Chapter 945: Cultivation

Li Huowang sat cross-legged on a meditation stool, slowly circulating his cultivation technique. He used the spiritual light within his body to push his Innate Qi towards the final cycle.

Having continuously absorbed Innate Qi from the Heart Elementals, the volume of Innate Qi inside him was now immense compared to before. When his spiritual consciousness probed within, what was once merely a cloud now resembled a towering peak, its summit out of sight.

The Innate Qi now seemed to possess weight, making it incredibly arduous for Li Huowang to move such a colossal mass. No matter how long he pushed, it remained in a state of neither moving nor being entirely still.

After a long time with no progress, Li Huowang abruptly opened his eyes, his expression growing visibly irritated. His cultivation remained at the sixth cycle, unable to reach the seventh. With the blessings of the previous Heart Elementals, the initial cycles had been completed successfully, but now he was stuck precisely at the final cycle.

Looking around, Li Huowang didn't know how long he had been cultivating, nor did he wish to. A short duration was fine, but a long one could lead to trouble.

With a casual wave, several waiters immediately approached, smiling, carrying dishes: braised fish, potato-stewed chicken, kelp and pork rib soup, and a large bucket of rice. Li Huowang ate heartily. These dishes were undoubtedly real, surely prepared nearby by Li Sui earlier, out of fear that he might go hungry.

In his current state, Li Huowang dared not overthink. He was already at the sixth cycle; he wasn't new to cultivation and understood what this realm signified. Most of his energy was now focused on preventing his mind from wandering, as anything he thought about would instantly materialize. And it would no longer be a fleeting existence; it would be genuinely real.

"Senior Brother Li, have this; it's filling. I added lard."

"Thank you." Li Huowang put down his white rice and picked up a bowl of noodles nearby, eating them with large mouthfuls.

As Li Huowang unintentionally glanced forward, the melodious sounds of opera instantly arose. "Wind whistles, mist rolls, starlight dim, people cry out, Huqia wails, mountains rumble, valleys shake, battle cries thunder, along the way, twilight falls..."

The Lü family troupe, unseen for a long time, was performing energetically on the stage ahead, solely for Li Huowang. When Lü Zhuangyuan, dressed as an old male character, made a sudden appearance on stage, immediate cheers and shouts of encouragement erupted from all around. Among those voices were those of Nun Jingxin, Ji Lin, Gao Zhijian, Lü Zhuangyuan, Zhuge Yuan, and all the other illusions that had previously appeared around him. Unbeknownst to him, Li Huowang was now surrounded by people, just like a bustling teahouse.

The voices of these people made Li Huowang's heart increasingly agitated, and as his mood shifted, everything in his surroundings began to vibrate at a high frequency.

"Bang!" Li Huowang slammed the noodle bowl in his hand onto the table, roaring, "Enough! All of you, leave!"

The moment his words fell, Li Huowang's surroundings instantly turned into a vast expanse of white. Li Huowang clasped his head with both hands, breathing erratically and gasping for air. He possessed power, but it was not entirely under his control.

Just then, a fair, jade-like hand reached out beside him, presenting a scroll of teal-colored bamboo slips. "Senior Brother Li, if your mind is restless, you can silently recite this. It's the White Lotus Sect's 'Heart-Calming Mantra'; it can bring peace to your mind."

Li Huowang immediately took it and quickly began to recite silently: "Ice cold for ages, all things still, heart calm, qi tranquil, may my spirit be singular, heart and spirit unite, qi follows suit, interwoven as one, undisturbed by change, without delusion or anger, without desire or demand, without letting go or abandoning, without action or self..."

As he continued to chant, whether the 'Heart-Calming Mantra' truly worked or not, Li Huowang's breathing finally steadied.

"Senior Brother Li, your cultivation method likely demands a higher state of mind. I've sent people to search the Inner Treasury of the Directorate of Celestial Observation; anything that can help you will be delivered."

Li Huowang, still with his eyes closed, slowly shook his head, propping his forehead with his elbow. "No, stabilizing my state of mind isn't the most important thing right now. It's reaching the seventh cycle as quickly as possible, otherwise, my chances against Zuoqiuyong are too small." Everything has priorities, and his state of mind issue clearly came after Zuoqiuyong.

"By the way, Miaomiao, are there still Heart Elementals being sent? I need more Heart Elementals now," Li Huowang asked, looking up. Although he didn't know the exact number, if he could get a few dozen more Heart Elementals, he was certain he could reach the seventh cycle.

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao shook her head and gently explained, "There are none left. All the Heart Elementals in the world are probably gone."

"The Directorate of Celestial Observation has even sent people out to sea to search, but even if they find any, they likely won't be able to bring them back anytime soon."

Li Huowang sighed heavily without saying anything more. He knew others had done their best; Heart Elementals weren't like roadside cabbage, available in unlimited quantities.

"Alright, you should leave now. I'm going to resume my cultivation." Although continuing might still offer little hope, Li Huowang didn't want to give up as long as there was even a sliver of a chance to reach the seventh cycle.

As Li Huowang sat cross-legged again and watched Bai Lingmiao depart into the distance, a familiar voice sounded beside his ear. "Father?"

"Hmm?" Li Huowang looked around the vast space.

The next moment, Bai Lingmiao, who had been leaving in the distance, along with the surrounding environment, was torn apart like a mural. Li Sui, dressed in a red Daoist robe, emerged from the rift. Witnessing this, Li Huowang immediately understood: this Bai Lingmiao was indeed "real," but it was the kind of reality he had manifested through his cultivation, not the true reality from before!

Li Huowang pulled out the 'Heart-Calming Mantra' from his pocket. As he slammed it angrily onto the table, the bamboo slips instantly vanished without a trace, like foam. Along with the slips, the retreating figure of Bai Lingmiao in the distance also disappeared. He had anticipated this day even before his cultivation, but when such an indistinguishable blend of reality and illusion manifested itself, he still found it hard to accept.

Observing Li Huowang's strange behavior, Li Sui didn't ask anything. Instead, she dropped a bombshell: "Father, they're here. The State of Tianchen has started its move."

These weighty words instantly sent a chill down Li Huowang's spine. He no longer cared about his previous frustration and repeatedly confirmed, "Are you certain you didn't see wrong? Zuoqiuyong has truly begun his move?"

Li Sui nodded. "Yes, there's activity from the Grand Qi side. It seems the natural disaster in Tianchen has ended, allowing him to free up his forces to deal with us."