Chapter 521: Divinity
The Conflict of Forces
The Heavenly Master's Strategy recorded three primary cultivation methods for the soul: Returning to the Void, the Nirvana Grand Technique, and Spirit Transformation.
Each of the three techniques had its merits, but Spirit Transformation was the most complex and, simultaneously, achieved the highest realization.
Luke chose this one. The technique was abstruse and demanding on the soul. Fortunately, Luke's greatest strength lay in his soul, and through relentless effort, he reached the Soul Refinement stage in just over a month.
According to the book, the next step after Soul Refinement was Spirit Shaping—transitioning from the immaterial to the material and perceiving Divinity. In addition to possessing a nearly materialized soul, one could manipulate this Divinity for various types of attacks.
Reaching this stage meant one could no longer be called a mere human; one was a Semi-Immortal.
The former Abbot of White Cloud Temple, Zhang Ruosu, had reached the Spirit Shaping cultivation level. His soul could leave his body and transform into a golden giant, capable of wielding golden lightning in his palm to unleash destructive strikes on both the physical and spiritual levels.
This kind of attack was terrifying. It was only because he encountered Luke that it failed; for anyone else, one strike would reduce them to dust.
It was precisely after witnessing Zhang Ruosu's power that Luke decided to seize the Heavenly Master's Strategy. But he never expected the green flame to interfere.
Every time he cultivated Divinity, the green flame would pounce and completely devour it. Even when he tried to seal it away, it didn't work. The two were like a lion and a tiger; they simply couldn't coexist.
On the isolated island, Luke shot out a small flame, his expression extremely grim.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm cultivating Divinity! What business is it of yours? Why do you have to pop out every time? Who do you think you are?"
"You damned thing."
Luke cursed fiercely, recalled all the green flames, and applied a stronger seal. Once he confirmed the seal was secure, he re-entered his meditative state.
His soul hovered in the air, his consciousness detached from his body, entering the ethereal world. Gradually, a faint golden light emerged from his abdomen.
Divinity!
The foundation of all Daoist arts, an incomprehensible and fantastical energy.
Unlike the green flame, it didn't possess terrifying destructive power or the ability to devour souls. It was merely a fundamental particle originating from the soul.
It had numerous incredible abilities: it could transform into lightning, frost, or fire; it could grant sentience to inanimate objects; it could enhance a person's body; it could stir up gales or bring down rain. When its quantity reached a certain level, it could even change the sky and earth, and move mountains and seas.
Divinity was miraculous and the basis for achieving immortality.
The Devourer
Time passed slowly. Unknowingly, sixteen hours went by.
The glow in his abdomen had become a dazzling golden radiance.
Luke opened his eyes, about to proceed to the next step, when suddenly, the green flame surged out from his heart. Like a hungry tiger, it pounced on the golden radiance and devoured it completely in two or three gulps.
"??????"
"I swear to God!"
Luke was furious. He raised his hand and punched toward his abdomen. The green flame immediately recoiled, scurrying back faster than a mouse.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"How many times is this? Is this ever going to end?"
All that hard work for half a day, only to be back at square one. Without Divinity, he couldn't proceed with the next stage of cultivation.
"Damn it, am I never going to break through?"
Luke was utterly helpless. He simply gave up cultivating for the time being and returned to his physical body. After eating his fill and taking a hot bath—despite the island being remote, he made sure to have all the necessities—he wouldn't shortchange himself in this regard.
The bottleneck in his cultivation stemmed, ultimately, from the green flame. Recalling everything that had happened over the past few days, a question suddenly popped into his mind:
"Why does the green flame swallow the Divinity?"
"Is it because two tigers cannot share one mountain? Or is it treating the Divinity as food?"
If it was the former, he was in serious trouble. If it was the latter...
Luke stopped, a sense of determination in his eyes. You want to eat? I'll feed you until you burst.
Powerful soul fluctuations rippled out from within his body. Luke made contact with his thirteen clones scattered across the world.
"Come to the isolated island. I have something for you to do."
Troubles in the Outside World
Upon receiving the command, the thirteen Apostles did not hesitate and immediately set out. The first to arrive was Number Two, Orm, followed by Three, Five, and Eight. Then came Seven and Six. Number Nine and Number Thirteen were the last to arrive. The former was busy fooling around with two girls; the latter was simply slow.
Luke imprinted the Spirit Transformation method and techniques into their minds via a memory transfer.
"You are going to work overtime, practicing relentlessly. No slacking off."
The Apostles were helpless. They dared not disobey the will of their original body and could only remain on the isolated island. Being split souls without the main personality, their cultivation speed was far slower than Luke's.
It took a full three months before Number Seven, who had the strongest soul, barely managed to enter the Soul Refinement stage.
During this period, Luke did not stop. He continued to condense Divinity day and night. This time, he ignored the green flame, allowing it to stand guard in his abdomen. Every time a golden light separated, the green flame would pounce and swallow it.
The bastard was like a cat guarding an automatic feeder.
Long-term study gave Luke a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Master's Strategy, and his soul strength continued to increase, nearly reaching the limit of the Soul Refinement stage.
He needed only the addition of Divinity to cross into the next realm.
...
A day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world.
Luke, on the isolated island, was oblivious to the passage of time and unaware of the troubles brewing in Metropolis.
Tesla's recent days were difficult. They received daily legal notices, and large groups of protesters gathered outside the factory, demanding an explanation.
Looking at the crowds outside, Linda developed a headache.
"Well, did you find anything?"
Siobhan sighed.
"We've audited all employees who had access to the main computer. No suspicious points were found." She paused, then added seriously, "Perhaps it wasn't an internal leak."
"Internal or external, it doesn't solve the fundamental problem."
Linda returned to her desk and slammed her palm down.
"Damn it! Which bastard is causing all this trouble?"
Siobhan hesitated. "Actually, all we need to do is issue a statement. The powered armor used by terrorists has Tesla technology, but it's not our product. If we stick to that, the Gotham City government can't do anything to us."
Linda shook her head. "It's not that simple."
Just then, the door opened, and Barry Allen rushed in.
"We might have a problem."
"What is it?"
Barry took a quick breath. "A train headed for Keystone City was attacked by unknown individuals. All one hundred sets of police powered armor on board are missing."
Linda and Siobhan exchanged a look, both having a bad feeling.
To have such a serious incident occur at such a critical moment was disastrous. If the perpetrators used the stolen police armor to carry out terrorist acts, it would truly add insult to injury for Tesla.
"I knew it. Things weren't that simple."
Linda clenched her fists and immediately rushed to the main control room. Every set of powered armor had an independent security system. If it didn't connect to the network for a prolonged period, it would transmit a location signal.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!