After Wu Tian returned to Qiyun Cave, he devoted his energy to the two High-grade Curse Techniques he had just obtained.
Although even ordinary mortals could cultivate these two High-grade Curse Techniques, progress was slow without True Qi, making it difficult to reach profound realms.
The Fire Pupil Curse required him to gaze at the sunlight and use one hundred and eight ancient sounds to stir the fire essence between heaven and earth, nourishing his eye apertures.
The Thunder Sound Curse, meanwhile, contained one hundred and twenty-two ancient sounds, along with eighteen illustrated postures for walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Cultivating it alongside the ancient sounds was even more obscure.
Wu Tian studied the essentials of the two Curse Techniques with his mind. The runes of the cultivation methods Zhu Yushuang had passed to him were exceedingly mysterious. As long as he touched them with his mind, he could comprehend their meaning on his own. Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, immersing his mind in the runes allowed him to gradually grasp it.
This was even more effective than having a renowned master explain it, almost like an initiation by spiritual transmission. It was truly wondrous.
When he first began cultivating the Fire Pupil Curse, he could only gather a wisp of purple qi from the rising sun at dawn to nourish his eye apertures. Thus, he could only begin cultivating it from the second day onward.
Although the Thunder Sound Curse was profound and obscure, he had the System Panel. Any skill entered into the System Panel would improve as long as he cultivated it, without any chance of error or danger of qi deviation.
Instead, it was not constrained like the Fire Pupil Curse.
Wu Tian lay on the stone chair and circulated the Thunder Sound Curse. Immediately, muffled thunder rumbled from within him, as though a flash of lightning had exploded inside his body. A tingling sensation spread from his five viscera and six bowels throughout his entire body.
Before he could relax and adapt, another peal of thunder exploded.
The one hundred and twenty-two ancient Thunder Sound incantations were like one hundred and twenty-two bolts of lightning, tempering his viscera, washing away foul qi, and refining his spirit.
He lasted only a dozen or so breaths before stopping. It was as though the thunder had blasted him to the brink of death. Neither his spirit nor his physique could continue enduring it. Cultivating a High-grade Curse Technique was simply too difficult.
After resting enough, Wu Tian began cultivating the Thunder Sound Curse again. At noon, he switched to cultivating the Tongyou Spell...
The next morning, Wu Tian first cultivated the Tongyou Spell, swallowing and exhaling azure radiance. His snow-white fur grew even smoother. When the first ray of morning light spilled down, he circulated the Fire Pupil Curse, using a wisp of purple qi from the rising sun to nourish his eyes.
After cultivating, he went to the dining hall to eat.
He had always been steady and tenacious by nature. Cultivating every day and feeling himself grow and transform bit by bit was intoxicating.
With the System Panel as well, every bit of progress was clearly visible, so he was even less likely to slack off.
As the days flowed on, before he knew it, a year had passed since Wu Tian came up the mountain.
That night, Wu Tian circulated the Tongyou Spell and swallowed azure radiance, his entire body shrouded in hazy light.
Beside him stood a tall, burly figure. It was Man Xiongmu, who had emerged from seclusion a month earlier.
He looked at Wu Tian, his expression somewhat astonished. "This White Dragon's talent is even more outstanding than I imagined. In just over a year, he has already cultivated the Tongyou Spell to perfection."
One had to know that such speed was already no slower than that of an upper-grade Immortal root.
The finest Immortal roots were said to establish their foundation in a hundred days, while most upper-grade Immortal roots required more than a year. Middle-grade Immortal roots took three to five years, with no fixed limit, and low-grade Immortal roots required at least ten years.
The difference was enormous. If one's Immortal root aptitude was insufficient, one simply could not cultivate to higher realms.
In truth, Wu Tian's aptitude at this moment was only equivalent to a middle-grade Immortal root. It was just that he had the System Panel, improving day by day without bottlenecks, which allowed him to achieve cultivation results equivalent to an upper-grade Immortal root.
Under Man Xiongmu's gaze, Wu Tian swallowed and exhaled azure radiance. Eighteen ancient sounds flowed, yet not the slightest sound emerged, like the muttering of ghosts and gods reaching straight into the netherworld, audible only to sinister ghosts.
With every inhale and exhale, every swallow and release, radiance filled the air, and Dao Charm formed naturally.
Before he knew it, a dark and profound aura began to grow within him, like a wisp of black water, or a mysterious serpent.
The moment this aura formed, the essence of heaven and earth surged around him. It gathered more than twice as quickly as before. The radiance poured into Wu Tian's mouth and nose like a stream, and once it entered his body, that wisp of profound aura devoured it.
Wu Tian's sensations were different now. That wisp of aura was like his own hands and feet, as if he had grown a new organ. With a thought, he could control it down to the finest detail.
Before, he had needed to cast the Tongyou Spell to draw in the essence of heaven and earth. Now, with this wisp of aura, he could swallow and exhale the essence of heaven and earth even without casting any Curse Technique.
This was a qualitative transformation, like being reborn, his life sublimated. He had changed from passive to active and was no longer an ordinary beast.
A white dog had become an awakened creature and refined Tongyou Qi.
At this point, he could be called a monster.
"No wonder fierce birds and ferocious beasts are distinguished from monsters. After True Qi or Demonic Energy develops, there is almost a fundamental difference. One can draw in the essence of heaven and earth on one's own, as if life itself has sublimated."
Wu Tian's spirit merged with the Tongyou Qi, and he felt incomparably refreshed. From the moment he obtained the Tongyou Spell until now, after more than a year, he had finally cultivated it to perfection and developed Tongyou Qi.
Ding, system notification: Your skill Tongyou Spell has reached perfection and can awaken as a talent. Please choose one of the following three talents.
Option One, Qi Eater: You can swallow extremely scant traces of the essence of heaven and earth through breathing.
Option Two, Yin Eyes: You can see evil entities, sinister ghosts, and Yin-turbid Killing Intent, while gaining a slight increase in restraint against ghostly creatures.
Option Three, Spiritual Communication: Your soul talent gains a slight increase, allowing you to sense and communicate with ghostly creatures.
All three talents among these options were Intermediate Talents, but their quality was clearly far higher than that of talents born from other skills.
Qi Eater, Yin Eyes, and Spiritual Communication were each exceedingly practical.
"I already have the Qi Eater talent, and it has already advanced into the Intermediate Talent Eating Radiance, Drinking Dew. This one can be eliminated directly."
"Yin Eyes and Spiritual Communication—both of these talents are extremely useful!"
Wu Tian was delighted. Seeing ghostly creatures and evil entities with Yin Eyes was one thing, but the crucial point was that it could increase his restraint against ghostly creatures. If it were upgraded to a higher tier, it might even become a ghostly creature's nemesis.
"Most of Skull Mountain's disciples raise ghostly creatures. If I had the Yin Eyes talent, there would be far too many benefits..."
"As for the Spiritual Communication talent, setting everything else aside, the fact that it can improve soul talent alone is enough to make anyone yearn for it."
Wu Tian pondered for a moment before choosing Spiritual Communication. "With the Fire Pupil Curse taught to me by that senior, I should be able to obtain other eye-related talents in the future, and they will be even more profound."
"By contrast, an increase in soul talent is exceedingly rare."
After he made his decision, the System Panel naturally changed.
Name: Wu Tian Age: 4 Bloodline: Southern Border White Dog Realm: Qi Nourishing Realm, First Stage, 1% (Monster) Talents: Immunity to All Poisons 10% (Intermediate) Thousand Mile Divine Speed 12% (Intermediate) Auspiciousness and Avoidance of Disaster 10% (Intermediate) Eating Radiance, Drinking Dew 15% (Intermediate) Spiritual Communication 1% (Beginner) Skills: Fire Pupil Curse 5% (High-grade) Thunder Sound Curse 6% (High-grade) Note: Perfected skills have been hidden.
Compared with before, the panel had undergone a tremendous change. These various talents were likely something even those Monsters did not possess.
"I've finally achieved Foundation Establishment Perfection and entered the Qi Nourishing Realm."
Wu Tian let out a long breath. His painstaking efforts over the past year had finally borne fruit. For so long, he had not dared slacken in the slightest, cultivating bitterly day and night. Even while traveling, he had been honing his Thousand Mile Divine Speed talent.
Now that he had gained something from it, joy welled up within him.
"It's just a pity that after a talent advances to Intermediate, improving it becomes extremely difficult. In a year, I've only raised it by around ten percent, while the Immunity to All Poisons talent has practically stagnated."
"At this rate, reaching perfection will probably take ten years of work."
"Those two High-grade Curse Techniques are progressing slowly without True Qi to reinforce them, even with the System Panel. But now that I have Tongyou Qi, things should go much more smoothly from here on."
Wu Tian knew this was the normal state of affairs. Intermediate Talents could not possibly improve as quickly as before. "The talents of other people, monsters, and ghosts are difficult to advance. I already have this opportunity, so I should be content."
"Next, I should seek the next cultivation method."
He turned around and saw Man Xiongmu watching him with a broad smile.
"White Dragon, congratulations on achieving Foundation Establishment Perfection today and having pure qi enter your body."
"From this day onward, you little dog can be called a monster."
Wu Tian happily wagged his tail and barked.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
"Hahaha!" Man Xiongmu threw back his head and laughed. "Come with me. Today, I'll pass on the next cultivation method to you."
Before you continue