The Dharmakaya Chapter of the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Art" came from "The Sage Who Transcended Samsara." It was a supreme Daoist cultivation method, a path to enlightenment that led straight to the fundamental Great Dao.
It included the Qi Accumulation Chapter, Aperture Opening Chapter, Outer Scenery Chapter, and Dharmakaya Chapter. The printed manual cost one A-rank side plot and 10,000 reward points.
Well, damn. Main God, do you and the Lord of Six Paths of Reincarnation drop by each other's places, too?
Even cultivation methods from "The Sage Who Transcended Samsara" appeared in the Main God's Great Light Sphere exchange list. Either there was some connection between Main God Space and the Six Paths Reincarnation Space that went beyond the original setting, or this heavily modified Main God was even more heavily modified than he had imagined.
And why was it so cheap? Shuofang Si recalled the descriptions of Dharmakaya in The Sage Who Transcended Samsara and felt that even a printed manual should cost far more.
Forget it. No point dwelling on this. Main God Space isn't normal to begin with. Wondering where it gets its stock is pointless. What I can actually get my hands on is what matters.
Shuofang Si's eyes flickered. He gritted his teeth and made his decision.
"Main God, exchange the printed manual of the 'Eight-Nine Mysterious Art,' Dharmakaya Chapter, for me."
[Eight-Nine Mysterious Art, from "The Sage Who Transcended Samsara," a supreme cultivation method that leads straight to the fundamental Great Dao. Includes the Qi Accumulation Chapter, Aperture Opening Chapter, Outer Scenery Chapter, and Dharmakaya Chapter. Exchange price: one A-rank side plot and 10,000 reward points. Confirm exchange?]
"Confirm."
In the blink of an eye, a pillar of light descended.
When the light faded, an aged, yellowing book lay quietly in Shuofang Si's hands. Four large characters in seal script adorned its cover: Eight-Nine Mysterious Art.
A printed cultivation manual could not be learned instantly like something directly imparted by the Main God, but strength he cultivated himself was far more reassuring than enhancements the Main God gave him directly.
Besides, unless that rule had been modified, strength he cultivated himself would not count toward the difficulty of the story worlds.
Filled with anticipation, he opened the book and began studying with the aid of NZT-48. Meng Qi was a modern person, too, and he had understood it. Surely Shuofang Si could as well.
Hundred-day foundation building (meridian opening)
The starting point of cultivation for mortals: fill the body's 365 major apertures with true qi, then clear all the qi meridians throughout the body. Once the foundation was established, one's essence, qi, and spirit would flourish, and the body would become strong and healthy. This was commonly known as meridian opening.
This was the foundation of the entire Eight-Nine Mysterious Art. It seemed simple, but its descriptions of meridian pathways and the opening and closing of acupoints were extremely complex. Only thanks to NZT-48 could he quickly grasp them while still a mortal.
Next came the Qi Accumulation Chapter. After accumulating qi and tempering the body, one opened the dantian qi sea, then built up true qi. Divided into minor completion and major completion, this was the transitional stage before aperture opening.
The Aperture Opening Chapter built on perfected qi accumulation to open the body's 365 major acupoints one by one. Each aperture opened strengthened one's true qi, until all the body's apertures were connected and true qi flowed ceaselessly like mighty rivers.
The aperture opening realm was the key stage in constructing the inner landscape world.
All nine innate apertures had to be opened: the eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, genital opening, and anus. Each aperture corresponded to nine associated major acupoints.
With seven apertures fully opened, the inner world reached minor completion and formed its own cycle. With nine apertures fully opened, true qi could be projected outside the body. After that came the ancestral aperture between the brows and heaven-human resonance.
Shuofang Si read through the Qi Accumulation and Aperture Opening Chapters in one sitting.
Under the effects of NZT-48, his brain was like an overclocked processor. The complex meridian diagrams and obscure cultivation procedures gradually became clear in his mind.
But when he reached the Outer Scenery Chapter, he hit a wall.
He recognized every word in the descriptions of resonance with heaven and earth, the merging of inner and outer worlds, and the circulation of dao resonance. Put together, however, they were as incomprehensible as some heavenly scripture.
He had not even set foot on the path of cultivation. Even if he memorized every step, he would have no way to apply or understand them.
The Outer Scenery Chapter required the cultivator to have already attained a certain level of cultivation before they could understand it. He was still just a mortal. No matter how much he read, it would all remain theory.
Shuofang Si closed the book, his heart brimming with joy. Just then, the drug-induced feeling that his brain could do anything began to fade.
The effects of NZT-48 had worn off.
Shuofang Si felt slightly dizzy and tired-the aftereffects of NZT-48. But with the Main God around, such minor issues hardly counted as problems. A pillar of light from the Main God descended directly onto him.
He looked down at the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Art" in his hands and smiled.
Shuofang Si knew his next mission would probably be a tough fight.
But he had no regrets. He did not want to scrape by for a few more missions in Main God Space. He wanted to climb out of this cesspit and venture through the myriad worlds.
Though he did not know why the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art had appeared, it was the best foundational cultivation method he could obtain at this stage. It was highly adaptable and had tremendous potential for growth, making it a fitting choice for his journey through the myriad worlds.
He could have exchanged one B-rank side plot for the Outer Scenery Chapter of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art, but if he later wanted the Dharmakaya Chapter, he would still have to spend an A-rank side plot. That would waste a B-rank side plot.
He knew perfectly well that he had only been able to earn this A-rank side plot because the previous team had been wiped out, leaving him in a team made up entirely of newcomers. The dangers he could encounter as a mortal back then had their limits, too.
After this, whether he returned during an intermission to farm points or faced the regular difficulty, he would probably have to risk his life to earn another A-rank side plot.
He would likely have to wipe out the opposing team in a team battle, but he probably would not stick around that long.
If no one else on the team had unlocked their gene lock in the Naruto World, then he and Zhao Yingkong should be the only ones who had.
Even if someone else unlocked their gene lock in the next regular mission, his energy bar would probably be full by then, allowing him to leave. He would not be around for a team battle.
Still, that scheming bastard Zhang Jie really had made it much harder for the Central Plains Team to acquire resources.
Shuofang Si carefully put away the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Art" and stood up.
He stood beneath the Great Light Sphere again and connected his consciousness to the Main God's exchange system once more.
He had obtained the cultivation method, but the next problem was more practical: cultivation took time.
He could not just sit around waiting in Main God Space. The ten-day rest period would pass in a flash, and then the next horror movie would arrive.
If he had to fight for his life before he had even gotten started on the Qi Accumulation Chapter, those ten thousand points and that A-rank side plot would have been wasted, and he would be throwing his life away, too.
He needed more time, and the Main God happened to offer exactly that option: returning to horror movie worlds he had previously experienced.
"Main God, display the list of worlds I can return to."
A screen of light unfolded before him. The first name Shuofang Si saw was Naruto.
That was what he had expected. After all, he had only just made it out of there alive.
The Main God's Return Option allowed reincarnators to return to past worlds at a cost of ten reward points per day. They could also spend a D-rank side plot to unlock a world visited by a teammate who was still alive.
He did not need to spend an additional side plot for Naruto. He could return directly.
Ten points a day meant a thousand points for a hundred days. Even with the resources required for cultivation, it would not be too expensive.
He might even trigger some plot event and casually earn back the cost.
Let's see what worlds you've been through before, Zhang Jie.
After all, even Naruto had now appeared among the Main God's mission worlds. God only knew how heavily the other worlds had been modified.
He continued scrolling down, and several world names appeared before him.
Jujutsu Kaisen.
Douluo Continent.
Battle Through the Heavens.
Coiling Dragon.
Before you continue