Longevity: Comprehending the Heart Method

CREAK—

He pushed open the wooden gate to his small courtyard. A gentle breeze swept through, rustling the copper bell by the window and sending out a crisp DING-DONG.

"It’s been years since I’ve lived here," Song Changsheng murmured, gazing at his small courtyard. "This place still puts my heart at ease more than anywhere else." A sense of peace he hadn’t felt in ages washed over him.

He had been through too much recently, constantly on edge. Only now could he truly relax.

No one had lived in the small courtyard for years, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated. Song Changsheng set to work, cleaning the rooms from top to bottom.

Once he had finished, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began to consider his next steps. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

His main priority, of course, was to find clues about the Dragon Blood Orchid. Once he had it, he could begin practicing the *Array Carved on Body*. This was his most pressing concern.

Furthermore, his Array Dao Cultivation had already broken through to Tier Two Low Grade, with no possibility of immediate improvement. His Artifact Refining Technique, however, was still stuck at Tier One Top Grade, just a hair’s breadth from reaching Tier Two Low Grade.

He planned to request a batch of Artifact Refining Materials from the clan to hone his Artifact Refining Technique, hoping to break through the bottleneck and advance to Tier Two Low Grade as soon as possible.

His own Cultivation had also reached the brink of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer; he was just one step away from Qi Refining Great Perfection and needed to take that step as quickly as possible.

Qi Refining Great Perfection was a unique stage. A Cultivator who reached it had to form a Dao Foundation that was uniquely their own.

It was a prerequisite for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage; without a Dao Foundation, one wasn’t even qualified to make the attempt.

Forming a Dao Foundation was a time-consuming process that depended heavily on one’s aptitude. Many Cultivators with mediocre talent could spend decades unable to complete this step, forced to watch helplessly as their vitality dwindled until they turned to dust.

Although Song Changsheng’s own aptitude was decent, he didn’t know how long it would take him to form his Dao Foundation, so it was best to start as early as possible.

’Though I’ve done my best to avoid taking Pills over the years, a fair amount of Pill Poison and other impurities have still built up in my Meridians and acupoints.

I have to clear them out before I break through to Qi Refining Great Perfection. It looks like I’ll need to exchange for a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. It’ll also be a good time to post a request for the Dragon Blood Orchid.’

Song Changsheng rose and headed for the Contribution Hall. First, he posted a request to purchase a Dragon Blood Orchid for five hundred Spirit Stones.

Then, after demonstrating his Cultivation level to a Clan Elder, he was able to successfully exchange for a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, though only a Tier One Top Grade Pill, was exceptionally precious. The Bone Marrow Cleansing Flower used to craft it could only be grown in high-quality Spiritual Fields and had to be watered daily with water from a Spiritual Spring.

It took a full fifteen years for the flowers to mature enough to be used in alchemy, and with the Song Clan’s resources, they could only produce a few batches each year.

It was capable of Washing Marrow, dissolving Pill Poison, and expelling impurities from the body. A Cultivator could only take three in their entire life, and they were typically used for breaking through bottlenecks.

This Pill would normally cost at least three hundred Contribution Points, but as one of the clan’s Purple Mansion Seeds, Song Changsheng was entitled to one for free. Such were the benefits of his status.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Song Changsheng sat cross-legged by the pool in the back, took out the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, and swallowed it.

The thumb-sized Pill instantly dissolved into a sweet liquid in his mouth, which then spread throughout his entire body. He quickly activated his Heart Method to refine the Medicinal Power.

Before long, a pleasant warmth spread through Song Changsheng’s body, making him feel quite comfortable.

An hour later, he had finally finished refining the Medicinal Power of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill. His body was now covered in a layer of greasy, foul-smelling sweat that had a faint black tinge.

This was all the Pill Poison and impurities being expelled from his body. The stench was so vile it nearly made Song Changsheng gag.

He dove headfirst into the nearby pool and scrubbed himself thoroughly several times, almost rubbing off a layer of skin before finally climbing out.

After using his power to evaporate the water from his body, he dressed and sat cross-legged once more. Then, he took out the Fiery Sun Pill he had acquired in the grotto-heaven.

Taking the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill had already loosened the bottleneck to the next realm. Now, he just needed to consume this Pill to step into the Qi Refining Great Perfection realm in one fell swoop!

Upon swallowing the crimson Pill, Song Changsheng felt a burst of pure Spiritual Power explode within him. He immediately activated his Heart Method, focusing all his effort on refining this immense energy.

It was a Tier Two Low Grade Spirit Pill, after all, and refining it was incredibly difficult. The process lasted for a full day and night. Finally, as his Dantian and Qihai expanded to a critical point, Song Changsheng broke through into the realm of Qi Refining Great Perfection. He was now just one step away from Foundation Establishment!

After briefly consolidating his new Cultivation, Song Changsheng chugged his usual ration of Spirit Wine, then held his breath and focused his mind, entering his Sea of Consciousness Space.

As he was only a Qi Cultivator, his Sea of Consciousness Space was vast and empty, with only a single Jade Scroll hovering in mid-air, emitting a faint glow.

His heart pounding with excitement, Song Changsheng slowly unfurled the Daoist Scripture and began to quietly study it for new insights.

Every time he broke through a Small Realm, he would gain an unexpected new understanding from the Daoist Scripture. From the *Yin Yang Profound Flower Scripture* to the Water and Fire Manipulation Technique, each revelation had been a massive help to him.

He was therefore greatly looking forward to what sort of miraculous Mysterious Technique he might comprehend this time.

He remained in that state of comprehension for three days and two nights.

Just as Song Changsheng’s Spiritual Power, stamina, and Spiritual Power all reached their absolute limits, a single, glittering golden character flew from the Daoist Scripture: "Pupil."

It gradually began to twist and evolve...

Several hours later, Song Changsheng opened his eyes. A brilliant smile spread across his pale face. "I never thought I’d get a Pupil Technique this time. This scripture never fails to surprise me."

The Pupil Technique he had obtained was called the Eye of Truth. It was also a Secret Technique, one that allowed him to see through illusions and trace things back to their origin.

This Pupil Technique wasn’t particularly useful in combat; its main function was for support. For instance, if Song Changsheng wanted to break an array by finding its Array Hub, this Pupil Technique would make the task much easier.

’There’s still no news of the Dragon Blood Orchid. While I wait and work on forming my Dao Foundation, I can practice this Pupil Technique...’

In cultivation, there is no sense of time; deep in the mountains, the years pass unnoticed.

「Five months passed in the blink of an eye.」

During this time, Song Changsheng unfailingly absorbed the Sun Essence and Moon Radiance Power every day, using it to form his Dao Foundation.

His ambition was not small. He didn’t want to form an Attributeless Dao Foundation or an Attribute Dao Foundation; he aimed directly for the Great Dao itself.

An Attributeless Dao Foundation was formed from pure Spiritual Power. It was the most common and unremarkable type.

An Attribute Dao Foundation was formed from Spiritual Power corresponding to one’s own Spirit Root. It was more difficult to create, but upon breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, one would comprehend a corresponding True Intent.

A Dao Foundation of the Great Dao, however, was tied to the Dao Laws themselves—such as life and death, destruction, or slaughter. One had to absorb a corresponding power to form it, and doing so would also allow one to comprehend its corresponding True Intent!

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