"Today it was entirely thanks to the 'Jiao Subduing Yellow Spring Diagram' saving my life. What secret exactly does this painting hold? What level of magical treasure is it?"
On the bed, Fang Han took out the "Jiao Subduing Yellow Spring Diagram" and scrutinized it continuously.
That picture was still pitch-black and hazy. A beast resembling a Jiao dragon and resembling a snake lay prone in the Yellow Spring River, obscure, secretive, revealing bursts of mysterious flavor.
However, aside from being mysterious, it was just an ordinary painting.
"Forget it, when my cultivation is profound and I know more about the affairs of the path of cultivation, I'll study this painting again." Fang Han was about to put the diagram away.
"Eh?"
Right at this moment, he discovered that a part of the painting seemed to have become different from before.
Within that pitch-black and hazy Yellow Spring River, which also carried a faint dusk color, there seemed to be something swimming. Fang Han hurriedly looked over carefully, and discovered that the thing swimming in the Yellow Spring River on the picture was unexpectedly a ferocious human face composed of black smoke, exactly the streak of "Heavenly Wolf Seven Baleful Smokes" that had pursued and tried to kill him and Fairy Crane during the day.
It was actually sealed within the Yellow Spring River of the painting.
"Could it be that this 'Jiao Subduing Yellow Spring Diagram' can collect any magical treasure?" Turning it over and over, and watching it for a while longer, Fang Han was, however, unable to extract that drifting human face from the Yellow Spring River in the painting.
"Although I cannot utilize this diagram, being able to protect my life is decent enough, I will carry it on my body from now on." Finding a rope, Fang Han used this painting as underclothing, tying it close to his body, wearing it like a bellyband, and only then did he thoroughly set his mind at rest and go to sleep.
When he woke up, it was already the time of the third watch. The sky was hazy, and the night was completely silent.
On this Yuhua Immortal Mountain and Purple Lightning Peak, there were no people striking the watches either, but after Fang Han cultivated to the realm of Divine Force, he was exceptionally sensitive to time.
Flipping over and scrambling up, after washing up, he stood on top of a cliff midway up the mountain, practicing a set of fist and leg techniques, rising up and falling down, facing the bottomless abyss below without caring in the slightest.
He was training his courage, practicing martial arts at the edge of the cliff to temper his physical body. His spirit was highly concentrated, his whole body tightened, becoming even more stable.
Originally, at the edge of the cliff, his legs would still feel somewhat numb, but after riding the crane up to the heavens, he felt his courage had increased by a layer, and deep in his heart, there seemed to be an additional layer of "valor".
Precisely because he had this kind of feeling, he decided today to cultivate once more and try to break through.
The Physical Body Realm, after tempering to the fifth tier realm of Divine Force, is a dividing watershed. Many experts, even disciples of aristocratic families, stay forever at the realm of Divine Force, entirely unable to break through even the slightest bit further.
Because the subsequent realms contain an inner essence, requiring a stroke of inspiration, a sudden enlightenment to clear the mind. The subsequent realms: the "Breath" in Breath Regulation, the "Internal" in Internal Strengthening, the "Valor" in Divine Valor, the "Spirit" in Spirit Communication, the "Transformation" in Divine Transformation, all of these are things that can only be sensed intuitively but not communicated in words.
People who can break through the "Divine Force" realm are all individuals with exceptionally good natural aptitude, or individuals with very good luck.
It can be said that by breaking through "Divine Force", one gains the qualifications to pursue the Divine Ability Realm, otherwise everything else is out of the question.
Today, Fang Han seemed to have comprehended something.
After practicing a routine of fist techniques, standing by the edge of the cliff, he felt his breath boiling. He hurriedly came to a halt, holding a breath of air in his mouth, continuously taking it in and out, just like "washing rice and washing vegetables".
This is a breath cultivation method, called "Breath Washing", it doesn't mean mischievous, but washing rice, panning for gold, great waves washing the sand, meaning to exhaust a mouth of stale breath in exchange for new breath.
This was a method taught by Bai Haichan within the "Seven Stars Fist".
Gulp, gulp, gurgle gurgle…
A breath of air, like a bubble, swallowed and spat out in the throat and lungs, washing back and forth. The breath constantly surged within the body. The breathing drove the blood, the blood pressed the heart, and the power of the whole body was pulled by the breathing.
All of a sudden, Fang Han's entire person entered a state of selflessness. His body stood at the edge of the cliff, tottering, seemingly about to be blown down by the wind at any time, but his whole person was completely oblivious to it, entering a new realm.
The impurities in the blood of his entire body seemed to be washed away during this continuous breath washing, "Only after the great waves wash the sand does the gold emerge"!
Finally, a breath was washed to its limit.
Puchi!
A long cry clearer and crisper than Fairy Crane's emanated from Fang Han's mouth.
His whole body's muscles and bones, internal organs, seemed to have once again become much more dense and solid. At the same time, his ears became incomparably sharp. Any movement of wind blowing the grass would immediately make him alert, comparable to a mobilized mouse.
This was the sixth tier of the Physical Body Realm, the realm of "Breath". The entire body became extremely sensitive, reactions became more agile, the internal organs began to solidify and condense, and the impurities in the flesh and blood were gradually refined and washed away.
Fang Han felt that he possessed boundless energy. At the same time, he felt he could seemingly "see" clearly that deep inside his heart, that "Nine Orifices Golden Pill" was continuously emitting powerful medicinal efficacy.
At the same time, he lightly tried to command his own heart, and suddenly the heart ceased beating slightly. That "Nine Orifices Golden Pill" hid even deeper, and its medicinal efficacy stopped emitting.
At this time, no one would be able to see that a spirit pill was still hidden deep within the core of his heart.
This time, he could hide even deeper.
"Who?"
Right at this moment, Fang Han felt a slight rustle of wind behind him. He was very sensitive right now, his ears listening to six routes, his eyes looking up to eight directions, any slight movement in the wind and grass, touched and instantly responded.
Turning his head around, he discovered a woman, white clothes fluttering, exactly like a fairy of the Dragon Palace, and it was exactly Fang Qingxue who had been in secluded cultivation for a month.
"People who can break through the Divine Force realm and cultivate to the sixth tier, the realm of Breath, all possess exceptionally good natural aptitude. Having potential, it seems even among the Fang family's children, there are rarely those who reach the sixth tier. What is your name?"
Fang Qingxue looked at Fang Han, and asked.
"It turns out the Eldest Miss does not remember me? This slave is Fang Han. A month ago, the person the Eldest Miss ordered to raise spirit beasts." Fang Han's heart slightly moved, and he hurriedly said.
"Fang Han? Eh? I seem to have an impression, you are that slave who accidentally ate the gallbladder of the single-horned viper?" Fang Qingxue pondered for a while, and seemed to have recalled.
Fang Han saying he had eaten the gallbladder of the single-horned viper was deceiving Fang Qingxue. What he truly obtained was the Nine Orifices Golden Pill, though Fang Qingxue seemingly wouldn't investigate these mundane matters in detail either.
Fang Han could feel that only experts of the Divine Ability Realm could leave a deep memory in Fang Qingxue; everything else left no trace as they passed by.
She already cared nothing for any affairs of mortals, this kind of mentality was truly powerful.
"This slave is exactly him." Fang Han hurriedly said.
"Hm, not bad. Reaching the sixth tier realm of Breath, letting you raise spirit beasts is truly much too much of a pity. Since you are a person of my Fang family, possessing strength means you can obtain the corresponding status. It just so happens there is still an Outer Court Disciple quota for my Fang family in the Ascension Sect, you'll fill it." Fang Qingxue said faintly: "Go to the Outer Court to cultivate. If you can be promoted into an Inner Court Disciple, you might perhaps be able to acquire a Spirit Artifact for my Fang family," Fang Qingxue said indifferently.
"Ah? Actually giving me a quota for an Outer Court Disciple!"
Hearing this for the first time, Fang Han simply could not believe his own ears.
Staying on the Purple Lightning Peak, no matter what, unless he cultivated to the Divine Ability Realm, he would remain a slave. But if he became an Outer Court Disciple of the Ascension Sect, then it would be entirely different!
His status would immediately become prominent!
Over these days, Fang Han had already come to know that the Outer Court Disciples of the Ascension Sect were invariably the children of powerful nobles from the Dali Dynasty, or from the families of other dynasties on the borders of the Dali Dynasty.
Right now, for him to actually be able to enter the Ascension Sect's doors just like these children of powerful nobles, his status was simply advancing by leaps and bounds! Jumping a thousand miles, from slave to nobleman.
What's more, within the Ascension Sect, he could learn many, many things.
Fang Han also knew that if he blindly forged a cart behind closed doors, it would be impossible for him to cultivate to the Divine Ability Realm. Advancing at godly speed like this now was entirely due to the power of the Nine Orifices Golden Pill.
From the Divine Force realm to the realm of Breath, he stagnated for a full month, which showed exactly this point.
If he continued to forge a cart behind closed doors, he feared it would become increasingly difficult later on, and at most he would cultivate to the seventh tier realm of Internal Strengthening, and then remain stuck, one year, two years, three years… with no end in sight.
"What virtue or capability does this slave possess?" Fang Han said, trembling with fear and trepidation.
"By being able to cultivate to the sixth tier realm of Breath, you have virtue and capability. This world does not look at status, it only looks at strength. Only possessing strength is eternal. Our Ascension Sect makes the three great dynasties—the Dali Dynasty, the Dade Dynasty, and the Daxu Dynasty—come forward to pay tribute every year, not relying on faith in the Immortal Path, but on strength. Alright. You pack up today, take my handwritten letter, and go to the place where Outer Court Disciples register, lest I forget it when the time comes."
With a flick of Fang Qingxue's finger, from an unknown place, a snow-white sliver of bamboo flew gracefully over. Then, a mass of purple lightning condensed on her hand, coalescing into a few characters upon the snow-white sliver, continuously flashing brightly and extinguishing, seemingly possessing spirituality.
Fang Han received this snow-white sliver of bamboo, only to see the eight characters condensed from purple lightning on it: "Fang Han, Outer Court Disciple, Admitted!" Extremely simple, resembling a handwritten warrant.
"Just how much power and influence does a True Heritage Disciple actually hold? Is it indeed true that the greater the power, the greater the authority?" Fang Han said in his heart, and hurriedly put it away.
By the time he had properly put away this letter of recommendation, Fang Qingxue had already vanished without a trace.
"Eldest Miss, what about my task of raising the spirit beasts? Who shall it be handed over to?" Fang Han hurriedly called out, but there was consistently no sound, it turned out Fang Qingxue went to seclude herself in cultivation yet again.
"Forget it, Fang Qingxue manages nothing, doing whatever she pleases when the mood strikes, truly free and unfettered. The Myriad Beast Tablet is in my hands, I can at the very least communicate with Fairy Crane, which will be very helpful for me as an Outer Court Disciple. Becoming an Outer Court Disciple, the status is quite extraordinary. Now, the Eldest Miss Fang Qingxue has shown me grace… Bai Haichan also showed me grace, what path should I take in the future? Forget it, what's the point of thinking so much now, I will talk about it later."
Fang Han composed his complex feelings.
An Outer Court Disciple… exactly what was it like?