"This old man had thought things through pretty thoroughly." Zhou Hao took the items from the Ring of Holding one by one and laid them out on the ground.
There was not much: two Jade Slips, three bottles of pills, and an exquisite longsword. Aside from those, there was also a huge pile of crystals, which took up most of the Ring of Holding's capacity.
Judging from the instructions Du Tianhong had left behind, the two Jade Slips contained cultivation arts for him, while the three bottles held the Body-Reforming Pill, Supreme Rejuvenation Pill, and Metamorphosis Pill.
All of them had been left behind to lay a solid foundation for Zhou Hao's cultivation.
"Grrrrowl~~"
A hungry call came from Zhou Hao's stomach. He rubbed it and sighed. "You might as well have left me something to eat!"
He could now be described as ravenously hungry.
"I wonder if these pills can fill my stomach?" Zhou Hao muttered to himself.
He picked up a porcelain bottle, then put it back down and picked up one of the Jade Slips instead.
"I'd better follow the old man's instructions first! Cultivate the art."
Zhou Hao pressed the Jade Slip against his forehead. Before long, it glowed with yellow light, and a stream of words imprinted itself in his mind.
They were not merely words. Subtle insights also surfaced in his heart, drawing him into a state of enlightenment.
Time trickled away, second by second. Only five hours later did Zhou Hao slowly open his eyes. A careful look would reveal a faint gleam flashing through them.
He had now embarked upon the path of cultivation, and his cultivation had already reached the Mystic Body Realm.
According to the information Du Tianhong had left behind, the Sky Dome Continent's realms were divided into the Mortal Body Realm, Mystic Embryo Realm, Mystic Body Realm, Spirit Profound Realm, Spiritual Consciousness Realm, Nascent Domain Realm (Pseudo-Domain Realm), True Domain Realm, Heaven and Earth Realm, and finally, the Divine Realm.
Aside from the Mystic Body Realm and the Divine Realm, each of these realms had nine minor stages, customarily referred to on the Sky Dome Continent as the first through ninth tiers.
The Mystic Body Realm Zhou Hao was currently in had only six minor stages. Each stage corresponded respectively to the four limbs and torso, as well as the head.
These six minor stages had no fixed order. It depended on one's own cultivation preferences; whichever body part one wished to cultivate first, one cultivated first.
Zhou Hao had now reached perfection in the Mystic Body Realm. All he lacked was a tiny opportunity to break through into the Spirit Profound Realm.
"The old man was right. I really am a genius." Zhou Hao stretched his limbs and muttered narcissistically.
But whenever he thought of that damned cultivation art's introduction, he wanted to cripple himself and start over.
What the hell is this? The moment Zhou Hao saw the name "Spirit-Womb Art," he knew nothing good could come of it.
Sure enough, after cultivating it, he found it was no good thing at all. This cultivation art had been designed entirely for producing children. The energy cultivated through the "Spirit-Womb Art" would basically act upon sperm cells, placing them in an advanced state of nurturing and laying the groundwork for the future appearance of a "Divine Infant."
It was truly remarkable that Du Tianhong had developed such a cultivation art. After all, for energy to act upon sperm cells, it had to be gentle beyond gentle; otherwise, it would only kill the sperm.
Du Tianhong had also failed to succeed for a long time. In the end, he only managed it by pairing the art with the Spirit-Womb Ring. In other words, the only two people in the entire universe who could successfully cultivate the "Spirit-Womb Art" were Zhou Hao and Murong.
Thus, although the "Spirit-Womb Art" appeared to have a single purpose, it was actually the result of more than half of Du Tianhong's life's painstaking research.
But... no matter how awesome Du Tianhong was, Zhou Hao still wanted to curse him.
"Damn your uncle! Did you ever consider my feelings? I'm not some damned tool!"
Zhou Hao cried out helplessly, but sadly, Du Tianhong had already ridden the crane westward. Cursing him was useless.
Still, there was a turn for the better. At the end of the Jade Slip, Du Tianhong had specifically reminded him that the "Spirit-Womb Art" did not conflict with any other cultivation art.
In other words, Zhou Hao could still cultivate other arts. Du Tianhong had even prepared one for him—the other Jade Slip.
Filled with anticipation, Zhou Hao pressed the other Jade Slip to his forehead.
The next instant, the Jade Slip emitted a gentle yellow glow, turning into specks of light that burrowed into his brow.
After receiving its contents, Zhou Hao fell silent for a long while. Unlike the Jade Slip containing the "Spirit-Womb Art," this one had not directly set him upon the path of cultivation, much less granted him enlightenment.
The Jade Slip contained a cultivation art called the "Metamorphosis Incantation." There was a great deal of related information, but when Zhou Hao saw its introduction, he did not particularly want to cultivate it.
The "Metamorphosis Incantation" was a purely auxiliary cultivation art, developed entirely to serve spirit beasts.
After cultivating it, Zhou Hao would be able to use the power he cultivated to help spirit beasts evolve, allowing them to undergo complete metamorphosis.
Simply put, cultivating this art meant that he would have to become a hardworking pooper scooper in the future.
Most importantly, once he cultivated the "Metamorphosis Incantation," he would no longer be able to cultivate any other cultivation arts, because they would conflict.
Of course, the "Spirit-Womb Art" was an exception.
"I even need a Metamorphosis Pill to lay the foundation before I can cultivate it. This couple really knows how to make trouble." Zhou Hao curled his lips and complained.
That was right—the "Spirit-Womb Art" had been created by Du Tianhong, while the "Metamorphosis Incantation" had been created by Du Tianhong's wife.
This couple truly had a spirit of selfless devotion. None of the cultivation arts they created were meant to strengthen themselves. Zhou Hao was already too exhausted to complain.
Zhou Hao sank into thought. He was considering whether he should cultivate this art. According to the information Du Tianhong had left behind, this "Metamorphosis Incantation" seemed incredibly awesome.
But he was already a tool, and now he had to become a pooper scooper too. He simply could not get over it.
Zhou Hao struggled with his choice.
Perhaps Du Tianhong had wanted him to think it through carefully as well. That was why he had not forced Zhou Hao to cultivate it, and had instead told him all the key information so he could make his own choice.
After pondering for a long time, Zhou Hao made his decision. He would cultivate the "Metamorphosis Incantation."
Even Du Tianhong had called the "Metamorphosis Incantation" awesome, so it had to be genuinely awesome. Zhou Hao believed the old man would not deceive him.
Zhou Hao poured the Metamorphosis Pill into his mouth. His throat bobbed once, and the entire pill slid into his stomach.
Then, following the circulation method of the "Metamorphosis Incantation," he sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
A pale yellow radiance lit up around him. The Metamorphosis Pill within his body dissolved into his blood, then flowed with it throughout his entire body, acting upon every part of him.
After the energy circulated once, all the energy in his body began gathering toward Zhou Hao's Dantian, eventually condensing into a green inner core.
This inner core was the joint product of the Metamorphosis Pill and the "Metamorphosis Incantation," and it would also become the foundation of Zhou Hao's future power.
At the same time, Zhou Hao vaguely heard a snap. The power within his body explosively surged, continuously washing over his flesh.
Two or three minutes later, the surging power calmed. At this moment, Zhou Hao officially crossed from the Mystic Body Realm into the Spirit Mysterious Realm, gaining a preliminary grasp of the ability to fly through the air.
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