Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

He released his senses and was startled. The range of his perception widened, the image sharper, like using a telescope. Sitting in his cave, he could sense everything in the entire valley. Schools of silverfish swam in the pool, snatching and devouring insects that fell into the water. A date tree beneath the opposite cliff was laden with ripening dates, some white with a hint of rosy pink, others completely red. A tit was happily pecking at one. The underground river at the bottom of the pool was still pitch black, its depth unknown. The surrounding cliffs towered into the clouds, their tops still unreachable. Earthworms burrowed in the soil, some red, some black, a truly disgusting sight. These images flashed through his mind, as if they were right before his eyes. No, they were even clearer than before. Everything in the valley was under his control.

His perception could even penetrate water and stone. He could clearly sense the many sweet potatoes still in the cellar, some rotten, but most still intact. Liu Xing found this incredible, and was overwhelmed by this ability. This special ability was incredibly powerful. Whether he was gathering intelligence or avoiding danger, he would be invincible in his future travels.

He could not only sense the outside world but also see within. Whereas before, he could only feel the flow of energy along his meridians, he could now see his Dantian (Qi Sea) as if he had eyes to see his internal structure. He saw the spiritual energy within his Dantian like a white cloud, much larger than when he first began practicing. From now on, he could observe the flow of spiritual energy with his eyes, clearly identifying where it was flowing smoothly and where it was blocked, greatly improving his efficiency. With this intimate knowledge of his body, he could better control his organs, allowing him to practice any martial art with impeccable precision.

His body hadn't undergone any significant changes. After the breakthrough, some impurities had been expelled, and it was now dark and filthy. He would go take a good bath in the pond later. He channeled his internal energy and slashed at the torch, a gust of wind extinguishing the flames. He slashed at the stone pillar again, but aside from blowing away the dust, the stone pillar remained intact. This time, he'd learned his lesson and didn't strike the stone pillar with his bare palms, so he escaped injury. Liu Xing was immediately disappointed. This internal energy still hadn't increased his strength, and he still couldn't injure his enemy.

He stood up, walked out of the cave, and jumped down. Just as he was about to touch the ground, he performed the Plum Blossom Step and landed lightly, feeling his entire body become lighter. He dove directly into the pool and scrubbed himself clean, instantly feeling refreshed and comfortable. He began to dive again, holding his breath. At his current state, he estimated that he could go three days and three nights without breathing. He wondered if he could swim out through the underground river. He hovered at the mouth of the river for a few moments before returning to the surface. He still had to make some preparations before leaving.

He jumped out of the water, sat on a rock, and began to play his bamboo flute. The melodious sound was enchanting, and his musical skills surpassed any great master in his previous life. A tit, attracted by the flute, flew to his side. He held out his hand, and the tit fluttered around his fingertips. He activated his profound energy, and the tit fluttered desperately within his palm, but it couldn't escape. Suddenly panicked, it flapped its wings even harder. Liu Xing stared at the tit, feeling its movements slow tenfold. Every flap of its wings was clearly visible, as if time had stopped. After playing for a while, he stopped practicing, and the tit scurried away. The tit landed on a branch to rest, exhausted and frightened. It tilted its head, looking at Liu Xing in confusion. He hadn't touched it, so why couldn't it fly away?

Liu Xing used a flute instead of a sword to practice the Plum Blossom Sword Manual. Although he could no longer control the sword with internal energy to increase the lethality of the sword techniques, his sword skills had become more refined and his body movements were much faster. Many of the mantras that had previously puzzled him now suddenly became clear and understood; many movements that had previously felt awkward now made it easy for him to perform with the flexibility of his body. The sword was inspired by the heart, and there was no need to follow a set procedure to practice swordsmanship. Now he could do it at will. The sword was moved by the mind and could be used at will, making the sword moves more mysterious and unpredictable, always with unexpected attacks and ingenious changes. Combined with his now keen perception and the insight to slow down the enemy's movements tenfold, he should now be able to fight against the peak masters of the acquired realm.

After a comprehensive review of his overall abilities, he finally had the ability to protect himself in the martial arts world, which made him feel deeply satisfied. For more than a month, he continued to meditate and practice, consolidating the fourth level of his skills. At the same time, he dived into the underground river at the bottom of the pool many times to explore and test the approximate distance. He found that his perception was not affected at all in the dark. It was as if he was seeing things through his "heart" instead of his eyes. This discovery surprised him again. In addition, he meditated these days and sometimes entered a state of ecstasy, not waking up for five or six days, but he did not feel hungry at all. This was simply an unnatural phenomenon, and he was puzzled. In his understanding, people are made of iron and steel, and they will be hungry if they don't eat for a meal, but he didn't eat a drop of water for a week and was fine. It was really strange.

He looked inward, found nothing amiss, and dismissed it. Skipping a few meals didn't matter; it would save him more time for practice. Ever since discovering the Ice Water Art's many miraculous abilities, he'd become even more enamored with it, eagerly anticipating what surprises breaking through the sixth level would bring him.

He'd almost finished exploring the underground river, estimating it would take three or four days to swim out. This time, upon waking from his meditation, he planned to leave. He stood up, surveying the cave where he'd practiced for three years, silently reciting the techniques again, line by line, to ensure he'd gotten them right. With a single wave of his palm, he swept the dust and debris from the cave. Then, he exited the cave, leaped off the cliff, and kicked a stone pillar, causing the cave door to slowly close.

He looked again at the food storage cellar and the stone house he had just begun to build. He then walked to Old Man Hentian's grave, cleared the weeds from it, and bowed three times sincerely, silently expressing his gratitude. If it weren't for the cultivation technique Old Man Hentian had brought with him, he would likely have been trapped to death in this tiankeng.

He pulled out his last pair of pants, which he had been reluctant to wear, and put them on. The legs were noticeably too short, but he decided to just wear them for now and figure out how to change them once he got out. With his shirt off and the rest of his clothes already tattered, he jumped into the pool without hesitation, holding the bamboo flute in his left hand and the dagger in his right. He swam hard towards the underground river mouth at the bottom.