Over the wilderness, a campfire burned.
After a brief reorganization, Wu Ming and the others immediately set off towards Tsukimi Mountain to rescue those in danger.
It was night now, and Autumn Mountain Kanbee and Toda Mitsumasa toasted rice balls over the fire and respectfully offered them to Wu Ming and Ito Kagahana.
“My Lord…”
Toda Mitsumasa presented the fragrant rice balls, along with miso paste and pickled radish, feeling a tinge of envy.
Even samurai could not enjoy such delicacies every day.
Kneeling respectfully, Autumn Mountain Kanbee maintained the etiquette of a subordinate warrior. Although they were all samurai, he was acutely aware that neither Wu Ming, a swordsman with the strength of dozens of men, nor Ito Kagahana, an onmyōji with strange magical arts, were figures he could rival. He thus displayed an attitude of utmost respect toward his superiors.
“Hmm… Keep the rice ball, but you can eat the rest yourself!”
Wu Ming looked at the black miso paste and the pickled radish, which Toda regarded as a delicacy, and inwardly sighed with disdain, waving his hand indifferently, “I’ll just have this!”
Even though he had cultivated to the level of a true cultivator capable of fasting for dozens of days, he still could not completely forgo sustenance.
But such dishes… better to forget about them.
As a meat-lover, Wu Ming, ignoring the surprised glances from the others while setting up camp, had shot down a bird and now roasted it over the fire, the fat sizzling as it dripped.
“Itadakimasu!”
After roasting the bird meat, he wrapped it in a rice ball and added a few wild vegetables, making a decent dinner.
This manner was somewhat flamboyant, typical of a “Kabukimono,” but Wu Ming didn’t care and devoured it all, secretly thinking, “I wouldn’t want to be an emperor in such a wretched place…”
Fortunately, he was neither a court noble nor a daimyō now, but merely a powerful ronin, so such behavior was not particularly shocking.
Autumn Mountain Kanbee and Toda Mitsumasa endured silently and turned their attention to Ito Kagahana.
Undeniably, this onmyōji exuded noble grace in every movement, fitting their inner image of a noble lord.
Unlike Wu Ming, who devoured like a glutton, Ito accepted only the rice ball, even declining the salted fish. Sitting upright, he covered his mouth with his sleeve and chewed slowly and delicately, displaying a refined elegance.
Wu Ming, however, looked at him with pity:
“From what I’ve seen, the profession of an onmyōji involves long-term association with spirits and demons, inevitably affecting one’s health through exposure to supernatural forces… and with such an unbalanced diet, it’s no wonder onmyōji are all frail and weak, no better than women, always sickly and needing to drink herbs daily… Why do they seem so similar to Western mages physically?”
After finishing the meal, it was time for discussion.
“At this pace, we should reach Tsukimi Mountain tomorrow. Share your thoughts!”
Wu Ming said gravely.
“Hai!”
Autumn Mountain Kanbee lowered his head deeply. “I am deeply sorry! The terrain of Tsukimi Mountain is rugged, and the local clan, the Ko-jima family, suffered fifty casualties the last time they responded to our lord’s call to fight the Tsuchigumo. They likely cannot offer significant support!”
“Even so, we can still call upon them to send two people, preferably hunters familiar with the terrain as guides. That should be manageable, right?”
“I believe the Ko-jima family will not refuse this request!” Toda Mitsumasa replied.
“Good!”
Wu Ming nodded and turned to Ito Kagahana. “What does the divination say?”
At this moment, Ito Kagahana had spread a white mat of woven reeds before him, placing a censer and a bowl of clear water on it.
Thin wisps of smoke rose from the censer, and ripples formed in the bowl of water.
Ito gazed into the water, seemingly seeing something different.
“The wind brings a message. Lady Kayako tells me… if we enter Tsukimi Mountain tomorrow, we will encounter the Tsuchigumo!”
Ito Kagahana said slowly.
“Excellent!”
Wu Ming frowned. He had indeed sensed the approach of a demon, perhaps a bound spirit?
But he did not need to reveal it now. “Everyone, rest well! Tomorrow we must make a concerted effort to rescue Lady Ko-hime!”
…
The night deepened.
Originally, Autumn Mountain Kanbee and Toda Mitsumasa had both vied to take turns on night watch, but Wu Ming had refused them all.
Red embers still glowed faintly in the campfire ashes.
Leaning against a tree, Wu Ming suddenly opened his eyes.
The surrounding wilderness was silent, occasionally interrupted by the chirping of insects, but a tremendous transformation was occurring within him.
Above his head, the golden-green aura, now significantly diminished, gathered rapidly, forming the image of a small, somewhat tattered dragon, which was quickly concentrated and purified, drawn into his inner energy.
Affected by this, the last trace of white energy within his inner energy finally vanished entirely, leaving a smooth, mirror-like red purity!
After consuming a large amount of dragon energy, his cultivation advanced rapidly, and he finally achieved the status of a true cultivator!
Boom!
Looking inward silently, he saw his spiritual sea suddenly illuminate with brilliant light, expanding rapidly, doubling in size.
The spiritual sea was the foundation of a Daoist’s magical power. Now, with its expansion, his strength had increased exponentially!
In the center, the Yellow Court Yin Talisman, resembling a dragon or snake, surrounded by swirling clouds and smoke, was completely stabilized and manifested, radiating mysterious light, firmly occupying the core position.
Around it, various talismans formed by the Five Thunder Spell, the Five Elements techniques, the Celestial Eye technique, and others revolved like stars surrounding the moon. The glowing talismans seemed to form a human figure.
This figure, composed entirely of talismanic characters and true script, wore a feathered robe and a starry crown, holding a whisk in hand, surrounded by flashes of Five Thunder, emitting a clear red glow. Its face bore a resemblance to Wu Ming, yet also carried features from his past life, with a calm expression, presenting a majestic and noble appearance like that of a deity.
“This is… the formation of the Yuan Shen!”
A realization dawned in Wu Ming’s heart, and immediately the figure dispersed, merging with the spiritual sea.
It was now clear that this was his true Yuan Shen. Although cultivators naturally formed a Yin Shen upon reaching a certain stage, it was heavily restricted.
Not only was it vulnerable to the trials of solar winds and sunlight during the day, but even at night, the Yin Shen’s excursions into the underworld would be affected by the surrounding energies, leading to its eventual dissipation or transformation over time.
But a true cultivator had no such concerns!
Although it might be an exaggeration to say it could manifest during the day, the Yuan Shen could travel a thousand miles at night and enter the underworld without fear of any disturbances!
Even if he were to undergo bodily dissolution and reincarnate, there was a slight chance his true spirit would remain unclouded, allowing him to cultivate again in his next life!
This was a great achievement, a rare blessing!
“Finally!”
A flash of red light passed through Wu Ming’s eyes, quickly vanishing, leaving them as calm and deep as an ancient well.
Previously, despite his efforts to conceal it, a sharpness lingered deep within his gaze, but now it was as profound as the sea, as smooth as jade, exuding an unfathomable aura.
“Red inner energy signifies a complete third-level body!”
Inner energy reflected one’s true power. Pure black was first level, pure white second, and pure red third.
“Moreover… as a Daoist cultivator of the Five Thunder techniques, my actual combat power should now reach the peak of the third level!”
Looking around the camp, despite his tremendous transformation, Autumn Mountain Kanbee and Toda Mitsumasa remained oblivious.
Even Ito Kagahana still maintained his meditative posture.
“Silent as the night, nourishing all things without a sound!”
Wu Ming softly recited in his heart, understanding that the power of a true cultivator was not only in spellcasting but in the precise control of every ounce of energy, with complete composure!
Without hesitation, the Tian Gong Ring glowed, and five green thunder pills appeared, which he swallowed in one go.
These were obtained from the Main Hall, greatly beneficial to the Five Thunder techniques. Previously, he needed to slowly absorb them, but now it was unnecessary.
Buzz!
A layer of electric light flickered within his spiritual sea, seemingly drawn by an invisible force, transforming into threads that were gently absorbed by the cloud-like thunder talisman.
Previously, after consuming a thunder-type demon core, Wu Ming still had lightning radiating from his body, but now it was completely silent, reflecting the cultivator’s ultimate control.
Boom!
After absorbing five thunder pills, the cloud-like thunder talisman in his spiritual sea expanded slightly, emitting a pale white glow, with red lightning flashing within.
“Earth Thunder level! Indeed, after becoming a true cultivator, with sufficient resources, reaching the Earth Thunder level is a natural progression!”
The Five Thunder Palm was divided into five layers: Heaven, Earth, Cloud, Water, and Constellation!
Water and Constellation Thunder were still martial paths, but reaching Cloud Thunder marked the transition from martial to Daoist, transforming into thunder magic!
The Earth Thunder level was said to rival true cultivators! The highest Heaven Thunder level was rumored to match a Celestial Master, but Wu Ming held little hope for that.
After all, even the founder seemed to have never fully achieved the Heaven Thunder level. The idea of acting as Heaven’s enforcer was merely a fantasy.
“With the dignity of a true cultivator and the Earth Thunder techniques, I can easily sweep away any opponent below the third level!”
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed with immense confidence.
He was no fool; a mere piece of land was not worth the risk.
But now, having become a true cultivator, it was different!
If he hadn’t sensed his impending breakthrough, he would never have accepted this mission.
“As I am now… I am likely no less than the previous leader of the onmyōji who sealed the Shuten-dōji, the great master of the Mikado family… and dealing with a weakened Shuten-dōji…”
A faint smile appeared on Wu Ming’s lips, but he sighed as he thought of the Suihou Pearl in his possession, nearly depleted of its dragon energy.
His rapid cultivation to the true cultivator level had come at the cost of the vast dragon energy within the Suihou Pearl.
Moreover, the pearl’s original stored fortune, despite multiple uses, would have been sufficient to support the rise of a potential dragon at the early Qianlong stage. For him, however, it barely pushed him to the level of a true cultivator.
This was the vast difference between inner and outer fortune, between celestial cultivation and mortal Daoist energy!
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