The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 131 Unity of Spirit and Body
The dense dark clouds that had covered Yangzhou gradually dissipated.

Wang Wen finally snapped out of his daze, which felt like he was being reborn.

He tried circulating his inner energy through the microcosmic orbit and felt his true energy connect with the external energy of heaven and earth. With each breath, the pores of his body opened and closed, drawing in pure energy from heaven and earth and expelling waste and impurities from his body.

What's even more amazing is that even though his heart rate had dropped below 30 beats per minute, and his heartbeat was so faint that he had to hold his breath and listen carefully to hear it.

However, he could clearly sense that his body's metabolism was at an unprecedented speed, clearing away various lesions and toxins accumulated in his body while replenishing the deficiencies caused by years of unhealthy lifestyle habits.

Moreover, based on his own perception, this metabolic process seems to be a long and complex undertaking that will continue for a considerable period of time...

Curious, he released his divine sense, wanting to carefully explore this vibrant life force emanating from within.

But the moment his divine sense saw the physical body from a second person's perspective, he inexplicably felt that the face in front of him looked somewhat familiar.

Upon closer reflection, he suddenly froze!

The physical features of the face have undergone some subtle changes.

These changes are like the masterpiece of a master cosmetic surgeon. At first glance, others may only think that the person looks more handsome or younger, but they can't tell whether it's the nose or the eyes that have been operated on...

But in Wang Wen's eyes... this face was almost 90% similar to his youthful self in his previous life!

If you ignore body shape, even his mother would probably have to take a few extra glances to figure out which piece of flesh fell off her body...

How could this happen?
Wang Wen confirmed that he had not deliberately altered his face, and at first glance, the face did indeed look like Wang Erhu's, except that it was thinner, younger, and more angular.

In other words, he and Wang Erhu originally looked very similar.

The reason they looked so different later on was simply because their different living environments and habits led to the difference in their appearances.

Wang Wen stared at the familiar young face in front of him for a long time, feeling inexplicably horrified.

He remembered a theory he had seen online in his previous life.

That theory says that spacetime is not a straight line that moves forward without stopping, but rather a chaotic one. You may be in the modern era in this life, but the next generation may be in the Qin Dynasty.

'Is it possible that I didn't actually time travel...?'

Wang Wen murmured softly to himself, "Or rather... the awakening of innate wisdom?"

This is merely an inference that cannot be proven by any evidence.

But this deduction still left him feeling uneasy.

He had always thought that the distance between him and his family was physical space.

Even though he would never see them again, he knew that they were still living well in countless other spaces.

At this moment, a possibility suddenly came to him, telling him that the distance between him and his family might not only be spatial, but also temporal.

Those relatives he thought were still alive and well in countless other dimensions might have already passed away long ago...

The complex and desolate feeling that arises spontaneously is like waking up one day and suddenly finding yourself hundreds of years in the future, where all those once vibrant relatives and friends have been submerged in the long river of time and turned into black and white photographs.

This is so hopeless...

'On the bright side, perhaps it's because breaking through to the Innate Realm in martial arts promoted the unity of spirit and body, and my consciousness affected my five senses?'

Wang Wen mentally encouraged himself, trying his best to forget the possibility he didn't want to believe.

But people can never truly fool themselves...

From that day on, Wang Wen never complained about Wang Erhu again.

From that day on, Wang Wenxiu became exceptionally diligent.

It's always good to have hope.

……

After calming himself down, Wang Wen summoned the Mountain God's Decree once again.

He then saw that the title "Boundless Great Ocean Divine Skill" was followed by the words "Nine Levels" instead of the "Perfect" he had expected.

This means that "The Boundless Ocean Divine Skill" still has the potential to be improved.

As is well known, the higher the level of martial arts, the stronger the power becomes as one progresses through the training.

There are even differences so great that they cannot be measured by reason.

But at this moment, staring at the words "Ninefold," Wang Wen really couldn't muster the slightest desire to sprint forward.

It took him over 340,000 merit points to advance from the eighth to the ninth level of this martial art.

According to the rules of the Mountain God's Decree for improving martial arts, advancing from the ninth to the tenth level is another hurdle, requiring the skill level to be doubled from the original level.

The number of levels increases from eight to nine, which is four times the original amount.

Going from the ninth level to the tenth level is five times the original value.

Three to four hundred thousand multiplied by five equals more than one million seven hundred thousand merit points!

Even if his stomach didn't have a heart, spleen, lungs, or kidneys, but was full of liver, he still wouldn't be able to accumulate such a large number of merit points in a short time!
After setting aside the Boundless Ocean Divine Skill, it was naturally time for the Lightning Thunder Fist.

With the merit points he currently holds, he has enough to push this martial arts-integrated orthodox sect to the seventh level or higher.

But after staring at the shimmering "+" sign behind the Lightning Thunder Fist for a long time, Wang Wen finally gave up the idea of ​​improving it right now.

The reason remains the same: Thunder Magic is simply too domineering!
Even the weak Jiang Gong Lei, who had just transformed from Shui Zang Lei, dared to provoke the ghostly magic power cultivated by the Taiyi Jiuku Hushen Miaojing.

He's about to upgrade the "Lightning Thunder Fist" to the seventh level, and Jiang Gong Lei will immediately have to fight against the martial arts true energy and ghost magic power, and there won't be any way to stop him.

Even if he could suppress the conflict between the three, he would likely be trapped in the predicament of only being able to use one of the three powers, which would be tantamount to cutting off his own arms.

Besides, there is another very important reason: the transformation of the physical body brought about by the innate true qi has only just begun.

He needs time to cultivate his mind and body, allowing his physical body to smoothly pass through this period of transformation and reach its peak state before he can continue his subsequent cultivation.

Developing the "Lightning Thunder Fist" too early will disrupt the body's transformation period, which is tantamount to giving a seedling too much fertilizer—a well-intentioned but misguided endeavor...

In addition, based on the transformation of his physical body, Wang Wen re-planned his cultivation path and felt that it would be best to find a way to acquire a high-level martial art for body tempering, improve that martial art to a certain level first, and then turn around to improve the "Lightning Thunder Fist". This would be the most appropriate approach.

If he could have a high-level body-refining martial art as a foundation, once the "Lightning Thunder Fist" was improved and the Crimson Palace Thunder clashed with the martial arts true qi and the ghost magic power, he could immediately stop and try to integrate and synthesize what he had learned to create a body-refining method that could encompass the three different energies!
If he succeeds, he will not only be able to build the thickest armor and fight the fiercest battles, but he will also have the hope of resolving the hidden dangers of the Ghost Immortal Path through that body-refining method!

Based on his current understanding, he felt that he could completely regard the Ghost Immortal method as extreme Yin. As long as he could cultivate his physical body to extreme Yang, and then use the method that encompasses Yin and Yang to balance Yin and Yang, and take the path of the unity of spirit and body and the attainment of sainthood in the physical body, it would be entirely possible for him to turn back from the wrong path of cultivation, the Ghost Immortal path, back to the Great Dao of Heaven!

In other words, to achieve his planned cultivation path, he currently lacks at least one advanced body-refining martial art, enough merit points to improve that body-refining martial art and the "Lightning Thunder Fist," and enough Yin virtue and merit to deduce that body-refining method that encompasses three different energies. Wang Wen had long had an idea about body-refining martial arts.

The martial arts skills of that monk dressed as a meat-faced monk I met in Hangzhou last time seemed quite good to me.

He plans to visit Shaolin Temple once he's finished with things in Yangzhou.

Just then, weren't those monks from Shaolin Temple calling on their friends to search everywhere for Zhang Mazi?
They would surely be pleasantly surprised if Zhang Mazi offered himself up!
Despite the significant gap in his achievements, Wang Wen remained calm.

He decided to try improving the quality of life for the ghosts at the Huangshan Temple on Bright Peak and the Huangshan Branch Temple in Kuaiji, and see if he could gain merit points through "governing the local area".

Whether civil or military officials, they all accumulated merits and were promoted by controlling the overall situation.

Going into battle to kill the enemy and cutting off one's ear to claim credit are things that lowly soldiers should do.

So logically speaking, this path should be feasible.

If that doesn't work, then someone is being unreasonable.

Who it was, Wang Wen dared not say...

The biggest challenge at present is still the accumulation of unseen virtues and merits.

Wang Wen currently has over 5,000 merit points, but he feels that this amount is definitely not enough.

After all, what he was trying to deduce was a high-level body-refining method similar to the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts".

With a mere five thousand merit points, it would be difficult to persuade the Heavenly Lord to do such a big thing for him!
So, he plans to save up 10,000 points first!

The only source of merit and good deeds he can currently see is from the imperial court.

He plans to first follow the path of "Manifesting Holy Righteousness, Courage, Martial Prowess, and Spiritual Power" to see if he can accumulate some merit or good deeds.

If that doesn't work, we'll think of another way...

In general, the future is bright, but the road ahead is tortuous.

Just as Wang Wen was pondering his cultivation path and filling in the gaps, two lines of small golden characters suddenly flashed before his eyes: "Merit +2500" and "Merit Points +15000".

He slapped his thigh in delight, knowing that this must be from Master Hunkun and his group, and that they had come up with a result!
He looked up at the dim dawn light outside the window. A full day and night had passed since the Hunkun Master had asked him to send a part of his spirit down yesterday.

'It took so long to get the results...'

Wang Wen was somewhat worried about the situation on Hunkun Zhenren's side. He wanted to contact Hunkun Zhenren to inquire about it, but he didn't know how to talk to Hunkun Zhenren.

After all, it was Huangshan God who contacted Hunkun Zhenren yesterday, not him.

If he were to move closer now, it would make it seem like his connection with the God of Huangshan is far too close.

There is a risk of being exposed...

Just as he hesitated, the weary voice of Master Hunkun suddenly echoed in his mind: 'Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, the Maoshan Hunshi Master has revealed his true spirit… Junior brother, can you hear me?'

Wang Wen quickly got up to pour some tea, then made a hand seal to perform the Water Mirror Technique, drawing circles with his hands.

A circle of tea floated in the air, forming a suspended mirror that emitted a hazy blue light and shimmered continuously. The mirror surface flickered violently, like the surface of a shimmering lake.

After a long while, Hunkun Zhenren's bruised and swollen face gradually appeared in the mirror, looking rather comical.

When Wang Wen saw him, he was about to greet him as usual when his gaze inadvertently fell on the man's empty left arm. He exclaimed, "Senior brother, your hand..."

The old Taoist priest grinned, revealing his chapped lips and a missing front tooth, and said nonchalantly, "Hey, it's no big deal. I'll just find a piece of spiritual lotus root to fix it later."

Wang Wen's expression turned serious. He used the flickering water mirror technique to examine the dim space behind Master Hunkun, where not a ray of sunlight could be seen. He asked in a deep voice, "Senior brother, what exactly is going on?"

"This is a long story, a child without a mother! Let's wait until we brothers get together again, and I'll tell you about it next time."

The old Taoist priest smiled and shook his head, not wanting to say more. Then he changed the subject: "Junior brother, yesterday I invited the venerable god of Huangshan to descend and use his divine power to exorcise the demon. However, in the rush, I was unable to set up an altar for the ritual, which was a great disservice and I am extremely ashamed. Now, as you can see from my appearance, I am afraid I am not able to set up an altar to thank the god for a while. I would like to trouble you to make arrangements to thank the venerable god Wu on my behalf."

Wang Wen frowned deeply, looking both anxious and speechless, and said, "What time is it? You still care about this?"

The old Taoist priest put away his smile and said solemnly, "No matter what, you must never disrespect the Venerable God... Junior Brother, this is a matter of great importance!"

"Good good..."

Wang Wen could only nod repeatedly and reply, "Leave this to me. I guarantee that next time you ask Wu Zun Shen for help, he will still grant your request!"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest smiled slightly again: "I naturally trust you with your work, junior brother. When I return to the mountain, I will certainly give you more..."

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Wang Wen impatiently interrupted the old Taoist's clumsy attempt to change the subject: "What exactly is the situation on your end? Is there anything I can do right now to help you?"

The old Taoist priest smacked his lips and hesitated for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "Right now, no one can help us. Whether we live or die depends on our fate..."

As he spoke, he stepped aside to show Wang Wen the view behind him.

There stood a dim, bluish-green barrier shaped like an inverted bowl, protecting the Taoist priests covered in blood and grime, as well as a large number of other Taoist priests with missing limbs, who lay stiffly in a row...

Wang Wen, with his sharp eyes, spotted a familiar figure among them at a glance...

"Hey... the Taoist temple we built for you is almost finished, don't you want it anymore?"

Wang Wen lowered his eyelids and hurriedly raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs on his forehead, but when he raised his hand, he realized that his hand was shaking badly.

The old Taoist priest noticed his unusual behavior, sighed silently, and stepped forward with a dim gaze, blocking Wang Wen's view.

"Are you at the Ghost-Slaying Well?"

Wang Wen asked softly.

The old Taoist priest shook his head: "Don't ask, I really don't know where we are now."

Wang Wen laughed, even in the mood for a joke: "What's wrong? Is the art of Qimen Dunjia not working again?"

The old Taoist priest continued to shake his head: "It works sometimes and it doesn't. Take this Water Mirror Technique for example. We've tried contacting many senior masters, but we couldn't get through to any of them. Only you, junior brother, have managed to get in touch with it..."

As they were speaking, a terrifying, earth-shattering roar suddenly rang out behind the old Taoist priest. Hearing the sound, the old Taoist priest turned his head and looked back, opening his mouth to speak.

But at that moment, the water mirror suddenly turned back into a hazy blue light.

Contact has been lost...

(End of this chapter)