CHAPTER 159: GREAT NEWS

Training in the sword came with risks. He could not take it lightly, especially not with the stone on his back. After all, improper use of the Sword-Pressing Stone could bring disciples to tears. Had he not possessed a solid foundation, having the Sword-Pressing Stone bearing down on him would have definitely resulted in injuries.

After leaving his facial imprint on his martial aunt's courtyard, Wang Sheng exerted all his strength to flip himself over. He touched his swollen nose, looked up, and sighed deeply, imagining how difficult his cultivation path would be from here on out.

Chi Wen hurried about, fetching medicine, drawing water, and bringing it for Wang Sheng to wash his face. By the time Wang Sheng finally caught his breath and lie on the Sword-Pressing Stone, Chi Wen no longer knew whether to laugh or cry.

"Senior Brother, you can't train like this."

Wang Sheng's mouth twitched slightly. He slowly sat up and began to meditate in silence, truly locking horns with the Sword-Pressing Stone.

Chi Wen sat nearby and worriedly looked at her senior brother, who had always taken good care of her. She quietly walked to the corner, moved a meditation cushion to the door, and sat down. Afterward, she waited for the moment her senior brother would once again be pressed to the ground.

Sword-Pressing Stone... What a fitting name.

Wang Sheng meditated through the night. His true essence had long since been replenished to the brim, and the slight comprehension that he had gained from the recent battle had transformed into a small advancement in cultivation realm.

Now, he was closer than ever to reaching the Illusory Core Realm.

According to Qing Long's advice, using the Sword-Pressing Stone would allow Wang Sheng to remain at the Foundation Establishment Stage for several months. Wang Sheng would only condense his Illusory Core after the Sword-Pressing Stone had lost its effect, bringing great benefits to his future cultivation path. He was confident that these extra months would be worth it.

The first step was always the hardest. The steps afterward would hardly be simple either, though.

During his first month on the Zhongnan Mountains, Wang Sheng felt as though he had returned to that summer before seeking a master. He didn't even know how to cultivate back then. There was no primal qi between heaven and earth. His master just trained him every day, and he would collapse into bed from exhaustion each night. Occasionally, his master would perform bone adjustments to help open his meridians.

Time had since flown by. Now, he was on the verge of completing the Foundation Establishment Stage, while his master had reached the Golden Core Realm. His meridians were already fully opened.

Whenever he was worn out, he would put the Sword-Pressing Stone on his back, set up a formation of Qi-Nurturing Stones, and sit under the Sword-Pressing Stone to quickly replenish his depleted true essence. No one was around to massage his shoulders or pound his back.

The road to conquering the Sword-Pressing Stone was certainly full of hardships.

In the first few days, Wang Sheng was completely overwhelmed. As soon as his true essence ran slightly low, the Sword-Pressing Stone would topple him to the ground and crush him flat.

Fortunately, he didn't land face-first too often. After getting used to falling, he even unlocked a few new techniques.

If no one were around when he fell, he would stay in whatever position he had landed and quickly absorb primal qi to restore his true essence. If his martial aunt, senior sister, or junior sister was nearby and came running over in a panic, he would use his biceps to prop himself and the Sword-Pressing Stone up, do a few push-ups on the spot where he had fallen, and then calmly get back to his feet.

However, since his senior sister and martial aunt couldn't help but worry, they took turns staying by his side most of the time. Whenever he fell, they would rush over and lift the stone to rescue him.

Within a week of training, Wang Sheng's arms had grown noticeably thicker—ahem, rather, his true essence had become much more refined. He had even expelled some impurities in his body through sweat. Without the weight of the Sword-Pressing Stone on his back, he felt light enough to go spiraling into the sky.

Hence, Wang Sheng made up his mind to never again remove the Sword-Pressing Stone during cultivation, no matter the time and place.

As long as one put in the effort, sweat would always bring results. Naturally, they first had to find the right direction and use their head before acting.

Back then, the sect master of the Shu Sword Sect had given Wang Sheng a piece of paper. On it were detailed instructions on how to use the Sword-Pressing Stone and several techniques for refining true essence. Although not part of any formal Daoist texts, they were hard-earned insights from past sword cultivators and were considered sect secrets not passed to outsiders.

Once one's true essence was completely depleted, their body would enter its emptiest state. Many Daoist heritages referred to it as True Emptiness. In such a state, one's spiritual consciousness would become far more active than usual. Their perception of the surroundings would also grow more sensitive, allowing for clearer comprehension of the Dao's presence.

True Emptiness was hard to maintain for long since it led to the Dao body uncontrollably absorbing primal qi from the surroundings. Hence, only by constantly exhausting one's true essence could they more frequently enter True Emptiness and comprehend their personal Dao.

Only by being like dust drifting between heaven and earth could one understand the vastness of the skies and the might of wind and fire.

As the primal qi drawn into one's Dao body circulated through their internal circulation paths, their Dao would guide it into transforming into true essence of varying attributes. This process was known as Essence Refinement—the prime opportunity to refine one's true essence.

Wang Sheng's Dao foundation was based on the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. The true essence within him had the attribute of pure yang. Since it was called an immortal mantra, it was far beyond mere cultivation techniques for children.

Yang alone could not produce; yin alone could not grow. Pure Yang True Essence was not blindly forceful or domineering. Rather, it was solid and enduring, like sunlight radiating heat yet nurturing all things.

Just like how Wang Sheng comprehended sword intent, he had to do more than guide primal qi through his meridians and complete a full circulation to refine his true essence. He also had to comprehend the essence of his Pure Yang Immortal Mantra and truly grasp the meaning of pure yang. Only then could Wang Sheng's true essence gradually become more refined and his meridians slowly widen.

Once he had filled himself up with true essence again, he would be in the state of Full Qi. He could then stop comprehending and once more shoulder the Sword-Pressing Stone to practice sword techniques and footwork. After consuming all his true essence as quickly as possible, he would enter True Emptiness and proceed with Essence Refinement once more.

Cultivating in such a way required a great deal of mental strength. It could be considered the most grueling form of cultivation.

Taking advantage of this period, Wang Sheng also quieted his mind and focused on improving his footwork technique. Though he could use the Seven-Star Footwork in most situations, it no longer allowed him to advance or retreat as freely as he wished against experts at much higher realms.

He recalled the woman who had appeared with the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect's young master the night the Fire Sage died. Her footwork had been astonishing, far beyond the norm. Unfortunately, he had no idea how she had trained in it.

Incidentally, the young master had once again vanished somewhere in Mount Sanqing. Even the Primal Immortals had no idea who he truly was. He most likely had another public identity and was still posing as a righteous cultivator.

Wang Sheng didn't dwell on it too much. With so many people in the Special Investigation Unit and the government's ability to mobilize a large number of righteous experts, there was no need for someone like him to be involved. He was not some indispensable agent of justice.

Setting aside distractions, he gave up rest and sleep to focus solely on seeking the Dao and refining his foundation.

By the second week, Wang Sheng could already go through the entire Seven-Star Sword Formation with the Sword-Pressing Stone on his back. Perhaps it was due to the constant weight, but his understanding of the Seven-Star Footwork had deepened significantly.

In the third week of this grueling training, Wang Sheng began injecting true essence into the Sword-Pressing Stone, increasing its weight so that it remained heavy enough to press him flat at any moment.

After a full month, his true essence had indeed grown more refined, and the expansion of his meridians was even more noticeable. He had also smoothly reached the peak of the Seed Formation Realm.

Even so, he could clearly sense that his true essence could still become purer, his meridians could widen further, and his internal circulation could run faster and more steadily. To top it all off, he still had more insights to gain from the Foundation Establishment chapter of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. He hadn't yet fully exhausted the benefits of the Sword-Pressing Stone.

Wang Sheng had long since finished the little notebook that his master had given him. The neat and graceful handwriting did look more like his senior sister's, though...

Well, that wasn't important.

The Illusory Core Realm served as preparation for the condensation of a Golden Core. The firmer the foundation he'd build at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the lower the difficulty and risk in forming his Golden Core.

If not for Qing Long lending him the Sword-Pressing Stone, Wang Sheng wouldn't have known that even at this stage, his Dao body still had such room to grow. Unfortunately, his senior sister had long since entered the Illusory Core Realm and had missed out on this privilege. Still, she now showed faint signs of another breakthrough and would likely reach the mid-stage of the Illusory Core Realm before long.

Finally making a complete recovery after half a month, Jingyun went into seclusion again. She had clearly gained new insights from her battle with Azure Dragon.

Chi Wen also cultivated diligently. She sat in meditation at fixed times every day and attentively observed whenever Wang Sheng practiced his swordsmanship. She never took up her master, senior sister, or senior brother's time; she only ever approached them to ask for guidance when they were free.

After the incident with the Supernatural Revelation Club, Chi Wen remained stuck in the shadow it left for quite some time. Thankfully, Qing Yanzi had taken her on a leisurely tour through the mountains and rivers for two months. He patiently counseled her and then helped her formally become Jingyun's disciple.

Qing Yanzi had voluntarily joined the Special Investigation Unit partly to help repay the debt his daughter owed.

Even now, Chi Wen still remembered the promise she made years ago: once she broke through to the Seed Formation Realm, she would go down the mountain and work for the Special Investigation Unit, serving as a frontline investigator.

While Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan remained secluded on the mountains, the righteous and corrupt forces fought in large-scale battles throughout the Hua Republic.

What made it most remarkable was that these battles unfolded under the complete control of the authorities.

To wipe out the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect as soon as possible, the Daoist sects of sacred mountains dispatched numerous experts. Many unaffiliated practitioners also joined the effort of their own accord.

The Special Investigation Unit handled intelligence gathering and coordinated with local law enforcement. In just one month, the righteous cultivators had destroyed several outposts of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect and wiped out nearly half of the corrupt cultivator networks across the Hua Republic.

The corrupt cultivators naturally did not just sit still and wait for their doom. Many began moving in secret, while the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect covertly united various corrupt cultivator organizations in an attempt to launch a counteroffensive. Given the situation, the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect had little manpower left to track down Mu Wanxuan and Wang Sheng.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Snow now blanketed the Zhongnan Mountains. In that period, Wang Sheng's posture while carrying the Sword-Pressing Stone had become steadier and more rooted. He had gradually increased the amount of true essence he infused into the stone, too.

Around that time, he received great news out of the blue—one completely unrelated to the battles outside.

At noon, Wang Sheng was refining true essence beneath a mountain cliff with the Sword-Pressing Stone still on his back when Chi Wen came running at full speed. She shoved his phone directly to his ear.

What's going on?

—Hello? Little Sheng?

Wang Sheng's eyes widened. "Dad?"

—Little Sheng! Guess what? Your mom's pregnant! Do you want a little brother or a little sister? Hahaha!

Wang Sheng stumbled, the Sword-Pressing Stone nearly crushing him. Grinning widely, he quickly asked, "Wait, you can control that?"

—No, no, that's not what I meant! I was just trying to tell you that you'll soon have a younger sibling! Hahahaha!

Wang Sheng scratched his head and stood there grinning like a fool.

This had never happened in his previous life. Clearly, by changing his own fate, he had altered the course of his parents' lives as well.