Chapter 942: Cultivation

Chapter 942: Cultivation

Li Huowang sat cross-legged upon the meditation stool, slowly circulating his cultivation technique, using the divine light within to propel his primordial qi toward the final cycle.

Having continuously absorbed the primordial qi from the bodies of the Heart-Elements, the volume of his own internal qi had become vast beyond measure. When he cast his divine sense inward, if it had once been a mere wisp of cloud, it was now a colossal mountain peak whose summit vanished into the void.

The primordial qi now possessed a tangible weight, and Li Huowang found the effort of pushing such a massive, dense force to be agonizingly laborious.

No matter how long he exerted himself, it remained caught in a state of perpetual, stagnant tension.

As an eternity passed with no progress, Li Huowang abruptly snapped his eyes open, his face twisted in frustration; his cultivation remained stalled at the sixth cycle, unable to reach the seventh.

With the empowerment of the previous Heart-Elements, the earlier cycles had been completed with triumphant ease, yet here he remained, snagged at the final threshold.

He glanced around, unsure how long he had been cultivating, nor did he wish to know. A short duration was manageable, but prolonged isolation invited disaster.

Li Huowang gestured, and several waiters immediately appeared, approaching with smiling faces to serve dishes: braised fish, potatoes stewed with chicken, kelp and pork rib soup, and a large bucket of rice.

Li Huowang devoured the meal in great gulps. These dishes were certainly real, prepared by Li Sui, who had arranged for them nearby out of fear he might go hungry.

In his current state, Li Huowang dared not dwell on the implications. He had reached the sixth cycle; he was no novice to cultivation and understood well what this level of power signified.

Most of his energy was now focused on preventing his mind from wandering, for every thought he harbored now threatened to manifest into reality.

And these were no longer fleeting, ephemeral constructs, but absolute, undeniable truths.

"Brother Li, eat this; it’s filling. I added lard."

"Thank you." Li Huowang set aside the rice and lifted the bowl of noodles, eating ravenously.

As his gaze drifted forward, the shrill, melodic sounds of an opera instantly erupted. "The wind moans, the mist drifts, the starlight is bleak... the people cry out... the barbarian horns blare, mountains tremble and valleys shake... the sounds of slaughter rend the heavens, the journey is long and the day grows late..."

The long-absent Lu Troupe stood upon the stage ahead, performing with fervent intensity for Li Huowang alone.

When the lead actor, dressed as an old scholar, struck a dramatic pose, the air was filled with thunderous applause and cheers.

Among those voices were those of Abbess Jingxin, Ji Lin, Gao Zhijian, Lu Zhuanyuan, Zhuge Yuan, and every hallucination that had ever haunted his side.

Without his knowing, the space around Li Huowang had become crowded with people, bustling like a lively teahouse.

Their voices stoked a rising agitation in Li Huowang’s heart, and as his mood shifted, the very fabric of his surroundings began to tremble at a high frequency.

"Bang!" Li Huowang slammed his noodle bowl onto the table and roared, "Enough! All of you, get out!"

The words had barely left his lips when the world around him dissolved into a vast, blinding white void.

Li Huowang clutched his head, gasping for air, his breathing ragged. He possessed power, yet it was a power he could not fully command.

Just then, a fair, jade-like hand reached out, offering a scroll of emerald bamboo.

"Brother Li, if your heart is troubled, you may recite this silently. It is the White Lotus Sect’s 'Heart-Calming Mantra'; it can bring peace to your spirit."

Li Huowang took it immediately and began to recite in a rapid, silent rhythm: "Cold for an eternity, all things remain still; harmonize the heart and settle the qi, look only to the spirit within; heart and spirit as one, qi following in kind; between the gaps, nothing remains; unmoved by myriad changes, without obsession or anger, without desire or craving, without attachment or abandonment, without action or self..."

As he continued to chant, whether the mantra truly worked or not, his breathing finally began to steady.

"Brother Li, this cultivation technique of yours demands a higher state of mind. I have sent word to the Imperial Observatory’s treasury; anything that might aid you will be brought here."

Li Huowang, eyes closed, rested his forehead on his elbows and shook his head slowly. "No, the priority is not stabilizing my mind, but reaching the seventh cycle as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the odds of defeating Zuo Qiu Yong are too slim."

Everything had its order of urgency, and his mental state was clearly secondary to the threat of Zuo Qiu Yong.

"By the way, Miaomiao, are there any more Heart-Elements being sent? I need more." Li Huowang looked up and asked.

Though he could not be certain, he felt that if he could acquire a few dozen more, he would surely ascend to the seventh cycle.

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao shook her head and explained softly, "There are none left. I fear all the Heart-Elements in the world have been exhausted."

"The Imperial Observatory has sent people out to sea to search, but even if they find any, they cannot be brought back in time."

Li Huowang heaved a heavy sigh and said nothing more. He knew the others had done their best; Heart-Elements were not cabbages to be harvested at will.

"Very well, leave me now. I must begin my cultivation again." Though he knew the chances of success were slim, he would not abandon even the faintest hope of reaching the seventh cycle.

Just as Li Huowang sat back down and watched Bai Lingmiao depart, a familiar voice echoed in his ear. "Father?"

"Hmm?" Li Huowang peered into the vast, empty space.

In the next instant, the retreating figure of Bai Lingmiao and the surrounding environment were torn apart like a mural, and Li Sui, dressed in red Taoist robes, stepped through the rift.

Seeing this, Li Huowang realized at once: this Bai Lingmiao had indeed been 'real,' but she was the 'real' born of his own cultivation—not the truth he had known before!

Li Huowang snatched the Heart-Calming Mantra from his lap and slammed it onto the table in a fit of rage. The bamboo scroll vanished like foam, and with it, the retreating silhouette of Bai Lingmiao.

He had anticipated this day before he began his cultivation, yet when the blurring of truth and falsehood manifested within his own reality, he found it impossible to accept.

Observing Li Huowang’s erratic behavior, Li Sui did not ask, but instead dropped a bombshell. "Father, they have arrived. The Tianchen Kingdom has begun its move."

The weight of these words sent a chill down Li Huowang’s spine. Forgetting his agitation, he asked again, "Are you certain? Has Zuo Qiu Yong truly begun?"

Li Sui nodded. "Yes. There is movement from the Great Qi side. It seems the natural disasters in Tianchen have ended, and he is finally free to deal with us."