To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Chapter 355 Through Trials and Tribulations

Gu Fan ultimately did not go to Black Wind Cave, which left Jin Kui somewhat disappointed.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that the time wasn't right yet.

Observing the secret realm of the Hundred Refinements Sect was not unfounded.

After twenty years, he has thoroughly comprehended the secret technique of refining the golden elixir. Once his magical power reaches perfection, he can begin the process of breaking the elixir to form a nascent soul.

He planned to use the free time to study body-refining techniques.

This is both to add another fighting method and to prepare for leaving the Qionghua Realm.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he could use the "Great Luo Inner Landscape Heaven-Reaching Mysterious Chapter" to illuminate the interdimensional teleportation array and leave the Qionghua Realm.

Although he could set up a teleportation array, he could not avoid the distorting power of spatial teleportation.

Gu Fan had asked Chang Yuan, and he learned that ordinary cross-dimensional teleportation would be accompanied by a protective magic artifact to isolate spatial distortion.

Chang Yuan even gave him the method of refining, but the problem was that the spiritual materials needed for refining had long been lost in the Qionghua Realm.

Gu Fan wrote a letter to Xu Changsheng, requesting access to some of the secret notes left behind by Ancestor Yunxiao. These were secrets that only the successive sect leaders could read, and even Wendao Peak had not collected them.

According to the notes, before his ascension, Master Yunxiao did indeed practice body-refining techniques, and the methods he used to refine his body are still circulating in the Lingxiao Sect today.

This is the body-refining technique practiced by Li Fengyi.

Gu Fan had found it strange earlier that the Lingxiao Sect, which was famous for its numerous cultivation techniques and secret arts, would leave out a separate body-refining inheritance. Only now did he understand.

As for the origin of this body-refining technique, it is also recorded in the notes that it was obtained by Ancestor Yunxiao through an exchange with Ancestor Bailianzong.

The price that Ancestor Yunxiao paid was the protective array of Taihe Mountain.

The founder of the Hundred Refinements Sect was named Dragon Elephant True Lord. Legend has it that he was born with immense strength, making him an ideal physique for body refinement. However, in an era when the Luofu Immortal Sect dominated the world, he could only remain a rogue cultivator.

He only rose to prominence after the fall of the Luofu Immortal Sect.

Although the body-refining technique that Li Fengyi practiced existed on Wendao Peak and Gu Fan remembered it clearly, it was completely different from the techniques of the Hundred Refinements Sect.

The reason for this is unknown, but later generations speculate that it is because the Dragon Elephant True Lord did not reveal the most essential part.

However, after touring the Hundred Refinements Sect, Gu Fan felt that the truth might not be so simple.

"Could it be that our patriarch couldn't withstand the body-refining process of the Hundred Refinements Sect?"

Gu Fan secretly speculated.

It's no wonder he thought that way; the differences between the Lingxiao Sect's and the Bailian Sect's approaches to body refinement were simply too vast.

The Lingxiao Sect's body-refining technique is called "Condensing Yuan and Tempering Body Technique." The principle is to first guide Qi into the body and refine magical power, and then use the magical power to transform into a forging hammer to temper the skin, flesh, bones, and eventually the internal organs and the meridians throughout the body.

Although he felt pain in his meridians and tremors in his lungs during cultivation, he was able to suppress it with spiritual medicine.

When the task is completed, the body, tempered by magical power, becomes exceptionally resilient, and the meridians become more open, essentially completing the meridian expansion path from Qi Refining to Golden Core ahead of schedule.

In contrast, the body-refining technique of the Hundred Refinements Sect is much simpler, and is called the "Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements Technique".

The name itself is unremarkable, but the practice itself is... equally unremarkable.

According to Jin Kui, all disciples of the Hundred Refinements Sect must first practice martial arts to strengthen their bodies before entering the Dao.

Standing meditation and carrying heavy loads are commonplace. Iron rulers slapping the ribs, oil hammers pouring onto the head, stone locks pressing the body, and rolling cylinders grinding the body—only after enduring these for three years can one learn the first part of the exercise and be able to guide the Qi into the body.

If one cannot endure the hardship, one will not be able to formally join the Hundred Refinements Sect.

As for the initial stages of Qi cultivation, they are relatively mild, such as tempering bones in a cold pool, warming the body in a raging fire, and burying the body in sand. Although they are extremely painful, the danger is still manageable.

Once one's cultivation reaches the mid-stage of Qi Refining, one must, as Gu Fan had previously witnessed, either be scorched by magma, tempered in a thunder pool, subjected to sword and axe blows, or be engulfed by malevolent energy.

These are not optional; each one must be experienced in order to familiarize the Dharma body with each type of attack, thereby generating corresponding resistance.

During the tempering process, one circulates the cultivation technique, transforming spiritual energy into magical power. This not only refines one's will but also allows the magical power to permeate every corner of the body, striving for perfection.

Injuries are inevitable during this process.

The reason why Wu Chengdao is the most suitable for the Hundred Refinements Sect is because he has a Heaven-grade Yang Spiritual Root. The key point is not "Heaven-grade", but "Yang attribute".

His Yang-type spiritual root endowed him with extremely strong recovery abilities. Injuries that would take others more than a month to heal could be cured in three days, and his progress in cultivation techniques naturally far surpassed that of others.

As for the extra beatings he received for this, that's another matter.

When Gu Fan finished listening to this, he was touring Leichi with Jin Kui.

Looking at the cultivator convulsing in the Thunder Pool, he couldn't help but sigh, "The cultivators of your sect are truly ruthless to themselves."

"Hmph!" Jin Kui waved his hand and said, "Body tempering is something you have to endure some hardship for, isn't it?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jin Kui pointed at a disciple who couldn't help but cry out in pain and shouted, "What are you yelling about! You can't even withstand a little pain, and you still want to cultivate your body? Yell again and I'll throw you into the Black Wind Cave!"

"If you really can't bear it anymore, would you like me to introduce you to the Spirit Transformation Sect to cultivate Dharma forms?"

Upon hearing this, the disciple immediately shut his mouth, veins bulging on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, though blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, he did not utter another sound.

Gu Fan remained expressionless, glancing sideways: Who are you trying to imply, kid? Does the Hundred Refinements Sect still have the Tai Chi lineage?

Jin Kui noticed his gaze, coughed lightly, and changed the subject, saying generously, "Fellow Daoist is an honored guest of our sect. All the secret realms are open to you, so please feel free to use them."

"Oh, that's really... thank you very much." Gu Fan said with a forced smile.

In the years that followed, Gu Fan honed his magical power while embarking on a body-refining journey.

He naturally cultivated the "Condensing Essence and Tempering Body Technique," using the power of the Golden Core to cultivate, and his progress was remarkably rapid.

But as his physical strength increased day by day, he felt more and more that something was wrong.

"Ancestor Yunxiao used his magical power to temper his body, replacing the body-tempering methods of the Hundred Refinements Sect!"

Gu Fan thought to himself in silence.

His cultivation speed slowed down after he reached the second level of the technique, which corresponds to the Foundation Establishment realm.

Firstly, the body needs time to recover.

Secondly, many subtle details are easily overlooked during the hammering process, and only repeated polishing can make them right.

With that thought in mind, he finally gritted his teeth and used the Body Refining Secret Realm of the Hundred Refinements Sect.

In a valley of Taihe Mountain, lightning flashed across the sky.

Five statues of unicorn beasts stood around the perimeter, and lightning burst forth from two of the statues, landing and transforming into a pool of lightning.

Gu Fan removed his robes, sat cross-legged in the Thunder Pool, surrounded by lightning. He endured the stinging pain in his skin and meridians, gritting his teeth and letting the lightning leave marks on his body. Jin Kui rushed over upon hearing the news and jumped in as well.

But in the next instant, a layer of protective energy covered his body, and the lightning that struck it was like scratching an itch through a boot.

Jin Kui scratched his cheek nonchalantly and laughed, "Fellow Daoist is truly persistent, actually using the Thunder Pool. However, this Thunder Pool has five levels of power, and this is only the first level. For Fellow Daoist, the power is far too weak."

After saying that, Jin Kui waved his hand.

The disciples outside the Thunder Pool nodded in response and struck the other two Thunder Beast statues in succession. Immediately, the two statues unleashed a torrent of lightning, which all fell into the Thunder Pool.

The four thunder beasts simultaneously unleashed lightning, increasing their power by more than double.

"Ouch..."

"Gu Fan felt a numbness all over his body, and then felt as if he was being cut by thousands of blades. He couldn't help but jump up."