Fifth Rank Perfection

Inner demons are the deepest obstacles within a person's heart.

Even ordinary people can easily develop inner demons if they are unusually stubborn and extreme in temperament.

Ordinary people's inner demons do not manifest, but it's different for cultivators; the higher their cultivation level, the stronger their inner demons become.

Inner demons can collude with external forces and even manifest in real form.

Before entering the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Light Grotto-Heaven, True Person Zhihua had reminded Zhou Wuji that the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance Light was wondrous and could reflect a cultivator's true nature, easily revealing the cultivator's inner demons.

Zhiyun also asked him to bring more medicines and ritual Law Artifact to protect his mind and spirit.

Zhou Wuji had naturally made some preparations, but he was confident in having the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and did not think he would be troubled by any inner demons.

Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance actually reflected his inner demons!

He was puzzled. How could the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, located deep within his consciousness, give rise to inner demons?

Besides, he eats well, sleeps soundly, and acts with integrity and generosity; where would he get inner demons from?

The azure pillar of light rippled and Zhou Wuji like water, eventually transforming into a short, stout middle-aged Daoist priest, none other than his master Li Yiyuan.

Seeing Li Yiyuan appear, Zhou Wuji felt somewhat relieved. He was indeed very saddened by his master's sudden death, which had caused him some obsession.

But he understood perfectly well that the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance was merely a reflection of his memories, not a sign that his master had been resurrected.

Even if the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance were ten thousand times more powerful, it would still be impossible to bring the dead back to life.

Looking at his master inside the azure pillar of light, Zhou Wuji sighed softly, "Old man, I didn't even realize I was still thinking about you."

"Don't worry, old man, I'm doing well now, and the path to the Great Dao is within my grasp. I'll come back to find you when I reach the highest heavens..."

Li Yiyuan's figure gradually dissipated, and specks of azure light shone, transforming once again into two young figures, namely Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen.

Seeing his two former fellow disciples, Zhou Wuji laughed instead, "You two are courting death. I could kill you a hundred times over without feeling any guilt or unease."

At that time, he had just obtained the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, and killing Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen somewhat risky, so this matter did take some weight in his mind.

But he felt no guilt or unease about it; if Zhang Wuding and Fang Wuzhen to kill him, he would simply fight back.

The light and shadow on the pillar shifted and changed, transforming into Zhang Xinhu, Chen Dalu, and others.

Zhou Wuji didn't care about this at all. The Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance illuminated part of his memories, and he thought that this was his obsession, but he was wrong.

It must have been because he absorbed the dense Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance emanating from the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance day and night, and unknowingly established a connection with it, that some of the distracting thoughts in his mind were projected onto him.

As the light and shadow shifted, Wuming, Li Ruyi, Wuleng, and others appeared one after another. Zhou Wuji was convinced that it was all an illusion and didn't care about it at all.

It wasn't until he saw the image of True Person Zhihua appear that Zhou Wuji felt a chill run down his spine.

In an instant, the world spun around, and Zhou Wuji found himself in the rear hall of the Yuheng Hall.

True Person Zhihua lay lazily on the long couch, her bare feet revealing a small section of her slender calves. Her exposed snow-white skin actually illuminated the somewhat dim rear hall.

Zhou Wuji clearly remembered this scene, and he had to admit that a touch of romance did indeed rise in his heart at that moment.

This also shows that he possesses wisdom from two lifetimes and is not bound by so-called seniority or etiquette.

He would naturally admire and even feel a certain fondness for the stunningly beautiful True Person Zhihua.

However, it wouldn't be accurate to say that he harbored evil thoughts because of this.

Zhou Wuji also discovered the power of the inner demon; as long as he had the slightest thought, he would fall into the illusion of the inner demon.

But how do we break free from this illusion?

The True Person Zhihua, lying on the long couch, spoke, "What brings you here?"

Whether in demeanor or tone of voice, the person before me True Person Zhihua, was indistinguishable from the real one.

Even with Zhou Wuji's powerful Divine Sense and keen six senses, he couldn't detect any problem.

He thought for a moment and said, "The True Person promised to teach me the Northern Pole Sword, so I have come to learn swordsmanship."

True Person Zhihua chuckled, "The Northern Pole Sword is the highest Secret Method of my Yuheng; how can I pass it on to outsiders?"

"You fiend, how dare you impersonate the True Person Zhihua!"

Zhou Wuji immediately drew his sword and slashed. True Person Zhihua showed a hint of astonishment on her face. Facing the White Rainbow Sword that was thrusting towards her, she simply pointed her finger, and seven points of starlight flashed, instantly sealing off all of Zhou Wuji's movements.

Zhou Wuji knew this was an illusion, and that the True Person Zhihua manifestation of his inner demons, could not possibly possess such power.

However, having witnessed the power of True Person Zhihua, he knew he was no match for True Person Zhihua.

That's why we've ended up in this situation.

True Person Zhihua, however, revealed her anger. She sat up straight and looked coldly at Zhou Wuji, saying, "Rebellious and disorderly, Zhou Wuji, have you gone mad?!"

Zhou Wuji sensed something was wrong. What would happen if he died in the illusion?

But he dared not try it; in this state, he could only activate the Big Dipper Star Eye.

The Big Dipper Star Eye is his resonance with the Big Dipper Star Domain, establishing a complete stellar energy circuit.

Using the Big Dipper Seven Stars as coordinates, time and space changes are determined.

Zhou Wuji's Divine Sense instantly rose to its peak, merging with the Big Dipper Seven Stars in the heavens.

Using the stars as his eyes, Zhou Wuji saw his own tiny figure standing blankly in front of the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance.

Clearly, his consciousness had been misled by the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Radiance, and he had unknowingly fallen into an illusion.

His mind merged and resonated with the Big Dipper Seven Stars, and no force could shake his consciousness anymore; all illusions crumbled on their own.

Looking down from the heavens, the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Light Grotto-Heaven is like a bottle placed between heaven and earth, constantly filtering and absorbing stellar energy through its opening, thus accumulating a powerful and pure stellar energy.

Apart from that, Heavenly Pillar Treasure Light Grotto-Heaven is not particularly special.

With a thought, Zhou Wuji broke free from the resonance with the Big Dipper Star Domain, and his consciousness returned directly to his body.

Looking at his reflection in the azure beam of light, Zhou Wuji felt completely relaxed and comfortable.

It's like washing away all the dirt and grime, leaving you feeling completely clean and refreshed, inside and out.

Zhou Wuji opened the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and saw that his Divine Sense had increased by fifty points, bringing the total to eight hundred and fifty.

Divine Sense is the most difficult to improve. This time, breaking through his inner demons and gaining enlightenment has greatly enhanced his Divine Sense.

Compared to the difficulty of this inner demon, the increased Divine Sense felt like a freebie.

He understood that he possessed the Big Dipper Star Eye, which allowed him to resonate with the Big Dipper Star Domain, enabling him to easily break through all illusions and illusions.

Such Divine Ability powers ultimately rely on the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.

Having vanquished his inner demons, Zhou Wuji's mind and spirit were as clear and pure as crystal, and his internal Five Viscera Spirit Temples were also refined to radiate precious light.

After that, Zhou Wuji followed the method of breathing in stellar energy, refining his True Qi and the acupoints of his five internal organs every day, making them more and more refined, harmonious, stable and powerful.

He had reached perfection in all the various methods he cultivated, and at his level there was no further progress to be made. Therefore, he only needed to refine his True Qi day and night.

After more than twenty days, the True Qi became so abundant that it naturally condensed into the form of the Star Lord within the newly opened spleen and liver orifices.

The Tianshu corresponds to the Kidney Aperture, and is associated with the Star Lord, who wears black robes, a black crown, and has black eyes.

Tianxuan corresponds to the liver orifice, and embodies the star lord in green robes, a green crown, and green eyes.

On the eightieth day of his seclusion in the Heavenly Pillar Treasure Light Grotto-Heaven, Zhou Wuji's five internal organs, acupoints, and spiritual temples were all successfully formed, condensing into the Dharma image of a Star Lord.

The Five Viscera Spirit Temples are interconnected through the positive and negative changes of the five elements, further enhancing the level of True Qi in the middle Dantian.

At this point, Zhou Wuji's Five Viscera Temple was complete, and his visualization of the Star Lord returning to his position had reached the Fifth Rank Perfection level.

The Star Lord of the Five Viscera Temple can not only increase the power of Law Technique, but also store several Law Technique.

The number of Law Technique stored varies depending on an individual's cultivation level.

Zhou Wuji tested it out; in its extreme state, each Star Lord stored five strands of Northern Dipper Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder.

In this way, with all the acupoints of the five internal organs filled with Law Technique, it becomes somewhat difficult to circulate True Qi.

He can cast Law Technique instantly, so he doesn't need to prepare Law Technique in advance.

For other practitioners, the Five Viscera Temple is like an altar they carry with them, which greatly amplifies their power when casting spells.

He possesses the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, but the blessing from the Five Viscera Spirit Temples has only a negligible effect.

The five star deities reside in the Five Viscera Temple, and the real benefit is that it can improve the efficiency of breathing and circulating True Qi, cleansing the five internal organs day and night, and keeping them free from impurities.

You might not see much in the short term, but over time, your body's vitality will become stronger and stronger, keeping you in peak condition at all times.

Another advantage is that his instantaneous spellcasting provides a very plausible explanation to outsiders.

The Heavenly Pillar Treasure Light Grotto-Heaven's star power was thick and pure. Taking advantage of the remaining time, Zhou Wuji quickly inhaled and exhaled True Qi, connecting the upper and Dantian Dantian one.

By the ninety-ninth day, Zhou Wuji's total True Qi had reached 18,000, an increase of 5,000.

This is equivalent to an increase of more than 40% in True Qi.

The abundant True Qi means that the power of his Law Technique and Sword Qi will increase accordingly.

Zhou Wuji estimated that his current level of True Qi was more than twice that of Zhiyuan.

A difference of one time in True Qi means that the gap between the two sides is enormous. He doesn't even need to use Law Technique; he can suppress the old Zhiyuan by directly unleashing his True Qi.

Zhiyuan's cultivation level was only Fifth Rank, his cultivation was pure and his Five Viscera Temple were very powerful.

Among the many Fifth Rank cultivators, Zhiyuan's level of True Qi is also outstanding.

Zhou Wuji was very satisfied with his progress in this seclusion; he still held two Fifth Rank and two Fourth Rank destinys in his hands.

Once he completes the ordination and receiving of the talisman, he will be able to learn new Law Technique.

I wonder if I'll be able to learn an even higher level of the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword?

The Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword passed down by True Person Zhihua is limited to the Fifth Rank rank.

His Swordsmanship has reached its limit.

Zhou Wuji then thought of the ordination ceremony. If he could once again activate the power of the Northern Emperor's statue, he might be able to break through the Fifth Rank limitation if he directly upgraded the Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword.

But that would be too wasteful. The Northern Dipper Seven Star Sword has a complete lineage, so there's no need for you to break through and cultivate it yourself.

Improving only one specific Swordsmanship won't yield significant results.

On the hundredth day, Zhou Wuji stepped into the giant celestial pillar. As billions of stars shone, he had already returned to the rear hall of the Upright Heart Hall.

The rear hall was deserted, with only the cold wind howling through the cracks in the windows and doors.

As Zhou Wuji emerged from the rear hall, he saw that the sky was overcast, with snowflakes falling and a thin layer of snow covering the courtyard.

The distant mountains were a vast expanse of white.

He immediately realized that it was the end of December, and there were only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, so it was normal for it to snow.

In the front hall, Zhiyun stood on the veranda, gazing intently at the view of the mountain below.

Zhou Wuji stepped forward, bowed, True Person Zhiyun turn around and look at Zhou Wuji.

In the eyes of this True Person, Zhou Wuji's internal organs and acupoints contained precious light, and his whole body was clear and transparent, clearly indicating that he had reached the Fifth Rank Perfection realm.

True Person Zhiyun knew that Zhou Wuji was deliberately displaying his cultivation level, and he praised, "Advancing to the Fifth Rank Perfection in a hundred days, very good."

He then said, "There are too many things to do at the end of the year. How about I confer the ordination upon you on the seventh day of the new year?"

Normally, cultivators must complete an assessment before each ordination or investiture ceremony.

Zhou Wuji has not been in the Upper Court for long, but he has made considerable contributions. Therefore, he is exempt from the assessment.

He also held the Fourth Rank title of Dharma Master Hongde, which exempted him from the Heavenly Master's Manor's assessment, saving him a lot of trouble.

Zhou Wuji bowed again. "I will respectfully obey the abbot's decrees."

The white-haired True Person Zhiyun gazed at the vast expanse of falling snow before him and said with some emotion, "I am old. The future of the sect ultimately depends on you all..."