Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1715 - 1752: Moment of Crisis
For a cultivator, it’s not easy to randomly integrate someone else’s True Qi. For ordinary cultivators, it’s simply impossible. The fusion of two streams of True Qi within the body will inevitably lead to a collision of True Qi, resulting in the cultivator’s body exploding and dying.
However, neither Long Ren nor the Great Elder are ordinary individuals. The Great Elder, in particular, is a cultivator at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage and can absorb a bit of external True Qi, but not much. The Great Elder couldn’t hold on for long.
Nevertheless, the Great Elder understood the importance of the moment. Long Ren, the Lake Master, had waited almost ten years for this day. If Long Ren hadn’t noticed a trace of strange pain on the Great Elder’s face and promptly alerted Ding Fan, the Great Elder might have held on until the end, even if he knew he would explode and die from being unable to bear it...
After Ding Fan learned of the Great Elder’s situation, he immediately reduced the True Qi he was transferring to the Great Elder and drew out the True Qi that couldn’t be absorbed or digested in the Great Elder’s body, which significantly eased the Great Elder’s excruciating pain. At this moment, the Great Elder’s face showed some shame and anxiety.
The Great Elder said, somewhat self-reproachfully:
"Give me a moment, and I can absorb some more."
After all, the Great Elder is a Transcendance Tribulation Stage cultivator. Although these two streams of True Qi aren’t easily fused within the body, he can force a bit of fusion due to his level of cultivation. He knew this was a critical moment for Shan Shan, and no errors could occur, even if it meant he would get seriously injured or explode and die.
Ding Fan heard the Great Elder’s words and nodded heavily, saying:
"Alright, as soon as you can."
"Elder, you rest well; I’m also here," Long Ren said to the Great Elder reassuringly. He knew the Great Elder’s urgency and his intentions but didn’t wish the Great Elder to suffer any mishap because of Shan Shan. Moreover, Long Ren’s understanding of True Qi was slightly better than the Great Elder’s, and he could hold on for a while with Ding Fan.
The Great Elder nodded heavily, closed his eyes, and began quickly adjusting his body’s state, striving to digest the unfused True Qi in the fastest time possible.
But before the Great Elder could do much, Long Ren could no longer hold on. When Ding Fan noticed that the True Qi input to Long Ren was slowing down, he couldn’t help but use his Divine Sense to check on Long Ren’s situation.
Ding Fan was startled by what he saw; Long Ren’s internal organs were already damaged, and the two streams of True Qi within were at an extremely saturated level. One more push of external True Qi and Long Ren’s dantian might sustain severe damage.
Imagine the extreme pain Long Ren was enduring. Yet, except for large beads of sweat rolling down his face and bulging veins on his forehead, and his bloodshot eyes, Long Ren showed no sign of discomfort. Ding Fan knew that if Long Ren continued, something significant could happen.
Long Ren’s appearance made Ding Fan’s heart ache and took him by surprise. Although two streams of True Qi fusing within a cultivator’s body is impossible for ordinary cultivators, Long Ren and the Great Elder were no ordinary cultivators. The Great Elder was a Transcendance Tribulation Stage cultivator, and Long Ren, although not as cultivated, had greater talent than the Great Elder, incomparable to ordinary cultivators.
Ding Fan hadn’t expected these two cultivators to reach their limits, leaving him somewhat surprised. Soon, Ding Fan realized the reason. He, after all, had practiced the "Devouring Technique." Though this technique didn’t offer a particularly good method for integrating foreign True Qi, it enhanced his understanding, subtly improving his ability to merge foreign True Qi.
Meanwhile, despite their high cultivation and astonishing talents, Long Ren and the Great Elder hadn’t practiced the "Devouring Technique," resulting in much lower capabilities to fuse foreign True Qi. Ding Fan realized he had overlooked this and promptly absorbed the foreign True Qi in Long Ren’s body back into his own.
Although Ding Fan’s body was nearly saturated with True Qi, he could still bear some, definitely stronger than Long Ren.
"Big brother?"
At this point, Long Ren felt the sudden reduction of True Qi in his body and the accompanying decrease in pain, and he was stunned for a moment. He quickly realized that his big brother had reabsorbed the True Qi from his body. Although Long Ren’s situation improved slightly, his anxiety intensified, and he said in a low, firm voice to his big brother Ding Fan:
"Big brother, I can do this. Even if I can’t, we must save Shan Shan. As long as Shan Shan can wake up and live well, I’m willing to exchange my life for hers! Big brother, please..."
The excruciating pain in Long Ren’s body made his voice grow weaker.
Seeing Long Ren, the Great Elder couldn’t help but feel anxious. Although he hadn’t fully recovered, only a little, he confidently said to Ding Fan:
"Mr. Ding, I’m fine now, let me do it!"
Hearing the two, Ding Fan felt a sense of urgency. Shan Shan’s situation had reached the most critical point, and the amount of True Qi left in Shan Shan’s body wasn’t something Ding Fan alone could absorb. Despite both Long Ren and the Great Elder claiming they were fine.
However, Ding Fan was fully aware that these two were not going to make it. For a moment, Ding Fan didn’t speak, his face somewhat anxious, while he tried his best to maintain the absorption of True Qi within Shan Shan’s body, pondering a solution in his mind. In the end, Ding Fan could only try the only method he had, even though he knew it wasn’t likely to succeed. But now it was the only option; there was no other choice. It was absolutely unacceptable to cause harm to Long Ren and the Great Elder in the process of saving Shan Shan.
Exchanging two lives for one was certainly not a worthwhile deal, and Ding Fan definitely wouldn’t do it.
Immediately, Ding Fan gritted his teeth and said directly:
"Now listen to me, I can hold on for ten more minutes. I’ll recite a chant, and you need to cultivate up to around the Fifth Level within these ten minutes, then come over and help me. This is the only chance, so make the most of your time!"
Long Ren and the Great Elder immediately agreed upon hearing Ding Fan’s words:
"Big brother, please go ahead!"
"Mr. Ding, please speak!"
Subsequently, Ding Fan recited the chant for the First and Second Levels of the "Devouring Technique." Ding Fan did not recite the chant word-for-word from the "Devouring Technique," but rather applied some refinements, simplifying some complex elements. Ding Fan, having reached the Third Level of the "Devouring Technique," was well-versed in the first two levels, so simplifying them was not difficult. In addition, Ding Fan shared some of his personal insights from the chant with Long Ren, to help them speed up their cultivation.
Long Ren and the Great Elder were completely focused, starting from the first word Ding Fan uttered, cultivating with undivided attention. They understood the importance of the moment, and with only ten minutes available, they had to give it their all to cultivate successfully as quickly as possible.
At this moment, neither the Great Elder nor Long Ren had time to consider what kind of cultivation technique this was or its difficulty. They held a resolute belief in their hearts: to reach the Fifth Level of the cultivation technique Ding Fan described within ten minutes. They had no time to consider anything else.
Time was slipping away, though the room encased in ice felt cold, Long Ren and the Great Elder were not affected by the chill. Instead, their bodies were extremely hot, drenched in sweat, their minds racing.
As for Ding Fan, his situation was bleak as well. Absorbing the True Qi within Shan Shan’s body, his own body had reached a saturation point, enduring immense pressure. Sweat dripped incessantly from Ding Fan’s forehead onto the icy ground, forming small pits filled with sweat and meltwater.
Before long, the ten minutes were up. Long Ren, after cultivating the chant Ding Fan imparted, had fully integrated the True Qi within him, gaining better control over it and reaching around the Seventh Level of proficiency.
The Great Elder, though his cultivation talent was slightly inferior to Long Ren’s, successfully reached around the Fifth Level, and his internal condition had rapidly improved, with no more pain felt.
At the appointed time, Long Ren and the Great Elder placed their hands on Ding Fan’s shoulders, saying in unison:
"No problem, let’s proceed!"
...
Ding Fan scanned the two with his Divine Sense, somewhat astonished to find that both had successfully cultivated to the Fifth Level of the technique he described. Observing Long Ren, Ding Fan noticed his previously damaged organs had fully healed. Apparently, Long Ren had cultivated beyond the Fifth Level.
Despite his shock, Ding Fan was delighted, having underestimated the abilities of these two; one the Lake Master of the Thirty-Six Caves, the other the Great Elder of the Thirty-Six Caves. Their learning abilities were extraordinary. Without hesitation, Ding Fan transferred all the True Qi he could no longer sustain into their bodies.
Long Ren and the Great Elder, having refined the chant Ding Fan provided, greatly increased their ability to integrate external True Qi. Though neither successfully mastered the first two levels of the "Devouring Technique," Ding Fan’s refined chant allowed them to fully merge external True Qi.
In short order, under combined efforts, Ding Fan and the others thoroughly absorbed all excess True Qi from Shan Shan’s body. Ding Fan finally took a slight sigh of relief, but Long Ren’s mind remained tense. Until Shan Shan awoke, he could not rest easy.
Then, Ding Fan signaled to Long Ren and the Great Elder, who immediately took a few steps back. They knew their assistance was now unnecessary; everything else depended on Ding Fan. Yet Long Ren and the Great Elder felt still worried, as despite no longer needing to absorb True Qi from Shan Shan, she was still unconscious, leaving them tense.
At this point, Ding Fan didn’t offer much explanation. Instead, he directly instructed Long Ren:
"Open the Ice Coffin."
