Chapter 530
Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan had been standing in front of the inner entrance of the mysterious cave for ten years. During these ten years, the time in the cave seemed to have frozen. Only the barrier shining with mysterious light always emitted powerful spiritual fluctuations that made people's hearts flutter, like a sleeping but majestic beast, quietly examining the two persistent intruders.
The space at the entrance of the inner layer of the cave was filled with an ancient and solemn atmosphere. On the surrounding walls of the cave, there were flickering lights. They were mysterious runes that had been deposited over the years. They seemed to be whispering stories of the past, or issuing silent warnings. The ground was paved with a strange black rock with interlaced textures, like a painting containing endless mysteries. The air was filled with a faint spiritual mist, cold and damp. With every breath, one could feel the spiritual power invading the body, bringing a subtle and complex feeling.
Fu Shaoping frowned. He was calm and composed, and his eyes were like those of an eagle, calmly and attentively fixed on the barrier. In the past ten years, he had devoted almost all his energy to the research of the barrier. His face was slightly thin, but he showed an indomitable will. His deep eyes were always calm, occasionally flashing with confusion, but soon regaining their firmness. At this moment, he was concentrating on observing the flow of light on the barrier, trying to find even the slightest pattern from it.
Nangong Wan stood beside Fu Shaoping, her expression was equally solemn. Her long black hair casually draped over her shoulders, shining with a faint luster under the light of the barrier. In her eyes, there was both curiosity about the mystery of the barrier and worry about unknown challenges. Ten years of research have made her deeply realize that the complexity of this barrier is far beyond imagination. She bit her lips slightly, and clenched her hands unconsciously, as if secretly encouraging herself.
"Shao Ping, the light of this barrier flows in an irregular pattern. We have studied it for ten years, but still haven't found a real breakthrough." There was a hint of fatigue and helplessness in Nangong Wan's voice. The hard exploration of the past ten years had put tremendous pressure on her heart.
Fu Shaoping sighed softly and said slowly and steadily: "Wan'er, I know this is difficult, but we can't give up. You see, although the light of this barrier seems chaotic, but if you look closely, you can still find some subtle changes. It's just that these changes are too subtle, we need more time and energy to study." There was a hint of comfort in his words, as well as expectations for the future.
Several months later, Fu Shaoping almost locked himself in the study of the barrier. He sat in front of the barrier all day, staring at the ever-changing light, and kept making various runes and gestures with his hands, trying to resonate with the operation of the barrier. Nangong Wan kept flipping through the various ancient books and materials they had collected, hoping to find some records about this kind of barrier.
On this day, Fu Shaoping sat in front of the barrier as usual, with a calm expression. Suddenly, his eyes lit up slightly. He found that the light on the barrier paused briefly at a certain moment, and the rhythm of this pause seemed to be similar to an ancient star rhythm that he had studied before.
"Wan'er, come here quickly! Look at this pause in the light, isn't it very similar to the rhythm of the stars we saw in ancient books before?" Fu Shaoping's voice was still steady, but he raised the volume slightly, with a hint of imperceptible excitement.
Nangong Wan quickly put down the ancient book in her hand and walked quickly to Fu Shaoping's side. She carefully observed the light on the barrier, and a look of surprise gradually emerged in her eyes. "Yes! It really looks like it! Could this be the key to breaking the barrier?"
A glimmer of hope ignited in the hearts of the two, and they began to study the connection between the rhythm of the stars and the operation of the barrier in more depth. After countless days and nights of hard work, they finally discovered that the operation structure of the barrier was inextricably linked to the trajectory of the stars.
“So that’s it! The source of power for this barrier is not ordinary spiritual power, but the power of the stars. Only the power of the stars can resonate with this barrier and open it.” Fu Shaoping said calmly, with a steady light flashing in his eyes.
Nangong Wan nodded slightly, and a pleased smile appeared on her face. "In this case, we must practice the Star Power Technique and obtain the power of the stars to open this barrier."
However, it is not easy to practice the Star Force technique. They searched everywhere for the relevant technique secrets, but found nothing. During this long and difficult search, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan's emotions also experienced countless ups and downs. Sometimes, they would be excited because of a clue; sometimes, they would fall into deep depression because of the interruption of the clue.
"Are we really going to fail here?" A trace of despair flashed in Nangong Wan's eyes. These repeated setbacks dealt a great blow to her confidence.
Fu Shaoping held Nangong Wan's hand tightly, looking at her firmly and steadily: "Wan'er, we can't give up. We have already put in ten years of hard work, and we can't back down at the last minute. I believe there will always be a way."
Fu Shaoping's mind raced, and he vaguely remembered that there was an ancient book about cultivating the power of the stars.
Fu Shaoping searched for a long time in the storage bag and finally found the "Nine Heavens Star Secret". This secret book of martial arts was warm to the touch, and the surface was engraved with ancient patterns. Under the dim light of the barrier, a mysterious atmosphere was faintly flowing. Fu Shaoping carefully unfolded it, and Nangong Wan also hurried over, and their eyes were fixed on the yellowed pages.
"The formula of the 'Nine Heavenly Stars Sutra' is obscure and difficult to understand, and it seems to contain some ancient laws." Fu Shaoping frowned slightly and spoke softly, his expression still calm.
Nangong Wan studied the formula carefully, muttering to himself, "'The stars shine in the sky, and the spirit enters the body. Yin and Yang follow the veins, and the universe is embraced in the palm of your hand.' These few short sentences seem to contain endless mysteries."
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and tried to find clues for cultivation from the formula: "'Zhou Tian Xing Chen Yao', I think it must be practiced when the power of the stars is at its strongest, using the light of the stars to draw in power. And 'Spiritual Rhythm Enters the Body', it should mean to skillfully guide the power of the stars into the body."
"Then how do you explain 'Yin and Yang follow the veins, and the universe is held in the palm'?" Nangong Wan asked doubtfully, his eyes full of confusion.
Fu Shaoping pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Perhaps it is necessary to let the power of the stars flow along the direction of the yin and yang meridians in the body, and finally gather in the palm of the hand to form a unique power."
After determining the general direction of cultivation, they decided to try to cultivate that night. As night fell, the moon was high in the sky, and the sky was dotted with stars. Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan came to an open area outside the cave, where the view was wide and the vast starry sky could be clearly seen. The surroundings were quiet and silent, with only a breeze blowing gently, bringing a hint of coolness.
Fu Shaoping sat cross-legged on the ground, while Nangong Wan stood guard beside him. Fu Shaoping followed the instructions, circulated the spiritual power in his body, and guided his consciousness slowly upward to establish a connection with the stars in the sky. At first, everything did not go smoothly. He felt as if his consciousness was trapped in a fog and could not accurately capture the power of the stars.
"Don't be anxious, Shaoping, take your time." Nangong Wan said softly, her eyes full of worry and encouragement.
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Finally, he felt a faint star power flowing slowly into his body from the top of his head. This power was cold and pure, like a trickle, flowing slowly through his meridians. "Success! Wan'er, I feel the star power!" Fu Shaoping's voice was still steady, but with a hint of uncontrollable joy.
However, this was just the beginning. As the power of the stars continued to flow into his body, Fu Shaoping felt a huge pressure. This power was like a wild horse running wild, rushing through his meridians, causing bursts of severe pain.
"Hold on, Shaoping! Guide the power according to the mantra!" Nangong Wan shouted anxiously, her hands clenched tightly and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Fu Shaoping gritted his teeth, endured the severe pain, and tried his best to follow the instructions of the formula to guide the power of the stars to circulate in the meridians in his body. After an unknown amount of time, the violent power was finally tamed and began to flow slowly in the meridians according to his wishes.
After a night of training, Fu Shaoping successfully entered the skin training stage. He could clearly feel that his skin had become tougher and shimmered with a faint star-like luster.
"This 'Nine Heavenly Star Art' is truly magical. It has brought about such a huge change in me even in the Leather Training Stage." Fu Shaoping said calmly, his face filled with a confident smile.
Nangong Wan smiled and nodded: "Yes, but we can't take it lightly, there are more difficult training waiting for us later."
In the following days, Fu Shaoping and Nangong Wan practiced hard day and night. Every night, they practiced the power of stars under the starry sky, and during the day, they studied ancient books to find ways to increase the speed of practice.
As time went by, Fu Shaoping successfully entered the flesh refining realm. In this realm, the power of the stars began to penetrate into his muscles, greatly improving his strength. He lightly punched out, and he could hear the sound of the air being torn apart, and the spiritual power around him also vibrated.
"Wan'er, you see my strength has increased a lot." Fu Shaoping showed his strength calmly, his eyes full of confidence.
Nangong Wan looked at Fu Shaoping, his eyes full of relief: "Your efforts have not been in vain, but we still have a long way to go before we can reach the Tendon Refining Realm."
However, the road of cultivation is not smooth. In the process of striving for the tendon refining realm, Fu Shaoping encountered great difficulties. When he tried to penetrate the tendons and veins with the power of the stars, he encountered strong resistance. Every attempt made him feel so painful that he felt as if all the tendons and veins in his body were about to be torn apart.
"This tendon refining stage is indeed difficult. I have tried many times, but I cannot get the power of the stars to enter the tendons smoothly." Fu Shaoping said tiredly, with a hint of frustration in his eyes, but his tone was still steady.
Nangong Wan gently held Fu Shaoping's hand: "Don't be discouraged, Shaoping. Let's study the formula carefully again, maybe we can find a way to break through."
The two of them carefully read the Nine Heavens Star Secret again, and after several days of research, they finally discovered a key point. It turned out that before guiding the power of the stars into the tendons and veins, the tendons and veins needed to be warmed and unblocked first, so that they could withstand the impact of the power of the stars.
Fu Shaoping followed the newly discovered method, first using his own spiritual power to carefully warm up his tendons and veins, and then tried to guide the power of the stars. This time, although the pain was still unbearable, the power of the stars finally slowly penetrated into his tendons and veins.
"Success! Wan'er, I have successfully entered the tendon refining realm!" Fu Shaoping's steady voice was filled with excitement that was hard to conceal, and his voice echoed in the night sky.
Nangong Wan hugged Fu Shaoping excitedly: "Great! We finally have enough strength to try to open the barrier!"
When the two returned to the inner entrance of the cave, Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and looked calm. To break the barrier this time, they not only needed the powerful power of the stars, but also needed to use two crucial magic weapons - the star compass and the Lingxi jade talisman.
The star compass was obtained by Fu Shaoping by chance in his early years. The compass exudes a faint blue light, and the surface is engraved with ancient star patterns, each of which contains mysterious star power. When activated, the compass will produce a wonderful resonance with the stars in the sky, guiding the star power to gather.
The Lingxi Jade Talisman is Nangong Wan's treasure. This jade talisman is warm and translucent, with a faint spiritual light flowing inside. Its magic lies in that it can enhance the spiritual resonance between the two people, making them cooperate more tacitly when casting spells, and exert a powerful force far beyond their own strength.
Fu Shaoping mobilized the star power of the tendon-refining realm in his body and quickly formed seals with his hands. His hands danced like a phantom, and spiritual runes flew out from his fingertips and surrounded him. At the same time, he raised the star compass and chanted something. The star compass spun rapidly, emitting a dazzling blue light, which echoed with the stars in the sky, continuously drawing the star power to Fu Shaoping.
Nangong Wan also acted quickly. She took out the Lingxi Jade Talisman and injected her own spiritual power into it. The Lingxi Jade Talisman shone brightly, and a soft light connected her and Fu Shaoping. She used all her spiritual power to transmit her spiritual power to Fu Shaoping without reservation through the special power of the Lingxi Jade Talisman, and at the same time strengthened the telepathy between the two so as to better cooperate with Fu Shaoping's actions.
The power of the stars surged towards the barrier like a surging tide, colliding violently with the light on the barrier. For a moment, the light was bright and the spiritual power was fluctuating. The light on the barrier flickered wildly, as if it was making a final resistance.
"Hold on, Shao Ping!" Nangong Wan shouted loudly, her eyes full of determination. (End of this chapter)