Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 161 - 160: Opening the Spirit Aperture (Congratulations to the Night Alliance Leader for his Cramps!) _1

Chapter 161: Chapter 160: Opening the Spirit Aperture (Congratulations to the Night Alliance Leader for his Cramps!) _1

As for the Foundation Establishment war outside the city and the final whereabouts of the "Mysterious Water Essence," Fang Xi didn’t care one bit.

He devoted himself to seclusion, performing his daily meditation, cultivating the "Green Wood Longevity Skills," spending most of his time communicating with the Fragment World, learning its language and script.

That day.

After his routine cultivation, Fang Xi looked inward at his qi sea dantian, satisfied with the pool of emerald green Magic Power.

"With this rate of progress, by the age of eighty, I should be able to condense about forty drops of liquid Magic Power, giving me a chance to break through to the mid-phase of Foundation Establishment..."

But forty drops of liquid Magic Power was just the minimum standard, and the probability of breaking through to the mid-phase was small.

If the breakthrough failed, not only would it cause significant harm to his sinews and bones, but it would also deplete his Primordial Energy.

For caution’s sake, Fang Xi planned to refine his Magic Power further when the time came, waiting until the number of liquid Magic Power drops increased to the limit that his dantian could contain, which was about fifty drops. Then, he would try to break through with the aid of elixirs.

In this way, success would be almost guaranteed.

Each day after practicing his cultivation, Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness would enter the "Treasures of All Heavens," connecting to the Fragment World.

...

Fragment World.

By now, Fang Xi had largely learned the language used by the human race in this tribe.

A little more eavesdropping and he learned that these people called themselves the "Shaman Race," and their tribe was named "Black Mountain"!

The youth who had found him was named "Ba Ji," with a brother named "Ba Song," the one previously killed for his possessions.

Dependent solely on one another, Ba Ji and his brother were very close. Since losing his brother, he had suspected a culprit.

Moreover, he knew that there were two "Spirit-opening Stones" discovered by his brother, so he had been searching for them in secret.

Speaking of these "Spirit-opening Stones," one cannot help but mention the power system of these Shaman folks!

Atop the training field, there was a triangular skull the size of a house, which emitted an eerie and ancient aura.

A scar-faced strongman was training the youth in martial arts:

"Cultivation is all about ’opening Spirit Apertures’... The human body holds infinite treasures, but needs a key to unlock them, and this key is the ’Spirit Aperture’!"

"The more ’Spirit Apertures’ a person has, the more treasures they can unlock. The highest number is nine, but at least one must be opened to step through the door of cultivation and become a revered ’Shaman’!"

"Today is the ’Big Shaman’ presiding over the Spirit-opening Ceremony! Those among you who have ’Spirit-opening Stones,’ step forward!"

Ba Ji raised his hand quickly: "I have one!"

He and a few other youths stepped out, producing their ’Spirit-opening Stones.’

The strongman inspected them, nodding his head: "Good... Get yourselves ready, the Big Shaman is preparing the ritual materials. The ceremony will be held after a day’s time!"

"Yes!"

Ba Ji returned home happily, clenching his fists tightly: "Brother... I’m finally going to awaken my spirit and become a Shaman... Just wait, I’ll avenge... you."

The next moment, a towering figure came face to face with him.

Fang Xi recognized him as the youth who had killed for treasure last time.

His expression was cold, his body covered with many more black tattoos, and he emanated a strength far surpassing that of their last encounter.

’If he was once considered a mere Martial Artist, now, should he be regarded as an Immortal Cultivator with fluctuations of Magic Power?’

As Fang Xi was silently assessing, he saw the tattoos on the youth’s body flash.

Then, a surge of force came forth, sending Ba Ji flying through the air, blood spewing from his mouth.

"Green Wolf, what are you doing?"

Ba Ji clutched his chest, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and immediately shouted.

"Kid, don’t you know that in the tribe, one must bow and make way when they see a ’Shaman’? I’m teaching you the rules of respecting the strong!"

Green Wolf stroked his tattoos, grinning ferociously. Seeing others watching, he strode away.

In the tribe, it wasn’t suitable for him to kill on the streets.

However, inflicting a heavy blow on the opponent before the Spirit-opening Ceremony, enough to affect the spirit awakening outcome, was still within bearable limits.

’Quite a clever man...’ Fang Xi watched all this unfold, showing no intention of intervening.

Let alone the fact that he couldn’t move his body, even if he could, given Ba Ji’s previous actions of slicing him with a knife and roasting him over a fire, he wouldn’t have lifted a finger to help.

Even so, he was rather looking forward to seeing a new ’mirror holder’ after the youth’s death!

After all, a youth who seemed so naive and innocent might not survive and advance to higher realms.

Yes, he was such a heartless mirror!

...

"Awaken the spirit!"

"Awaken the spirit!"

Within the Black Mountain Tribe, the Spirit-opening Ceremony was the most significant event.

A group of burly figures wearing animal skin gathered around the edge of a triangular, pitch-black altar, continuously cheering.

Atop the altar was a three-legged, two-eared bronze cauldron!

Within the cauldron appeared to be a fierce beast being boiled, emitting a rich scent of blood and qi.

Next to it, a stooped old man with white hair dressed in a black robe, his face adorned with a blue tattoo, kept stoking the fire beneath the cauldron.

’This person...’

As Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness swept by, the white-haired old man seemed to sense it and looked towards the crowd below.

Instantly, Fang Xi retracted his Divine Consciousness back into the Fragment World, not daring to show himself again.

"This person... could barely detect my Divine Consciousness... comparable to a cultivator at Foundation Establishment?"

"A mere small tribe holds such a strong person, this world seems quite promising indeed..."

...

"Spirit awakeners, take the stage!"

The elderly Big Shaman looked at the cauldron and spoke with a hoarse voice.

A group of youngsters, including Ba Ji, who clutched his chest in pain, approached the cauldron.

The Big Shaman glanced over them and, indifferent to Ba Ji’s condition, said in a deep voice, "Only those who open their Spirit Apertures can become shamans, inscribe Magic Marks on their bodies, command wind and rain, and capture lightning... You have all been preparing for this for many years and are already familiar with the process. Now, the first one, step forward!"

A short, stocky boy wearing a tiger skin took a step forward, lifted the cauldron with both hands, bellowed loudly, and lifted the entire cauldron, voraciously consuming the medicinal broth within.

The next moment, bursts of light appeared on his body, moving like meridians, striking and opening the Spirit Apertures within!

Hum!

It wasn’t long before a speck of light appeared on his chest.

Then the second, the third...

The cauldron seemed quite heavy, and toward the end, the boy could no longer support it and hastily put the cauldron down.

"Li, three Spirit Apertures opened, you may step down!"

The Big Shaman waved his hand, letting the delighted boy step back.

Next was a young girl.

Her cheeks retained some baby fat, and her eyes showed a wildness as she, too, shouted loudly, gripped the cauldron, and drank deeply from the broth of fierce beasts.

Alas, only a single light spot emerged on her chest.

And as time passed, her arms began to tremble and she could no longer hold the cauldron.

Just as the cauldron was about to fall and spill the broth, the Big Shaman casually motioned, and the cauldron suspended in mid-air: "Sang Ge... One Spirit Aperture opened, you may step down!"

The girl had a look of disappointment in her eyes, but she bowed and stepped back.

One by one, the youngsters stepped forward, most opening one or two ’Spirit Apertures’, and some, unable to open even one, were led down the stage with faces full of disappointment.

Finally...

Ba Ji took a deep breath, disregarding the injury on his chest, and stretched out his arms, grabbing the cauldron’s ears: "Lift!"

The huge bronze cauldron was lifted, and he poured the scalding broth into his mouth.

The next moment, he felt an intense pain in his chest bone, could no longer bear it, and the beast cauldron fell, caught steadily by the Big Shaman.

The Big Shaman looked at Ba Ji’s chest and shook his head.

At Ba Ji’s chest, a single Spirit Aperture flickered in and out of visibility, its light dim.

"Ba Ji, half an Aperture opened... What a pity."

The Big Shaman sighed. If the boy had not been injured, he would have had at least one Spirit Aperture.

Among the crowd, Green Wolf watched the scene, pleasure flashing across his face.

...

It wasn’t long before the Spirit Aperture-opened youths were brought before the Big Shaman.

"The shaman is the sacrifice of heaven and earth, the Mark is the worship of the Dao!"

The Big Shaman’s murky eyes swept over them, and upon seeing Ba Ji among them, he didn’t send anyone away, continuing the lesson.

After all, half a Spirit Aperture... that was still considered a Spirit Aperture.

"You have already opened your Spirit Apertures, and next, you will practice ’Battle Marks’, branding your bodies to become true ’shamans’!"

"As junior shamans, you can only study Magic Marks!"

"In the cave behind my dwelling, there are beast skin books, each Magic Mark on them is precious. Once you successfully draw Qi into your bodies, you will have three days to access them. You must concentrate and then choose the ’Magic Mark’ most suited for you..."

"Next, I will teach you how to sense heaven and earth and pursue the ’shaman’ cultivation..."

...

Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness turtled within the Fragment World, utterly fascinated: "This world... must also have some connection with the legendary Immortal Realm... Even though it is called ’shamanism’, the method of cultivation is still the ingestion and refinement of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi... The three thousand great Dao, all roads lead to Rome?"

Now he was even more certain that the Fragment World might also be one of the Everlasting Sand Worlds under the Immortal Realm.

Even the methods of cultivation seemed to share similarities!

...

Nighttime.

Inside the hut.

Ba Ji was diligently practicing the cultivation method imparted by the Big Shaman, using his own Spirit Aperture to absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy.

But the one Spirit Aperture in the middle of his chest, flickering in and out of sight, was a ’half Spirit Aperture’, much inferior to a regular Spirit Aperture.

After much struggle, he had yet to complete even the first step of drawing Qi into his body.

"What to do? No... I can’t give up, I must become a formal ’shaman’ to take my revenge on Green Wolf!"

Ba Ji clutched his chest, his face showing a trace of ferocity.

Suddenly, he saw... a glow emerging from the beast skin bag on his chest.

"What is this... the treasure I obtained before?"

Ba Ji pulled out the bronze mirror and saw ant-like witch texts emerging on the surface, a language he recognized.

"Cycle the Heaven’s revolutions, the Dao of utilization, a wondrous transformation without end..."

"The... Spirit-opening Script?!"

Ba Ji identified each word one by one, rubbing his eyes.

Displayed on the mirror, was a Magic Spell, and even a spell that could enhance the absorption speed of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy!

Without hesitating, since he had nothing more to lose, Ba Ji immediately sat cross-legged and started to attempt the technique...

Gradually, Ba Ji seemed to enter the state of ’forgetting both self and object’ as described in the scriptures, feeling strands of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy entering his body through his pores, circulating throughout his body...