Chapter 53: 修士有灾厄

On Taian Island, within the island's protective formation.

"A bottleneck? A Heavenly Calamity?" Li Fan frowned slightly as he flipped through the 'Miscellaneous Cultivation Notes' he had purchased.

Since returning from Myriad Immortals Island a few days ago, he hadn't stopped cultivating for a moment. He had intended to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the late-stage Qi Condensation realm in one go. However, even though he clearly felt close to a breakthrough, no matter how Li Fan cultivated, he always felt just a tiny bit short. This seemingly subtle gap was like an unbridgeable chasm, blocking Li Fan's path.

After reviewing the 'Miscellaneous Cultivation Notes,' Li Fan finally confirmed that he had encountered a bottleneck. The concept of cultivation bottlenecks existed even in ancient times. During cultivation, one's progress might stall at a certain point, unable to advance even an inch. In today's cultivation world, bottlenecks have an even greater impact on cultivators. Starting from the mid-stage Qi Condensation realm, every cultivator is bound to encounter a bottleneck when breaking through each minor realm. This kind of bottleneck cannot be overcome solely through arduous cultivation. One must find the destined opportunity sensed within oneself to resolve it and achieve a breakthrough.

This opportunity could be seeing a painting or drinking a cup of tea. It could also be a temporary enlightenment or a flash of inspiration during life-and-death combat. Or it might be a casual remark from someone else or careful guidance from an elder. In short, there is no discernible pattern; it depends solely on the 'will of Heaven.' The existence of this bottleneck undoubtedly suppressed cultivators' progression speed significantly. Like a calamity descended from the heavens, it hindered cultivators' progress. Therefore, cultivators also referred to it as the Heavenly Calamity. In any case, this Heavenly Calamity had now fallen upon Li Fan, causing his plan to break through in a short time to come to nothing.

After spending several days in stagnant meditation within the formation, Li Fan still had no sense of where his breakthrough opportunity lay. Knowing that this matter could not be forced in the short term, he didn't rush; he temporarily set aside his cultivation of the 'Minor Evolution Water Art' and began cultivating the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome.'

The 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome' has five layers, which corresponded to the five major realms of Innate, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul in ancient times. The Innate realm was a relatively unique stage within the cultivation methods of certain ancient sects. It emphasized expelling all impurities accumulated after birth, returning to a state of innate purity. Those sects believed that cultivating from the Innate realm would make it easier to comprehend the Heavenly Dao. Both the cultivation speed and the upper limit would far exceed those of ordinary cultivators. The Heavenly Mystery Sect was one of the sects that advocated starting all cultivation from the Innate realm.

However, after new cultivation methods replaced the old, cultivators began to plunder heaven and earth, no longer adhering to the unity of heaven and man. Naturally, there was no longer any concept of qi returning to its innate state. But the most fundamental part of the entire 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome' was the Innate realm. Therefore, Li Fan's task was to use the Qi Condensation realm to substitute for the Innate realm and complete the first layer of cultivation.

Generally, substituting a lower realm with a higher one naturally allows for backward compatibility, often making cultivation relatively easier. However, when it came to the differences in cultivation systems between ancient and modern methods, it was not so simple. Especially since Li Fan was still a novice, having cultivated for only a few years, his relevant knowledge was severely insufficient. This was also why Li Fan had previously spent a substantial amount of time just to get started. This was even with the added comprehension boost from consuming the Lapis Lazuli Pill.

Now, with his cultivation of the 'Minor Evolution Water Art' hitting a bottleneck, Li Fan began to cultivate the second layer of the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome.' He planned to cultivate both arts to the mid-stage Qi Condensation realm simultaneously, to see if he could break through the bottleneck that way. After all, cultivation arts were precious in this era, and ordinary cultivators like him who could cultivate multiple arts simultaneously were truly uncommon.

According to the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome,' upon successfully cultivating the second layer of the art, one could master the divine ability of "Discernment." As the name "Discernment" suggests, it allowed one to distinguish and sense the various qi mechanisms throughout heaven and earth. This was also the foundation of the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome.' Only by first discerning and sensing the qi mechanisms could one then capture and refine them.

The difficulty of cultivating the second layer of the art exceeded Li Fan's imagination. While the 'Minor Evolution Water Art' straightforwardly instructed on cultivation without a single wasted word, the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome' hid its cultivation instructions within a pile of deliberately abstruse terms, forcing you to decipher and ponder them yourself. Furthermore, it occasionally interspersed insights into the Heavenly Dao, references to anecdotes from the ancient cultivation world, and other such content. All these confusing elements mixed together left Li Fan dizzy, his qi and blood churning. After reading it once, it seemed clear. But when he tried to cultivate, he realized he hadn't understood anything at all.

Fortunately, Li Fan was not one to give up easily. Even with numerous difficulties, Li Fan patiently studied and comprehended every single word. Another year passed during Li Fan's arduous cultivation. There was almost no progress in his cultivation of the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome.' Li Fan did not lose heart.

When he visited Myriad Immortals Island for the second time to claim his agent's remuneration, he used all 800 contribution points and the five Taian Fruits he had accumulated over two years to exchange for ancient cultivation insights. Afterwards, Li Fan activated the assisted cultivation mode in the Heavenly Profound Realm. He didn't cultivate any arts; he simply read these insights, cross-referencing them with the experiences he had accumulated over the past year. Like a sudden enlightenment, all the previously puzzling difficulties were now resolved. As he read the most insightful parts, Li Fan couldn't help but gesticulate with joy, his delight overflowing. At this moment, Li Fan somewhat understood the saying, "If one hears the Dao in the morning, one may die content in the evening."

Five days quickly passed. Having gained new insights, Li Fan rushed back to Taian Island and began his secluded cultivation once more. This time, his cultivation was indeed incomparable to before. All the obscure and difficult parts of the art were now clear, and naturally, there were no longer any obstacles to his cultivation. Li Fan quickly immersed himself in it. Time passed unnoticed during his cultivation.

One day, a golden, misty spiritual energy, distinctly different from water-attribute spiritual energy, suddenly manifested in Li Fan's Dantian. Li Fan abruptly opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.

"The second layer of the 'Thousand Mechanisms Jade Ring Golden Tome' is finally complete," Li Fan let out a long breath. Stretching his slightly stiff body, he turned to look at the time, feeling a momentary sense of disorientation. He hadn't expected this secluded cultivation session to last an entire year. Yet, to Li Fan, it had felt as though he had merely taken a nap. Fortunately, his hard work had ultimately paid off.

With a thought, as the golden spiritual energy gathered in his eyes, he cast "Discernment." "Let me see what these so-called qi mechanisms of heaven and earth truly are." Li Fan's heart stirred with excitement as he first tried out the divine ability. He gazed towards Taian Island, but he saw a sight that made his heart pound. Dense, black death qi, like pervasive dark clouds, enveloped the entire Taian Island! The thick death qi was almost tangible, making Taian Island, still in broad daylight, appear like the Netherworld!

He dispelled the spell, then cast it again. After several repeated observations, Li Fan finally confirmed he hadn't seen wrong. "How could this be?" Li Fan was filled with doubt and alarm. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and hurriedly conjured the Water Mirror spell, gazing at his reflection.

He saw that the death qi gathered above the head of Li Fan's reflection was hundreds, even thousands of times greater than that on the ordinary people on the island!