Cultivating the Soul Art

Back in the inner city, the environment was much better, the roads were wide and spacious, and few people dared to act openly and arrogantly here.

Those who lived here were mostly high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, powerful nobles, and prominent families—truly a place where dragons and tigers lay hidden.

After ordering the servants to deliver the raw iron to the blacksmith's shop, Fang Yuan and the other disciples returned to the Fang family and first went to the task hall to hand in their assignments.

Fang Man hadn't come back this time. He was now at the ninth level of the Houtian realm and wanted to gain more experience, accumulate insights, and break through to the Xiantian realm as soon as possible.

"Young Master!"

The maidservant Xiao Zi and the others spotted Fang Yuan's figure from afar and immediately stepped forward to bow, their faces full of respect.

"The Young Master is invincible in might—this time, you've surely returned in triumph."

Fang Yuan lay back in his chair, eating a grape the maidservant fed to his lips, and said with a smile, "What if I lost?"

"The Young Master would never lose!"

Facing such a fatal question, Xiao Zi smiled gently and replied sweetly.

"Send this jade bottle to Miss Ke'er," Fang Yuan said, tapping Xiao Zi on her delicate nose.

Last time he broke through to the Xiantian realm, his cheap father had given him three Condensing Qi Pills.

He still had two left, and keeping them for himself was useless, so he might as well pass them on to Ke'er and Fang Man.

"Also, have some rewards distributed to the masters and laborers who transported the raw iron this time," Fang Yuan instructed.

Xiao Zi committed it to memory and quickly left the courtyard, demonstrating her strong ability to execute.

"To break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, I still need to use my spiritual world to perceive heaven and earth and condense my divine sense."

Fang Yuan looked up at the sky, seemingly daydreaming, but in his hands, he held a martial arts insight manual from an ancestor of the family, pondering the path of cultivation ahead.

He who does not plan for the long term cannot handle the short term.

He was now only one step away from the Foundation Establishment realm, so he had to think carefully and prepare thoroughly.

"I still need to ask Dad if there's a suitable technique to condense divine sense."

The Xuanming Heart Sutra didn't cover spiritual cultivation, so divine sense was still a blind spot in Fang Yuan's martial path.

With a family head as his father, there was no need to search the scripture library for a suitable technique or martial skill—he could just ask directly.

"You brat, do you even still have me in your eyes?"

Fang Zhongwu feigned anger and said sternly, "You've been back half a day and haven't even greeted me. Tell me about your experiences at Falling Mist Mountain."

"You already know everything about what happened at Falling Mist Mountain," Fang Yuan said with a smile.

"Let's get to business. You came here to ask about opening acupoints or condensing divine sense."

Fang Zhongwu's words clearly revealed that he was fully aware of Fang Yuan's cultivation progress.

"Mainly condensing divine sense—I don't have a corresponding technique."

Fang Yuan wasn't surprised by this at all.

Seeing his son admit it openly, Fang Zhongwu's expression suddenly turned serious.

"What forbidden art are you cultivating now? Why is your cultivation advancing so quickly?"

Fang Zhongwu was afraid that Fang Yuan would go to extremes and prematurely drain his physical potential by practicing a forbidden art that showed fast results.

He had traveled and trained outside in his early years and had seen many core disciples of major sects, but none had such rapid cultivation progress.

From the time Fang Yuan returned from the Qingyun Sect trial, it had only been about a month, and his cultivation had jumped several levels—too alarming.

"Father, rest assured. I'm not cultivating any forbidden art."

Knowing that words were powerless, Fang Yuan immediately revealed his cultivation, and the true qi swirling around his body was extremely condensed.

Fang Zhongwu narrowed his eyes slightly. Upon careful perception, he discovered that Fang Yuan had opened one hundred and three acupoints, which startled him again.

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

After a long pause, Fang Zhongwu came back to his senses, feeling both joy at Fang Yuan's martial progress and a new layer of worry.

"When you're out in the world, be careful. When you strike, go all out and leave no survivors."

A genius who hasn't grown up is just a genius after all.

He had seen too many extraordinary talents fall at the hands of true experts. Sometimes, the halo of genius was more like a death curse.

"I will heed Father's teachings."

Fang Zhongwu nodded slightly, then took out a technique manual from under his desk. It was called the Soul Art, clearly prepared long ago.

"As I said before, if there's anything you don't understand, come ask me anytime."

Night fell.

By the light of the stars, Fang Yuan practiced the Myriad Star Fist, his figure flickering back and forth across the courtyard.

Using the Fifth Chief of Green Ridge Stronghold outside the city to hone his martial skills had yielded clear progress—he was vaguely touching the threshold of the peak realm.

The Greater Success stage of the Myriad Star Fist had already begun to show its power, able to channel the true qi within his body at the moment of a punch, like a falling meteor.

And once he cultivated it to the peak or even the perfection stage, each strike would unleash several times the power, and the true qi he released would not diminish, its might unfathomable.

As everyone knows, true qi in the Qi Refining realm can be condensed into various shapes and even leave the body to injure others, but it always has a range limit.

Once it exceeds ten meters, the killing power of true qi drops sharply, requiring it to be attached to an object to last.

The Myriad Star Fist clearly could break this shackle, ensuring invincibility against those of the same realm.

After cultivating for a while, Fang Yuan returned to his room and began to comprehend the Soul Art.

This was his first time encountering a technique for training the spirit, and Fang Yuan felt somewhat unfamiliar, but all methods ultimately converge on the same path.

"No wonder Foundation Establishment cultivators can draw on the surrounding spiritual energy—it's because they use their divine sense as a bridge."

Fang Yuan quickly immersed himself in cultivating the Soul Art. He could clearly feel the spirit within his mind begin to pulse rhythmically.

After a night of cultivation, Fang Yuan felt no fatigue or drowsiness at all. Instead, he sensed that his spiritual power had grown somewhat stronger.

"At this rate of condensing divine sense, the time required is far too long."

Fang Yuan pondered. Could the one year of cultivation hard-earned in the Heavenly Origin Earth Realm be used to train his spiritual power?

He was somewhat uncertain.

Before this, increasing his cultivation base had indeed strengthened his spiritual power somewhat, but only to a very limited extent.

"I'll know for sure in a couple of days."

After breakfast, Fang Yuan instructed the servants not to disturb him, then sat cross-legged in his room to cultivate.

Add points!

[You have cultivated bitterly for one year, breaking through three barriers in succession. Your body has been partially strengthened, but your cultivation base has not yet achieved a substantive breakthrough.]

This wording was no different from last time.

But Fang Yuan, the one experiencing it, clearly felt that the changes in his body were concentrated in his arms, waist, and abdomen—three areas where warm currents flowed.

As a certain barrier was broken through, his entire body felt as if soaking in a hot spring, incredibly comfortable.

"Crooked Pond, Life Gate, and Qi Sea—all three acupoints have been broken through!"

At this moment, Fang Yuan's body was like a small vortex, every cell greedily absorbing the spiritual energy drifting through heaven and earth.

"It seems I'll be able to open all one hundred and eight hidden acupoints in my body by tomorrow." Fang Yuan was somewhat excited.

In the afternoon, after finishing his arduous cultivation, Fang Yuan originally thought to summon Xiao Zi, enjoy life, and arrange matters.

But unfortunately, he couldn't find her.

"Lady Xiao Zi has gone out, seemingly busy with something," the maidservant replied respectfully.

Fang Yuan frowned slightly. Xiao Zi had served him for many years and was someone who understood the rules well; she would never disappear without leaving a message.