Chapter 68: Maturity

Combining array patterns is a major undertaking. After experiencing several harrowing accidents, he gradually reduced the size of his carving subjects, no longer attempting anything too large. During this period, beyond testing every variety of wood he could find, Chen Yu also experimented with other materials, including but not limited to soil, stone, ironware, copperware, and the few pieces of jade pendants available in the temple. The latter were the most heartbreaking; out of a total of four, two exploded after his attempts. In the end, he had to quickly store them away, not daring to try again.

Of course, while the Qi capacity of jade objects is far inferior to metal and lacks the various mythical properties described in legends, it is indeed simpler to engrave array patterns upon. As it stands, wood is the easiest to carve, followed by jade, then soil and stone, with metal being the most difficult of all. Moreover, array patterns carved into jade can be preserved for a long time, with the dissipation rate of Qi being much slower than in other materials. However, the Taoist temple was impoverished and could not provide many materials; after ruining one of the copper lamp bases, Chen Yu focused his primary energy on analyzing and isolating new array patterns. As for experiments, wood was plentiful enough.

The fourth batch of spiritual plants, planted on June 12th, was now nearing maturity. In addition to three types of medicinal seeds, the "Big White Root" was also on the verge of transforming into a "Meta-Spirit Root." Chen Yu awaited the harvest; he had been craving the Green Spirit Root for quite some time, not to mention the Lanting Divine Fruit. Even though his mental strength had previously reached a level where the Divine Fruit could no longer refine it, the combination of his mental vortex and the Internal Gathering Breathing Technique meant the effects in enhancing quality remained significant. For now, he regarded the role of the Divine Fruit primarily as a supplement for his mental strength, with any slight enhancement being an excellent bonus.

With such thoughts in mind, two days passed like flowing water. The Green Spirit Root and the Bowel-Soothing Grass were the first to mature. Having been well-prepared this time, he waited constantly, harvesting them the moment they ripened to ensure the greedy deer had no chance to spoil a single bit. With the green buds in his basket, Chen Yu picked up a segment and fed it into his mouth. The familiar fragrance blossomed on his tongue. With a thought, the mental power within his body swirled outside his Dantian, and a portion slowly probed into the plant. Soon after, a look of realization appeared on his face. His fetal respiration seemed nourished, and its growth rate surged instantly. Since the Qi in his body had not actually been consumed, this meant that as these newly birthed fetal breaths were converted into Qi, his total reserve of Qi increased. It was as if Chen Yu could see the day when every one of his acupoints would be filled with Qi; as long as he continued to improve like this, that day surely would not be far off.

Although he was unsure what changes would occur then, more Qi was always better. He then harvested the Bowel-Soothing Grass, though he left some in the herb field. The Bowel-Soothing Grass did not preserve as well as the Green Spirit Root—the latter could be dried without losing its efficacy, whereas the former turned withered, yellow, and useless once dried. Back in the courtyard, he tidied up the two types of spiritual plants in his basket while tossing segments of Green Spirit Root into his mouth from time to time. After eating, he clapped his hands, placed the remainder on a high shelf, and then took two wooden boards, standing them upright on either side of a wooden basin.

Injecting Qi, he watched as faint white light traced out lines, converging into a pattern resembling a flower. [Dispelling]. To be precise, this array pattern, which he had recently organized, had a repellent effect on certain types of insects, similar to the wild senna planted outside the chicken coop. However, one could repel venomous snakes, while the other could currently only drive away flies. Counting all the array patterns he had discovered and summarized, there were about a dozen in total, yet he still could not combine four into one. Furthermore, the pattern named [Scorching] could not be combined with any other; it would explode at the slightest touch.

Recently, Chen Yu had slowed his research on array patterns because he had begun to turn his attention to something more fundamental: spiritual energy. The spiritual energy he cultivated from plants was still spiritual energy; he did not believe it was useless. Beyond using it to fuse spiritual liquids, Chen Yu felt there was more room for exploration, though there were many problems waiting to be solved. He still vividly remembered the scene when he had first cultivated it, applying a few wisps to an earthworm, which caused it to swell and burst, spraying pulp all over the ground.

Now, with the Meta-Spirit Root mature, he plucked one and cut a small opening. Wisps of milky-white gas swirled up and condensed into beads after a moment. Chen Yu pondered for a moment before breaking the Meta-Spirit Root open completely. A large amount of gas spiraled out, eventually forming twelve round, lustrous gas beads that floated in the air, silent and motionless. The beads overflowed with auspicious light, shimmering with various colors under the scorching sun. After waiting a few breaths, a silvery-gray hue appeared before his eyes. He drove his mental strength to explore it, which was undoubtedly much easier and safer than before.

Hum—!

The moment they made contact, it was as if a great bell had been struck. Chen Yu’s vision blurred, and he saw clouds filling the sky, which suddenly transformed into auspicious clouds engraved with patterns. The clouds were like a boundless ocean, surging and undulating, with layers of starlit light scattering everywhere, weaving into knots. Before he could look closely, the visions vanished in an instant, and he returned to his senses, the sunlight still shining before him.

What was that just now?

Chen Yu frowned and pierced it with his mental strength again. The scene reappeared but vanished quickly. This time, he did not rush to trigger it a third time, but instead looked at the gas bead he had probed. It seemed slightly thinner. Looking closely, it was indeed a circle smaller than before.

The spiritual energy had been consumed! Was it because of those visions? A thousand thoughts surged in his mind, but he eventually pierced it with his mental strength again, pulling the scene back before his eyes.

Boom!

In a silent roar, the familiar scene unfolded. Soon, Chen Yu discovered that a large amount of his own mental strength had also been consumed. Unknowingly, maintaining the projection had nearly squeezed dry the reserves in his Niwan Palace. He hurriedly stopped, the fragmented, unsystematic images still lingering in his mind. He rubbed his brow and practiced the Internal Gathering Breathing Technique to recover his mental strength. A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yu, having grabbed two handfuls of Green Spirit Roots, fed them to himself expressionlessly and triggered the bead again. In just a few short breaths, the last remaining trace of spiritual energy was consumed, leaving nothing behind.

Four times. At the cost of one gas bead.

Yet he had actually gained nothing... No, perhaps he had gained something, but he could not articulate it now; the feeling was too profound and indescribable. Was it worth it? Honestly, not quite. At least for Chen Yu at this stage, these images appeared profound and mysterious, yet he could not understand them. He had even seen starlight and witnessed billions of galaxies within them, and his heart had felt as if it were being gripped, nearly leaving him unable to catch his breath.

"By comparison, spiritual liquid is more useful." At least for now. However, after his body’s transformation, the effect of the spiritual liquid was also diminishing. This time, he had not reached the absorption limit—his physical body was still absorbing it, but it was approaching uselessness, and the Green Spirit Root could no longer break through it either. Thinking back, the reason he had been able to break through the so-called absorption limit back then was likely related to the conversion of fetal breath. Now that everything had been cultivated into Qi, he naturally no longer needed it.

After some thought, Chen Yu finally made a decision he would not have dared to imagine months ago. He opened his mouth and inhaled a wisp of spiritual energy directly. Then, perhaps because the wind was too strong, or perhaps something else, this single inhalation led to the second gas bead disappearing before his eyes, leaving him dumbfounded as he swallowed it whole.