is enough to stump many Ningsha monks. If one's magic power is slightly lacking, one may die immediately after entering the Gangqi layer.

Of course, with Xu Heng's skills, there is no need to worry about this.

He looked upwards, used his magical power to protect his body, and then decisively broke through the atmosphere and rushed in.

Once you enter the罡气 layer, the first thing you feel is the gust of wind whistling past you at high speed. If you don't cast a spell to stop your body, you will probably fly thousands of miles away in an instant.

No wonder some Jindan cultivators can fly in the Gangqi layer. Perhaps when they reach that level, they will have a way to control it, or use the Gangfeng to travel to any place in the world freely, and it may not even consume much magic power.

However, at this stage, Xu Heng doesn't need to rush into this matter.

He steadied his body in the boundless energy and silently practiced his magic, trying to generate induction with the several kinds of yang-attributed energy from the boundless energy, and absorb them one by one.

As Xu Heng's method was put into practice, several strands of qi broke through the air, as if breaking a certain "harmony" of the Tiangang atmosphere. Endless qi surged, and it seemed that in just a moment, a qi storm centered on Xu Heng had formed.

Xu Heng snapped his fingers and a stream of energy burst out, creating a small opening in the storm. But in just a flash, more energy rushed in, and his eyelids couldn't help but twitch slightly.

No wonder Taoist books say that it is extremely dangerous for practitioners to gather and refine the vital energy. Being cautious is not enough, and one must never be greedy or do it too quickly.

Even if a Gang Qi storm like this does not occur every time one gathers Gang Qi, if one is unlucky enough to encounter one, it would be very difficult for an ordinary Gang Sha cultivator to escape.

Xu Heng changed his mind and did not want to resist with his magic power. He suddenly raised his hand and threw a small iron boat into the strong air.

Instead, he called out the Hengxing Hunhai Boat, which swelled to a size of ten feet in the wind. He then closed his sleeves and got inside, and found that it was indeed stable.

The twenty-two layers of Tiangang restrictions on this boat have been completely refined by Xu Heng. Naturally, it cannot be easily torn into pieces by this storm of Gangqi.

Xu Heng sent a stream of magic power in to ensure that it would not be lost for a while, then he nodded slightly, sat down cross-legged in the cabin, and began to try to combine the absorbed energy into the 'Haoyang Xiangang'.

……

(End of this chapter)