Chapter Seventy-Four: The Melancholy Doppelgänger

"The true power of the Exquisite Pagoda Body will only reveal itself after you ascend to the Treasure Body Realm and comprehend the arts and divine powers," the avatar said. "Don't be fooled by how easy I seem to handle now—you’re only digging a pit for yourself."
"In the future, when you’re able to cultivate techniques and divine abilities, I hope you won’t regret this."
"That's enough pointless talk. Go on."
As soon as the avatar finished speaking, the world began to shatter.
"We haven’t even fought yet—" Xu Chen couldn't help but protest.
"A contest of blood and vitality, fists and weapons—I really don't want to die over such things. Especially since you’ve even coated your blade in poison."
"Against a cultivator like me, who can’t use magic or divine arts, this is overkill."
The world crumbled completely, and Xu Chen’s soul was swept into an unknown space.
He found himself inhabiting the body of a frail, undernourished boy dressed in coarse linen, so thin he looked as if a gust of wind might topple him.
It was already autumn, and the boy and his classmates were practicing hand seals in the biting wind.
"Heaven, Water, Mountain, Thunder, Center, Wind, Fire, Earth, Lake—the nine basic mudras must become second nature," a middle-aged cultivator in Daoist robes explained carelessly as he moved among the children.
"The eighty-one minor seals derived from these nine are even more crucial. If you’re not proficient, you won’t be able to cast spells, no matter how much spiritual energy you possess."
"The foundation is everything. Practice well. Six seals in a single breath is passable, twelve is excellent, twenty-one is genius, and over thirty marks a prodigy."
Despite his perfunctory tone, every child, including the one Xu Chen inhabited, listened intently, fearful of missing even a word.
In the days that followed, the boy practiced seals by day and cultivated a technique called Spirit Absorption by night.
Within a month, he managed twelve seals in one breath and unleashed his first spell.
His outstanding performance caught the attention of the middle-aged cultivator, who accepted him as a disciple.
From that point on, his food, clothing, and living conditions visibly improved.
"Fire Control," the boy intoned, forming twelve seals in a single breath. A flicker of flame danced before him, then transformed into a bird that soared toward a distant wooden target.
Bang!
There was a faint explosion, and the target blackened, scorched by fire.
"Your coordination between spiritual energy and hand seals still needs work, but you’re already excellent among your peers," the teacher remarked.
"Your body is too weak, though, so your progress in Spirit Absorption is poor."
He placed a manual titled 'Exquisite Pagoda Body' before the boy.

"This is a secret body-forging technique that I shamelessly requested from the academy. It will help both your five-element spell cultivation and strengthen your vitality," the teacher said.
"It suits you well. Practice diligently; don’t let me down."
Moved, the boy knelt before the teacher, clutching the manual.
"No need for that. If you make a name for yourself, I’ll share in your glory."
What followed, in Xu Chen’s eyes, was the rise of a prodigy.
Mastering the Exquisite Pagoda Body, Spirit Absorption, and countless spells, the boy’s strength grew rapidly.
Three years later, at the grand academy tournament, he combined both hands in rapid seals, casting his self-created Five Element Art—Blazing Wood Dragon—and fought his way to the championship.
On the day of his victory, as he cultivated the Exquisite Pagoda Body, a towering, ten-zhang pagoda shimmered into view behind him.
Xu Chen’s soul was then wrenched from that world, returning to the Sacred White Space.
Although he felt his own vitality surge, it seemed as though something was still missing.
He let his consciousness return to his body.
At that moment, the world’s spiritual energy seemed to answer a summons, gathering around Xu Chen.
Sensing this, he quickly sat cross-legged, and the shadow of the Exquisite Pagoda appeared behind him.
He cultivated the Exquisite Pagoda Body for an entire day before finally feeling truly invigorated.
"I picked up quite a few good things this time," he mused.
Habitually, he formed seals with both hands, attempting the most basic Fire Control spell.
But upon finishing the seals, he felt a sense of emptiness within—nothing came forth, and the spell failed.
"Seems I still lack spiritual energy. I'll have to wait until the Treasure Body Realm," Xu Chen sighed regretfully.
Within that world of insight, he’d learned numerous five-element spells, even inventing a few of his own.
Back in his home training ground, Xu Chen tested his strength, delight blooming across his face.
"The strength of a dragon and five tigers! No wonder this is a true foundation-building technique for vital energy—it’s boosted my vitality by the force of two tigers at least!"
Moreover, he sensed a peculiar new power within his blood, likely the same essence that had merged into his vitality after absorbing spiritual energy.
"Keep going. More cultivation awaits."
Xu Chen felt a surge of vigor.
"If this kind of vital energy foundation technique is so easy to master, I might as well focus on accumulating as much vital force as I can."
He returned home and laid out the remaining vital energy foundation scrolls, his gaze finally settling on a jade slip inscribed with the Five-Element Physique technique.
Since the Five-Element Physique was similar to the Exquisite Pagoda Body, Xu Chen anticipated swift progress.
Resolved to cultivate the Five-Element Body, he returned to the Sacred White Space.

This time, he pushed open the silver doors marked with the Starbody Technique.
Darkness. Depth. Silence. In the distance, a sea of stars shimmered.
His avatar sat cross-legged in the gloom, gazing longingly at the distant stars.
Before Xu Chen could speak, the avatar began:
"See that sea of stars far away? Doesn’t it remind you of the sky you yearned for as a child?"
"Even with all that light, it can’t dispel this darkness."
"Every star radiates endless light and heat, but the distance between me and those stars is immeasurable."
"When I need them, there’s nothing I can do."
"And when I finally have the strength to reach them, I still can do nothing."
"Tell me, am I not just a failure?"
His voice was hoarse and weary, like a deeply depressed young man on the edge.
For some reason, Xu Chen felt that this avatar needed no opponent—he could do himself in without help.
"Can you visit other places?"
"Why not go check out the Threefold Transformation Arts? There’s a big brother over there—he’s a healer, maybe he can cure your depression," Xu Chen blurted.
"I’m a failure. There’s nothing I can do."
The avatar muttered, eyes fixed on the brilliant star sea, and casually unleashed a palm strike.
A tremendous force slammed into Xu Chen.
Bang!!
It was as if he’d been struck by a speeding train—Xu Chen was reduced to a cloud of blood.
His consciousness reformed in the Sacred White Space.
He eyed the golden doors, then the silver ones.
"Deep depression bordering on madness—still better than a silent one."
Seeing the vast difference in strength, Xu Chen gave up on challenging the avatar and focused on cultivating the Five-Element Physique.
With his experience from practicing the Exquisite Pagoda Body, it took him only ten days to master the basics of the Five-Element Body.