A Bottleneck in Cultivation

As darkness fell and the Moon rose, Li Fan went to the mortuary again.

"Oh? How come you've already grasped the concept of annihilation and seen the return to nothingness after only sleeping in a coffin for a few days?"

Real Person Liang was quite pleased that Li Fan had come to visit again so quickly, considering that Yuan Xuanbao hadn't even finished his first seclusion yet, Li Fan had already come and gone two or three times.

"Actually, I haven't grasped the essence yet, but I figured I wouldn't understand it lying in a coffin, so I might as well go directly to the Void Abyss and take a look. It's been two months since I last cultivated with the Moon Worship Ceremony, so I'd like to ask you, Master, to look after me this time. If anything goes wrong, please pull me back in time."

Li Fan had already changed into the human skin Daoist robe. Although the system hadn't been online yet, he had recuperated for three months after the last demon-slaying, and then spent almost a month traveling in the south. He ate rice for three meals a day, and with the Fairy Wangshu to look at, his mood had gradually increased to around 1500.

Besides, with a human skin Daoist robe to take his place, he should be able to be resurrected in time.

Furthermore, according to the previous warnings from other True Yuan Shi, the magical treasures and items brought back from the Void Abyss might have been left behind. Li Fan currently has a large amount of stuff, including four flying swords, and losing even one would be a real heartache. The only safest and most stable place is Real Person Liang's dojo, where he can retrieve any lost items. It's a good opportunity to give it a try.

Real Person Liang nodded and said, "Moon Worship is ultimately a risky act, and our Lou Guan lineage does not recommend that disciples who have not yet reached their bottlenecks Moon Worship. However, since you are a Daoist disciple of the Mountain Lord's lineage, it would be fine to make an exception twice. If you lose control and cannot regain it, I can also obtain some materials to nourish my disciples. How wonderful! Go then."

"... Thank you for your kindness, Master."

So Li Fan sat down in front of Real Person Liang's Revered Heavenly Demon, took out Yuan Shi and asked him for some more details. Then he tidied up his equipment, looked up at the moon, and his three eyes opened instantly. He transformed into a gust of black wind and rose up.

Actually, when it comes to visualization, the important thing is not 'what you visualize', but 'what you think about' after you visualize it.

Otherwise, why bother with the disciples' comprehension? Why not just pick a few with good judgment?

Li Fan stared wide-eyed, savoring the fleeting moment his primordial spirit swept across the Void Abyss, witnessing the bizarre and endless illusions before him, attempting to comprehend the principle of ultimate non-annihilation...

But he failed.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fan found himself amidst the landscapes he had once witnessed in the Abyss of Yuan Shi.

There was a mountain and a river in front of me, their orientations perfectly aligned.

With his eyes closed, recalling the sensations of the Void Abyss rushing past him, Li Fan once again practiced according to the Cultivation Method in the Huashu... but it was still the same. Although he circulated his inner core for half a day, he could not extract even a trace of Returning to Emptiness True Essence.

I'm trying to understand the Dao, but I can't seem to grasp it!

Who would have thought that Li Fan would also have times when his aptitude and comprehension were insufficient, causing him to get stuck! Can you believe it!

But that's just the way it is; if you're not destined for the Dao, you simply can't master it.

This was the first time Li Fan had experienced what it felt like to hit a bottleneck in cultivation; it was truly embarrassing.

Actually, when he tried to cultivate the <Huashu> Cultivation Method before, he was puzzled by the extremely slow progress, feeling that he couldn't cultivate true essence at all.

He had only read the <Wuji Guidao> manual given to him by Xiao Yao once. By circulating the Qi, the Inner Landscape of the Golden Core continuously transformed the Qi of Heaven and Earth into Wuji Zhenyuan. However, the speed was extremely slow, only a tiny bit, a tiny amount, a very small amount. It would really take hundreds of years to forge Nascent Soul Stage. But at least it wasn't zero, it was one, so there was still some progress.

So Li Fan thought there might be some trick to it, and even came to ask Real Person Liang how to cultivate the Huashu. But who would have thought that even after sleeping in a coffin, worshipping the Moon, and even going to the Tai Su Realm to absorb evil energy, he still couldn't cultivate a single bit of Returning to Emptiness True Essence!

Li Fan's brows furrowed into a knot. He was a Dao Child blessed with the luck of a transmigrator; it was impossible for him to lack comprehension.

Could it be that Real Person Liang absorbed all the malevolent energy in this world, and the amount wasn't enough?

Since the system wasn't giving him any hints, Li Fan considered it for a moment and decided to try cultivating the Tai Su Transformation taught by Fairy Wangshu. He wanted to see if the cultivation progress was related to the evil energy. After all, nobody really wants problems to stem from their own lack of intelligence, cough cough.

Fairy Wangshu had previously taught Li Fan a posture of the Tai Su transformation.

The cultivation method of the Mountain Lord's lineage does not use malevolent energy to refine the inner elixir, but rather uses malevolent energy to refine the body, somewhat similar to the Five Animal Frolics in yoga. It involves transforming one's body into the physical form of a demon god or Dao ancestor, imitating the 'Non-Thing' of the Tai Su Realm in terms of movements, expressions, and breathing. Therefore, it is necessary to directly absorb malevolent energy into all the bone marrow, meridians, and cells of the body, just like forming a malevolent corpse, to cleanse the entire body. The speed of cultivation, which combines internal and external practices, is naturally faster than cultivating only one set of Inner Landscape meridian systems to achieve an inner elixir.

However, the dangers of this cultivation method go without saying; once it's lost, it's like being a casual snack.

Then Li Fan recalled the positions that Fairy Wangshu had taught him in bed...

Ahem, seriously practicing, seriously practicing, please don't misunderstand...

This posture is basically a four-limbed position, like a cat lying forward with its back extended and its rear end raised...

So he's actually practicing seriously! He's just imitating felines! It's not that Li Fan likes this posture!

... Okay, actually, this transformation was indeed done by Li Fan having the fairy arrange them one by one, and then he picked the one that looked good to him, cough cough cough! Of course, the main reason wasn't that it looked good! It was that he didn't want to become that snake-necked monster Xiang Liu! It just so happened that Fairy Wangshu took out seven different transformation forms to teach him to choose from, one of which was a feline!

Li Fan had previously fought a Divine Transformation stage tiger monster, and he had spent quite a while staring at the old demon's body with his three eyes. He had also experienced the old demon's killing intent and oppressive aura up close, so the memory was particularly vivid. As a result, he felt a strong sense of oppression whenever he saw a cat now...

In short, if there is a very clear and specific object of visualization for the transformation of the Tai Su, then cultivating the Dao body will naturally be the easiest and simplest thing.

Based on this idea, Li Fan visualized the tiger form of the Qingyang Old Demon, following the various secret techniques and tricks taught by Fairy Wangshu regarding changing postures, bone structure, breathing, meridian circulation, and Qi absorption.

Call--

Suck--

Stretch your muscles and bones, straighten your spine, tighten your muscles, and grow a mane.

Eyes wide open, mouth agape, teeth bared, wings outstretched...

It seems something's missing; it's similar in form but not in spirit...

By the way, God,

Then we also need to add,

A scornful gaze upon all living beings, a brutal and ruthless killing intent.

The unwavering Daoist heart that believes "the Great Dao is found in the mind, and I walk alone in my own way."

So Li Fan saw it.

I saw it.

Between the lonely mountain and the dried-up river, a tiger cub revealed its true form amidst the raging storm.

A ferocious beast, two zhang long and seven chi tall at the shoulders, its body seemingly tangled together like steel blocks and iron fur, burst forth with rolling aura, its eyes wide open in fury, a red line between its brows like a sword scar, from which three-foot-long rays of blood faintly pierced through, and the pupils of its lower eyes narrowed into slits, containing only ruthless and fearless bestial desire.

Its left pupil was jet black, its right pupil silver-white, and its entire body was covered with steel bristles and barbs in black and white tiger stripes. From its back, two protruding bony lumps rose up, as if a pair of claw bones were about to tear through flesh and tendons, bursting out from its shoulders, so that wings could sprout from its back...

Then Real Person Liang touched the tiger's head, "It's almost dawn, wake up."

Li Fan suddenly opened his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the clear sky outside and found himself asleep in the mortuary, with his Daoist robe draped over his body and his sword box clutched in his arms.

Real Person Liang remained seated on the futon, leaning against the Revered Heavenly Demon Shrine. He glanced at Li Fan and said, "I didn't expect them to value you so much. They even gave you something of the Dan Ying Divine Fetus level beforehand. No wonder you are so compatible with the Tai Su Dao method and can produce two Golden Cores..."

Your aptitude is too high. Before you have achieved the Nascent Soul Stage, cultivating the changes of the Mountain Lord's lineage is ultimately too dangerous if no one is watching over you.

From now on, without the permission of your teachers, you are not allowed to transform during Moon Worship, especially not to immediately visualize those ferocious demons, do you understand?

Li Fan snapped out of his daze and immediately realized he had almost become someone's meal. He broke out in a cold sweat and bowed deeply in gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much for saving my life, Master."

He covered his face and got up, feeling a tearing pain all over his body, but at the same time, it was numb and itchy, with an indescribable sense of comfort... What's going on? Has his hand grown longer? Wait! It really has!

Li Fan took out a bronze mirror and looked at himself, and was shocked! He had actually grown into a fifteen or sixteen-year-old teenager, taller than before, with an Adam's apple, and his pupils were now black and white!

Li Fan's shoulders, chest, and abdomen were clearly defined by muscle lines; one could almost feel the boundless power and explosive force contained within. His skin shimmered with a jade-like azure light, much like the old demon's indestructible body... Holy crap? He actually mastered it in one go!? I'm a genius!

Seeing him still grinning foolishly, Real Person Liang poured cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "You've gone mad with cultivation, you know that?"

"Huh? Huh? You've gone mad from practicing qi cultivation?" Li Fan was stunned.

Real Person Liang shook his head, pointed to himself, and said, "The changes in your physical form are the most obvious. You, a mere child, have grown into an adult in an instant, clearly sacrificing a lot of your lifespan."

Don't let your current appearance of only fifteen or sixteen fool you. The physical body matures slowly after adulthood, and you're still only at the Golden Core stage. Generally speaking, you've probably already wasted at least thirty to fifty years of your lifespan. And you even survived a life-threatening tribulation, right? The actual number of years you've lost is likely even greater...

No, it should be said the other way around. It's fortunate that you achieved such great cultivation at such a young age, and that you have a solid foundation and deep blessings, which allowed you to overcome the calamity and avoid exhausting your lifespan by contemplating the Four Fiends.

"What? Didn't Wangshu tell you that we'd start by practicing with simple, ordinary things?"

Actually, she said, "Qingyue, since you've chosen this path, the cultivation is quite simple. Start with the raccoon dog. Lou Guan keeps many raccoons to catch mice. Observe them carefully in their daily lives, paying attention to their walking, standing, sitting, lying down, leaping, and pouncing postures. Observe them for two years first." Like that...

Li Fan, a transmigrator, could he possibly visualize transforming into a cat? Of course, he'd start with the most awesome thing!

Moreover, Li Fan was indeed anxious because he was encountering problems in his Gui Xu Nascent Soul cultivation. He only thought about trying out the Tai Su Transformation himself first, so he ignored Fairy Wangshu's instructions and didn't take them to heart. That's why he caused trouble again...

Real Person Liang could tell from his expression, and shook his head, saying, "The cultivation of the Mountain Lord's lineage is actually a matter of exchanging one's life for cultivation. Even Golden Core cultivator only has a lifespan of five hundred years, so many techniques cannot be practiced without the cultivation of the Nascent Soul Realm."

This time you visualized a ferocious beast at the Divine Transformation stage again, draining too much of its essence and marrow, which has already shortened your lifespan. Perhaps you have a deep foundation; sacrificing some life force for cultivation might not be a bad deal...

However, to be honest, I didn't expect you to actually succeed in transforming... Where did you observe that ferocious creature from? Isn't that a demon god that only exists in Kunlun?"

Li Fan was covered in cold sweat, still shaken.

Real Person Liang glanced at Li Fan but didn't press the matter. "The Daoist methods of the Mountain Lord's lineage are quite different from those of my Lou Guan. I can't really judge whether such a radical cultivation method is right or wrong. Perhaps the internal alchemy Dao, which cultivates both body and mind, is indeed a bit out of step with the times in today's world."

However, if you follow the ancient methods of this path, I still advise you to put aside the art of transformation for now and focus on nurturing a Nascent Soul Stage to house your spirit. Once your soul has a place to reside, then you can cultivate your Dao body and Dharma body.

Otherwise, relying solely on one's mind, unless one possesses unwavering resolve and great willpower, one might not be able to maintain control over such a Dharma body. At that point, not only would one's fate be uncertain, but one might also be unable to regain control of one's own mind."

Li Fan, drenched in sweat, bowed deeply in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Real Person Liang nodded. "Be careful."

After leaving the mortuary and flying Wangshu Residence on his sword, Li Fan was still shaken the whole way.

This is no longer a matter of rapid cultivation or advanced spiritual progress.

This guy is a complete idiot!

No matter how high one's talent, how can someone transform on their first cultivation session?! This has already exceeded the scope of Dao compatibility, hasn't it? What exactly did the mountain lord feed him back then?! Just because he casually mentioned something that helped the mountain lord break through to enlightenment, he's being so polite!?

Hmm... but to bring just a little mutton and then so readily give away a flying sword, he really does seem like a straightforward person...

But he couldn't help feeling that the red-faced thing was simply lusting after his sweet and delicious body!

'System reconnection in progress, system update complete'

' Li Fan has mastered the Qiongqi Dao Body (Beginner Level), consuming 200 points of his maximum mood.'

' Li Fan's current mood: 123/1800. Energy is fully charged; ready to participate in the lottery.'

Holy crap! I lost 200 points from the cap! And over 1300 points of mood points too!

Li Fan was terrified. This emotional limit should be directly linked to lifespan, since the Killing Tribulation Sword had stolen someone else's lifespan to add so much. But he never expected that just the initial transformation into Qiongqi would cost him two hundred lifespans!

Moreover, when his body underwent the transformation, he truly felt as if he had just woken from a dream; how could his emotions have vanished so quickly after just over 1,300 days?

This is too dangerous! So cultivating immortality really is a timeless experience in the mountains? In the blink of an eye, time flies, and everything changes...

It seems that, as Real Person Liang suggested, he should first focus on refining an inner core into a nascent Nascent Soul Stage. Moreover, it would be best to refine it into Gui Xu Nascent Soul first, to reverse the decline in mood caused by the evil energy. This way, he can cultivate in the Tai Su Realm without worrying about forgetting the time and dying during cultivation.

However, when it comes to the Gui Xu Nascent Soul...

To Li Fan's dismay, after examining his inner self with his primordial spirit, he found that his progress in the Gui Xu Nascent Soul was still at 0%, and he hadn't refined even a trace of Returning to Emptiness True Essence.

On the contrary, he had refined a considerable amount of the Wuji Zhenyuan. Although theoretically, it required refining the Primordial Fiend Qi into the Five Elements, then into the Universe, and finally into the Wuji Zhenyuan, which involved many more steps, the trip to the Tai Su Realm to Moon Worship, due to the enhanced environment and the fact that his transformation into a black-and-white double-eyed, double-furred form might have also boosted his cultivation of the Universe Qi, resulted in a visible increase in his Wuji Zhenyuan.

It seems that risks and rewards go hand in hand; sacrificing two hundred years of lifespan wasn't without its benefits. When Li Fan calmed down and examined his current Dao body, he clearly felt that his foundation was more stable and his cultivation more solid. The cultivation of Qiankun Dao Qi and Wuji Zhenyuan was also faster. The most obvious improvement was the boundless strength in his hands and feet. Judging from the luster of his skin, once fully refined, it should have the same invulnerability as that old demon.

Perhaps, one could manifest Qiongqi's true form directly in the mortal world. But unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to act recklessly again until one's emotions are fully restored...

However, it seems that even if Li Fan fails to cultivate the Gui Xu Nascent Soul Nascent Soul Stage, he could still focus on cultivating the Limitless Nascent Soul Stage soul a place to reside. Then, relying on his high emotional capacity, he could directly cultivate the Primordial Transformation of Qiongqi, achieving the Nascent Soul Realm wouldn't be a problem at all. As for the Golden Core from the Divine Court, he could easily cultivate some other second Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation Method. There's no need to hang himself on one coffin...

It's truly frustrating that there are still Cultivation Method in this world that can cause Li Fan to encounter a bottleneck in his cultivation...

Alright, alright! Enough of these annoying things! System lottery! Let's try our luck! A 2000-point lottery, oh my god! What kind of prize will I get?

'Lottery draw complete, prizes being sent.'

'Prize being delivered.'