I Can Copy the Talents of All Creatures

Chapter 238: Chapter 175: Mental Secret Technique, Part 2

The Golden Crow Radiance Dew came in a small crystal vial, holding only about 20ml. The vial itself was shaped like a three-legged Golden Crow, orange all over, and filled with a flowing crimson liquid. Holding it in his hand, he felt a slight warmth, as if gripping a hand warmer.

The Golden Crow Radiance Dew was used much like eye drops. Its ingredients were unknown, and the packaging came with no instructions.

As usual, Yu Fei started his morning by warming up with his sword, Zhanming. Then, he began his unwavering cultivation of the Pure Yang True Body. But this time was different. He was bare-chested, having smeared a layer of Shadow Wood Cold Toad Ointment across his chest and abdomen. Then, five minutes before sunrise, he dripped two drops of the crimson Golden Crow Radiance Dew into his eyes.

The Shadow Wood Cold Toad Ointment was incredibly cold, exuding a bone-chilling iciness. As for the Golden Crow Radiance Dew, the moment it entered his eyes, it felt like he’d squeezed chili juice into them. An intense stinging sensation forced his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face.

After three minutes, he seemed to adapt to the sting of the Golden Crow Radiance Dew. When he opened his eyes, the world was inexplicably imbued with a fiery brilliance. Everything he saw was surrounded by dancing specks and wisps of flaming dust.

The sun rose in the east, and Yu Fei settled into his familiar cultivation rhythm. This time, however, was drastically different. Under the influence of the Golden Crow Radiance Dew, the instant he absorbed the Purple Qi from the East, he vaguely saw the silhouette of a giant, flaming bird streak across the eastern sky. It had three legs, a body like flowing fire, and an oppressive might that filled the world.

Immediately, a warm and gentle stream of Purple Qi from the East poured down over him. He actually couldn’t absorb it all in time; about ten to twenty percent of it dissipated into the air before he could.

Nourished by this energy, the Yang Fire within him flared up as if doused in oil, leaping several inches higher in an instant.

’So strong. This is unbelievably strong.’

Yu Fei savored the change in his internal Yang Fire. The effects of this one session were more than ten times greater than before. ’Those 3,000 merit points were absolutely worth it.’

He couldn’t help but glance at the orange crystal vial. It looked like there was enough of the crimson liquid left for about ten more uses.

’It’s powerful, alright. Just a bit too expensive.’

’But if it helps me cultivate the Pure Yang True Body to perfection sooner, then it’s all worth it.’

This cultivated body could purify his Qi Blood, increase his strength, and possessed numerous wondrous abilities. To put it in simple terms, it boosted his durability, attack, defense, and recovery—it even improved his looks. No matter what, he had to master it completely.

Later, during the Yang Fire Body Forging part of his cultivation, he was able to endure for about an hour longer than before.

After a short rest and a hearty meal served by Xiaohai, Yu Fei began cultivating his foundational Cultivation Technique.

The cultivation speed of the Circulation Divine Vein Scripture was limited by a Martial Artist’s Qi Blood reserves and purity. Because he was cultivating the Pure Yang True Body, on top of the Qi Blood bonus from his silver-level talent, the Xuanxiao Spirit Body, Yu Fei’s cultivation speed was already quite fast—even faster than when he was tempering the five passes in the first realm.

After all, his talent and resources back then had been far inferior.

Blood Boiling Factor-β Concentrate and Star Shield Circulation Repair Liquid were common auxiliary medicines for third-realm cultivation. The Yu Kingdom had the capacity for factory-level production of these two medicines and their output was massive, but faced with an even greater number of third-realm Martial Artists, demand still outstripped supply. As a result, both medicines sold for a significant premium on the market.

A standard set contained 30 doses of each, enough to sustain a month of cultivation. Of the two, the Blood Boiling Factor-β Concentrate had to be taken orally, and its taste was slightly sour and bitter.

The Star Shield Circulation Repair Liquid was used to protect acupoints and meridians. It came in disposable syringes containing about 5ml of the liquid, which the Martial Artist had to inject themselves.

Both of these cultivation resources took about 15 minutes to take effect after being administered.

He also took out the Cloud Whale Fat that Su Yue had given him and spread it evenly over his Forehead Acupoint. With that, his preparations for cultivation were complete.

About a third of the Cloud Whale Fat was left, which he estimated would last another half a month. Cloud Whale Fat was extremely expensive; just 100g of the stuff cost 3,000 merit points. Its effects were most potent for Martial Artists in the Inner Qi Realm.

Everything was ready. He just had to wait for the right moment to begin his cultivation.

Aided by these various resources, his already fast third-realm cultivation accelerated even further. It was like trading a high-speed train for an airplane; the speed at which he could condense acupoints and open meridians skyrocketed.

In a single session, he strengthened nearly 100 extra-meridian acupoints and all twelve of the divergent meridians.

At this rate, he estimated that in another ten days, he could finish strengthening all the acupoints and meridians recognized in traditional martial arts theory. This included 1,385 acupoints in total (both primary and extra-meridian) and 59 channels (including primary meridians, extraordinary meridians, divergent meridians, collaterals, and sinew channels).

Reaching this stage would put him on par with the average prodigy. But as someone with a silver-level talent, Yu Fei wanted more—he wanted to strengthen every single derivative acupoint and meridian as well.

This step determined the breadth of a Martial Artist’s foundation in the Inner Qi Realm. The more acupoints and meridians one strengthened, the more robust their Inner Qi would become. This was a trait that would stay with a Martial Artist for their entire life, defining their combat endurance.

After finishing his cultivation, he contacted Ye Shuping again. It was time to choose between the two spiritual Secret Techniques.

Suddenly, Bai stood up and spoke to Yu Fei. "Master, there is an incoming communication request with high-level clearance. Shall I connect?"

Yu Fei was taken aback. He removed the virtual reality lens he was wearing and asked, "Whose request is it? And how do we connect?"

Bai leaped lightly onto the desk and spoke in a sultry, elegant, mature woman’s voice.

"Headmaster Ye Shuping is requesting a holographic projection call. The Geometric Pyramid Realm has a corresponding interface that supports real-time communication."

Yu Fei stroked a non-existent beard. ’What hidden feature is this now?’

He was discovering his understanding of the Geometric Pyramid Realm was far too shallow.

"Alright, show me."

Bai tapped a paw in the air, and the light and shadows before Yu Fei shifted, revealing the figure of Ye Shuping.

"Ahem... Young friend, good to see you."

Ye Shuping was dressed in his usual black, hooded attire. His expression was placid, showing none of the airs one might expect from a major figure in the world of cultivators.

Yu Fei stood up and looked at the white-haired headmaster. "Was Mr. Tang’s appearance yesterday also a virtual projection like this?"

"You’re very perceptive. Yes, it was. This new technology is extremely convenient; it saves a great deal of time on travel and communication. From now on, let’s use this for our daily correspondence."

Yu Fei nodded.

Ye Shuping continued, "My time is limited today, so let’s get right to your choice of spiritual Secret Technique."

Before Yu Fei could respond, Ye Shuping went on. "The Star Soul Forging Scripture and the Night Qi Divine Record are two of the most difficult spiritual Secret Techniques in existence. Your compatibility with them is very high, so you can choose either one. I’ll briefly explain the pros and cons of both Cultivation Techniques, and you can decide for yourself."

"The Star Soul Forging Scripture was derived from a Daoist Soul Refining Secret Skill and updated with modern cosmology to create a new-era Cultivation Technique. In ancient times, people believed the stars were incarnations of deities, possessing all sorts of incredible power. A Cultivator would choose a ’destiny star’ compatible with them to strengthen their soul."

"Then, modern cosmology revealed that the shining lights in the sky are just distant stars. Theoretically, the ancient belief makes no sense, but the results of the Cultivation Technique don’t lie. Through deeper research, we’ve begun to uncover the principles behind this phenomenon."

"The universe is unimaginably vast, and light transmits not only information but also power. Martial Artists use their own bio-magnetic fields to filter and draw upon the energy from stars that are compatible with them."

"This light has traveled across countless light-years, naturally carrying with it complex streams of information and refined energy. Through special cultivation methods, one uses their soul to perceive and absorb this specific light energy, which can strengthen their spirit and, in some cases, even grant them strange and unusual abilities."

"The Night Qi Divine Record, on the other hand, is largely unchanged from its original form. It is a classic Secret Technique of the Confucian school. Through it, a Cultivator reads to understand the Way, absorbing humanist philosophy. Their soul is tempered by the seven emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and so on. This process, known as ’preserving the spirit through enlightenment,’ requires immense accumulation."

"The process is like gathering a room full of dry firewood. As the accumulation deepens, a moment of sudden enlightenment will light a great fire in your heart, and in that blaze, your soul is sublimated and refined."

"That is the fundamental difference in their cultivation methods."