Chapter 51: A High-Stakes Gamble

He Yunxuan claimed this was an entirely new path, and Song Changsheng naturally held extremely high expectations for it.

After calming his mind and reading through the content, Song Changsheng was instantly shocked by He Yunxuan's frantic ideas, even doubting the authenticity of this technique at one point because it was simply too insane.

"Using the body as the eye, the dantian as the foundation, the acupoints as the flags, and the bones and meridians as the patterns—to transform oneself into a walking formation... is this truly achievable?"

Song Changsheng looked at the golden text within his sea of consciousness in disbelief, feeling that the person who proposed this method was a complete madman.

According to this technique, if even the slightest error occurred during cultivation, the lightest consequence would be the rupture of the dantian and sea of qi, resulting in the total loss of cultivation.

For a cultivator, losing one's cultivation was more painful than death.

Yet, setting aside the various risk factors, Song Changsheng had to admit that this technique was incredibly exquisite, far surpassing the family's formation inheritance and subtly hinting at the source of the Great Dao.

This was not a height that He Yunxuan, a mere third-grade low-rank formation master, could have reached; it must have incorporated the essential essence of the Formation Dao Academy.

Based on his understanding of the Dao of Formations, Song Changsheng was certain that this technique was feasible. Furthermore, once successful, it would surely leave a name for eternity, be passed down through generations, and be revered by formation masters throughout the world!

The reason was simple.

Formation masters rely on formations to defeat enemies many times their own strength, but the deployment of a formation requires a vast amount of preparation and time. In many situations, there is simply no opportunity to set one up, preventing formation masters from exerting their full strength.

If one practiced He Yunxuan's method, the situation would be different; the practitioner could deploy a field-like formation at any time.

The role this would play in actual combat would be immeasurable. A walking formation—the mere thought of it made one's scalp tingle.

However, this was, after all, a path never before conceived. No one knew what would be encountered in the process, nor how to resolve those encounters once they happened.

With no experience from predecessors to draw upon, one could only "cross the river by feeling the stones."

This was a massive gamble, a gamble where one wagered their own Dao and their very life!

If successful, being invincible among those of the same rank would not be an empty boast. If they failed...

"There is only death!" Song Changsheng's gaze instantly became resolute. On the long road to longevity, cultivators are like the sands of the Ganges, and geniuses are like the stars in the sky.

He was merely one of the most inconspicuous among them. In this small corner of Lingzhou, his talent might be considered top-tier, but placed within the entire Great Qi, or even the entire human cultivation world, his meager talent was not worth mentioning.

To contend with those peerless geniuses, Song Changsheng had to put in much more effort and seize every opportunity to make himself stronger.

When he was born, Song Xianming named him "Changsheng" (Longevity). This was not just a beautiful blessing for his future, but the earnest expectation of the entire Song clan.

They hoped that Song Changsheng would live up to his name, and one day ascend to those ten-thousand-foot peaks to look down upon all other mountains!

Song Changsheng had always taken "Longevity" as his goal for advancement. This was his great opportunity, where risk and opportunity coexisted. Once he chose to retreat, "Longevity" would no longer belong to him.

In his previous life's hometown, there was a saying: "When a man dies, his head faces the sky; if he lives, he lives for ten thousand years."

Death was nothing to fear; he was already someone who had died once. At worst, he would just do it again.

Cultivation is like rowing upstream; if you do not advance, you perish. He had to seize this opportunity!

"The higher the cultivation level, the harder this technique will be to practice. I must prepare early. Before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I must engrave my first formation."

Though he had made up his mind, he could not charge forward blindly.

Practicing this technique required many prerequisites; if these were not completed, he would certainly die a gruesome death.

"Most of the materials Senior He mentioned, I already have on me. I can exchange the remaining small portion from the family treasury. The only ones that require effort are the [Dragon Blood Orchid] and the [Heart-Protecting Pill].

While the [Dragon Blood Orchid] is rare and sought after, it can be seen every year. However, this [Heart-Protecting Pill] hasn't appeared on the market for over a decade. This is a bit troublesome."

As Song Changsheng calculated the materials he needed to prepare, his brows furrowed deeply. He thought for a long time but found no clue.

"Forget it, I'll ask Fellow Daoist Zhu another day. He has wide connections; perhaps he might have some clues." Song Changsheng sighed and decided to set the matter aside for now.

Not being afraid of death was one thing, but seeking death was another. The necessary preparations had to be made; if he failed in the end, he could only blame his own poor luck.

After exiting his sea of consciousness, Song Changsheng took out the jade slip recording the [Spirit-Transforming Qi Force]. This was his most valuable harvest besides the "Body-Engraved Formation" and the [Lu Wu Bell].

After practicing this secret technique, his combat power would surely reach a new level!

...

Song Changsheng returned to his methodical daily life. Aside from refining some magical tools, he spent his days practicing the [Spirit-Transforming Qi Force] and contemplating the inheritance left by He Yunxuan.

His daily schedule was exceptionally tight.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

During this period, Song Changsheng had achieved great personal improvement, and he had reached the entry level of the [Spirit-Transforming Qi Force].

The Earth Fire Sect had also been unusually quiet for a month, likely because the family's counterattack had consumed their energy, leaving them with no extra strength to worry about Song Changsheng.

This was naturally excellent news for Song Changsheng, but what puzzled him was that he had been unable to contact Zhu Yiqun during this time.

If he didn't trust the man's character, he would have suspected whether that fat bastard had run off with that batch of demonic tools...

As the morning sun rose and the clouds surged, Song Changsheng had just finished his morning cultivation and was preparing to contemplate the Dao Sutra when the communication jade plate at his waist suddenly began to vibrate.

Injecting a sliver of spiritual power, a long-lost voice came from within: "Changsheng, meet me at the usual place."

A hint of joy appeared on Song Changsheng's brow; that fat bastard had finally resurfaced.

After giving Song Luyuan a heads-up, he quickly rushed to the pavilion where he frequently met Zhu Yiqun.

Today, Zhu Yiqun was wearing a purple brocade robe, his pot-bellied appearance looking very much like a pampered landlord from the mortal world.

Upon seeing Song Changsheng, he immediately stepped forward and gave him an enthusiastic bear hug, which left Song Changsheng feeling a wave of revulsion, his skin crawling with goosebumps.

"What kind of stimulation did you receive this time? I'm not a young maiden; why are you hugging so tight? You don't have those kinds of fetishes, do you, kid?" Song Changsheng said with a look of disdain.

"Get lost! You're the one with those fetishes. I am a pure man," Zhu Yiqun hurriedly stepped aside, patting his chest.

"Whether you are or not, you know best. Where have you been all this time? I thought you had absconded with the funds."

At this, Zhu Yiqun's fat face immediately slumped, and he said, "It's a long story. You almost didn't see old Zhu again."

...

(End of Chapter)