Chapter Five: Blessings Upon the Whole City

Within the Holy White Realm, Xu Chen’s incarnate consciousness pushed open the wooden door of the Six Sacred Ape Forms.

Now, the Holy White Realm contained two wooden doors. Xu Chen had previously entered the door representing the Twelve Layered Wave Body-Tempering Method, but was expelled in less than a breath. The incarnation formed by the Twelve Layered Wave Method was even fiercer than that of the Six Sacred Ape Forms. Its most basic move, the Surging Wave Palm, stacked twelve layers of force within his body, exploding with a wretched and miserable death.

The incarnation of the Six Sacred Ape Forms watched Xu Chen’s consciousness enter, a smirk curling at his lips.

“After battling you lately, your moves have changed—your strength has grown faintly more powerful.”

The incarnation spread his arms wide, then let them droop, assuming the simplest defensive posture of the Six Sacred Ape Forms.

“Come!”

A phantom of a Sacred Ape, several yards tall, appeared behind the incarnation, roaring at Xu Chen.

“No need for this, surely…” Xu Chen’s scalp tingled. Over the years, he had died at the hands of the Six Sacred Ape Forms over a thousand times, almost never spared.

Now that he had grown stronger, the incarnation revealed its full power.

“So the little sprout has toughened up a bit—I must test your limits with everything I’ve got!”

With a roar, the Sacred Ape phantom charged at Xu Chen like a heavy truck.

“Damn it, this is bullying!” Xu Chen used the Surging Wave Palm to dodge, borrowing force.

He couldn’t win, but wished to hold out longer, to observe the incarnation’s power.

After a period of training with elixirs, Xu Chen’s strength had noticeably increased. Accordingly, the incarnation of the Six Sacred Ape Forms also grew stronger.

Ten exchanges passed between them. Xu Chen, careless for a moment, took a punch to the chest.

With a bang, his consciousness exploded and returned to his true body.

Xu Chen, cross-legged on his bed, shuddered violently and opened his eyes.

“Not bad—twelve moves this time. My best result lately.”

“Again!”

After ten consecutive battles in the Holy White Realm, Xu Chen felt mentally fatigued, sleepiness washing over him.

“Time to rest.”

A white pill appeared in his hand; he swallowed it whole.

“It’s the Snow-Moistening Pill—strengthens the five organs, invigorates the blood. Three hundred and fifty spirit coins apiece. Father really spared no expense.”

After taking the pill, Xu Chen fell asleep.

At dawn, as the sun rose, lines of courier cranes soared above the city, beginning a busy day.

In the small courtyard, Xu Chen finished a set of the Six Sacred Ape Forms, then assumed the Sacred Ape stance, letting waves of vital energy flow through his body.

Compared to three months ago, the meridians in Xu Chen’s body now pulsed like a flowing river, their capacity more than doubled.

“To enter the Vital Blood Stage, I need the strength of nine oxen—translating to nine thousand pounds.”

“At my current rate, practicing both the Twelve Layered Wave Method and the Six Sacred Ape Forms, it’ll take a hundred days.”

“Just over three months—a little behind Father’s estimate, but it doesn’t matter.”

Xu Chen’s body rose and fell in the Sacred Ape stance, like a monkey climbing a mountain, mobilizing all his vital energy.

In his mind’s eye, Xu Chen imagined himself transformed into a Sacred Ape, scaling an endless peak.

Just as he was about to reach a deeper state, a colossal figure appeared in the sky.

“In the ninth reign of the Human Emperor, the twelve eras, year four hundred thirty-six, outside Cloud Beast City in Leizhou—wild spirits of the Leizhou Great River, refusing to obey orders, not receiving the emperor’s investiture, occupying our human river territory, evading taxes for a hundred years.”

A voice thundered above Cloud Beast City, like spring thunder.

Hearing this, Xu Chen was startled and instantly stopped his Sacred Ape stance, looking up.

In the high sky, a thousand-foot-tall faceless apparition gripped a wild spirit writhing like a mudfish, struggling to escape—a wild spirit, meaning a rogue monster uninvested by the human race.

“Leizhou Order—execute! Bless Cloud Beast City!”

Spatial power surged above the city. A bloody execution platform appeared in the heavens, exuding the aura of a purgatory.

An unknown force seized the wild spirit in the giant apparition’s hand, dragging it onto the platform.

As the thousand-foot guillotine came down, a massive head dropped from the sky.

The body followed, but both exploded mid-air, forming a spirit cloud that blanketed Cloud Beast City.

“Human destiny—reverse time and space, bless all humanity.”

“Never thought I’d witness such fortune. Wonder which foolish wild spirit it was.”

He recalled childhood tales: rogue spirits causing trouble in human lands, evading taxes.

Once caught, they were executed in the local city, and their bodies transformed by the Dao to bless that city with primal energy.

As Xu Chen rejoiced, the spirit cloud descended as spirit rain, enveloping Cloud Beast City.

In an instant, the city’s spiritual energy multiplied several times.

Standing in the spirit rain, Xu Chen felt an inexplicable force slowly boosting his vital energy and mental strength.

“Continue training. Heaven bestows spirit rain, and the Twelve Layered Wave Method is of water—perfect for cultivation.”

Standing in the rain, Xu Chen began practicing the Twelve Layered Wave Body-Tempering Method.

Throughout Cloud Beast City, all children of age were pushed into the spirit rain to train their vital foundation.

Even those too young to begin practice were brought out to soak in the rain, passively absorbing spiritual energy.

The rain persisted for three days and nights, and Xu Chen trained in it without pause.

“Great waves rise!”

The twelvefold vital energy amassed in Xu Chen’s body burst forth from his palm, four sonic booms echoing.

After the final strike, Xu Chen nearly collapsed, having used the spirit rain to continually practice.

Three days and nights—though replenished by the rain, all his vital energy and mental strength were spent.

Xu Chen trembled as he sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, taking a Vital Blood Pill from his pouch and swallowing it.

“These three days and nights of relentless practice—surely I’ve gained some insight.”

“But why does it feel like all this training is just… training?” Xu Chen stared tiredly at his pale hand, drained of vital energy.

“Well, better to practice than not. I’ll sleep first.”

A phantom sat cross-legged high above Cloud Beast City, silently observing.

“Twelve thousand children in the city—judging by talent, willpower, and bloodline, there are truly some promising seedlings. With proper cultivation, a few may survive the heavenly tribulation.”

The phantom’s gaze settled on Xu Chen’s small courtyard.

“This little one, with such poor talent, dares to cultivate two vital foundation methods. He has some willpower, but lacks sense.”

As he spoke, a spirit talisman appeared in his hand, which he tossed away; it vanished into the void.

Xu Chen slept for an entire day, waking at noon.

“So hungry…” Xu Chen clutched his stomach, frowning.

He walked beneath the eaves of the main hall and shook the crane bell, a clear, distant sound ringing out.