Chapter Twenty-Six: The Simplified Version, Part One

In just one month, he had entered the Foundation Establishment stage, and in less than two months, he was about to step into the second tier of Foundation Establishment. Such was the unreasonable nature of a normal Innate Chaos Body’s cultivation. If word of Wang Li’s cultivation speed got out, it would surely shock countless people.

The key point was that, aside from lacking combat experience, his rapid progress through the realms left no aftereffects—this was truly defying the heavens. He had always worried that advancing too quickly would leave his foundation unstable and create hidden dangers for future cultivation, but after this period of practice and repeated confirmation, none of his fears had materialized.

According to Master Sheng’s words: “The reason most cultivators suffer from unstable foundations is that their state of mind isn’t sufficient to control their power. The advantage of an Innate Chaos Body is that it is, by nature, an almost limitless energy reservoir. The strength you gain from cultivation is stored within, and you can draw upon it as needed.

However, this power isn’t drawn upon without limit. The Innate Chaos Body has its own safety valve that restricts the maximum output each time. Your cultivation level only allows you to call forth a corresponding amount of power, so you needn’t worry about your mind being unable to withstand the impact of your strength.

In other words, you don’t need to fear going astray during cultivation; only when you face the Immortal Ascension Tribulation must you consider the threat of inner demons.”

“Is the Innate Chaos Body truly so formidable?” Wang Li was a little excited.

The greatest challenge in a cultivator’s life is the myriad tribulations, but more terrifying than those is the tribulation of inner demons. Strictly speaking, the inner demon tribulation is not a heavenly tribulation; it arises from within the cultivator, triggered when their Dao heart develops a flaw.

Most heavenly tribulations can be resisted directly or survived with the help of spiritual tools or formations. For instance, the tribulation arrays of major sects can increase a cultivator’s odds of survival. Unlike heavenly tribulations, the inner demon tribulation has nothing to do with one’s cultivation level—a cultivator at the Qi Refinement stage may trigger it for various reasons, and there is no external aid to help overcome it. No matter how high the realm—be it Earthly or True Immortal—even possessing a supreme treasure is useless. Only personal will can confront the inner demons.

Throughout history, far more cultivators have fallen to their inner demons than to heavenly tribulations.

To be unafraid of inner demons—how many cultivators have dreamed of such a thing!

And he had obtained it so easily. The thought thrilled Wang Li.

But Master Sheng poured cold water on him: “Don’t be too happy too soon. As the saying goes, justice may be delayed, but it is never denied.”

“Though the Innate Chaos Body spares you the torment of inner demons before reaching the Earth Immortal realm, the will of the world is fair. It will make up for it when you undergo the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. Other cultivators only have to withstand the nine-fold thunder tribulation, but you… Heh, you’ll face the nine-fold thunder tribulation, and the will of the world will even throw in a full set of inner demon tribulations. It’ll torment you until you wish you were dead!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Li’s excited heart pounded even harder.

He asked nervously, “Is there any way to avoid the inner demon tribulation?”

Master Sheng replied, “There is, but you must listen to me.”

“What should I do?” Wang Li asked.

“Do as I do—remain in seclusion until you’re invincible!” Master Sheng laughed. “You’re lucky, boy. You were born with a pure heart, and a pure heart naturally resists the invasion of inner demons. As long as you maintain your temperament and are not influenced by the outside world, when the time comes for your Immortal Ascension Tribulation, I will lend you a hand. Overcoming the inner demon tribulation will be a certainty!”

“So, boy, listen to me. Don’t go meddling in those messy affairs. I guarantee you’ll become a god, an ancestor—how about that?”

“There you go again, Master Sheng. You just won’t give up!” Wang Li thought to himself that the old man must have been waiting for him here all along.

Master Sheng either said nothing or always managed to steer the conversation back to the path of cautious cultivation. Wang Li truly disliked that sort of reclusive cultivation.

Eliminating evil and upholding justice is the righteous path for cultivators. What’s the point of hiding away in the sect?

“What do you mean by ‘cautious’ cultivation? Boy, the power of the cautious path cannot be dismissed with a single word. I think I need to give you a proper lecture, lest you go around hot-blooded all the time!” Master Sheng was displeased by Wang Li’s use of “cautious” as a derogatory term, vowing to correct the young man’s prejudice.

Wang Li, exasperated, said, “Master Sheng, did you divine this too?”

“Of course. The Grand Celestial Star Divination—haven’t I told you? If I lack anything, it’s certainly not knowledge!” Master Sheng replied.

“That’s sophistry! You’re obviously peeking into my thoughts!” Wang Li retorted.

“I am not. Don’t slander me, or I’ll sue you for defamation!” Master Sheng replied.

This clash of perspectives was neither the first nor the last. In banter and cultivation, and in cultivation and banter, another two days passed.

Wang Li had fully stepped into the second tier of Foundation Establishment.

The moment he entered this tier, the meridians in his body expanded once more, generating more spiritual power. While further strengthening his physical body, the spiritual power accumulating within him grew steadily.

Wang Li didn’t know how much spiritual power other cultivators at the second tier of Foundation Establishment had, but he was certain his reserves were several times greater than what he had at the first tier.

Even so, he didn’t feel the fullness of spiritual power he’d known at the Qi Refinement stage. His body was like a bottomless pit, accepting all types of spiritual energy and, under the guidance of the upgraded “Purple Qi from the East” technique, converting it into various types of spiritual power. Yet, aside from fire spiritual power, the conversion of other types was rather meager.

“At this rate of absorption and conversion, who knows when I’ll accumulate enough spiritual power to reach the third tier of Foundation Establishment.”

After upgrading, Wang Li felt little joy and was even dissatisfied with his current speed of cultivation. After all, after experiencing the ascension of two major realms in a single month, this sudden slowdown inevitably left him with a sense of disappointment.

Master Sheng could clearly sense his thoughts and scolded, “Have you been letting my advice go in one ear and out the other?”

Wang Li asked, puzzled, “What advice?”

“I told you long ago to pay attention to the compatibility of your techniques. The Innate Chaos Body can absorb all kinds of spiritual energy on its own, but without the proper techniques, the speed is extremely slow. You’re currently focusing on fire techniques, so your reserves are mostly fire spiritual power. ‘Purple Qi from the East—Advanced’ is only a top-grade Yellow-tier technique; its conversion speed can’t keep up with your reserves. To speed up cultivation, you need to practice techniques of other attributes and run several at once to absorb and convert energy. Only with quantity can your realm rise quickly.”

“How can anyone cultivate techniques of multiple attributes at once? If they clash, the consequences could be dire.” Wang Li hadn’t forgotten Master Sheng’s advice—he just didn’t want to take the risk.

Master Sheng replied, “Just because others can’t doesn’t mean you can’t. You have the Innate Chaos Body—tough as nails. It’s just that your current realm is too low to fully exploit its advantages. Otherwise, running five top-tier Heaven-grade techniques at once, your cultivation speed would outpace even Golden Core sword flight!”

Despite Master Sheng’s repeated assurances that cultivating different attribute techniques simultaneously would not cause problems, Wang Li remained hesitant.

After much internal debate, he decided to give it a try.

However, instead of choosing from the five elements, he opted for a rare lightning technique from the cultivation world.

After all, lightning techniques wouldn’t clash with those of the five elements; it was best to play it safe.

Seeing Wang Li’s skepticism, Master Sheng wasn’t angry; in fact, he seemed pleased. “This is the cautious path—caution is the beginning! Good luck, boy, I’m rooting for you!”

Ignoring Master Sheng’s teasing, Wang Li threw himself into the library to search for suitable techniques.

Lightning techniques were known for their overwhelming offensive power, but their requirements for a cultivator’s aptitude were so perverse that few in the Heavenly Profound World practiced them. As a result, few complete techniques had survived—so few that even Pure Yang Temple, a top sect, had only a handful of incomplete manuscripts and one yellow-grade mid-tier lightning technique copy.

Just as he was preparing to patch together a few techniques to begin his practice, Granny Zheng and Liu Wanjin came to find him.

In the small courtyard belonging to Liu Wanjin, Wang Li listened to their conditions and requests and, for a moment, didn’t know how to respond.