Yue left abruptly, but Wang Sheng fell into a prolonged silence.
After a long while,
He sighed.
“Did I get arrogant?”
Yue’s words, “It’s within what I gave you,” had awakened Wang Sheng.
He realized he might have become a bit arrogant, simply put, he had swelled with self-importance.
The most obvious symptom was his growing disdain for certain methods in this world.
Take, for example, the “Blood Refining Technique” that Yue had mentioned.
Undoubtedly, the Blood Refining Technique would be helpful for his research into Flying Sword Divine Power, especially its ability to imbue Qi-Blood Power with a trace of weapon-like effect, likely a breakthrough technique.
Yet here was this technique, right in front of him, and he had failed to notice it or even consider looking at it.
He had completely forgotten the concept of “analogy.”
Perhaps it wasn’t forgetfulness, but rather a belief that the martial arts of this world could not be of any help to him, somewhat looking down on them.
This mindset was definitely incorrect.
Years ago, when he was still cultivating, he had never thought this way.
At that time, though he couldn’t access the martial skills and Cultivation Techniques of this world, he held them in high esteem.
The long history of cultivation in this world wasn’t just for show.
His own Foundation Method, the Inner Core Skill, had also been developed over thousands of years.
There was no reason for arrogance or disdain.
The only difference might be that his previous world didn’t actually have cultivators who could achieve transcendence, so speculations about cultivation were made casually, elevated indefinitely, and had a complete system.
But in this world, there were cultivators who, after reaching Grandmaster status, could live up to 200 years.
Everyone knew about cultivators, so cultivation was always contemplated within certain limits, not beyond.
For example, once it was understood that planets are spherical, no one would imagine that the heavens are square and the earth is flat.
For Wang Sheng, who possessed a progress bar, the grand intention of the Inner Core Skill was more suitable, hence his Foundation Method was the Inner Core Skill.
However, even so, his Inner Core Skill was also based on the Qi-Blood Power developed through the Ba Duan Jin.
But now, he found himself beginning to look down on the cultivation methods of this world.
Such an attitude was absolutely unacceptable.
“Since when did it start?”
Wang Sheng muttered to himself.
Perhaps it started when he reached the Refining stage, or perhaps when his lifespan significantly increased.
He wasn’t particularly sure.
But one thing was certain, he had indeed become arrogant.
Great strength, extended lifespan, an overwhelmingly strong progress bar… there were many reasons.
Upon reflection, compared to other cultivators in terms of experience, he still fell far short.
Looking at the former Valley Master of Stargazing Valley, who had reached higher realms before death and managed, in just a brief period, to develop the “Jade Scroll”.
Jade Scrolls were not something that could be carelessly produced.
Even close to death after a breakthrough, he had still managed it.
The Valley Master was a Great Grandmaster with a life span of over three hundred years, having cultivated for a very long time.
During such an extended period of cultivation, he had accumulated enough foundation and insight into the path of cultivation to be able to develop something like a Jade Scroll in a short time.
This was the essence of accumulation and foundation.
It might not be evident ordinarily, but it could play a significant role at critical moments.
Although Wang Sheng later developed an advanced version of the Valley Master’s Jade Scroll, making it appear like a preliminary version,
Wang Sheng had to admit that without the Valley Master’s “Jade Scroll,” he might not have been able to develop his own by now.
Standing on the shoulders of giants had benefits beyond what one could imagine.
If this time his Flying Sword Divine Power had a reference, Wang Sheng himself surely wouldn’t be as clueless as he was now.
And where did the Valley Master’s accumulation come from?
Doubtlessly, it came from various martial skills and Cultivation Techniques of this world.
A thriving and developed civilization, even with various problems, must certainly have its merits.
And Wang Sheng knew he was becoming arrogant because he understood his thoughts.
He was completely ignoring these merits, never even considering them.
In plain terms, it was like cursing right after setting down the bowl.
Thinking about this, Wang Sheng’s bitter smile deepened. “I always feel like I haven’t become arrogant, but in reality, I have swelled up beyond measure. Indeed, it’s hardest to see oneself clearly. Luckily, Yue reminded me.”
Yue seemed to have said nothing, but not leaving immediately was actually a reminder.
And it was fortunate that Yue reminded him early. Otherwise, not only would obsessing over Flying Sword Divine Power waste time, but it could also seriously hinder his future cultivation.
“People cannot smell their own body odor, cannot see their own flaws, and it’s even harder for them to reflect critically on themselves.”
“Wang Sheng was fortunate to be reminded.”
“From now on, it seems that I need to be very careful. Cultivation, cultivation, it’s not just the body that gets cultivated, but the heart as well.”
“He had taken the path of Inner Core Skill using methods akin to cheating; his mentality was somewhat unstable, and now it seemed he needed to calm his mind and properly settle.”
“The improvement of his strength couldn’t stop, but he couldn’t let it grow wildly either.”
“Of course, Wang Sheng took this matter seriously, but he did not treat it as an imminent threat since he had identified the problem, which was not an insurmountable one.”
“The problem was caused by the ease with which the power had come.”
“But one shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater; the fundamental reason still lay within himself.”
“So, in the following period.”
“First, Wang Sheng specifically took some time to thank Yue, though Yue himself didn’t really mind.”
“Even when Wang Sheng talked about his own issues, Yue pretended not to know.”
“After he came back, Wang Sheng only maintained the basic practices of Inner Core Skill and Ba Duan Jin, spending more time summarizing his gains.”
“Not just that, he took out all the books written by Yue and went through them one by one.”
“Yue hadn’t told Wang Sheng that one of the books contained the ’Blood Refining Technique’, and Wang Sheng didn’t ask either; he just searched and read slowly.”
“Hastiness in seeking quick success was undesirable; what he needed now was the accumulation of knowledge, to supplement his foundation.”
“In such a way, Wang Sheng’s gains from reading were considerable.”
“Even though he did not learn all the martial arts secret techniques, some of the ingenious ideas therein greatly broadened his horizons.”
“Even if not applicable now, Wang Sheng knew that one day, they would be.”
“He also saw some swordsmanship, controlling swords with Qi-Blood Power. Although different from the Sword Control Skill, fundamentally it was still a form of sword-holding, but it was very helpful in developing his own Sword Control Skill.”
“After spending a month’s time, Wang Sheng finally found the ’Blood Refining Technique’ that Yue had mentioned.”
“The efficacy of this Blood Refining Technique was exactly as Yue described.”
“In it, the Qi-Blood Power refines the weapon to a profound level; the effect on the Qi-Blood Power was even subtler than what Yue had mentioned, rarely used by martial artists.”
“But Wang Sheng treasured it when he saw it.”
“As long as that characteristic truly existed, it could be a breakthrough.”
“However, he didn’t start practicing this Blood Refining Technique immediately; instead, he noted down the method and continued reading.”
“Perhaps previously unconcerned, but reading more made him realize how much reading helped in cultivation.”
“Foundation, something intangible and elusive, but its effect on cultivation was truly immense.”
“No wonder the guidance of strong ones to weaker ones is so effective; seeing through cultivation at a glance, this kind of accumulation could only be compensated by time.”
“Wang Sheng couldn’t help but marvel himself.”
“His strength might be great, but when it comes to accumulation, perhaps he was not even comparable to some of the more senior grandmasters.”
“That Yue could provide so many high-quality books was indeed a tremendous treasure.”
“After calming down, he knew that to create good Flying Sword Divine Powers, simply relying on imagination like before would be impossible.”
“Therefore, even with the Blood Refining Technique, he didn’t start using it right away, deciding to wait until he had read a certain amount of books.”
“Time passed once more, four to five months.”
“During this period, Wang Sheng continued to practice Inner Core Skill and Ba Duan Jin every day, occasionally practicing Yijin Scripture and Five Elements Fist, then farming, putting other martial techniques, including mastery of the universe, on hold.”
“He broke his usual cultivation routine, but the result was worth it.”
“In terms of cultivation, in terms of Qi-Blood Power, his understanding deepened.”
“He even gained new insights into Divine Thought.”
“Not only that, but he also gained a new skill during this process.”
“’Reading: 6 (15%)’”
“This skill was miraculous; at first, Wang Sheng barely felt its effect, but thinking about his gains, he realized it had been working all along.”
“That’s enough for now!”
“For such a long time, although Wang Sheng had not completely finished reading the books written by Yue Mo, he had read most of them and had his own understanding.”
“The Sword Transformation Technique of Flying Sword Divine Power might be put back on the schedule.”
“Still beginning with the Blood Refining Technique.”
“But this time, it wasn’t simply the Blood Refining Technique; having read so many books about cultivation,”
“He knew the Blood Refining Technique wasn’t particularly suited to his situation.”
“He extracted some content from the Blood Refining Technique and added some other content.”
“In the end, he came up with a cultivation technique suitable for himself.”
“Was creating a cultivation technique easy?”
“Of course not; it was even very difficult.”
“But firstly, Wang Sheng’s strength was actually already very strong; even if he didn’t understand at the beginning, after nearly half a year of settling and reading, he had gained a more thorough understanding of cultivation.”
“Secondly, perhaps due to the effect of reading, as long as he engaged in heartfelt reading and in-depth study, achieving related comprehension seemed to become inevitable for him.”
“Thus, he acquired a new cultivation technique.”
“Wang Sheng named it—Sacrificial Refinement!”