Cultivating a Visualization Method was entirely different from the Martial Arts practice of Body Refining.
It wasn't about surging Qi and Blood or aching muscles. Instead, it was a silent journey that unfolded purely within one's consciousness.
Following the instructions of the Mountain Shifting Technique, Xu Wuyi began the Visualization process within his sea of consciousness once his Heart and Spirit had completely calmed.
At first, there was only a formless, chaotic void.
He focused all of his mental energy, sketching the mountain's silhouette piece by piece.
This wasn't any specific, real-world peak. It was the very concept of "mountain" itself: immense, majestic, and eternal.
The process was smoother than expected.
In just a little over ten minutes, a gray-brown "small mountain" about the height of a man, its outline clear, had already formed within his sea of consciousness.
The mountain itself wasn't finely detailed, even appearing somewhat coarse, yet it emanated a palpable sense of weight, as if it were truly heavy.
Next came the true challenge of the Mountain Shifting Technique: Moving Mountains.
He had to use his own Spirit as his "hands" and his Intention as his "crowbar" to gradually "move" and "level" the very "mountain" he had visualized.
Xu Wuyi concentrated his Spirit, gathering his Spiritual Power into an invisible force that he wrapped around the mountain.
"Rise!"
He repeated the word in his mind, exerting his full effort.
The mountain... didn't move an inch.
No, that wasn't entirely true.
The instant his Spiritual Power made contact with the mountain, he clearly felt an immense force of resistance emanating from the small mountain he had visualized.
At the same time, a heavy pressure fed back into his consciousness, making him slightly dizzy.
This "mountain" felt as if it possessed an immense, real weight.
He wasn't discouraged. He was already mentally prepared. If a Visualization Method could be mastered so easily, High-Tier Martial Artists wouldn't be so rare.
He adjusted his breathing and cast aside all distracting thoughts. He stopped trying to move the entire mountain at once. Instead, he condensed his Spiritual Power into a thinner, more focused stream, like a drill, and aimed it at a corner of the mountain, applying continuous force.
Once, twice, three times...
His Spiritual Power was consumed rapidly, beads of cold sweat began to form on his forehead, and a throbbing pain pulsed at his temples.
This was even more draining on his Heart and Spirit than performing a standard session of the Basic Body Refining Technique a hundred times in a row.
An unknown amount of time passed. Just as he felt his mental energy was on the verge of depletion and his consciousness began to blur—
CLICK.
An extremely faint, crisp sound, like a pebble hitting the ground, echoed clearly in his sea of consciousness.
He "saw" it: a corner of the stubborn mountain was finally pried loose by his Spiritual Power. A small, fingernail-sized fragment of rock broke off, instantly dissolving into a pure stream of spiritual light before vanishing into the void of his sea of consciousness.
At the same time, the small mountain seemed to shrink by an almost imperceptible amount.
[Mountain Shifting Technique Proficiency +0.1%]
A line of ancient text silently appeared on the Bronze Scroll of the Martial Arts Diligence Record, beneath the entry for the Basic Body Refining Technique.
Xu Wuyi felt a jolt of excitement.
'The panel recognized and quantified the Visualization Method too!'
He let out a long breath, stopping the Visualization.
Checking the time, he saw that less than forty minutes had passed.
What Xu Wuyi didn't know was that on his very first attempt at Visualization, he had not only successfully constructed the mountain but also completed the first act of "Moving Mountains." If word of this progress got out, it would be jaw-dropping.
Spiritual Cultivation was more difficult than refining one's Qi and Blood, and it depended more on talent. However, those with a talent for it were far rarer.
This was because the talent required for Spiritual Cultivation wasn't an innate quality, but a mind made sufficiently resilient through countless refinements.
A powerful wave of fatigue washed over him. Xu Wuyi didn't try to fight it and immediately fell asleep.
Deep sleep was the best way to recover Spiritual Power. After practicing a Visualization Method, a Martial Artist usually only needed three to four hours of rest to stay energized for an entire day.
Over the next three days, Xu Wuyi's schedule became even more intense.
During the day, he unfailingly completed his "hundred repetitions" and Enlightenment for the Basic Body Refining Technique. Though his proficiency was stuck, unmoving, at 99.9%, his Qi and Blood grew more condensed with each Refinement.
At night, he devoted himself entirely to practicing the Mountain Shifting Technique.
With the precise feedback from the Martial Arts Diligence Record, he didn't need to worry about practicing incorrectly. He only needed to focus on how to more efficiently mobilize and use his own Spiritual Power.
The process was still arduous.
Every Visualization of "Moving Mountains" was like carving into hard rock with an invisible chisel, bit by bit. It was the ultimate test of Willpower.
The emptiness and headaches that came with mental exhaustion were far more unbearable than sore muscles.
But Xu Wuyi pushed through, relying on sheer tenacity.
Practice a skill a hundred times, and its meaning will become clear. Xu Wuyi now had a profound understanding of this saying.
Although the number of effective repetitions wasn't recorded for the Visualization Method, meaning there were no Hundred Chances of Enlightenment, Xu Wuyi still trained diligently every day.
'My efforts don't exist because of the panel,' he thought. 'On the contrary, it's because I work hard enough that the Martial Arts Diligence Record has room to function!'
As his understanding of the Mountain Shifting Technique deepened and his control over his Spiritual Power improved, his efficiency in "Moving Mountains" also slowly increased.
From 0.1% to 1%, then to 10%, 20%... Xu Wuyi could clearly feel his control over his Spiritual Power becoming more and more precise and subtle.
Initially, it took immense mental effort for him to just barely form the spiritual "crowbar." His movements were clumsy, and his efficiency was low.
But as his proficiency broke past 40%, the speed at which he could condense his Spiritual Power increased noticeably, and the formless "crowbar" became more solid and powerful.
From being able to only break off a fingernail-sized fragment of rock per Visualization, he progressed to consistently prying loose a fist-sized rock...
His efficiency had more than tripled!
The gray-brown small mountain in his sea of consciousness began to shrink at a faster rate.
「Late on the third night.」
Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged on his bed, his Heart and Spirit completely immersed in his sea of consciousness.
By now, the mountain that had once been as tall as a man was reduced to a single, stubborn rock, about the size of a basin, suspended obstinately in the void.
He mobilized all the Spiritual Power at his command, compressing it into an invisible Heavy Hammer. With unstoppable momentum, he brought it smashing down on the final, stubborn rock!
"Break!"
BOOM—!
It was as if something had exploded deep within his consciousness, like a dam finally bursting under the pressure of a flood.
The last stubborn rock shattered on impact, exploding into a sky full of crystalline motes of light, as brilliant as stars, before merging into his sea of consciousness and disappearing.
An indescribable feeling of ease and clarity instantly spread through his entire body.
It was as if a thin veil that had always shrouded his mind had been lifted, and the entire world became much clearer in his perception.
Within his sea of consciousness, new text had appeared on the panel:
[Martial Arts Diligence Record]
Martial Arts: Basic Body Refining Technique
Current Realm: Entry Level (99.9%)
Martial Arts Traits: Not Unlocked
Evaluation: Solid foundation, facing a bottleneck.
Visualization Method: Moving Mountains
Current Realm: First Layer (100%)
Evaluation: Initial spiritual barrier broken. Perception sharpened.
[Initial spiritual barrier broken. Spiritual Power has significantly increased.]
Looking at the clearly listed information on the panel, especially the eye-catching "First Layer (100%)" next to "Moving Mountains," Xu Wuyi couldn't suppress a grin.
'I did it!'