It only took a moment for Mu Chen to deeply engrave the Cultivation Technique in his mind. Following the Profound Old Ghost's instructions, Mu Chen gently tore the Scroll. A strange scene unfolded: as the Scroll split in two, it began to slowly dissolve like a snowflake until it vanished completely.
"What a miraculous object." Mu Chen clicked his tongue in amazement.
He glanced out the window. It was still afternoon. After some thought, Mu Chen decided to wait until night to begin reforging his Dantian. Although the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique only required him to recite the Cultivation Technique Mantra, he was afraid of being disturbed. He had no way of knowing the consequences of being interrupted during the process before he actually started cultivating. As he mulled this over, a wave of drowsiness washed over him, and Mu Chen gradually drifted off to sleep.
When he next awoke, it was already evening. Mu Bingling had come to wake him again, this time for dinner. Mu Chen, however, told her he wasn't feeling well and had no appetite, asking her to let his parents know he wouldn't be eating.
But Mu Bingling insisted he drink two bowls of Blood Ginseng Soup before she would leave. Unable to refuse her, Mu Chen drank it down with a wry smile. Only when she was satisfied did Mu Bingling finally leave his room.
'It's time,' Mu Chen thought, seeing that Mu Bingling was long gone. His face was filled with anticipation.
Mu Chen began chanting the Mantra for the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique over and over in his mind. As his recitation quickened, currents of air began to gather around him, slowly at first, then faster and faster. A moment later, a gray vortex three meters in diameter had formed with Mu Chen at its center. With the sky now dark, it was nearly impossible to see without looking closely.
As for Mu Chen, he was completely unaware of the strange phenomenon around him. The instant the vortex formed, his consciousness was pulled into a wondrous space.
"This is..." Mu Chen stared at his surroundings, utterly speechless with astonishment.
He was in a vast, white space. In the very center, a massive black vortex rotated slowly. Looking closer, one could see that the vortex was composed of enormous chunks of black matter. The pieces weren't close to one another, but from a distance, they appeared to be a single, cohesive whole.
At the center of the vortex was a pitch-black whirlpool. A single glance felt as if a Wilderness Giant Beast were opening its cavernous maw to devour him. Mu Chen yanked his gaze away in terror, his face pale as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
'Is this my Dantian?' Mu Chen wondered aloud.
Having understood the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique, Mu Chen knew that reciting the Mantra would allow him to enter his Dantian, where he could begin the reforging process. But where was he supposed to start?
"My good disciple, do you know the steps to reforge your Dantian?" a demonic, charming voice interjected at the perfect moment.
It was the voice of the Profound Old Ghost. Whenever he suppressed his Barbaric Aura, his voice would become exceptionally demonic and charming. Mu Chen shook his head. "I have no idea."
The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. "Of course you don't. It took me several thousand years of deducing this Cultivation Technique to derive the complete reforging process. You've only looked at it for a day. How could you possibly understand?"
Mu Chen pouted but said nothing. The Profound Old Ghost was immensely pleased, thinking to himself, 'I've lived for hundreds of thousands of years. You think I can't handle a little brat like you?'
"See that massive vortex?"
The words had barely faded when a fair, slender finger appeared before Mu Chen, pointing toward the central vortex. Startled, Mu Chen instinctively dodged two steps to the side and turned to stare in bewildered surprise.
He was a man in snow-white robes with long, ice-blue hair, standing over 1.9 meters tall. The man's features were exceptionally beautiful—yes, "beautiful" was the only word to describe his appearance. His fair face was flawless. His long, narrow eyes were closed, rimmed with black that formed a demonic-looking eyeliner. Most peculiar of all, his body wasn't solid. One could clearly see the scenery behind him right through it.
This figure was none other than the Profound Old Ghost. He stood with one hand behind his back, the other pointing forward, looking at the dazed Mu Chen with a puzzled expression.
"Are you a man or a ghost?" Mu Chen finally managed to blurt out after a long pause.
The corner of the Profound Old Ghost's mouth twitched violently. His form vanished from the spot, reappearing in front of Mu Chen an instant later.
THWACK! A sharp flick landed right on Mu Chen's forehead.
Mu Chen cried out in pain, grimacing. "What'd you hit me for?"
"For insulting your Master, of course," the Profound Old Ghost said irritably. "You deserve to be punished."
"You're my Master?" Forgetting the pain, Mu Chen looked this man, who was more beautiful than any woman, up and down. His face was a mask of astonishment. This was the first time he had seen the Profound Old Ghost's true form. He had always imagined his Master would be an old man with white hair but a youthful complexion.
The Profound Old Ghost took one look at Mu Chen's expression and knew exactly what he was thinking. "Enough nonsense," he snapped. "The steps are very simple. I will only explain them once."
Mu Chen immediately perked up his ears and turned his serious gaze toward the massive vortex.
Elder Xuan said calmly, "I'm sure you've noticed. The black matter that makes up this vortex... those are the fragments of your Dantian. The damage is more severe than I imagined."
As Elder Xuan looked at the densely packed Dantian fragments of all sizes, his brow furrowed. 'Who could have been so ruthless?' he thought. 'The force that destroyed his Dantian was utterly savage, holding nothing back. It's a miracle this little guy even survived.'
Gazing at Mu Chen with a complex expression, Elder Xuan continued, "Your Dantian fragments are very dense, which will make the reforging process slower. There are many methods, but the others are far too slow. Based on my research, the fastest method still takes four months. However, your case is more severe. It will take at least half a year."
Mu Chen didn't care in the slightest. Half a year was nothing, so long as he could cultivate again. Seeing the resolve on Mu Chen's face, Elder Xuan nodded. "Try to control the vortex's rotation speed with your will."
Mu Chen was taken aback. "How do I control the speed with my will?"
"You idiot! Just focus your mind and imagine the vortex spinning faster and faster!" Elder Xuan thundered.
Mu Chen's heart leaped into his throat in fear. He immediately did as Elder Xuan instructed. Sure enough, he soon felt his will become one with the center of the vortex, controlling its spin. The vortex's rotation accelerated. Once it reached ten times its original speed, Mu Chen found he couldn't make it go even a fraction faster.
"Feels like you've reached your limit, doesn't it?" Elder Xuan asked.
Mu Chen nodded and watched the rapidly spinning vortex. He saw that the larger Dantian fragments, due to their mass, were moving much faster than the smaller ones. Soon, they broke from their original orbits and collided with some of the smaller fragments.
The moment they collided, a violent explosion erupted from the point of impact, followed by a shockwave. The shockwave slammed into countless other Dantian fragments, causing them to collide with each other. Thus, a new wave of collisions was triggered. Collision, explosion, shockwave. Another collision, another explosion. It was an infinite cycle, like a single stone tossed into a placid lake, sending ripples across the entire surface.
"Master, what's happening?" Mu Chen asked, his voice a nervous murmur as he watched the chain of explosions in his Dantian.
Elder Xuan chuckled. "Don't be nervous. This is normal. This is Chaos. To create a world, you must first have destruction. Only from destruction can new life be born. Watch closely."
The Profound Old Ghost's words were like a calming pill for Mu Chen. He focused his attention on the changes in his Dantian. The explosions didn't last long, ceasing after about an hour. Once the collisions stopped, Mu Chen noticed the vortex's rotation had returned to its initial speed.
"What do you notice?" Elder Xuan asked, turning his head.
Mu Chen focused his gaze and exclaimed, "There are fewer Dantian fragments!"
Elder Xuan chuckled. "That's right. They've merged. In the violent collisions, they fused together, forming new Dantian fragments. These new fragments will be even more resilient."
Mu Chen was stunned. 'If what Elder Xuan says is true, then my reforged Dantian will be tougher than anyone else's!'
"Alright, it's time for another round of acceleration. Get ready. This time, speed it up in the opposite direction," Elder Xuan said quietly.
Mu Chen was about to speed it up when he heard "opposite direction." He froze, asking, "Why spin it the other way?"
Elder Xuan laughed dismissively. "Obviously. Do you want one side of your Dantian to be as tough as iron and the other as fragile as paper?"
Mu Chen was speechless.
Soon, a new round of rotation began, and the explosions roared once more. It had to be said, the scene of destruction and rebirth was truly breathtaking. However, watching it for too long grew tedious. The night passed quietly. Mu Chen's consciousness slowly returned, and he found himself utterly exhausted. An entire night of reforging had nearly depleted his energy, and a profound weariness pulled him back into a deep sleep...