Chapter 210 – Learning the avatar technique
Wang Lin’s eyes lit up. He spread out his divine sense and scanned the surrounding area while flying at breakneck speed. Suddenly, he stopped and looked north. 2,000 kilometers north, two cultivators were heading east.
Both cultivators were men. One was quite young, only in the early Foundation Establishment stage. The other was a middle-aged man in the early Core Formation stage.
Mai Guorong is a disciple of the Hao Ran Sect. At his master’s behest, he travels to the Heavenly Cloud Sect to attend their biennial Kai-Ling Gathering. The Kai-Ling Gathering is actually just a pill auction hosted by the Heavenly Cloud Sect.
The Heavenly Cloud Sect was renowned for its pill production in the Chu Cultivation Nation. Even some rank 4 nations would come to exchange their pills, but that only happened every 10 years, during the largest Kai-Ling Gathering. As for this biennial gathering, it was primarily for the younger generation of the Chu Cultivation Nation to meet and compete.
In this small Kai-Ling gathering, there won’t be any precious pills, just a few standard items. However, for these young cultivators, it’s still something they can’t get enough of.
It must be said that the pills made by the Sky Cloud Sect are at least 10% better than other pills. As a result, all pills made by the Sky Cloud Sect are in high demand.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Cloud Sect did not trade with outsiders except during the Kai-Ling Gatherings. So, even though there was only a two-year gap between gatherings, every sect in the cultivation state of Zhao would send many of their young disciples to attend.
Mai Guorong was very proud because he was chosen from among the many disciples in the sect, but he also knew that the reason he was able to participate was because he had a good teacher.
Thinking about this, Mai Guorong’s gaze fell on the middle-aged man in front of him. This person looked very ordinary. His face was extremely yellow, and his complexion made him look like he might die at any moment, but Mai Guorong didn’t dare underestimate this person. He wholeheartedly respected the person in front of him, because this middle-aged man was his teacher and was also in the early Core Formation stage. These facts made Mai Guorong feel extremely fortunate to have such a teacher.
It must be said that being accepted as a disciple by a Core Formation cultivator was extremely rare, even in the Hao Ran Sect. Mai Guorong’s status in the sect immediately skyrocketed, and he immediately became a core disciple. Although he wasn’t yet a core disciple, if Mai Guorong’s cultivation improved even further, reaching the late Foundation Building stage, he would automatically become a core disciple.
What also made him deeply respect his teacher was that he was one of the few alchemists in the sect. Although the pills his teacher concocted weren’t as good as those of the Sky Cloud Sect, they weren’t far off.
As a result, his teacher’s status was very high in the sect and, as a result, Mai Guorong’s status in the sect also increased.
“Stay calm and don’t think about unnecessary things. We’re very close to the Heavenly Cloud Sect. Don’t lose face for the Hao Ran Sect.” The hoarse voice interrupted Mai Guorong’s thoughts. He stopped his thoughts and followed his teacher closely behind.
After a while, Mai Guorong looked at his teacher and asked curiously, “Teacher, the Sky Cloud Sect…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the yellow-faced middle-aged man’s expression suddenly change. The middle-aged man suddenly stopped and turned around, his eyes focused on something in the distance. He shouted, “Shut up!”
Mai Guorong was stunned. He turned around and looked, but all he saw were clouds and blue sky, nothing unusual at all. He hesitated for a moment, but suddenly, he heard a series of rumbling sounds and saw the clouds in the distance being pushed forward by a powerful force.
Mai Guorong’s face suddenly changed, revealing a horrified expression.
At the same time, he saw a shadow moving like lightning toward them. In just a few breaths, the shadow was already close.
Mai Guorong could now clearly see that this person was dressed in black and had white hair. His expression was cold and felt extremely sinister.
This person’s cultivation, in Mai Guorong’s eyes, was as deep as the ocean, and the person’s cold gaze made anyone who saw it feel terrified.
Mai Guorong immediately lowered his head. He stood behind his teacher. His face was pale and his heart felt cold.
“What a strong killing intent!” The pupils of Mai Guorong’s master, the Hao Ran alchemist, Xu Li, involuntarily shrank. He sent out his divine sense and immediately discovered that the man’s cultivation was far higher than his own. The aura the man exuded shocked him even more.
In his view, even though this person had not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage, the feeling he got was exactly the same as when he met the Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect.
Therefore, he didn’t dare to mess with this person. Even the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Hao Ran Sect didn’t have as strong a killing intent as this person.
Xu Li had spent his life studying pill-making, so he had a keen sense of spiritual energy fluctuations. He could almost imagine how many people this person had killed to possess such a strong killing intent. He had to be careful around this person, or disaster would befall him.
After that, he quickly clasped his hands and said, “Fellow cultivator, I am Xu Li of the Hao Ran Sect, and this is my disciple. Master, you seem to be in a hurry. What’s wrong? If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help right away.”
The white-haired youth was Wang Lin. He scanned the two cultivators and then his eyes landed on Xu Li. He clasped his hands and said, “Fellow cultivator, which cultivation state am I in?”
Xu Li was stunned. He stared at Wang Lin for a moment, then replied, “This is Chu’s cultivation area. Where did that fellow cultivator come from?”
“Chu Cultivation Country…” Wang Lin muttered to himself, not answering anyone else’s question. He patted his storage bag.
His actions caused Xu Li’s expression to change drastically. He quickly grabbed his disciple and took a few steps back with a wary expression on his face.
Wang Lin looked at him. He opened his hand and revealed a piece of jade. He placed the jade on his forehead, and a map appeared in his mind.
This was a jade slip he had obtained from Zhou Zihong at the War God Temple. It contained a map of the countries near Huo Fen.
When he heard that it was the state of Chu, he felt as if he had heard this name somewhere before. After examining the jade, he immediately knew roughly where he was at that time.
The Chu State borders Hou Fen to the north, Xuan Wu to the east, and even a small border with the Demon Sea. The rest of the country is a mountain range called the Broken Rocks.
It can be said that the cultivation nation of Chu was very close to the Broken Rocks Mountains. According to the description in the jade slip, this nation was very large and had many cultivators. As a cultivation nation, the state of Chu nearly rose to the fourth rank.
This was because there were more than ten people in the late Nascent Soul stage in the Chu cultivation state. These powerful cultivators were the core of the state.
As long as one of those people successfully breaks through the Spirit Separation stage, the entire country will rise to a rank 4 country.
That’s why, when the Hou Fen state rose to the 4th level, they decided to attack the Xuan Wu state, not the Chu state.
Besides, compared to Chu, the country of Xuan Wu was a much better choice for Hou Fen.
There was also some information about some sects in the state of Chu. Wang Lin examined the jade slip for a moment, then put it away. He looked at Xu Li and asked, “Fellow cultivator, which part of Chu is this?”
Xu Li held her bag tightly. She was extremely alert. When she heard Wang Lin’s question, she pondered for a moment, then replied, “This is the Cloud Sky Mountains!”
Wang Lin nodded. He looked around and stared into the distance, then said flatly, “So, if I continue walking for 10,000 kilometers, at the peak of the Cloud Sky Mountains, what is the Cloud Sky Sect?”
Xu Li’s eyes showed a surprised expression. He said, “Do you have any business with the Sky Cloud Sect?”
Wang Lin smiled faintly. He looked at Xu Li and clasped her hands. “Thank you. Goodbye!” he said. After that, Wang Lin moved quickly, forming a trail of light, and disappeared.
Only after Wang Lin left did Xu Li let out a breath. His back was covered in sweat, and as the breeze blew, his back felt cold.
The pressure Wang Lin was putting on him was immense. The fact that Xu Li was an alchemist meant his willpower was far superior to other cultivators of his level. Otherwise, he would have completely panicked when speaking to Wang Lin.
He took a deep breath, then looked at his disciple. Mai Guorong’s eyes were still filled with fear. He looked at Wang Lin as he entered and said, “Teacher… teacher, what cultivation level is that person? Is he a Nascent Soul senior?”
Xu Li shook his head and said, “That person is filled with killing intent. If my guess is correct, he must have escaped from the Demon Sea. Such people are not uncommon in this country of Chu, but this is the first time I have seen someone with such strong killing intent.”
Mai Guorong was stunned. “Murderous intent?” he asked.
Xu Li said slowly, “Every time you kill someone, you’ll gain a bit of killing intent, and once the killing intent accumulates, it transforms into an aura of hostility. This aura of hostility is excellent cultivation material for some cultivators. After an aura of hostility accumulates on a person for a very long time, it transforms into killing intent, and this person’s killing intent can be considered terrifying. He doesn’t use any techniques. Just based on the killing intent he usually emits, it’s enough to strike fear into people’s hearts. I don’t know if this person knows how to use his killing intent. If he does, then it could even affect Nascent Soul cultivators.”
Mai Guorong took a deep breath. He asked slowly, “Master, according to what you said, that person has not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage?”
Xu Li pondered for a moment. He nodded and said, “Although he’s not yet at the Nascent Soul stage, he’s very close. If my perception isn’t wrong, this person has already reached the peak of late-stage Core Formation. To avoid unnecessary trouble, don’t mention this matter to anyone else. Even after returning to the Hao Ran Sect, don’t tell anyone about this. Do you understand?”
Mai Guorong nodded quickly. Even if Xu Li hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have brought up the terrifying cultivator they had just encountered, as the impression he had left was too terrifying. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.
As for Wang Lin, after determining his location, he immediately flew forward while scanning the area with his divine sense. According to the map, the Heavenly Cloud Sect should be right ahead.
Wang Lin nodded silently. He was glad that the master and disciple hadn’t lied to him. After confirming his location, Wang Lin stopped. Since the Heavenly Cloud Sect was just ahead, he decided to find a place nearby for closed-door cultivation.
Wang Lin stopped on a mountainside about 7,000 to 8,000 kilometers from the Sky Cloud Sect. He looked around and showed a satisfied expression. Then, he patted his storage bag and a sword flew out. He threw the flying sword onto the side of the mountain.
Soon, a cave was carved into the cliffside. The cave was built according to Wang Lin’s wishes, with two chambers. After Wang Lin entered the cave, he pondered for a moment, then opened another chamber.
After all that, he left the cave. He patted his bag, and the prohibition flag emerged. He formed a seal with both hands and pointed at the flag. The flag began to flutter without any wind and quickly grew ten times larger.
Then, Wang Lin’s hands began to form numerous seals and emit numerous rays of light. The prohibition flag rapidly began to stretch indefinitely, forming a canopy that could cover the entire sky.
Wang Lin calmly shouted, “Scatter!”
With those words, the black canopy immediately began to tremble. Thousands of barriers fell from the flag and entered the mountains. Soon, all the barriers on the flag came out and covered the entire mountain range.
Wang Lin took a deep breath. He waved his hand, and the prohibition flag shrank and returned to his hand. He waved his right hand, and the prohibition flag pierced through the mountain.
From the outside, the cave disappears into the mountains and everything looks exactly as it did before.
Wang Lin pondered for a moment. His hands moved, creating several restrictions. He placed them in different locations on the mountain. Finally, after the restrictions formed a tight defensive formation, he relaxed.
His body moved forward. When his body touched the mountainside, it disappeared, and he entered a cave. Inside, he quickly touched his bag, and an object appeared in his hand.
This was the green dragon jade that Li Muwan had given him. Although it had some cracks on it, it didn’t affect its use. After Wang Lin looked at it for a while, he activated the spiritual technique on the jade. Suddenly, a roar came from the jade. A green dragon came out of it and circled around Wang Lin. The dragon grew larger as it circled around Wang Lin. It penetrated the cave walls as if nothing could block its path.
The green dragon roared and merged into the cave, forming another protective layer.
This cave can be said to be the safest place Wang Lin has ever created.
Wang Lin had spent a great deal of energy defending this cave. The reason was that, unless something truly unexpected happened, he would be staying here for a very long time.
Wang Lin stood in the cave and pondered for a very long time. He showed a determined expression and pointed his hand to his forehead. The demon Xu Liguo and the second demon came out from his forehead.
After the two demons appeared, each of them had a different reaction. The moment the second demon appeared, it immediately stared at Wang Lin with a gaze filled with devotion and admiration. Now, as long as Wang Lin ordered it, even if it was ordered to fight a Spirit Severing cultivator, it would do so without hesitation, even if death was certain.
As for Xu Liguo, when he appeared, he quietly looked around, but put on a respectful expression and a friendly smile in front of Wang Lin.
Wang Lin pointed to a stone room and said, “From today on, you two demons will live in that stone room. If you leave that room without my permission, you will be erased.”
Xu Liguo was stunned. Just as he was about to speak, the second devil didn’t hesitate at all and floated toward the stone room Wang Lin pointed to. Xu Liguo hesitated for a moment, but he quickly swallowed his words. If number two agreed so easily, then if he talked back and hesitated, it would mean he was defeated by number two, so he immediately entered the room as well.
After the two demons entered the room, Wang Lin released his Ji Realm and scanned the area. He left some of his divine sense behind before retracting it.
If the two demons didn’t listen and tried to leave the room, they would be attacked by the Ji Realm. Wang Lin had to be vigilant because the two demons were created by him. Normally, he wouldn’t be afraid of any changes, but what he was about to do couldn’t possibly have any accidents, so he trapped the two demons inside the room.
Afterward, Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then walked to the center of the room. He sat cross-legged and took a deep breath. He pointed to his brow, and a ball of rainbow-colored light floated out from his brow and became even more solid, revealing a heaven-defying gaze.
After staring at the disgusting beads for a moment, he waved his right hand and the beads floated to the side. Then, he took out several jade bottles and placed them on his left and right sides.
After that, he quietly closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Time passed so quickly, and a year had passed. In this past year, apart from collecting the liquid from the beads, Wang Lin had barely moved at all.
During his meditation over the past year, he compressed all his excess spiritual energy into three vortexes, and, within these three vortexes, there were red lines of divine retribution.
Within a year, Wang Lin had completely suppressed the red thread, but he didn’t dare relax at all. Although the red thread was small, it contained the power of divine retribution. If not handled properly, the result would be that his body would be destroyed by the thread. Even though his body had undergone one reconstruction, he didn’t want to use his body as a test.
Additionally, Wang Lin spent the rest of his time studying avatar techniques. This was his way of overcoming his inability to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Even now, Wang Lin still clearly remembered the cave on the mountain behind the War God Temple. He searched his memory to recall the avatar technique carved in that cave.
During that time, he spent a great deal of time studying the technique and learning its secrets. This technique was used to create another real body as a doppelganger.
Relying on the avatar to increase the cultivation speed, then, when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, save the avatar, merge back into the body, and increase the chance of breakthrough.
However, the avatar has a fatal weakness: it has no cultivation upon creation and its lifespan is only 30 years.
The reason Wang Lin hadn’t used this method back then was because he didn’t have enough pills for himself, so how could he have any for his avatar? But now, Wang Lin saw a method within this technique that would allow him to not only maintain his cultivation, but also reach the Nascent Soul stage.
The plan then was to use the avatar to reach the Nascent Soul stage within 30 years, then reunite it with this body, so that he could overcome the obstacles that prevented him from reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
This way, he wouldn’t need to destroy his cultivation to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, however, there was one difficult part in this plan, which was for his avatar to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in just 30 years.
With the help of the rebellious space, time can be extended. With six times the normal training time in the rebellious space, Wang Lin has 180 years for his avatar to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
But there is another very important issue, namely the pills!
This matter will be resolved at the Heavenly Cloud Sect! That’s why, after Wang Lin arrived and learned that the Heavenly Cloud Sect was nearby, he decided to undergo closed-door training here.
Wang Lin’s expression remained calm. Before him were three white bottles containing liquid collected from the disgusting celestial beads throughout the years. This liquid was the first gift he had given his avatar.
After a moment of contemplation, his eyes revealed a determined expression. His hands formed a seal and he followed the steps of the avatar technique to create his avatar.
This avatar technique isn’t particularly difficult if you can see through all the details, as it has nothing to do with talent or strength. Otherwise, Chen Chong, who had the worst talent in the War God Temple, wouldn’t be the only person besides its creator to have seen through the secrets of the avatar technique.