17. Entering the Spring Realm

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Under the cover of night, the ghostly ship of the Netherworld grew even darker. The sky held neither the bright moon nor stars—only a dim, obscure gloom. Silence reigned, broken only by the occasional eerie whistle of the cold wind and the creaking of the ship as it sailed through a sea of blood.

“Splash, splash!”

Had they not witnessed the blood sea firsthand, they might have mistaken it for a beautiful deep blue ocean.

Each time they awoke from their dreams, only trembling and terror greeted them.

On the deck, they had erected several large wooden shelters to live in at night, afraid to venture elsewhere lest some accident occur. Staying together eased their fears somewhat.

Lin Fan stood by the prow’s wall, gazing at the heavy, oppressive clouds. His mood was as weighty as the sky itself. Back on Earth, he could rely on the Big Dipper and Southern Dipper stars to find directions, but here, not a single star was visible.

After standing a while longer, Lin Fan returned to the infirmary tent, where Qin Fen had already fallen asleep.

Lin Fan took out a drop of Golden Crow Blood. In the darkness, it emitted a faint glow. According to mythology, the sun was said to be a transformed Golden Crow.

After three days of preparation, Lin Fan decided today was the day to ingest the Golden Crow Blood.

Why ingest it? Simply because his strength was insufficient.

Though Lin Fan had embarked on the path of cultivation, he still couldn’t withstand bullets; a single gunshot could still be fatal.

“I scouted the eighth level today; Huang Qiushan must have found out—there’s no escaping what’s coming!”

Lin Fan opened the glass vial, tipped his head back, and poured the Golden Crow Blood into his mouth. The drop burned intensely, with a faint sweetness, like sipping morning dew or an elixir of jade nectar.

The heat was unbearable, forcing Lin Fan to swallow it quickly. But once swallowed, the burning intensified! From throat to esophagus, down to his stomach, the scorching pain forced him to clutch his abdomen, curling like a shrimp.

His skin flushed red, as if boiled in scalding water.

“Damn! This is too hot!”

Gritting his teeth, sweat poured down his body. At that moment, Lin Fan entertained the thought of jumping off the prow to cool off.

“Boom! Boom!”

This was not the worst pain. As the Golden Crow Blood’s heat began to decompose, an enormous, invisible energy surged from his ‘Mysterious Gateway’ and ‘Spirit Platform,’ crashing like a flood through his meridians and acupoints in his limbs.

Within his inner landscape, a crimson light ignited, illuminating his muscles, skin, and bones like glazed jade clouds, shimmering with divine radiance!

Every inch the Golden Crow Blood traveled felt like a thousand knives carving through him, the agony indescribable.

“Find a quiet, serene place; calm the mind and breathe deep and long. White clouds drift across the azure sky; gentle breezes brush the face. Cast away distractions; clear the heart. Only then does true peace reveal its meaning…”

Lin Fan chanted a method to calm the spirit. His voice echoed through the night—ethereal, elusive, like a mystical melody encircling the ears and weaving through the heart.

What had been violent and fierce within the Golden Crow Blood suddenly softened, as if its malevolence had been refined away, leaving only pure energy.

The pain lessened tenfold.

At the same time, the Jade Void breathing technique and six silver meridians began to activate, guiding the energy of the Golden Crow Blood.

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Lin Fan’s breathing became steady and methodical as he sat cross-legged, resembling an ancient monk entering deep meditation.

This breathing method was Lin Fan’s greatest secret, a cultivation technique left behind by the True Martial Mountain’s Demon-Slaying Heavenly Venerable. Back on Earth, Lin Fan had cultivated from childhood, his body vastly different from ordinary people—keen senses, literacy, and a step away from entering the Dao.

Three days ago, he had successfully entered the Way through martial prowess, opening a silver meridian. Now, he was about to take the next step.

“Crack!”

Lin Fan’s left palm suddenly felt as if pricked by a needle. The energy from the Golden Crow Blood seemed to find an outlet, converging entirely into his palm.

Sizzle!

Looking inward, Lin Fan saw a bright spring glowing at the Lao Gong acupoint. Clear water flowed from this source, and at that moment, Lin Fan felt utterly comfortable, as if bathing in a warm spring, his entire body enveloped in warmth.

“The Spring of Life! I’ve actually reached the Spring Opening stage!”

Lin Fan nearly exclaimed. The True Martial Mountain’s records stated the human body had seven Springs of Life, located at the Yong Quan, Lao Gong, Ling Tai, Xuan Guan, Dan Zhong, Shen Hui, and Gu Yu acupoints—known respectively as the ancestral points.

The Spring Opening stage, also called the Source Spring or Seven Springs stage, meant opening one spring could extend one’s lifespan to a hundred years...

On Earth, that was akin to becoming an immortal.

He hadn’t expected that ingesting the Golden Crow Blood would open a spring within him!

Lin Fan gazed at the Lao Gong spring, three inches in diameter, radiating vibrant life. His feelings were both excited and complex.

Just moments ago, the fiery torment had made him think he might explode and die, but at the critical moment, the breathing method and calming chant had saved him!

With one spring opened and six silver meridians awakened, he had taken his first true step forward.

“The energy of the Golden Crow Blood must not be wasted; I will continue cultivating!”

Lin Fan murmured to himself. Having only digested two-thirds of the Golden Crow Blood, the remainder could be used to strengthen his spring.

Bright sun!

“Lin Fan, you haven’t just sat there all night, have you?” Qin Fen rubbed his eyes. Since arriving here, he hadn’t slept well. When he did, nightmares haunted him.

“Mmm.”

Lin Fan opened his eyes to see Qin Fen curiously observing him.

Meditating through the night had been more effective than three nights of sleep. Lin Fan didn’t need rest and was in better spirits than the others—this was the divine fullness that banished sleepiness.

“Is this an internal cultivation technique? Can you teach me?”

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“Yes, but entering meditation at first is difficult. You must not be restless or impatient. It took me a whole month to grasp the basics.”

“That hard? Forget it, I’ll wait for an immortal to pat my head and grant me eternal life!”

Qin Fen smirked. He really couldn’t sit still for a full month.

Lin Fan said nothing. Even if the cultivation method was celestial, it required time. Patience was the fundamental virtue of cultivation.

With his wounds healed, Qi Lingshan no longer needed to feed him daily; he could collect his own food. To avoid suspicion, Lin Fan feigned weakness, pretending to have just recovered from a severe illness.

Due to food shortages, both the guard and research teams ate less and less—two meals a day, subsisting on thin rice porridge.

“Last night, something strange happened. Chu Yucheng went out to relieve himself and saw the ghostly soldiers passing by. He said there were many ghost banners, golden flags, gongs, and drums.”

“And ancient carriages with humanoid soldiers clad in armor…”

Zhuo Qirui seemed to be speaking deliberately.

“I heard about it too. After seeing the ghost soldiers, Chu Yucheng developed a high fever that wouldn’t subside and began babbling nonsense…”

Wang Xingbing nodded in agreement.

The others, upon hearing of the ghostly procession, only showed a slight change in expression before resuming their composure.

After spending so much time on the ship, hearing such eerie tales had become commonplace, and they were less frightened.

Everyone simply bowed their heads, drinking their porridge quietly.

After finishing his meal, Lin Fan brought another portion to Qin Fen, who was deeply grateful. Several times, the others had forgotten to bring food to the sick man.

“Lin Fan, from today on, you’re my brother!” Qin Fen said, gratefully accepting the food and taking big gulps.

That afternoon, Lin Fan left the infirmary alone and headed toward the Stele Forest. He intended to retrieve his belongings—the Pure Yang Sword!

Nine days ago, when Chen Cun Yuan had found him, he had secretly hidden the Pure Yang Sword beneath the most conspicuous red stele in the forest.

In recent days, Lin Fan had felt a vague unease, so he chose today to take the sword back.