After so many days of conversation, the stone seemed to have made another "tiny bit" of progress.
Sometimes it stayed very quiet, especially when Old Zhang reflected on life and launched into a tirade. He spoke too fast and grew too worked up for it to keep pace, so it could only remain silent.
Other times, it repeated his words like mad, especially when Old Zhang cursed the heavens. It joined right in with the swearing.
It had its own peculiar emotions.
Zhang Ming gradually grew accustomed to the stone's neurotic repetition. He closed his eyes and followed the "cultivation method" recorded on the stone tablet, sensing the changes in the spirit within his body.
With [Perception] and [Mental Power] both as high as 200, he vaguely experienced something like "inner sight." His heart beat powerfully, his blood flowed steadily, and his alveoli expanded and contracted. Countless lines within his body slowly took shape in his mind...
Just then, a light rain began to fall.
The weather on the deserted island changed without warning. Falling raindrops stirred countless ripples and brought sounds from every direction-the beach, palm leaves, coconuts, pebbles, and even a few insects crawling through the grass...
In the distance, a fish over four meters long leaped high into the air, then slipped back beneath the sea with a soft splash.
Zhang Ming seemed to sense the "spirit" circulating inside him, as well as the sparse "spirit" in the sky.
The essence of the cultivation method on the tablet was to draw the inactive "spirit" between heaven and earth into the body through breathing, strengthening oneself. It had something of the flavor of ancient qi cultivation.
Yet for some reason, this method felt awkward and obstructed to Zhang Ming. The resistance grew sharply the instant the circulation reached