Chapter 171 - 166: Creation Cultivation

Time flew by. Winter gave way to spring.

In the blink of an eye, it was February of the new year.

Although the weather was still tinged with a lingering chill, the branches in the mountains and wilds were budding, and tender grass sprouted, gradually painting the landscape green.

"Nice one!"

Xiang Bao let out a low shout. He tilted his head to dodge Zhao Lin’s clawing strike and countered with a palm chop, his Fire Cloud Palm Force carrying a scorching aura.

Zhao Lin’s first claw missed, but a second one immediately followed. This next attack was even more ferocious, with a trace of frigid qi condensing between his five fingers.

The Three Yin Claw had thirteen techniques in addition to its unique force. They were designed to be sharp and ruthless, not complex and varied.

To practice his claw techniques, Zhao Lin had set aside the Stone Roar Fist, relying solely on these thirteen moves against Xiang Bao.

Unflustered, Xiang Bao dodged to the left and unleashed a series of three rapid kicks from his Continuous Legs technique, forcing Zhao Lin to retreat...

After seven or eight exchanges, with a THUD, they both took a step back.

"Are you holding back?"

Xiang Bao’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Zhao Lin suspiciously.

Xiang Bao had been unconvinced ever since his defeat in the autumn competition. A few days ago, he had sought out Zhao Lin at the Water Mirror Department and challenged him to a spar.

Zhao Lin had been practicing the Three Yin Claw and the Torrential Rain Pear Blossom Leg for several months and was just starting to get the hang of them. With someone showing up at his door to serve as a training partner, he naturally wouldn’t refuse and gladly accepted the challenge.

In truth, if Zhao Lin didn’t use his Ice Fist or launch a surprise attack by blasting qi from the acupoints on his chest and back, their skills were about evenly matched. In fact, Zhao Lin might even be at a slight disadvantage.

Xiang Bao surpassed him in both power and experience. This gave Zhao Lin an idea: ’I should make him my long-term sparring partner.’

It seemed Xiang Bao had the same thought. Over time, the two adversaries became friends, and they often sparred together in the training rooms.

"Me, holding back? Why would you say that?" Zhao Lin retorted with a smile.

Xiang Bao stared at him, unblinking. "Last time in the grotto, that Ice Fist of yours... its chill was incredibly potent. I admit I couldn’t have blocked it. Why does it seem so weak now?"

"Your claw technique is completely outmatched, totally suppressed by my Fire Cloud Palm Force. If it weren’t for your raw strength, you wouldn’t last twenty moves."

Zhao Lin, of course, wouldn’t tell him the truth. He sighed. "The Ice Fist takes a toll on the body. It can’t be used lightly. I don’t plan on practicing it again until I break through to the Blood Realm."

Xiang Bao gave Zhao Lin a long, hard look, clearly unconvinced. He didn’t press the matter, though. "When are you free? Come to my family’s estate. My father and brother want to meet you."

"Meet me? You’re not planning to get revenge, are you?"

Zhao Lin said jokingly.

Xiang Bao’s jaw tensed. "You look down on the Xiang family too much!" he said coldly. "It was just the autumn competition. I have only my own lack of skill to blame, no one else."

Hearing this, Zhao Lin’s smile faded and he adopted a serious tone. "Alright. But the Formative Pilgrimage is in two days. How about I pay you a visit when I get back?"

Xiang Bao was a classic case of cold on the outside, warm on the inside. He appeared arrogant, but once you earned his respect, he treated you with sincerity. Every time they fought, he would point out Zhao Lin’s weaknesses, which helped him improve immensely.

’This is someone worth befriending,’ Zhao Lin thought, and slowly began to let his guard down.

"Good. It’s a deal, then. Come after the Formative Pilgrimage."

Xiang Bao twitched the corner of his mouth in what passed for a smile.

They chatted for a few more moments before Zhao Lin suddenly thought of a question. "By the way, where do they usually go for the Formative Pilgrimage?"

The so-called Formative Pilgrimage was a special type of cultivation method.

It originated from the training insights of early martial artists.

The world is full of magnificent and perilous mountains, great rivers, deep canyons and abysses, vast deserts and polar wastes—wondrous sights that embody the very essence of creation.

It is also full of the raw power of nature: earthquakes, volcanoes, avalanches, tornadoes, floods, and tsunamis.

Witnessing these phenomena can often trigger a resonance within a martial artist’s body, greatly aiding their advancement to higher realms.

Upon discovering this benefit, people began to actively seek out and observe these places in order to break through their own cultivation bottlenecks.

This gave rise to the saying: "To become a master, one must travel to famous mountains and great rivers, and take creation as one’s teacher."

The Wuxiang Institute holds one Formative Pilgrimage each year, during which the elders lead the disciples of each department to a location suitable for their Cultivation Technique to seek enlightenment.

Xiang Bao rolled his shoulders and said casually, "The location for the Formative Pilgrimage changes every year. The Earth Department and the Cyan Wood Department have it easiest. The Yanxing Mountain range has thousands of peaks and valleys and dense forests. They just need to venture deep into the mountains to find inspiration."

"Your Water Mirror Department has to go where there’s water. Rivers, lakes, oceans... wherever the winds are high and the waves are rough, that’s where you go."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "The Gold and Stone Department doesn’t have many options. The most they can do is go to an army camp to experience the sharp aura of a forest of blades and spears, the deadly air of swords and halberds."

"But their Cultivation Technique is already powerful, so I suppose that makes it fair."

"We in the Fire Jade Department have it harder. We have to find an erupting Earth Fire Dragon. They’re not easy to find, and they’re dangerous."

Earth Fire Dragon was the contemporary term for a volcano.

’There’s more to this Formative Pilgrimage than I thought,’ Zhao Lin mused. After a moment, he asked, "Brother Xiang, you’ve been on two of these pilgrimages. Do you find them useful?"

Xiang Bao scoffed. "It’s a mystical sort of thing. It’s all about letting things happen naturally. If you haven’t put in the work, any ’enlightenment’ you gain is meaningless. That’s why it’s useless for most people."

"But if you’ve done the work and you get lucky enough to reach a state of resonance, it can have truly unexpected results."

"I heard that over a hundred years ago, there was a massive earthquake here in Yan Province. Half the city walls of Yongning City collapsed, and a lot of people died."

"Every disciple from the Earth Department who witnessed that earthquake saw a massive boost in their cultivation. For the next ten years, half of all disciples who broke through to the Blood Realm were from the Earth Department."

"That can’t be a coincidence, can it?"

’So something like that happened!’ Zhao Lin’s heart stirred at the thought.

After the autumn competition, the sect had rewarded him with seven portions of Marrow-Cleansing Soup. Following the medicinal baths, his Ren and Du meridians had become apparent, but he still couldn’t channel his qi into them.

Zhao Lin knew this step was difficult, but he hadn’t realized just how difficult it was. ’Even with my enhanced body and the help of the Marrow-Cleansing Soup, it’s still not enough.’

No wonder people like Gao Yuan, Yuan Cheng, and Chu Liu were stuck at the Second Layer of the Qi Realm for three to five years without a glimmer of hope. The entry requirement for the Wuxiang Institute was the Third Layer of the Qi Realm, after all.

’This barrier is truly difficult to overcome!’

’I wonder how this Formative Pilgrimage actually works?’

’If I can use this opportunity to guide qi into my Ren and Du meridians, it would save me a lot of painstaking effort.’

As if sensing his thoughts, Xiang Bao explained, "There’s nothing mystical about the Formative Pilgrimage. You just go, watch, and try to understand with your heart. You’re bound to gain something."

"Even if you don’t feel anything at the time, the experience will subtly influence your mindset during your regular training. Maybe, when you reach a critical juncture in breaking through to the next realm, you’ll suddenly have an epiphany, and it will be just the push you need!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!" Zhao Lin’s expression shifted, his words now coming from the heart.

"It’s nothing. Even if I didn’t say anything, the elders would have told you. All I’ve done is let you know a few days early."

Xiang Bao waved his hand dismissively. "In the entire Wuxiang Institute, you and Zhong Yewu are the only ones I respect. I couldn’t be bothered with anyone else."

...

Two days flew by, and the day of departure for the Formative Pilgrimage arrived.