Free Web NovelChapter 426: Chapter 238: Stone Carving Translation; Speculation
When Cheng Zongyang came to the Book Workshop, he saw Ding Xing in a pavilion, busy transcribing something.
Hearing the sound of his approach, Ding Xing quickly put down his brush. He was about to stand and bow, but Cheng Zongyang cut him off.
"Don’t worry about the formalities. Have you translated the text?" Cheng Zongyang asked impatiently.
At his words, Ding Xing picked up a stack of papers from the side. As he handed them to Cheng Zongyang, he said,
"I’ve translated it. But it’s not a Cultivation Immortality Technique as you suspected, Sir. It’s a Martial Arts Heart Method called the *Innate Qi Technique*. It’s one thousand nine hundred and seventy-three characters long and details cultivation from the Ninth Grade all the way to Innate Great Perfection, and it also explains how to break through the Innate Realm."
As he finished speaking, Ding Xing’s expression remained quite calm, but Luo Dingran, who stood beside Cheng Zongyang, stared wide-eyed.
"A way to break through the Innate Realm?"
Ding Xing nodded.
Luo Dingran’s breath quickened.
A method to break past the Innate Realm was something countless factions coveted. All these powers were searching for the legendary Immortals for this very reason: to find a way to surpass the Innate Realm.
But countless cultivators at the peak of the Innate Great Perfection Realm had been stalled at this bottleneck, only to die, filled with regret, upon reaching their 150-year lifespan limit.
And now, this stone carving described a way to do just that!
Cheng Zongyang could see that the text clearly detailed the cultivation path from Entry Grade to the Innate Realm. He wasn’t particularly concerned with that, however; his eyes quickly scanned to the very end.
——
All beings born of Essence Blood possess the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. The Soul is not housed in a single place but is hidden throughout the Five Viscera and Six Bowels. Thus, only by Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence, through both External Refining and Internal Cultivation, can one step into the Innate Realm.
Beyond the Innate Realm lies a state no longer mortal, but Extraordinary. To break through the Innate and enter the Extraordinary, there are three methods:
The first method: the Self-Condensing Technique. Condense Essence Blood into Primordial Essence, and True Qi into Primordial Qi. Fuse the Primordial Qi with the Primordial Essence, transforming them into Essence Qi to reach the Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm! This method relies heavily on natural talent, is orthodox and balanced, and demands gradual, steady progress.
The second method: the Inner Core Devouring Technique. Devour the Inner Core of an Extraordinary creature, or a Cultivator’s Golden Core, to break through and become Extraordinary. This method is radical and perilous—a gamble between life and death—and offers limited potential for future advancement.
The third method: the Spiritual Soul Seed Dao Skill. By planting the Spiritual Soul of an Extraordinary being within one’s Dantian, one can harness its power to break through the Innate Realm. This method’s potential is capped by the grade of the Spiritual Soul; it also severs one’s own Dao Foundation and is highly susceptible to backlash.
——
Cheng Zongyang and Luo Dingran stared at the three methods, their faces etched with confusion.
"That... that’s it?" Luo Dingran asked, stunned.
He had expected a detailed breakthrough technique, or at least a corresponding Cultivation Technique. But in the end, it only offered a bare-bones description of three methods.
’Shouldn’t it at least describe the process?’
’How does one condense, fuse, devour and refine, or plant something in the Dantian?’
’Besides, there ought to be specific techniques for each of these methods, right? But there’s nothing.’
"Could it be that if you cultivate this technique, the final part of the Heart Method *is* the Condensing Technique?" Luo Dingran murmured.
But at that moment, Cheng Zongyang’s thoughts flew to the Fiery Sun Bird. He finally understood Emperor Liang’s plan—and why the emperor would rather give up the Land of Four Mansions than part with the creature!
’That Fiery Sun Bird must have an Inner Core. They plan to take that Inner Core and have someone at the peak of Innate Great Perfection devour it to achieve a breakthrough.’
"It seems the Royal Family possesses a technique for devouring Inner Cores," Cheng Zongyang murmured.
’They captured the Fiery Sun Bird to obtain its Inner Core, which they’ll devour and refine in a bid to break past the Innate Realm and enter the Extraordinary.’
The term "Extraordinary" here simply denotes a state beyond that of a Martial Arts mortal; it’s not a Realm in itself.
The Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm—*that* is the true Realm!
’If someone in the Court manages to break through the Innate Realm and enter the Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm, it will surely trigger another bloodbath!’ He knew with certainty that if the Imperial Court succeeded, they would undoubtedly dispatch their armies to retake the Land of Four Mansions. They might even try to expand their borders.
"Looks like things won’t be stable for long," Cheng Zongyang sighed, a renewed sense of urgency gripping him. He feared that the peaceful environment he had worked so hard to build would be thrown into chaos once more.
’I have to speed up my cultivation and my exploration of the Wilderness World. I need to find the Valley of the Dead and Death Valley. Only then can I protect the County Town and the village.’
As his domain had developed, his ambitions had grown. He now envisioned building the Cheng Family’s County Town into a major power, something akin to a Martial Arts City or even a Cultivation Immortality City.
The Valley of the Dead has Soul Crystal Stones and the Soul Gathering Stele. Death Valley has Geomagnetic Stones. Items from both locations could serve as powerful and effective means of protection.
But then, the thought of the Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm swept away the gloom that had just settled over him.
’There really are Immortals in the Wilderness World!’
Cheng Zongyang handed the papers to Luo Dingran, then turned to Ding Xing and asked, "How many unique characters are in this script? Will you be able to translate the text on those bamboo slips, jade artifacts, and other items?"
Ding Xing clasped his hands. "Sir, there are seven hundred and three unique characters in this script. I was just attempting to translate the text on the bamboo slips, but many characters remain indecipherable. I can make educated guesses based on context, but they might not be accurate. We need more translated examples."
Just then, Luo Dingran spoke up. "Sir, do you think the translation key the Huangfu Family obtained could be a kind of master codex for the entire script?"
Cheng Zongyang considered this for a moment before shaking his head. "Unlikely. Since it was a reward, it was probably a direct translation of a specific text, not a general key. Let’s set that aside for now; I’ll make inquiries later. Ding Xing, continue to record all the unrecognized characters and give the list to Steward Luo to handle."
"Yes, Sir," Ding Xing replied.
Luo Dingran understood this meant they would continue bartering for more information.
"Try cultivating this technique," Cheng Zongyang then said to Luo Dingran. "Get whatever resources you need from Zhang Jinquan. Let’s see if you can reach the Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm."
