MWM Chapter 222

“With utmost respect, I call upon the Yellow Court Primordial King of the Origin Clarity, symbolized by Yang’s brilliance, to always guard between the acolyte’s hips, at the gate of the axle and the door of the deathly breath. Let the acolyte’s hundred bloods coagulate, the divine energy remain undispersed, and may the gate of the earth be unlocked, transcending the Eight Tribulations.”

Leo sat cross-legged on the bed, following the memories of Li Qingfeng as he began to cultivate the fundamental technique of Xiaozhushan, *The Supreme Clarity Great Cavern Scripture*.

Although Xiaozhushan was an insignificant sect among the many in Shushan, with at least dozens, if not hundreds, of similar sects, its cultivation method was nonetheless an orthodox Daoist technique.

It wasn’t on par with the supreme techniques like *The Nine Heavens Profound Scripture* or *The Grand Profound Heaven Chapter*, but it could still lead to ascension as an immortal.

What Xiaozhushan lacked were exceptional disciples, sophisticated offensive techniques, and powerful magical treasures.

For instance, treasures like Emei’s Haotian Mirror and Twin Thunder Swords, or Kunlun’s Sun and Moon Golden Wheel—such high-level treasures were far beyond Xiaozhushan’s reach. Even Li Qingfeng’s Red Spirit Fire Pearl was considered one of the more powerful magical treasures in Xiaozhushan, having been a frequently-used treasure of the sect leader, Daoist Qingzhu.

In contrast, treasures of this level were abundant on Emei Sword Mountain. A beginner disciple could easily pick a weapon far stronger than the Red Spirit Fire Pearl.

This disparity arose from the fact that refining treasures required rare and precious materials, far beyond the reach of common iron. These rare materials were highly sought after, and after so many years of searching, they were even harder to come by.

That’s why many low-level demonic cultivators resorted to massacres—because the flesh and souls of ordinary people could be used as a substitute for rare materials, creating formidable demonic artifacts.

Even more prized were the flesh and souls of righteous cultivators. Demonic cultivators skilled in harvesting and enchantment techniques could directly use these to enhance their cultivation or refine puppets.

“Got it!”

Thanks to his advanced preparation, Leo had been endowed with top-tier cultivation aptitude. Coupled with Li Qingfeng’s memories, he quickly entered the foundational stage, drawing his first strand of spiritual energy into his meridians.

Moreover, due to the modifications his body had undergone with the First Enhancement Serum and the Extremis Virus, he didn’t need to be as cautious as the scriptures advised for first-time practitioners. Normally, one had to prevent injury to the fragile meridians and dantian when absorbing spiritual energy for the first time, but Leo’s body was exceptionally resilient. Even if he absorbed too much energy at once, his body could recover quickly from any damage.

His current physical condition allowed him to regenerate as long as his head remained intact, giving him a powerful healing ability.

When it came to cultivation in this world, talent was largely defined by how efficiently one could absorb spiritual energy into their spiritual body. Those with higher aptitude absorbed energy at a much faster rate than those with lesser talent.

Initially, this difference might not be apparent since everyone’s meridians and dantian were weak at the beginning, and absorbing too much energy would be dangerous. Even those with great talent had to proceed cautiously when starting out.

However, as time passed and the meridians and dantian grew stronger from cultivation and exposure to spiritual energy, the difference would become evident.

Someone with excellent aptitude might achieve the same results in one day that someone with poor aptitude would take a year to accomplish. This gap only widened as one progressed through the stages of cultivation, unless there was an external factor like an elixir or rare treasure to enhance aptitude or boost years of cultivation.

Leo’s natural talent was already top-tier, and with his modified body, his meridians and dantian were far more durable than those of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. So from the very beginning, spiritual energy surged into his body in a continuous stream.

This energy quickly cycled through his body’s meridians and was transformed into true elemental energy, which he stored in his dantian.

His current cultivation efficiency was equivalent to that of a peak-level Foundation Establishment cultivator with the best possible talent.

When he reached the Core Formation stage, his cultivation speed would match that of a peak-level Core Formation cultivator with the highest aptitude, and when he reached the Nascent Soul stage, his speed would rival the best at that level.

Beyond the Nascent Soul stage, after passing the tribulation of the Forty-Nine Heavenly Calamities, cultivation speed would no longer depend on aptitude.

Thus, it could be said that all paths lead to the same destination. As long as his methods were effective, it didn’t matter which system he followed. Thanks to his genetic modifications, his chakra capacity had greatly increased, giving him a significant advantage in this world of cultivation.

Originally, according to Li Qingfeng’s memories, the first step in cultivation took nearly three months, but Leo completed it in just three days.

It couldn’t be helped—his daily absorption of spiritual energy matched that of a peak-level Foundation Establishment cultivator with the best aptitude. Naturally, it far exceeded the tiny amounts of energy absorbed by ordinary beginner disciples.

“Three days to complete the Foundation Establishment. Now I just need to devote time each day to regular cultivation.”

For a normal disciple, once the Foundation Establishment was complete, the rest of the cultivation process became routine. In addition to daily cultivation and absorbing spiritual energy to increase their strength, they also had to learn spells, Daoist knowledge, and treasure crafting.

Leo didn’t need to study the basic knowledge—Li Qingfeng’s memories had all of that. What he needed to focus on was mastering spells and refining magical treasures.

Though he already had memories of these things, just like when he learned magic in the past, having the knowledge in memory and actually being able to use it were two different things. Since those were Li Qingfeng’s memories, Leo would still need time to practice and perfect the skills himself.

He needed to restore his cultivation to match Li Qingfeng’s and master all the techniques in his memories so that when he returned to the sect, no one would notice anything amiss.

Otherwise, if he were mistaken for a demonic cultivator who had possessed Li Qingfeng’s body, his master would surely hunt him down—even though Leo wasn’t sure if Li Qingfeng’s master could actually defeat him.

As for why he had to return to the sect, it was because, despite its small size, the sect was situated in a place where spiritual energy converged. Cultivating there would be far more efficient than in the mortal world.

Additionally, the sect still had valuable resources, like the *Thirty-Six Divine Bamboo Restrictions* that Li Qingfeng’s master, Daoist Qingzhu, had mentioned. Although no one had mastered it in the past thousand years, it was said to be incredibly powerful.

“Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!”

After using an Undetectable Extension Charm to expand the courtyard tenfold, Leo summoned multiple shadow clones to begin practicing the Daoist techniques from Li Qingfeng’s memories, while he focused on refining three magical treasures.

Li Qingfeng didn’t know many spells—mostly some basic Five Elements techniques, which weren’t particularly powerful or difficult. The shadow clones could handle that practice.

However, refining and crafting magical treasures was something the clones couldn’t do. That required his personal attention.

At the moment, Leo wasn’t planning to craft his own magical treasure—that would be too difficult. His immediate task was to refine Li Qingfeng’s Red Spirit Fire Pearl.

Since he already had one successful experience of refining it in his memory, it would be relatively easy. After that, he would move on to refining the two magical treasures from the demonic cultivator. Leo didn’t care whether they were from the righteous or demonic paths; if they could increase his power, he wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

Once he gained more experience and built up enough true energy, he would then learn how to craft his own magical treasures.

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