Chapter 136: The Secrets of Spiritual Cultivation

"Brother, this might be because your consciousness merged with theirs while you were opening their meridians, causing you to inadvertently absorb some of their mental energy," Xianxian suggested after a moment of thought.

Le Kai was shocked, his expression darkening instantly. He had harbored no selfish motives in his actions, yet in practice, he had effectively siphoned his brothers' mental energy for his own use. Even if they were unaware—or wouldn't mind if they did know—Le Kai could not tolerate such behavior from himself.

Sensing his inner turmoil, Xianxian said, "My dear brother, there is no need to blame yourself. You didn't take advantage of them; on the contrary, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. While your consciousness instinctively absorbed a portion of their mental energy while inside their bodies, the people of the War Wolf Empire are not naturally gifted in mental cultivation. These pent-up reserves of mental energy often cause blockages, which are not only useless but potentially harmful. Your consciousness didn't just extract energy; it left something behind. The mental energy you refined—which has been tempered by your 'Phantom God Art'—will have an immeasurable impact on their brains. In other words, with your mental imprint, they will now be able to practice mental techniques themselves. For them, this is an unimaginable surprise!"

Le Kai asked, half-doubting, "Is that really so?"

"Certainly," Xianxian replied with certainty. "Remember, I maintain the consciousness network; no change in any of you escapes my detection. This is absolutely true. In the future, you could even teach them some mental cultivation techniques, which will greatly increase their combat effectiveness."

Le Kai was overjoyed. "I never imagined the 'Phantom God Art' had such effects. I thought they were being consumed by my technique, just like Sang Qing was."

Xianxian laughed. "The reason you were able to absorb Sang Qing's mental energy last time was that you were in a 'Berserk' state, which multiplied your strength and amplified your mental power. To reach that level under normal circumstances, you would need to reach the 'Micro-Perception' stage of 'Spirit Absorption.' You'll likely be close to that once you finish opening all their meridians."

Feeling the surge of mental energy, Le Kai laughed heartily. "It really is a case of helping others to help oneself. Good deeds bring good rewards! What are we waiting for? Let’s get to work!"

With newfound motivation, even the pain seemed to vanish. Le Kai’s hunger for strength was more intense than anyone else's; otherwise, he would not have been so driven all these years.

Each time became more skillful, faster, and his mental energy grew stronger. In this virtuous cycle, Le Kai’s strength increased at a terrifying rate.

In just three days, he had finished opening the meridians for everyone except Lan Bo and Wu Meitian. After completing each one, Le Kai would explain the situation and then teach them a mental technique compiled by Xianxian. This technique, called the "Hundred-Flower Annihilation Art," was similar to the "Berserk Battle" of the War Wolf Empire. The citizens of the Fairy Empire were so fanatically devoted to the Empress Wuhua that they wanted every technique to be associated with her. While this "Hundred-Flower Annihilation Art" sounded impressive, it was actually just a basic entry-level meditation method known to everyone in the Fairy Empire, bearing only a name similar to the Empress's legendary "Ten-Thousand-Flower Annihilation Art."

The "Phantom God Art" could only be mastered by a handful of people even within the Fairy Empire, let alone by the citizens of the War Wolf Empire, who lacked innate mental aptitude. Thus, the "Hundred-Flower Annihilation Art" was far more suitable. Firstly, the "Phantom God Art" was too significant to be leaked, and secondly, the others simply lacked the talent for it.

Upon learning this, the group was overwhelmed with joy. Finding a viable mental technique in the War Wolf Empire was nearly impossible. While the great clans had the resources to acquire such techniques, the difficulty lay in the fact that they were often impossible to practice.

With a fragment of Le Kai’s mental imprint, it was as if a commoner had suddenly claimed a noble bloodline; their entire potential was elevated, making the practice of those ordinary mental techniques effortless.

Le Kai benefited the most. His mental energy was overflowing, and through constant practice, he had reached the peak of the "Entry" stage. The "pearl" in his ancestral aperture was perfectly round and smooth, emitting a pure, ethereal aura that transformed his entire temperament. The wildness he once possessed was completely masked. When calm, his aura was inward-looking, like a pure celestial being descended from the heavens, untainted by the dust of the world—surpassing even Li Yan. When enraged, his mental energy was like a raging ocean, ready to unleash massive waves at any moment to drown everything before him!

In terms of pure mental cultivation, if Le Kai were to face Sang Qing again, he could absolutely kill him in an instant. His mental power was so immense it was beyond description, making it terrifying for surprise attacks—a way to kill without leaving a trace.

"It's a pity it's still a little lacking. If I reached the 'Micro-Perception' stage, I could directly absorb mental energy from a biological brain for my own use. If used in combat, the benefits would be endless," Le Kai said, checking his cultivation with a touch of dissatisfaction. While his physical cultivation had stalled at the "Palace" level, his mental power was progressing by leaps and bounds every day.

"Brother, for you to reach this stage in such a short time is rare even in the Fairy Empire; you should be content. Moreover, the ability of the 'Phantom God Art' to absorb others' mental energy and consciousness is an absolute secret. Besides those who practice it, no one else must ever know. This secret must never be leaked, or disaster will surely follow, and you will be hunted by everyone. Remember this well," Xianxian warned, her tone solemn.

Le Kai was shocked. He had assumed mental cultivation was always like this, but it seemed he had been too simplistic. If any technique could drain others' consciousness, the world would descend into chaos. From the perspective of the martial arts novels he had read, this was essentially a demonic art! Such a secret, if revealed, would surely incite panic.

Well aware of the stakes, Le Kai wouldn't be foolish enough to tell anyone. In fact, even if he did, no one would likely believe him. Who would believe that a "high-quality imitation" of the legendary Empress's secret art was actually such a sinister technique? It would be a slap in the face to the entire Fairy Empire. The consequences were something no one in this world could bear.

The "Phantom God Art" was not only Le Kai’s trump card, but it also brought a massive change to his "Returning Step." The "Returning Step" was an arcane movement technique that relied on the coordination of mental energy and internal breath. It contained the fundamental truths of the universe; where the mind was focused, the mental energy locked on, and the breath flowed. It was nearly identical to teleportation. Such a powerful technique required sufficient mental energy: where the thought went, the energy locked, the breath circulated—the three combined. At its limit, one could use a planet as a point and a galaxy as a "board," crossing star systems in an instant!

Initially, Le Kai thought this was just an exaggeration in the manual, but he no longer thought so. As long as his mental energy was strong enough and his breath could keep up, he could control greater distances. The principle remained the same; he was simply expanding the scope. As his mental energy grew infinitely and reached a certain limit, the distance between his nine points would naturally grow further and further apart.

Stepping out of the stone hut, Le Kai could perfectly grasp the status of everyone around him without even looking. He even had the feeling that a mysterious mental connection had been established with them. It was a one-sided connection; if he wished, he could instantly contact the mental imprint in their minds.

Because this mental imprint acted as a virtual point, much like the original point in his ancestral aperture when he first started training, it belonged not only to the practitioner but also to Le Kai.

This was a terrifying realization. When Le Kai discovered it by accident, he was stunned for a long time. He hesitated whether to tell the others, but Xianxian stopped him. Although he could probe their brains or even control them at any moment, they were unaware of it, and given Le Kai’s character, he would never spy on their secrets.

According to Xianxian, this was like buying insurance. After all, the human heart is unpredictable; if there is no betrayal, it might just be because the price of betrayal isn't high enough.

Le Kai would never ignore reality just because he had saved their lives, treating them as brothers who would never betray him. His father and Ye Wudi had taught him that harsh lesson, with the cost being his mother's life—a lesson far too profound.

Le Kai didn't want to harm people, nor did he want to suspect his friends, but he understood the need for caution. This state had formed inadvertently; it was perhaps destiny. If everyone remained sincere, they would always be brothers, and this connection would have no negative impact. On the contrary, telling them now would inevitably leave a shadow in their minds. After all, no matter how free-spirited or upright one might be, everyone had their own little secrets they didn't want others to probe.

Having reached this conclusion, Le Kai buried the secret deep in his heart.

These past few days, in preparation for the trial Le Kai had announced, everyone had been training with reckless abandon. If ordinary practitioners pushed themselves this hard, they would have collapsed long ago, but with the vast supply of pills Le Kai provided, they had no need to worry.

Even Lan Bo and Wu Meitian, who were practicing their dual-cultivation technique, didn't slack off, making significant progress. Their technique, the "Joyous Divine Art," was, as the name suggested, a technique that brought supreme pleasure. However, they were still in the early stages and had not yet reached the "Entry" level. Only after the true union of Yin and Yang would they truly begin, and the speed of growth at that point would be incomparable to any ordinary technique.

Nevertheless, their progress had been rapid recently. It was likely that once this devilish training ended, they would be fully synchronized, break through, and formally enter the path.