Perhaps Pei Xuanjing would hesitate before making a decision.
But once he had made a decision, he would not be one to drag his feet.
In the following period of time, Pei Xuanjing drew out blueprints, then descended the mountain to implore the blacksmiths in the city to forge the iron molds he needed per his requests.
After waiting for the iron molds to be completed, Pei Xuanjing flattened a piece of land at a vacant peak on Shenxiao Mountain, preparing this spot to be his experimental location.
A lightning attraction device made from a frame of mixed Mysterious Iron took shape, standing approximately thirty feet high. At the top of the device, a Mysterious Iron sword about three feet long towered into the sky.
At the very bottom, Pei Xuanjing used his strong physique to twist iron wires, strapping the lightning attraction device with one end tied to the Mysterious Iron frame, and the other end deeply buried in the ground.
The positions where these iron wires were buried subtly aligned with the mysteries of the Eight
Trigrams and the Nine Palaces, eventually converging at a Yin Yang Disc about thirty feet across.
Thus, after using up half a month's time, Pei Xuanjing had finally completed an otherworld version of a lightning attraction device. (PS: All of this is a result of the author's wild imagination, with no factual or theoretical basis whatsoever. Brothers, please refrain from any attempts out of sheer luck. The author holds no responsibility for any uncontrollable consequences. #17)
Looking at the carefully crafted lightning attraction device, satisfaction shone in Pei Xuanjing's eyes.
Although he had decided to affect the Thunder power to temper his body, he didn't dare allow the violent Thunder power to directly enter his body, for who knew if this wild Thunder power would inflict him with irreparable damage.
But with this lightning attraction device, there was no issue. By using it to divide the originally vast, surging, violent Thunder power, the risk could be reduced.
All was ready, save for an east wind.
After doing all these, Pei Xuanjing quietly waited for a stormy day to come.
Luckily, it was currently summer. Stormy weather may be late, but it would never be absent.
Pei Xuanjing waited for only half a month.
One day, the clear sky suddenly turned overcast. Dark clouds gathered, the wind screamed, and a heavy rain was clearly about to start.
Pei Xuanjing's face showed joy as he sprinted towards the mountain peak.
Upon his arrival, he saw bolts of lightning flitting across the sky, and thunder booming.
Boom!
A thunderous roar exploded, immediately followed by a spark of lightning shooting straight towards the lightning attraction device.
Bzzz…
The chaotic lightning hit the Mysterious Iron sword, and in an instant, it divided along the Mysterious Iron frame to the Mysterious Iron wires. It seemed like glowing silver snakes wriggling and burrowing into the ground.
At the site where the Eight Trigrams and the Nine Palaces converged on the Yin Yang Disc, countless purple-green lightning sparks flickered, radiating an intimidating sense of danger.
Hu-hu…
Pei Xuanjing let out a long sigh, looking at the non-stop jumping sparks not far off, his eyes revealing curiosity.
He quietly operated the Innate Thunder Gang Qi, and a layer of purple-green light spread over his left hand. He stretched out his five fingers, the electric light in his palm mimicking a vortex, creating a suction force. The flickering electric sparks on the Yin Yang Disc were attracted, rushing towards his palm like a dragon sucking in water, becoming a cluster of points, and dancing and flickering at his fingertips.
Hum…
The moment he came into contact with the electric sparks, Pei Xuanjing shivered all over, just like how he unexpectedly got an electric shock in his previous life, his body emanating a numb sensation.
Even though he had been prepared, using the Innate Thunder Gang Qi to cover his left hand, he still couldn't prevent this numb sensation, as if it was directly seeping into his soul.
Aware of the small hazard from the electric sparks, Pei Xuanjing attempted to slowly dissipate the protective Thunder Gang Qi on his hand, using only his fingertips to make contact.
Hiss…
In an instant, Pei Xuanjing's index finger seemed to have been scalded by hot water, turning red, with a faintly painful sensation spreading.
Considering Pei Xuanjing's current robust physique, even swords and Imives would be hard pressed to hurt him. Yet this electrical spark had such terrifying power, causing him to be astoundingly impressed.
Immediately, Pei Xuanjing initiated the skill and used the True Qi to nourish the muscles, bones, and skin of his index finger. The originally red index finger almost instantaneously recovered to its original state.
"Indeed it works!" A delighted look appeared on Pei Xuanjing's face.
That was because during the process of injury and healing just now, Pei Xuanjing found that the skin on his left index finger had become slightly more resilient, practically undetectably so.
How could he not be overjoyed? This undoubtedly proved that his current attempt was not wrong, that the direction was correct.
Realized that such a slight improvement was even more effective than the results of nourishing his body with True Qi for a whole month in the past.
Since this method was effective, Pei Xuanjing proceeded without hesitation.
He didn't mind the rolling storm, sat down, and repeated the previous steps.
First envelop his hand with the Innate Thunder Gang Qi, attract the lightning to his fingertips, then slowly dissipate the Thunder Gang Qi protecting his hand, allowing the lightning to temper his finger, and then initiate the skill to nurture his palm.
As expected!
This time Pei Xuanjing was even more focused, clearly feeling the continued strengthening of his bones.
As he was unsure where his limit lay, even though he knew that the action was beneficial, Pei Xuanjing dared not drastically increase the amount of lightning attracted.
He could only continue trying, once and again, with only slight increases, careful not to exceed the limit his body could withstand..
Hiss!
Pei Xuanjing, who was busy in his procedure, drew in a sharp breath; he grimaced, looking at the red mark that appeared on his palm. Even after nourishing it with True Qi, it still showed signs similar to burn marks.
"It seems that I have reached the current limit my body can withstand; continuing to increase it would not only fail to strengthen me, but also leave behind problems." Pei Xuanjing had a sudden realization.
The lightning he had absorbed just now had reached the upper limit his current physique could endure; he couldn't continue to increase it.
At present, the lightning he could absorb could only support him in strengthening his left hand, or in other words, the bones in his left index finger.
Despite only being able to strengthen one index finger bone—a far cry from what Pei Xuanjing had initially envisioned—he did not feel discouraged or disappointed.
He slowly repeated the process, relishing the ongoing ascend of his palm, focusing his attention and not letting any slack.
He didn't know how long it had been; half an hour, an hour, or perhaps even two hours. The wind subsided, the rain stopped, and the gloomy sky cleared up again as the thunder dispersed and lightning hid away.
Whew!
Pei Xuanjing took a long breath, expelling the turbid air from his chest.
Cultivation in this manner not only exhausted his spiritual power but also put his True Qi to a great test. Despite Pei Xuanjing's vigorous True Qi, it was tough to persist for an extended period.
The cessation of the storm came in timely, otherwise, Pei Xuanjing would have a hard time continuing and would need to consume elixirs to replenish his True Qi.
For now, he set aside the notion of checking the result of his recent cultivation and prioritized closing his eyes to recover his True Qi.
After a long time, he opened his eyes, extending his left hand to gaze at his slim and spotless index finger.
A thrill of joy was visible in his eyes, hard to hide.
Pei Xuanjing mobilized his skill, pointed out his index finger, and quickly stabbed at a huge rock beside him!
Thud!
The incredibly hard rock was like tofu for him, penetrated by his index finger , leaving behind a smooth, tidy hole.
"As expected!" Exclaimed Pei Xuanjing.
His hard work just now was not in vain; all the pain was worth it, bringing rewarding results.
Understand that even before refining his bone with thunder power, Pei Xuanjing could easily pierce through a gigantic rock, leaving a hole in it.
However, the hole produced that way due to the collision of brute force was far from smooth and neat, unlike the one he just made, which was as perfect as slicing through iron like mud.
Or take another example, before the refining and strengthening process, he could break a divine weapon with a single finger, but after the strengthening process, he could cut it off.
While these two scenarios might seem to yield the same result, the underlying significances are entirely different.
"Looking at it this way, the future looks promising." Glimmering lights filled Pei Xuanjing's eyes.
His experimentation succeeded this time, a great attempt for Pei Xuanjing.
Because this means he had found a path, a potential path to break the shackles and transcend the realm before Heaven and Earth revived.
Without a doubt, this move was unprecedented and unsurpassed.
If this news got out, it would captivate all the strong players in the world of martial arts. It would drive them crazy.
Because, if truly successful, Pei Xuanjing would become the first strong man to break the shackles and transcend after the Tang Dynasty, an unprecedented accomplishment in a thousand years.
He would be a trailblazer, an opener of pathways, a potential teacher for thousands of martial artists!
"The Way of Essence Refinement involves strengthening and tempering one's body to the point of complete transformation." Pei Xuanjing thought to himself.
If every inch of your flesh, bones, membranes, organs is improved, your body'S limitations will naturally be broken, entering into a different realm.
This was the Way of Essence Refinement that Pei Xuanjing devised.
"Just today, it took such a long time to successfully refine a single index finger. It is likely to take even more time to proceed, which will be an immense task." Pei Xuanjing thought.
Compared to the whole body, a single index finger is indeed insignificant. To genuinely refine the entire body, it would probably take a lot of time, getting into the amount calculated in sea quantities.
But soon, he regained his spirit.
While others might require greater opportunities, in his case, he didn't feel as burdened.
After all, he wasn't solely relying on time to temper himself He could also use the Life Simulator to aid his cultivation process.
After several simulations of life, Pei Xuanjing had deduced a few general rules.
Namely, in general, problems encountered in the life simulator could be avoided by making proactive choices.
However, if a problem was already afoot, then it would likely continue in the life simulator, and rarely would it disappear due to the butterfly effect.
That is to say, since he has already proven that this method is correct and useful, it is highly likely that it will carry on in the future simulation processes of life.
Hence, in the following days, Pei Xuanjing waited for the thunderstorm weather. He tarried to exploit the power of thunder to reinforce and refine himself while refining the Taoyun from the martial studies that Yu Zhenzi had brought him in the past two years; that alone was enough to initiate another life simulation.
While the wind and rain were continuous and thunder roared.
Pei Xuanjing was seated not far from the Lightning Attraction Device; he had his eyes slightly closed, fully concentrating on the refining process..