Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

by Fiery Moon

  He sheathed the saber and focused his attention on the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear currently still convulsing on the ground. With just a thought, one of the clouds beside the Azure Dragon became significantly thinner as a huge amount of Essence flowed to Xiao Chen’s left hand.

  With a flick of his finger he sent a stream of purple flames towards the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear, like an arrow-shaped flaming projectile. This move alone exhausted a large amount of Xiao Chen’s Essence in an instant. It streaked through the air and struck the body of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear.

  “Pu!”

  A deep red glow appeared on the body of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear. After a while, the entire body of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear was lit on fire, turning it into a purple, flaming bear. Within the blaze, the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear roared painfully.

  When Xiao Chen saw this scene from his vantage atop the tree branch, he actually shook his head in dissatisfaction. Although the Purple Thunder True Fire was tyrannical, when it encountered a cultivator or Spirit Beast of a higher grade who had some resistances against it, it was very difficult to break through the protective screen of Essence to injure the body.

  Once the Purple Thunder True Fire exhausted all of the energy supplied to it, it would naturally be extinguished. After that it was no longer a threat to anyone, just as it was now. Although the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear appeared to be in a terrible situation, it actually did not suffer any major damage. What was burning was actually the Essence on the surface of its body. It was not actually hurting its body though, or else it would have already turned into a pile of ashes.

  However, it was an unpleasant situation for the bear at the moment. Not only did it have to exhaust a large amount of Essence to suppress the strange purple fire, but the temperature of the fire was also unbearable.

  The purple flames burned for a whole minute before being extinguished. At this moment, the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear's fur was entirely burnt black. There was black smoke coming from its nose and mouth, and it now seemed like a piece of black charcoal, which made it look far less intimidating than it did before.

  Xiao Chen, who was waiting for the right moment, leaped down from the tree and brandished his saber to chop down at it. The Bloodmoon Demonic Bear roared angrily and smashed its paw towards Xiao Chen. There was a huge recoiling force coming from the blade of the saber. Xiao Chen took a gentle step back, avoiding being directly hit by that forceful blow during their brief exchange.

  The Bloodmoon Demonic Bear was in a frenzy, as it sent paw smash after paw smash at him. The amount of force behind each paw smash seemed to have increased by half, as opposed to earlier. Xiao Chen clearly understood that the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear could not maintain such a state for long. Once this streak of attacks, clearly made in reckless abandon, ended Xiao Chen would be able to slaughter it like cattle at his whim.

  Xiao Chen brandished his saber and continued to parry each incursion, but not clashing head-on with it. After a while, the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear started to show traces of fatigue. Xiao Chen had a strange smile on his face while he made the same hand motions as he did before when condensing the Purple Thunder True Fire, as though he was going to shoot it out again.

  The Bloodmoon Demonic Bear seemed to have an aghast expression. It stood firmly on the ground with its four limbs, and retreated a few steps. A protective screen of deep red Essence completely covered the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear without leaving any gaps.

  Looked like this beast was truly afraid of the Purple Thunder True Fire. Xiao Chen flung his empty hand around, smiling in his heart, This deep, red Essence shield should be the defensive technique that the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear used earlier.

  Seeing Xiao Chen’s mocking gaze, the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear was now thoroughly infuriated. Its eyes became even more demonic looking as it stomped the ground repeatedly in ire unmatched, producing a lot of loud, angry noises.

  Paper tiger, Xiao Chen looked at it with disdain, you are not worth playing with anymore.

  “Die! Divine Thunder Break!”

  As Xiao Chen shouted, his body gave off a resplendent electrical light. Lightning tore through the air, and like a sharp arrow piercing through a wooden board, the red protective screen of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear now had a massive hole.

  “Purple Thunder True Fire! Shoot!”

  The white cloud beside the Azure Dragon in his body turned transparent, indicating that he had used up one of the three clouds, which also meant Xiao Chen had exhausted one-third of his Essence.

  The strange and tyrannical purple flame went through the Essence opening in an instant, drilling a black hole into the body of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear. This purple fire was burning its body. The black hole quickly grew larger, eventually consuming its entire body.

  The Bloodmoon Demonic Bear continuously let out loud cries of misery. It ran around non-stop in an attempt to put out the flames. However, regardless of what it did, it was to no avail.

  After a while only a complete set of bones, comprised of its skeletal frame and a pile of ashes, was left on the ground.

  If the people who came to hunt Spirit Beasts saw this, they would definitely be cursing and swearing. The Bloodmoon Demonic Bear was considered the most profitable Spirit Beast in the outskirts of Seven Horn Mountain. Its paw, gall bladder, skin, and heart all had a rather high market value. If they were fortunate enough to obtain its Spirit Core, it was like striking the jackpot. It was rare to find someone who would completely burn and eviscerate a Bloodmoon Demonic Bear to this degree.

  Looking at the skeleton on the ground, Xiao Chen did not feel that it was a pity. He was not here to kill Spirit Beasts. If he needed money, he could just refine some pills. There was no need to waste time killing Spirit Beasts to collect their parts and viscera.

  Looking for a sturdy tree branch, Xiao Chen strung up the skeleton of the Bloodmoon Demonic Bear. This would serve as a warning to both cultivators and Spirit Beasts coming to look for trouble.

  After he tidied everything up, Xiao Chen took out a Fasting Pill and swallowed it. He circulated his energy to aid in the absorption of the medicinal contents before he took out the Essence Nurturing Pill and swallowed it as well.

  Sitting in a crossed-legged position, he began circulating the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation. Sinking down into his consciousness, Xiao Chen could clearly feel the medicinal effect of the Essence Nurturing Pill. The Spiritual Energy that had been absorbed into his body was now thrice as dense. This would boost Xiao Chen’s cultivating speed significantly.

  The Purple Thunder Divine Incantation was just a cultivating technique. It was different from the realms of martial cultivation. There was no bottleneck to breaking through to the next layer. Once one reached a certain level, one would naturally enter into the next layer. Furthermore, the first layer of the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation was just the foundation; even without the help of the Essence Nurturing Pill, he could break through to the second layer within the next three or four months.

  However, the time for the Promise of Ten Years was fast approaching and the amount of time Xiao Chen had left was limited. It was foolish to think he could defeat Zhang He by improving slowly.

  There was more than an entire realm of difference between a Medial Grade Martial Master and an Inferior Grade Martial Disciple. There was naturally a great difference between a Martial Master and Martial Disciple. Once one became a Martial Master, one could project their Essence into the atmosphere. The Essence stored in the body would be of much higher purity and quantity than what is available to a Martial Disciple.

  The most important thing was the proficiency one had in controlling one’s Martial Spirit. After advancing to this realm, the Martial Spirit could leave the body. One could freely control one’s Martial Spirit, just as Xiao Yulan did—using her Martial Spirit to leave her body and successfully slaying a Martial Grand Master.

  Even if there was some trickery involved... when a Martial Disciple goes up against a Mar
tial Grand Master, regardless of what said person does, they would never be able to kill a Martial Grand Master.

  Within the next four months’ time, regardless of how talented he was, he would not be able to breakthrough to Martial Master. Thus, for Xiao Chen to defeat Zhang He, he could only bank on the miraculous Purple Thunder Divine Incantation.

  Once the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation advanced to the second layer, there would be a qualitative leap in his abilities. He would acquire the most foundational sense of an Immortal Cultivator—Spiritual Sense. With Spiritual Sense, he would be capable of performing the mystical spells written down in the Compendium of Cultivation, and last but not least, he would be able to draw talismans, forge equipment, and even lay down formations.

  This was how Xiao Chen intended to surpass his realm as a Martial Disciple and defeat the Martial Master Zhang He!

  Chapter 31: Spiritual Sense Appears

  With the assistance of the Fasting Pill, Xiao Chen no longer needed to spend time or thought on covering his daily sustenance for the entire next month. He could immerse himself fully in his cultivation. As opposed to the other regular cultivators, he would save a significant amount of time. As the only caveat, it was difficult to describe in words just what sort of agonizing loneliness one would experience by throwing away all connections to mortality.

  Undergoing such bitter cultivation in complete seclusion was even drier and duller than incessantly refining medicine in his room. However, since the first day he had arrived here Xiao Chen understood that this was a world where the weak were ‘eaten’ by the strong. Only the strong deserved respect and glory.

  On the road of cultivation, there were no shortcuts. There was no such thing as profit without effort. Such things only happened in fiction. In this world, only by withstanding long periods of extreme loneliness, and putting in tons of hard work, could one become a true expert.

  Thus, Xiao Chen tirelessly cultivated day after day. Occasionally there were birds that flew by, or the crawling sound of bugs, but he simply paid them no mind. He was entirely focused on the mysterious act of cultivation.

  Xiao Chen kept his eyes shut for seven days before suddenly opening them wide, as a purple gleam flashed in both of his eyes. Xiao Chen got up to stretch his stiff body and took a deep breath. His entire body felt very comfortable.

  Seven days... seven whole days. With the assistance of the Essence Nurturing Pill, the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation finally overcame the threshold to the second layer. It almost seemed as though success was a guaranteed outcome for him, as there was nothing blocking his way to progress. His way was incredibly smooth and unhindered.

  With the pill’s miraculous effect and the dense Spiritual Energy of the surrounding area, it was not unusual that he managed to break into the second layer of the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation this swiftly.

  Now that the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation had reached the second layer, he would unlock Spiritual Sense. Xiao Chen was extremely excited. He hurriedly followed the method in the Compendium of Cultivation, trying to feel the Spiritual Sense in his sea of consciousness.

  After a short moment, a world he had never seen before unraveled itself in front of him. In that boundless space, a green sphere hung in the sky, emitting a faint luminescence. This was Xiao Chen’s Mental World.

  With just a thought, the mental space instantly turned into a luxurious palace. It was indeed the same as what was recorded in the Compendium of Cultivation. He was the master of this Mental World, so whatever he desired, he would be able to make.

  This Spiritual Sense was actually the will of the cultivator, which exists in one’s sea of consciousness. It was actually the same thing as the will a regular person had in their heart. The difference for a cultivator was that, after upgrading it to a certain threshold, it was capable of mobility, or even taking on a form. This palace in his mental space was the manifestation of Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense.

  The next step was to release the Spiritual Sense out of the body. With just a thought, the Spiritual Sense in his body began to surge out. In an instant, a projection of the world within a radius of roughly 500 meters around Xiao Chen began to take shape in his sea of consciousness. He could see every plant and beast as though he was looking at them with his own eyes.

  No, it was even better than seeing it with his own eyes. Xiao Chen could even feel the breath of these beasts, their pulse, the beating of their hearts…

  Suddenly, that green sphere in his mental space seemed as though it was not willing to be left alone and came out to join Xiao Chen’s Spiritual Sense. After it came out, it actually merged with his Spiritual Sense.

  After the Spiritual Sense and Spiritual Awareness merged together, the combined sense began rapidly scanning the surrounding plants. Soon, there were more things appearing in Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness.

  Once the herbs that were hidden amongst the weeds were discovered, information (like the medicinal properties and age) actually appeared in Xiao Chen’s sea of consciousness.

  He was surprised. After his Spiritual Sense merged with his Spiritual Awareness, they actually had the function of searching for herbs. Not far from Xiao Chen, there were a few extremely well-hidden herbs.

  Withdrawing his Spiritual Sense, Xiao Chen headed to the area he had just scanned. Indeed, there were a few stalks of white Wind Spirit Grass behind a bunch of weeds. Behind the Wind Spirit Grass, there was also a scarlet fruit.

  This Wind Spirit Grass seemed to have aged for roughly ten years, so its medicinal properties were excellent. As for the scarlet fruit behind that, it was the far more precious, and was evidently a recently matured Red Nascent Fruit.

  The Red Nascent Fruit was fire attributed. To cultivators who cultivated fire-attributed techniques, it was extremely helpful. In many high-grade pills this Red Nascent Fruit was also an important chief ingredient.

  Xiao Chen did not expect such a gain when he utilized his Spiritual Sense for the first time. After thinking about it, he realized that it was not strange for there to be some low-grade natural treasures in this vicinity. Amongst the areas around the outskirts of Seven Horn Mountain, this was the place with the densest Spiritual Energy.

  It was a pity that he came in such a hurry and did not bring anything for storing herbs. If he picked them impetuously and was not able to store them properly, then the value of the herb significantly decreased. He could only wait until he was about to go down the mountain before picking it.

  Recovering from the surprise, Xiao Chen started to recall some of the entry-level spells in the Compendium of Cultivation. As he was not able to build a foundation and condense a core, he could only cultivate mainly as a Martial Cultivator. Immortal techniques could only play a supporting role. Hence, he had to find some spells helpful for battles.

  There were numerous entry-level spells in the Compendium of Cultivation, many of which were useless in this world. Xiao Chen pondered for quite a long time before finally deciding which spells to practice.

  Gravity Spell, an entry level spell, granted the manipulation of gravity, and allowed one to float in the air for a short time. While it could not achieve the effects of flight, it was a pretty good choice when one’s cultivation realm was low.

  Xiao Chen placed this Gravity Spell on the top of his list. Aside from the above reason, the Gravity Spell was also upgradeable. When it was cultivated to the great perfection, it was possible to fly like the wind, traveling thousands of meters in an instant, and still only consuming an extremely small amount of Essence.

  After he made his decision, Xiao Chen began practicing. Circulating his Essence in the pattern, as described by the Compendium of Cultivation, a repelling force suddenly pulsed up and down his legs. His whole body felt weightless, as it slowly floated into the air.

  “Bang!”

  Xiao Chen, who had entered this state for the first time, was not mentally prepared. When he stopped circulating his Essence, he plumm
eted to the ground suddenly.

  “That was painful…” Xiao Chen smiled as he dusted himself off. Although he had made a mistake on his first attempt, he now had a general idea of how it worked. He should be able to grasp it after a few more tries. After all, it was just an entry-level spell.

  For the next few times, Xiao Chen carefully executed the spell before finally discovering the trick behind it. The principles behind the Gravity Spell were simple: it caused him to enter a weightless state, allowing him to float into the air. Once he was used to being in a weightless state, it was no longer that difficult.

  After he familiarized himself with it, Xiao Chen began flying from tree to tree, as though he was just having fun. Although this was not true flight, the feeling of being in the air and controlling his movement freely was new to him.

  This temporary flight gave rise to a thought in Xiao Chen’s heart. If one day his realm was high enough, how would it feel to fly like the wind and wander around the world?

  Following that, Xiao Chen started practicing three other spells—Heavenly Lightning Shield, Lightning Descend, and Lightning Evasion. In the short term, Xiao Chen did not intend to practice any other spells. He understood the principle of not biting off more than one could chew.

  These three spells were extremely practical, lighting-attributed spells. Heavenly Lightning Shield, as its name suggests, created a shield made of lightning to defend against attacks. Lightning Descend essentially summoned a bolt of lightning from the heavens to strike the target. Lightning Evasion was about using the force of lightning to rapidly leave the battleground.

  Originally, he wanted the Earthen Escape instead of the Lightning Evasion, because its effects were better. However, it was a pity that Xiao Chen cultivated the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation. It was much more difficult to execute an earth attributed spell. Thus, he made do with what he had.

  Spending the entire day on this, Xiao Chen practiced these spells quite diligently. The surrounding thick trees were excellent targets. Countless Lightning Descends were summoned, immediately splitting the trees in two. The non-stop rumbling continued all the way until the middle of the night before they stopped.