Chapter 230 Six Gambles Succeed

Chen Mu stared at the infusion button beneath the Mother Dragon illustration, lost in thought.

Chen Mu's current plundered Lifespan, after repeated consumption and refining demon cores, had about three thousand years left. It seemed like a lot, but the Cultivation of the third level of the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body, "Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to Void," would inevitably require an astronomical amount of Lifespan.

And this Lifespan was the foundation for him to break through to a higher Realm.

Should he gamble?

Winning the gamble might yield a powerful Yao Race Cultivation Technique; losing meant hundreds or even thousands of years of Lifespan would go down the drain.

He went silent, closed his eyes, and scenes from Youxu Valley flashed through his mind.

The madness of the Mother Dragon when giving birth, the fury of the Male Dragon when it arrived, Chu Jiangli's stunningly brilliant sword strike, and his own determination to forcibly comprehend "Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to Void" while on the brink of death.

The path of Cultivation was inherently about fighting against Heaven for one's life. The System had given him a shortcut to plunder Lifespan, but it also forced him to constantly face the crisis of insufficient Lifespan.

Cultivating step-by-step was certainly safe, but the chaotic times had arrived, and Demon Kings appeared frequently; he didn't have much time to accumulate slowly.

With an Opportunity before him, how could he shrink back out of fear of failure?

Besides, this source-tracing demon tome might be a key for him to rapidly increase his strength to deal with greater crises in the future.

With this thought, Chen Mu reached a decision. He quickly sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness, locked onto the Green-Scaled Python Dragon illustration, and chose to infuse without hesitation.

[Consuming five years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

Within the demon tome, the phantom of the Mother Dragon seemed to twist, a faint light rippling around its body, before falling silent.

[Cracking failed.]

The first time, five years of Lifespan, gone without a sound.

Chen Mu's expression didn't change. Gambling—how could one win every time?

"Infuse again."

[Consuming ten years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

[Cracking failed.]

[Consuming twenty years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

[Cracking failed.]

[Consuming forty years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

[Cracking failed.]

[Consuming eighty years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

[Cracking failed.]

Five consecutive infusions, consuming one hundred and fifty-five years of Lifespan, all failed. Even with Chen Mu's resolute mind, he couldn't help but knit his brows.

The speed at which the consumption increased was too alarming. If he failed one more time, it would require one hundred and sixty years of Lifespan, and his plundered Lifespan couldn't withstand such squandering.

But...

Chen Mu looked at the Python-Dragon drawing in the tome, frowning slightly. He hesitated, but in an instant, he became firm again.

In this world, hesitation and stinginess often lead to death faster than taking risks.

"Infuse."

[Consuming one hundred and sixty years of plundered Lifespan, attempting to crack...]

[Cracking successful!]

[Obtained Yao Race Cultivation Technique "Wind and Rain Induction Mantra"]

Success!

Chen Mu felt a weight lift from his heart, immediately followed by intense anticipation. He checked it immediately.

This Cultivation Technique was a natural Divine Ability specifically for the Yao Race, focusing on water and wind. Its cultivation method was completely different from the Human Race; it didn't emphasize the circulation of Meridians, nor did it focus on nurturing the mind and Qi. Instead, it directly communicated with the wind and water Qi between Heaven and Earth, using oneself as a bridge to draw the Qi into the body and make it one's own.

This Cultivation Technique had two parts. The first part was called "Inducing Wind." Once mastered, one could raise wind on flat ground, control air currents within a small range, and even perceive the movements of surrounding objects within the wind, as if one had sprouted countless eyes and ears.

The other part was "Raising Rain," which went a step further based on the first level, drawing upon the water vapor of Heaven and Earth to condense rain into wind. This level required not only cultivation but also an understanding of the Law of water; it could not be achieved overnight.

Both parts were divided into several levels. As for the effects corresponding to each level, the illustration was vague.

"Inducing Wind..."

Chen Mu murmured to himself, a thoughtful look passing through his eyes.

Regarding wind-attribute Cultivation Techniques, he had previously obtained a volume of "Wind God Wings" from inside Jiang Huoyu's scroll, which he had not yet cultivated.

These two Cultivation Techniques—one derived from the Yao Race's natural talent, the other a Human Race light-body movement technique—seemed to share the same source, but in reality, their methods were vastly different.

"Wind God Wings" was a supreme Human Race light-body technique, focusing on borrowing the power of the wind to increase movement speed. Although it involved wind techniques, it leaned more towards skill and the use of Protective Aura, and it was more dependent on whether there was wind at the time of casting; it belonged to the category of skills.

Whereas the "Wind and Rain Induction Mantra" directly controlled the wind that truly existed between Heaven and Earth; it was a Law, it was a Dao.

If the two could be combined...

Chen Mu's thoughts raced, and he immediately made a decision. He sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and sank his consciousness into the System.

[Infusing...]

[In the first year, following the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the "Wind and Rain Induction Mantra," you attempted to perceive the invisible wind Qi between Heaven and Earth. At first, you only felt the surroundings were silent, perceiving nothing. You were neither impatient nor irritable, sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak, letting the mountain wind blow, slowly using your heart to capture the subtle changes when the wind brushed against your skin.]

[In the eighty-second year, you gradually began to hear the trajectory of the wind while sitting in stillness. Using the endlessly circulating Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi to touch it, the wind was no longer a vague and ethereal thing, but possessed a faint texture—sometimes light and agile, sometimes sluggish, sometimes sharp as a blade, sometimes soft as cotton. You began to try to imitate it with Protective Aura, but failed repeatedly; the Protective Aura and the natural wind seemed separated by an invisible barrier.]

[In the one hundred and ninety-seventh year, you gave up rigid imitation and turned to ponder the essence of the wind. Where does the wind come from? It arises from temperature differences, moves due to air pressure, enters every pore, brushes against everything. You no longer forced yourself to create wind with Protective Aura. You adjusted your breathing, controlled your body temperature, and even slightly vibrated the surrounding air with Calamity Astral Qi. Finally, three inches from your fingertips, a faint but truly controllable air current was induced by you.]

[In the two hundred and ninety-first year, you could already skillfully induce air currents within a three-foot radius around you. Although the power was not great, it had already taken shape. When using the "Divine Void Step," if you could perceive and borrow the wind's momentum in advance, your movement technique would be three parts faster, and your turns would be even more mysterious and unpredictable. But at the same time, you also realized the limitations of this Cultivation Technique: it was extremely dependent on the external environment. On windless days, or in enclosed spaces, the effect of Inducing Wind would be greatly reduced.]

[Infusion successful! "Wind and Rain Induction Mantra" (Inducing Wind) First Level Perfection!]

Nearly three hundred years of Lifespan were consumed.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes. The barracks were silent; Lu Dachuan and the others were sleeping or regulating their breath, and no one noticed anything unusual. But Chen Mu's perception was completely different.

He didn't use any Protective Aura; just a slight movement of his mind allowed him to feel the ubiquitous changes in air currents.

The air fluctuations caused by Lu Dachuan's snoring, the changes in air currents brought about by Ling Xiaoning turning over—everything was clearly reflected in his incredibly sharp wind perception.

Chen Mu looked down at his own palm, fingers spread, mind moving again.

A faint air current swirled and wove between his five fingers, sometimes spiraling into a small vortex, sometimes stretching into a thin thread.

This air current itself did not have much power, barely enough to blow a piece of paper, but the value of the control and perception it represented was immeasurable.

"Inducing Wind First Level, range of three zhang, perception as the primary, control as the secondary..."

Chen Mu chanted silently in his heart, having gained a preliminary understanding of this newly acquired Yao Race Cultivation Technique.

It was not a direct Sharp Weapon of a Cultivation Technique, at least not at the current stage.

But it greatly expanded Chen Mu's dimension of perception. Especially in complex environments or situations where vision was obstructed, this control and perception of air currents might play an unexpected role.