Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 1612: Chapter 852: Emerging from Seclusion (2)

"The master said the same thing. I’ve recently stopped taking pills and focused on studying formations!" Yin Shilan poured another cup of spiritual tea for Li Shiming and said with a smile.

Then she began to ask Li Shiming about his knowledge of formations. Naturally, Li Shiming answered all her questions. In terms of formations, he was arguably the strongest existence among cultivators at the Great Cultivator Realm in the cultivation world.

"My cultivation has also been advancing a bit too quickly. For the next period, I’ll accompany you in studying formations!" Li Shiming shared some good news with Yin Shilan, which delighted her.

’The Phantom Clone’ is also Li Shiming, but it doesn’t match the feeling of being with the real Li Shiming.

Li Shiming smiled. From the Early Stage to the Middle Stage of the Great Cultivator, it seemed like a small advancement within a small realm, but in reality, the gap was as vast as heaven and earth.

Look at the Great Cultivators of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect, all stuck at the Early Stage of the Great Cultivator.

It’s not just the Ten Thousand Beast Sect. In most major factions, nearly all Great Cultivators are at the Early Stage of the Great Cultivator.

It’s not that these Great Cultivators are not diligent. Part of it is due to cultivation resources, but more because of the inheritance of cultivation techniques.

To advance in the Great Cultivator realm, one not only needs to enhance the total amount and quality of spiritual power within but also requires a deeper understanding of the rules they have mastered.

It’s precisely the understanding of rules that has trapped Great Cultivators without cultivation technique inheritance.

Unless one is a super genius who can comprehend rules by themselves, they can only gradually absorb beneficial knowledge to enhance their understanding of the rules through constant research of the cultivation experiences of their predecessors.

Li Shiming is cultivating the ’Heavenly Human Technique.’ He gained tremendous advancement in the Five Elements and Thunder Rules through his understanding of rules in the Half-Life Cave Heaven and Thunder Cave Heaven. Coupled with thirty years in seclusion to enhance the total amount and quality of spiritual power, his realm finally advanced a small step.

This small step took him thirty years. His master, Grandmaster Hu, did not achieve it even after nearly a thousand years.

Sometimes, the importance of talent and opportunity surpasses the painstaking efforts of cultivators.

During this period of adjusting mindset, Li Shiming had another significant task, which was to convert the resources previously obtained into combat power.

Regarding this, he planned to advance the five mid-stage Golden Corpses acquired from his clone, Li Yuanba, to late-stage Golden Corpses and equip them with the strongest equipment.

He did not lack the corresponding resources. Although he had been in a cultivation state for thirty years, he had plenty of spare mental capacity to think about many matters.

However, before doing these things, he needed to make a trip to the Central State Continent.

Regarding his trip to the Central State Continent, he told no one except for a brief mention to Yin Shilan.

With Yin Shilan’s character, as long as Li Shiming didn’t want to explain something, she never pursued the reason.

"I’ll be back in twenty days!" Li Shiming smiled and promised Yin Shilan before leaving.

Yin Shilan showed a look of surprise but did not express any doubt.

The reason for her surprise was that going from the Dongqi Continent to the Central State Continent, even if a Great Cultivator controlled a flying boat, would take about a month.

Li Shiming said he’d be back in twenty days, implying it would only take him ten days to reach the Central State Continent, or possibly even less.

Li Shiming wouldn’t go to the Central State Continent for nothing; he would inevitably spend some time there on tasks.

Leaving the Ten Thousand Beasts Cave Heaven, he used ’One Step to Heaven,’ disappearing from the mountain gate and reappearing eight thousand miles away.

He summoned the Thunder Beast, which had been hibernating in the Thunder Cave Heaven for thirty years. Upon being summoned, it appeared lively.

Due to their contract, there was an exceptionally close connection between him and the Thunder Beast.

He gently patted the Thunder Beast’s neck, feeling the slight tingling sensation in his hand as he smiled and jumped onto the Thunder Beast’s back.

"Take me to the Central State Continent!" he instructed softly.

The Thunder Beast let out an excited long whinny and turned into a flash of lightning heading into the distance.

The Thunder Beast, at the peak of the Late Stage Fourth Grade, was inherently a lightning energy life form, and its Thunder Escape speed was several times faster than that of a Thunder Cultivator Great Cultivator.

This time, the Thunder Beast unleashed its full speed, swiftly carrying Li Shiming away from the Dongqi Continent.

On the ocean, the Thunder Beast didn’t need to worry about any navigation issues.

Even if powerful spirit beasts detected the Thunder Beast, aside from its level, even the most powerful spirit beasts couldn’t intercept it due to its speed.

Although Li Shiming possessed Divine Foot Skill and exceeded the Thunder Beast’s Thunder Escape in speed, he couldn’t compare to the Thunder Beast in long-distance travel.

’One Step to Heaven’ required significant consumption, and even as a Great Cultivator with the spiritual power supply of five Nascent Souls, he needed to be wary of the dangers of high consumption.

But for the Thunder Beast, long-distance travel using Thunder Escape was instinctual, akin to walking for human cultivators, with nearly negligible consumption.

In two days, the Thunder Beast approached the Central State Continent.

Li Shiming, controlling the Thunder Beast, did not enter the Central State Continent directly but arrived at an undersea mansion ten thousand miles away from the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

There, the clone Li Yuanba was already waiting, as he came to meet Li Yuanba this time.

In thirty years, Li Yuanba’s aura stabilized at the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. Advancing further would lead to the Great Cultivator Realm.

To ensure Li Yuanba’s safe advancement to the Great Cultivator, Li Shiming personally came over.

Although the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion had many Great Cultivators, Li Yuanba’s master, Jian Wuwei, had a cultivation level lower than Li Yuanba’s, providing limited help for his breakthrough.

Since solving the spatial rift issue, Sword Elder seldom appeared. According to his analysis, Sword Elder’s one-time intervention was significantly consuming. Despite using a clone, detailed outcomes are uncertain; otherwise, it’s hard to justify his reduced appearances.

Even with Li Yuanba’s face greatly esteemed, requesting Sword Elder’s protection posed some difficulty.

Crucially, Li Shiming was more suitable as protection for Li Yuanba. Even at critical moments, Li Shiming’s spiritual power could be shared with Li Yuanba, a level of assistance even Sword Elder couldn’t provide.

"Fellow, it’s been decades!" Li Shiming smiled and greeted Li Yuanba with a bow.

"Fellow, you still carry your graceful demeanor!" Li Yuanba returned the bow.

The true body and the clone exchanged smiles, always finding novelty in this mirror-like self-conversation regardless of repetition.

"Thanks for the trouble, fellow!" Li Yuanba gestured invitingly.

Li Shiming smiled, took out the pre-prepared formation bases, and began setting up a formation in the mansion.

This formation was tailored to the specific traits of the ’Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique.’ At the formation’s core, he projected the virtual shadow of the Sword Intent Stele from his life-bound treasure, the IBMz15.

Though the Sword Intent Stele was a virtual projection, with the presence of Li Shiming, a Sword Cultivator Great Cultivator at the middle stage, and the cultivation of the same-origin ’Chaos Sword Intent,’ the sword intent contained within was the Sword Cultivator Great Cultivator middle stage ’Chaos Sword Intent.’

This was the strongest sword intent he could project. Within the IBMz15’s virtual space, it could simulate most of the Sword Intent Stele’s essence. Outside, only this level of sword intent was possible.

Nevertheless, the middle stage Great Cultivator ’Chaos Sword Intent’ was sufficient for Li Yuanba, at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, to advance as a Sword Cultivator Great Cultivator.

Li Yuanba entered the formation, sat cross-legged before the virtual Sword Intent Stele, took a few Great Cultivator Spirit Pills, and immersed his spirit in the ’Sky-Surging Sword Intent Technique.’

At that moment, Li Shiming monitored his internal state through their soul connection.

No matter how prepared or accumulated, the process of advancing from Nascent Soul Middle Stage to a Great Cultivator was always fraught with risks.

Li Shiming’s role in this visit was to minimize the emergence of such risks.