A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

With their doubts dispelled, Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu were no longer so worried about Duan Rong. Duan Rong remained in his room, engrossed in his studies, delving into the yellowed booklet.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rest; it was as if the contents of that book had some kind of magic, and he simply couldn't put it down until he finished reading it.

There are actually two points here. One is about the various details and key points of condensing the Cave of Enlightenment, and the other is that Duan Rong wants to find in this booklet whether there is an answer to the question of why he cannot perceive the faint light emitted by the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl.

Duan Rong studied diligently day and night. Xiao Yu would often come into his room to add a cup of ginseng tea for him. She would even get up in the middle of the night to go for a walk. Occasionally, Duan Rong would look up and give her a stiff smile as a greeting.

On the fifth night, Xiao Yu got up in the middle of the night and brought in a cup of hot ginseng tea. She had just put down the hot ginseng tea and was about to take the empty teacup away when Duan Rong suddenly let out a long sigh and closed the yellowed booklet.

Xiao Yu was suddenly stunned. Duan Rong had already turned his head to look at her. After enduring five days of hardship, even with his strong spirit, Duan Rong couldn't help but look somewhat haggard.

Xiao Yu's throat moved. She wanted to persuade Duan Rong to take a rest, but she didn't know how to start.

Just then, Duan Rong said in a hoarse voice, "Madam, please help me to rest."

"Husband, aren't you going to look at that booklet?" Xiao Yu was slightly pleased to see Duan Rong say he wanted to rest.

Duan Rong said, "I've already gone through it once. There are still many details that I'm unsure about and need to think about, but there's no rush. Let's take a nap and talk about it later."

Xiao Yu said, "That's exactly right. Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Husband, it's not too late to study it after you've rested up enough."

Duan Rong gave a wry smile. He suspected that Xiao Yu had been on tenterhooks the whole time he had been sitting there for five days.

He took a paperweight from the table and placed it on the yellowed booklet. He was about to get up, but perhaps because he had been sitting for many days, his muscles were a little stiff. In that instant, he activated his mind, and the vital energy in his dantian began to circulate, and the blood and qi in his body became smooth.

Duan Rong stood up, and Xiao Yu picked up the cup of hot ginseng tea and said, "Husband, drink this cup of ginseng tea first, and I will go and fetch some hot water."

Duan Rong accepted the ginseng tea, and Xiao Yu bowed respectfully before leaving.

He glanced at Xiao Yu who was hurrying away, finished his ginseng tea, placed the empty teacup on the table, walked wearily to the bedside, hung up the gauze curtains, and collapsed directly onto the bed.

At this moment, Xiao Yu brought in a basin of hot water.

She went to the bedside, took off Duan Rong's clothes and shoes, and then used a towel and hot water to wipe Duan Rong's body.

After doing all this, she splashed the water into the yard before returning to her room, closing the door, walking to the clothes rack, stripping herself down to only her undergarment, and then crawling into bed.

Xiao Yu knelt on the bed, holding a small round fan, gently fanning Duan Rong, who was already fast asleep...

After five days of grueling work, with his brain constantly under high stress, he slept until late morning.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window screens, illuminating the floor of the room.

When Duan Rong woke up, Xiao Yu was already awake. She looked at him with a smile and asked, "Husband, did you sleep well last night?"

Duan Rong's hand slid over Xiao Yu's fragrant shoulder, and he pressed his other hand behind his head, laughing, "Without you making a fuss, I can't sleep peacefully at all."

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Husband, you're talking nonsense. When have I ever bothered you?"

Duan Rong lightly touched Xiao Yu's face with his hand and said, "Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"

Before Xiao Yu could say anything, Duan Rong had already pulled her into his arms...

After getting up, Xiao Yu brought Duan Rong some tea and snacks.

Duan Rong ate only one piece of osmanthus cake and drank half a cup of tea before taking the yellowed booklet and leaving the room.

He went straight to the stone steps at the entrance of the hall, the booklet in his hand, and sat down on the steps.

At this moment, the sunlight was perfect, the sky was a deep blue, and the leaves in the courtyard rustled in the breeze.

Shen Mizhi was practicing her routines in an open space not far away, Zhu Xiaoqi was doing needlework in her room, and Xiao Yu was busy in the kitchen.

Duan Rong sat on the stone steps, his face gentle.

After finishing her routine, Shen Mizhi stared intently at Duan Rong and asked, "Why aren't you in your room?"

Duan Rong glanced at her and said, "What? Am I in your way by sitting here?"

Shen Mizhi said, "No, not at all."

"That's good." Duan Rong said, "You can continue practicing." Duan Rong paused slightly and said, "You did pretty well in that round just now, it was quite interesting."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mizhi couldn't help but smile slightly. This was the first time Duan Rong had praised her for her good performance.

Shen Mizhi immediately got excited and started practicing again and again. Every now and then, she would glance at Duan Rong sitting on the stone steps, but she found that Duan Rong was not watching her practice at all. Instead, he was sitting on the stone steps with his back slightly bent, looking at a few leisurely white clouds in the blue sky, with a deep and uncertain light in his eyes.

In fact, although Duan Rong appeared relaxed, his mind was still working at a high level. If you looked closely, you would find that his hand holding the yellowed booklet was somewhat stiff.

His mind was indeed repeatedly going over the details from the previous five days, and there were many doubts and difficulties.

Some of the difficulties and doubts were resolved as I read on, but some remained unresolved.

Aside from the doubts and difficulties encountered during the process of condensing the Cave of Enlightenment, a clue was also found in this yellowed booklet regarding the question that had been weighing on Duan Rong's mind: the faint, sinister light emanating from the Five-Colored Ruyi Pearl that he could not perceive.

That was on the last three pages, the three pages that Lü Yinlin wrote after successfully condensing the Cave of Clarity, revising and supplementing the information he had collected earlier.

To be honest, in Duan Rong's view, these three pages are the real essence, and also the part with the most doubts.

Aside from some doubts related to the condensation of the cavern, Lü Yinlin also mentioned something else in these three pages: once the origin of the artistic conception emits a faint light, it is a sign of success in the second barrier.

The second barrier to condensing the primordial void is to comprehend the power of laws by using the origin of intent as a guide.

The faint light emanating from the origin of the artistic conception is what Lü Yinlin calls the Light of Touching the Law. In the booklet, Lü Yinlin says that this indicates that the direction of exploration at the second hurdle is correct. By touching the Light of the Law, one can continue to delve deeper and comprehend the power of the law.

"Touched by the light of the law?!"

Duan Rong sat on the stone steps, gazing at the azure sky, and murmured to himself with a deep look in his eyes.

Regarding the faint light emanating from the origin of that realm, Lü Yinlin wrote only three lines in that yellowed booklet. The main point was that once the origin of that realm emitted a faint light, it meant that the direction of exploration was correct, and one should continue to delve deeper. This faint light was actually a sign, a sign that one was about to comprehend the power of laws.

"Could it be that the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl emits the light of the Law of Touch?"

Duan Rong felt a pang of doubt. He sensed it was true, but couldn't be sure. Because what Lü Yinlin described was a situation that would only occur during the process of condensing the Cave of Clarity, and it was a sign that the second barrier was about to be successfully breached.

But his situation was completely different; he was the source of that artistic conception, which had been emitting a faint light since the first level of his Qi vortex.

"Is this normal?!"

First of all, if he could confirm that the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl emitted the light of the Law of Touch, then he wouldn't be worried. After all, he had absorbed hundreds of different realms of intent, something he was certain no one in the Nine Provinces had ever done before.

Because no one can comprehend hundreds of complex and varied artistic conceptions.

Moreover, he absorbed and comprehended these concepts, then fused and refined them into one within the Myriad Manifestations Cave. Coupled with the nourishment from the whispers of gods and demons within the Divine and Demonic Ruins, Duan Rong felt it was possible that the origin of those concepts had touched the edge of the power of laws.

Of course, this is just Duan Rong's reasoning.

The important point is to determine whether the light emitted by the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl is indeed the light of touching the law.

If so, he would no longer worry, which would be his second hurdle, and he wouldn't have to fumble around anymore.

In fact, of the so-called Three Gates of Enlightenment, the second gate is the true core gate. This gate involves using the origin of intent as a guide to comprehend the power of the laws, which, frankly, is no easy feat. Ten, twenty, or even thirty years might not be enough to even touch the tip of the law, because once you touch the tip of the law, comprehending the power of the law is not far off.

If his original intent has already emitted the light of touching the law, it also means that he will be able to pass the second barrier very easily.

It's important to understand that the first hurdle, overcoming inner demons, is not only a prelude but also a prelude to preparation, despite the many difficulties and potential for unexpected events.

The third barrier, which involves condensing the power of laws to form a cavern, has many difficulties, but it is actually the finishing touch.

The true essence of condensing the void lies in comprehending the power of the laws at the second hurdle.

If he breaks through the core barrier before entering seclusion to condense the Cave of Enlightenment, then condensing the Cave of Enlightenment will be much easier for him.

Of course, the key is to determine whether the light emitted by the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl is the light that touches the laws. This is a question that can only be asked of Ancestor Lü Yinlin.

However, he didn't need to show the ancestor his clear, glassy body and the five-colored wish-fulfilling pearl within his spiritual sea of ​​consciousness. He only needed to subtly ask a few verifiable questions about the touch of the law of light written in the ancestor's notes.

Moreover, this touch of the law's light was originally the key point for condensing the Cave of Darkness. Even if he asked a few more questions, the ancestor would not suspect anything.

Duan Rong first considered the five-colored Ruyi Pearl and the records in his notes about the light of the Law of Touch, and then thought of several questions that could be verified. After that, he put aside his doubts and began to think about other questions.

He had more than just the question of the Five-Colored Wish-Fulfilling Pearl to ask the ancestor. He also had several other questions about the Condensation of the Cave of Darkness that he hadn't figured out yet. He planned to organize them properly and ask the ancestor all at once.

Duan Rong sat on the stone steps until night fell and the courtyard was lit.

Seeing Duan Rong sitting there deep in thought, with a profound look in his eyes, and knowing that Duan Rong had mentioned before going to bed the night before that there were still many details about the booklet that needed to be considered, Xiao Yu instructed Shen Mizhi and Zhu Xiaoqi not to disturb Duan Rong.

By dinnertime, Xiao Yu, Shen Mizhi, and Zhu Xiaoqi had already taken their seats, but Duan Rong was still sitting on the stone steps, motionless, with the dim light shining on his back.

Zhu Xiaoqi's eyes flickered, and she said, "Miss, aren't you going to call the young master for dinner?"

Xiao Yu glanced at Duan Rong, who was still sitting on the stone steps, sighed, and said, "Never mind. My husband is thinking about something. He hasn't eaten dinner for the past few days, so let's not disturb him."

Shen Mizhi said, "Shall we eat first?"

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at her and said, "All you ever think about is eating. I don't know what's the point of keeping a bodyguard like you who just eats for free?"

Shen Mizhi said, "Oh, isn't it good to have peace and tranquility in the world? You always have to cause some trouble."

Xiao Yu picked up a steamed bun and put it in Shen Mizhi's bowl, saying, "You're right, it would be better if you always freeloaded."

As they were talking, Duan Rong suddenly stood up and slowly walked in with a blank expression.

He stepped into the hall without even glancing at them. He walked around the table and was about to head towards the screen when Xiao Yu suddenly called out to him, "Husband, have something to eat."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head, glanced at the dishes on the table, his gaze lingering briefly on the sour mushroom soup, and asked, "Who cooked this soup?"

Xiao Yu said, "Xiao Qi cooked it."

Duan Rong then turned around and sat down at the table.

When Xiao Yu saw him sit down, her face lit up with joy. She then ladled out a bowl of sour mushroom soup and placed it in front of him.

Duan Rong sat there somewhat stiffly, his left hand holding the yellowed booklet, his right hand holding a spoon, slowly sipping the sour mushroom soup.

His expression was strange and stiff; clearly, he was thinking about something while drinking the soup.

Looking at Duan Rong, Shen Mizhi suddenly sighed, "Truly, one cannot live without being obsessed. You all say I'm obsessed with practicing martial arts, but look at him, I'm nothing compared to him."

Zhu Xiaoqi was initially pleased to see Duan Rong drink the soup she had cooked, but now, seeing Duan Rong's stiff manner as he drank it, she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Xiao Yu chimed in, "My husband is only like that occasionally, but you're like that all year round."

Shen Mizhi said, "How do you know it only happens occasionally? The higher the level of cultivation, the more difficult the progress. As the saying goes, the deeper one goes, the harder it is to advance, but the more wondrous the discoveries become..."

Duan Rong suddenly looked up at Shen Mizhi.

Shen Mizhi was stunned by his gaze.

Duan Rong suddenly exclaimed in a hoarse voice, "Well said. The deeper one goes, the more difficult it becomes, and the more wondrous the discoveries become. Shen Mizhi, your insight has truly captured the essence of this."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he stood up and went behind the screen.

At this moment, Xiao Yu and the others realized that Duan Rong had finished the bowl of sour mushroom soup, leaving only an empty bowl on the table.

A smile involuntarily flickered across Shen Mizhi's face. Duan Rong had already praised her twice in just one day. (End of Chapter)