Chapter 10: Attempting to Break Through

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The Baihui acupoint has just been impacted and is slightly loose, Yang Yun once again reverses the flow of his vital energy

Although Yang Yun has experienced a lifetime in his dreams and no longer values wealth and glory as he once did, passing the imperial examination remains his childhood dream and obsession, a fact that has not changed even with the memories from his dreams.

The lunar essence is nearing depletion, and Yang Yun estimates that the essence can only support the reversal two more times at most; after that, he will have to stop.

It has only been about a month since I began cultivating the Moonlight Scripture, and I am still a bit short of the necessary conditions to break through to the second level. Moreover, today is not a suitable time for such an endeavor

The moonlight essence alternated back and forth, surging through Yang Yun's meridians.

The True Water Technique cultivated in the previous life can be practiced wherever there is water, which is a far lesser restriction compared to the Moonlight Sutra. Yang Yun thought to himself, after all, there are very few places completely devoid of water. The True Water Technique can essentially be practiced anytime and anywhere. If one were to go out to sea, there would be abundant water spiritual energy at any moment.

How long does it need to be raised

Wait a moment—when I was trapped in the Flowing Fire Desert in my previous life, I might as well try the method to break through the realm of the Azure Water True Technique. Yang Yun felt a stir in his heart

If the lunar essence were to be released through the acupoints, it would be akin to dispersing one's energy. The vital energy that Yang Yun has painstakingly cultivated would be reduced by more than half, and at that point, he might not even be able to maintain the first level of the Lunar Essence Scripture.

Moonlight is actually a form of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This energy is very pure and can cultivate considerable supernatural abilities. Unfortunately, its drawback is that it is too unstable; it can only be cultivated at night, and the concentration of the energy changes with the phases of the moon.

After the moonlight essence reversed, the vital energy that was originally surging towards the Baihui acupoint immediately became chaotic. A portion of the vital energy began to turn back, while the rest started to scatter in all directions mhetushucom .com

Yang Yun used the Moonlight Spirit Eye to take a look and discovered that the interior of this sea pearl faintly emanated a trace of spiritual energy

What is the method for raising pearls? What should be done?

Fan Jun was overjoyed, "After decades of nurturing, it has transformed into a mother-of-pearl. My Fan family has gained a treasured heirloom! It is all thanks to Young Master Yang's insight; otherwise, I would have treated it as an ordinary sea pearl, and after playing with it for a few days, I might have sold it to someone else. That would have truly been a case of a bright pearl being cast into darkness"

However, as long as one can achieve success, the congratulatory gifts will surely be abundant, and by that time, Fan Jun's contribution will not be of much significance.

Yang Yun smiled, and Fan Jun truly lived up to his reputation in business, skillfully calculating with precision. With several months until autumn, by that time, he would surely have tested whether the method of raising pearls was effective.

Yang Yun patiently circulated the lunar essence, repeatedly cleansing the various acupoints in his head

The breakthrough of the Moonlight Scripture occurs best during the full moon, as it allows for the maximum assistance of the Moonlight Spiritual Energy. Yang Yun's successful cultivation of the first layer coinciding with the night of the full moon is not a coincidence

However, although Yang Yun obtained the memories of cultivation from his dreams, he lacked a layer of personal experience and did not have a master to guide him. Thus, he did not possess the heavy concerns typical of ordinary cultivators. Whether one calls it youthful exuberance or the audacity of a newborn calf, he acted on his thoughts without hesitation, even to the point of disregarding the consequences

Yang Yun hurriedly stabilized his true energy and reversed it once more

Today is a crescent moon, and the intensity of the moonlight is clearly not comparable to that of a full moon. This also represents a bottleneck in the cultivation of the Moonlight True Scripture

Just as the Baohui Acupoint was left empty by the thief, it was suddenly met with a wave of surging impact

Fan Jun smiled and said, "I dare not even think about becoming the mother of pearls. If I truly became the mother of pearls, selling my shop would probably not be enough to buy back this pearl."

Yang Yun took the sea pearl, which was quite large, resembling a small walnut. Within the pearl, a faint glow flowed subtly.

Yang Yun focused his mind and gradually regulated the scattered true energy. Since the Baihui acupoint had not been successfully refined, the scattered true energy had nowhere to go. Under Yang Yun's containment, it gradually merged into the reversing Moonlight True Energy.

Reversing one's vital energy is an exceedingly perilous endeavor; for an ordinary person to attempt this is akin to seeking death. It is similar to an individual practicing with a knife, who, unable to steady the handle, recklessly wields the blade.

Yang Yun carefully controlled the timing, as each shift of true energy was a severe test. A slight deviation in control could either lead to the true energy scattering and injuring the meridians, or result in the complete dissipation of energy. It was akin to dancing gracefully on a tightrope over an abyss; a single misstep could lead to shattering consequences.

It is merely a casual exploration from some light reading, and it is difficult to ascertain the level of certainty. However, if after a few months the ordinary sea pearls in the box become dull and lackluster, it would indicate that this method of pearl cultivation is feasible

After such a tumultuous experience, Yang Yun's Moonlight True Qi would revert back to the level just after breaking through the first layer

However, I wonder where you, Young Master Yang, learned this method of nurturing pearls? Do you have confidence in it?

Yang Yun closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to cultivate the Moonlight True Scripture

Yang Yun returned to his residence and saw the landlord, Fan Jun, playing with a sea pearl in his hand. Over the past ten days, Yang Yun and Fan Jun had gradually become familiar with each other. With the knowledge from his previous life and the assistance of the Moonlight Spirit Eye, Yang Yun was often able to identify some peculiar and rare items that Fan Jun, who ran a seafood shop, frequently had. Yang Yun's insights often left Fan Jun astonished.

With a slight sigh, Yang Yun realized that he had been a bit too hasty

Yang Yun is quite looking forward to Fan Jun's gift of books and illustrations. He is currently in a state of financial destitution, unable even to afford the fees for a school. With this gift, he will surely no longer worry about the expenses of traveling to the capital for the examination.

Moreover, as chaos is about to descend, in order to avoid the regret of being unable to protect his family in his dreams, Yang Yun must acquire power by the fastest means possible

The consequence of taking shortcuts and failing is that one must spend more time making up for it. Yang Yun was mentally prepared before attempting to break through.

The lunar essence is being flushed in reverse through those successfully refined acupoints, which resemble lakes storing a considerable amount of lunar essence. After being flushed, their foundations become unstable, and coupled with the insufficient concentration of lunar essence from the outside, they gradually exhibit a tendency to disperse outward.

It is quite simple: find a dark room, place the beads into a small box made of deep abyss wood. If deep abyss wood is unavailable, black locust wood will suffice. Fill the box with ordinary sea beads, and replace the beads once a year.

It is a remarkable item, likely taking around eight or nine hundred years to form. However, it is a pity that if it were to reach a full thousand years, it would be an invaluable mother-of-pearl, difficult to obtain.

If this attempt is unsuccessful, I can only spend an additional ten days or so to recover my vital energy, and then I will attempt to break through to the second level again on the fifteenth of next month thought Yang Yun with a hint of melancholy

What happened?" Fan Jun hurriedly asked

What?

Yang Yun only felt a heaviness in his head, as if the areas through which the vital energy flowed were being painfully cut back and forth by a red-hot saw.

Acting on impulse, Yang Yun moved to a corner where the moonlight could not reach, and then reversed the flow of the moonlight's true energy.

Although not explicitly stated, Yang Yun has a profound understanding of the method of nurturing pearls. The so-called mother pearl can no longer be considered an ordinary sea pearl; rather, it belongs to a category of spiritual objects. This sea pearl already possesses spiritual energy and can essentially be classified as a spiritual object, but it still lacks a bit of refinement. If it cannot continue to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth after the original body of the book is opened, it will eventually degrade into an ordinary piece of jewelry over time

Yang Yun placed the large and small pearls together and carefully observed them with the Moonlight Spirit Eye. He discovered that a trace of spiritual energy within the large pearl was faintly beginning to circulate, although the speed was exceptionally slow, moving only a distance equivalent to a grain of rice after a quarter of an hour

In the head's acupoints, Yang Yun has only one last acupoint, Baihui, left to successfully refine. Once it is opened, the second layer of the Moonlight True Scripture will be completed.

To succeed in the imperial examination, one must certainly succeed!

Yang Yunsong let out a sigh; the most dangerous step had already been crossed.

As time gradually passed, Yang Yun practiced for two hours, and a small light point swayed above the Baihui acupoint, refusing to merge into the top of his head.

Good—Cousin Yang, with your exceptional talent, I believe you will excel in this year's autumn examination. When the time comes, I will prepare a proper congratulatory gift for you

Time quietly passes, and Yang Yun can no longer remember how many times he has reversed the Moonlight True Qi

Before achieving a small level of cultivation and obtaining the power to transcend the mundane world, one should use worldly methods to gain strength, Yang Yun thought to himself

The silvery moonlight shone upon Yang Yun, and upon closer inspection, one could occasionally see tiny specks of light appearing in mid-air, only to be absorbed into the acupoints that Yang Yun had already opened. These small light points were the ethereal energy of the moonlight from the outside world, drawn in by the lunar true energy emanating from Yang Yun.

This Haizhu has separated from its original body, and originally had no chance of becoming a mother-of-pearl. However, it has now reached the threshold of transformation into mother-of-pearl and possesses a hint of spiritual energy, thus gaining an opportunity. Generally, ten years of nurturing is equivalent to one year; considering how much longer this pearl needs to mature, I estimate it will take at least thirty years at the earliest, and at most sixty to seventy years.

No matter how well it is controlled, the lunar essence within the meridians is inevitably being gradually consumed. At this moment, the true energy condensed in the acupoints automatically flows out to replenish it, but this will not last for long

If Yang Yun cultivates to the realm of Qi Emission, he will be able to infuse spiritual energy into the sea pearl, although this requires the compatibility of the cultivation method. Once he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, it will be much simpler; a Spirit Gathering Technique can catalyze this sea pearl into a mother pearl. If the opportunity arises, it would not be a bad idea to surprise Fan Jun at that time

The sea pearl collected by Fan Jun is certainly not a mother-of-pearl; otherwise, such a small shop would never be able to acquire it

Thank you, Uncle Fan, for your kind words

"Yang Xianzhi, come and help me take a look at this bead," Fan Jun called out.

The last time I practiced the Moonlight Scripture, I reduced the acupoints in this manner; this time, I will also reverse the true energy in the same way

After the meal, the servant came over to clear the dishes and left, leaving only Yang Yun alone in the room

Uncle Fan, bring me a few ordinary beads, freshly retrieved from the sea

After bidding farewell to Fan Jun, Yang Yun returned to his room, read for a while, and the servant promptly brought in dinner.

Fan Jun nodded slightly. He could still afford the ordinary small sea pearls, and if the method of nurturing the pearls proved ineffective, there would be no loss of these small sea pearls. However, if it were effective, then his descendants would be blessed in the future

Compared to decades of cultivation, passing the imperial examination is the fastest way to gain power. Whether it is to repay family or for self-preservation, I must achieve high marks in this year's autumn examination

Congratulations, Uncle Fan. Although this bead is not a mother-of-pearl, it should not be far from it in a few years. It can already be cultivated using the method for nurturing pearls, and in a few decades, it will become a true mother-of-pearl

Fan Jun was preparing while feeling puzzled. The legendary mother-of-pearl is said to emit a faint glow when near other sea pearls. Moreover, if a small sea pearl is placed on a jade plate with the mother-of-pearl, it will attract the small sea pearls to its side like a magnet.