Fifty-One Years of Bitter Cultivation Entered This Path

"Observe myself as white bones, as a rotting corpse, as withered remains."

Amid the gnawing of countless bones, Zhang Fusheng gradually grew accustomed to that tearing pain, and it gradually lessened.

"This sinking purgatory seems to be something I can escape only after I bring the Dense White Bone Contemplation to the entry stage and manifest the External Manifestation of rotting flesh and white bones."

"Or perhaps... my spiritual will, sunk within this illusion, will collapse completely?"

Zhang Fusheng was somewhat speechless. He seemed to have fallen into a loop.

The Contract Book seemed to have another wondrous use. It suppressed his true self within the Ancestral Aperture between his brows. Whenever his spiritual will was about to collapse, the Contract Book would "save him."

"This isn't good news. Do I have to use Old Master Wang's [Contemplation Time] right away?"

Zhang Fusheng hesitated. After all, this was Hong Ji Martial Arts School, and this was his first attempt. He did not know whether something unexpected might happen.

"Try again!"

He tried to ignore the pain of being sliced alive and visualized himself as a rotting corpse and bloodless white bones.

This time, there was truly a little progress. Within the sinking illusion, the flesh, organs, and entrails gnawed by the white bones regrew a little more slowly.

But only a little.

"Was it because of the visualization diagram, or because of the School Master's three light knocks?"

"Perhaps it was both."

Zhang Fusheng's thoughts turned a thousand times. He knew himself well. With his current comprehension, it was simply impossible for him to improve so quickly in the Dense White Bone Contemplation.

It could only be the work of the visualization diagram and the School Master's three knocks.

"This tuition was truly worth it. If I came through this once every day, then even with my trash-tier comprehension, I could probably bring this superior Visualization Method to the entry stage in half a year at most—perhaps even two or three months!"

Within Sinking Purgatory, Zhang Fusheng looked at the countless bones sprawled over him and let out a sigh.

"No choice."

"Contract Book. Add some points for me!"

Within the Ancestral Aperture between his brows, the Contract Book trembled.

The next second.

Zhang Fusheng felt as though a great mass of vague things had been forcibly poured into his "soul."

In a daze, he seemed to see illusory scenes. He repeatedly experienced this Sinking Purgatory, while new memories continued to appear in his mind.

Memories of cultivating the Dense White Bone Contemplation.

[In the first full year, I brought the Dense White Bone Contemplation to the entry stage and stepped into the "External Manifestation" level. When using the Visualization Method, I observed my body as a rotting corpse, observed my body as white bones, and could sense a vast number of Mysterious Factors dancing around me.]

[Two and a half years later, I seemed to gain some insight. I understood that the Visualization Method did not end with the external. "External Manifestation" was merely a beginning. I had to seek its core, its true meaning.]

[In the seventh year, amid one descent into purgatory after another, I suddenly understood certain principles. Withering and flourishing alternated, sun and moon revolved, and in that instant where spring met winter lay the node where life and death stood together.]

[In the eighth year, I finally saw through the true meaning of the Dense White Bone Contemplation. The Visualization Method reached Minor Accomplishment, and I entered the "Internal Realm" level.]

[Mysterious Factors became incomparably clear to my senses. When I visualized Dense White Bones, others looking at me would truly feel a little chill in their hearts.]

[In the fourteenth year, I thoroughly consolidated the Internal Realm level, yet I was not satisfied with this single layer. I began advancing toward the Great Accomplishment of the White Bone Meditation, toward the third great level—I Observe as I Should Be.]

[What was I Observe as I Should Be? I did not understand.]

[In the fifteenth year, I gained no insight.]

[In the sixteenth year, I gained no insight.]

[In the seventeenth year.]

[In the twenty-ninth year, inspiration flashed through me, and I seemed to catch hold of some crucial element.]

[In the thirtieth year, I gained no insight.]

[In the thirty-first year, I gained no insight.]

[In the forty-fifth year, inspiration flashed through me, and I seemed to catch hold of some crucial element.]

[In the forty-sixth year, inspiration flashed through me, and I understood something.]

[In the forty-seventh year, inspiration burst forth like a spring. I attained great enlightenment.]

[I began attempting to attain the visualization level—or rather, the spiritual realm—of "I Observe as I Should Be."]

[Decades of accumulation allowed me to advance like splitting bamboo.]

[This was Late Bloomer!]

[In the fiftieth year, I awakened. I understood!]

[At the end of the fiftieth year, I successfully cultivated the White Bone Meditation to Great Accomplishment and stepped into the level of "I Observe as I Should Be." I was no longer bound by whether I visualized or not. At every moment, I was withering and flourishing, living and dying. I saw through the truth that the Mortal World was like a prison and the fleshly body like a cage.]

[I visualized my flesh rotting away, gradually turning into white bones. Then I visualized white bones growing flesh and rebuilding my body. Then I visualized treasured light flowing across the Dense White Bones.]

[I discovered that my bones truly gave off light—this was "I Observe as I Should Be"!!]

[In the fifty-first year, I tried to study the realm of "He Observes as I Should Be," but I discovered that bringing the Visualization Method to Great Accomplishment had exhausted all my accumulated foundation. I had no clue where to begin.]

Fifty-one years of cultivation memories drowned Zhang Fusheng like a tidal wave.

The Dense White Bone Contemplation had reached entry, Minor Accomplishment, and Great Accomplishment!

External Manifestation, Internal Realm, I Observe as I Should Be!

Within Sinking Purgatory.

Zhang Fusheng opened his eyes. Sitting upright within the illusion of Sinking Purgatory and allowing the corpses to gnaw at him, he merely stirred a thought.

In the next instant, his spiritually reflected body within the illusion became half decayed and half white bone. The white bones shone with a lustrous treasured radiance.

The corpse-wraiths abruptly stopped and retreated, inch by inch. They crowded and shoved one another, letting out meaningless howls, but those howls gradually became orderly, gradually became one.

It was as though they were chanting praise.

Zhang Fusheng could actually understand their chant. It was—Great Physician King!

What the hell was that?

He did not dwell on it, nor did he care. He merely sighed.

"Observe myself and others, all piled from white bones. White bones, and flesh grows muscle; flesh grows muscle, and bones become light."

Half-rotted and half-withered, Zhang Fusheng actually grew flesh and skin. Those bone wraiths also grew flesh and skin along with him.

Then.

They all prostrated themselves and knelt in worship.

As though they had seen their master.

The illusion of sinking abruptly shattered.

It was already late at night.

The entire Hong Ji Martial Arts School was hushed in utter silence. The student dormitories had all turned off their lights, and the training rooms were mostly empty.

A young martial arts school janitor held a flashlight as he made his final rounds and inspections.

"Training Hall One inspected."

"Training Hall Two inspected."

"Practice Room One inspected."

The janitor repeated the reports into his walkie-talkie. He pushed open the door to Practice Room Two and habitually raised the walkie-talkie.

"Practice Room Two inspected. Hm?"

He froze. In the vast practice room, a delicate-looking youth was curled up atop a meditation cushion, trembling faintly.

He seemed to be in great pain.

"Hey, kid, what time do you think it is?"

The janitor frowned, lowered his walkie-talkie, and walked over. He glanced at the student badge hanging on the youth's chest before reaching out and giving him a push.

"Wake up, wake up! Go back to the dorm and sleep!"

The youth did not move at all. His expression was twisted, clearly in extreme pain, and his body still trembled slightly.

The janitor's heart thudded.

"Could he be having some kind of attack?"

Just as he hurriedly raised the walkie-talkie, he saw the delicate-looking youth's expression return to calm. His curled, slumped body suddenly straightened, and he sat cross-legged with both legs folded, his five centers facing heaven, his face neither sorrowful nor joyous.

"Huh?" The janitor blanked out. He wanted to reach out and push the youth again, but an inexplicable chill rose in his heart.

He did not know why, but at that moment, an illusion suddenly arose in him. It was as though he stood in a mass grave, where wind and rain had shattered open coffins. What stood before him was not a youth at all, but clearly a savage white skeleton lying within a broken coffin!

The janitor staggered back two steps, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

The youth opened his mouth and sighed.

"White bones, and flesh grows muscle; flesh grows muscle, and bones become light."

The janitor saw that beneath the youth's skin, there truly was light. It was truly shining!

That light—not especially bright, but undeniably real—joined together, forming a discernible skeletal shape. His bones were glowing!

"G-Ghost! A ghost!!"

The janitor turned and ran, throwing away his work badge and flinging aside his walkie-talkie. He rushed out of the martial arts school and vanished.

At this moment.

Within the practice room, the youth had seen through the illusion and slowly opened his eyes. A trace of vicissitude faded from them.

"I think I heard a scream?"

Zhang Fusheng muttered to himself. He looked at the night beyond the window and immediately began to worry.

The Martial Arts Academy provided food and lodging, but where the hell was his dormitory?