Chapter Ninety-Three: Spirit Transformation Stage

Liu Junhuai set up a time array and a spirit-gathering array beside Qingyun Lake. In truth, the spirit-gathering array was no longer necessary here, but for the sake of safety he still went to considerable lengths.

A Jiu had also come to his side. Watching everyone treat Fang Keyin’s advancement to the Spirit Transformation stage with such solemnity, it showed nothing but disdain in its eyes. To it, making such a huge fuss over a mere Spirit Transformation breakthrough was absurd beyond words.

Liu Junhuai sensed its mood and could not help glaring at it. A Jiu hurriedly pounced forward and put on an especially ingratiating act, which made Liu Junhuai laugh in exasperation.

Once the formation was complete, Fang Keyin rose and stepped into it. At once he let out a soft groan; every inch of his body felt indescribably comfortable, while spiritual energy so thick it seemed almost liquid streamed in from all around.

His body seemed like a magnet, drawing that heaven and earth energy into him. The acupoints within him were like boiling water, all scrambling to seize the spiritual force entering his body, and his cultivation art began to circulate at high speed.

After he swallowed the Meridian-Breaking Pill, and with pure spiritual energy driving it on, his meridians began to expand at great speed. The tearing pain that followed was searing and devastating, making him wish for death.

The expansion did not last long. In just over a dozen breaths, his meridians had swollen several times over. If his meridians had once been a narrow stream, they were now a swift river, and the true essence coursing through them at every moment had multiplied severalfold.

This rapid expansion was the effect of the Meridian-Breaking Pill, which compressed the normal process into an extremely short span of time, saving Fang Keyin a vast amount of spiritual energy and stamina for the advancement that followed.

At that moment, the clear night sky suddenly rang with a thunderclap. Roiling dark clouds swept across the heavens, and in an instant lightning and thunder erupted; torrential rain came crashing down at once, pouring over Qingyun Lake in sheets. Yet the spectators did not feel a single drop of rain upon them.

Mo Sitong cried out in alarm, "Junhuai, what is going on?"

Liu Junhuai smiled. "It is only a false thunder tribulation, an illusion of heavenly trial. The real thunder tribulation will not descend until after the Body Integration stage."

At that moment Fang Keyin’s consciousness suddenly went blank. It felt as if something were splitting his body apart from within, agony beyond bearing. It began with the heart, then the torso, the head, the limbs, and so on, until every organ in his body seemed to have been cut open once over.

The essence of the thunder tribulation was the collision of yin and yang between heaven and earth. Within Fang Keyin, the five elements of the nascent soul in his dantian quietly circulated and transformed into yin and yang. In that transformation, he gained yet another understanding of the Heavenly Way, faintly sensing that his realm had risen once more, and the barrier of the Spirit Transformation stage began to loosen.

That loosening brought about a crack in the barrier. Fang Keyin’s consciousness was forcibly dragged along by the force of the crack and then spread through his whole body.

"Now!" Liu Junhuai shouted from the side.

Awakened by the cry, Fang Keyin swiftly took out the Barrier-Breaking Pill and swallowed it. Immediately, the wild force unleashed by the pill began to crash violently against the Spirit Transformation barrier.

As the crack in the barrier widened, spiritual energy between heaven and earth poured even more frantically into his dantian, and the pain in Fang Keyin’s body gradually faded.

A buzzing sound came from his dantian. There was a rumbling within, as though heaven and earth were opening for the first time, and the barrier of the Spirit Transformation stage was completely shattered.

The roar of the pouring rain in the sky slowly ebbed away. Within the formation, Fang Keyin’s entire body suddenly twisted and changed shape at that very instant. An overwhelming pressure burst forth from him like a flood, and amid a flash of white light, the aura of the Spirit Transformation stage shot straight up from within the formation into the sky.

Almost at the same time, a thunderous crack split the clear air above. The calm clouds began to twist rapidly, forming a vortex, and a straight silver bolt shot down from its center with lightning speed.

Amid the shocked cries of the onlookers, that straight silver light slammed into the surging Spirit Transformation pressure, exploding with a violent boom. Then the lightning and thunder vanished into nothing, leaving only Fang Keyin, struck by lightning, standing alone in the damaged formation, his whole body blackened, his clothes in tatters, fluttering in the wind. There was not the slightest trace left of the imposing might of a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

Liu Junhuai laughed loudly. "Grandpa, quickly circulate your cultivation and stabilize it. Don’t just stand there!"

Only then did Fang Keyin come to his senses from the shock. Without bothering to clean himself up, he hurriedly sat cross-legged and quickly began circulating his cultivation art.

At last everyone realized that Fang Keyin had successfully advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage, and at once laughter and cheers filled the sky above Qingyun Lake.

A fiery light appeared in Bian Yanshan’s eyes. He could not help licking his lips and murmuring to himself, "So this is the Spirit Transformation stage?"

Liu Junhuai smiled. "Have you been tempted too, Grandpa? You have been stuck in the mid-Nascent Soul stage for quite a few years now. Break through in the next few days. In the Chaos Space, it won’t even take a year, and with the help of the time array, you too will advance."

Bian Yanshan nodded repeatedly. "Yes. With such an excellent cultivation environment, we really should make full use of it."

Everyone went to the pavilion in the courtyard by the lake, took out Sanggan fruit wine and all kinds of fruit, and chatted merrily while waiting for Fang Keyin’s advancement to be fully consolidated.

Just as Liu Junhuai was about to lift his cup and drink, he suddenly noticed one of A Jiu’s heads creeping sneakily toward the cup, its nostrils flaring repeatedly.

His heart moved. He brought the cup to A Jiu’s nose, and before he could blink, A Jiu’s long tongue curled around the cup and snatched it away. With a tilt of the cup, the wine flowed straight into its mouth.

A Jiu’s eyes widened at once, then half-closed again, as if savoring the supreme fragrance of the Sanggan fruit wine.

Liu Junhuai felt A Jiu’s delight through their mental connection and was overjoyed. He immediately took out an entire jar of Sanggan fruit wine and placed it on the ground.

A Jiu’s nine heads extended toward it at the same time. Nine tongues nearly simultaneously reached into the mouth of the jar, each curling up some wine before withdrawing it into their mouths. At once all nine heads let out joyful cries, and its body began to sway and wag, drawing a burst of laughter from everyone nearby.

Shen Duoduo and Wu Bini were laughing so hard they squatted on the ground, clutching their stomachs, their shoulders shaking violently.

Mo Sitong picked up a peach and offered it to A Jiu, but A Jiu’s eyes flashed with a hint of disdain, and it shook its heads to dodge it.

Liu Junhuai smiled. "A Jiu is a picky one. It only drinks immortal wine and eats immortal fruit. Isn’t that right, A Jiu?"

A Jiu shook its heads vigorously, then affectionately rubbed itself against Liu Junhuai, clearly confirming that he had guessed its thoughts.

Wu Wanren, standing nearby, had long since stared dumbfounded, his eyes fixed on A Jiu, filled with utter disbelief.

Shen Duoduo simply asked Liu Junhuai for an empty jade box and poured all the Sanggan fruit wine from the jar into it. A Jiu gratefully nodded toward her again and again, its back wings flapping joyfully, looking like a youthful and adorable beast, with none of the solemn bearing of a peak expert.

By the time A Jiu had drained the entire jar of Sanggan fruit wine, Fang Keyin had already come walking over from Qingyun Lake, freshly dressed, with traces of Spirit Transformation-stage might woven into every stretch and movement of his limbs.

Going straight to Liu Junhuai, Fang Keyin actually clasped his hands and thanked him. "Grandfather owes it to your reminder that I was awakened from a trace of insight into the Heavenly Way. Otherwise my whole body would have been torn apart.

"That Barrier-Breaking Pill was truly miraculous. Without it, who knows how long it would have taken for this breakthrough to happen."

Liu Junhuai was startled and quickly rose to his feet.

Liu Qingman also stepped forward in a few strides. Before Liu Junhuai could even speak, she thanked him as well. "Yes. Ever since Sitong brought you home, your grandfather’s path of cultivation has undergone earth-shaking changes. We are all family, so there is no need for such formalities. But this opportunity your grandfather received came because of you, so just accept this one graciously!"

Liu Junhuai hastily said, "How can you say that? Grandfather and Grandmother are both elders to me. If you put it like that, you are truly making me ashamed. Heavenly treasures are certainly important, but Grandfather has been immersed in the late Nascent Soul stage for many years. This advancement was simply the result of long accumulation finally bursting forth. Breaking through to the Spirit Transformation stage was only a natural outcome. Grandfather and Grandmother must never praise me like this. I truly do not deserve it."

Mo Sitong gave Liu Junhuai a sidelong glance and smiled. "You are the one with the silver tongue. Our elders are speaking from the heart, so just let them be."

Bian Yanshan also walked over smiling and clasped his hands to congratulate Fang Keyin. "In just one year, Brother Fang, your cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds. Congratulations on successfully entering the Spirit Transformation stage. Your grandson-in-law is truly remarkable as well. He only casually called out a couple of moves from the eighteen kinds of weapons, and they already made a huge difference. If only I had a granddaughter too."

Liu Qingman laughed. "Do you need a granddaughter to win Junhuai over? He already calls you Grandpa now, so wouldn’t your grandson be at his disposal however you like?"

Bian Jizhong, standing nearby, cut in, "Grandma said it best! Junhuai is my second brother, so of course my grandfather is his grandfather too. It would be a waste not to use my second brother’s treasures, and once used, they are still a waste."

Shen Duoduo blinked in curiosity. "Big Brother, do you also call Aunt Fang Grandma? But she only has Sister Sitong as a granddaughter, and Sister Sitong is Brother Junhuai’s first wife. He can be very petty, so be careful Brother Junhuai doesn’t fight you to the death."

Liu Junhuai felt a headache coming on the moment he heard Shen Duoduo join in. He was just about to stop her when laughter already erupted all around.

Shen Yihuan smiled warmly at his youngest daughter, a trace of emotion in his heart. That his little girl could receive Liu Junhuai’s boundless care filled him with immense comfort. After all, a son-in-law this exceptional was truly hard to come by. He himself might not wish to cultivate, but that did not mean he was blind to the existence of the cultivation world. With a person like Liu Junhuai watching over the dangerous path of cultivation, what else could he possibly have to worry about?

Fang Keyin noticed Wu Wanren and remembered the journey to the Gate of Heavenly Secrets. He said to Liu Junhuai, "We leave for the Gate of Heavenly Secrets tomorrow. There is still a little time after we return, so before going to the Shen family you must be fully prepared."

Liu Junhuai said, "Then I’ll have to trouble Grandfather and Grandpa to disguise themselves as my attendants. Sitong once mentioned that the Palace of Seclusion has masks that can conceal the face. And Grandfather, can you hide your cultivation aura? The Nascent Soul stage will be enough."

Fang Keyin nodded and looked toward Bian Yanshan. "Brother Yanshan, do you have anything else to add? This time the two of us old brothers will help Junhuai borrow a little of the tiger’s prestige. When the time comes, don’t say too much. Let Junhuai handle everything."

Bian Yanshan said, "Bring Yaohan along too, and Jizhong as well. That way the group will look a bit more complete, and the two of us won’t stand out so much."

Wu Yaohan said, "No need for Jizhong to go. He may well have to fight in the war against the Shen family, so it is necessary to keep some of his strength hidden. Shaoyuan can go instead."

After a brief discussion of their identities and arrangements, everyone dispersed. Wu Wanren, especially excited, sat down on the spot to meditate, unwilling to waste even the slightest trace of spiritual energy from such a dense environment.