Chapter 121: A Different Path

The Heavenly Tier cultivation technique, Void Promise Space Path.

Left to the world by the master of space power, Void Promise, an ancient powerhouse at the early stage of the Ascension Realm, before his return to nothingness.

In the current Fengshen Continent, where the martial way is in decline, such a technique is worthy of being the sacred canon for all practitioners of spatial power.

Unlike the understanding of ordinary spatial practitioners, this technique has initially touched upon the laws of space, though this level is not currently within Gu Xiaopang's plans. After all, a long journey must be taken one step at a time.

Unlike the ancient cultivation environment, ancient spatial practitioners could use countless spatial spirit crystals to assist their cultivation. But in the current Fengshen Continent, spatial spirit crystals? Let us say Gu Xiaopang is ill-informed, for he had never heard of them, nor had his master, Wuying, ever mentioned them; his master likely didn't know of such things either.

Never mind. Always believing that there would be a way when the cart reached the mountain, Gu Xiaopang did not lose heart but began to ponder other methods. His eyes lit up—he had it! He simply needed spatial energy for assistance; he didn't need any so-called spatial spirit crystals. The void space he traveled through every day was full of it.

With a plan in mind, Gu Xiaopang didn't say a word. With a wave of his hand, he tore through the void and dove right in. Looking at the endless, boundless, and massive spatial turbulence within the void, Gu Xiaopang’s eyes gleamed as he licked his lips.

Finding a relatively safe spot, he hovered in mid-air and, following the cultivation method mentioned in the Void Promise Space Path, silently circulated the spatial spiritual power within his body. Ripples of light began to emerge around him. At the same time, Gu Xiaopang cautiously drew a tiny wisp of void power from the turbulence nearby and slowly guided it into his own body.

"Puff!"

The moment the external void power entered his body, the spatial spiritual power already circulating steadily within him—without giving Gu Xiaopang a second to react—instantly erupted along with the foreign energy.

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Gu Xiaopang gritted his teeth and suppressed that wisp of void power with all his might. Like taming a wild horse, he guided his own surging spatial spiritual power to forcibly wrap around it, relentlessly polishing and taming it.

The two forces of space battled back and forth, entangled in a fierce struggle. Gu Xiaopang remained fully focused, not daring to be distracted for even a moment, fearing that a single slip would lead to irrevocable disaster.

After more than two hours, a drenched Gu Xiaopang slowly opened his eyes, a blade-like light of spatial power flickering within his pupils.

"This broken technique is too dangerous; I almost got backlashed."

"You brat, it's not the technique that's dangerous, it's your recklessness."

"How so, Master? Did I cultivate it wrong?"

"Practitioners in ancient times used spatial spirit crystals, whose energy is extremely gentle and stable. And what are you doing now? Daring to forcibly refine a wisp of spatial turbulence you just snatched at random!"

"By the Fengshen Great Grandfather, so that's how it is."

"No wonder Master Wuying traveled through the void for years but only told me to comprehend the turbulence, never mentioning that it could be absorbed."

His first reckless attempt had been a lucky success. Gu Xiaopang pondered and summarized the experience. As the old saying goes, heaven's disasters may be forgiven, but one's own self-inflicted ones are fatal. Gu Xiaopang realized he could not continue to absorb energy so rashly, or he would eventually play himself to death.

He had to think of a way. How could he create his own spatial spirit crystals? If you have materials, you can refine pills; if you have materials, you can refine artifacts or even arrays. So, what about spatial turbulence energy? Surely that could be refined as well. But how? A pill furnace? A melting furnace?

"Boom! Boom!"

Gu Xiaopang, who acted as soon as he thought of something, took out two large furnaces he carried with him and drew a wisp of spatial turbulence into each. Before he could do anything else, there were two loud bangs, leaving behind countless scattered fragments and a stunned Gu Xiaopang.

Gu Xiaopang felt a pang of heartache and shuddered; these were high-tier artifacts. Desperation breeds change, and change leads to success. His experiment having failed, Gu Xiaopang immediately began pondering other methods, all centered around one word: refinement.

...

Turning his focus inward to his dantian, he carefully observed the now-strengthened spatial power circulating slowly. A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour passed...

"Hmm? Why did I forget about this?"

When his gaze accidentally fell upon the multi-colored energy crystal in his body—where his spiritual power had crystallized—it was as if he had discovered a new world.

"If the spatial spiritual power in my body can be forcibly condensed into a solid crystalline state, then what about the external spatial turbulence energy? Could that be done as well?"

Feeling it was worth a try, Gu Xiaopang gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He forcibly extracted a piece from the transparent spatial power crystal within his multi-colored dantian and began controlling it to deform, until he had fashioned it into the shape of a pill furnace—a very special, transparent spatial furnace.

Although Old Man Qin did not show himself, he had been observing with his divine sense the entire time. Seeing Gu Xiaopang go through such bizarre motions, he too became curious.

Everything was ready. Gu Xiaopang took a deep breath, his eyes shining brightly. With a wave of his hand, he carefully guided another wisp of spatial turbulence from nearby into his body. The spatial furnace, its lid already wide open, instantly swallowed the energy, and the lid snapped shut.

It worked!

An excited Gu Xiaopang watched as the violent external spatial energy inside his carefully crafted furnace acted like a trapped beast, crashing against the walls. As time passed, its ferocious aura grew weaker and weaker.

"Hahaha, as expected! I am a genius!"

After half an incense stick of time, the furnace fell silent, leaving only a pea-sized, elliptical, transparent crystal floating quietly inside. Gu Xiaopang sensed it with his mind; it was absolutely pure and stable spatial energy. He couldn't help but burst into laughter. He crushed one with his divine sense, and the pure energy began to circulate steadily through his body along with his existing spatial spiritual power, soon merging completely until they were inseparable.

Old Man Qin, who had been watching in secret, could not help but sigh with emotion.

...

Having mastered the method, Gu Xiaopang was in high spirits and repeated the process. Wisp after wisp of violent void turbulence was drawn into his body; the spatial furnace, like a giant beast with its mouth wide open, accepted everything, and one after another, pea-sized, pure spatial crystals were refined.

One day, two days, three days...

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Bai Ling'er, having finished her cultivation, found that Gu Xiaopang was nowhere to be found. Judging that he could not have left without saying goodbye, she concluded he must have gone into the void space, so she simply waited in his room.

"Ah!"

Returning fully loaded and lost in his triumph, Gu Xiaopang suddenly tore through space and jumped out. By an unlucky coincidence, his figure crashed squarely into Bai Ling'er, who was sitting cross-legged on the edge of his bed waiting for him.

The two collided and tumbled onto the bed, with Gu Xiaopang landing squarely on top of Bai Ling'er. As his head dipped forward from the momentum, his startled mouth pressed directly onto her icy, rosy lips...

A scream erupted, Gu Xiaopang was instantly kicked away, and the bedroom door shattered upon impact.

The disciples guarding outside the courtyard narrowed their eyes and suppressed their laughter, pretending they had seen and heard nothing.

"Sister Ling'er, don't worry, I will take full responsibility!"

A deeply embarrassed Gu Xiaopang shuffled back into the room, looking solemn and earnest as he said this to Bai Ling'er!

...

A long while later, after the flush had finally faded from her face, Bai Ling'er followed Gu Xiaopang out again, wearing a new mask. In the crowd before the Earth Stele, the two discovered several Heaven Pavilion disciples also attempting to challenge the steles one by one.

Gu Xiaopang and Bai Ling'er both pretended not to see them and did not go up to greet them. Half a month ago, over twenty Earth Steles had lit up in a single day, truly stunning everyone. And today was destined to have an even greater impact.

As before, Gu Xiaopang constantly changed his mask, his aura, and his clothes, moving swiftly from one Earth Stele to another.

One by one, the steles lit up; waves of gasps filled the sky as a series of ancient techniques and combat skills were quickly and thoroughly memorized by Gu Xiaopang. Everyone in the Southern Region was shocked, not knowing who had won the approval of the steles to make them all light up within a single month.

After the Great Competition of the Hundred Sects concluded, when it came time to distribute resources, those who already knew Gu Xiaopang had been recognized by all the steles could not help but think: this kid really did strike.

While Gu Xiaopang and Bai Ling'er were immersed in cultivation, the Southern Region was not at peace. Nearly ten thousand men mobilized from various regions by the Puppet Sect had successfully arrived in the Southern Region, and after being received by the local heads, they quickly dispersed throughout the area. At the same time, trusted aides of the Puppet Sect Master arrived, bringing with them ten elite members of the Dark Division, and the fishing net was soon cast.

In the west of the Southern Region, at a branch of the Death-Dealing Pavilion, the branch head—an old man at the Spirit Transformation Realm—personally received a middle-aged assassin from the Central Region headquarters, also at the early stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm. He had come specifically for Gu Xiaopang, whose ranking on the Death-Dealing List had risen significantly.

The other two hundred or so Nascent Soul assassins in the branch felt their heads swell. After all, Gu Xiaopang had already subdued them, and he held the life and death of every one of them in his hands. Sharing a common fate, the assassins immediately organized and secretly sent a message via jade slip to Gu Xiaopang, who was at the center of the Southern Region.

...

Gu Xiaopang, who was cultivating in peace, was awakened by the vibration of his jade slip. When he had left, he told the assassins not to contact him privately unless necessary, but now the jade slip used to communicate with them was vibrating repeatedly.

"Young Master, people from the Central Region have arrived! Two pieces of news..."

"Oh? Interesting."

After reading the news twice, Gu Xiaopang felt neither anxious nor uneasy. Instead, his eyes gleamed with brilliance, and he thought to himself: the opportunity has come!

He immediately had an idea. With a flick of his divine sense, a message ordering everyone to pause their hunts and go into hiding was sent to the Heaven Pavilion members led by Sun Tian. At the same time, Gu Xiaopang greeted Bai Ling'er and tore through the space, vanishing without a trace.