Chapter 142 - 141: Cultivation Skyrockets

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Cultivation Skyrockets

It would be a lie to say Chen Yue had no misgivings about the Heart-Burning Record—an unorthodox Secret Technique that exchanged burning one’s Heart Spirit for Cultivation.

He didn’t know if his Copper Skin Iron Bones Talent, which strengthened his Physique, would have any direct weakening or resisting effect on the potential side effects to his Heart Spirit from the Heart-Burning Record.

But having the extra layer of protection from a powerful Physique would at least give him a greater margin for error and better recovery when his body had to withstand the burning of the Heart Fire and the forced circulation of his Qi Blood during his attempt.

Chen Yue took a deep breath, took out a Jade Bottle, and tipped out a Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill, swallowing it.

A cool, mellow Medicinal Power dissolved and spread. Chen Yue held his breath and focused his mind, clearing all distracting thoughts. Following the Technique recorded in the Heart-Burning Record, he began to cautiously circulate this strange and treacherous Cultivation Technique.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Yue’s breathing became long and slow, his entire focus concentrated on his Sea of Consciousness.

There, the Power of Heart and Spirit, originally as calm as a lake, slowly began to boil as he activated the Heart-Burning Record.

Under Chen Yue’s guidance, the Power of Heart and Spirit began to fluctuate and flow in an orderly manner. Then, a small portion of it was carefully separated from his Heart Lake.

This small, separated cluster of the Power of Heart and Spirit took on a misty hue as it slowly revolved within his Sea of Consciousness.

The next moment, with a flicker of his thoughts, Chen Yue fully activated the core Technique of the Heart-Burning Record!

HUM...

There was no sound, no light, but Chen Yue’s Sea of Consciousness clearly perceived a peculiar burning sensation.

That cluster of the Power of Heart and Spirit began to thin and dim at a visible rate, as if its essence was being rapidly extracted and transformed.

And during this transformation, a formless, intangible power that Chen Yue could nonetheless clearly sense—the Heart Fire—was born.

The entire process was so smooth it felt completely natural.

When that speck of Heart Fire had fully formed and was hovering stably under his mental control, he spared a bit of his focus to check his Sea of Consciousness.

There was none of the expected emptiness and sharp pain, nor any dizziness from the expenditure.

The portion of the Power of Heart and Spirit that had been burned away was like a small branch trimmed from a great tree; the trunk and roots remained stable and robust.

None of his previous worries had come to pass.

’Is it because I perfectly controlled the amount I burned?’ Chen Yue wondered. ’Whatever the reason, this might truly be a unique and controllable shortcut for me.’

Chen Yue focused all his attention on that speck of Heart Fire. With a slight nudge of his will, he controlled the wisp of flame, guiding it to sink slowly and silently, enveloping the slowly spinning vortex of Qi Force inside his Dantian.

HUM!!!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an invisible ripple that abruptly spread out from Chen Yue’s Dantian, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

This ripple wasn’t an energy impact, but more like a forced elevation of his state!

Inside Chen Yue’s Dantian, the Qi Force that had been circulating in a steady and orderly fashion suddenly became incredibly active, even violent!

Its circulation speed suddenly skyrocketed several times over, carrying a brutish momentum that threatened to tear through everything in its path.

If it were an ordinary Martial Artist, even one at the peak of the Bone Forging realm, having their meridians and Dantian suddenly endure such a violent impact of Qi Force would be almost equivalent to being struck by an opponent’s Qi Force.

In a light case, their Qi Blood would flow in reverse. In a severe case, their Dantian would be damaged and their Cultivation would regress.

This was one of the dangers of the Heart-Burning Record. By forcibly accelerating one’s progress, damage to one’s foundation was almost unavoidable.

However, just as this surging, violent Qi Force was about to spin out of control, the Vast Heart Rock Skill automatically accelerated its circulation, forcibly restraining it.

Although the Qi Force was still turbulent, it lost its initial chaos and destructiveness, and began to surge along the circulation path of the Vast Heart Rock Skill.

At the same time, the freakishly resilient foundation of his Physique, forged by the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, wrapped around and reinforced every meridian, every Acupoint, and even the walls of his Dantian itself.

No matter how the turbulent Qi Force battered against them, they remained as steady as a mountain, showing no signs of damage whatsoever.

Chen Yue’s Heart Spirit was completely immersed, meticulously experiencing and controlling this unprecedented state of cultivation.

「An hour later.」

In the Quiet Chamber, the surging fluctuations of Qi Force slowly subsided.

Chen Yue let out a long breath of turbid air. The exhale was so long and sustained that it actually stirred up a small whirlwind in the Quiet Chamber, kicking up the fine dust on the floor.

He slowly opened his eyes. A brilliant light seemed to flash in the depths of his pupils, but what was more apparent was an unconcealable look of surprise and delight.

’It went so smoothly?’ A thought flashed through Chen Yue’s mind.

Using the Heart-Burning Record had gone much more smoothly than even his most optimistic scenario.

None of the potential drawbacks he had anticipated had appeared.

They had all been completely neutralized by the various Cultivation Techniques within Chen Yue’s body and his own fundamental strengths. It felt as if what he had just circulated wasn’t some incredibly dangerous Secret Technique, but an ordinary Cultivation Technique.

Chen Yue inspected his body internally.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the small portion of the Power of Heart and Spirit he had expended to condense the Heart Fire had long since been restored to its original state by the Medicinal Power of the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill. It was even a fraction more refined than before.

This confirmed Chen Yue’s earlier speculation: on the premise of rapid recovery, a moderate amount of ’breaking and rebuilding’ might actually be beneficial for the growth of his Power of Heart and Spirit.

The change to the Qi Force in his body was even more obvious.

Although the total amount hadn’t increased explosively, its purity had risen significantly. It circulated with perfect smoothness and control, as if it were an extension of his own limbs.

The most crucial part was the growth in his Cultivation. That single hour of cultivation catalyzed by the Heart Fire was almost as effective as half a day of arduous training.

Moreover, Chen Yue could feel that his speed of converting the Medicinal Power of the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill was also much faster than a few days ago.

’At this rate of absorption and Heart Spirit recovery...’

Chen Yue quickly calculated in his mind, and a bold thought irrepressibly surfaced.

’Maybe I can try taking two, or even two and a half, Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills a day? If I slightly increase the amount of Heart Fire I condense, maybe taking three a day isn’t completely out of the question?’

With this thought, a surge of eagerness to try it washed over him.

If he could achieve that, Chen Yue’s cultivation speed would rise to another level!

However, the impulse lasted only for a moment. Chen Yue immediately suppressed the tempting thought.

’In the end, it’s still a Secret Technique involving the Power of Heart and Spirit. No matter how smoothly it goes, its fundamental nature hasn’t changed. I can’t be blindly optimistic because of a single success, and I certainly can’t be too hasty.’

Chen Yue knew that on the path of the Martial Dao, the biggest taboo was to let a moment of progress go to one’s head and take a wrong step.

Prudence was always the top priority, especially when dealing with a domain as profound and fragile as the Heart Spirit.

...

The next day, Chen Yue arrived at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion as usual.

Thinking about the likely increase in his consumption of Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills due to cultivating the Heart-Burning Record, he specially exchanged for an extra portion of medicinal ingredients today, deciding to refine five Pill Furnaces’ worth.

Opening the Pill Furnace, stoking the fire, adding the ingredients...

He already knew every step by heart. Perhaps because his Heart Spirit was more condensed and clear, his perception of the heat control and medicinal properties was also a touch sharper.

Today’s Alchemy session went exceptionally smoothly.

Under the watchful eyes, both overt and hidden, of many Dan Peak disciples, five batches of Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills were completed one after another.

Two batches yielded two pills each. The pill fragrance was rich, and their quality was superior.

Three batches stably yielded one pill each, with impeccable quality.

In total, seven pills were formed!

Chen Yue kept three for himself and exchanged the other four for Contribution Points.

Inside the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, the disciples who had already become somewhat numb to Chen Yue’s Alchemy efficiency were no longer just numb upon seeing his performance reach a new level today; they were dazed, as if their understanding of the world was being repeatedly washed away.

"A few days ago, he was stably producing five pills from four batches, with an occasional double-pill batch... How is he still improving so steadily? Is this how Alchemy is supposed to work?"

"The key is that his Alchemy speed is also fast! Look at how smooth and fluid his movements are. He makes it look easier than many senior brothers and sisters who have been immersed in this path for years..."

"His Martial Dao Talent is so freakish, and his Alchemy Dao Talent is freakish too... Is he even giving anyone else a chance to survive?"

"Do you guys think he’ll be able to try refining the Nourishing Spirit Pill soon?"

"The Nourishing Spirit Pill? That’s far more difficult than the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill!"

Low murmurs of discussion rose from every corner of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, their tones filled with disbelief, envy, and even a hint of helplessness, as if facing a non-human entity.

Chen Yue’s existence shattered their understanding of genius and hard work.

In the distance, Zhao Weiyuan, who had been sitting in the main seat all along, imperceptibly tightened his grip on the scroll in his hand.

His gaze passed through several rows of herb shelves and rising medicinal fumes to land on Chen Yue’s back as he calmly cleaned his Pill Furnace. His eyes were complex, flashing with unreadable emotions.

Returning to his secluded courtyard, Chen Yue didn’t delay for a moment.

Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, Chen Yue took out a Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill and swallowed it.

The Elixir dissolved the moment it entered his stomach. A familiar, cool, and gentle sensation quickly spread, surging up through his meridians to nourish his Sea of Consciousness, leaving his Heart Spirit in a full and sharp state.

’Last night’s first attempt used only a little of my Power of Heart and Spirit. The process was smooth, with no adverse reactions,’ Chen Yue quickly reviewed in his mind. ’Today, I can take it a step further, but I can’t be too reckless. Just a small increase will do.’

Having made up his mind, Chen Yue cleared all distracting thoughts and sank his Heart Spirit into his Sea of Consciousness.

It was the same profound circulation route of the Heart-Burning Record. With the successful experience from the previous day, his execution today was more composed and refined.

With a slight flicker of his thoughts, Chen Yue precisely carved out a sliver more of the Power of Heart and Spirit from his Heart Lake than he had the night before.

This small, separated cluster of the Power of Heart and Spirit rippled slightly in his Sea of Consciousness. Chen Yue’s will focused to a fine point, and following the Secret Technique of the Heart-Burning Record, he gently tapped it.

A silent tremor echoed in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness as a formless, imageless flame was ignited.

Compared to the almost imperceptible expenditure from the day before, the burning of his Heart Spirit today made Chen Yue feel a faint, extremely slight sense of weakness.

But the feeling was fleeting, quickly filled in as the Medicinal Power of the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill was converted into new Power of Heart and Spirit.

Chen Yue guided this newborn wisp of Heart Fire, slowly sinking it into his Dantian and letting it fall toward the slowly spinning vortex of Qi Force.

BOOM!

A clearer concussive feeling than the day before spread out. Although it was still silent, the invisible ripple instantly swept through every inch of his body.

Inside his Dantian, the originally docile Qi Force, stimulated by this enhanced Heart Fire, suddenly transformed into a raging dragon. It carried a brutal and unreasonable force that threatened to tear through the walls of his Dantian and burst through his network of meridians.