Chapter 41: Epiphany and Tempering the Body

  Xia Chen and the three returned to the courtyard. Fang Qiu's injuries had improved significantly after taking the Yuan Qi Dan, and he was overjoyed and surprised to see the three return safely.

  "Xia Chen, do you really plan to fight Chu Zhen Tian in a duel? He's a Post-Heaven Fifth Realm, a whole realm higher than you. Even if you can challenge him across realms, I can sense that he has very deep killing intent. This person won't be easy to deal with." The four of them entered the house, Sun Li said.

  Xia Chen Dao said, "I've already promised him, not fighting is definitely not an option. There are still ten days left, I can use this time to cultivate well and strive for another breakthrough. You guys can rest assured, I won't fail easily."

  Chen Lie sank into thought and said, "Xia Chen, I feel that there's still something not quite right. Since Chu Zhen Tian has challenged you, he must have some confidence in himself. Why don't we find your master? After all, Chu Zhen Hai was crippled by your master. If he shows up, Chu Zhen Tian will definitely be intimidated and won't dare to cause trouble."

  Xia Chen shook his head and said, "Chu Zhen Tian openly challenged him, even if my master couldn't easily interfere, let alone scare him off. This person is despicable and shameless, he might still make a sneak attack, making it harder to defend against. It's better to take advantage of this challenge and solve the problem once and for all."

  He took out a few explosive yuanqi dan and handed them to Sun Li and Chen Lie, letting the three of them use it for self-defense, then hastily returned to the medicine garden.

  No words were exchanged that night. On the second day, Xia Chen rushed to the cave behind the mountain and took out the Moonfall Cauldron. He also brought out the demon beast's inner elixir and two supporting spiritual medicines.

  This demon beast's inner elixir has also exceeded the capabilities of the Gathering Treasure Basin, and cannot be replicated. This means that there is only one chance to refine it, and failure is absolutely not allowed.

  Xia Chen threw the two medicinal materials into the cauldron, ignited the charcoal fire, and controlled the fire with his true energy. He didn't cover the cauldron lid, but instead watched as the two spiritual medicines slowly melted inside.

  The process started smoothly.

  After a moment, the two spiritual medicines melted and merged into a pool of emerald green liquid. Xia Chen sniffed it with his nose, nodded, and said that the medicine's properties had been activated, and it was time to refine the inner elixir.

  He picked up the inner elixir and without any hesitation, Xia Chen directly threw it into the medicinal liquid.

  Whoosh! As if cold water had been poured into boiling oil, the medicinal liquid suddenly formed a column of water and shot straight out of the mouth of the cauldron.

  Bang! Xia Chen quickly covered the lid and poured the liquid back into the cauldron.

  A deafening crackling sound came from the tripod, and the scorching medicinal liquid instantly covered the beast's inner dan, then gradually seeped in through the tiny pores on the surface of the dan, neutralizing the violent toxicity contained within the dan while also supplementing its efficacy with its own medicinal properties.

  It's just like taking the best vegetables and fresh meat, adding all sorts of seasonings, cooking them with care, and finally making a sumptuous feast.

  Refining the inner elixir is a long process, and if you lose control of the fire at any point, all your previous efforts will be in vain.

  Every time his true energy was about to dry up, Xia Chen would take out a medicine bottle and swallow a Yuanqi Dan to replenish his yuan energy.

  Two hours passed and the crackling sound inside the cauldron gradually weakened. This time, refining the demon beast's inner elixir had almost exceeded the total time spent on previous pill refinement.

  Xia Chen had also reached the point where his lamp was running out of oil, and he hadn't expected that refining his inner elixir would be so difficult. Although he had a Yuanqi Dan to rely on, it would still take time for the Yuanqi Dan to transform into true energy, and the amount of true energy consumed far exceeded the transformation speed of the true energy dan.

  Xia Chen gritted her teeth and persisted, she was about to succeed, if she gave up now, wouldn't it be a pity.

  He closed his eyes, exerting his control to the limit. Every bit of true energy was used to control the fire, just right, without any waste or reduction, almost perfect.

  His true energy control was already very skilled and it was hard to make any further progress, but in the process of bitterly refining his inner elixir, as his true energy decreased, he had to demand even more perfect control over his true energy. Such harsh conditions actually allowed Xia Chen's control abilities to rise again!

  Gradually, Xia Chen's mind became clear and entered a wonderful state.

  This realm is not a meditation during cultivation, nor is it a mental fatigue relief, but rather a sudden realization of something after the true energy has been manipulated to its extreme, producing a clear and profound enlightenment.

  In a sudden enlightenment, Xia Chen suddenly felt a profound truth that was grand, profound, and eternal. Compared to it, everything in the world seemed insignificant as ants.

  Xia Chen silently and attentively comprehended this grand principle, feeling not even a hint of the passage of time.

  In the process of enlightenment, his physical body was also undergoing some subtle changes. These changes were imperceptible and did not show any abnormalities, but they could have a profound impact, silently influencing Xia Chen's future cultivation.

  It was unclear how much time had passed, but Xia Chen suddenly woke up from his epiphany, feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if he had been cleansed by celestial dew from the inside out. His lower abdomen was filled to the brim with energy, and his true qi was even more robust than it had been at its strongest.

  Although his cultivation was still at the peak of the four postnatal realms, he seemed to have undergone meticulous grooming and enlightenment, not only becoming much stronger than before, but also having a more profound understanding of power.

  Xia Chen blinked his eyes, and his mind was still savoring the infinite mystery, this was his first epiphany, it was truly wonderful.

  Half a moment later, Xia Chen finally came back to his senses, only to see that the flames under the cauldron had gone out at some point, and a strange fragrance was faintly drifting out of the cauldron.

  Open the cauldron lid, and saw that the medicine liquid had completely melted into the beast's inner elixir. The beast's inner elixir also shrank a circle, forming a thumb-sized pale red dan bead.

  A wisp of misty heat slowly rose from the dan medicine.

  Success! Xia Chen was both shocked and delighted, and he quickly grabbed the refined inner elixir.

  It was already past noon, and from the start of refining the inner elixir, at least four hours had passed. If it weren't for that wonderful enlightenment, Xia Chen wouldn't have been able to easily refine the inner elixir, let alone still maintain his abundant true energy, and even increase his cultivation by a significant amount.

  But now when he thought back to that moment of enlightenment, Xia Chen's mind was a complete blur, and even the grand principles had left no impression, as if it were just an illusion.

  I don't know when I can have another epiphany, Xia Chen thought.

  But he also knew that such things are rare and fleeting, and that a practitioner who achieves enlightenment, even if only for a brief moment, is stronger than one who practices arduous training for countless hours.

  Xia Chen put away the Moonfall Cauldron, sat down cross-legged, and placed the refined demon beast's inner elixir in his palm. In his mind, he silently recited the mantra of the Mahavairocana Buddha's body.

  He had originally planned to refine the elixir today and cultivate the Great Golden Body tomorrow, but now that he has gained enlightenment, his true energy is full in his abdomen, feeling extremely good, just right for a final push.

  After putting the inner elixir into his mouth, the inner elixir immediately turned into a fine stream, and then transformed into extremely pure energy. With a whoosh, it surged into Xia Chen's entire body.

  Xia Chen let out a hum, his face flushing bright red. This energy was extremely powerful, like the Yangtze River and the ocean pouring into his body. In an instant, it seemed as if he was about to burst from being swollen with energy.

  For a moment, Xia Chen's breathing became difficult, and two lines of blood flowed out from under his nostrils.

  Xia Chen hastily activated the mantra of his Vajra Body, and instantly, countless streams of suction force burst out from his flesh and blood, greedily absorbing the majestic internal elixir energy.

  Ah!

  In that instant of absorption, Xia Chen's entire body felt as if it was being incinerated by fierce flames, feeling an unbearable pain, and involuntarily let out a pained scream.

  It's as if countless red-hot iron hammers are tempering the flesh and blood of Xia Chen like steel, inflicting a pain that is a hundred times more excruciating than being burned by fire!

  Xia Chen's face twisted, his whole body stiffened, and he couldn't stop trembling. In his heart, he cursed loudly. This damn technique, why didn't you explain it beforehand? Taking the inner elixir to refine the body is so painful, playing with people's lives is unforgivable!

  But Xia Chen also knew that this pain was a necessary process for tempering his body, the more painful his flesh was, the greater the benefits he would gain, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.

  It wasn't until much later that the intense pain finally began to subside, replaced by a numb and heavy feeling, as if my body had turned into a statue, no longer belonging to me.

  After a while, the numbness also gradually disappeared, and Xia Chen suddenly felt light and airy, like a feather, only a little bit away from flying off the ground and floating in mid-air.

  In this incredibly light and agile feeling, there is also an unshakeable sense of solidity, as if one has become a body made of steel, where even knives and axes cannot harm a single hair.

  The day after tomorrow, the triple boundary is that the flesh is soft as cotton and hard as iron. However, compared to Xia Chen's feeling at this moment, it is like clouds and mud, fundamentally not on the same level.

  The body of Mahavira is immersed in the first layer of the body, and it is refined from this.

  Xia Chen closed his eyes and used his inner energy to examine himself, and was immediately shocked.

  Only to see in the flesh, those particles that make up blood and flesh, have all changed their appearance, not only swelling many times larger, but also sparkling externally, as if they had been coated with a layer of fine light, like diamonds shining incomparably.

  Even just looking at it, you can feel the hardness of the flesh and blood, and inside, there is even more abundant power.

  It's not just the flesh and blood, Xia Chen can feel it, even in the bones, internal organs, meridians, blood, and bone marrow, there is a huge energy that has not yet been transformed by the inner elixir, only now he can't see it with his inner vision.

  The inner elixir that contains the essence of the demon beast, how could it be so simple for Xia Chen to absorb? In fact, Xia Chen only absorbed a small part of the demon beast's inner elixir. Most of its energy will be gradually absorbed as his cultivation increases.

  Xia Chen raised his fist, and immediately, an overwhelmingly powerful force burst out from within his body, much stronger than before he had cultivated.

  Cultivation is still acquired through four stages, but the power has increased greatly, and after being baptized by unexpected enlightenment, control over power has reached an unimaginable realm.

  Suddenly, Xia Chen's hand gesture changed, and in an instant, he formed a complex seal that was unparalleled. Between his hands, a brilliant light flashed like lightning, striking the cave fiercely.

  Lightning Seal!

  Compared with before, Xia Chen's speed of forming seals was almost twice as fast.

  Rumble!

  The wall of the cave shook violently, and a large crack like a spider web burst out from where it was struck by lightning, followed by the collapse of the entire cave.

  In the instant of collapse, a figure shot out of the cave like lightning.

  With a wry smile, Xia Chen gazed at the cave that had become a pile of rubble. He spread his hands out to the sides, and even he hadn't expected that after cultivating the Great Golden Body, using the Thunder Seal would have such immense power, almost burying himself inside the cave.

  For the next nine days, Xia Chen continued to familiarize himself with the first layer of power of the Mahayana Golden Body. As for the second layer and above, with his current cultivation level, he didn't even dare to think about it.

  But even if it's just the first layer, it's already enough. The Golden Body combined with the Thunder Seal Technique is simply boundless in power. Even against the Sixfold Heaven, Xia Chen now has the confidence to engage in a fierce battle.