229: Chapter 229 Mental Cultivation Techniques

Chapter 229 Mental Cultivation Technique

Fang Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes, and observed the surrounding scene.

The morning sunlight filtered through the floral curtains, casting down fine golden threads that illuminated every corner of the room.

The desk was close to the windowsill, and the texture of the wooden tabletop also emitted a warm gloss.

On top of it were neatly piled a few recently studied specialized law books, faintly emitting the smell of ink.

Inside the entire bedroom, the outlines of all objects were delineated clearly and distinctly, covered with a faint halo.

However, it was just like an over-rendered game screen.

Because it appeared too clear, it felt somewhat unreal instead.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered slightly, and then he raised his hand.

With a crisp "pa", he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the scene inside the room seemed as if it had been cast with magic.

Daylight rapidly receded, and night surged in like a tide.

It seemed that the warm scene enveloped by sunlight just now was merely a fleeting dream.

Fang Cheng sat quietly on the bed, his eyes flashing with an unusual and brilliant radiance.

His vision was so sharp that it seemed capable of piercing through space, sweeping across every corner of the room without missing a single hidden shady spot.

Suddenly, his gaze condensed, focusing on a slightly abnormal area on the ceiling.

A few specks of faint light like fireflies flickered in the darkness, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

This was an early warning signal that energy was about to be exhausted.

It meant that the information elements carried here were draining, and the "Materials" building the Memory Palace were aging and suffering erosion.

Just like the colors on a mural gradually dimming and showing a tendency to flake off, it urgently awaited fresh "spiritual pigments" to replenish and repair it.

If left ignored, it was estimated that it wouldn't be long before that patch of wall skin would loosen as a whole and then fall off.

Fang Cheng's expression turned stern, and then he held his breath and mobilized his mental energy.

When he raised both hands, there was similarly some kind of hazy light, hard to see with the naked eye, lingering and flashing at his fingertips.

Then with a gentle wave, the light left his hand, covered that abnormal area, and melted into it.

Under the nourishment of mental energy, the loosened wall skin slowly recovered, becoming stable and compact.

Many tiny debris also floated up, returning in reverse, quietly healing the cracks.

As if time was flowing backward, it restored to its initial intact appearance.

Fang Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, a trace of gratification showing on his face.

This seemingly simple repair work was actually a manifestation of his meticulous control over the Memory Palace.

Then, shifting his gaze, he continued to patiently search for problematic areas one by one, carefully making repairs.

Under the night mode, many subtle conditions covered by light and embellished by vision were instead easier to stand out.

This also made this work, which required consuming mental energy, relatively easier.

Through multiple practical verifications, Fang Cheng had deeply realized one point.

The larger the space of the Memory Palace, the exponential growth of mental energy required during construction, and subsequent maintenance of its stable operation also required massive amounts of energy investment.

Just like building a magnificent castle in the air, from the initial blueprint design to the construction of every brick and tile, every single part consumed a huge amount.

After completion, the daily patrol, repair, and reinforcement were even a protracted mental marathon that could not tolerate the slightest slack.

As time passed and various factors superimposed their effects, the building Materials would inevitably suffer erosion, fading, wear, and distortion.

At first, it might just be a small peeling, a dim light spot, and gradually it would spread out.

In the end, it was highly likely to lead to the disintegration of the entire Memory Palace, making past efforts go down the drain.

Precisely because of this, Fang Cheng always maintained vigilance in his heart.

Every time after he finished Meditation, he would come in to inspect it once, see what changes there were, and check for omissions and fill in gaps.

Just like repairing an old house, it required continuous investment of energy.

Fortunately, the scale of the Memory Palace currently mastered by Fang Cheng was still relatively small, limited only to a single bedroom.

If it became as large as a library or a city, one could imagine how huge the workload would be by then.

This was also the main reason why Fang Cheng did not continue to expand the space and extend it outward.

The burden was simply too heavy.

With his current stage of mental reserves, rashly expanding was undoubtedly biting off more than he could chew.

Moreover, besides permanently preserving memories and serving as a haven for the Soul, Fang Cheng did not know what other functions this special "Memory Palace" had.

So there was no need to blindly follow, craving greatness and completeness.

Of course.

If he only built an illusory "Memory Palace" in his shallow consciousness, he wouldn't need to expend so much energy at all.

That simplified version of the mental space was like a disposable paper lantern; after short-term lighting, it could be discarded after use.

Just like in the rescue operation at the garbage disposal plant.

He could rely on the Speed Reading skill to instantly imprint and copy the workshop's environmental conditions into his mind, thereby obtaining a full-map control ability similar to a God's perspective.

What this ability pursued was not timeliness, but precise positioning on the spot, playing a role of acting according to circumstances.

But since he originally chose to reside in this barren zone to build a stable and lasting mental fortress.

Then he had to pay a mental energy consumption several times higher than when using the ability normally.

During rest, Fang Cheng couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

If he truly set foot in the boundless subconscious depths resembling the abyss of the Universe to build a more massive and complex Memory Palace.

I'm afraid he would have to be like the legendary deities, possessing endless great might, to control such a grand project.

After a moment, Fang Cheng finally ended this round of inspection and maintenance work.

Under his meticulous care, the indoor environment restored its past tranquility, and those loosened "mental bricks and stones" and dim "memory images" were all repaired one by one.

Concentrating his spirit highly for a long time also made his head feel somewhat bloated and slightly fatigued.

Fang Cheng raised his hand to rub between his brows and let out a slight breath of foul air.

During the Chinese New Year period, he relaxed his body and mind and enjoyed the holiday to the fullest; he hadn't come in here for more than ten days, and the accumulated workload was indeed somewhat too large.

After withdrawing his gaze, Fang Cheng turned to look at the prompt information emerging before his eyes.

[ Meditation Exp + 15 ]

[ Meditation lv1 (87 / 250) ]

The reason why the experience value of the Meditation skill could grow so significantly this time.

On one hand was the effect of daily practice, and on the other hand, it also benefited from his careful checking for omissions and meticulous repairs in the Memory Palace.

The room was dead silent, and Fang Cheng looked at the panel.

Before resting for a moment, he suddenly heard a burst of unusual movement.

It seemed as if someone was whispering in his ear, or as if a call was floating from a distant place.

The sound was intermittent, sometimes sparse, sometimes extremely noisy.

Resembling a radio frequency crossing, receiving multiple signals, it was thus difficult to hear the specific content clearly.

Accompanying these abnormal sounds, there were faintly figures flashing past his eyes quickly.

Those shadows had blurred faces, and only general human outlines could be seen, with a faint micro-light radiating around their bodies.

Fang Cheng's expression was calm and he did not feel surprised.

Ever since the Meditation skill was upgraded to the expert level, similar situations would occasionally occur every time he practiced.

It was just that recently, the number of occurrences seemed to be slightly more.

Fang Cheng had long been accustomed to it and treated them all as Heart Demons.

Anyway, there was no need to pay attention to them; it wouldn't take long before they would automatically disappear.

In reality, if one stood outside the house and viewed this small "Memory Palace" from a God's perspective.

A strange and magnificent scene would present itself before the eyes.

In the deep and dark ocean, a wisp of orange-red flame twitched slightly.

It looked like an oil lamp burning slowly, illuminating a circle of dim yet bright land.

Outside the halo, the boundless black fog surged toward it like a tide, attempting to completely extinguish this weak light.

At the same time, radio waves appeared and disappeared intermittently, resembling elves awakened by mysterious powers.

They passed through layers of darkness, winding forward, dragging long wakes wherever they passed, just like shooting stars cutting across the night sky.

The lamp flame did not show weakness either; the scattered light emitted circles of invisible fluctuations, transmitting a certain signal.

The two intertwined and collided with each other, bursting out dreamlike splendor.

Making this dark Void Realm appear no longer cold and lonely.

Knock, knock.

When the unusual movement gradually dissipated, a burst of knocking suddenly sounded.

The abrupt sound instantly broke the indoor tranquility.

Someone came to visit?

Fang Cheng was slightly stunned, and a thought of doubt quickly flashed through his mind.

He had never told anyone about building the Memory Palace, let alone sent an "invitation code".

So, where did the visitor come from?

After a little thought, Fang Cheng immediately withdrew the panel and cast his gaze toward the "door" leading to the outside world.

Along with his thought pulling, it was as if an invisible hand was slowly twisting the doorknob.

With a "creak", the door slowly opened wide, revealing a line of dark scenery, like a crack leading to the abyss.

However.

After waiting for a few seconds, no figure appeared at all.

Only the wind was wailing, drilling into the room in wisps, vainly adding a bit of grim chilliness.

Just as Fang Cheng was feeling puzzled.

Caw, caw!

Accompanied by a sharp and harsh screech, a crow as black as ink fluttered its wings and flew into the room.

Its eyes were like two gems, flashing with weird light in the darkness, revealing something extraordinary.

It circled rapidly in the room a few times, its broad wings flapping the air and stirring up a slight airflow.

Then, it landed on the desk, its claws scratching a slight "creak" sound on the tabletop.

Its black-bean-like eyeballs stared closely at Fang Cheng, and a low "gurgle" sound came from its throat, as if it wanted to say something.

Fang Cheng stared straight at it without any fear, likewise declaring to this "uninvited guest" with his eyes.

This was his home turf.

Amidst the silent standoff, the feathers all over the crow's body suddenly rippled with a hazy and strange light.

Immediately after, its figure began to scatter, turning into countless dots of starlight.

These points of light flew up and down in the air, arranging and combining like summer fireflies, light and agile.

In a flash, they actually formed a piece of text flashing with faint light.

Fang Cheng carefully identified the handwriting composed of the light spots.

"To purify consciousness, one must find a quiet room, sit cross-legged with eyes closed, guide external consciousness into one's own spiritual Secret Realm, explore hidden Impurities, gather a scorching true fire with resilient thoughts, burn them to ashes, and finally make it clear..."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng's pupils shrank slightly, rather surprised.

This is a Cultivation Technique?

Then his eyes condensed, continuing to look downward, his gaze sweeping across abruptly:

"To absorb external vital essence, one must open one's heart, perceive the rhythm of heaven and earth, listen to the Dao of nature, and when the opportunity is ripe, capture the Qi opportunity with intent, slowly introduce it into the body, turn it into one's own use, and absolutely must not be greedy for success to prevent backlash..."

This was similar to the method of stealing heaven's secrets under the state of heaven and man as one.

"The path to strengthening oneself is like sailing against the current; one needs to practice unceasingly day and night, repeatedly practicing, gathering every insight and every bit of gain drop by drop..."

"Using the spirit as a hammer, the will as an anvil, calcining with true fire, and through a thousand hammerings and hundred meltings, making self-consciousness increasingly condensed, heavy, and indestructible, until breaking through the shackles and advancing to a new realm..."

While watching, Fang Cheng silently chanted, and his heart became more and more certain.

Indeed!

This was a complete mental Cultivation Technique, covering the process of how to purify external mental energy, how to absorb it, turn it into one's own use, and strengthen oneself.

Even, there were mental ability usage methods similar to how the Smiling Demon set up spells, contacted others remotely, and invited voice chats.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng temporarily cast aside his doubts, his eyes burning like ignited flames.

His gaze locked tightly onto these words, wanting to brand them into the depths of his Soul.

At the same time, those points of light composing the text were also gradually dimming until they completely dissipated in the darkness.

The room returned to normal and became quiet once again.

Yet Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat, suddenly sensing something.

Thus he immediately exited the Memory Palace and ended the Meditation state.

The moment he returned to reality, Fang Cheng subconsciously raised his head and looked outside the window.

He saw a crow perched on the outside windowsill, its pitch-black feathers emitting a chilling gloss under the moonlight.

At the moment when their gazes intersected once more, it suddenly spread its wings and let out a few cawing sounds, as if issuing words of farewell.

Then, with a flap, it flew up.

The pitch-black figure quickly cut across the night sky, soon disappearing among the buildings, leaving a blurred afterimage.

Fang Cheng got up and got off the bed, reached out to push open the window, and poked his head out to look outside.

Near midnight, the street was deserted.

The moonlight poured down like water, outlining a desolate scene.

Fang Cheng's brows knitted tightly, knowing clearly in his heart.

Someone was hiding in the dark, imparting a method of Cultivate to him; this was by no means a coincidence.

Who on earth could it be? And what kind of motive did they harbor?

Numerous thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.

Fang Cheng stood erect before the window, gazing intently at the thick night for a long time.

...

Far away in the suburbs on the other side of the city.

The gloomy and serene mountain forest seemed immersed in a dark green ocean of mist.

A manor was hidden within it, revealing specks of light.

On the surrounding high walls, various infrared sensing devices were orderly distributed, and one surveillance camera after another turned quietly.

In the interior area, there were even two high-power xenon lamps hanging high, their light dazzling.

Many figures of guards holding firearms and wearing masks appeared and disappeared intermittently.

The seemingly antique mountain villa was armed to the teeth by modern technology, as if guarding some priceless treasure.