Chapter Forty: Choosing One’s Path

Time slipped by unnoticed. After cultivating for a while on the flying vessel, Chen Yi and the others, under Elder Li Jian's control, passed through the Five Elements Sect's protective array and returned to the sect.

Elder Li piloted the flying vessel to the square in the outer disciples’ area, then put it away. He addressed Chen Yi and the other disciples, “It is your fortune that you all returned unscathed from the small world. I am truly pleased that none of you perished. After all, you are among the elite of the outer sect disciples. In the near future, you will become the pillars of our sect. The loss of any one of you would be a great blow to the Five Elements Sect.”

“Your strength has improved greatly after your journey through the small world. In fact, Dongfang Tiandu has successfully broken through the Qi Refining stage and become a Foundation Establishment cultivator. As soon as the sect is notified, he will become an inner disciple and receive the sect's rewards.”

“As for the rest of you, though you have not broken through, your cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining. I believe that with a little more time, you will all break through to Foundation Establishment.”

Sitting beneath the plum tree in his small courtyard, Chen Yi pondered over Elder Li’s words spoken at the square. The elder was right. The most crucial matter before Chen Yi now was his own Foundation Establishment.

His cultivation had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, just a step away from Foundation Establishment. Yet this very step had trapped countless cultivators in the world of cultivation, and Chen Yi himself was uncertain how to cross it.

One needed a supreme, high-quality cultivation method to succeed in breaking through to Foundation Establishment—a good method could greatly increase the chances of success.

Though Chen Yi possessed the fundamental Five Elements Art of the sect, he only had the Qi Refining portion, with no access to the later stages. Moreover, he felt that the Five Elements Art had been created by the Five Elements Master to suit his own nature and was not a perfect fit for Chen Yi.

After receiving the Daoist treasure, the Dao De Jing, Chen Yi had conceived a bold idea: to create a peerless cultivation method uniquely his own. Previously, he lacked the experience, inspiration, and cultivation level to attempt this, so he buried the thought deep in his heart.

Now, with his cultivation on the brink of Foundation Establishment, it would be even more difficult and troublesome to switch methods after succeeding. Therefore, he had to create and switch to his own method before breaking through.

In the small world, Chen Yi had already used the Dao De Jing to create a sword art suited to himself—Wind and Thunder Illusion Sword—which gave him valuable experience.

When refining the World’s Heart, Chen Yi had unexpectedly witnessed the entire process of a world’s evolution, during which inspiration for a cultivation method struck him.

The idea was to use the World’s Heart within his dantian to open up a world inside, using its force as his spiritual power and his own will as the guiding principle of this inner world. This world would become the foundation of his cultivation, forging a path never before seen in the cultivation realm—a path belonging solely to Chen Yi.

As his inner world grew and expanded, so too would his own Qi Refining strength. Conversely, as his strength increased, his inner world would likewise expand. The two would complement each other, advancing and retreating in tandem.

However, opening up a world within oneself required an immensely strong body to withstand the pressure; otherwise, his body would explode before the world could take shape, and he would perish.

Though the Dragon Elephant Body he had cultivated from the Dragon Elephant Technique was already stronger than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it still was not enough to bear the pressure of creating a world within.

He had to continue training in the Dragon Elephant Technique until his body reached the level of a Golden Core cultivator. According to his calculations, the force generated at the instant of opening a world within the body equaled the attack of a Golden Core cultivator, so his body needed to be that strong.

To achieve this, he had to complete all three levels of the Dragon Elephant Technique, but he had only just finished the first. To break through the first level, he still required the Elephant Blood Fruit.

He needed to acquire the Elephant Blood Fruit, continue cultivating the Dragon Elephant Technique until he finished all three levels, and refrain from advancing his Qi Refining further until then. His only means of fighting enemies would be through body tempering.

After working out his plan, Chen Yi immediately went to the Mission Hall to seek information about the Elephant Blood Fruit. In the great hall, he stood before the mission board, searching for any tasks related to the fruit.

The mission board in the hall resembled the computer screens from his memories of his previous life. Every mission appeared on the screen, their details clearly displayed. Whenever a disciple completed a mission or an elder issued a new one, the board updated immediately.

This board brought great convenience to the disciples of the Five Elements Sect. It was said to have been invented by Elder Ouyang, a somewhat eccentric artifacts master of the sect.

Elder Ouyang was renowned throughout the cultivation world’s artifact community. His behavior was often erratic and his temperament unpredictable—when pleased, he would forge artifacts for anyone free of charge; when displeased, no amount of rare treasures could persuade him to craft anything.

Yet the strange techniques and mystical artifacts he invented were legendary in the cultivation world, and everyone acknowledged him as a master artifact forger.

In the Five Elements Sect, all disciples respected him greatly, not just for his prowess but because he provided his ingenious creations—like the mission screen—to the disciples for free, greatly facilitating their cultivation lives.

Thus, all the sect’s disciples, including Chen Yi, held Elder Ouyang in high esteem. From the perspective of a modern man, Chen Yi admired his visionary mind. In a world with no technology, Elder Ouyang’s ability to create devices akin to technological equipment was a testament to his exceptional talent.

Standing before the mission screen, Chen Yi carefully scrutinized each flashing task, determined not to overlook any news about the Elephant Blood Fruit, for it would determine the course of his future. This required him to be diligent and patient.

As he attentively combed through the mission information, a newly updated task caught his eye.