Chapter 174: 巧了

Is it that difficult? Chen Mobai was skeptical, wondering if the Four Great Dao Academies were hiding some cultivation secret that hadn't been widely disseminated. However, he couldn't ask this directly. Since he had already enrolled, he had ten years ahead of him to slowly research the matter.

Qu Hongyu then told him about some limitations of the "Critical Method." The longer one lingered at a stage, the more difficult the subsequent transformation steps would become. According to the Immortal Sect's samples from the past five hundred years, it was best not to linger for more than ten years; ideally, all steps should be completed within a total of ten years.

The Grand Medical Palace had established a specialized field, Foundation Establishment Studies, solely for researching Foundation Establishment. Their latest research suggested that the three steps of Foundation Establishment spontaneously linked together due to a special frequency that influenced the final sublimation and leap. If one lingered for too long, this frequency would be broken, causing the cultivator to fail at the final sublimation, even if they had completed the three major steps.

Chen Mobai humbly accepted all of this information.

Then, guided by Qu Hongyu, he arrived at the Martial Arts Academy library. After scanning his student ID, he found a bookshelf related to Foundation Establishment, which contained various books on the "Critical Method": "Critical Method Explained," "Critical Insights," "Exploring the Original Critical Method: Jade Lock Golden Gate Art," "How to Linger," "The Critical Method," and more. Chen Mobai's eyes were opened, but with so many books, he estimated it would take at least a month to read and comprehend them all. "Sigh," he thought, "there's just too much knowledge here in the Immortal Sect." He didn't know where to begin. He decided to first borrow the simplest original copy of "The Critical Method."

After borrowing the book, Chen Mobai went to the cave dwelling where his mentor, True Immortal Shaoyang, was in seclusion. He left a message on the signboard outside, indicating his visit, and then returned to his rented wooden house.

Since there were still three days until the start of classes, Chen Mobai teleported to the Divine Wood Sect to complete his wood-chopping task.

The first thing he did upon arriving in the Heavenly River Realm was to take out his phone, switch accounts, and enter "Critical Method" as a keyword in the auxiliary cultivation software. As expected, the software didn't disappoint him, quickly displaying over a dozen related posts. Chen Mobai browsed through them and found many were anonymous. One user expressed indignation, stating they hadn't even grasped the basics after ten years of practice, and advised others not to waste their time. Another claimed to have made some progress but felt it wasn't worth practicing because it required too much time to master. After reading, only two cultivators from the Four Great Dao Academies offered fair and objective insights into cultivating the Critical Method. But even after reading their posts, Chen Mobai was still confused. This cultivation technique relied solely on comprehension; spiritual roots, innate talent, and so on, were irrelevant. Success was achieved when one could comprehend how to lock the essence blood, close the Qi gate, and open and close the Purple Mansion. Another cultivator from the Grand Medical Palace, however, offered a learning strategy: first, read the original text, then the detailed explanation, compare it with the insights, learn how to "linger," and finally, if one still couldn't master it, they could explore the ancient "Jade Lock Golden Gate Art."

"Huh, there's a continuation with a member level restriction," he murmured. Reaching the end of the post, Chen Mobai discovered that an entire page required the highest membership level to view—the theoretically existing Fifth Rank. Coincidentally, he was exactly that.

With a curious mind, Chen Mobai clicked and unlocked the page that the poster had deliberately hidden, seemingly not wanting anyone to see its content.

"I mastered the Critical Method under very coincidental circumstances. At the time, I was researching how to prevent the leakage of primordial yang after sexual activity, allowing one to eternally maintain a youthful body while still enjoying the pleasure of intercourse. For this research, I conducted in-depth investigations and practical studies. After countless self-funded encounters seeking special services, at one point, I suddenly had an epiphany. I mastered the ancient 'Jade Lock Golden Gate Art.' Then, by reverse-engineering the Critical Method, it no longer presented any difficulty for me; I mastered it with ease. It's a pity I mastered it a bit late, as my primordial yang was already lost. Still, being able to achieve the Critical Method and ultimately succeed in Foundation Establishment made me very happy. I dedicate this to commemorate this somewhat absurd research topic." The final signature was Grand Medical Palace – Tian Wenguang!

After reading, Chen Mobai couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration. He didn't admire many people in his life; Reverend Qingping of the Five Elements Art was one, and this Tian Wenguang was the second. Someone who could achieve such profound enlightenment in that kind of situation, their realm was incredibly high, truly unheard of. However, admiration aside, Chen Mobai, being a person of integrity, would certainly not learn from Tian Wenguang. Even if he failed Foundation Establishment, suffered a decline in realm, was ridiculed, or even expelled from the Martial Arts Academy, he would absolutely not seek special services! Still, Tian Wenguang's learning approach could be worth considering. But for now, his top priority remained the Evergreen Scripture and the Two Phases Art.

Chen Mobai went out, made an appearance before Yuan Chiye and his fellow disciples, then picked up his axe and went to the Scarlet Sun Forest to chop wood. Scarlet Sunwood was tough and solid; even with the Sharpness Charm applied to his iron axe, it still required dozens of swings to barely cut through. After felling a tree, he had to saw it into meter-long sections, then split those into finger-width long strips. Chen Mobai spent nearly four hours just to split one tree into 120 pieces of Scarlet Sunwood, meeting the Divine Wood Sect's standards. "This won't do!" Chen Mobai thought to himself, putting down his iron axe, using the Extraction Spell to neatly stack the Scarlet Sunwood. As he transported it to the New Sprout Hall, he couldn't help but gasp for breath. He didn't have this much time to waste on wood-chopping.

Without concern for exposure, upon returning to his wooden house on Mount Chicheng, he immediately ordered a portable electric saw online, and then placed an order for a table saw for cutting wood strips. The electric saw was for felling trees, the table saw for cutting firewood. Although both items were the lowest-configuration models, they still cost Chen Mobai nearly 800 merit points. Unfortunately, because they were mechanical artifacts with offensive capabilities, he needed to state their purpose and register his ID for delivery. Conveniently, Chen Mobai lived in the mountains and had a legitimate excuse: he wanted to renovate his wooden house. The shop owner didn't scrutinize closely and simply stated that they would ship first thing in the morning, but the items would require self-assembly upon arrival. As he ordered from a local shop in Chicheng Grotto-Heaven, the items were delivered that afternoon. However, because Chen Mobai's residence was a bit difficult to find, the delivery person even wasted a Pathfinding Talisman to get there.

Once the items arrived, Chen Mobai immediately assembled both the electric saw and the table saw according to the shop owner's video tutorial. Then, under the cover of night, he returned to the Divine Wood Sect. While everyone else was cultivating Qi and meditating, he alone took the two machines to his usual wood-chopping spot. He attached Mute Talismans to the machines. Chen Mobai then used a Spirit-Seeking Talisman, and after confirming there was no one nearby, he picked up his tools and began sawing away.

The next morning, Yuan Chiye stared with wide eyes at the 2,100 pieces of Scarlet Sunwood Chen Mobai submitted, which were even more uniform than the standard, as if they had been measured with a ruler before being cut.

"Senior Brother Yuan," Chen Mobai said, "this is my seven-day supply. I'll be requesting another seven days off for secluded cultivation."