Chapter 8: The Goodness of the Heart, No Regrets Even in Death (Part 2)

In Ning Feng's eyes, there was a clarity, devoid of confusion, devoid of dullness, an unusual transparency that seemed numb, as if having seen through everything

This is a form of mental exhaustion

The first level of the heart method is the nine deaths

He falls down time and again, yet in an instant, he stands up again, as if nothing has happened, and continues his journey.

Ning Feng looked at the dry pond beside him, feeling somewhat troubled, "But... where did this golden water come from?"

Ning Feng suddenly realized, "Why is my mind so clear right now?"

He sprang up from the ground, moved around a bit, and felt invigorated, completely at ease, with a strong impulse to begin his training immediately

Ning Feng forgot the purpose of his journey, forgot the destination he was heading to, forgot the fatigue, and even forgot to look back, to stop, and to remember himself, all completely forgotten.

Ning Feng's hand passed directly through the Jinshui, feeling no sensation of contact whatsoever

In total, it took less than the time of a single breath, and the entire pool's golden water has drained, revealing the parched bottom of the pool

Go take a look

The golden light shimmers and gives the impression that it may overflow at any moment, spilling into the next pool.

This is a closed, self-contained world

The entire world is quiet, with fewer birdsong making the mountains even more serene. The elegance of cicadas buzzing makes the forest even quieter, and it excels in the pervasive sense of peace and security.

Ning Feng turned around and took a step backward.

I dare to swear by the heavens that just now, when I looked down the mountain, there was absolutely no such stone tablet here; otherwise, let the ancestral deity of the shrine smash it down on my head.

Now, that kind of fatigue has vanished without a trace, Ning Feng feels that he has never been this clear-headed and energetic before

There are paths in the mountains, winding paths lead to secluded places

Then let's just forget it

Falling in the desert, fainting in the Gobi, drowning in the great river, buried in the snow-capped mountains

Eh?

This is ... ...

In the realm of near-death experiences, I have not yet truly comprehended it, and I do not even possess the qualification to turn into stone

Is it not possible to touch it

This time is completely different from the moment just before awakening from the realm of souls

What is going on

Ning Feng pondered for a long time, stroking his chin as he spoke

Is this inside the Nine Orifices Stone

He is squatting down, reaching out for convenience, thinking of doing it and directly reaching down to try.

Ning Feng's mind was shaken violently, leaving it blank, with only fourteen dazzling characters shining brightly, suspended in mid-air

To want to become stone is probably not that easy...

Well, it seems that one pool must be full before it can supply water to the second pool. However, what is the use of this golden water

This is not self-comforting for Ning Feng; upon calming down and reflecting, he discovered something.

Call

Are you taking a shower

The first layer of the Nine Orifices Stone World remains unchanged, leaving one feeling utterly bored

Meanwhile, the scene of relentless journeying, without end, reemerged.

Ning Feng maintained a posture of stroking his chin, squatting by the pond, and curiously observing.

If water were golden, then that would count...

At the same time, the entire Nine Orifices Stone world was shaking violently, and the water level of the first pool of golden water was visibly decreasing.

"I will go out and conduct an experiment immediately. If it is always like this, then others will not be able to endure after cultivating for one hour. Wouldn't that mean I could cultivate for two, five, or even an entire day?"

Ning Feng entered the Soul Realm for merely one hour, yet within it, he truly experienced the passage of over ten years

Ning Feng suddenly stopped, and in front of him stood a stone tablet.

He exhaled a breath of foul air, hurriedly standing up as if fearing that sitting down again would lead him back into that state

Ning Fengxin felt a lingering fear, just a slight recollection of what had been experienced before, and even the gaze had changed, becoming frighteningly clear

After regaining consciousness, it was once again the matter of the Nine Orifices Stone. My mind was tightly wound, and as soon as I relaxed upon arriving at the side hall, my entire brain felt like mush

So frightening

This is truly interesting

Ning Feng strolls along the winding path, as if a baby is learning to walk in its mother's womb, an unparalleled sensation

Ning Feng scratched his head and turned around to see the first pool of the dried-up Jinshui.

Ning Feng was eagerly anticipating, with a hint of longing for what lay ahead, gazing at the mountain path in front, thinking about the step that he still could not take.

He rested his chin on his hand and sat down by the dry pond, lost in thought

Boom

Mind Method: Nine Deaths

Before me stands Chen Xiwei

Unknowingly, Ning Feng's palm slid down from the stone tablet and slowly fell to a seated position

... ...

Ning Feng had a moment of enlightenment, finally realizing what he had obtained: "This is a heart method!"

Could it be that it was generated out of thin air

This should be called the Nine Orifices Pool

This is brought about by the realm of nine deaths

In fact, it is not just him; among the thirty young men in the side hall, each one of them bears an unmistakable look of fatigue on their faces

This cannot be verified at the moment, Ning Feng pondered as he turned and headed downward

What?!

What comes after the nine deaths

At the moment of turning around, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, as the stone tablet that had appeared with two lines of golden characters vanished without a trace, leaving only the ancient giant rock standing there, exceptionally lonely

I am able to reach this place, to see this stone tablet, to enter the realm just now, is it due to that pool of water

Ning Feng stands at the foot of the mountain, beside a pond

Ning Feng let out a long breath, extended a hand, and caressed the stone tablet

Unconsciously, he stepped out in one stride

Ning Feng took a step forward and ascended the mountain

As the palm passed by, Ning Feng involuntarily squinted his eyes, and two lines of golden script emerged, causing his eyes to ache.

Just move forward, forward, and then forward again

It can be guessed that this suddenly emerged stele is undoubtedly of great importance

This is neither the realm of Qi cultivation, foundation establishment, golden elixir, primordial spirit, nor dharma manifestation, nor is it a specific technique; it is a state of mind cultivation, a method of mental cultivation.

The fourteen characters, "Even though my heart is inclined towards goodness, I would not regret it even if I were to die nine times," flew out from the stone tablet and struck Ning Feng's forehead, disappearing without a trace

As soon as he touched the ground, his mind was drawn away, plunging him into an incredibly bizarre situation

Whoosh

The pond beside him, connected one to another, ranged from the size of a well to the final one as large as a lake

Traversing deserts, crossing Gobi, fording rivers, climbing snow-capped mountains

What kind of mental discipline is this, turning a person into stone

After a long time, Ning Feng felt his pores open all over his body, and sweat instantly poured out, making him appear as if he had just been pulled out of the water, gasping for breath with his eyes wide open

Ning Feng shook his head, stood up, and gazed at the mountains ahead

Walking back to the side of the first pool, Ning Feng recalled the earlier scene, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, truly as if he were wiping away rainwater-like sweat.

The terrain of these nine ponds rises from low to high, with the lowest being the one beside me, resembling a puddle; the highest is at the mountain's peak, and when the water shimmers, it is comparable to the Heavenly Lake.

... ...

In the blink of an eye, the world has changed

At the moment he stood up, Ning Feng's vision blurred, as if he saw a winding path ascending, with patches of golden light rising above. Each piece of golden light contained a certain scenario, as if alive, calling out to him.

Ning Feng curiously sensed his own existence and looked up

There is still more to study

Now, only the puddle beside Ning Feng contains water

Just wait and see

There are still many things ahead, but they are not something I can obtain at the moment

In the end of the journey, that sense of numbness and the loss of all meaning feels as if one has turned to stone

Hmm, it seems that something is not right

He firmly remembered that feeling once again, ready to enter the realm of near death at any moment. Ning Feng relaxed, lying back on the ground with his hands resting behind his head

Endless in nature

Ning Feng, on the contrary, felt no sense of dissatisfaction; instead, he was quite intrigued and filled with fighting spirit

That force is intangible and formless, yet irresistible; in summary, it is a boundary that cannot be crossed.

He still remembers the previous state

This pool is filled with shimmering golden water, radiating the purest golden light. If one were to compare the brilliance of gold to this, Ning Feng's experiences over three generations would not have encountered gold of such high purity.

In addition to being based on the Nine Deaths Heart Realm, it is likely also related to this golden pool of water. By accumulating more water from the pool, one should be able to continue ascending

On the endless road of yellow sand, two lines of footprints stretch from one end to the other, continuing all the way to the horizon

Ning Feng recalled bathing in the lake of the Soul Realm, and at once felt a sense of tranquility and longing, his heart light and carefree, filled with a strong impulse to dive deeper.

I wonder what effect this layer of mental technique will have in assisting the cultivation of the martial arts practice

There are mountains, there is water, and there are winding paths leading to secluded places; apart from this, there is nothing else

Ning Feng trudged through the desert, leaving a footprint with each step

The shrine brought them to the side hall to rest, which was intended to allow them to take a brief respite and recover somewhat

Ning Feng began to understand somewhat

This is a great bargain

It is also what my heart deems good

Swipe swipe swipeーーー

As soon as Ning Feng's foot touched the ground, he was ruthlessly pushed out.

Uh!

Ning Feng's face showed a joyful expression; the only thing that could have caused this change from before to now is one.

Although one may die nine times, one still does not regret

If you want to rise further and gain more, you must replenish your resources anew

Ning Feng's body trembled imperceptibly, as if entering a realm of the soul to experience a replay, feeling as though something was being drawn out from the center of his brow and absorbed into the Nine Orifices Stone

At the moment this step is lifted, he is still in the Nine Orifices Stone World; at the moment this step is set down, he is already in the side hall

This is frightening

The stone tablet leans against an ancient, large rock, which is completely devoid of any inscriptions. It inexplicably exudes an immense sense of timeworn history, as if it quietly stands there, having seen through the flowing essence of endless years.

Ning Feng spoke to himself, not for any other reason, but simply to alleviate the tension in his heart

Hmm?

Ning Fengji's nature of being unable to forget grievances is unchangeable, and at this moment, he has begun to yearn for the utility of the state of nine deaths and one life.