81: Chapter 81 So Close

"My goal is to explore what lies beyond the Innate realm, to use the Dao of Martial Arts to achieve a life of freedom, to achieve the leisure of watching the winds and clouds of the world! Now that my cultivation is about to enter the Innate realm, martial prowess is merely icing on the cake for me!"

Ji Yebai's thoughts flowed slowly as he made his final choice.

"Only by living can there be more excitement and life!"

Ji Yebai focused his Divine Sense, casting aside all sensory perception.

Without moving, thinking, or desiring, he concentrated everything upon his heart.

He enveloped that speck of light, which radiated the warmth of life, and directed it toward the core of the illusory flame flower.

At the same time, wisps of starlight emerged once more from the flower.

All the flame characteristics representing power began to surge forth, while the flame specks representing life, warmth, and light continuously moved toward the illusory flame.

Until finally, all the flames were arranged in order.

Puchi!

The illusory flame suddenly burst forth with light.

A crimson light arrived, carrying warmth with it.

That illusory flower of flame instantly solidified, no longer flickering uncertainly, no longer illusory.

Life originates from flame.

Civilization originates from flame.

As long as the flame does not cease, life does not stop; as long as the flame does not stop, civilization moves forward!

Ji Yebai suddenly opened his eyes.

A raging flame emerged from the depths of his pupils.

Caw!!!

A deafening cry assailed him.

Ji Yebai's Aura surged crazily around him, forming a hurricane that spread in ripples, snapping the surrounding vegetation.

The invisible air distorted, and the power of Heaven and Earth suddenly became turbulent.

The next moment.

A massive, crimson bird head suddenly appeared.

The huge Phoenix crest was held high.

Caw!!!

Another deafening cry rang out.

The world shook, and the red light spread wildly.

Whoosh!

A huge, majestic divine bird soared into the sky.

The red light from its tail feathers enveloped the world.

If there were any Martial Artists here at this moment, they would likely be too shocked to speak.

That was no mere divine bird; that was a Phoenix!!!

Ji Yebai looked up.

A Vermilion Bird, fully three meters in size, spread its wings and soared.

It circled continuously above his head.

With its massive Phoenix crest, several tail feathers several meters long, intricate patterns covering its body, and the raging, scorching flames,

at this moment, it was truly like a myth.

"The Dao of Martial Arts, reaching the divine!!!"

Ji Yebai slowly stood up.

The massive divine bird in the sky let out a cry and charged toward him.

Facing the divine bird's charge, Ji Yebai puffed out his chest.

The red light suddenly retracted, and the world plunged into darkness.

The divine bird had already rushed into his heart.

Ji Yebai felt the layer of Phoenix-like Qi flame enveloping his heart and immediately burst into laughter.

"I have finally walked my own path of Martial Arts!"

Ji Yebai clenched his hands, fully activating his Cultivation Technique.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him surged in even more violently.

Endless power of Heaven and Earth flowed into his heart.

Cries of the Phoenix continuously resonated outward.

As red light permeated the area, the skin all over Ji Yebai's body turned crimson, as if it were a burning flame.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Violent heartbeats rang out!

Ji Yebai's face showed pain, but his expression was extremely excited.

Within his body, all his blood began to burn.

Blood cells were like firewood, accompanying the blood vessels and igniting all the blood.

Wisps of blood turned into nothingness, burned away completely.

But Ji Yebai was not panicked in the slightest!

On the contrary, he was inexplicably excited.

Because he felt it.

A drop of powerful, resilient, heavy, and scorching blood had been born!

It was like erupting magma.

It shot out from his heart chamber!

Thud!

An invisible ripple spread out from his chest.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each heartbeat began to grow heavier.

Slowly contracting energy, then exploding outward.

With every explosion, a drop of scorching, magma-like blood surged forth.

One hour later.

Ji Yebai's Aura dissipated.

"My blood has also completed its transformation!"

Ji Yebai smiled.

Feeling the immense power flowing through his entire body at every moment, he was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

An unparalleled sense of pleasure enveloped all his nerves.

That was the cheering of all his cells!

That was the leaping joy of his life level!

That was a pleasure far deeper and heavier than the joy between a man and a woman.

Even his hair felt happy.

Whoosh!

Ji Yebai slowly exhaled.

He looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

At this moment, he was incomparably satisfied.

Whatever desolation, whatever loneliness—it was all gone.

"I fear this is the true essence of cultivation!"

"If one loses this feeling, even if one truly achieves longevity, one would likely be no different from decaying wood!"

Ji Yebai savored the feeling from just a moment ago, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

This sense of satisfaction could not be described in words.

This was a transcendence of life!

Far longer-lasting than those few seconds!

"It's time to go back!"

Ji Yebai retracted his entire Aura, appearing just like an ordinary person, and even the heavy sound of his heartbeat gradually became inaudible.

At this moment, after several transformations, his body had become extremely powerful.

Coupled with his powerful Divine Sense, he had extremely precise control over himself.

At this moment, he concealed his own miraculous nature, so that even a First-Class Martial Artist proficient in detection would not be able to see a single flaw if they were face-to-face with him.

Whoosh!

Ji Yebai moved his mind, red light flashed around him, and in an instant, he disappeared!

This speed was more than twice as fast as before.

Ji Yebai moved his feet, tapped the ground, and his figure instantly shot a hundred meters away.

During this, air currents surged around him, as if an extremely majestic exotic bird had emerged.

In the past, Ji Yebai relied on instantaneous explosive power to continuously dash forward; even when he walked on treetops, looking extremely leisurely, it could not be denied that he relied on the reaction force of the treetops combined with the explosive power of his own body.

But at this moment,

it was already different.

With Divine Will taking form, his body and Internal Energy both possessed an extremely strong consciousness. Consciousness interfered with reality, and the air resistance of breaking through the air was adjusted and pushed aside by the will within his body, no longer acting as resistance, but instead becoming an aid.

Ji Yebai covered a hundred meters in a single step.

Like a soaring great bird, he glided away.

...

Time was like a white colt, constantly jolting away.

No one rode this white colt, yet everyone was being led away by it.

Amidst the jolting of the white colt, the Global Martial Arts Tournament went from the provincial competition to the national competition, and from the national competition to the global competition.

And throughout this, Ji Yebai was no longer paying special attention to it.

His entire mind was focused on the cultivation of Divine Will taking form.

The Fire Vermilion Bird had been born, but he still had three more Divine Wills to Cultivate.

Spring departed and autumn came.

When everyone was hotly debating the conclusion of the Global Martial Arts Tournament,

Ji Yebai completed the cultivation of the final Divine Will!

"The Vermilion Bird's fire represents the brightness of life force; the Azure Dragon's wood represents the thickness of life force; the Xuanwu's water represents the breadth of life force, and then one chooses the tolerance of earth to connect the three!"

"The Qilin of earth is like a lamp!"

"The Xuanwu of water transforms into lamp oil!"

"Then, using the Azure Dragon of wood as the lamp wick, continuously infuse it into the Vermilion Bird of fire!"

"With the four connected, completely ignite this lamp of life!"

Ji Yebai's expression was spirited, and he began to mutter to himself, unable to control it.

At this moment, he truly had nothing left to Cultivate!

And not only that.

At this very moment, he had completely touched the door to the Innate realm.

"The Breakthrough is within reach!"

Ji Yebai's expression became excited.

Since his Rebirth, he had finally reached this step.

Not only becoming an Innate, but also becoming an Innate who possessed four types of Divine Wills.

Whether it was Bai Zhu, Nangong Qing, or other Geniuses famous throughout the world,

most of them had a faction behind them supporting them with all their might.

Compared to these people, Ji Yebai was completely just an ordinary person.

An ordinary person with extremely poor bone structure at that.

"Martial Arts cultivation relies on resources, relies on talent, and I..."

Ji Yebai's expression was resilient, his eyes shining with a divine light: "I did not rely on any faction, I did not rely on any Innate talent, I relied solely on my own efforts, yet step by step I have surpassed these so-called Geniuses. I will ultimately be inferior to no one!!!"