Do you know what mythical life is?

"Um?"

Lu Ping'an woke up instantly, all sleepiness gone.

He was startled and immediately immersed himself in his sea of ​​consciousness, looking at the Nine Imperial Dao Book.

On the first page of the Nine Imperial Daoist Scripture, a line of text appeared.

[The Creation of Heaven and Earth]:

Above the Yunxi River, the moonlight gathers and is about to condense into a drop of Moon Essence Dew. Using the Moon Essence Dew can quickly enhance the strength of the Negative Map Heavenly Pillar Turtle.

"Moonlight Dew...a creation of heaven and earth!"

Lu Ping'an's expression brightened with joy.

He already knew the mysteries of the first two of the Nine Imperial Dao Books' abilities, and he thought he didn't know when the third ability would be triggered, but it came to him unexpectedly.

Thinking about all this, he had an idea and changed his perspective, coming to the side of the giant tortoise.

At this moment, the large turtle was quietly lying on a few smooth pebbles on the riverbed, with some algae attached to its shell, swaying gently with the current.

Suddenly, as Lu Ping'an adjusted to the dim underwater environment, the large turtle, which had been lying quietly, suddenly raised its head and looked in one direction.

A feeling and longing originating from the depths of its blood began to tug at its mind.

"Whoosh!"

Without Lu Ping'an's guidance, the giant tortoise pushed off the pebbles with its thick limbs, its massive body suddenly moving, breaking through the water flow, and swimming towards the direction from which the sensation came.

Its speed increased rapidly, and the surrounding water plants and riverbed scenery rushed past.

Before long, it arrived at the wide river bend near Xiawan Village.

At this moment, a spectacular sight is appearing above the water in the center of the river bend.

Looking up through the several-meter-deep river, one can see that the originally evenly distributed, cool moonlight in the night sky seems to be drawn by an invisible force, converging in strands towards the sky above the center of the river bend.

Countless imperceptible silver specks surged in from all directions, gradually coalescing into a hazy, misty silver halo.

At the center of the halo, a dazzling silver light is slowly rotating, compressing, and solidifying...

A crystal-clear drop of dew, its form imbued with the shimmering light of moonlight, is faintly visible, about to take shape and fall to earth.

At a certain moment, the spinning silver light suddenly shrank inward!

All the shimmering light, like rivers flowing into the sea, completely disappeared into the core.

A perfectly round, crystal-clear dewdrop, about the size of a thumb joint, appeared out of thin air.

It floats quietly a few feet above the water, exuding an extremely pure and refreshing aura and vibrant life.

"Tick-tock".

A soft sound, seemingly existing only in perception.

The drop of moonlight dew broke free from the shackles of the invisible force and fell straight down into the deep river below.

Just as it was about to touch the water's surface—

The giant tortoise that had been waiting below suddenly raised its head and opened its huge mouth.

"Gurgle."

With a soft sound, the Moon Essence Dew fell precisely into the turtle's mouth and disappeared instantly.

The giant tortoise's body jolted violently!

A strange energy, clear as water yet gentle as the moon, burst forth from its throat, transforming into countless cool and comfortable streams of air that swept across its limbs and bones, every inch of its shell, and every strand of its flesh.

At this moment, the ancient patterns on its carapace seemed to come alive, faintly glowing with an almost imperceptible dark luster.

The giant turtle's massive body slowly sank to the bottom of the river, eventually landing peacefully on a patch of soft sand and pebbles.

With its limbs outstretched and head slightly retracted, it assumed a sleeping posture in the deep water and slowly closed its eyes.

"Rumble rumble rumble!"

A faint, muffled thud emanated from its body, and its already enormous body, as large as a small millstone, began to slowly swell and expand.

Every now and then, its thick shell would make a soft "click" sound.

One after another, deep and ancient patterns quietly appeared on its carapace.

The night passed quietly in the dark depths of the river.

As the first rays of sunlight struggled to pierce through the several-meter-deep murky river water, faintly illuminating the riverbed, the spot where the giant tortoise lay was already occupied by an even larger and thicker black shadow.

Overnight, the diameter of the giant tortoise's shell grew to over two meters.

Like a black boulder that suddenly descended to the bottom of the river, it was steady, heavy, and exuded a sense of oppressive power that made one's heart tremble.

However, since the giant tortoise had not yet woken up, Lu Pingan did not want to try and see how much its strength had increased.

With a thought, Lu Ping'an stopped thinking about these things and looked at the Nine Imperial Dao Book.

Last night, as the giant tortoise swallowed the Moon Essence Dew, its strength increased, and it also received new bounty from all things.

【All things give back】:

The Heavenly Pillar Turtle swallowed the Moon Essence Dew, which in turn nourished 10 rays of life light, 10 rays of spiritual light, and 1 ray of enlightenment light.

[Light of Enlightenment]: Using the Light of Enlightenment, one can quickly comprehend and master various martial arts techniques.

"The light of enlightenment..."

Lu Pingan took a deep breath as he looked at the newly emerging feedback.

However, he suppressed his excitement and did not rush to cultivate.

Instead, he planned to wait until after breakfast, instruct Stone not to disturb him, and then try again.

……

Early in the morning, after a simple breakfast, Su Yongfu picked up the hoe from the corner of the wall and, as usual, took Su He up the mountain.

Only Lu Pingan and Su Shi remained in the courtyard.

"Stone, Brother Lu needs to practice his skills and might need some time. He can't be disturbed." Lu Ping'an squatted down, looking at the little guy. "Could you keep watch at the door for Brother Lu and make sure no one comes in?"

"No problem, I promise I won't let anyone in!"

Su Shi straightened his chest and answered confidently.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Lu Pingan rubbed his head and turned to walk towards the old locust tree.

He closed his eyes, and with a thought, he summoned that hazy and profound light of enlightenment.

It is different from the light of life and the light of spirit.

The light of enlightenment was like a naturally formed seed of Daoist essence; the moment it was touched, it burst open and merged into his entire mind.

In an instant, Lu Ping'an's consciousness seemed to be drawn into an extremely mysterious and clear state.

As soon as he thought about it, all the stumbling blocks and insights he had gained from practicing the Xuanwu Armor-Covering Technique yesterday came flooding back as clearly as a tide…

Without any deliberate guidance, his body began to move naturally.

With feet slightly apart, neither too far apart nor too far apart, back straight, arms loosely clasped, breathing becomes long and slow, in sync with the ground beneath one's feet.

In his mind, the visualized image was clearer and more vivid than ever before, as if it were no longer just a visualization, but had become a part of his mind.

The stance training is performed slowly, with the waist and hips rotating, the spine rising and falling, and the movements becoming smooth and powerful.

What required full concentration to maintain yesterday is now as natural as breathing.

Once, twice, three times...

He practiced standing meditation again and again. With each cycle, his understanding of the exercise deepened, and the harmony between his body and the exercise became closer.

hum!

Suddenly, his body sank slightly, his power surged, and there seemed to be an undercurrent flowing beneath his skin.

It is one of the six fighting techniques inherent in the Xuanwu Armor Covering Skill: Xuanwu Armor Covering Body.

Then he moved his body, his arms drawing circles, a gentle yet seemingly pulling and dissolving force, which was another of the six styles: Vortex Armor Removal.

Then came the third move, the fourth move...

He had practiced these six techniques yesterday, but he wasn't very proficient with them.

When he used it now, he was clearly much more skilled.

time flies.

Lu Ping'an practiced the stance training of the Xuanwu Armor-Covering Skill again and again, and practiced the six-form fighting method again and again.

He uses the visualization of the black tortoise as his spirit, the standing meditation breathing as his form, and the circulation of internal energy as his guide. By combining these three elements, he transforms scattered energy into whole energy and attempts to concentrate his strength into power!

"rumble……"

After an unknown amount of time, it seemed as if a low rumble of thunder was rolling within his body. The originally surging but scattered power began to be guided, gathered, and twisted little by little by an invisible force.

His spirit and will seemed to permeate his entire body, flowing along a clear path through his limbs and bones, connecting every muscle and tendon.

"Ha!"

Suddenly, Lu Ping'an exhaled and spoke, lowered his waist and sat on his horse, his right fist like a dragon emerging from the abyss, striking straight out!

"Snapped!"

A crisp, short, yet extremely penetrating bang suddenly exploded in the quiet courtyard!

The air in front of the fist seemed to be compressed and pierced by an invisible force in an instant, forming a small, visible air wave.

Like an invisible short arrow, it shot out.

Without veering off to the side, just inches away, a few drops of accumulated dust fell from the rough trunk of the old locust tree.

Condensing Strength Realm!

Become!

However, Lu Ping'an did not stop cultivating after breaking through his realm, nor did he withdraw his mind from that profound state of enlightenment.

The Condensing Strength Realm has three levels: Manifest Strength, Hidden Strength, and Transformation Strength, progressing step by step.

He successfully condensed his internal energy, and his punches produced a loud bang, penetrating several inches into the body; this was merely a superficial form of internal energy.

With a calm mind, Lu Ping'an, drawing upon the lingering light of enlightenment, once again immersed himself in cultivation.

Under the locust tree, his figure seemed to blend into the dappled shadows.

Sometimes, he would set up the Xuanwu Armored Stance, his breathing becoming long and deep, as if he were asleep, carefully experiencing, refining, compressing, and solidifying his internal strength.

At times, he would unfold his body and demonstrate the Xuanwu Six Forms fighting technique from beginning to end.

Armored in black, armor disarmed by vortexes, battered by turbulent currents, unmoved by the sea, leaning against a mountain, the Black Tortoise turns over...

They practiced each move and stance in turn.

He did not pursue speed and momentum, but carefully studied how force is generated, transmitted, exploded and converged in the muscles and bones.

Whenever he felt weak and exhausted, he would draw upon a ray of life and spiritual light to restore himself.

In this near-perfect state of cultivation, the concept of time becomes blurred.

The power within his body became increasingly tamed and refined through repeated manipulation, tempering, and application.

It's like a slightly loose hemp rope that's been repeatedly pounded and tightened, gradually transforming into a strong steel wire.

a moment.

He had just finished the opening move of a chaotic attack when, halfway through his punch, he suddenly felt something in his mind.

The internal energy no longer surged outwards, but suddenly contracted inwards, becoming extremely concentrated, and then split into several streams, gathering at the tip of the fist, concealed and not revealed.

He didn't deliberately exert force; he simply followed the concentrated power and gently extended his fist, striking the void a few inches away.

This punch was so fast that it left only a faint afterimage.

Strangely, such a swift strike, which should have produced a whistling wind, was completely silent.

Wherever his fist passed, there was neither a violent explosion of air being pushed apart nor a visible shockwave. It was as if his fist had been completely enveloped by the force and merged into the air.

"puff!"

A slight sound, like a bubble bursting.

Just inches away, a black ant that was struggling to climb up the folds of the old locust tree bark was suddenly and silently crushed.

The second level of the Condensing Strength Realm, Hidden Strength, is complete!

Only now did the lingering light of enlightenment that had enveloped his mind slowly recede like the tide.

Lu Pingan exhaled a long, deep breath, the breath lingering and condensing into a straight white streak in the air, shooting out more than a foot before dissipating.

He glanced at the sky; the sun was already high in the sky.

Not far away, Su Shi moved a small stool and sat up straight.

They stood guard at the door like little door gods.

"Stone, you've worked hard."

Lu Pingan walked over and rubbed his head.

Su Shi immediately stood up, his eyes lighting up: "Brother Lu, are you finished practicing?"

"Okay, I'm done practicing." Lu Ping'an nodded and said, "Brother Lu is going up the mountain to see if he can get some game. We'll have a special lunch. You stay home and wait for me, okay?"

"good!"

Su Shi nodded vigorously, his little face full of anticipation: "Brother Lu, are we having rabbit for lunch again? Like yesterday?"

"I'll try my best." Lu Ping'an was amused by his appearance and said gently, "If I encounter a silly rabbit, I'll definitely catch it for you."

He doesn't have his master's miraculous ability to make rabbits run into trees on their own, but he has now broken through to the Condensation Realm and become an Inner Force cultivator, so hunting wild game shouldn't be difficult for him.

After saying that, he gave Shi Tou a few more instructions, then walked out of the courtyard and headed towards the back mountain along the familiar dirt road.

The little guy stayed by his side all morning, so well-behaved and attentive. He should at least bring something back to reward him.

At this moment, the sun shines brightly, and birdsong fills the mountains and forests.