Mythical Cultivation

Night shrouds the vast swamp, casting a mysterious veil over it. Absolute silence reigns, broken only by the gentle rustling of waterweed in the breeze and the occasional croak of a frog or insect, adding a touch of tranquility and eeriness.

A cold moon hung in the sky, casting a cool glow that illuminated the surrounding scenery. But in the gloomy depths, endless darkness and the unknown still lay hidden. Dots of fireflies danced in the sky, like tiny stars, bringing a faint hint of life to the silent night.

The swamp was filled with a damp, decaying smell, leaving one feeling oppressive and uneasy. Vapor rose, forming hazy mists that obscured vision. The mud beneath one's feet was soft and slushy, requiring careful steps to avoid sinking into it.

In this environment, everything seems frozen, and time seems to stretch uncomfortably long. Absent the hustle and bustle of daytime, only the tranquility and depth unique to night can be found. Surrounded by this, one cannot help but feel awe for nature, while also realizing a deep sense of insignificance and vulnerability.

Wu Ming also took out the Blood Marrow Grass and began to practice, but after thinking about it, he decided to keep the Blood Marrow Grass and refine it into a pill for the best effect. He then took out the Marrow Cleansing Pill he had previously obtained from the Yin Foundation Building cultivator Leng Hai and took one pill to practice.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill was indeed a elixir specifically designed for cultivation by body cultivators. As the elixir dissolved within his body, his True Essence circulated, and Wu Ming felt only a slight increase in strength. Suppressing his joy, Wu Ming continued his cultivation, and before he knew it, over half an hour had passed.

After the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill wore off, Wu Ming didn't stop practicing. Instead, he took out the Qi-boosting Pill and continued. As a traditional Qi-refining cultivator, his focus naturally lay on his own cultivation, so he still prioritized Qi cultivation. Physical cultivation merely enhanced his own vitality, serving as a means of protecting the Dao. Of course, this shouldn't be put before the horse.

As for the many people saying that body-refining monks also exist in this world, how can they be said to be just a means of protecting the Dao? Indeed, since returning from another world, Wu Ming has read a lot of books in the Sutra Library. He is no longer the novice in cultivation like before, and he has learned a lot from books.

Thousands of years ago, body cultivators, like Qi cultivators, were the mainstream of this world. Over the past few thousand years, Qi cultivators have become increasingly prosperous, while body cultivators have gradually declined.

According to the book, within the Yunzhou region, among the dozen or so first-rate sects comparable in size to the Qingyun Sect, only two were body-cultivating sects: the Vajra Sect and the Demonic Element Sect, one righteous and one demonic. The remaining ten sects were all Qi-cultivating sects, demonstrating the decline of body-cultivating sects.

The book speculates that the difficulty of cultivation for some body-refining monks has been increasing because the number of natural treasures needed by them has been decreasing over the past thousands of years.

It's important to understand that achieving success in this world is incredibly difficult for cultivators, their path fraught with thorns and obstacles. Unlike other methods, the art of body refinement requires cultivators to personally endure pain and suffering unbearable for ordinary people, tempering their bodies and strengthening their muscles. The excruciating pain of each breakthrough is like purgatory, yet these hardships are also the path to strength.

Because of the difficulty of cultivation, physical training also reduces the body's internal functions. Furthermore, the lifespan of a physical cultivator in the early stages is not much increased. Before the Golden Core stage, the lifespan of a physical cultivator does not exceed 150 years. Only by reaching the Golden Core stage can one's lifespan be significantly increased.

Reaching the Golden Core stage before the age of 150 isn't something anyone can achieve, which is why the number of body cultivators has always been lower than that of Qi cultivators. Even thousands of years ago, when body cultivators and Qi cultivators were equally powerful, the number of body cultivators was still smaller than that of Qi cultivators. This is because after reaching the Golden Core stage, body cultivators possess extremely high combat power. A body cultivator at the same level could easily rival two Qi cultivators at the Golden Core stage.

Due to the reduction in resources for cultivation, the cultivation speed of body-refining cultivators has slowed down a lot, and it has become more difficult to reach the Golden Core stage before the age of 150. Therefore, the body-refining cultivators have gradually declined.

Getting to the point, Wu Ming had never considered practicing dual cultivation of body and Qi like the protagonists in some novels. That was simply a dead end. The lifespan of a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage was a maximum of 120 years, but most cultivators simply couldn't reach that age. Barring unexpected circumstances, most would die in their 90s or early 100s, not to mention those who died prematurely.

A Qi Refining cultivator's prime years are around fifty, after which their physical functions begin to decline. Therefore, the probability of entering the Foundation Establishment stage is highest before fifty, if not a 100% chance, at least a 50% chance. Once over fifty, the likelihood of entering the Foundation Establishment stage decreases significantly, essentially to a one in a hundred chance.

Therefore, Wu Ming only regarded physical training as a means of protecting the Dao, which was also caused by the general environment. As the saying goes, the butt determines the head. If Wu Ming had entered the Vajra Sect or the Demonic Sect, he would certainly focus on physical training. Unfortunately, he entered the Qingyun Sect, which focuses on Qi training.

Although Wu Ming's talent was quite good, with a five-star physique, which was considered upper-middle-level, he could become a Foundation Establishment cultivator before the age of forty if nothing unexpected happened. Even if he practiced hard, there was still a certain chance that he could become the lofty Golden Core Patriarch, but this was only a certain chance.

If Wu Ming worked for three days and rested for two days, then all this would be empty talk. He wouldn't even dare to guarantee becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone a Golden Core Patriarch. Everyone who understood probability would understand.

As time passed, Wu Ming immersed himself in his cultivation, seemingly oblivious to the outside world. By this time, the sky had been completely enveloped by darkness, pitch black, pitch black, and pitch black. Only the blazing bonfire ahead of him cast a bright glow, illuminating a considerable area around him.

However, beyond this luminous light lay endless darkness. That deep, oppressive blackness instilled a sense of dread. Furthermore, as the moisture in the air gradually condensed, a thin layer of mist began to form around them. This mist grew thicker, flowing slowly and enveloping the entire world, as if alive.

Wu Ming felt cut off from the world as he was trapped in this mist. His vision was severely restricted, and he could only see within a few meters. The occasional rustling of wind and the cries of unknown monsters added to the mysterious and terrifying atmosphere.

Wu Ming knew that tonight would not be smooth sailing, but he did not expect the accident to come so soon.