Chapter 144: Recovering from Injuries
Fang Hao collapsed onto that dust-covered prayer mat, feeling as if his entire body was about to fall apart.
His chest felt like a pair of bellows, every breath he drew tasted of blood, and the slightest movement caused pain in every joint of his body.
The aftermath of the collision between those Nascent Soul Old Monsters just now had nearly shattered his fragile Physical Body.
He hurriedly took out his best Medicinal Pill for healing, stuffing several into his mouth like they were candy, and then began to circulate the Chaos Derivation Art, guiding the medicinal power and that faint wisp of Chaos Qi to slowly repair his damaged Meridians and internal organs.
It would take at least ten days to half a month for these injuries to fully heal.
As he healed, he felt a lingering fear in his heart.
When Nascent Soul Old Monsters fought, the commotion was truly no laughing matter.
With his meager level of cultivation, he was no different from an ant in front of them.
If he hadn’t run quickly and had a bit of luck, he would have already turned to ash by now.
"Strength... my strength is still insufficient!" Fang Hao gritted his teeth, suppressing a surge of determination in his heart.
This expedition to the ruins, although fraught with danger, had allowed him to see more clearly the gap between himself and true experts.
Great Perfection Foundation Establishment sounded decent, but in the world of cultivation, it was still at the bottom; any slightly more powerful character could crush him to death.
He couldn’t help but think again about the matter of forming a Golden Core.
This was like a heavy stone, constantly pressing down on his heart.
His cultivation had long since reached its peak, and the Qi Sea in his Dantian was so full it was about to overflow, yet that barrier to forming a Golden Core was as solid as a wall of bronze and iron, completely immovable.
Why? He was lacking the means of forming golden core!
And it wasn’t just a matter of one or two!
His cursed Seven Spiritual Roots made his Dantian like a hodgepodge; the attributes of his spiritual power were too mixed. To twist them into a single strand and form a perfect, harmonious Golden Core, the energy and guidance required were several times that of a single-root Cultivator!
Taking one ordinary pill for forming golden core would likely be like throwing a small pebble into a large lake; at most, he would hear a splash.
He would need at least four or five! And they had to be of top quality! Where was he supposed to get those? Even if he sold himself, he couldn’t scrape them together!
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to force a breakthrough.
Several times, when he felt his state was good and his spiritual power was full, he had tried to impact that barrier.
But every time the torrent of spiritual power struck, it was like hitting a great mountain; the barrier remained unmoved, and instead, he was shaken until his Qi and blood churned, nearly causing injury.
After trying a few times, he didn’t dare to act rashly again, fearing damage to his Foundation.
"Sigh, do I really have to risk my life in the Tianyan Secret Realm?" Fang Hao sighed.
The Tianyan Secret Realm opened once every ten years, and it was said to hold countless Opportunities; perhaps there were ready-made pills for forming golden core, or he could find the medicinal materials to refine them.
But that place was even more dangerous than these ruins; it was a meat grinder for the Genius Disciples of various major factions. For a backgroundless Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage to enter was practically serving himself up as food.
But if he didn’t go? If he just Cultivate step by step, how long would he have to wait?
Without Golden Core cultivation, in this world, one would always be an ant, unable to even grasp one’s own destiny.
Conflicted, incredibly conflicted.
The experience of healing was unpleasant, and time passed especially slowly.
In this sunless underground stone chamber, he didn’t know if it was day or night outside.
Fang Hao could only be patient and grind away at it bit by bit.
He didn’t know how much time had passed—perhaps two days, perhaps three—but he felt his injuries had finally stabilized somewhat. Although he was still far from fully recovered, he could at least use some of his spiritual power.
He stopped Cultivate and planned to stretch his muscles and bones.
Just then, the worn-out prayer mat he was sitting on suddenly transmitted an extremely faint, almost imperceptible sensation of warmth.
"Hm?" Fang Hao was taken aback and looked down at the prayer mat.
This prayer mat looked ordinary, just woven from some kind of dried Spiritual Plant; there was nothing special about it.
He had been focusing on healing just now and hadn’t paid much attention.
He curiously touched it with his hand, and the warmth disappeared again.
Was it an illusion from sitting for too long?
He didn’t pay it much mind, stood up, and paced around the stone chamber.
This stone chamber was very small; apart from this prayer mat, it was completely empty. The walls were bare, without even a single carving.
It seemed to be just an ordinary place for quiet meditation, nothing special.
After walking a few laps, he sat back down on the prayer mat, preparing to continue healing.
But as soon as he sat down, that sensation of warmth appeared again!
This time it was a bit more obvious; it seemed as if an extremely faint, warm current of air was slowly seeping from the prayer mat into his body.
"This prayer mat is strange!" Fang Hao was certain this time; it was definitely not an illusion!
He immediately concentrated his mind, pushing his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to the limit, and looked carefully at the prayer mat.
With this look, he was immediately startled!
Under the vision of his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, he saw that inside the prayer mat, there were countless pale gold lines as thin as hair, almost about to dissipate, interwoven together!
These lines formed an extremely complex and profound Formation!
In the center of the Formation, there seemed to be a trace of pure energy remaining, weak to the extreme!
"This is... a Spirit Gathering Formation? No! It’s much more Advanced than a Spirit Gathering Formation!" Fang Hao was both surprised and delighted.
This prayer mat was actually a treasure!
Although the energy was almost exhausted, the Foundation was still there!
This trace of pure energy seemed to have miraculous effects on nourishing the Physical Body and soothing spiritual power!
He hurriedly sat cross-legged, fully circulating the Chaos Derivation Art, and attempted to guide that wisp of warm current.
Sure enough, the warm current followed the circulation of his Cultivation Technique, slowly flowing through his entire body. Wherever it passed, his injured Meridians felt a comfortable tingling sensation, and the speed of his recovery seemed to have increased by a fraction!
Moreover, the somewhat restless seven-attribute spiritual power within his body became more docile and peaceful under the soothing of this warm current!
"Good stuff!" Fang Hao was overjoyed!
This was simply like sending charcoal in the snow!
Although the effect was weak, with perseverance, it would be of great benefit to his healing and stabilizing his cultivation!
He stopped letting his mind wander, cast aside distracting thoughts, and immersed himself completely in healing and guiding that strange, warm current.
Time passed bit by bit, and his injuries improved rapidly under the dual effect of the Medicinal Pill and the warm current from the prayer mat.
His cultivation also became more refined in this rare tranquility.
Although the door to the Golden Core remained tightly shut, this life-and-death experience and this unexpected discovery caused Fang Hao’s state of mind to quietly undergo a slight change.
He was no longer as anxious as before; instead, he had gained a sense of composure and resilience.
The path of cultivation was long and arduous; one could not rush it.
For now, he would just focus on surviving, healing his injuries, and taking it one step at a time.
As for forming a Golden Core... the cart will find its way to the front of the mountain when it gets there!
The Tianyan Secret Realm, perhaps... he really did have to go and brave it!
In the darkness, Fang Hao’s eyes became firm once again.
