CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 156 FLESH AND BLOOD WEAKNESS (3000 WORDS)

Even an ordinary person who prays devoutly for years can achieve this, so what will happen when a Bright Awakening focused on spiritual cultivation recites it?

What caught Lu Ren’s attention was that in front of the table with the statues of Taoist figures like The Three Pristine Ones, there was a slender figure with white hair loosely tied in a wooden bun, sitting cross-legged on a cushion with his back to Lu Ren.

What surprised Lu Ren was that he completely felt no presence from the other person, as if he were a blue stone, indistinguishable from the table and the cushion.

Is this a case of channeling all one’s Qi and blood vitality to the utmost, supplying everything to the spirit?

So much so that the outward appearance seems frail and weak?

That’s how it appears on the surface, but Lu Ren isn’t really sure about the specifics.

In ancient times, due to extremely low productivity, the path of martial arts was nearly blocked. It was already remarkable if one unparalleled martial artist could achieve the Bright Awakening Realm in a century.

And the cultivation of the spiritual path demanded even more insight and wisdom, making it even more challenging.

Wanting to go further was even more difficult. The immense strength of a martial artist’s physique meant that they needed to consume a lot of energy every day to maintain it, and in the face of the extremely low productivity of ancient times, sustaining one person was already costly, making it undoubtedly harder to walk further along the Bright Awakening Path.

So much so that maintaining the body’s functional strength was a daily concern, let alone progressing further.

Thus, there came the path focused on the spirit, seeking to shed the physical body and ascend through spiritual enlightenment.

Ji Heng bowed to the figure and said, "Master, Lu Ren is here."

Mysterious, doing all these odd things...

Lu Ren squinted slightly, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Cultivators who focused on the path of spiritual tempering were naturally a bit enigmatic, often doing incomprehensible things, as he had read in the Security Bureau’s archives.

Ever since he learned that the Southwest Security Bureau’s chief, Ji Quanzhen, had achieved the Bright Awakening Realm through the path of spiritual tempering, he had been paying attention to these things.

Ji Quanzhen, without turning his head, exuded confidence.

"I know."

Ji Heng silently withdrew, standing like a stone statue outside the cave entrance, not moving an inch.

At this moment, Ji Quanzhen’s body trembled slightly, then he extended his hand to support himself as he stood up. He turned around, hands crossed inside his wide sleeves, slightly hunched over, looking like a little old man feeling cold and constantly curling up.

In fact, in Lu Ren’s eyes, he indeed appeared like a little old man, especially with an added bit of slyness.

But what couldn’t be ignored was the serene aura radiating from him, making Lu Ren involuntarily calm down.

What is this?

Lu Ren’s mind stirred slightly, the Lamp of Freedom gently rose, allowing him to regain control of his emotions.

Is this a Taoism Field?!

When one’s spirit is extremely strong and can manipulate the surrounding magnetic field, anyone within that range will be subtly influenced.

This kind of Taoism Field isn’t inherently bad. If someone of the same path cultivates within such a magnetic field range, their cultivation speed will be greatly accelerated.

However, it’s not good for Lu Ren, as the subtle influence may alter his thoughts.

This is unacceptable for someone who has achieved mastery in fist techniques and comprehended the will of his martial path.

Ji Quanzhen circled around Lu Ren, clicking his tongue.

"Youth is truly wonderful, youth is wonderful!!"

Lu Ren’s eye twitched slightly, and the image of Ji Quanzhen collapsed instantly.

He really was a bit sleazy, not just a facade.

The image of a master he had imagined along the way was completely gone. No wonder Xiao Chen always looked so peculiar when discussing the Southwest Chief.

Lu Ren felt a bit uncomfortable, frowning deeply, "Taoist Ji, what are you doing?"

Yes, Ji Quanzhen liked others to call him Taoist Ji, claiming to be the Taoist Quanzhen, so he self-named as Ji Quanzhen.

In Lu Ren’s eyes, it was a complete mental comfort. It’s well-known that throughout human civilization history, this mental placebo has played a significant role.

Not to mention Lu Ren’s internal complaints.

As Ji Quanzhen circled around Lu Ren, countless celestial statues seemed to come alive behind him, as if all their gazes were fixed on Lu Ren, quietly observing him.

The smile on Ji Quanzhen’s face faded away, and he asked calmly, "Are you afraid of death?"

Lu Ren only felt that Ji Quanzhen’s figure before him became immensely tall, as if aided by countless immortal gods. That small stature, less than 1.7 meters tall, seemed taller and heavier than mountains. Behind Ji Quanzhen, there seemed to be a faint, illusory scene forming, as if a celestial palace appeared, where shadowy figures seemed to reside.

This was a strange phenomenon produced when one’s spirit was extremely strong, capable of disturbing the magnetic field.

It felt like a mirage but was essentially different.

"Ding, you have been impacted by Ji Quanzhen’s spirit, your spirit has been oppressed, Spiritual Proficiency passively +1."

"Ding, you have been impacted by Ji Quanzhen’s spirit, your spirit..."

Can it be like this?

Lu Ren’s gaze was sharp, despite Ji Quanzhen’s spiritual power at this moment manipulating the magnetic field, forming a vision behind him, but he could already detect the final intense fluctuations in the magnetic field manipulation.

For Ji Quanzhen to achieve this step, in ancient times, he would definitely be referred to as one among the Immortals.

This is already a Divine Power Technique!

"Afraid, yet not afraid."

Lu Ren responded calmly as his skill level continuously improved. His spiritual resilience was slowly strengthening, allowing him to gradually stand tall even under intense spiritual pressure.

This guy was rambling to him, trying to lecture him about the great principles of life even in such a state?

Afraid of death or not, every person is afraid of death, but what you say should sound lofty and dignified.

"Fear is because humanity’s deepest instinct is to seek benefits and avoid harm, it’s an imprint engraved in human genes."

Lu Ren said indifferently.

"Fearless because what I pursue exceeds what the living can achieve, my quest cannot be obstructed by death."

Ji Quanzhen’s gaze slightly brightened?

Look here, this is the realm of speech, uttering some high and noble words makes the other party’s eyes light up like a light bulb.

"What do you consider Martial?"

The magnetic field fluctuations around Ji Quanzhen gradually dissipated, and the illusion behind him returned to calm, he asked in a low voice.

What could it be? Of course, it’s a tool for self-defense, unless you want me to tell you I got here by adding random points?

Lu Ren appeared contemplative, hiding his active thoughts.

"Initially, the Martial Path was merely an adversary, a means for me to survive adversity. But now I see it differently, the Martial Path is a means for me to transcend and evolve."

Lu Ren’s voice gradually increased.

"We are in an unprecedented era, advancements in technology have rendered human power negligible, and methods once legendary are now commonplace.

The most effective means to defeat an opponent should be guns and technology. Even if one practices for decades to reach a state of Great Perfection in Fist Technique, the physical and mental limits are still susceptible to dozens of firearms produced from an assembly line in mere minutes."

At this, Lu Ren’s expression turned slightly strange.

Given his current extreme state, the astonishing power unleashed by combining the Lamp of Freedom with Phoenix Falcon Fist can even trace the trajectory of a rifle bullet and dodge critical points in an instant.

As long as his body’s vital points are not hit, it won’t affect his actions in the slightest.

With his current realm of power, to eliminate him using modern means, unless he stupidly ventured out onto a vast plain with at least a meter-thick steel floor, preventing him from digging holes quickly, and then bombarded him non-stop with missiles and shells, only then could he be torn apart.

Otherwise, there might not really be a way to kill him.

Exclude the rule-breaking nuclear weapons!

With his current power, his hands can dig a large hole in the ground in ten seconds, even surpassing a pangolin.

Lu Ren continued, "The true essence of the Martial Path is to continuously elevate oneself, surpassing limits, and evolving."

He enunciated word by word, "The human body is limited, but the spirit is infinite!"

"What a statement, the human body is limited while the spirit is infinite."

Ji Quanzhen’s thin figure could not help but stand, his eyes gleamed brightly due to spiritual concentration, triggering a magnetic field in his eyes.

He said, "Whether it’s Martial Path or the Quanzhen Path of cultivation, the end goal is the same, the body has limits, but the spirit is infinite."

At this point, Ji Quanzhen waved his robe sleeve and looked fixedly at Lu Ren.

"Are you interested in cultivating the Spiritual Path?"

"The Spiritual Path?"

Ji Quanzhen nodded slightly, then turned around, facing away from Lu Ren, looking at the immortal god carved on the cave wall, his arms spread wide, the wide sleeves accentuating his form, his aura became ethereal, as if he was about to ride the wind and soar away.

"The flesh is weak and frail, only the spirit is eternal. To truly achieve longevity and vision, you must shed the flesh, and let the spirit ascend!"

"..."

Seeing Ji Quanzhen’s face full of fervor, Lu Ren expressed extreme silence, with nothing to say.

This guy truly is the head of the Southwest Pillar?

Ji Quanzhen, known for his Taoist Quanzhen skills, has already reached a very deep level in the Bright Awakening Realm, but his path in the Bright Awakening Realm is not through Martial Path, but an ancient Qi Refiner’s path.

This centenarian has since the founding of the nation resisted several extreme crises from abroad. Although he does not possess the overwhelming power of a Bright Awakening Martial Taoist, he is not to be underestimated, capable of many mystical feats with his spirit.

The competing Martial Bright Awakening and Qi Cultivation Enlightenment systems, it’s hard to say who would emerge victorious.

But a fixated spirit already reaches the point of needing medical attention.

Yet if the spirit wasn’t fixated, how could one concentrate spirit, only with unwavering faith can you gather your spirit, thereby breaking barriers, and interfering with material reality through spirit.

(Two updates today everyone, I’m very sorry, I need a little rest, let’s work hard tomorrow, Ollie Give!)