I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 75 - 74: Pollution, a Befouled Spirit, Sprouting Heart Demons, a Ruined Dao Foundation, Demonic Transformation

Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Pollution, a Befouled Spirit, Sprouting Heart Demons, a Ruined Dao Foundation, Demonic Transformation

And then...

Cao Feng’s splayed fingers suddenly clenched into a fist!

BOOM!

The stone lock, which was as tall as a man, was instantly crushed into countless fragments!

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing stared at the scene, dumbfounded!

"This is Primordial Qi."

Cao Feng said calmly, "It is the power transformed from absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism after achieving Mortal Transformation."

Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help but ask, "If Primordial Qi is so strong, why do we still need to cultivate Qi Blood Power? Isn’t that redundant? Why not just absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism and cultivate Primordial Qi directly?"

"What do you know!" Cao Feng chided lightly. "The five stages of Foundation Establishment... What does ’Foundation Establishment’ mean? It means laying a solid foundation for the subsequent absorption of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism!"

"Otherwise, with the strength of a human body, it wouldn’t be long before you’d be corrupted by the Spiritual Mechanism’s pollution and undergo Demonic Transformation!"

"Pollution!" The corner of Chu Fan’s eye twitched violently.

He had wanted to take this opportunity to ask Master Cao about "Pollution," but he never expected Master Cao to bring it up himself during their conversation!

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chu Fan asked, "Master Cao, I was reading a miscellany book called the Demon Record, and it mentioned ’Pollution.’ It said that Martial Artists could be polluted and undergo Demonic Transformation. What’s that all about?"

"Regarding ’Pollution,’ I actually don’t know much..." Cao Feng turned and walked toward the main hall.

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing immediately followed.

After they sat down inside, Cao Feng said, "Cultivating by absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism is, in itself, an act that goes against the heavens."

"Some say that pollution is the price of cultivation."

"Others say that the Cultivators of ancient times were not polluted when they absorbed the Spiritual Mechanism."

"And some even say that long ago, the moon was not blood-red like it is today..."

"What I can be sure of is this: merely absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism will not cause pollution. However, if you convert it into your own power, you will inevitably be polluted over time."

"In short, if you were to eat half a ’great medicine’ or a raw, several-hundred-year-old Lingzhi, there would be no danger of pollution."

"However, once you achieve Mortal Transformation and absorb these powers to form Primordial Qi, you will be polluted. It’s unavoidable!"

Zhao Tianxing stammered, "What happens... after you’re polluted?"

Cao Feng seemed reluctant to discuss the topic further, but seeing the look in Chu Fan’s and Zhao Tianxing’s eyes, he continued, "According to legend, pollution erodes a living being’s sanity, infinitely amplifying their selfish desires and negative emotions..."

"As long as one continues to absorb the Spiritual Mechanism, no one can resist the pollution."

"At that point, your spiritual altar will be covered in dust, Heart Demons will run rampant, your Dao foundation will be destroyed, and you will undergo Demonic Transformation..."

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing looked at each other and fell silent.

Zhao Tianxing’s mouth twitched. "So, you’re saying the end of cultivation is becoming a demon?"

"The stronger you become through cultivation, the more likely you are to undergo Demonic Transformation?"

Cao Feng opened his mouth, but it was a good while before he spoke. "When I was your age, I asked my master the same question."

"To this day, I still haven’t found the answer."

Chu Fan asked, "Have you ever seen anyone who was polluted and underwent Demonic Transformation?"

"Quite a few." The corner of Cao Feng’s eye jumped. "The first person I saw undergo Demonic Transformation was an enemy of mine."

"And his Demonic Transformation happened *after* I killed him!"

"After... after being killed, they can still undergo Demonic Transformation?" Zhao Tianxing sucked in a cold breath. "Isn’t that what a Deceitful Object is?"

Cao Feng’s pupils constricted slightly as he murmured, "I clearly ran him through the heart with my saber and watched him die with my own eyes. I never expected..."

"In the span of just ten breaths, the blood from the surrounding corpses turned into a bloody mist and was completely absorbed by him."

"That corpse actually got back up, becoming even more terrifying than before. It almost killed me!"

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing stared at each other in bewilderment.

It was one thing for a Cultivator to undergo Demonic Transformation...

But how could a corpse also become demonic?

Chu Fan asked, "Is there really no way to resist or delay this legendary pollution?"

"Perhaps there is a method, but I don’t know it." Cao Feng gave a bitter smile. "You two don’t need to panic too much. This business of pollution is probably only something legendary experts have to worry about."

"For someone who hasn’t even achieved Mortal Transformation to think about this is just needlessly worrying."

Chu Fan asked again, "What kinds of actions might cause pollution? Or accelerate it?"

"Cultivating too quickly?"

"Eating too many ’great medicines’?"

"The people from the Blood Saber Sect absorb Evil Qi to practice the Nine Blood Soul Blades. Are they more susceptible to pollution?"

"You’re asking about things beyond my knowledge." Cao Feng sounded a little helpless and exasperated. "But as far as I know, in all these years, the Blood Saber Sect hasn’t produced many people who underwent Demonic Transformation."

"Perhaps it’s because they’re too weak?"

Chu Fan fell silent.

’I’m very weak right now, too.’

’I haven’t even broken through the Blood Refining stage yet.’

’But I already have a point of Pollution Level.’

’Where did this Pollution Level even come from?’

’Is it because I’m cultivating too fast, or because I ate that half-piece of wild mountain ginseng from Tianxing?’

’Or is it because I’ve killed too many people in a short time?’

’Even the disciples of the Blood Saber Sect, who absorb Evil Qi every day for their cultivation, haven’t been polluted. So why have I...?’

’No, that’s not right. I can only see that one point of Pollution Level because I have the panel.’

’Who knows if the members of the Blood Saber Sect already have dozens of points of Pollution Level?’

’Maybe they just haven’t reached the critical point for Demonic Transformation, so no one has noticed they’re polluted!’

...

After Cao Feng left, Chu Fan sat down on a chair in his room.

He hadn’t found a satisfactory answer to his questions about "Pollution," but he had learned a few things.

Worrying about a single point of Pollution Level right now was just borrowing trouble.

’Since the Map of Mountains and Rivers has this category, there must be a method to solve it.’

Chu Fan took a deep breath, suppressed his chaotic thoughts, and began to absorb the information from the Refinement of the Bengyue Bow.

In a trance, he seemed to find himself in a Martial Arts Hall...

"First fist, then leg, then grappling. Once you master grappling, you may advance to weapons—for a weapon is but an extension of one’s hands and feet."

"But the bow and arrow are not just an extension of the limbs; they are the far reach of the mind and eyes!"

"Fists, legs, and grappling all rely on close-range leverage. Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds also need the limbs to drive them. Only the bow and arrow are founded on ’stillness’..."

"If the stance is not stable, the arrow’s flight will be unsteady."

"If the eyes are not focused, the bullseye will be hard to discern."

"If the heart is not clear, the arrow will not fly true."

A dignified old master was teaching a group of disciples the art of the Moon Eclipse Arrow.

Tianxing’s archery teacher, Chen Xuan, was just a boy then, sitting below the stage and looking up at his father with an expression of pure admiration.

Listening to the dignified master’s patient and methodical guidance, all distracting thoughts vanished from Chu Fan’s mind, and he became completely immersed.

After a long time, he finally emerged from that state.

The information from the Map of Mountains and Rivers’ Refinement wasn’t just memories.

It also contained a Cultivator’s years of experience and insights.

Within it lay many of the profound meanings of the Martial Dao that can only be understood implicitly and cannot be put into words!

Chu Fan suppressed the urge to go practice archery in the woods and took out the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber manual.

’My Literacy is about to Break its Limit...’

’Break the limit first, then practice archery!’

[Literacy Experience Points +1]

[Literacy Experience Points +1]

More than an hour later...

[Through this reading session, your Literacy has gained a total of 37 Experience Points]

[Your "Literacy" has reached the limit of Perfection. You can spend 10 Spiritual Essence to Break the Limit. Do you wish to proceed?]

With a thought, Chu Fan spent the 10 points of Spiritual Essence...

[Skill: Literacy (First Limit Break (1/2000)) (Traits: Generalize, Gradual Progress)]

[Generalize, Gradual Progress: With a clear mind and thoughts that flow like a spring, a celestial mechanism turns within your spiritual altar. You can see autumn in a single falling leaf and comprehend the Dao by surveying a hundred schools. When cultivating any skill, you can perceive its underlying structure and grasp its essence, allowing your rate of improvement to far surpass what it was before.]

"This... this has improved my cultivation Comprehension?!"