Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-464

Tang Jie didn't continue up the mountain, deciding to rest at the 200-meter terrace for the rest of the day.

His severed leg was still recovering. Tang Jie had already applied a healing spell to the wound. Though he wasn't skilled in this aspect and the effects of the spell were weak, with his cultivation and because the leg had been reattached almost immediately after being severed, it would take a day at most for it to completely heal.

Tang Jie used this time to familiarize himself with his new cultivation level.

Things went faster than he expected.

As Tang Jie had condensed his Sea of Cognition, he could now distinguish the attributes of spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy was originally attributeless, but it would gradually be affected by its environment and develop its own attributes, which would manifest in the spiritual current in different forms and colors. This was why spell arts would release various different flames of light when used.

He cultivated the Lesser Sea Grotto Metal Mantra, and in Nine Revolutions, he had focused on the heart, which was associated with Fire. As a result, his spiritual energy tended toward Metal and Fire while disfavoring Water and Wood, but it was the latter two which were the key to recovery. This was why, even though he had learned some healing spell arts, their effects were weak. In normal circumstances, Tang Jie wouldn't use them.

But after reaching Cognitive Creation, Tang Jie could identify spiritual energy, and his tendrils of Spirit Will could move around spiritual energy in a certain range around him. Tang Jie now discovered that if he gathered Water and Wood spiritual energy at the site of the wound, he would recover much faster.

Although he was still lacking compared to the disciples skilled in Water and Wood spiritual energy, it was still incredible progress.

The result was that Tang Jie ended up recovering after only one night.

When Zhao Hui and the others arrived and saw Tang Jie's condition, they all sighed in praise.

In truth, one could tell a person's potential from how they used Spirit Will. Tang Jie had just advanced and had only been recovering for a night, so it was clear that he possessed an extraordinary ability to control Spirit Will.

Zhao Hui bowed to Tang Jie. "Junior Brother, congratulations on your recovery."

Tang Jie smiled. "It is all thanks to the care and consideration of my seniors of the Agriculture Hall, giving me the best herbs. Tang Jie will remember your kindness."

Zhao Hui replied, "But in the end, it was all due to your…"

He was about to say a few more polite compliments when he froze and stared at Tang Jie in disbelief. His finger trembled as he stammered, "You…"

"What's wrong?" Tang Jie was puzzled.

Zhao Hui took in a deep breath, pointed at Tang Jie, and said, "You've grown a white hair."

This simple sentence sent waves through the crowd.

Their uproar reached all the way to the heavens.

Only Tang Jie was unmoved, a faint smile on his lips.

After a while, Zhao Hui shouted, "Enough! Hurry up and congratulate Junior Brother Tang!"

The chattering came to a stop.

All the disciples looked at Tang Jie and suddenly said in unison, "Junior Brother, congratulations for growing gray in the head early and entering the Three Withering Tribulations!"

The Three Withering Tribulations!

Yes, when a white hair grew on his head, it signified that the Three Withering Tribulations had come.

The Three Witherings were the withering of the body, the withering of energy, and the withering of blood.

This was an inevitable phenomenon that occurred when a cultivator reached greater attainment in Cognitive Creation. When the Three Withering Tribulations arrived, a Cognitive Creation cultivator could not avoid them. Their blood and energy would be lost and their strength would plunge. Thus, this was also a low point for Cognitive Creation cultivators.

This was so because when a cultivator completed Cognitive Creation and finished the refinement of the body, heart, and will, it was time to say farewell to the mortal body and convert into a spiritual body.

The Three Withering Tribulations were the death process of the mortal body.

Only when all the mortal parts of the body excluding the will died would the cultivator achieve true spirituality.

This was the true Mortal Shedding.

At that time, the spiritual body would truly be unkillable when it came to mortal methods, deathless no matter how many soldiers charged at them.

For this reason, the Three Withering Tribulations were actually a tribulation of fire from which a cultivator was reborn.

For every cultivator, the Three Withering Tribulations were something they both loved and hated.

The Three Withering Tribulations would cause their strength to plunge in both body and spirit, becoming even weaker than a Nine Revolutions cultivator. But the Three Withering Tribulations were a necessary process to shed their mortality. Without this nadir, they would never be able to shine in the future.

Thus, every cultivator would try to minimize the time they spent in the Three Witherings, and they would try to go out as little as possible while also searching for medicines that could nourish their body.

The Three Withering Tribulations were the process by which the mortal body died and the spiritual body was completed, so the better the external environment, the faster they passed, and the stronger the spiritual body that was forged. And for this, there was no better place than the Water Moon Paradise.

This was why Tang Jie had been so desperate to reach greater attainment. According to his original plan, he wanted to push through Cognitive Creation all the way to greater attainment, enter the Three Withering Tribulations, and then use the rest of his time to shed the mortal body and forge a spiritual body.

Yesterday, he had successfully achieved greater attainment but had not entered the Three Witherings, which was why he had said that it was all for nothing. But to his surprise, after only one day, he had entered the Three Witherings.

This was partially because he had been extremely close in the first place, and it was also because the Water Moon Paradise had abundant spiritual energy, greatly increasing the efficiency of cultivation.

This was why everyone was congratulating him, for this was the ideal time to enter the Three Witherings.

"Senior Brothers, thank you." Tang Jie brought his hands together and bowed.

Zhao Hui replied, "It is truly wonderful that Junior Brother was able to enter the Three Witherings within the Water Moon Paradise. But everything has its pros and cons. After the Three Witherings, Junior Brother will be weak in both body and spirit. Originally, after reaching greater attainment in Cognitive Creation, Junior Brother should have been able to easily reach the top of the mountain. But now that this has happened, it is no longer certain. It is hard to say if this is a blessing or a misfortune."

Tang Jie indifferently said, "This is nothing. I've just entered the Three Withering Tribulations, so my blood and energy have only just begun to weaken and are far from reaching their weakest state. Overall, I'm still much stronger than before."

"But you won't get any stronger," Zhao Hui said.

Yes, Tang Jie's greatest problem was that he had no means of getting stronger.

With Tang Jie's current level, if he couldn't reach the summit, he should have at least gotten to 600 or 700 meters. For the rest of the way, he could have kept cultivating, and the one hundred days left would be enough to make up for his shortcomings and get to the summit.

But now that he had entered the Three Witherings, while the drop in strength was limited because he had just entered, his path to increase his strength was now cut off. In his current situation, the higher his cultivation level became, the more his strength would fall.

Of course, if he got through the Three Withering Tribulations all at once, achieving the peak of Mortal Shedding and regaining all his strength, he would be able to easily reach the summit.

If the Jade Return Grass were still around, this wouldn't be a problem.

But now that all his herbs were used up, relying solely on the concentrated spiritual energy of the Water Moon Paradise to overcome the Three Withering Tribulations was nothing more than a dream.

"If that's the case, then I'll just try to get as high as I can first," Tang Jie coolly said. "As I ascend Water Moon Peak, I can observe the writings of my predecessors, pondering the arts of the ancients and comprehending the Daos of the world."

He began to walk up the mountain, his casual and light steps starkly contrasting the excruciating difficulty of before.

As Zhao Hui watched him make his way up the mountain, he muttered the words Tang Jie had just said, "'Observe the writings of my predecessors, pondering the arts of the ancients and comprehending the Daos of the world.'" Suddenly, he was enlightened, and he deeply bowed to Tang Jie. "Junior Brother, my utmost gratitude for your instruction. When we ascend the mountain, we must do everything in our power and then heed the will of the heavens. When it is time to fight, we should fight, but when it is time to let go, we should let go. Junior Brother is like a tiger when it is time to fight, willing to go to the end, but when it is time to let go, you are carefree and care nothing for success or failure. If you take advance and retreat in stride, there is nothing in the world that can stop Junior Brother's ascension!"

He bowed as deeply as he could to Tang Jie.

Only when one fought when it was time to fight could one strive on the Immortal path. And when one let go when it was time to let go, one heeded the will of the heavens.

This was the method of cultivation and handling things that Zhao Hui had comprehended from Tang Jie.

When Zhao Hui bowed, his body gave off a radiance comparable to the noon sun.

The Agriculture Hall disciples saw this and said in unison, "Senior Brother Zhao, congratulations for comprehending the Dao and for successfully cultivating the Noon Sun Heart Art!"

Zhao Hui laughed.

He had cultivated the Noon Sun Heart Art for many years, but he had been stuck at the final threshold for a long time. Unexpectedly, his enlightenment today had caused him to let go of his worries, which had allowed him to succeed in that divine art. His strength and cultivation had grown, and he was overjoyed.

On Water Moon Peak.

Tang Jie continued to make his way up the mountain.

This mountain of 888 meters had more than five thousand steps. Tang Jie didn't know which step he could get to, nor did he care.

Having already given up on reaching the summit, he slowly walked along with his hands behind his back like he was seeing the sights. And wherever he looked, he could see the beauty of this paradise.

In truth, if one were in the mood to look, one would find that the Water Moon Paradise had always been this beautiful.

The thick spiritual mists had had a transformative effect, creating a riot of colors on the earth, thousands of unique vistas. It was just that the people who came here were set on climbing the mountain, disregarding the scenery around them.

Tang Jie currently had a clear and empty mind.

As he walked around, stopping and going as he appreciated the sights, he soon reached the 400-meter terrace.

The Agriculture Hall disciples gave him a spirit plant, and he continued on his way.

Starting from here, he began to occasionally see writing on the mountain face. These were cultivation insights left by his predecessors. Of course, there were also a few that simply declared that so-and-so had been here.

However, there was no need to look at the insights of people who had only come up this far.

Tang Jie continued upward.

At 500 meters was the Terrace of Heroes. Once, this elevation had been a natural barrier for many, for those who had reached this place had improved by at least half a tier. However, for Tang Jie, this was nothing more than a casual stroll.

He was soon standing on the 500-meter Terrace of Heroes.

Unlike the other terraces, a giant stone wall had been erected on the Terrace of Heroes, smooth as a mirror. It was covered with words, left behind by the people lucky enough to get here. At a glance, it seemed like several hundred people had left their names here.

On one corner of this wall, Tang Jie saw Ming Yekong's name. He had written: "In the 142nd year of Tianshu, I entered the Water Moon Paradise and stepped onto the Terrace of Heroes. I was inspired by Honored Master Zhen Yan's words and comprehended the Bright Razor Sword. I have left my insights here to entertain those who come after."

What followed were dense rows of small characters that described his understanding of the Bright Razor Sword.

This Bright Razor Sword was that supreme sword intent he had left in the recommendation placard. Surprisingly, he had comprehended it here.

Tang Jie had seen this attack as it was being made and felt the supremacy of that sword intent, but he didn't understand its fundamental principles, so he had no means of using it. But these lines filled in this information gap, and he came to better understand the Bright Razor Sword.

Although he used a saber, making this specific art useless, the underlying principles were the same, and it would be very helpful when he comprehended the saber in the future.

After seeing Ming Yekong's insights, Tang Jie went to find that Honored Master Zhen Yan. Sure enough, this person was also a famous individual. The insight he had left behind concerned tempering and perfecting.

It was here that Tang Jie came to know that there were many different kinds of perfection. The one used by Honored Master Zhen Yan and Ming Yekong was only one of many. Among the countless insights carved into this smooth wall, there were many that concerned supreme intents.

Tang Jie was intoxicated, and he was able to find answers to many questions that had puzzled him.

At times, he was even able to find more than one answer.

This was an open platform, and those who came here could write anything they wanted, sometimes even arguing against each other.

For example, there was such an argument in the lower-left corner, and the ones arguing were famous individuals of the Basking Moon Sect.

First was Xiao Biehan, who wrote a piece on the Weapon Dao. He believed that weapons were also in the Dao, that they could be naturally produced by the heavens. As such, there had to be a true divine weapon in the world that could command all other weapons.

Someone then replied to him below.

"Junior Brother Biehan's beliefs somewhat differ from mine. The weapon has no mind of its own, its will depending on its owner, so how can there be a natural-born king of weapons… Li Xuanyue."

It was the Mystic Moon (Xuanyue) True Lord.

Several other cultivators replied, some supporting Xiao Biehan and others supporting Li Xuanyue.

In the end, Sect Master Ling Xiao ended the argument.

"The weapon kills according to the will of its master. If a weapon has a master, to find a king is difficult. Ultimately, life and death in the world depend on the will of humans… Ling Xiao."

These words ended this particular quarrel.

But there were still many different opinions about the Weapon Dao.

As he looked at the words on the wall, Tang Jie was suddenly inspired.

He took out the golden dagger and murmured, "A weapon… is born of nature."

There was no response from the golden dagger.

After some thought, Tang Jie shook his head, laughing as he put away the golden blade.

He continued to read the words left on the wall.

They covered all sorts of topics. Some were insights, some were discussions on the Dao, and others were specific arts.

Comprehending them wasn't enough. One also needed to test them.

Fortunately, Tang Jie had learned the Mind Parting Heart Anchor Art.

Similar to the Ninedark Mantra's Twelve Hidden Whirlpools, it was an art that allowed for the use of multiple spell arts at the same time. They were different in that the Twelve Hidden Whirlpools focused on the path energy took through the meridians, like someone building another road so that two spell arts could be used at once without them crashing into each other.

As for the Mind Parting Heart Anchor Art, it had inherited the Basking Moon Sect's strong emphasis on the mind, dividing the mind into parts. It allowed for two spell arts to be cast in parallel, but it required that these spell arts not be of conflicting nature. However, it wasn't as complicated and problematic as the Twelve Hidden Whirlpools.

These methods each had their own merits, and when Tang Jie used them together, he felt like their capabilities were limitless.

Tang Jie decided to stop at the Terrace of Heroes, spending every day reading the insights on the wall and comprehending the spell arts of his seniors.

On one end, he could read Liu Yumeng's discourse on raising souls, and on the other end, he could practice Zheng Qingyan's Everlasting Saber Dao.

He could also use Reverend Jing Yu's Twin Dragon Water Parting spell when sitting in meditation, and turn it into True Person Yuyang's Suspended Bright Mirror Art when reclining.

At times, he would loudly read out the words on the wall, using the Four-Nine True Words. When reading, he would also use the Chaoswind Step and circulate righteous energy through his body.

At times, he would crazily swing around the Heartbreak Saber. It was sometimes bitingly cold, sometimes sharp, sometimes slow and relaxed, and sometimes smooth and unhindered.

This was him infusing the insights regarding sword and saber intent from his hundreds of seniors into the saber.

There were far too many insights on this wall, and even with those two arts, Tang Jie found it very difficult to comprehend all of the insights, verify all the theories, and learn all the secret arts.

Thus, he had to pick and choose what he wanted to learn.

This made for swift progress.

Even so, Tang Jie still felt like his progress was extremely limited, as if something was stopping him from making a breakthrough and reaching an even higher level.

This higher level had nothing to do with his cultivation. It was related to his understanding of spell arts and the Dao.

It was perfection!

What he sought was an ultimate saber intent like Ming Yekong's sword intent. Compared to Ming Yekong's attack, all other spell arts appeared dim.

Alas, no matter how hard he worked, his saber could not unleash such a blow.

Today, he was studying away on the terrace as usual.

The Heartbreak Saber stirred the clouds, slicing open a window of blue in the sky.

In terms of power, it was much stronger than before Tang Jie had started climbing the mountain.

But it was still far from the ultimate saber intent that Tang Jie had imagined.

Tang Jie sheathed his saber and looked up at the sky. "Just what am I missing?"

"Perhaps you're lacking the resolve to go and never return," someone said from behind Tang Jie.

Author's Note: The limit of spiritual energy influence truly should be calculated by volume. I just used area as an explanation by example and had no intention of getting too caught up in the details. Of course, more fundamentally, it's because I'm bad at math, and I've completely forgotten the formula for calculating the volume of a sphere. I could only give a rough illustration using the radius.