bookpub Chapter 11: The Clone Formation!
Chapter 11: The Clone Formation!
He slowly raised his hands and began to form hand seals.
The handprints changed rapidly, leaving a series of afterimages. Each gesture was mysterious and unpredictable, as if it contained the ultimate truth of the universe.
Then, the white-clad figure changed from one to two, then from two to three, then from three to four... Three identical figures appeared in the stone wall, each extremely agile, without the slightest hint of stiffness, even giving people the illusion that it was impossible to distinguish between the main body and the clones.
This was completely different from the clone technique that Chu Yuan had seen before.
Ordinary clones are mostly created by forcibly dividing themselves using magical artifacts. Their movements are stiff and lack spirituality, and every action they take is an imitation of the main body.
But each of the three figures in front of me seemed to be an independent entity, each with its own posture and its own charm.
The four figures constantly shifted within the stone wall, sometimes merging together, sometimes separating, repeating endlessly.
Chu Yuan stared intently, his pupils reflecting every movement and detail of those figures.
After an unknown amount of time, the white-clad figure gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared into the stone wall, as if it had never existed.
The stone wall was restored to its original state, and the dense inscriptions reappeared, exactly the same as before.
Chu Yuan slowly closed his eyes, his face as pale as paper, a deep look of contemplation on his face.
At this moment, some incantations inexplicably appeared in his mind.
Those incantations were not something he deliberately memorized, nor were they read from the stone wall; rather, they appeared in his mind naturally, as if they were meant to be there, but had been dormant and had only just awakened.
Chu Yuan did not rush to open his eyes, but instead analyzed and carefully savored each of the incantations.
After an incense stick had burned, he opened his eyes. The divine technique was complete!
Chu Yuan continued to sort through the incantation in his mind; this divine technique was incomplete.
Chen Chong's lifespan was too short, and despite his best efforts, he could only complete one-tenth of the work.
This section contains methods for cultivating clones, but lacks the most crucial element: the method for merging the clone with the original body.
With his limited understanding, Chen Chong left a passage in the formula, pointing out his predicament of not being able to make all the copies due to his lifespan, and also proposing a solution.
The method is simple and brutal: after cultivating a clone using divine techniques, the clone has a lifespan of less than half a Jiazi (60 years) and no cultivation whatsoever.
Within this half-century, prepare a large number of pills for your clone to consume, and whatever realm it can reach, that's the realm it can reach.
At the moment of fusion, even if the clone only has the cultivation level of Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, the chance of forming a Nascent Soul will increase to some extent after fusion.
If there are enough pills, and the clone can be built up to the Core Formation stage within half a century, then the effect after fusion will be quite remarkable.
Chu Yuan remained silent for a long time before slowly standing up.
He had come to understand this divine technique.
To put it bluntly, it involves using a massive amount of pills to forcibly create a clone, which is then merged with the original body to increase the success rate of Nascent Soul formation.
The method was crude and inefficient, but given the incomplete state of the divine arts, it was the best solution Chen Chong could think of.
However, for Chu Yuan, things were not that complicated.
He has no shortage of elixirs.
The Luohe Sect is skilled in alchemy and has a rich reserve of medicinal pills. Now that he is the founder of the Luohe Sect, it is not difficult for him to mobilize some medicinal pill resources.
Moreover, he has a system, so he doesn't need to use divine techniques to increase his chances of forming a Nascent Soul. His only concern is that the extreme divine sense might restrict him. Besides, practicing this divine technique will give him an extra clone, which will provide him with more combat power in the future, so it's all beneficial.
He came here to borrow divine techniques, not just to form his Nascent Soul.
He stood up, flicked his sleeves, and gave the stone chamber one last look.
Now that I have the divine arts, it's time to leave.
Chu Yuan turned around and walked out of the Shi residence.
Footsteps echoed through the empty passage, and he passed by the stone gates on both sides, which were engraved with runes, without giving them a second glance.
Outside the Stone Mansion, the sun shines brightly and a gentle mountain breeze blows.
Feng Luan and Yang Sen were waiting outside. When they saw Chu Yuan come out, they turned around at the same time.
"Fellow Daoist Chu Yuan."
Feng Luan looked him up and down, her tone tinged with concern.
"You stayed inside for a full ten days. Did you gain any insight?"
Chu Yuan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I've gained something."
Feng Luan and Yang Sen exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
To be able to comprehend divine arts in ten days, even if it's just some gain rather than complete understanding, is truly remarkable talent.
However, neither of them asked any further questions. Feng Luan nodded and smiled, "Hehe, that's good then. With your talent, fellow Daoist, comprehending it shouldn't be a problem."
Yang Sen also cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, fellow Daoist."
Chu Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands: "In that case, I will take my leave first. I have gained some insights this time, and I need to go into seclusion to properly digest what I have learned."
"Please proceed, fellow Daoist."
Feng Luan and Yang Sen returned the greeting simultaneously.
Chu Yuan said no more, turned around, transformed into a sword light and soared into the sky, instantly leaving the War God Temple's base.
The sword light, like a rainbow, drew a long arc across the sky and sped towards the Luohe Gate's base.
Upon returning to his post at Luohemen, Chu Yuan went straight to his own mountain peak.
The mountain is not high, but it is full of spiritual energy. It is surrounded by layers of restrictions, and outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission.
He landed in front of the cave at the summit, raised his hand, and the stone door slowly opened.
Chu Yuan stepped inside, and the stone door slammed shut behind him.
He sat cross-legged in the cave, closed his eyes and concentrated, carefully reviewing the cultivation method of the divine arts in his mind from beginning to end.
After confirming that everything was correct, he began to condense his clone.
The method of creating clones in Shinto magic is both difficult and easy.
The difficulty lies in splitting a wisp from one's natal soul; this process is extremely dangerous, and the slightest carelessness can damage the very foundation.
At best, one's cultivation will regress; at worst, one's soul and spirit will be destroyed. Only those with a strong soul and spirit would dare not attempt this lightly.
The easy thing is that as long as the soul is strong enough, the splitting process will be as natural as water flowing into a channel, and there is not much skill involved.
With his divine sense protecting him from the extreme realm, and his soul being far more powerful than that of ordinary Core Formation cultivators, this step posed little risk to Chu Yuan.
He sank his mind into his sea of consciousness, and carefully separated a wisp of his soul beside the crimson lightning.
That wisp of divine soul was extremely fine and subtle, like a strand of hair, emitting a faint light. It floated uncertainly in his palm, so fragile that it seemed as if a gust of wind could blow it away.
The next step is to use rare and precious materials to shape a physical form for this wisp of divine soul.
Time passed day by day.
Outside the cave, there were many restrictions, and no one knew what was happening inside.
Lan Ruo would occasionally send people to deliver some pills and materials, which were received by the disciples outside the restricted area and placed at the entrance of the cave.
During his seclusion, Chu Yuan would occasionally emerge briefly to retrieve these items before sealing his cave again to continue his cultivation.
The process of condensing his clone went more smoothly than he had expected.
Nourished by numerous rare and precious materials, the wisp of divine soul that had split off gradually took shape, solidified, and eventually transformed into a figure identical to him.
The figure sat cross-legged opposite him, with features, build, and aura exactly like his.
After his clone materialized, he took out the Frost White Sword, placed it in front of him, and began to temper it anew.