Breakthrough to Reverse Life Second Level

"My injuries are healed!"

Zuo Ruotong spoke in a daze, his expression more relaxed than it had ever been.

When he had attempted to break through to the Second Layer in his youth, something had gone wrong. He had been forced to remain in the Reverse Birth state at all times, or he would soon die.

Maintaining Reverse Birth was not actually difficult; it was as simple as breathing or walking.

But a day or two was manageable. A year, ten years... even several decades without stopping—the mental strain had long become incalculable.

He had been too tired before, so tired that he no longer wanted to keep going.

Thus, he had placed all his hopes on the Reverse Birth Triple Layer, hoping that once he broke through the Third Layer, he would no longer need to maintain it constantly.

Unfortunately, he had failed.

Now, he could finally stop and catch his breath without dying.

"Ah, that feels so much better!"

Zuo Ruotong's state of mind suddenly brightened, and he bounced up and down like an old child.

The utterly relaxed sensation made him feel better than ever.

Before this, he had nearly forgotten what life was like without circulating his cultivation.

"Good child, thank you. You've finally let me breathe easy."

Zuo Ruotong looked at Indra and, overcome with emotion, was about to bow in salute, but Indra stopped him.

"Master, this is only a small token from your disciple. It was no trouble at all; you needn't take it to heart."

Zuo Ruotong nodded slightly and did not press the matter further.

The two looked around at the flames soaring into the sky and realized this was hardly a suitable place to talk. They quickly left and found a ruined temple to stay in temporarily.

After brushing away the dust with qi, Zuo Ruotong leaned against a pile of straw and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Since he had needed to maintain Reverse Birth constantly, he naturally could not sleep. Thus, he had always replaced sleep with meditation, and had not truly slept for decades.

After so long, Zuo Ruotong only wanted to have a good rest.

Watching Zuo Ruotong, red-eyed with exhaustion, fall asleep at once, Indra smiled.

He had originally wanted to ask him a few things, but it seemed he would have to wait until Zuo Ruotong woke up.

Indra sat down cross-legged, and the method of the "Reverse Birth Triple Layer" surfaced in his mind.

In the world of Under One Person, cultivation emphasized [dual cultivation of nature and life].

Nature cultivation tempered the heart and soul, while life cultivation refined qi and strengthened the body.

Like the Celestial Master Mansion's [Golden Light Incantation], the [Reverse Birth Triple Layer] was an art capable of directly tempering both nature and life.

It was simply that the two followed different paths.

The Three One Sect focused wholeheartedly on the "art" of the Reverse Birth Triple Layer, attempting to ascend to the heavens and become immortals in a single step.

The Celestial Master Mansion did not do so, treating the Golden Light Incantation only as a method for tempering nature and life.

As a result, the former became increasingly complex the further one progressed, while the latter remained simple from beginning to end.

This also created a problem: the process of cultivating and breaking through the Reverse Birth Triple Layer was extremely dangerous. A single mistake could leave one unable to continue cultivating at best, or crippled at worst.

The reason Zuo Ruotong had insisted on changing the Three One Sect's name and removing its Daoist designation was precisely because of this.

The Reverse Birth Triple Layer could be called unparalleled in the world, but it could also make those who practiced it regret it for the rest of their lives.

How many people had sought immortality through this method, only to end up injured or crippled for nothing?

But for Indra, this was no problem at all.

With the divine powers of the Dog Talisman and Horse Talisman, what was there to fear from mere fatal injuries?

Indra reviewed the method from his memories.

First, he had to sit in meditation and calm his mind, sensing the innate qi within his body. Using it to guide his acquired qi, he would circulate the acquired qi through the heavenly circuit and transform it into true qi.

This method refined qi, cultivated the heart, and strengthened the body—in other words, it cultivated both nature and life.

Once the qi completed a circulation through the heavenly circuit, a wisp of true qi would gather in the lower dantian.

Compared to the chakra refinement method, the Three One Sect's qi cultivation method was vastly superior.

Not only did refining qi this way avoid draining the body, it also replenished depleted vitality and essence.

"Still, chakra operates on an entirely higher level. Qi simply can't compare to chakra."

Without hesitation, Indra used qi to nourish his chakra, further increasing the amount of chakra in his body.

The chakra that consumed the qi gradually began to change, radiating vigorous vitality and becoming increasingly easier to control.

Chakra was formed from a mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy—was qi not the same?

When the true qi Indra refined smoothly merged into his chakra and the two became indistinguishable, the originally pale-blue chakra turned pure white.

With only a thought, the chakra naturally began circulating through the heavenly circuit.

This change thrilled Indra. Before this, refining chakra had provided no benefit whatsoever to his body.

But things were different now!

The process of refining chakra was also a process of cultivating his life and vitality.

Both his mind and body would grow stronger, rather than merely consuming his lifespan and energy.

Indra was invigorated. He had never expected such a change.

"Then let's continue with the original goal—break through to the Second Layer of Reverse Birth!"

Indra circulated the Reverse Birth mental method, guiding chakra through specific meridians to permeate the flesh throughout his body.

The Second Layer of Reverse Birth could temporarily transform one's bones, internal organs, and blood into Qi. If injured, one could repair the damage by circulating Qi.

This process required using Qi to permeate the flesh, gradually assimilating its structure into Qi until achieving the effect of Qi transformation.

Already at the peak of the First Layer of Reverse Birth, Indra picked it up extremely quickly. In an instant, he transformed one of his arms into Qi.

"This actually seems pretty easy."

Delight appeared on Indra's face. Just as he tried to restore his arm, he realized he could not do it.

He could only watch helplessly as his right arm transformed into Qi and vanished.

Sensing the disappearance of Indra's right arm, the Dog Talisman and Horse Talisman immediately took effect.

The next moment, the flesh on his right shoulder wriggled. Bone, muscle, and flesh grew back at astonishing speed.

Zuo Ruotong, who had just finished a good sleep, opened his eyes to see his beloved disciple growing a new right arm.

He abruptly shut his eyes, then opened them again several seconds later.

Only after realizing he was not dreaming did Zuo Ruotong sit up.

"Luo'er, the Second Layer of Reverse Birth is not as simple as transforming into Qi. Its core lies in reconstruction after the transformation."

"It is not about directly turning flesh into Qi. You must make the Qi remember the structure of your flesh, without the slightest error."

"Only then can you reconstruct your limbs, internal organs, and blood after transforming them into Qi."

"And this process is extraordinarily complicated. It requires painstaking, gradual work. You must be exceedingly careful."

Zuo Ruotong explained solemnly, passing on the knowledge he had gained through cultivation to Indra.

"So that's how it is. I need to use Qi to record my own cellular structure. No wonder injuries from before cultivating Reverse Birth can't be repaired."

If his body had already been damaged before cultivating Reverse Birth, then reconstructing it after Qi transformation would leave those injuries intact.

Having a renowned master's guidance was far more useful than training bitterly on his own!

Indra eagerly asked about the difficulties he had encountered. Zuo Ruotong explained them one by one, placing special emphasis on the experience and techniques for breaking through.

None of this was contained within the Reverse Birth Triple Layer technique. It was all Zuo Ruotong's personal experience.

"Breaking through cannot be done recklessly. The more complex the body, the more true Qi is required for assimilation.

"Especially the three core dantians—upper, middle, and lower. You must proceed step by step. Under no circumstances should you act carelessly..."

Before Zuo Ruotong could finish, Indra's lower body directly transformed into Qi.

No, weren't you being way too reckless?!

Zuo Ruotong was dumbfounded. He had not expected Indra to cultivate with such ferocity.

Under his gaze, Indra reconstructed only one foot, while everything else transformed into Qi and disappeared.

As a result, his entire body was split in half—yet Indra's lower half still grew back.

Through repeated Qi transformation and reconstruction, Indra became increasingly proficient. By the time the sun rose, he had broken through into the Second Layer of Reverse Birth in one go.