Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method

After Wang Ding arrived on Changshan Island, he released blood-food bait by the shore every day to lure West Sea Mad Sharks over, then used the Magic Tool in his hand to kill them. After that, he controlled the Magic Tool for a brief flight and quickly fished out the natal scales of the West Sea Mad Sharks he had killed; otherwise, the sharks' corpses would soon be devoured by their own kind.

Through this relentless hunting, Wang Ding spent three days killing a total of three hundred West Sea Mad Sharks and collected more than two hundred and seventy scales. There were also some he did not have time to collect before they had already been swallowed.

"All right. More than two hundred scales should be enough to exchange for fifty merit points, and I should be able to get a spirit cultivation method." Wang Ding placed the scales into his storage pouch, used the sect's teleportation array to return to Merit Hall, and after handing over two hundred and fifty natal scales, obtained fifty merit points.

Without stopping for even a horse's breath, Wang Ding once again came to the Dharma Transmission Hall. After entering the main hall, Wang Ding walked toward a Dharma transmission disciple, cupped his fists, and said, "Senior Brother, greetings. I'd like to use merit points to purchase a cultivation method. May I ask what the rules are?"

The Dharma transmission disciple was sitting on a sandalwood chair at the moment. He glanced at Wang Ding and said, "See that Star Map floating in the center of the hall? As long as you point your nameplate at it, you'll know what you want to know."

After Wang Ding thanked that Dharma transmission disciple, he walked toward the Star Map floating in the center of the hall. Wang Ding remembered that the thing called the Star Map had not been there the first time he came. Wang Ding arrived in front of the Star Map and saw a three-dimensional map of the universe and starry sky vividly displayed upon it, almost drawing his entire mind and spirit inside.

Wang Ding took out his nameplate and aimed it at the Star Map. In an instant, a beam of starlight shot out from the Star Map and shone upon Wang Ding's nameplate. Then an even thicker beam of starlight shone directly onto Wang Ding's head. Wang Ding only felt a wave of dizziness, and then his consciousness appeared in a stretch of starry sky.

A piece of information appeared in his consciousness. After receiving it, Wang Ding knew how to search for what he needed.

"Qi Refining Realm, Innate Stage cultivation methods," Wang Ding said. As soon as his words fell, a field of stars arrived before him. "Fifty merit points," Wang Ding said again. Then another large swath of the stars that had come before him departed, and in the end only a dozen or so stars remained. Wang Ding looked at the dozen or so clusters of light floating before him and reached out to examine them one by one: "Boundless Ocean Method," "Mysterious Origin Heart Refining Art," "Nine Revolutions Spirit Method," "Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method," "Star Soul Refining Art," and other such methods.

After choosing for quite a while, Wang Ding selected the Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method. Wang Ding chose this method because this art emphasized later momentum, drawing on the meaning of the ocean's waves, one surge following another, never ceasing. Once cultivated successfully, spirit thought-power could overlap and amplify wave after wave, providing tremendous help in breaking open the Heavenly Gate and shattering the divide between heaven and man.

After Wang Ding selected the cultivation method and paid the merit points, streams of cultivation formulas entered his consciousness, directly branded into his mind so that he would never forget them.

Wang Ding withdrew from the Star Map. Looking at the Star Map floating before him, he thought, I really don't know what kind of magical treasure this is to be so miraculous. It's almost like the computer systems back on Earth.

Having obtained the cultivation method, Wang Ding did not linger and quickly returned to his Spring Thunder Courtyard to rest properly.

After one night, Wang Ding rose early the next morning and began preparing to practice the Surging Waves Spirit Forging Method.

Wang Ding sat on a prayer mat, calmed his heart and quieted his qi, making his spirit as still as water without the slightest ripple, gradually entering a spiritual state of unity between heaven and man. Wang Ding knew the time was about right, and lines of formula slowly flowed through his heart: "Waves like the heavens, a rolling flood; the Great Dao like a wheel, flowing and turning without rest; the highest good is like water, thick virtue bears all things..."

Wang Ding visualized his spirit transforming into rivers, merging as one with every drop of blood qi and essence qi. The essence qi and blood qi throughout his body also transformed into surging waves, one billow after another, while his meridians and blood vessels became riverbeds. His spirit circulated along with his essence qi and blood qi. With every collision and every circulation, it drew in a portion of strength, then grew by a fraction. As time passed, more and more of the essence qi and blood qi within Wang Ding's body were absorbed by his spirit.

Wang Ding's spirit gradually strengthened throughout this process, growing bit by bit until it reached its limit. His spirit, which had originally still been formless and insubstantial, suddenly became something with form and substance after absorbing Wang Ding's vast blood qi and essence qi. Wang Ding had cultivated spirit power.

The air outside Wang Ding's body gradually began to distort under the fluctuations of his powerful spirit power. His entire person seemed to be in another space, giving off an illusory feeling.

Then Wang Ding began the second step, controlling the spirit power that had already become tangible to combine with the Innate Qi cultivated within his body. However, that Innate Qi and his spirit power seemed innately incompatible. No matter how Wang Ding tried to make them fuse, it never worked, just like oil and water could not mingle.

"It seems something is still missing. I can't be impatient. If I suffer qi deviation, that would be terrible. I'd better focus on cultivating more spirit power first." Seeing that he could not fuse his spirit power and Innate Qi, Wang Ding no longer forced it and began continuing to refine his spirit power.

The Qi Refining Realm and the Qi Training Realm were as different as heaven and earth. To break through from the Innate Stage to the Qi Gathering Stage, there were three key points. First, one's own Innate True Qi had to be sufficiently powerful. Second, one had to transform one's spirit into a tangible existence. Third, spirit thought-power had to blend together with Innate Qi before one could assault the Heavenly Gate. The threshold of the Heavenly Gate was as difficult as ascending to heaven; unless one possessed surpassing talent, extraordinary comprehension, and profound perseverance, one could not break through.

From ancient times to the present, no one knew how many people had been stopped by it. Taking Nine Nether Island as an example, there were hundreds of thousands of outer sect disciples, yet only several thousand inner sect disciples, and true disciples numbered only thirty-three. Even adding the elders, there would not be more than two hundred people, and this was the number accumulated over several hundred years. Outer sect disciples were basically replaced batch after batch every fifty years; some died, and some went home. Their lifespans were only a hundred years, and even inner sect disciples only had two hundred years. Only by stepping into the Qi Gathering Stage could one have a lifespan of five hundred years, and even then, that was merely the beginning of cultivating the Dao. On average, only one true disciple was born every thirty years. From this, it could be seen that the hurdle of Qi Gathering was not so easy to pass.

Wang Ding was actually very lucky. He had a wisp of Innate Qi within his body, standing almost at the highest starting point from birth. In addition, with the support of his powerful physical body, he had materialized his spirit the very first time he cultivated a spirit method. He had already taken advantage as vast as the heavens. As long as he further comprehended the principle of essence and qi becoming one, stepping into Qi Gathering would not be any problem.

After an unknown number of hours, waves of weakness came into Wang Ding's heart. Wang Ding knew this had been caused by excessive consumption of his essence qi, so he stopped cultivating and stood up. In an instant, waves of weakness transmitted through him, and he nearly could not stand steadily. He hurriedly took a bottle of medicinal pills and swallowed them to replenish his body's consumption.

"Cultivation really burns money. These medicines are getting worse and worse, and they can't satisfy my cultivation anymore. Looks like I can only do more sect missions to obtain resources. I also need to speed up my cultivation. I have to know that only by reaching the Qi Gathering Stage will I have the qualifications to cultivate the Mysterious Yellow Undying Great Art. Otherwise, it'll be like entering a mountain of treasure and returning empty-handed. This is the very foundation on which I stand."