34: Chapter 34 A Crazy Thought

The news was strictly controlled within the smallest possible circle.

Liang Shoushan, Liang Shouye, Chengye, Liang Qiming, and Chengping—five people gathered in the basement of Blue Winter Star, beside the Stasis Field Generator.

After Liang Qiming and Chengping finished demonstrating the common-sense-defying effects of space-time stasis, Liang Shoushan remained silent for a long time.

He watched the suspended dust and the water hanging upside down without flowing; he watched his grandson move freely within the frozen space-time.

Then, this old man, who had always been tough and had supported the family for decades, began to tremble slightly at the shoulders.

Turbid tears welled up without warning, flowing down the deep wrinkles on his face.

Lately, he had always felt an invisible exhaustion, not just in his body, but deep within his soul.

Although the backlash from refining the soul sword had been suppressed, the damage was real, like fine yet unbridgeable cracks on porcelain.

He felt his life was like sand in an hourglass, slipping away faster than ever before.

His temperament had also unknowingly become increasingly paranoid and irritable; he often felt a burning sense of helplessness regarding the family's future.

Now, the thing before his eyes—this creation that touched the laws of time—was like a bright light tearing through dark clouds, illuminating the darkest corner of his heart.

"Good... good..." he choked out, repeating those two words over and over, as if no other words could express his current feelings.

Liang Shouye, his eyes red, patted his elder brother's back hard. "Big Brother, this is a monumental joy! We should be happy! We should be happy!"

Chengye also nodded excitedly. Watching his grandfather shed tears, Liang Qiming felt both sorrow and inspiration in his heart.

However, in this moment of mixed sorrow and joy, Liang Qiming's gaze fell upon his grandfather's aged, excited, and slightly haggard face, and a thought flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

The idea was so sudden and so crazy that his thoughts momentarily stalled, leaving him completely stunned with a frozen expression on his face.

"Qiming? What's wrong?" Liang Shoushan was the first to notice his grandson's abnormality. He wiped his face and asked with concern, "Is something amiss?"

Chengye and Liang Shouye also immediately looked over, their eyes filled with doubt and worry.

Awakened by his grandfather's voice, Liang Qiming snapped back to his senses, his eyes still holding a trace of that fleeting shock and... uncontrollable excitement.

He didn't answer immediately, but took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down and organize his words. He knew that what he was about to say might overturn everyone's understanding.

"Grandfather, Father, Second Great-Uncle, Uncle," Liang Qiming's voice was a bit dry but exceptionally clear, "I... I just suddenly thought of something."

He pointed to the quietly operating generator, to that frozen space-time bubble.

"What we just tested was entering the Stasis Field or moving objects within the field."

"But what if... during a certain process, one forcibly placed themselves into the Stasis Field?"

He looked at Liang Shoushan and asked word by word:

"Grandfather, when a cultivator breaks through a major realm—for example, from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment—all rogue cultivators know that one of the great dangers is the massive amount of gathered spiritual power or true essence spinning out of control. It runs wild within the meridians and dantian, causing a backlash that can destroy one's foundation at best, or kill them on the spot at worst."

"What if... at the final moment when the breakthrough fails and the spiritual power is about to go berserk... one immediately shuts themselves inside this space-time bubble?"

"Time stops, and everything stagnates. Wouldn't that berserk spiritual power also be 'frozen' at the critical point just before exploding?"

"Then, family members outside could wear protective suits, enter the Stasis Field, and use gentle methods to gradually guide, neutralize, and lead that frozen, violent spiritual power out of the body..."

"In this way, even if the breakthrough fails, wouldn't it be possible to... save one's life? Or even preserve a foundation that hasn't been heavily damaged?"

Liang Qiming's words set off a massive wave in the hearts of the other four.

The tear stains on Liang Shoushan's face were not yet dry, but his expression had completely frozen. His mouth hung slightly open, and his eyes stared blankly at his grandson, then at the machine, as if he were truly seeing it for the first time.

Liang Shouye and Chengye were even more dumbfounded, their minds going blank.

They had never... never dared to think from this perspective! A failed breakthrough and spiritual power backlash were considered a hopeless dead end in the eyes of rogue cultivators!

The reason why Foundation Establishment Pills were so incredibly precious, besides increasing the success rate, was their important function of stabilizing spiritual power and protecting meridians, leaving a slim chance of survival for those who failed!

And now, if the hypothesis his grandson proposed was feasible...

What would that mean?

It meant that the core members of the Liang Family would possess an unprecedented, nearly absolute 'life-saving trump card' when attempting to break through major realms in the future!

It meant they could attempt breakthroughs with a smaller psychological burden and a more aggressive posture!

It meant there was a revolutionary guarantee for the accumulation and continuation of the family's top-tier combat power!

"This... this..." Liang Shoushan's voice trembled violently. He had lived for nearly eighty years and had weathered many storms, believing his will to be long since steadfast, yet at this moment, he felt bouts of dizziness. "It can... work like this?"

This crazy idea was like a spark thrown into dry wood, instantly igniting the long-suppressed ambitions in everyone's hearts.

After Liang Qiming's words fell, a long silence descended upon the basement.

Five people, five kinds of heavy and rapid breathing intertwined.

Is it feasible?

This thought swirled, collided, and was deduced frantically in everyone's minds.

The reason spiritual power backlash was fatal lay in its violent energy destroying the physical body and soul in an extremely short period of time.

But what if time was infinitely stretched, or even 'paused'? What if that destructive energy explosion process was forcibly 'frozen' at the critical point?

Theoretically... it seemed... there really was a sliver of possibility!

"Ancient records mention that great ancient sects might have had secret treasures or grand arrays that could protect the heart, meridians, and soul when a disciple failed a breakthrough, buying a slim chance of survival."

Liang Shouye was the first to speak, his voice dry. "We wouldn't even dare to dream of such treasures. But this thing before us... it stops time! If even the circulation of spiritual power can be stopped..."

He didn't continue, but the meaning was already clear.

"If it can really work..." Chengye's voice carried a tremor, a reaction to extreme excitement, "then from now on, when our Liang Family disciples strike at bottlenecks, they'll have an extra life!"

Wild joy swept over them like a tide. But immediately following that, a practical question emerged.