Chapter 1058: Different People Have Different Ways of Cultivation

"Pa-Patriarch, shouldn't we perhaps switch to a different method of cultivation?"

Meng Jingzhou, trembling all over, was hoisted near the sun by Daoist Hanhai. Feeling the star's scorching heat, the Yang energy he had suppressed within his body began to stir, threatening to break control at any moment.

Daoist Hanhai maintained a stern countenance, placing his hands heavily upon Meng Jingzhou's shoulders as he spoke with profound earnestness, "Little Meng, as the old saying goes, 'one must endure the bitterest of hardships to rise above the rest.' If you wish to surpass Little Lu, you must bear the pain that ordinary men cannot tolerate. Do you understand?"

At the mere thought that cultivating near the sun could defeat Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou’s fighting spirit instantly ignited, and he forcibly suppressed the inner fire of his desires.

"Very well, I shall cultivate!"

A smile surfaced on Daoist Hanhai's face. "That is the spirit."

"Rest assured, I have mastered an ancient method. You will not lose control."

Meng Jingzhou's eyes lit up. "An ancient method?"

That fellow Lu Yang had an immortal by his side and possessed ancient spells; was it finally his turn to enjoy an ancient method as well?

"Naturally. Do you know how our ancient ancestors healed wounds and cured illnesses before the art of alchemy had even formed a proper system?"

"How did they treat them?"

Daoist Hanhai stared directly into Meng Jingzhou's eyes, slowly uttering two words:

"Bloodletting."

Meng Jingzhou instantly felt an urge to turn and flee. Forcing a smile, he said, "Patriarch, I feel that surpassing Lu Yang is not something to be rushed. Why don't we head back and ponder if there are any other cultivation methods?"

"Since we are already here, we might as well try it first."

Daoist Hanhai gave Meng Jingzhou no opportunity to escape, dragging him ever closer to the sun. Meng Jingzhou felt the spiritual energy within his body churning; his cultivation speed surged by an entire tier, and the effects of his body-tempering technique became unlike anything before!

The only issue was that his Single Spiritual Root was on the verge of breaking past his control!

With a gentle flick, Daoist Hanhai sliced a wound across Meng Jingzhou's wrist. As the blood of pure Yang gushed forth, the Single Spiritual Root temporarily grew less restless.

"See, I told you this method works," Daoist Hanhai said with a beaming smile, urging Meng Jingzhou to seize the opportunity to cultivate.

He covertly tasted a drop of the pure Yang blood; it was indeed effective, but Meng Jingzhou’s cultivation level was too low, making the blood's benefits to himself rather limited.

Seeing that the method truly yielded results, Meng Jingzhou hardened his heart and threw all caution to the wind. I shall cultivate!

"Ah, ah! Patriarch, my Single Spiritual Root is acting up again!"

"Do not panic, do not panic. I shall continue the bloodletting."

...

"To be personally guided by Patriarch Hanhai, Old Meng is truly blessed," Lu Yang remarked with a clicking tongue. Though he could not share the joyous news of his newly established newspaper with Old Meng for the time being, he knew Old Meng had entered a critical moment of cultivation and must not be disturbed.

"Junior Brother, I heard that Patriarch Hanhai has taken Junior Brother Meng to cultivate upon the sun?" Yun Zhi had somehow caught wind of the news as well and sought out Lu Yang.

"I was thinking that cultivating in the cosmos is indeed an excellent method, and I can take you to try it as well." Yun Zhi cared deeply about Lu Yang’s cultivation progress.

"Ah?"

Before Lu Yang could resist, Yun Zhi took him by the hand and soared into the cosmos, arriving amidst the sea of stars.

"Senior Sister, what are we..."

Yun Zhi pointed toward an unremarkable star not far away. "That star is one of my Golden Cores. It contains an exceptionally pure force of the Metal Element. You possess the Sword Spiritual Root mutated from the Metal Spiritual Root, making this the most suitable place for your cultivation."

Lu Yang sensed it briefly but did not perceive any extraordinary force of the Metal Element within that star.

"Replacing stars with Golden Cores is far too ostentatious, so I usually try to keep my Golden Cores looking as inconspicuous as possible."

As she spoke, Yun Zhi snapped her fingers, and the previously ordinary star instantly erupted with a terrifyingly immense force of the Metal Element. Lu Yang’s divine sense felt as though it were being pricked by thousands of needles, aching acutely.

"Go on, Junior Brother. Junior Brother Meng is cultivating diligently; you cannot afford to fall behind."

The Metal star generated a powerful gravitational pull, and Lu Yang was sucked toward it, utterly unable to control himself.

The force of the Metal Element surged, plunging Lu Yang into an ocean of solid metal. He cried out in agony, unable to escape the star's gravity no matter how he thrashed. Fortunately, his physical body had been thoroughly tempered through previous torments and was extraordinarily strong; had it been his former body, the pain would have been far worse.

"Ah—"

"Little Yang, hang in there, you can do it." Before Lu Yang had flown toward the star, the Immortal Fairy had already drifted out from his mental space to stand beside Yun Zhi, cheering him on from a distance.

"Fairy, could you give me something other than mere spiritual encouragement, ah—"

Before Lu Yang could even finish his words through the pain, his screams resumed.

...

Across the vast plains, a solitary figure sped forward, closely pursued by four figures from behind.

These four figures were Tribulation Transcendence experts from the Great Xia, the Eastern Sea, the Buddhist Kingdom, and the Demon Realm. Facing a common foe, the experts cast aside their grievances to present a united front.

"Old thief Buyu, do not run! The people of the Ask Truth Sect care for you deeply, return with us at once!"

"Am I not currently flying in the direction of the Ask Truth Sect? Why are you still chasing me!"

Daoist Buyu was furious. His worth was already high, with bounties placed on him in the black markets and the Eastern Sea, but now things had worsened, and the bounty had grown even higher.

"No, what if you alter your course midway? We must capture you ourselves to put our minds at ease!"

"If I am captured by you, it will be my turn to be uneasy! And that monk from the Buddhist Kingdom, I never provoked you!"

"Your second disciple said that a master for a day is a father for life, and that the faults of the son are the failures of the father. Since trouble befell him, you must be held responsible."

The expert from the Demon Realm hesitated slightly. After Zhu Tian saw the missing person's notice in the newspaper, he had insisted on "helping Brother Lu find his man," prompting him to come look for Daoist Buyu.

Though Daoist Buyu had been found, it seemed the other three Tribulation Transcendence experts did not share the exact same intent as him.

Seeing no escape from the pursuit, Daoist Buyu simply turned around to engage them in combat. "Sustaining cultivation through battle is a valid path of cultivation after all!"

...

As spring departed and autumn arrived, Lu Yang sat cross-legged upon the Metal star, a look of enjoyment upon his face.

Seeing that Lu Yang was truly in agonizing pain, Yun Zhi had requested Perfected Master Chuiyue to employ the prototype of the Seven Emotions Dao Fruit, causing Lu Yang to find pleasure in pain. Only then did Lu Yang settle down, continuously absorbing the force of the Metal Element.

During this period, Lu Yang cultivated with utmost diligence and held himself to extremely strict standards, only allowing himself occasional excursions to relax during his rare leisure time—such as being invited to serve as a judge, only to encounter a murder case; or going to the mountains with Old Meng, only to encounter a murder case; or going to the seaside, only to encounter a murder case; or riding a flying vessel, only to encounter a murder case...

To save money for Lu Yang, Daoist Buyu exerted great effort to evade his pursuers and returned to the sect on his own, regularly publishing stories for the Cultivation Monthly, which received widespread acclaim.

Much like Ye Zijin, Daoist Buyu was a restless soul who did not linger long within the sect before venturing out to travel again, though he would periodically mail his manuscripts back.

Seeing the Ask Truth Sect publish a newspaper, the imperial court and other sects followed suit one after another. Though their publications sold well, they were not as captivating as the Cultivation Monthly.

As the Tang Chuanwu siblings formally joined the Ask Truth Sect and became Foundation Establishment cultivators, Lu Yang’s cultivation finally achieved a breakthrough.

"Late Deity Transformation stage."