Chapter 264: Chapter 124: The Blood Saber Sect Takes the Blame Again; The Third Limit Break from Literacy, Pushing for Mortal Transformation

The Mud Ball Palace is connected to every joint in the body. The spiritual energy of the internal organs can follow this path of intimate connection, ascending to the Mud Ball Palace;

and the divine consciousness within the Mud Ball Palace can also travel this path downward to the organs and joints, forming a two-way channel that manifests its divine power.

Awakening the Brow Heart Platform is a step that relies primarily on Visualization...

While external aids can make the process twice as effective with half the effort, the foundation ultimately lies within oneself.

Chu Fan focused his mind, following the Technique described in the manual, and sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion.

He gently closed his eyes, pressed his tongue to his upper palate, and began to regulate his breathing—inhaling as if drawing in the pure dew of a mountaintop, exhaling as if expelling the turbid qi from his organs.

After three breaths, his mind gradually sank, settling into his lower Dantian—the Guan Yuan point, three inches below the navel, the very location of the Life Root where essence is stored.

At the start of his Visualization, the phantom of the Tree of Qi and Blood was hazy. Only a ball of crimson mist coiled around his Dantian, indistinct and intangible.

Following the Technique in the manual, Chu Fan quieted his mind and began his Visualization, imagining a great tree formed from condensed Qi and Blood within his lower Dantian.

At first, his mind was a storm of stray thoughts, making it difficult to concentrate.

Yet he remained calm and unhurried, slowly regulating his breathing and steadily sinking his focus deep into his Dantian.

As his Visualization continued, the Qi and Blood in his body began to converge on his Dantian. But instead of forming a tree, it tangled together into a chaotic knot.

Four hours passed. The candle had burned down by half. Suddenly, Chu Fan had a realization.

Recalling the phrase from the manual—"The Mud Ball Palace is the body’s celestial palace, governing every joint"—he raised his Divine Thought, focusing it on the Mud Ball Palace between his brows.

In that instant, his brow began to itch faintly, as if tiny ants were crawling across the bone.

He knew this was a sign that his Brow Heart Platform was on the verge of awakening, so he focused his concentration even more intently.

He visualized the crimson mist in his lower Dantian gradually condensing, transforming into a small sapling. Its roots sank deep into his Life Root, and its trunk stretched upward, seeking to connect with the Ren Meridian.

He could now faintly perceive the sparse Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism in the surrounding air!

Stranger still, over the past four hours, his perception seemed to have grown much stronger. He could "see" his own meridians and bones, along with the Qi and Blood flowing through them, more clearly than ever before.

The path of Visualization was incredibly mentally taxing. Every wisp of Qi and Blood condensing into a branch or leaf required precise control from his Divine Thought.

Initially, the sapling’s trunk and branches tended to dissipate. So, he followed the method from the manual: "Use seventy-two wisps of Qi and Blood as a frame, infusing them one by one into the tree’s body." He divided the Qi and Blood in his Dantian into seventy-two strands, winding them around the trunk like silken threads.

Only after repeating this process three times did the sapling stabilize. A faint crimson light even began to glow among its branches and leaves.

Another half an hour passed. Chu Fan suddenly felt a gentle breeze brush across his body—it wasn’t the night wind from the window, but the sparse Spiritual Mechanism of the world!

This Spiritual Mechanism was like a light smoke, cool to the touch. After circling his body three times, a small amount actually seeped through his skin and merged with the sapling in his Dantian.

A jolt of joy shot through him. He focused his Divine Thought again and attempted to use "Introspection." At first, he could only see the blurry, fog-like outlines of his meridians. But as the Spiritual Mechanism entered his body, the mist gradually cleared. He could now make out the fine branches of the Triple Burner meridian in his arm. The flow of Qi and Blood within was visible, like a clear stream flowing over pebbles.

According to the manual, for an ordinary person to reach the point of sensing the Spiritual Mechanism and gaining a first glimpse of their meridians through Visualization, it required several hours of arduous cultivation daily for several months.

Chu Fan had reached this state in just over four hours. The speed was simply divine!

But he still felt it was too slow...

He was desperate to achieve Mortal Transformation.

It wasn’t just for the leap in strength that came with it. Secret Skills like the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture and the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture could only be properly cultivated after achieving Mortal Transformation.

He could just barely cultivate the Ghost Shadow Illusionary Body Step to the Great Success Realm using his Qi Blood Power, but without the support of Primordial Qi, it was impossible to even begin practicing the Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture or the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture.

Moreover, without achieving Mortal Transformation, he couldn’t control Primordial Qi, which meant he couldn’t use the Spirit Soldier, the Demon-locking Chain.

The very first Realm of Mortal Transformation was the Spirit Awakening Realm.

The legendary Nine Martial Arts Realms, also known as the Nine Realms of Mortal Transformation, were said to be a Ninefold Celestial Palace, a Circulation Secret Treasure.

In the first Realm, the Spirit Awakening Realm, the Mud Ball Palace begins to awaken. The most crucial steps are awakening the Brow Heart Platform and then using seventy-two wisps of Qi and Blood as a frame to condense the Tree of Qi and Blood.

Chu Fan continued his Visualization for another four-plus hours, until the faint light of dawn appeared outside his window. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

This type of Visualization didn’t consume physical stamina, but it was incredibly draining on his mind.

He felt a dull ache in his brow, as if a massive weight was pressing down on his Brow Heart Platform.

But the night of arduous cultivation had yielded gratifying results—the meridians and bones he could "see" within his body were becoming ever clearer.

It was tangible progress. Like water dripping through stone, persistence would eventually yield great results.

Chu Fan retrieved a Small Jade Box from within his robes. When he opened it, a brilliant red Vermilion Fruit met his eyes, its skin shimmering with a dewy luster.

This was the Red Flame Vermilion Fruit, the gift Cyan Snake Xiaobai had given him in the Mist Marsh in exchange for his help finding her sister.

This Treasure Plant was different from the others he had obtained. The Treasure Plants from the Moon Worship Sect experts might have been more valuable on paper, but to the current Chu Fan, this Red Flame Vermilion Fruit was the most precious of all.

There was a simple reason for this...

Those other Treasure Plants were primarily for Yijing Marrow Opening and providing Spiritual Mechanism. This Vermilion Fruit, however, could nourish the spirit, helping a Cultivator awaken their Brow Heart Platform and shape the Tree of Qi and Blood.

For Cyan Snake Xiaobai, this fruit was no longer of any use;

but for Chu Fan, it was an absolute godsend!

With its help, he could save himself months of hard cultivation!

But it seemed too early to consume it now.

According to Xiaobai’s advice, it was best to wait until he could clearly see every single wisp of his Qi and Blood, as well as his meridians and bones, before eating the fruit.

At that point, he could first awaken his Brow Heart Platform, then condense the Tree of Qi and Blood within three days. Everything would simply fall into place.

Chu Fan suppressed the tremor of anticipation in his heart and closed the Jade Box.

Even with his Stunning Comprehension, reaching the Realm where he could clearly see every strand of Qi and Blood and every detail of his meridians and bones would likely still take three to five days.

He did a quick calculation. ’Take the Vermilion Fruit in five days, then spend another three days condensing the Tree of Qi and Blood... doesn’t that mean I can achieve Mortal Transformation in about nine days?’

A breakthrough at that speed would be much faster than clearing any of the five stages of Foundation Establishment!

But this was all thanks to his Stunning Comprehension and the Red Flame Vermilion Fruit.

Without either one, the process would likely take several more months of effort.

Still, Chu Fan couldn’t say for certain whether he could actually break through within nine days.