Chapter 931: Cultivating the Sealing Saint Technique

He hadn't expected the person before him to have such confidence in him.

While a first-grade nascent soul was indeed excellent, cultivating for several hundred years to achieve it, like the other party, was something he would never do. His innate fetal poison would flare up before he turned thirty if he didn't reach the Nine-Star Master Teacher realm. He wouldn't live long enough for such cultivation; therefore, condensing a higher-grade nascent soul would be pointless. Thus, even though Master Mu spoke of the first-grade nascent soul in glowing terms, Zhang Xuan actually wasn't very interested. Success would be ideal, but failure wouldn't be a significant setback.

“Yes, with your talent, you certainly have a chance. Of course, talent alone isn't enough; success also requires fortuitous encounters and comprehension!”

The Master Mu puppet nodded.

Throughout the history of the Master Teacher Continent, exceptionally gifted geniuses were innumerable, yet none were ever known to have successfully cultivated a first-grade nascent soul. While talent was important, luck and comprehension were also indispensable.

“Luck cannot be controlled, but comprehension can be tested. So, first, study this 'Sealing Sage Explication'. If you can gather the true qi within your body within three days – no need for too much, just seven strands aggregated without collapsing – then there's significant hope for you to achieve a nascent soul beyond top-grade second-tier. If you can't manage this, then don't dwell on it.”

“Seven strands of true qi!”

Zhang Xuan recalled the Sealing Sage Explication he had just seen. While a nascent soul could be condensed in the Chrysalis realm, achieving a higher grade was beyond the capabilities of a Transcendent Mortal Ninth-level practitioner. Not only was it difficult to achieve, but even if successful, it would likely collapse due to insufficient power and control.

The Sealing Sage Explication, acknowledging this, forcibly extended the nascent soul phase of the Chrysalis realm. This meant that as long as one hadn't reached the Saint realm, they could condense it. In essence, even Half-Saints and Conferred Saints could nurture their nascent souls, allowing them to grow continuously. This was likely how Master Kong achieved it: accumulating profound power as a Half-Saint and Conferred Saint before breaking through to the Saint realm in a single stroke, gaining worldwide fame and even the approval of the Heavens.

Condensing a nascent soul involves gathering true qi, forming it into a sphere, and then refining it layer by layer: from a pseudo-core to a true core (illusory core), then a solid core, and finally, a golden core! The seven strands of true qi mentioned by the Master Mu puppet were, in fact, the fundamental building blocks for a pseudo-core. True qi, being gaseous, easily dissipates. The Sealing Sage Explication detailed how to condense true qi into threads and interweave them using a unique structural method. It was akin to constructing a house: without a specific method and sequence, merely piling up bricks and stones wouldn't ensure stability, much less create an exquisite building. The Sealing Sage Explication involved condensing seven strands of true qi into a single unit using a special structure. Once these seven strands were stable, others could be accumulated one by one. Much like bricks, stones, cement, and water, which appear unrelated but, once integrated, can form magnificent structures.

The principle itself wasn't difficult. The crucial part was how to refine true qi to be as fine as a thread, prevent its dissipation, and still condense it into such a structure. That was the paramount challenge. It required not only powerful soul force but also absolute control over true qi.

“Alright, you can read the book now. If you complete it within three days, I'll share my cultivation process with you. This will help you avoid unnecessary detours and prevent you from groping in the dark like I did, ultimately spending hundreds of years without success!” the Master Mu puppet said.

“Read the book... that won't be necessary for now. Is this what you mean by stabilizing seven strands of true qi?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. With a flick of his finger, a strand of true qi appeared directly before him. Just as he was about to continue, he noticed the Master Mu puppet beside him with wide, bulging eyes, seemingly on the verge of fainting from shock, its voice trembling.

“You can make... true qi leave your body? And maintain control over it?”

“What's so strange about that? I could do it shortly after I began cultivating; it's not a big deal...”

Seeing the puppet's overly dramatic, inexperienced reaction, Zhang Xuan shook his head. And to think he's a sect founder, yet he lacks even this basic common sense. Having true qi leave the body was hardly difficult. Shortly after he began cultivating, he could already inject true qi into others' bodies to clear blockages in their minute meridians and control it into fine threads. He could even achieve this as a martial artist. Now that he had reached Transcendent Mortal Ninth-level, if he still couldn't do it, he might as well bash his head in and die!

“This, this…”

Seeing Zhang Xuan's disdainful gaze, the Master Mu puppet nearly spat blood on the spot. Having true qi exit the body was easy, but condensing it into fine, thread-like strands afterward was difficult. To accomplish this, at least two necessary conditions had to be met. First, the true qi must be sufficiently pure, reaching at least the upper third grade! Second, the soul force must be powerful enough, ideally capable of leaving the body. Otherwise, it would be impossible to control true qi after it exited the body, moving it freely as one would an arm. In other words, the ease with which the young man accomplished this was astounding; his level of control over true qi was simply terrifying. Even when the puppet itself had reached the Saint realm, it couldn't achieve such mastery!

While still reeling in shock, the Master Mu puppet watched as the young man before him repeatedly pointed his fingers forward.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The second, the third... Soon, seven strands of true qi surged from his fingertips, hovering in the air. Like nimble snakes, they continuously weaved and intertwined.

“He... he can control not just one strand of true qi, but seven?”

Swallowing a non-existent gulp, the Master Mu puppet's voice turned hoarse. Condensing true qi into threads and controlling them outside the body was beyond the capability of many Saint realm experts. Yet, this fellow not only succeeded but produced seven at once... Wasn't this far too powerful? Are you truly only at the early Chrysalis realm? You couldn't be a peak Saint realm expert, or one of Master Kong's disciples, specifically here to wander the mortal world, could you?

Very quickly, the seven strands of true qi perfectly merged, forming a true qi sphere the size of a sesame seed. It gently rotated in the air, held together without dissipating.

“You mean, in the dantian, one should interweave true qi into these small spheres, then combine them one by one to condense a pseudo-core, right?”

After doing all this, Zhang Xuan looked up.

“Yes…”

Exhaling slowly and suppressing the shock in its heart, the Master Mu puppet nodded. The Sealing Sage Explication involved condensing true qi into threads, then slowly gathering them to form these small spheres, and finally merging them. It was akin to accumulating water to form a river or sand to build a tower, utilizing a painstaking, 'water-grinding' effort to condense a golden core. A nascent soul condensed in this manner would possess an exceptionally solid foundation and stable power, far surpassing those achieved through conventional cultivation. However, the effort required was truly immense. It was precisely for this reason that he had spent several centuries to achieve success.

“It’s quite simple. It won’t take three days to do this...”

He had thought he misunderstood, but after all that explanation, it turned out to be so simple that Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. To create something like this with true qi, and it takes three days to complete? What kind of genius would that be? He might as well just bash his head against a block of tofu and die!

“You... you might have cultivated a method for condensing true qi. Your talent is different from others…” Seeing Zhang Xuan's casual demeanor, the Master Mu puppet managed an awkward smile and replied. It had initially intended to challenge Zhang Xuan and test his comprehension. Yet, Zhang Xuan seemed completely unfazed, even finding it ridiculously simple, leaving the puppet unsure how to respond... Since leaving its remnant soul to guard this place for nearly ten millennia, it had witnessed countless geniuses. But... a monster like this, it was the first time! He couldn't even be called abnormal anymore; he was simply inhuman!

“Perhaps!” Zhang Xuan simply said, then fell silent. He hadn't specifically cultivated any method for condensing true qi. However, his Heaven's Path true qi was incomparably pure, far superior to the so-called upper three grades of true qi. What was difficult for others was as simple as eating and drinking for him. As for the need for strong soul force to perform this, as a Soul Oracle, his soul could effortlessly leave his body.

“Since you can do this, there’s no need to spend further effort on research. You can now try cultivating the Sealing Sage Explication and see how many 'explications' you can achieve with your current strength without it collapsing!” the Master Mu puppet continued. Given that Zhang Xuan could even manifest true qi outside his body, further research became pointless. It was better to attempt cultivation directly and see how far he could progress.

The so-called 'explications' were the most crucial steps and cultivation methods within the Sealing Sage Explication: seven strands of true qi condensed together formed one 'grain'; seven grains formed one 'clump'; and seven clumps formed one 'explication'! In other words, one needed to condense three hundred and forty-three strands of true qi, without error, to form a single 'explication'. Back when he was in the Chrysalis realm, he had managed to construct a full six 'explications' before losing control, which forced him to break through to the Half-Saint realm. Individuals with lesser talent and weaker souls at this level might not even manage to form a single 'clump,' let alone six 'explications'.

Although Zhang Xuan exhibited strong control over true qi, the puppet, having cultivated the Sealing Sage Explication, understood its difficulty. As more true qi was condensed, the danger and the difficulty of control would escalate. It was like building blocks: arranging one or two was simple, but the more one added, the more precarious it became. Even a slight misstep could trigger a collapse. Condensing a single 'grain' was achievable for many, provided they invested enough time and diligently refined their true qi. However, condensing a 'clump' was significantly more troublesome. As for forming an 'explication,' it was utterly impossible without extraordinary talent, hair-fine control, and enduring patience. Although Zhang Xuan's talent was immense, he was still young, and his cultivation was merely at the early Chrysalis realm. In the puppet's view, being able to condense even one 'explication' would be quite remarkable.

“How many explications?” Zhang Xuan paused. “I’ll give it a try!”

He hadn't experimented with how many 'explications' he could condense, so he wasn't truly certain, but he could certainly try now.

As he finished speaking, he spread his ten fingers and simultaneously reached forward.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

A surge of true qi agitated the air, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of strands of true qi gushed from his fingertips. Like slender snakes or miniature dragons, they writhed and coiled ceaselessly.

“Condensing so many strands of true qi simultaneously?” The Master Mu puppet was just trying to estimate how long Zhang Xuan would need to cultivate when it witnessed this scene and nearly fainted on the spot. To simultaneously control hundreds of true qi strands, transforming them into fine threads that effortlessly moved around—how immensely powerful must his soul be? Even at its own peak, let alone now, the puppet couldn't achieve this.

Before its shock could subside, the Master Mu puppet watched as the young man, with a mere flick and tap of his fingers, caused the hundreds of true qi strands before him to immediately intertwine, forming a true qi clump the size of a grain of rice. Immediately afterward, Zhang Xuan looked over, a hint of confusion in his eyes: “This is one 'explication', right?”