It is more tiring than I thought.
The engraving of Tao Patterns into the soul burdens the mind. One session of it is far heavier compared to a session of [Xinhai Sutra].
I opened my eyes. The entire room is dark. I leaned up from the couch. Across the room, Kiana is already sleeping on the bed.
The time…
1:15 AM.
…
I spent more than three hours in one session. I examined the state of my soul. Aside from the extremely tiny golden patterns, there is nothing else.
I might need to wait until the burden wears off before I can see the improvements.
For now…
I will continue cultivation.
Foundation Establishment makes numerous things convenient. The [Ten Directions Body Art], for instance, requires two hours of continuous movements to complete a session.
There is a new operation in this new realm. The spiritual qi circulation within my body can be sped up and be done in bursts to create physical strain. It is basically tiring one's physical body and letting it recover through spiritual qi.
The best part about [Ten Directions Body Art] is that once my body's accustomed to it, my physical recovery will be altered to be able to increase body cultivation realm, thus achieving the effect above. With that, two hours' worth of work is shortened to fifteen minutes. Any kind of physical strain will count as increasing body cultivation realm.
Truly a broken technique.
The same goes to the other two techniques. There's nothing to say with [Xiutian Art]'s cultivation while in a sleeping posture. [Xinhai Sutra] is no longer limited to puzzles. The usage of [Encompassing Eyes] to analyze things has the same effect in tempering the mind.
The [Toushen Manual]'s physical movements are completely removed. I can do it in whatever position I like. Its time is also shortened from six to three minutes.
Of course, I abused these improvements very well. I open my [Encompassing Eyes] during the training of [Ten Directions Body Art] or [Toushen Manual]. It turned a session into a two-in-one deal.
Unfortunately, my mind is too fatigued by the [Clear Apertures Manual]. I can't operate [Xinhai Sutra] today.
I started operating [Toushen Manual] while sitting. I figured it is the best for warm ups.
Three minutes later, a gust of wind originated from my body. It spread out to the surroundings.
Fwoosh-!
My mind felt a bit lighter. The [Toushen Manual] has a refreshing effect on the body and mind. If I use it while resting, I can recover faster than just sleeping.
Spamming it is my new strategy. I can recover while strengthening my high grade Spirit Roots.
Once I recovered, I started off with the [Ten Directions Body Art]. It has no requirements for physical postures. I did it while sitting.
By the time I finished my routine, it was already 4:00 AM. My mind is very active. I did not need to sleep at all—another perk of Foundation Establishment.
Nevertheless, I can cultivate qi while sleeping.
Operating my qi cultivation technique…
Choosing a comfortable posture…
My mind is soon engulfed by darkness.
*****
"Tsk. #%@^ ^ 2@!$# %!#@#&1."
I am greeted by a voice in a foreign language.
Confusion swept through my very being. I put it under my mind swiftly. Not much time passed, around a second or two.
My thought processes are exceedingly fast.
An extremely cold place. The ground is filled with snow. Broken buildings could be seen everywhere. What's strange is they are… blurred. It is not a problem with my eyes.
I tried to use my spiritual consciousness but to no avail.
Hm…
I stood up from the ground.
"@#% 7%6'& %9 #@4!?"
The same voice rang out, as if asking something.
My eyes focused at its source: a huge middle-aged man. His body is very bulky, only falling short on Baki and the likes. He wore a mask on his face. I can feel his anger seeping from his eyes.
My mind fell silent.
…
What?
That person… he's more than familiar.
The snarky and impatient Flamechaser, Kalpas!
While I stood in shock, his entire body blitzed straight to me. His movements are quite hard to follow. I urged my body to move, but to no avail. I felt glued in place.
A lot of things… questions popped up.
Why the hell am I dreaming about Kalpas?
BAM-!
The strike sent out by his right arm caused everything to turn dark.
*****
I woke up to the familiar hotel ceiling.
The dream from before...
What the fuck was that?
Why did I dream of fighting Kalpas? He's deader than dead. Even the language he spoke of... it's something I never heard.
What is wrong with me..?
I decided to check my body using spiritual consciousness.
My body is fatigued. My mind feels a bit heavy, too.
This tiredness prompted my spiritual qi to operate. It began to supplement the fatigue. It is being consumed at a steady rate.
My soul…
The golden Tao Patterns glowed slightly brighter than last night. My mind is tired, yet some inspirations are appearing now and then. It is the feeling of realizing something.
Soon, I figured out what happened.
My soul became stronger. The limits of my singular dantian increased. My [Sword Nurturing Pagoda] became stronger as well.
Just then, a sense of unease emerged. It is the same as the feeling of using [Blade Mantra]. These nightmares are connected to a terrible disaster, that I can tell...
"You're already awake!"
"Hum?"
I snapped out. Kiana is staring at me curiously. She is wearing a brand new set of clothes. The towel on her head suggests she finished taking a shower.
The time…
8:30 AM.
"You're the only one who overslept this time. That's new!"
I cast a cleaning spell on my entire body. When I walked over to her, she sat down on the bed. Kiana took off the towel on her head.
I sat behind her and began styling her braids.
Swoosh-!
One tap from my finger caused her wet hair to dry. Water droplets floated before dissipating.
"Where should we go to breakfast?" I asked her.
"Remember the breakfast place we saw along the way?"
"The place with fried dough sticks?"
"Yes!"
*****
The legend of the Celestial has been widely spread in Shenzhou. The passage of time is enough to propagate history as mere legends. There are some who went as far as differentiating the Celestial from Jingwei, which is completely untrue.
Its origins, Mount Taixuan, has been turned into an enclosed scenic spot. The government of Shenzhou prohibited any hikers and trespassers… except for official personnel.
Who could have known that one of these officials is the Celestial herself?
"The sword array is stronger. The mind seals…"
Fu Hua was very conflicted about her experience. She ended up telling Otto about the mysterious swordsman and Kiana Kaslana.
As for the experience of regaining [Eminence], she did not.
That's how she treated Otto. He is both a friend and an enemy. The number of unethical things he did numbered hundreds, if not thousands. Fu Hua kept a blind eye to it.
Since the betrayal of her disciples, she changed her plans. The appearance of Chi You and the betrayal convinced her that sharing advanced knowledge would only lead to the pre-mature appearance of the Final Herrscher.
Fu Hua took Otto's help. She followed his orders in exchange for Shenzhou's protection against the honkai. She is better suited to follow orders.
It was once like that; and it is like that now.
She turned a blind eye on Fire MOTH's flaws; she did it again with Otto.
Nothing has changed.
Nothing.
In search of everything, she gained nothing.
Time had proven her helplessness again and again.
She can't do anything right. It is far better to follow the orders of someone more capable—to disregard her very own morality and thoughts.
Such an act could bring a better chance against the honkai. Otto Apocalypse is simply a replacement for Doctor MEI. All she had to do was to follow orders and fight against the honkai.
"...Why is it different now?"
Fu Hua could not understand the Sword Heart's intentions. Its core purpose is to light up the strongest feeling within oneself—to rouse a sharp and indomitable spirit that will never lose sight of its goal.
Unfortunately, time dealt a huge blow to her. Fu Hua could not gain the same pure impulse as Shi Tian. She could not recall her memories beyond the second eruption, but it did nothing to her worn-out mind and body.
The Sword Heart is merely a spark. Turning it into a blazing flame depends on its holder. Only when the spark burns all clouds could she advance to the next realm.
Fu Hua stood still on a mountain path. The 'sword arrays' she updated flew towards the sky. They will serve as the sentries to protect the vicinity of Mount Taixuan.
"Am I doing everything right..?"
*****
A/N: Bonus Chapter.