The power of the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill was truly violent. Even with Jiang Chen guiding the martial force, it still generated a near-explosive impact within his body.
There was no denying it — the pain this impact inflicted on the human body was absolutely terrifying.
Even with the solid True Qi Realm foundation Jiang Chen had built, the assault had him drenched in cold sweat on his forehead.
It felt as though his internal organs were being shredded, then reconstructed, then shredded once more, and reconstructed again.
This cycle repeated over and over, five rampaging forces tearing through Jiang Chen's body in wild disarray.
Time passed day by day within this endless cycle.
As the days wore on, Jiang Chen grew increasingly accustomed to the pain from the impacts. Gradually, the five violent forces were tamed one by one, settling down inside his body until they finally calmed.
And within Jiang Chen's dantian, what had once been a hazy void now resembled a vast sea of stars stretching into endless space, giving off an ethereal quality.
Jiang Chen opened his inner sight and saw that the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill's remodeling of his body was already essentially complete. Within his dantian, the rudimentary form of a Spirit Sea had taken shape.
"Mm, this Spirit Sea seems quite resilient." Jiang Chen probed gently and discovered that the hazy gray Spirit Sea concealed a tremendous reservoir of power within.
He opened his eyes, barely able to believe it: "I never expected that breaking through to the Spirit Realm could be this smooth and easy?"
It truly was easier than Jiang Chen had imagined. Although the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill's impact had been formidable, it had only subjected him to a trial of pain — it hadn't brought any real danger whatsoever.
Most importantly, Jiang Chen had originally assumed the secluded cultivation would last a very long time, but from the moment he consumed the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill to the point where the Spirit Sea had taken its initial form, no more than seven days had passed.
"It seems… it took less time than I expected?"
Jiang Chen was very satisfied with the gains from this seclusion.
"Before I entered seclusion, I was still in the True Qi Realm. Seven days later, I am already a true Spirit Realm powerhouse."
Jiang Chen was different from other martial artists. For most cultivators, the process of True Qi Transforming into Spirit required a journey that ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
But Jiang Chen possessed memories from his previous life, and he had the aid of a heaven-defying pill like the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill. These two advantages meant he had absolutely no need — as so many martial artists did — to endure the grueling half-step Spirit Realm stage.
He was now a bona fide Spirit Realm powerhouse.
Though his Spirit Sea was only newly formed, it was no exaggeration to say that a Spirit Sea forged by the Five Dragons Open Heaven Pill, while perhaps not yet powerful in its current state, possessed absolutely first-rate potential.
"With my Spirit Sea formed, I'm now like a tiger with wings. Next, I need to advance my other abilities."
"The Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil, the Wind-listening Ear, and the Heart of Rock — these techniques have been steadily improving. Now that I've entered the Spirit Realm, I can naturally push them even further. And among the four great techniques, the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance could not be cultivated before reaching the Spirit Realm. Now, I can finally begin!"
What excited Jiang Chen most was that he could now cultivate the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance.
This was the most critical supporting technique for the Moon-Shattering Flying Knife.
The Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance effectively synthesized the profundities of the three preceding techniques, gathering the seven senses of the human body into one cohesive whole. When a single aperture opened, all seven would follow, forming a seven-aperture resonance that pursued the state of seven-aperture clarity.
Once mastered, it would undoubtedly be like a tiger with wings.
Most crucially, he would finally be able to cultivate the profound offensive techniques of the Moon-Shattering Flying Knife.
"So that's how it works — the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance uses spiritual energy within the body to stimulate the seven senses, forming a state of seven-aperture clarity. Truly a remarkable technique."
Jiang Chen began cultivating the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance and found it to be even more wondrous than he had imagined.
"The Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance elevates the five human senses to seven, and within those seven, a resonance is formed. In that case, even in raging fire, in the depths of the sea, or in the abysses of the earth, I could move as freely as walking on flat ground, without any hindrance whatsoever."
The Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance meant that any one of his apertures could be utilized freely, all controlled by a single thought.
Three days later, Jiang Chen took stock of his gains once more.
"Excellent. The Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and the Wind-listening Ear have both broken through repeatedly since reaching the Spirit Realm, and are now cultivated to the ninth level. The Heart of Rock has reached the fifth level as well. And the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance — in just three days, I've already knocked open the door to the second level!"
Jiang Chen was extremely satisfied with his progress.
"Very good gains. I'm now fully qualified to cultivate the Moon-Shattering Flying Knife's ultimate techniques. The ultimate moves require at minimum the Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and the Wind-listening Ear each at the seventh level, the Heart of Rock at the fifth level, and the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance at the second level."
"Right now, the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance has just barely met the threshold, but the other three have already exceeded the requirements. It's time to cultivate the Moon-Shattering Flying Knife's ultimate moves!"
Jiang Chen realized that although he had many offensive methods, he still lacked something when it came to a single killing blow.
The Moon-Shattering Flying Knife was exactly the answer to that pressing need.
"The Moon-Shattering Flying Knife's primary ultimate moves — Eagle Soar Stance, Tiger Pounce Stance!"