Chapter 190: Enter the Ethereal Enlightenment
The Dao Body was the body of the Connate Cultivator. A Connate Cultivator could live over centuries among the clouds. They could tap into the energy in nature to fuel their body, and their body was able to withstand attacks from even the most powerful weapon of modern-day technology.
Although Chen Fan had not yet reached the Phenomenal Success in his Dao Body cultivation, the Dao Body he cultivated was the powerful Azure Thearch Longevity Body. Even at the Introductory Level, it was already far more powerful than most Dao Bodies at their Initial Success stage.
Even without using his Divine Sense, Chen Fan could feel that his perception of the world around him had changed significantly.
Chen Fan could precisely discern every facet of the smell in the vault. There were over thousands of different kinds of herbs in the vault, and each had its own unique smell. Chen Fan was able to pick out each smell and trace it to its source. The smell also gave him information on the herbs' names and effects. His vision could focus on even the tiniest crevices on the wall and see everything as bright as day even in pitch-black darkness.
His hearing was also greatly improved, offering a much wider range of audible frequencies than normal human hearing. He could hear everything from the chirping of birds and insects to the nearly inaudible sound of plants growing.
"What a familiar feeling."
Chen Fan threw his head back and drew a large gulp of air. The senses of his Connate Body were much more acute than that of a normal human. Before this point, he always felt that someone had put a sack over his head, dulling his senses. Now the sack was finally removed.
He slowly clenched his pale and smooth-skinned fist as he felt the powerful energy coursing through his body. The sensation was exhilarating, so much so that he felt he had enough energy to punch a hole through the planet earth.
He knew that such delusional thought was the effect of the sudden surge of his power. Nonetheless, since he had completed the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, Chen Fan's body had become unimaginably tough; it was at least a few times tougher than the physique of the top Physique Refinement Grandmaster. Even a high caliber sniper rifle wouldn't be able to penetrate Chen Fan's skin.
"I could have turned a tank into a pile of junk with my bare hands" Chen Fan smiled proudly.
He had reached such a high level of attainment that he could be invincible on the earth without even using any True Essence or Dharmic powers. He could kill a Grandmaster such as Lu Tianfen with one effortless punch.
"I have completed the Dao Body and finished the Foundation Establishment level, and it's time to cultivate the Ethereal Enlightenment level."
Chen Fan sat down cross-legged once again.
Having obtained the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, it would be a stroll in the park for him to obtain the Ethereal Enlightenment. He was already close to the Ethereal Enlightenment three months ago, and he would have already reached Ethereal Enlightenment if not because he wanted to obtain the Dao Body first.
This time, he didn't start his cultivation with the Void Mortal Refinement Art. Instead, he used his newly gained Azure Thearch Longevity Art.
"Huuulla!"
As soon as Chen Fan started the Azure Thearch Longevity Art, a gale that was fused with countless wisps of green mist came up. The whirlwind made its way to Chen Fan's head as it continued to draw Spirit Qi from not only the vault but also all around the valley.
"Is Immortal Master Chen still cultivating in seclusion?"
Lu Yanwu looked to the vault urgently. However, disappointment and despair had already crawled onto her face.
Three months had passed since Lei Qianjue injured Lu Yanxue with the Art of Thousand Trickeries. In the three month time, the world had turned upside down.
Lei Qianjue resided by the shore of the West Lake and did nothing but fish. Despite his inactivity, his fame was rising by the day.
Many martial artists from all over China—some even visiting from overseas—came to pay tribute to the Grandmaster. Everyone waited for the showdown between the two most powerful Grandmasters in China expectantly.
In less than two months' time, Lei Qianjues's disciple Romon had fought nearly all sects in China. Of the twenty battles he had fought, he had lost none. The only fight that he didn't come out as a win was the one with the Grandmaster from the Chen Family, which had ended with a draw.
Even Chen Jiuyang confessed after the fight that although Romon lacked the tenacious and adaptable Internal Force as that of a Transcendent Grandmaster, he made it up with his incredible raw strength, speed, agility, combat skills, and physique condition. He fought like a machine and could keep at it, seemingly forever. Chen Jiuyang conceded that if the fight dragged on any further, he might have been defeated due to exhaustion.
Chen Jiuyang's approval of Romon's ability meant that he had acknowledged that Romon was as powerful as a Grandmaster, if not even more so.
Ever since then, Romon became known as the most powerful fighter of the young generation. As for his teacher, Lei Qianjue, he had only shown his power once when he unleashed the Frigid Qi upon Lu Yanxue. A renowned Grandmaster was silent for a long while after he heard the news and he said: "It required a great deal of control to plant the Frigid Qi into another's body. I wager Lei Qianjue is not very far from the Immortal State."
By now, there were already people calling Lei Qianjue the most powerful Grandmaster in China. His fame grew so fast that it threatened to rival that of Ye Nantian. As for Chen Fan, he had been absent for over three months, and people were convinced that he was afraid of Lei Qianjue's power. In just three months, Chen Fan had turned from the Young Grandmaster to a laughing stock.
"What kind of Martial Artist is he? He called himself a Grandmaster, yet he hides away from the challenge for three months."
"Chen Beixuan was young and inexperienced after all. It is understandable that he is afraid."
"I have heard that Lei Qianjue had cast a Stealth Energy on this woman and it is slowly turning her into a chunk of ice. Yet, this coward was still too scared to rise to the challenge."
People either sneered at Chen Fan or were outright disappointed.
Lu Yanwu could relate to those sentiments the most. In the beginning, the Lu family had treated Lu Yanxue with care after she fell ill. They spared no expense and hired the best doctors around to world to cure Lu Yanxue. They even commissioned a cultivator who specialized in the fire element to transfer warm energy into the girl's system. Needless to say that all the leaders of the family came and visited the girl on a daily basis.
However, as Lei Qianjue's fame grew, and Chen Fan's absence dragged on, the Lu family's attitude toward the girl changed as well.
By then, the entire martial arts world seemed to question Chen Fan's credentials. Members of the Lu family started to distance themselves from Lu Yanxue and treated her like a contagious plague and avoided her at all costs. However, Lu Yanwu never blamed those people. She knew that this was the norm in the world of martial arts.
That being said, if Chen Fan still refused to show up, sooner than later, Lei Qianjue would punish the only family that publicly supported Chen Fan. The Lu family was a powerful family, but they also needed to be careful and avoid risk whenever possible.
In a few months' time that Lu Yanwu spent with Lu Yanxue, the bond between the two strengthened.
Seeing the girl in the bed grew thinner and colder by the day until frost started to form on her dry and dull hair, Lu Yanwu could no longer sit in her chair and pretended everything was going to be alright. She drove to the Medicine God Valley Sect to beg Chen Fan to save Lu Yanwu. However, she was stopped by the King of Elixirs.
"Immortal Master Chen had told me that no one is allowed to disturb his cultivation. He would kill anyone that dared to interrupt him." King of Elixirs said coldly. He shook his head at the girl that kneeled before him, begging him to let her in.
King of Elixirs had heard the news about Lei Qianjue. King of Elixirs was convinced that Chen Fan had already reached the God Reining State, and could be considered a demi-god, or a semi-immortal. However powerful Lei Qianjue was, he was but a mortal and his mortal body would simply melt before the powerful Li Fire Golden Eyes. Therefore, he didn't take Lei Qianjue's rise to power too seriously.
"But Xiao Xue could no longer wait."
Tears glistened in Lu Yanwu's eyes. The news came from the Lu family worried her gravely.
The message she just got said that Lu Yanxue was on the brink of death and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. A few doctors were working in shifts beside her bed, 24/7 in case of emergencies.
"Immortal Master Chen said no one should interrupt his cultivation." King of Elixirs shook his head.
The order of a God Reining Immortal Master was the law sent down from heaven. If he defied Chen Fan, the Immortal Master could have removed the entire Medicine God Valley Sect from the map with a snap of fingers.
"Hehe"
Lu Yanwu let out an ugly grin and gave the entrance to the vault a long hard final glare. She gritted her teeth and started off.
"Chen Beixuan, you have claimed Xiao Xue as your girl, and promised her to live happily ever after. Well, so much for your promise. She is dying for you while you hide your head in the sand!"
Disappointed, Lu Yanwu decided to wait no longer.
She had waylaid here for long enough, and by then her only thought was to return to her sister, who was in her final moments of life.
Before Lu Yanwu could make too far, she heard a yelp from the King of Elixirs. She turned around in a hurry and saw something she would never forget.
She watched as a large whirlwind formed above the vault. The whirlwind was over a few hundred meters in diameter, and it looked like a low-pressure cyclone from afar. As the air in the whirlwind moved about, it funneled a powerful presence into the center of the whirlwind and down to the vault.
"What the heck is that?" Lu Yanwu gapped.
"Look around you!" The King of Elixirs said with a shocked expression.
Lu Yanwu paused a second and then quickly scanned her surroundings. To her surprise, all the trees and plants seemed to bow toward the direction of the vault as if a group of subjects had come to greet their lord. The plants let out countless glowing green streams of mist which was quickly absorbed by the whirlwind. In the end, the whirlwind also turned green and slowly turned into a strange-looking green cloud in the sky above the vault.
"Condense the Qi to form clouds. This was a sure sign of Immortal State!"
King of Elixirs muttered. He thought Chen Fan had already reached God Reining State, so he wondered why did Chen Fan reach Immortal State again? Could the level he had reached was the Immortal State in martial arts instead of cultivation? After all, Immortal Master Chen had followed the Martial-Dharma Dual Cultivation, didn't he?
"Immortal State?"
Lu Yanwu could only gape.
Although not a martial artist herself, as a member of the Lu family of Lin City, she knew the names for different levels of martial arts attainment by rot. The Immortal State was beyond the Transcendent State, and it was the stuff of legends. No one had seen an Immortal State martial artist for decades.
However powerful Lei Qianjue was, he had not reached the Immortal State. Therefore, everyone considered him as the most powerful man below the Immortal State.
Lu Yanwu found it hard to imagine that a twenty-year-old boy could have reached the Immortal State only a few months after he had reached Transcendent State.
Suddenly, a long shriek wrenched her mind out of her reverie.
The shriek started with a low hum and gradually built up intensity and pitch. Right before it reached the peak, the pitch of the sound surged like a hawk that soared above the clouds. The voice reverberated throughout the valley and shook the ground. Many heads poked out of their windows, looking toward the voice.
"As fate would have it, I finally reached Ethereal Enlightenment! "
Suddenly, the gate of the vault burst open as a green shadow emerged from within.
What Lu Yanwu noticed first was a pair of glinting eyes that shone with the light of divine indifference.