Book 2 - Fame Spreads - Chapter 22.2

He Yiming palpitated. If not for the presence of other people, he would have already screamed.
However, his thoughts immediately shifted as he suspiciously said, “Many thanks for your guidance. However, since this is the case, have you not tried this method?”
Xie Zhien face immediately revealed a regretful expression as he said, “In my youth, I wholeheartedly indulged myself in alchemy. Although I made some accomplishments in alchemy, my Internal Energy cultivation was delayed as a result. My fire and wood type cultivation only reached the tenth layer at the age of eighty. By that time, my meridians had already solidified and vitality was dissipating. If I had still tried to breakthrough relying on this method, I’m afraid as soon as I’d absorbed the Worldly Qi in my body, it would have instantly exploded, and I would have died.”
He Yiming’s complexion slightly changed before he asked,”Could it be…..there is no method to resolve this?” He Yiming inwardly nodded. Although one had to admit that this old man’s alchemy had already reached the perfection, the price he’d paid was in form of giving up his chance to breakthrough into the Xiantian realm. In other words, it was basically neglecting the core and picking the tip.
He Yiming would certainly remember this lesson paid in blood by the old daoist and wouldn’t be distracted before entering the Xiantian realm.
The old man faintly shook his head before taking out the five gold cores from the furnace. He then put them into a jade bottle and handed it over to He Yiming. He seemed to have remembered his youth- he flicked his sleeve and immediately left in graceful steps, as if floating.
He Yiming carefully collected the bottle, but his thoughts still lingered on the recent conversation with the old daoist.
Xie Mingjin waved his hand before He Yiming’s eyes and asked, “Brother He, are you fine?”
He Yiming, as if awaking from a dream, smiled and said, “I wish to borrow a solitary room in your mansion. Is it possible?”
“Of course,” Xie Mingjin unhesitatingly said, “What do you want to do?”
“I wish to go in seclusion for while, to properly consider some matters.” He Yiming seriously said.
For this request, Xie Mingjin himself was enough to make the arrangements. Under his arrangements, He Yiming arrived in a secluded courtyard. This courtyard used to be Xie Mingjin’s residence. Currently, all the servants had left, leaving behind He Yiming alone.
Closing the door, He Yiming arrived in a quiet room and sat down. The old daoist’s words had enlightened him, revealing a path through the heavens that will lead to the Xiantian realm.
If the old daoist had known that his words could cause such a result, one could only wonder whether he would have still explained these matters to He Yiming.
In the forest, He Yiming had only revealed metal type techniques.
Regardless of how strong one’s single attribute could become, it wouldn’t lead to breakthrough into Xiantian realm without help of gold cores.
However, this was not the case with He Yiming. He was not a single-attributed cultivator, but an exceedingly powerful cultivator of the entire five phases. His only weak point was that he only had two peak level primary techniques. These two techniques didn’t engender each other, which others might rejoice about.
Blaze technique and Withered Tree technique, from the Xu castle.
At this moment, he felt extremely glad that his trip to Xu family, an act he’d committed on impulse, turned out to be one that seemed so foresightful now.
If he didn’t have Withered Tree technique, regardless of how many more techniques of five phases he cultivated, he wouldn’t have been able to breakthrough into Xiantian relying on this method.
The Internal Energy in his body began to surge. Backed by this powerful Internal Energy, his ears, eyes, and nose immediately sharpened. The next moment, he immediately ascertained that not only this courtyard didn’t have a single person except him, the area in a circle of fifty meters around it had further been turned into a restricted zone.
Although Xie manson was quite big, they wouldn’t easily execute such an action. Hereby, it could be seen that Xie Mingjin was a conscientious person. They had only met each other recently, and He Yiming also knew that their relationship contained a hint of mutual benefit.
However, he couldn’t deny that the two had also formed a favourable impression of each other. If he were to succeed in ascending the Xiantian realm as well, it would be due to the old daoist’s words. This would be an act of extreme kindness to him, and it would have to be repaid to Xie Mingjin in future.
He Yiming faintly shook his head and moderated his stimulated emotions.
First, he took out all the objects on his body and placed them into an unremarkable corner, including even the copies of pill recipes and the jade bottle containing gold cores.
Subsequently, his mind immersed into circulating the Internal Energy inside his body.
Withered Tree technique- this strong peak level wood type technique began to slowly operate inside his body.
He didn’t raise the technique to the tenth layer directly and instead increased it step by step from the beginning of the first layer. However, as the powerful Internal Energy gradually circulated in his meridians, his body’s appearance started to change correspondingly.
The flesh on his body started to wither in a strange manner, as if the moisture on his body was being sucked out by some force. As the Internal Energy continuously strengthened, this appearance also started to deepen, beginning to affect even his face.
If He Yiming were to stand beside Xu Yinjie, the Lord Master of Xu family, with their dead tree kind of appearance, one could easily treat them as brothers who were on the verge of entering their graves.
As the Withered Tree technique circulated, He Yiming’s vitality seemed to be vanishing. His body seemed to be fostering a different kind of power, and this vanishing vitality seemed to be acting as a rich nutrient for this power.
When the Withered Tree technique attained the tenth layer, He Yiming didn’t stop and instead began to slowly operate the Blaze technique.
This was not the first time he’d operated the five phases techniques in alternation. However, previously, he never tried to circulate another technique after pushing one technique to its peak.
This was a problem of control. After pushing one technique to its peak, the difficulty of instantly switching to another technique was frightening beyond measure. If it was accomplished through force, the meridians would instantly suffer backlash, and in case of serious consequences, one could even die.
However, currently, He Yiming was welcoming the challenge. He’d no intention of stopping the Withered Tree technique as he slowly operated the Blaze technique.
Dividing his Internal Energy into two different sections of powers inside his body had been the objective he’d always sought after.
However, this time, his objective was different. He was not trying to divide his Internal Energy into two parts evenly, but to preserve the tenth layer of the Withered Tree technique. As for the Blaze technique, although he was barely managing to operate it, it was like a dim flame that could blow out at any time.
It was still circulating in his body at an extremely slow speed, continuously pushing forward.
Once again, a mystical transformation occurred on He Yiming’s body. His seemingly withered body slowly reddened at various spots.
This transformation was quite evident; his skin turning scarlet like blood.
In the beginning, it was only a small patch of bright red colored skin. Gradually, it began to spread all around his body.
The rate of spreading of the red color was also quite slow in the beginning, seeming as if it could never cover the whole body.
However, when its scope expanded and it covered ten percent of the entire body, it burst forth like an ignited flame, spreading around at a lightning fast speed.
In a few breaths, He Yiming’s entire body seemed to have become a red, hot furnace, exuding frightening heat waves.
The clothes on his body withered and curled as his body temperature stepped beyond the limits of heat that a human body could endure, seeming as if his entire being was burning.
However, He Yiming seemed as if he’d not felt any of it. The blaze technique operating inside his body had already attained the tenth layer and was continuously swallowing the vitality dissipated due to the Withered Tree technique. As it seemed that his entire body had been set ablaze, a mystical transformation occurred.
Like a phoenix of the legends, a powerful life force re-emerged from within the raging flames.
It was nothing but Phoenix’s Nirvana…..