Chapter 81: Sudden Enlightenment

After searching at the bottom of the pool for a long time, at last he discovered the “treasure” Li Chi had spoken of. There, clusters of bubbles rose ceaselessly from beneath the silt, a dreadful aura and a biting chill piercing straight to his heart. He hesitated for a few moments, then, gripping the Shangyang Sword, began to carefully dig away at the silt.

The sludge was as hard as rock; after a while, he had to surface for air. He toiled for over an hour, and just as exhaustion overtook him, the “treasure” that had lain buried beneath the water for untold years finally saw the light of day once more—a human skull appeared before his eyes!

It was a human skull, faintly glowing with a pale blue light, icy cold to the touch. As he dug further, an entire skeleton was gradually revealed. Fluorescent light flickered; the intense, freezing aura seemed as though it might freeze the whole pond solid. Lin Feng hurriedly dragged it from the bottom and, by the time he reached the shore, he was half-dead from fatigue, gasping for air, his fingers so stiff he could not straighten them. This strange skeleton was extraordinarily heavy and icy, likely weighing several thousand pounds.

“So this is the treasure you spoke of! Take a look,” Lin Feng said to the string of prayer beads.

“Tsk tsk, perfect, absolutely perfect. Not a single blemish, a body of ice diamond—what a powerful existence this person must have been! With my own spirit added, it would be the final touch,” Li Chi laughed aloud, only to fall silent in the next instant. After a long pause, he muttered, “No, it won’t do. I can’t go visit old friends in this skeleton. What should I do…”

Lin Feng ignored him, wrapped his waist with leaves and vines, and pondered the situation. The moment he was struck by the golden dragon was etched deeply in his memory—the sea of fire, the dragon’s might, unforgettable for a lifetime! If he failed to avenge the attempt on his life, how could he call himself a man?

“That’s right, Senior Brother! Did Senior Brother manage to escape?” Suddenly, he remembered Qian Cai, who had also been struck by the flames. Was he, too, burned to death, or had he managed to survive? Lin Feng could not know.

Steadying himself, his thoughts turned to the mysterious Heaven-Expanding Art. “This ice stone appears to be one of the seven branded fragments, but it’s more like a general outline and not of much use to me. However, of the three secrets described, I possess at least two. But as for this body, is it innately or acquiredly attuned to the Yang of Flame? Li Chi should know.”

“Let me ask you, in your opinion, is my physical body considered innately attuned to the Yang of Flame?” It always felt strange to address a string of prayer beads, but he was long since used to it.

“More or less. That’s a hard question to answer. Reborn using the flesh of the Buddhist Flower—this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing. Doesn’t matter. You’d best put the skeleton back where you found it and find a way to leave this place as soon as you can,” Li Chi replied.

“What? Why put it back? Can’t I just bury it?” The thought of the skeleton’s weight and chill filled him with reluctance.

“When we find a suitable method for reviving flesh from bone, we can come back for the ice diamond skeleton. It’s safer left in the cold pond for now. As for the Manjusha Flower in your body, I don’t need it anymore—the essence has faded, so it’s no longer of much use. The skeleton is far more valuable,” Li Chi calculated aloud.

“Fine, as you wish.” As long as Li Chi wasn’t plotting against him, all was well. With great effort, he managed to return the skeleton to its resting place. Only then did he sit by the pond to rest, examining his internal condition.

The Manjusha Flower had vanished completely; his meridians had reverted to their normal pale color, and his dantian was utterly empty, not a trace of spiritual energy remaining. The sight made cold sweat break out on his forehead.

“Don’t tell me… I’m a cripple again?” The thought sent a chill through him.

He tried again: drawing energy into his body, guiding it through his meridians toward the dantian, letting it circulate through the great heavenly cycle, transforming it into controllable spiritual power to settle in the dantian. Everything functioned as before. But this was only at the first level of Qi Refinement—no wonder moving corpses underwater had been such a struggle earlier. Lin Feng gave a wry smile and shook his head. As dusk settled, he decided to make do by the pond for the night.

The night wind was bitingly cold, the icy aura from the pond seeping through him. Seated there, he practiced the Longevity Art, a faint red glow swirling about him. For several days in a row, he did not move, hands weaving intricate patterns, absorbing endless spiritual energy, consolidating his foundation. Suddenly, one day he opened his eyes; following his will, a green flame darted across the pond’s surface, vaporizing the water and shrouding the area in mist.

“Phew—finally, I’ve recovered my previous cultivation,” he murmured contentedly. He plunged into the pond, washing away the grime, gathered his belongings, determined his bearings, and set off eastward with great strides.

The wild mountains were rampant with demon beasts. Within half a day he encountered three saber-toothed leopards, two carnivorous pitcher plants, and countless venomous insects, snakes, wasps, and scorpions—a veritable ordeal. The perilous environment kept Lin Feng on constant alert. To protect himself, he smeared himself with the foul-smelling sap of the demon camphor tree to mask his scent, painted his face green, and tied his hair with grass vines, moving through the jungle like a ghost.

Half a month slipped by. Were it not for the occasional conversation with Li Chi, Lin Feng would have thought himself more beast than man. Autumn had deepened. One day, reaching a waterfall, he cupped a handful of spring water to drink and, glancing back, spotted a sheltered hollow beneath the falls—a perfect place to rest.

After days of relentless travel, he had scarcely slept soundly. At last, he could rest in this cave for a night. It was a natural stone cavern, and though the waterfall thundered outside, it felt very secure. To be thorough, he blocked the entrance with a boulder and finally slept in peace.

Fatigue overwhelmed him, and despite the roar of the waterfall, he slept until dawn.

“How comfortable…” Stretching, Lin Feng sat up, only to find himself damp all over. Looking up, he saw droplets of water covering the cave walls, many of them merging into lines that dripped steadily, leaving the cave moist.

“So it’s just moisture condensing from the cold…” He smiled, but the smile froze on his lips as a thought struck him. “Condensing in the cold… That’s it! Why can’t spiritual energy behave the same way?”

“Master Li, may I ask—can spiritual energy condense into liquid form when exposed to cold?” This time, Lin Feng addressed Li Chi as “Master” for the first time, and sure enough, Li Chi, pleased, replied proudly, “Well, it seems possible. You want to build your foundation, don’t you? There are many methods: temper your mind in an illusion, take a Mist-Lattice Pill, refine a demon core, or seek help from your elders—all are viable.”

“Uh… None of those seem possible for me. What’s a Mist-Lattice Pill? I thought only Foundation Establishment Pills existed?” Lin Feng asked.

“Forget it, forget it. Just pretend I didn’t say anything. Figure it out yourself. Those so-called Foundation Pills are worthless…” The voice trailed off and faded away.

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then decided to act on his own ideas. He remembered the frozen cave outside Willow Town—it would be an ideal place to try. Once he returned to the mountain, he would report to his master and perhaps attempt it there.

Travelling day and night, after seven days, the melodious bells of Mount Qiyun finally rang in his ears.

“I’m back…” Gazing at the boundless mountains, emotion surged in his heart. Unable to contain himself, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted.

Whoosh—a yellow sword light shot from Longxiang Peak, and within a few breaths arrived before him. Atop the giant sword stood a young man in Daoist robes, his features refined. Taking in Lin Feng’s wild appearance, the youth raised a hand in greeting and called out, “Young man, where have you come from?”

“Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Lin Feng, disciple of Tianzhu Peak. Could you give me a lift to see my master?” Lin Feng smiled sheepishly.

The young man furrowed his brow in surprise. “You’re Lin Feng, disciple of Elder Yan? Weren’t you supposed to be dead?”

“That’s right. I was struck by the golden dragon, but by great fortune I survived, falling into a deep pool and narrowly escaping with my life,” Lin Feng replied, glossing over the details.

“Ah, very well, come with me. I am Lian Huanzhong of Longxiang Peak, second to last among my master’s disciples—actually, second from the top too, ha!” The young man grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Lian. By the way, what is your immortal sword called?” Standing on the massive yellow sword, Lin Feng could not help but feel envious.

Lian Huanzhong laughed. “This sword is called Three Autumns. It’s a middle-grade spiritual weapon. There are quite a few senior brothers in our sect who possess such middle-grade artifacts.”

“Oh, a middle-grade spiritual weapon, Three Autumns,” Lin Feng repeated to himself.

The immortal sword soared above the clouds. Tianzhu Peak was now in sight, a row of auspicious cranes rising and singing in greeting.