Archean Eon Art c1-766
Page 16
“Dad, Uncle Liu, I reckon you haven’t eaten yet. Come join us.” Meng Chuan was in a good mood after his father’s return.
“Yes, let’s eat,” said Meng Dajiang jovially.
“When it comes to eating, your dad will be happy,” quipped Liu Yebai with a smile.
“You are just a small-eater. Look at how skinny you are.” Meng Dajiang raised his eyebrows and strode into the hall.
…
On the night of 11th May, Meng Chuan finished fusing his body, mind, and technique, reaching the Perfected Marrow Cleansing realm.
On 12th May, Meng Dajiang brought Meng Chuan to the ancestral mansion.
Fairy Meng was leisurely eating some snacks as she read a book in her hand.
“Grandaunt.” Meng Chuan greeted Fairy Meng.
“You have perfected your Marrow Cleansing?” Fairy Meng nodded in satisfaction. She took out a porcelain bottle and handed it to Meng Chuan. “Inside is a drop of Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid! Once you begin cultivating a Godfiend Body, you can consume it. You have to consume it within three months of cultivating the Godfiend Body. Past that, you’ll miss the crucial period for forging a Godfiend foundation.”
“Yes.” Meng Chuan accepted it solemnly. This was something the Meng family had spent nearly all its wealth to exchange for.
“Which Godfiend body are you planning to cultivate?” asked Fairy Meng. “The choice of a Godfiend Body is of utmost importance! Once you select one, there’s no way to change. Even when you become a Godfiend in the future, you’ll have to follow the original path.”
“For example, if you choose the Flaming Divine Body, you will only be able to choose Godfiend bodies similar to the Flaming Divine Body when you become a Godfiend in the future. There’s no way to change your path,” said Fairy Meng.
Meng Chuan obviously knew.
The Godfiend body cultivated at the Mortal Shedding realm was the foundation, giving one a portion of Godfiend power.
Only by becoming a Godfiend in the future would one possess a complete Godfiend Body!
“There are a lot of Godfiend bodies,” said Fairy Meng. “There are ones with extremely strong defensive powers. They can even be called Indestructible Bodies. There are also Godfiend bodies with extremely strong vitality. One can even regrow a severed arm! There are also those with immense strength! There are also extremely fast ones! There are ones that are good at sensing and reconnaissance. Some are good at influencing an area. Every Godfiend body has its traits.”
“And once you’ve chosen one, you will have to follow this path for life.”
“Our Meng family has all sixteen foundational Godfiend Body formulas.” Fairy Meng asked, “You must have read them before, right?”
“I’ve read through all of them.” Meng Chuan nodded. The foundation Godfiend Body formulas could only be cultivated before becoming a Godfiend. It wasn’t hard for every Godfiend family clan to collect all of them.
“Which Godfiend body do you plan on cultivating?” asked Fairy Meng.
Chapter 22
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
“I’m thinking of choosing the Lightning Divine Body,” Meng Chuan said. “Before I become a Godfiend, I believe there’s nothing wrong with my choice. However, I don’t have the confidence to say whether choosing the Lightning Divine Body would be the best idea for when I become a Godfiend. I’d like your guidance, Grandaunt.”
He was far-sighted. He couldn’t just think about immediate benefits—he still needed to think of the future.
“Oh?” Fairy Meng smiled. “Tell me, why did you choose the Lightning Divine Body?” Meng Dajiang was listening as well.
“I’m best at speed,” Meng Chuan said. “Right now, my movement technique and saber arts are the best when it comes to speed! As for the Lightning Divine Body, it’s the fastest amongst the 16 Godfiend body foundations! I think cultivation should make up for weaknesses and amplify what’s already good! Thus, I chose the Lightning Divine Body. It’s to make my movement technique and saber arts even faster.”
“The fusion of strengths?” Fairy Meng’s eyes lit up as she nodded in approval. “Although you aren’t very old, you are absolutely correct. Mediocrity is taboo when it comes to cultivation. Being mediocre means you can’t kill the enemy. You will only be killed by the enemy.”
“Is the Lightning Divine Body suitable after becoming a Godfiend?” pressed Meng Chuan.
Fairy Meng sighed. “After becoming a Godfiend, the Lightning Divine Body will become even more terrifying. Its advantage is even more astonishing than when you were a mortal. The body transforms into lightning, and the speed of lightning is excellent. The killer moves are also terrifying! Even if one can’t kill the enemy, one can easily escape. However, the Life-and-Death juncture to transition from mortal to Godfiend has greater difficulty compared to ordinary Godfiend bodies.”
“The Life-and-Death juncture is even harder?” Meng Chuan was puzzled.
“Lightning bolts will strike you when breaking through the Life-and-Death juncture. You will die if you can’t withstand them,” said Fairy Meng. “Therefore, you need a robust foundation to withstand them. The threshold for becoming a Godfiend will also be higher. Of course, Archean Mountain will tell you what realm you need to reach to have complete confidence in becoming a Godfiend.”
“I heard that in Archean Mountain, one has to have full confidence breaking through before they take the plunge. Of course, those who can enter Archean Mountain are extremely talented,” said Fairy Meng with a smile. “As for us who are lacking in talent, we typically take the gamble with a 60–70% chance. After all, if we drag on, we might only have a 40–50% chance as we age. It’s even possible for our success rate to drop to 20–30%. The success rate will just keep dropping.”
Physical body, Quintessential Energy, realm, mental fortitude, and mental state…
Becoming a Godfiend involved many aspects.
“Since I’ll still be very powerful after becoming a Godfiend, then I’ll choose the Lightning Divine Body,” said Meng Chuan.
“Alright.” Fairy Meng nodded and said with a smile, “Even if you become a Godfiend in the future, you will have a few types of Lightning Godfiend bodies to choose from. These Godfiend bodies also have their pros and cons. If you’ve sufficiently accumulated power, you can choose the stronger ones. If you haven’t accumulated enough strength, you can choose the weaker ones. That way, it will be easier to pass the Life-and-Death juncture.”
“Okay.” Meng Chuan nodded but did not say anything more. With his personality, he would naturally follow the strongest route.
Aim for the skies.
No matter what, he had to aim high. If he didn’t have the goal to become a powerful expert, how was he to become one?
…
Back at the Mirror Lake Meng Manor.
Meng Dajiang and Meng Chuan walked side by side.
“Chuan’er, when do you plan on breaking through?” Meng Dajiang asked.
“Tonight,” said Meng Chuan. “There’s no need to delay.”
“Come with me then.” Meng Dajiang led the way.
Although Meng Chuan was somewhat puzzled, he still followed his father to the residential building.
Boom! When they entered the building, Meng Dajiang pulled a mechanism under the bed. A tunnel immediately appeared.
“A tunnel?” Meng Chuan was surprised. He didn’t know that his father was hiding a secret chamber here all these years.
Constructing tunnels was actually very normal. For instance, the countryside forts had tunnels and chambers built on a large scale! Even if demons were to storm a fort, the clansmen would hide in the hundreds of tunnels deep beneath. They would pull down thick gates and secure themselves inside. The demons had to find a secret tunnel and pass through all kinds of traps to find the humans inside.
However, in the city, there were relatively fewer tunnels built.
Boom! Boom!
Within this tunnel, two other sto
ne doors opened via a mechanism.
Then, he arrived at a secret chamber.
“Chuan’er, take a seat first,” said Meng Dajiang.
Meng Chuan sat down on a mat, puzzled. Meng Dajiang rummaged a densely-packed bookshelf for a particular book before flipping it open. Hidden inside the book was a wooden box.
Meng Dajiang held the wooden box and sat down cross-legged opposite Meng Chuan. He took out another jade box that he kept close to his chest.
“Give me the Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid first,” said Meng Dajiang.
Meng Chuan took it out and passed it to his father, feeling a little confused.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Meng Dajiang placed the long wooden box, jade box, and the porcelain bottle on the ground.
“There are a total of three natural treasures here.” Meng Dajiang first picked up the jade box and opened it. Inside was an ice-white fruit that emitted cold air. “This is an Iceheart Fruit. You can immediately consume it on the first day you cultivate a Godfiend Body.”
After closing the jade box, Meng Dajiang pointed at the porcelain bottle. “You can consume the Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid the family gave you on the third day of cultivating a Godfiend Body.”
“This final one…” Meng Dajiang looked at the long wooden box and gently opened it.
Inside the wooden box was a green plant that suffused with colorful light. The leaves and roots were all complete. “This is the legendary Astral Spirit Herb. Its value is several times greater than that drop of Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid. From the first day of cultivating the Godfiend Body, eat a little of it every day. The leaves and roots shouldn’t be wasted as well. Finish it all within a month!”
“From today onwards, you will come to this chamber every night to cultivate,” said Meng Dajiang.
Meng Chuan was stunned. “Dad, these three treasures?” Meng Chuan couldn’t believe it.
His grandaunt had been heavily injured, which was why she had spent so much of the family’s savings on a single drop of the Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid to groom Meng Chuan. That was already an act of madness.
And now, his father took out two other precious treasures? One of them was the Astral Spirit Herb which was worth even more?
“In terms of value, the Astral Spirit Herb is the most precious. Next is the Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid. Then, the Iceheart Fruit,” said Meng Dajiang. “However, every item here wasn’t easily obtained. You must treasure them.”
“Dad, how did all of these come about? This Astral Spirit Herb is even more valuable than something the family spent almost all of its savings on?” Meng Chuan asked in disbelief.
“Don’t ask.” Meng Dajiang frowned.
“When it’s time for you to know, you will learn of it.” Meng Dajiang sighed. “Sometimes, it’s not good to learn about some things too early. What you need to do is to become stronger.”
Meng Chuan also found his father a little mysterious.
Iceheart Fruit, Astral Spirit Herb… Where did they come from?
What kind of secret did his father—who usually laughed and ran a restaurant—have? However, since his father felt that he wasn’t strong enough, he should cultivate properly.
“You have to treasure them,” said Meng Dajiang.
“I will, Dad,” replied Meng Chuan.
…
That night.
Meng Dajiang sat in the room and stared at the hanging painting his wife had drawn.
“Chuan’er has grown up.”
Meng Dajiang looked at the woman in the painting, the woman whom he loved the most in his life. “Nianyun, I have already given him the Astral Spirit Herb. Don’t worry, our child is very outstanding and even has a chance of becoming a Godfiend. I raised him very well. He’s very outstanding, very filial and obedient…”
…
In the underground chamber.
Sitting cross-legged on the prayer mat, Meng Chuan began his breakthrough.
He directed the Quintessential Energy in his dantian to enter one acupuncture point after another—all 182 of them—according to the necessary pathways. When he was at the final acupuncture point, the 182 points formed a beautiful three-dimensional chart with each acupuncture point a node. This chart was also the core of the Lightning Divine Body.
Boom!
As soon as the three-dimensional Quintessential Energy chart took form, lightning began to emanate from it. Bolts of lightning began to flow through the three-dimensional chart, fusing into every single part of his body.
“Ah!” Meng Chuan could sense his body transforming as each bolt of lightning flowed through the three-dimensional Quintessential Energy chart and fused into his body.
Chapter 23
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Lightning surged through his body, traveling through the Quintessential Energy chart and fusing into every acupuncture point in his body. His body began transforming into a Lightning Divine Body.
Meng Chuan opened his eyes, picked up the jade box beside him and opened it, then took two bites from the Iceheart Fruit inside. The ice-cold energy flowed down his throat into his stomach, which then slowly spread to his whole body. His transformation became more obvious after his muscles and bones absorbed the cold energy from the fruit as he fused with the lightning.
Next, the Astral Spirit Herb. He opened the wooden box and plucked a leaf and some roots from the intact Astral Spirit Herb. It was about one of thirty portions that he could finish in about a month.
His mouth was filled with a refreshing fragrance as he chewed the leaf and roots gently. Then, his mind jolted. A magical sensation surged into his head before slowly transmitting to his whole body, allowing his body to continue strengthening as he transformed.
Although he didn’t know the origins of the Iceheart Fruit and Astral Spirit Herb, the fact that his father—a good-tempered man who always laughed and never complained—had said they weren’t “easily obtained” and that he had to “treasure them,” meant that they were extremely difficult to obtain. The prices behind them were probably huge as well. All he could do was not disappoint the hopes they placed on him.
…
For the next month, Meng Chuan trained according to plan and had consumed the drop of Godfiend Jade Marrow Liquid. He also finished consuming the Astral Spirit Herb. He also spent hours executing the Saber Drawing Stance 8000 times a day, as well as practicing his movement technique and saber arts. He never stopped cultivating.
According to the manual, one was still transforming in the early stages of the Godfiend Body as one cultivated. If one were to train a particular aspect diligently, one’s body would also be inclined towards transforming in that aspect. It was like a growing sapling. If one exerted pressure on it in a certain direction, it might also begin growing in that direction.
The transformation of his Godfiend Body was clearly slowing down. One day near the end of June, Meng Chuan ate a watermelon as he sat on the training ground.
The first month of my cultivation was meant to be an explosive growth. I also consumed three rare treasures. My improvement was astonishingly fast, so fast that it was somewhat inconceivable. The drop in my growth speed is expected. Meng Chuan sighed. My Godfiend foundation is indeed very robust and deep. My body and Quintessential Energy at the Mortal Shedding realm’s early-stage already match those at the perfected Mortal Shedding realm.
One had to know that the early-stage Mortal Shedding realm provided the greatest improvement in the five Mortal realms. After all, it was the first time cultivating a Godfiend Body, allowing them to possess the power of a Godfiend gradually.
To be able to match a perfected Mortal Shedding realm while in the early stage meant that his foundation was terrifyingly robust.
Meng Chuan’s body and Quintessential Energy would probably rival those at the Seamless realm when he was at the late-stage of the Mortal Shedding realm—even though the breakthrough from the Mortal Shedding realm to the Seamless realm was significant.
This situation was something rarely heard of in the entire Eastcalm Prefecture. Typically, only geniuses from the imperial capital and Archean Mountain who had been groomed by ancient Godfiend families would have such a Godfiend foundation.
“Chuan’er, Chuan’er.” Meng Dajiang’s voice came from afar.
“Dad.” Meng Chuan put down the watermelon and wiped his mouth with a towel before running over.
Soon, he saw his father—Meng Dajiang—and a bald, thin elder with a walking stick walking over.
“Third Elder.” Meng Chuan jolted to attention. He was most afraid of the Third Elder amongst the elders of the Meng family. The Third Elder was a cold, old-fashioned man who treated the younger generation the fiercest. Without a second word, he would swing his walking stick and viciously beat up the younger generation. It wasn’t surprising every junior was afraid of him.
“Chuan’er, why aren’t you paying your respects to the Third Elder?” Meng Dajiang said.
Meng Chuan immediately stepped forward and bowed. “Greetings, Third Elder.”
“Okay.”
The bald, thin elder looked at Meng Chuan and saw his sweat-soaked clothes. Only then did he nod in satisfaction. “You have to put your heart into cultivation. How can you become stronger without enough sweat?”
“Yes,” responded Meng Chuan obediently. He had to be obedient when he was facing the Third Elder. Under no circumstances should he argue with him. If he dared talk back, he would receive a blow from the walking stick!
“This is a torn page of a saber art that I fortuitously acquired when I was young. You can take a look.” The bald, skinny elder took out a piece of black paper that was carefully wrapped and handed it to Meng Dajiang with the wrapping included. However, just the terrifying aura emanating from that piece of black paper when unwrapped shocked both Meng Chuan and Meng Dajiang.