ALL NOVEL Chapter 22: Getting on Track
At most, there was a slight increase in the liveliness of Ling Yi's mental energy, and his beliefs deepened even further, combining a dedication to cultivation and life with a humility to absorb external information. Now, he would think through things carefully instead of dismissing them without consideration.
Unfortunately, his foundation was still too shallow. The three realms of 'seeing oneself, seeing the world, seeing all beings' require sufficient experience and sufficiently powerful mental energy to transcend through 'emotional touch.' It's like an ordinary person from his previous life who, even when they suddenly comprehend a math problem, feels as if aided by divine insight—a delightful feeling—but reverts to their old state soon after.
Although Ling Yi's mental strength surpassed ordinary people and even some low-level spirit masters, he still hadn't reached the critical point of breakthrough. He could only store this insight and experience in his heart, awaiting the day he could transform and emerge as a magnificent butterfly.
In addition, through Zhang Lei's description of his own cultivation situation, Ling Yi identified a misunderstanding in his perception.
He had previously misconstrued his beyond-average mental energy as the standard for spirit masters of his age and level.
It's important to know, as analyzed by some prominent figures in certain forums of his previous life, that spirit master cultivation, unless it specifically involves a martial soul dealing with mental energy, generally first exposes spirit masters to the mental impact of ten-thousand-year spirit rings and the remnants of spirit beasts upon reaching the Spirit King level. It's only at the Spirit Saint level, when they can manifest the true form of their martial soul, that they first start utilizing their mental energy. True mastery over one's mental energy, in conjunction with the soul power elevating to level ninety, and the body strengthened by soul power, achieving a fusion of essence, energy, and spirit at the titled Douluo level, results in true transformation and convergence at the crest of all three!
As for the validity and reliability of these analyses, Ling Yi would only discover this once he entered the Martial Soul Academy. There, he could compare the fantasies of his two lives with reality by browsing the academy's library.
For Ling Yi, at this moment, the breakthrough of his own perceptual barriers has made his mental energy more nimble. He has gained a deeper understanding of meditation techniques, feeling more confident in his future cultivation and the refinement of these methods.
"The challenging path appears as tough as iron, yet now we take the first step, starting anew!"
Murmuring to himself, Ling Yi calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and eased his breath. In an instant, he drifted into a deep sleep.
In his mind's eye, a crystal-like human figure appeared, much resembling Ling Yi himself. More than ninety percent of its form was vividly lifelike, though some minor details were still shrouded in a gray, hazy blur.
With each breath that Ling Yi took from the outside world, this crystal figure in his consciousness echoed the inhalation and exhalation, causing those gray spots to gradually become translucent.
It won't be long before this crystal figure becomes completely clear and transparent, like a perfect mirror.
As he delved into a deep slumber, Ling Yi's brain, heartbeat, blood circulation, and internal organs began to subtly adjust themselves, transforming into an indescribable state of harmony.
"Inhale—Exhale—"
Steadily breathing in and out, Ling Yi's chest rose and fell as the spiritual energy of the world flowed into his body silently. Not just through his mouth and nose, but from all over his body, tiny sparks of spiritual energy were slowly permeating and infiltrating him, albeit in quite minimal amounts.
Despite being invisible to the naked eye, under a microscopic view, these spiritual essences glimmered in a multitude of colors. As soon as they reached Ling Yi's slumbering form, they instinctively followed various pathways of differing lengths and widths.
During this circulation, there were twelve relatively wider pathways where these colorful spiritual lights journeyed. The white lights rested in the lungs, the red lights lingered in the heart, while the black, yellow, and green lights descended further, respectively reaching the kidneys, spleen, and liver.
With each hue integrating into its corresponding organ, a mysterious aura emerged, traversing twelve pathways along with eight even broader channels, and countless finer routes, nourishing every nook of Ling Yi's body.
An hour later, the sky outside the window began to blush with a soft red, delicate and charming.
Ling Yi's long, dark eyelashes fluttered slightly as he opened his eyes. His pupils were as clear as day, bright and alert, nothing like the usual dazed state of someone who had just awakened.
Ling Yi's eyelids were slightly lowered as he focused intently, his spiritual energy reflecting upon himself. Carefully sensing his condition, Ling Yi realized that not only had the spiritual energy he previously expended fully recovered, but the meridian on his right arm, the 'Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian', had also revitalized. It was now even more robust than before his training.
“Not bad,” Ling Yi murmured with a satisfied smile on his face.
The results were clear. The deep rest achieved through his body's self-induced sleep state had met his expectations perfectly.
Ling Yi understood the implications of this discovery.
From now on, whenever he reached a training threshold, he could enter a deep sleep to restore both his spirit and his meridians, significantly extending his training time each day.
Although Ling Yi didn't know how the geniuses who started as soul masters with innate full soul power trained in terms of soul power per unit time, he realized that if it merely came down to daily training hours, he could surpass them should he choose to.
After all, based on a 24-hour day, once essential activities like meals and bathroom breaks were accounted for, Ling Yi could alternate between an hour of training and an hour of deep sleep in a continuous cycle, allowing him to train for over ten hours a day!
For the prodigies born with innate full soul power, at the age of six, their bodies and meridians might not handle it, but the mental exhaustion, decrease in focus, and consumption of will alone would be enough to reduce their soul power training time significantly.
The process of cultivation is not the euphoric and blissful experience described in some web novels, where it might even substitute sleep. Instead, it's a dull and demanding task requiring constant caution and mental exertion. Ling Yi's personal experience confirmed this—it is undoubtedly the latter.
Perhaps, it's due to the differences in world systems. In some worlds, their cultivation systems might allow for a soothing and addictive practice. Unfortunately, in the Douluo Continent that Ling Yi resides in, the martial soul system is not like that.
Take, for example, Oscar from the original work, who, despite his innate full soul power, often felt disinclined to train and was prone to laziness. The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Rongrong, born with a ninth level innate soul power and showered with affection, required personal supervision despite her exceptional background and qualities. Xiao Wu, a transformed spirit beast with a century-long grudge against her mother's murderer, still skipped training frequently.
For those like Ling Yi and Zhang Lei, who emerged from humble backgrounds, even when they strived to chase through diligent practice, their limited aptitude and modest upbringing occasionally forced them to balance work and rest, giving both their bodies and wallets a needed break.
Of course, that is in reference to the common perception of grassroots on the Douluo Continent.
Ling Yi, however, has surpassed those constraints by exploiting his unique abilities.
Ling Yi, with his self-improvised cheats, not only activated a cultivation speed booster for himself but also managed to assist Zhang Lei, his companion, allowing both of them to stride forward boldly on the path of Martial Souls!
(End of Chapter)
