Chapter 152: Aspiring to Become the First to Borrow Lifespan

The vision transmitted from beyond the Gate of Myriad Mysteries came to an abrupt end.

The puppet Fang Han's figure flickered unsteadily, like a candle flame swaying in the wind.

Although the disturbance would not damage the puppet's foundation within Fangcun, it would still require several days to accumulate enough strength before it could recover.

Li Shun looked up at the gate that still hovered overhead, recalling everything he had just experienced.

Four words suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"Otherworldly Celestial Demon."

The commotion he had caused in the Martial Dao World while attempting to steal the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth was identical to what had happened at Lord Ge's shrine.

After witnessing the terrifying heavenly lightning descend that day, Duan Jiuzhang had immediately branded him an Otherworldly Celestial Demon, then personally struck him down without the slightest hesitation.

"So Great Qian already knows of the existence of Otherworldly Celestial Demons. They even have measures prepared against them."

Li Shun frowned slightly.

"It seems that Martial Dao World.. isn't nearly as simple as it appears."

"No matter what, if I want to obtain the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth, it looks like I'll have to rely on myself."

"And in the Martial Dao World, the only way is to become an Innate Grandmaster who stands unrivaled in an entire era."

After thinking it over, Li Shun still felt that obtaining the Xuanhuang Qi there would be far easier than doing so in Great Qian.

It would also be much safer.

"Next time, I'll first see whether the various methods I learned in Great Qian can be used there."

...

Three days later, the Fang Han puppet had fully recovered and once again drifted toward the Gate of Myriad Mysteries overhead.

The familiar sensation of traversing worlds washed over him.

When Fang Han descended once more, another set of memories regarding his identity flooded into his mind.

He was still called Fang Han.

Only this time, he had appeared in a different place.

Tianmu City.

"And it seems... three days have passed there as well?"

"So time flows in sync between the two worlds?"

"Interesting."

The Fang Han of Tianmu City was likewise only at the Body Tempering realm.

An orphan from birth, he had been raised by the Martial Arts Association.

He now worked there as well.

Tianmu City was not far from Dongning City.

Over the past three days, news of the Grandmaster in Dongning City failing to overcome his heavenly tribulation had spread everywhere.

After making a few inquiries, Fang Han found that most of the rumors were nothing more than hearsay and speculation. None contained anything truly valuable.

Returning to his dormitory, he locked the door behind him.

Then he began his experiments.

The first thing he tried was naturally...

Borrowing Lifespan from Heaven!

Even the strongest Innate Grandmasters in this world lived no longer than a hundred years.

One could only imagine what kind of earth-shattering upheaval would occur if Great Qian's method of Borrowing Lifespan from Heaven truly worked here.

'The Heavenly Dao is profound and unfathomable. Life and death follow immutable laws. Prosperity inevitably declines, and all things that flourish must one day grow old...'

Fang Han silently recited the incantation.

A familiar sensation gradually arose.

His consciousness left his body, drifting upward until it pierced the highest heavens.

Once again, he saw the Life Qi that represented the lifespans of every living being beneath heaven.

'Could it actually work?'

Joy welled up within Fang Han's heart.

He immediately continued operating the secret art.

Attempting to negotiate with Heaven.

Attempting to borrow lifespan.

Yet...

Heaven gave no response whatsoever.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Fang Han tried again and again.

But Heaven remained utterly indifferent to his calls.

His consciousness finally returned to his body.

Although it had left his body for only a brief moment, he felt as though every drop of blood essence had been drained from him.

His entire body became incomparably weak.

"Why is this happening?"

"The secret art clearly functions perfectly, yet Heaven refuses to respond to my request."

After pondering for some time, Fang Han gradually arrived at an answer.

"In Great Qian, everyone can Borrow Lifespan from Heaven because the creator of this method was none other than the Qian Emperor."

"Even many years ago, the Qian Emperor was already a powerhouse of the Heaven-Earth Mirror. His cultivation today is even more unfathomable."

"And he unified the entire world."

"With him serving as the intermediary, even cultivators of the Mortal Physique realm are able to negotiate with Heaven and borrow lifespan."

"In truth, every cultivator in Great Qian who borrows lifespan can be regarded as doing so under the Qian Emperor's guarantee."

"But in the Martial Dao World..."

"There has never been a precedent of borrowing lifespan."

"In the eyes of the boundless heavens, a Body Tempering cultivator is little different from an ant."

"So how could one possibly negotiate for borrowed lifespan?"

"It is only natural that Heaven refuses to respond."

After reaching this conclusion, Fang Han felt no disappointment.

Instead, he became even more excited.

"But my consciousness truly ascended and connected with Heaven."

"That proves that the method of Borrowing Lifespan..."

"Works!"

"It's simply that my current strength is far too weak."

"I haven't yet earned the qualifications to sit at the negotiating table."

"But looking at it another way..."

A brilliant light flashed across Fang Han's eyes.

"If I reach the realm of an Innate Grandmaster and stand at the absolute peak of this world... perhaps I can become the very first person in this world to Borrow Lifespan from Heaven."

"And if I spread this method throughout the world, my influence will far surpass that of the Seven Supreme Grandmasters."

Thinking of the surging Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth surrounding those seven statues, Fang Han's heart burned with anticipation.

"With my talent, reaching the Grandmaster realm shouldn't be difficult... right?"

Ignoring his exhausted condition, Fang Han immediately began cultivating.

"So-called Body Tempering consists of three stages: tempering the skin, tempering the flesh, and tempering the bones."

"Tempering the skin makes it as tough as cowhide, allowing it to withstand ordinary punches and kicks."

"Tempering the flesh greatly increases one's strength, enabling a single strike to split stone monuments."

"Tempering the bones hardens the skeleton until it becomes as solid as iron..."

An entire afternoon passed.

Fang Han was left utterly bewildered.

His body was indeed more exhausted than before.

He was practically sprawled across the floor.

Yet...

He had achieved no tangible improvement whatsoever.

When cultivating in Great Qian, one absorbed the Qi of Heaven and Earth and refined it into one's own Principle Qi. Progress might be slow, but at least every day brought visible improvement.

Martial Dao cultivation, however, was different.

Simply training the body did not necessarily increase one's strength.

"'Practice martial techniques without cultivating true skill, and all your efforts will amount to nothing in old age.' Physical training is merely the foundation."

"Only through constant combat against others can one continue to grow stronger."

"And throughout that process, one's innate talent plays a decisive role."

"Certain peerless geniuses become Grandmasters before reaching fifty years of age. A single battle is enough for them to reap enormous gains."

"Victory after victory."

"The stronger they become, the easier it is to grow even stronger."

"Starting as nameless martial artists, they carve out a path to the heavens through countless battles."

"But this body of mine..."

Fang Han had no choice but to admit that there truly were differences between people.

"This body simply isn't suited for the Martial Dao."

"Furthermore, Fang Han's providence has already been taken from him."

"Even if he cultivated bitterly for an entire lifetime, he would probably never reach the Grandmaster Realm."

It wasn't that a single failure had discouraged him.

Rather, he possessed an exceptionally clear understanding of his own aptitude.

"This Martial Dao World has a population measured in the tens of billions."

"Yet among them, fewer than one in a hundred million ever become a Grandmaster."

"The difficulty is no less than becoming a Creation realm powerhouse in Great Qian."

"It seems that although the Martial Dao World's overall level of power is lower, becoming the strongest person here is still something ordinary people can never hope to accomplish."

"So..."

"Should I simply give up?"

Once again, Fang Han recalled the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth surrounding the statues of the Seven Martial Artists.

"Body Tempering... Martial Dao..."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

He remembered an ancient secret art that he had attempted once before, only to cast aside afterward.

The Ten Primordial Invocations: Verdant Wood Invocation.

"The Verdant Wood Invocation directly draws upon the vitality of Heaven and Earth to temper the body."

"It is countless times more efficient than relying on blood essence alone to slowly temper oneself."

"I just don't know... whether this ancient shamanic secret art from Great Qian can be used in this world."

With that thought in mind, Fang Han immediately began chanting the ancient incantation under his breath.

Moments later...

The vitality of Heaven and Earth suddenly surged into motion.