The Great Evolution Technique, Level 4!

Chapter 168 The Fourth Level of the Great Evolution Technique!

Two weeks later, on an ordinary morning.

The streets and alleys of Baishafang were just awakening from their slumber, the morning light was faint, and the air still carried the damp scent of last night's dew.

Zhou Ding called Xia Xiaoxing over, squatted down, and looked the eight-year-old child in the eye.

He reached out and gently straightened Xia Xiaoxing's slightly crooked collar, his voice gentle yet solemn: "Xiaoxing, your master is going into seclusion for a while. During this time, the shop will be closed. You'll be home alone, so please take good care of yourself."

Xia Xiaoxing blinked her big, clear black and white eyes. Although she was young, she was much more sensible than other children her age.

He didn't press his master about why he was going into seclusion, nor did he whine about being reluctant to leave. He simply nodded vigorously, his voice clear and earnest: "Master, don't worry, I will take good care of myself. I won't miss my daily lessons."

Looking at his earnest little face, Zhou Ding felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He reached out and gently rubbed Xia Xiaoxing's head, then said, "There's food on the stove, and the spirit stones are in the cloth bag under your pillow. Use them sparingly. If you encounter any trouble you can't solve, go to Aunt Zhang's house at the east end of the market for help. Her husband owes me a favor, and she'll help you."

Xia Xiaoxing wrote everything down and nodded again: "Master, I've remembered it all. You can go into seclusion in peace. I'll be fine."

Zhou Ding glanced at him again, and seeing that although there was affection in the child's eyes, there was no panic, he felt a little relieved.

He stood up, turned around, and walked into the secret room behind the shop.

He had secretly set up this secret room when he first rented the shop twenty years ago.

With his current mastery of formations, setting up a concealment formation that can isolate divine sense and hide fluctuations of aura is just a matter of the palm of his hand.

For twenty years, the door had never been opened, and it was covered with a thick layer of dust, making it look like a storage room for miscellaneous items.

Zhou Ding closed the door to the secret room. The hinges creaked slightly, shutting out the light and noise from the outside world.

He took out several pre-prepared array flags from his storage bag, inserted them into the ground in specific positions, and cast spells to activate the pre-buried array base.

A thin yet resilient light barrier slowly rose, enveloping the entire secret chamber. At this point, the fluctuations of energy within the chamber were completely isolated from the outside world.

He sat cross-legged on the futon in the center of the secret room, closed his eyes, but did not immediately begin to break through the bottleneck.

He spent three whole days adjusting his breathing and calming his mind, slowly going through everything he had seen, heard, felt, and realized in his twenty years of ordinary life, as if turning the pages of a thick book.

He saw the fighting spirit in Chen Mu's eyes.

He saw Xia Tu's relief and entrustment before his death.

He saw Acheng and Xiaorui holding hands in the sunset.

He saw countless faces, some joyful, some sad, some angry, and some desperate.

He heard the first shouts of the market in the early morning, the barking of dogs in the alleys late at night, the sound of rain hitting the eaves, and the rustling of the wind blowing through the leaves of the old locust tree.

He felt the joy of successfully drawing a talisman, the warmth of being trusted, the helplessness of being powerless, and the melancholy of life passing away.

These memories, like beads polished by time, were strung together by an invisible thread and hung in his heart.

These are no longer "experiences" that he needs to consciously comprehend, but have been integrated into his flesh and blood, becoming a part of his soul.

As the final scene slowly faded from his mind, Zhou Ding's state of mind was like the sky after a spring rain—clear, bright, and ethereal.

The bottleneck that had plagued him for twenty years was no longer an indestructible barrier in his perception, but merely a thin, fragile membrane.

Without further hesitation, he sank his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness, and the incantation of the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, like the tolling of an ancient bell, slowly resounded deep within his soul.

boom--!

It was as if a volcano that had been accumulating power for twenty years had finally found an outlet to erupt.

Zhou Ding's vast divine consciousness, which had been sealed for two thousand years, erupted like a giant dragon breaking free of its shackles, with an unprecedented force!

An extremely terrifying divine power, like an invisible tsunami, swept wildly outwards from him in all directions. The concealment array set up in the secret room shook violently under the impact of this torrent of divine power, groaning as if it would collapse at any moment!

The spiritual light on the battle flags flickered erratically, clearly indicating that they had reached their limit!

However, this torrent of divine consciousness did not actually impact the formation.

The moment it touched the edge of the formation, it was as if it were pressed down by an invisible hand, suddenly receding, and then began to undergo a mysterious transformation in Zhou Ding's sea of ​​consciousness in a more orderly and condensed way.

Time loses its meaning in the quiet room.

I don't know how much time passed; perhaps several days, perhaps several months.

On this day, the calm and still atmosphere in the quiet room suddenly rippled violently, as if a huge rock had been thrown into it.

A divine power, more vast, more profound, and more condensed than before, emanated from Zhou Ding's body, like a sleeping giant slowly opening its eyes.

Zhou Ding slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes held no glint of brilliance, no sharp edge, only a deep, unfathomable calm and profundity.

Like a deep pool, its surface is calm, but its depths hold immense power.

It's a kind of tranquility that comes from returning to simplicity after experiencing great storms.

He made a breakthrough.

The Great Evolution Technique, Level 4!

Twenty years of trials and tribulations in the mortal world, twenty years of refinement in the mundane realm, twenty years of mental stagnation—finally, at this moment, they have borne abundant fruit. He slowly raised his hand, looking at his palm.

This hand looks no different from before the seclusion, still bearing some thin calluses left by years of making talismans, and the skin is slightly rough due to the passage of time.

But he could clearly feel an unprecedented change taking place within him.

His consciousness, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, entered a completely new world.

If the third level of divine consciousness is a rushing river, then the fourth level of divine consciousness is a vast ocean.

The sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the insight into the subtle details, and the capture of spatial fluctuations all reached an unprecedented level of keenness and precision.

He could even clearly "see" the tiny cracks on the walls of the secret chamber that were invisible to the naked eye, "hear" the subtle friction sounds of ants crawling over gravel underground, and "sense" the free and disordered spiritual particles in the air, which, like obedient children, slowly arranged themselves into an orderly queue under the guidance of his divine sense.

He tried to extend his consciousness outward.

One hundred li, two hundred li, three hundred li, four hundred li — divine sense, like invisible tentacles, easily passed through the walls of the secret room, through the door panels of the small shop, through the streets and alleys of the market, and spread to farther places.

He "saw" Xia Xiaoxing practicing her boxing diligently in the courtyard, each move precise and skillful; he also "saw" Chen Mu fighting a level-two demonic beast in the distant sea, his sword energy surging, already firmly gaining the upper hand.

Finally, the extension of his divine sense stopped at a number that satisfied him.

Four hundred and fifty li!

Four hundred and fifty li!

This range has completely exceeded the limits that a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator can reach!

The range of divine sense of ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators is usually around 350 li. Those with exceptional talent who can reach 380 li are extremely rare.

Zhou Ding, with his cultivation at the late stage of Core Formation, had a divine sense range that reached a terrifying four hundred miles!

This is not just an accumulation of quantity, but a qualitative leap!

His spiritual concentration, penetrating power, and ability to sense and control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth have all reached an unbelievable level.

The Great Evolution Technique is a supreme secret method for tempering one's divine sense. He also underwent twenty years of tempering himself into a mortal, achieving a state of perfect mind and a pure divine sense. The combination of these two factors led to his current achievements.

A slow smile crept onto Zhou Ding's lips.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a heartfelt sense of relief and satisfaction.

Twenty years of transformation, twenty years of waiting, twenty years of trials and tribulations have finally brought the reward he deserves.

But he did not leave the pass immediately.

Because he sensed that his cultivation bottleneck had loosened.

It was a very subtle feeling.

It was as if something that had been stuck in my throat had suddenly been swallowed.

It was as if the heavy burden that had been weighing on me had suddenly lightened, as if the shadow that had been looming over my heart had suddenly been dispelled by the sunlight.

This loosening does not come from external impact, but from an internal, natural change.

It was the spiritual elevation brought about by the breakthrough in the "Great Evolution Technique" that nourished his cultivation realm; it was the foundation accumulated over twenty years of mortal cultivation that finally transformed into the driving force for his cultivation advancement.

His original cultivation level had already reached the late stage of Core Formation.

He was only one step away from the peak of Core Formation—also known as the "Pseudo-Infant Realm." For many Core Formation cultivators, this step might require decades of arduous cultivation and accumulation, or even be something they could never cross in their lifetime.

But Zhou Ding is different. He has a solid foundation and profound knowledge. He has just broken through to the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, and his spiritual sense has greatly increased. His ability to sense and control the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has reached a new level.

At this moment, breaking through to the peak of Core Formation is a natural progression, a move that should be made in accordance with the prevailing trend.

"Why not—go all out in one go?" Zhou Ding muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He closed his eyes again, and the Azure Origin Sword Technique within his body slowly began to circulate, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The spirit-gathering array set up in the secret chamber also activated, gathering spiritual energy from all directions and transforming it into streams of pure spiritual power that flowed into his body.

Time flowed slowly once again in the quiet room.

Spring comes and autumn goes, cold weather comes and heat goes. The door of the small shop remains tightly closed.

The signboard at the entrance, exposed to wind and sun, has become even more mottled.

Occasionally, regular customers would pass by, see the tightly closed door, and simply shake their heads, guessing that Uncle Zhou might have gone on a long trip or that his lifespan had come to an end.

Only Xia Xiaoxing would stand at the door for a while every morning, looking at the tightly closed door, then turn around, go back to the courtyard, and diligently practice her boxing, cultivation, reading, and calligraphy.

He remained calm and composed, as if he knew that the person behind that door would eventually come out.

Two years later.

On this day, the tranquil atmosphere in the secret chamber, as calm as an ancient well, suddenly began to fluctuate violently, as if a huge stone had been thrown into it.

A spiritual pressure far exceeding that of the previous ones, belonging to the peak of the Core Formation stage, soared into the sky like an eagle breaking free from its restraints!

The concealment array in the secret chamber emitted a violent buzzing sound under the impact of this spiritual pressure, and the array flags shook wildly, as if they were about to collapse at any moment!

But in the end, it stubbornly held on, firmly locking this astonishing spiritual pressure within the secret chamber without leaking out even a trace.

In the center of the quiet room, Zhou Ding slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes held a restrained yet profound light, as deep as the sea.

It was a composure and calmness that had settled down after two major breakthroughs.

His aura was more concentrated and restrained than before his seclusion, like a divine sword that had been forged and tempered a thousand times and finally returned to its sheath. Though it remained unsheathed, its sharpness was already concealed.

He slowly raised his hand and gently clenched his fist.

A surge of magical power, far more powerful and refined than before, flowed through his meridians, like a tamed dragon obeying his every thought.

He could sense that he was only one step away from the legendary Nascent Soul Path, and that was the most crucial step.

The peak of Core Formation, also known as the False Infant Realm.

He finally stood before that door.

"Two years—" Zhou Ding murmured to himself, his voice tinged with a hint of emotion.

He originally thought that it would take at least three to five years, or even longer, to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the fourth level of the Great Evolution Technique, everything became so smooth, as if it were a natural and inevitable process.

He stood up and stretched his body, which was slightly stiff from sitting for so long; his bones cracked softly. He walked to the door of the secret room, reached out, and gently pushed open the wooden door that had been sealed for more than two years.

Sunlight, like a golden waterfall, poured in, illuminating the dim space of the secret room and Zhou Ding's face, which carried a faint smile.

After twenty-two years of mortal life, he finally broke free from his cocoon.