Essence, Qi, and Spirit

Essence, Qi, and Spirit

Wu Tong looked at the diagram of meridians and acupoints. After thinking for a moment, he reached out and pulled.

A panel appeared beside "Wu Tong's" body, deep blue from top to bottom and brimming with a system-like style.

But this was not a system. It was only a tool Wu Tong had generated based on his own information, one that made it easier to understand the abilities he had mastered.

Recorded on it in detail was the experimental data "Wu Tong" had gone through, as well as Wu Tong's diary entries:

"Second year after arriving at the Crown Prince Residence: I can no longer cultivate the Crimson Sun Sutra. Every time I circulate it, a burning sensation rises in my meridians and acupoints. Why is this happening? Is it because my body can't withstand it? Or is it the cultivation art's fault? I'll try tempering my body first."

"Third year after arriving at the Crown Prince Residence: Why? It's already been a year, and there's still been no progress. Every time I circulate the art, my body can't withstand it and explodes. Is there still something I haven't noticed? I'll try a medicinal bath."

"Fourth year after arriving at the Crown Prince Residence: Damn it, why is this energy so violent? Is there no way to suppress it? Why does it refuse to obey once it's inside a person's body? Wait... a person? I have an idea..."

"Theoretical knowledge supplement: according to Daoist thought, the human body is composed of three treasures: 'Essence,' 'Qi,' and 'Spirit.' They correspond respectively to the flesh, energy, and mind.

The original concept behind my Crimson Sun Sutra focused only on accumulating energy, while neglecting the growth of the mind and the flesh. Even if every session of cultivation tempers the body, the improvement in bodily strength cannot keep up with the increase in true qi.

After a year of training, although my body has been strengthened and is still not enough, it can barely withstand the energy now. Then there is only one reason why I keep failing: my 'Spirit' is insufficient. My 'Spirit' is too weak, leaving me unable to control this vast energy. I've finally found the cause. Then the next top priority is to create a Spirit Refining Method."

"Last day of the fourth year after arriving: success. With the help of Purple Demon Eyes, I finally created a Spirit Refining Method, the Sun Contemplation Diagram. This Spirit Refining Method, which borrows Sun Power, happens to complement the Crimson Sun Sutra."

"First day of the fifth year after arriving at the Crown Prince Residence: the cultivation arts for 'Spirit' and 'Qi' have already succeeded. Next, I need to complete the creation of the art for 'Essence.' But how am I supposed to create it? I have no ideas at all.

For spiritual power cultivation, I had Purple Demon Eyes as a reference. For the Crimson Sun Sutra, I had Mysterious Heaven Skill and Meditation Technique as references. But what should I do for fleshly body tempering? The people with powerful bodies on Douluo Continent are all that way because of their Martial Souls, so creating the art for Essence is truly a headache."

"Midway through the fifth year after arriving at the Crown Prince Residence: I'm so stupid. I actually forgot the body-tempering method of using vibrations like Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound. Good, now I finally have a reference."

"Sixth year, success. The Essence Refining Method, Morning Dawn Body Forging Art, is also a body-tempering cultivation art based mainly on Sun Power, tempering the body with the force of solar fluctuations. This body-tempering method shares the same root and Source as the Spirit Refining Method and Qi-cultivation method. Next, I need to test it...

Body-tempering method cultivation process: no circulation errors. Physique is slowly improving. Testing maximum circulation... no internal damage during maximum circulation. Physique increasing. Body-tempering method, creation successful!!!"

"Midway through the sixth year, Essence, Qi, and Spirit have finally balanced. Now I only need to fuse the Essence Refining Method, Qi-cultivation method, and Spirit Refining Method, revise the concept for creating the art, and create a cultivation art for Three Treasures Simultaneous Cultivation."

"Late sixth year, cultivation art fusion successful. I'll test whether there are any problems with the cultivation art.

Hm? Qian Renxue sent someone to find me... then I'll test it when I come back."

The diary ended there. Interspersed through it was an enormous amount of data, the records Wu Tong had made while creating his art.

Looking at this experimental record, Wu Tong's eyes brimmed with anticipation as he gazed at the other "Wu Tong" before him.

As "Wu Tong" cultivated according to the method Wu Tong had given him, the artificial sun in the dream space also began to let Sun Power fall, transmitting energy onto "Wu Tong's" body.

After "Wu Tong" circulated the art to its limit and completed one hundred circulations, there was still no discomfort. Instead, every aspect of his body's attributes slowly improved. Wu Tong finally let out a breath of relief. The fused cultivation art was circulating very stably.

Then calling it the Crimson Sun Sutra was no longer appropriate. He would call it the Crimson Wheel Sutra, a cultivation art that fused the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit for simultaneous cultivation.

Perhaps it could even count as a pretty decent divine art in some mid-level martial worlds, Wu Tong thought.

After that, he dispelled the Soul Skill, woke from sleep, and began cultivating the Crimson Wheel Sutra. As Sun Power fell, the bottleneck that had troubled Wu Tong for many years finally broke.

Bang!

With a muffled sound from within his body, Wu Tong successfully broke through the Level 40 bottleneck and became a Level 40 quasi-Soul Ancestor.

"I broke through? Perfect. When I go find Old Master Dugu tomorrow, I can mooch a Spirit Ring too."

The next day.

Wu Tong brought his guards to the Dugu Family.

The moment he entered, he heard an aged voice. Though the voice was old, it was extremely sonorous and full of vigor.

"Well, if it isn't our Master? What brings you to this shabby place of mine? Haven't I always been the one to personally invite you?" The tone of that voice was thick with sarcasm, and when he said the word "invite," there was even a bitter resentment like gritted teeth.

Wu Tong looked up and saw an old man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies standing at the entrance, watching him. Unlike other old men, whose beards and hair were grizzled or completely white, every hair on his body was dark green. His entire body was thin, his cheeks sunken, and his emerald eyes shone with an eerie glow. Being watched by him always gave one the unsettling feeling of being targeted by a snake and regarded as prey.

His hands were covered by the plain gray robe on his body. His aura seemed present and absent, and a faint fishy stench drifted from him. Facing this old man was like facing a snake.

This old man was none other than Wu Tong's friend despite their difference in age, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

"Old Master, from that tone of yours, it sounds like you don't really welcome me. Then I suppose you don't need the treatment method I've researched for Sister Yan, right?"

Wu Tong did not care about the resentment in the other party's tone and teased him.

"No, no, no, I was joking. Don't mind me, Little Monster."

When Dugu Bo heard that, how could he let that stand? He hurriedly tried to keep him, even putting an arm around Wu Tong's neck in a buddy-buddy manner, afraid this Little Monster would run off.

"All right, let me go first. I don't have any method for your situation for now. It requires a large amount of precious medicinal materials. But for Sister Yan, it can be remedied by consuming part of her potential. That way, at least she won't die from the poison."

Feeling the arm around his neck, Wu Tong shook his body uncomfortably as he spoke.

Who would have thought that after Dugu Bo heard this, his expression would turn somewhat odd. He looked at Wu Tong and rolled his eyes. "How did you guess?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Wu Tong's eyes flickered, and he pretended not to know.

"Little Monster, don't I know you? If you didn't have a definite solution, you definitely wouldn't be this confident. Since you came, you must have a way to treat me. What do you think I'm talking about?" Dugu Bo did not indulge him at all and directly exposed Wu Tong.

Hearing Dugu Bo's words, Wu Tong no longer hid it. "Mainly because the poison in you is far too strong. Without a way to relieve it, it would be impossible for you to break through to Soul Douluo, let alone Titled Douluo. Since you've already broken through and haven't been devoured by your own poison, that means you must have a blessed land that can suppress the toxins, Old Master."

"There aren't many blessed lands that can suppress your toxins to begin with. There are only three possibilities: one is the Lake of Life, one is the Purification Spring, and the last is the Icefire Yin-Yang Well."

"The Lake of Life is located in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest and is occupied by two great beast kings. It definitely isn't something you could obtain, so that can be ruled out."

"The Purification Spring can directly remove your poison, but neither you nor Sister Yan has been detoxified. In your case, it can be understood as you being reluctant to part with your strength.

But if Sister Yan hasn't been detoxified, that doesn't make sense. With how much you dote on Sister Yan, if there were a chance to help her escape from all this poison, you definitely wouldn't hesitate. So that can also be ruled out."

"Then only one remains: one of the legendary three great treasure basins, the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. The Extreme Ice Spring and Extreme Heat Spring converge there, a creation of nature's uncanny craftsmanship. Countless rare medicinal herbs grow around it, and in that environment, toxins can be suppressed."

"How about it, Old Master? I didn't guess wrong, did I?" Looking at Dugu Bo, who was dumbfounded before him, Wu Tong asked.

"That's right. I do indeed have such a blessed land. Its appearance is very similar to the Icefire Yin-Yang Well you described, so it should be that Icefire Yin-Yang Well you mentioned. Inside that blessed land, it can indeed suppress my toxins. That's why I was able to cultivate to Titled Douluo."

Seeing that Wu Tong had practically stripped him down to his underwear, Dugu Bo directly admitted it.