Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
After three or four months of instruction from Elder Wu Qingfeng, Fang Yang and the other two finally began formally learning the cultivation method: the opening chapter of the Dao Scripture: Sea of Bitterness Volume.
In the shabby thatched hut.
Fang Yang sat cross-legged on the stone bed. There was not the slightest outward sign of anything unusual, but three inches below his navel, the first of the human body's secret realms had already been opened.
As a Mortal Body, even after just fusing with a green-grade Mortal Body Origin and reaching twice the talent of an ordinary Mortal Body, he was still just an ordinary Mortal Body—worlds apart from the likes of Divine Bodies.
He looked inward into his Bitter Sea.
A lifeless space the size of a date pit bobbed in the boundless Bitter Sea, making it hard to believe that one day he could cross the whole sea.
"The Mortal Body is too weak. It seems that even a green-grade Mortal Body Origin only lets me take my first steps on the path of cultivation."
"Although I possess twice the Mortal Body Origin, in the end, I'm still only a Mortal Body. Unless I obtain more Mortal Body Origins in the future and use hundreds or thousands of them to build up a Mortal Body that can rival special physiques."
Fang Yang wasn't disappointed by this result.
After consuming the Sacred Fruit, his natural aptitude had improved. Although he couldn't compare at the outset to those prodigies who produced strange phenomena the moment they opened their Bitter Sea,
he was still more than good enough to be considered a rare Immortal Seed in Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven, earning a considerable number of Fate Points:
[Joined Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven] [Fate Points +200] [Became an Immortal Seed of Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven] [Fate Points +300]
The first notification had appeared after Fang Yang entered Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven.
The second had appeared just yesterday. It was probably because the important figures in Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven had learned of his cultivation progress and designated him an Immortal Seed.
By now, including the Fate Points provided by Liu Yunzhi and the others, Fang Yang had a total of 955 Fate Points.
He was only 45 Fate Points short of another ten-pull.
A ten-pull with a guaranteed purple card was currently the best choice for Fang Yang.
A miracle from a single pull?
Fang Yang declared that he would never do a single pull. Not in this lifetime.
[Opened the Bitter Sea, Fate Points +100]
The notification that appeared next confirmed Fang Yang's guess.
Improving one's strength, raising one's status, and eliminating external dangers were all ways to earn Fate Points.
"Now that I've consumed a little more than four Sacred Fruits, and have a cubic meter of Divine Spring in my bracelet, reaching the Immortal Platform Secret Realm is practically a certainty."
"Ye Fan will face one setback after another in the future, hunted down and forced to flee everywhere. He has no choice. But if I give up a peaceful life and insist on making the whole world my enemy, then there's something wrong with my head."
"Being an independent cultivator isn't necessarily a bad path, but the Yao Guang Sacred Land offers me a much wider world!"
Fang Yang had long since resolved to follow the path through Spirit Ruins Grotto-Heaven and join the Yao Guang Sacred Land.
It was true that the Ruthless Lineage had taken root within the Yao Guang Sacred Land.
But he was just a Mortal Body. Was he really afraid that the Ruthless Lineage would try to poison him?
Weiwei, the possessor of the Immortal Spirit Eye, would one day surpass the Ruthless Lineage, become the Holy Lord of Yaoguang, and wield the Emperor Weapon, the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron.
That was proof enough that the Holy Lord of Yaoguang's faction had what it took to stand against the Ruthless Lineage, and could protect its disciples.
Even if Fang Yang revealed his talent in the future, he wouldn't need to worry about the Ruthless Lineage striking in secret.
Besides, among the Eastern Wasteland's four Extreme Dao Powers,
the Jiang Family and the Ji Family were clans that didn't take in outsiders.
Yaochi Sacred Land only accepted women. Its sole exception was probably its first Yaochi Saintess—Great Emperor Wushi.
Only the Yao Guang Sacred Land offered Fang Yang a stage on which to make his mark, as well as greater room to grow.
"Ten-pull, activate!"
Fang Yang fiercely tapped the [Ten-Pull] button with his mind, sending the Card Pool surging and churning as all kinds of strange phenomena burst forth.
[Pear Blossom Needle in Rainstorm (White)] [Guanyin Tear (White)] [Grass Cake (White)] [Frying Pan (White)] [Tao Te Ching (White)] [Mortal Body Origin (Green)] [Pure Source (Green)] [Nine-Orifice Golden Pill (Blue)] [Seven Sages Heart-Refining Pill (Blue)] [Snake Talisman (Purple)]
"A purple one?"
Fang Yang was rather surprised.
Normally, the odds of getting a purple card from a ten-pull weren't high. Otherwise, the Card Pool wouldn't have a mechanic guaranteeing a purple card on the first ten-pull.
In his last ten-pull, aside from the [Replica of the Supreme Emperor Sword (Purple)], he hadn't even gotten a single blue card, which had lowered his expectations.
[Snake Talisman (Purple)] [Description: Makes its bearer invisible, concealing their figure, scent, energy, and more]
"Snake Talisman?"
As Fang Yang looked at the simple, ancient talisman on the deep-purple card, memories of his childhood resurfaced.
Everyone knew that cartoons played by their own rules, because you could never guess what terrifying effects those seemingly ordinary objects would actually have.
The Snake Talisman's effect wasn't heaven-defying, but its purple grade guaranteed it wasn't weak.
Being the same grade as the Replica of the Supreme Emperor Sword, its invisibility effect should have no trouble fooling a powerful expert.
Fang Yang put the Snake Talisman away for the time being and checked the other three green cards and one blue card.
As for the five white cards, they were about as useful as chicken ribs; there was no need to look at them any further.
There was no need to mention the [Mortal Body Origin (Green)].
Fang Yang used it immediately. A milky-white source of energy flowed into the date-pit-sized Bitter Sea three inches below his navel, expanding it slightly.
[Pure Source (Green)]
After Fang Yang used it, a walnut-sized piece of Pure Source appeared in his palm.
The Pure Source was crystalline and translucent, a product of the condensation of the essence of heaven and earth. Even this tiny piece would definitely sustain his cultivation all the way to the Other Shore Realm.
[Nine-Orifice Golden Pill (Blue)] [Description: Produced in the World of Eternal Life. Insert it into the heart and let the blood circulate its medicinal power to alter a martial artist's constitution and provide the vitality to repair the body]
"The Nine-Orifice Golden Pill is nice, but its effects won't manifest quickly. It needs to be refined over a long period before all its medicinal power can be unleashed."
Fang Yang shook his head at this.
Even so, he planned to find the time to cut open his own heart and put the Nine-Orifice Golden Pill inside.
It was worth 100 Fate Points, after all. He couldn't just toss it aside—that would be such a waste.
[Seven Sages Heart-Refining Pill (Blue)] [Description: A pill refined by the seven ancient sages of the World of Dragon Talisman. Consuming it is equivalent to receiving the seven sages' instruction, strengthening the spirit and imparting their cultivation insights]
Fang Yang materialized it at once. A pill the size of a thumb appeared, shining with seven-colored light. It was none other than the Seven Sages Heart-Refining Pill.
After he swallowed it, seven sages appeared before his eyes in an instant, discoursing on the Great Dao of heaven and earth and the truths of the human world. Golden lotuses bloomed from the ground, and sweet dew fell from the sky.
His spirit grew stronger, his soul ascended.
When Fang Yang came back to his senses, he found that his soul had grown powerful enough to glimpse many of the fine meridians and acupoints inside his body.
Moreover, the truths of heaven and earth expounded by the seven sages had settled into his sea of consciousness. Once his cultivation advanced in the future, he could bring them to light.
"It can't compare to the Bodhi Leaf, but it's still pretty good."
Fang Yang took the opportunity to comprehend the Dao Scripture.
Even though it was only a fragment of the true Dao Scripture, it contained countless mysteries, far beyond the grasp of an ordinary person who had only just set foot on the path of cultivation.
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