CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 21: UNSEALING THE MARK

When Lin Jing viewed inwardly, he suddenly discovered that the Ice Soul Gu parasitic within his body also entered the Grotto Heaven.

When he first entered the Grotto Heaven, he didn’t have time to think much and ignored the Ice Soul Gu inside his body. Now thinking about it, it’s quite surprising.

He cultivated the Beast Taming Technique inherited from the Immortal Palace, and with his blood contract with the Song Leaf Mouse, they could enter the same Grotto Heaven together, which was no problem.

However, the Ice Soul Gu didn’t have a blood contract with him and yet entered the Dragon and Phoenix Grotto Heaven just like a Pet Beast...

Does this mean the Grotto Heaven considers the Ice Soul Gu to be one with him?

"That’s indeed possible. Elder Shen Song once said that while Gu insects can act independently after maturing, they are more fragile when newly born and must find a host as a vessel to rest securely; without a suitable resting environment, they will die."

"In this specific circumstance, the relationship between the Gu insect and the cultivator is not merely parasitic. Although it doesn’t reach the level of ’symbiosis,’ the Gu Master heavily relies on it, perhaps due to this parasitic and symbiotic relationship, the Grotto Heaven considered it as one with me."

A slight curve appeared at the corner of Lin Jing’s mouth.

The Song Leaf Mouse looked at Lin Jing, eager and restless, swallowing hard.

Could it be?

Lin Jing thought about removing the seal on that spider?

"Squeak!"

Is it okay? Elder Shen Song solemnly instructed when teaching the divine wood seal that unless during life-threatening crises, it’s best not to use the power of the Ice Soul Gu.

"Elder Mo Song also taught not to be overly obedient as a Demon Cultivator."

"Opportunities within the Grotto Heaven are rare."

"After coming out of the Bodhi Grotto Heaven, I read many books about Grotto Heaven. Legend has it that the Dragon and Phoenix Grotto Heaven can help cultivators break through the ’Extreme Realm.’"

"Do you understand what I mean? In other words, as long as we hunt enough dragons and phoenixes, I won’t just reach the ninth level of Qi Cultivation, bypassing years of arduous training and massive resources."

"There’s even a chance to break the boundary and reach the tenth level of Qi Cultivation or even eleventh level. It’s a chance many cultivators dream of. If I achieve that level, Foundation Establishment will be very easy for us."

Foundation Establishment requires compressing True Qi to liquefy, circulate throughout the body, wash and refine the Spirit Vein, shedding the mortal body, and giving birth to the True Essence Spiritual Sea.

The True Essence flowing within the Spiritual Sea is far stronger than True Qi. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s mana will be more than ten times that of the Qi Cultivation Stage; their awareness and perception will also transform into "Divine Sense." When Divine Sense is newly born, it can perceive everything within a hundred feet with just a thought.

Foundation Establishment is difficult for ordinary cultivators, mostly due to impure and weak True Qi, which can’t be compressed into liquid. Thus, external aids, like Foundation Establishment Pills, are often necessary to assist in the breakthrough.

However, if the cultivation technique is strong or one has an Innate Spirit Body, their True Qi will be extraordinary, making Foundation Establishment easier than for regular Qi Cultivation Cultivators, eliminating the need for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Lin Jing isn’t among these two scenarios. The uniqueness of his Beast Taming Technique lies only in the ability to form contracts with Pet Beasts, and in terms of True Qi, there’s nothing special. Although he has a Longevity Body, it only stands out in terms of lifespan and doesn’t provide enhancement to attribute True Qi like Attribute Spirit Bodies do.

This means that during Foundation Establishment, Lin Jing will be like any mortal body, without much advantage. On the contrary, due to the slow growth and refinement of True Qi brought by the Longevity Body’s cultivation speed, he will have to grind for a long time in the Qi Cultivation Stage.

Ultimately, he will likely have to rely on the Foundation Establishment Pill and feedback from the Pet Beast’s earlier Foundation Establishment to attempt breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage.

But if he can cultivate to the tenth level or above of Qi Cultivation within the Dragon and Phoenix Grotto Heaven now, then even without the Foundation Establishment Pill, breaking through Foundation Establishment should be as easy as drinking water; additionally, the deeper the foundation in Qi Cultivation Stage, the greater the enhancement to physique after Foundation Establishment.

Two Qi Cultivation Cultivators both establishing foundations at the ninth and tenth levels, the latter’s speed in absorbing Spiritual Qi after Foundation Establishment might be several times that of the former.

These are insights Lin Jing gathered from books, so when he encountered this rare chance, his eyes turned red, unable to hold back his eagerness.

It’s one of the few opportunities to change the cultivation speed after Foundation Establishment!

With a thought, Lin Jing and the Song Leaf Mouse were already flying on leaves, searching for the next dragon and phoenix.

On the flying leaves controlled by the Song Leaf Mouse, Lin Jing folded his hands behind his back as his robes fluttered, eyes sparkling.

"Elder Shen Song said that frequently borrowing the power of the Ice Soul Gu will hasten its awakening, making it hard to suppress with the divine wood seal later."

"But as long as I establish my foundation quickly and contract the dragon koi with fire qilin bloodline, even if the Ice Soul Gu truly awakens, the situation shouldn’t be too bad."

"For now, assist me... in unsealing a bit of the Ice Soul Gu’s seal..."

Determined, Lin Jing made up his mind. The Song Leaf Mouse heard this and frantically scratched its head; could this be too extreme? That power it feared, if Lin Jing used it for a few days, he might end up like an ice man.

"No problem, if I can’t withstand it, I’ll stop." As Lin Jing finished his sentence, he directly opened the blood vial, letting the scent of longevity blood diffuse naturally.

They had just flown a short distance, discovering that the Dragon and Phoenix Grotto Heaven was boundless as recorded, actively searching for the dragon and phoenix projection might waste a lot of time, unsure if they could use this to attract the dragon and phoenix projection to attack.

"Speaking of which, just immersed in the breakthrough earlier, now reminiscing, after killing the dragon and phoenix, even the taste buds seemed to have been sublimated." Lin Jing licked his lips; this simple enjoyment of taste was also quite nice.

"Squeak!!!" The Song Leaf Mouse also swallowed hard; indeed, as a spirit beast not usually fond of meat, it was tempted to savor it a few more times.

However, it glanced at the longevity blood, always feeling that this stuff smelled better...

"Divine Wood Seal, release!" Lin Jing’s gaze was deep and mysterious.

...

Meanwhile, in the world within Lin Jing’s body.

A massive ice crystal spider completely entwined by trees was sleeping amidst the seal.

The seal imbued with golden-green divine patterns not only sealed its active consciousness but also suppressed its leaking power.

As Lin Jing and the Song Leaf Mouse jointly unsealed a part of the seal, a terrifying white chill immediately flowed out from the cracks between the trees, merging with the True Qi within Lin Jing’s body, transforming the originally ordinary Beast Taming True Qi into an intensely cold ice-attribute True Qi!!!

Boom!

Outside, a terrifying chill burst from Lin Jing’s body, soaring skyward, instantly causing snow to fall in the mountains and forests, with the ice-attribute True Qi flowing through Lin Jing’s body, his skin turned white like snow, his hair dyed in white, and his eyes became the ice-blue eyes of a demon beast.

A green dragon python flew out from the valley, but before it could approach Lin Jing, a single word "die" froze its life force.

With the chill surging, the dragon python instantly formed into an ice sculpture with cracking sounds, which then shattered, scattering ice fragments, extinguishing its life.