Chapter 81: Fetal Breathing Dao Body
Chapter 81: Fetal Breathing Dao Body
Inside the Quiet Room, Li Si looked at the three small Dao Technique manuals before him. After concentrating for a long time, he consumed Fate to master them all and upgraded them to their maximum level in one breath.
This was his greatest advantage: he could master Dao Techniques that others might take decades or even a century to perfect and forcefully develop them into high-grade Divine Abilities.
Of course, the cost was steep.
These three Dao Techniques were extraordinary, different from the ones he had obtained before.
For example, upgrading the Soul-Searching Curse and the Deduction Method from Dao Techniques to Divine Abilities surprisingly required one portion of White Fortune—equivalent to 100 portions of Black Fortune. Such a price was difficult even for Floating Cloud Sect disciples a thousand years ago.
In the end, to upgrade them into high-grade Divine Abilities, Li Si consumed a total of 16 portions of White Fortune—or 1600 pieces of White Fate Firewood. It was almost insane.
By comparison, the Illusion-Breaking Curse, which consumed just 54 portions of Black Fortune to succeed, was truly a well-behaved child.
However, the effects of the first two were unbelievably strong.
[Soul-Searching Curse: High-Grade Secret Divine Ability]
[Mastery Condition: Golden Core True Cultivator]
[Activation Effect: Requires 50,000 Magic Power to activate. Gains nine Soul-Searching Fields. Can scan for abnormal souls within a hundred-mile radius in the Mortal Realm, or may enter the Illusory Realm to capture anomalous spiritual entities (Evil Entities/Evil Spirits).]
[Additional Effect: After activation, automatically gains one Soul-Nurturing Talisman, which can last for one year and be continuously stacked. Each Soul-Nurturing Talisman provides 50% immunity to Soul Alienation Contamination.]
—
[Deduction Method: High-Grade Secret Divine Ability]
[Mastery Condition: Golden Core True Cultivator. Recommended for Nascent Soul True Cultivators or higher due to potential backlash from failed deductions unless sufficient Fate/Luck is available to offset it.]
[Activation Effect: Requires at least 50,000 Magic Power to activate. Needs traces left by the target of deduction—the more, the better. Forms nine Deduction Fields to recreate scenarios via the traces. Grave reminder: Indiscriminate additional investments may be required during this process to maintain Deduction Field operation.]
[Additional Effect: Gains one Counter-Deduction Talisman, which can block one enemy deduction attempt at a crucial moment. Counter-Deduction Talisman lasts one year and can be stacked.]
—
[Illusion-Breaking Curse: High-Grade Divine Ability]
[Mastery Condition: Foundation Building True Cultivator]
[Activation Effect: Requires 10,000 Magic Power to activate, forming an Illusion-Breaking Field. Any target entering the field has a chance to have illusions dispelled. Especially effective against Phantasmal Aberrations, who will passively descend into the Mortal Realm simultaneously. This Divine Ability can also break illusions, Inner Demons, and similar scenarios. Maximum activation range: 3000 meters.]
[Additional Effect: Gains one Locking Talisman. Targets below the Divine Transformation Realm cannot resist being locked for 10 seconds within a kilometer. Ensures all attacks land perfectly.]
—
“How poor I am now!” Li Si sighed, looking at these three explosively powerful Divine Abilities. The first two could only be activated at the Nascent Soul realm, but he wasn’t worried. He couldn’t activate their decade-long, ultimate versions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t activate a ‘Year’s Strongest’ edition.
With clever manipulation, he might still capture the tail of that mysterious Evil Spirit.
Even if he couldn’t, once Li Si advanced to the Golden Core Realm, he’d have many more options then! When that time came, he’d handle it exactly how he pleased!
As long as he was present, that sneaky Evil Spirit stood no chance of getting another surprise attack in!
As for that Illusion-Breaking Curse, the surprise was even bigger. Below the Divine Transformation Realm, he could see whoever he wanted, wherever he wanted. Of course, he was a respectable gentleman. But the highlight of this Divine Ability was its Locking Talisman—unresistable, lasts 10 seconds, hitting exactly where he aimed within a kilometer. It was practically tailor-made for lightning Divine Abilities! No wonder it was the foundation of the Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique.
But right now, Li Si truly didn’t dare attempt to forcibly comprehend that Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique.
This Divine Ability was part of the Floating Cloud Sect’s true inheritance and secrets, ranked higher than both the Soul-Searching Curse and the Deduction Method. Crucially, this Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique was most likely created by the Old Madam. Attempting to comprehend it meant having to pay for access! All things considered, it would cost no less than 2000-3000 pieces of White Fate Firewood.
Li Si had just used 1600 pieces. His pockets were empty; the well was dry. He had the will to fight the enemy, but lacked the means for a turnaround.
However, he could still work on cultivating the second Postnatal Dao Body. He had realized that the Dao Heart required talent, experience, composure, perseverance, courage, and more, all indispensable. But the Dao Body was absolutely a matter of spending riches! He could pay his way forward, similar to the muscle-tyrant path…
He was using Fate now. Thousand-year-ago Cultivators surely used rare treasures, miraculous pills, and special techniques combined with specific cultivation methods.
Currently, his Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress was at 81%. Continuing to improve would…
Yet, seconds later, he froze.
The cost had increased! What used to cost one portion of Gray Fortune for 0.1% increase in Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress now demanded 10 portions—ten times higher!
Fine, it was still within what his spending money could bear.
Without hesitation, he started splurging wildly!
In the blink of an eye, 1900 portions of Gray Fortune were spent. His Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress reached exactly 100%. But nothing changed. No second Postnatal Dao Body appeared.
Seemed like this 100% was a fake full percentage.
His heart calm, Li Si kept spending.
First, loose change. Then, spending money. Finally, he dipped into savings, throwing down another 5000 portions of Gray Fortune—equivalent to 50 pieces of White Fate Firewood. Whew, a false alarm.
His Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress successfully jumped to 150%. As expected, something happened. Li Si felt his body boiling like a furnace, radiating intense heat. This heat followed his blood circulation back and forth, resonating with his meridians, forming hot currents that penetrated his very bones.
Suddenly, Li Si felt an extremely violent rage—as if cursing the heavens for having no handle and the earth for having no ring.
His muscles and bones crackled loudly. His blood flowed faster and faster. His internal temperature kept climbing. His whole body felt like it was turning into a giant lobster, ready to explode at any moment!
But still no notification appeared! Clearly, something was wrong with his approach. Was extreme riches-spending incorrect?
Not daring to delay, Li Si hurriedly sat down cross-legged and began cultivating the third layer of the Heaven-Turning Scripture.
Once activated, he discovered the heat erupting from his body—the force that almost transformed him into a green giant—was forcibly converted into Magic Power. Moreover, each full cycle of the technique reduced his Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress by 0.1%.
What the hell?!
But he dared not stop. That earlier state was terrifying. He felt like he was going down the path of Qi Deviation. Even if not that, he’d definitely taken a wrong turn.
Could Cultivators not rely on riches? No, it wasn’t that spending riches was forbidden. They still required emulating the virtues of Heaven and Earth, seeking proper balance, avoiding extremes…
Li Si remembered what Ji Chang had told him before.
The very core of a Cultivator’s practice is emulating the virtues of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth have the cycle of four seasons, the alternation of day and night, the mutual dependence between yin and yang, and the coexistence of all things. This is the Great Dao.
His single-minded focus on raising his Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress, even fueled by the precious resource of Fate, meant he forsook the proper, righteous path to take an unorthodox shortcut.
Luckily, he cultivated the Heaven-Turning Scripture. Otherwise, he might have become some muscle-bloated little tyrant?
For the entire next day, Li Si worked to correct the effects of his riches-fueled spree. The effort wasn’t entirely wasted. Each 1% decrease in his Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress increased his cultivation method progress by 0.1%. Steadily, without him noticing, the progress of his Heaven-Turning Scripture third layer reached 65%—an increase of a full 15%—while his Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress had dropped to zero.
What on earth was this?!
However, he himself felt nothing amiss. Instead, he was enveloped in an incredibly profound sensation, as if he had transformed into the heavens and earth itself, his being intertwined with the passage of seasons, the company of stars, the enduring presence of mountains and rivers. Though this feeling lasted only a single second, its impact was immeasurable.
“Entered the State of Heavenly Earthly Fetal Breathing for one second. Perceived the Rhyme of the Great Dao. Achieved the Fetal Breathing Dao Body!”
[Fetal Breathing Dao Body: One of the nine Great Postnatal Dao Bodies. Acquired through Postnatal practice and a degree of talent.]
[Effects:
Max Magic Power +5000 points
Cultivation Speed +200%
Next breakthrough attempt guaranteed 100% success
Greatly increased resistance to power of Evil Gods
Can neutralize or provide immunity to a significant degree of Alienation Contamination Degree
Inherent Fetal Breathing effect. Lowers presence, significantly reducing chance of being deduced, cursed, or targeted primarily.
After suffering critical injury or approaching death, can rapidly enter the Heavenly Earthly Fetal Breathing state.
In this state, achieves Absolute Stealth and recovers from injuries completely in moments.
Warning: After near-death state once, the Fetal Breathing Dao Body dissolves. Must be reacquired.]