Chapter 2: A Cracked Mystery
The disciples scoffed at this seemingly impotent move. One stepped forward, deriding, "What was that supposed to-"
His words died as the sword flared with searing light. An earsplitting bang resounded as the blade exploded, shattering the cliff in a raging torrent of energy!
"Ahh!!" the disciples shrieked, plummeting to their doom as the earth crumbled beneath them.
Strangely, no sound came from Lian Wu.
In the aftermath, an eerie hush fell over the once chaotic scene.
Slowly rising, Miao Ying surveyed his surroundings. A sudden magnetic tug seized his attention, his soul inexplicably drawn to one innocuous spot on the ground close to him.
There lay a cracked amulet, its intricate never-before-seen patterns glinting in the light. An irresistible pull enveloped Miao Ying, his very being crying out to claim it.
As if in a trance, he reached down and retrieved the amulet, utterly entranced by its mesmerizing inscriptions. He almost succumbed to the urge to probe it with soul force.
But a spike of warning from his soul snapped him alert. A lethal threat was fast approaching from behind!
Acting on pure instinct, Miao Ying exploded into action.
His legs pumped furiously, wind and dust billowing in his wake. A surge of power flooded his body, elevating his speed beyond mortal limits as he sprinted frantically.
Not daring to look back at his pursuer, the searing waves of heat rolling over him painted a dire picture. This blistering aura seemed poised to melt the flesh from his bones - a foe leagues beyond him.
Miao Ying pushed himself to the precipice of collapse, his joints creaking, his body aflame with agony. Every step was torture, but he refused to falter before this implacable menace.
At the last second, he dove into a cramped cave, tumbling across the stone, shredding skin and cloth alike as he skidded to a halt in the darkness.
A thunderous impact rocked the cavern. The force dislodged boulders, sealing the entrance and plunging Miao Ying into pitch black.
"Shit!" he cursed, knowing even with his superhuman strength, shifting those massive rocks would be a Herculean task. And who knew what other horrors lurked outside?
With a heavy sigh, he slumped down to catch his breath and collect himself. In that instant, the same magnetic sensation suffused his being.
In the all-consuming dark, a dim glow flared to life. Miao Ying opened his palm, revealing the cracked amulet - this unassuming bauble that had ensnared his mind and thrust him into a deadly quandary.
Miao Ying stared intently into the faint shimmering shine of the cracked amulet. The same magnetic sensation had returned—he could not resist. His soul poured out to delve into the amulet, to make it his own.
Moving on instinct, Miao Ying pricked his skin with his fingernail, drawing out a drop of blood. He directed the crimson drop into the amulet's center.
The blood was instantly absorbed and Miao Ying didn't even get a split second to think about what he had just done.
An immense storm of pain erupted through his mind, soul, and body!
"Ahhh!"
Miao Ying's horrified screech bounced off the cave walls. The agony was worse than anything he had experienced before, even surpassing the times his limbs were broken in life-or-death battles against savage beasts.
It felt as if his entire being was being brutally ripped apart without end. Organs, bones, muscle, flesh—everything shredded to pieces.
And yet, strangely, no blood poured from his body.
Gritting his teeth to the point of cracking, Miao Ying intently focused, pulling his mind into his soul. A visualization emerged.
Some sort of blanket of black essence attempted to completely engulf his soul! The thought of being controlled made Miao Ying lash out with all his might.
'I've put my whole life into resisting control. I won't let a mere amulet do me in!' He roared inwardly, his unyielding will bursting forth.
Miao Ying's soul would not stay down. The white glow of his essence persisted no matter how deep that black power turned. Though it was undeniable torture, hell beyond belief, Miao Ying didn't give in for a single moment.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely in this struggle. Miao Ying wasn't sure if years had passed.
Then suddenly, the black essence trembled. It began crumbling, flowing straight into the white speck that was Miao Ying's soul.
He barely noticed the phenomenon. Upon the black essence fusing into his soul, the pain instantly ceased. There was no more agony, but Miao Ying was left utterly exhausted. Everything seemingly swirled around him as he fainted.
An unknown span of time passed before Miao Ying flung open his eyes. Darkness met his vision once more.
What should have been a sluggish awakening felt entirely different.
'What is this?' Miao Ying's brows furrowed as he slowly sat up, scratching his head.
The pain had vanished completely. In fact, he felt no dizziness, daze, or exhaustion weighing down his body.
All he could sense now was a magnetic pull deep within him, nestling in his soul. Curious, Miao Ying mobilized his soul force to tug on this sensation.
A bright light shimmered in the darkness. The cracked amulet dazzled within his palm.
'This thing...' Miao Ying muttered. It was this damn trinket that had put him through hell. And now, apparently, it had shackled itself to his soul.
But before Miao Ying could ponder further, another magnetic sensation called out to his mind. It overpowered all else, pulling him into a trance.
Miao Ying flowed his soul force, using it to pull on that feeling within the cracked amulet.
Another dazzling flash illuminated the cave. Manifesting from the light, an ancient stone tablet now rested in Miao Ying's hand alongside a beautiful light blue scroll. Several cracks ran through the tablet's weathered surface.
Narrowing his eyes, Miao Ying was a bit surprised to find he had no trouble reading in the darkness.
Focusing first on the stone tablet, he could barely make out anything below the cracks obscuring the text. Strange words he couldn't understand at all were etched into the stone.
The only thing Miao Ying could decipher was the tablet's heading which read "Devourer." Below it was an exotic Dao rune, an intricate pattern that sent a jolt through his soul from just a glance.
The only description he gleaned stated: "Devour all in your path with this Dao Rune. Any and all worldly energy will be consumed. Any and all foe's energy and strength will be absorbed. However, one must craft a physical body to withstand the intensity."
Miao Ying's eyes brightened slightly. He had a feeling... Quickly unfurling the light blue scroll, his smile only grew wider as he read:
'Heavenly Art?: Speed as Supremacy. Refine lightning throughout the entire body, fusing with its electrifying particles. Allow one to possess a tremendously powerful vessel, unleash blinding speed, and rain down devastating lightning strikes.'
'Such a treasure!' Miao Ying was exuberant, feeling as if he were on cloud nine.
Mortal and Spirit Tier cultivation arts paled in comparison. Even the greatest of Spirit Tier cultivation arts could only carry one to the peak of the Houtian Realm.
But a Heavenly Art?
It could propel a cultivator straight through Xiantian!
The path of cultivation was arduous and long. It began humbly in Body Refinement, using the world's ambient energy to continuously strengthen one's mortal flesh.
Only after the body reaches the 9th stage, the very peak of Body Refinement, would a cultivator need to discover their own "spark"—a unique connection with the surrounding world.
This link would evolve one's spiritual perception, enabling them to absorb the higher form of worldly energy known as Qi.
From then on, a cultivator's focus turns to refining Qi into the dantian center and condensing a Qi Seed.
Once this Qi Seed solidifies, reaching the peak of Qi Establishment, they can begin the process of opening the body's meridians.
This was the start of the Houtian Realm. Qi would flow through these energy channels, strengthening the body even further.
Following a cultivation art's specific techniques, a cultivator would open each meridian one by one. At this realm's peak, they could then transform the Qi Seed into a Dao Seed.
Possessing a Dao Seed and spiritually enhanced senses, a cultivator compresses all their Qi, generating a Core at the center of their dantian. This is the gateway into the legendary Xiantian realm.
At this point, Miao Ying's knowledge was limited. He only knew the next major realm was called Revolving Core, but no more details beyond that. Even so, he was immensely pleased to have acquired an art capable of taking him to Xiantian.
A Heavenly Art's Qi circulation methods were intricately profound. Not only could they carry one further in cultivation, but they could even enhance a cultivator's potential!
Miao Ying wasn't sure why this particular technique had a question mark in its title, but he didn't dwell on it. Even the lowest grade Heavenly Art was a supreme treasure.
'Leaving the cave now would still be extremely risky,' Miao Ying mused to himself. 'Whatever was chasing me before could still be out there. And who knows what other dangers lurk in this forest? Well, there's no time like the present to start cultivating.'
He decided to begin with the "Speed as Supremacy" art. It contained specific stances and exercises for Body Refinement cultivators to absorb ambient energy imbued with properties practically the same as lightning. There were even techniques on how to absorb Qi essence possessing practically the same lightning attributes upon reaching Qi Establishment.
These lightning type ambient energy from the environment and the scroll will tremendously amplify Miao Ying's physical body, far more than any Spirit Tier Art that is specialized in physical body forging.
Miao Ying promptly started training. He assumed the art's special stance, stretching his body in a way that strained his muscles to their limit.
Utterly focused, he flowed his soul force in accordance with the technique. It exited his body and connected to the surrounding ambient energy almost instantly. To his surprise, Miao Ying's soul force moved far faster and smoother than ever before.
An immense weight bearing an electrifying sensation entered his body. It elicited great pain—not as excruciating as when his soul was attacked, but still more than enough to nearly make him flinch.
Surely, other Body refinement cultivators with average foundations will struggle to resist this electrifying pain.
But Miao Ying held strong, not budging from the exercise posture. His unyielding will become even more fortified after that soul torture he experienced before. He concentrated on absorbing the electric ambient energy despite the suffering.
One of a Heavenly Art's greatest advantages was that he wouldn't need to practice various exercises to guide energy into specific parts of his body. Nor would he require precious resources to bolster those areas.
The art itself carried its own refined ambient power. Perfectly compatible with the world's natural energies, it enabled far swifter cultivation.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Art's creator was a considerable master. They could easily devise an exercise stance that allowed ambient energy to flow throughout the entire body in one fluid motion.
Miao Ying cultivated patiently, and the results proved more than worthwhile.
In just under seven hours, he felt his strength skyrocketing!
Refined ambient energy merged perfectly with his newly tempered flesh and muscles. Miao Ying soon heard a resounding crack echo through his body. He felt dozens of times more powerful than moments ago.
In one fell swoop, he had reached the 5th stage of Body Refinement!
Miao Ying was elated. No wonder nobles from imperial clans and disciples of powerful fourth-grade sects viewed themselves so high above the common world. Greater cultivation arts were simply extraordinary.
Miao Ying saw no reason to stop now that he had started on this path. He decided to progress as far as this cave would allow.
Naturally, the remaining stages would be more time-consuming. Refining one's tendons, organs, and bones was an arduous process that couldn't be rushed.
But Miao Ying had nothing but time.
He resumed cultivating with renewed vigor, days flying by without notice. Cultivating in a dark, dreary cave, with no human contact, didn't even make Miao Ying's mental state slightly waver. His entire being remained focused on training, the explosive power within growing by the second. It felt like a force ready to be unleashed, one that would shake the world.
After an untold period, the ambient energy finally flowed into Miao Ying's last organ.
A thunderous boom suddenly erupted from his body!
Fissures splintered through the ground as a shockwave of pure power exploded outwards. Several boulders blocking the cave entrance gained large spiderweb cracks.
A smile broke out on Miao Ying's face. His joints crackled with extreme strength as he flexed his hands.
The 7th stage of Body Refinement!
With this power, few other cultivators in the same realm with weak cultivation arts could match him. Perhaps he could even contend against a weak Qi Establishment expert relying on physical might alone.
Miao Ying was on cloud nine, but he didn't immediately rush out of the cave. Instead, he returned to the "Devourer" stone tablet first. Since it contained no other instructions, he decided to study its Dao rune.
As he focused his soul force on the exotic pattern, Miao Ying's body jolted.
Information flooded his mind—how to mobilize his spiritual energy, circulating it in a rhythmic flow, an intricate dance that felt as natural as breathing.
Most surprising of all, this knowledge seemed like second nature to Miao Ying despite never encountering it before.
But in the midst of this process, he abruptly went rigid.
Merciless agony crashed against his body like a tidal wave! He nearly grunted out loud.
Within his spiritual perception, Miao Ying spotted specks of black essence infusing deep into his organs, flesh, tendons, muscles, and bones. They even flowed into his very soul!
Unlike the amulet's previous attempt at possession though, nothing tried to seize control this time. It felt more akin to absorbing medicinal resources for cultivation.
This strange process lasted only five seconds before the searing pain vanished without a trace. Miao Ying blinked, not feeling much different at all. The only change was a new stream of energy flowing through him, one that felt inexhaustible like an eternal wellspring.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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