Chapter 214: Mind State Phase

Breakthrough!
Lin Dong’s emotions could no longer be described as ecstasy alone.
Breaking through from the Vitality Phase to the Mind State Phase meant so much—most importantly, it marked his true entry into the martial path.
For Lin Dong, the greatest advantage of reaching the Mind State Phase was the ability to use spiritual energy to nurture and transform his body, thereby prolonging his life.
Secondly, this phase met the standards set by the Great Han Nation for martial artists. Although Lin Dong had no intention of serving the Great Han Nation, being registered as a martial artist there still brought numerous benefits and privileges. A few dozen silver taels per month meant little to him, and a few low-tier pills per year were also insignificant. What mattered most to him was the privilege of being exempt from punishment for killing.
Lin Dong wasn’t interested in killing, but he desperately needed the deterrence that came with this privilege. With just his martial artist status and the strength it symbolized, it was enough to make all his competitors wary. At the very least, they wouldn’t dare engage in underhanded acts like poisoning, which could provoke his fierce killing instinct.
Furthermore, after reaching the Mind State Phase, he now had sufficient spiritual energy to support the second of the four stages of the Sky Control Technique: the Air Control Stage.
Glancing down at the inkstone in his hand, Lin Dong pushed it with his palm, sending it flying across the table. With a snap, it landed on the surface and slid forward. Just as it was about to fall, the spiritual energy in his dantian activated according to the movement patterns of the Air Control Stage. He then directed his palm slightly, and the inkstone suddenly stopped sliding, coming to rest at the edge of the table.
Looking at the wooden bolt on the door, Lin Dong moved his palm, and the bolt slowly moved aside. With a pop, the door latch was removed, and the door slightly opened, allowing a beam of bright light to enter and brighten the room a bit.
There were many formulas for the Air Control Stage, but Lin Dong had already understood most of them before breaking through to the Mind State Phase. Though he couldn’t use them all effortlessly at first, after trying them out on the room’s tables, chairs, doors, and windows several times, he became much more proficient.
Recalling what Yun Lan had said—that once he reached the Mind State Phase, he must first try to sense his mind—he sat cross-legged again, closed his eyes, suppressed his ecstasy, and slowly brought his mind into a state of clarity.
As time passed, gradually, a trace of spiritual energy seeped from his dantian and slowly entered his brain. Suddenly, it seemed as though Lin Dong had opened his eyes—he could “see” the blurred wooden bed, the blurred doors and windows, the blurred light… and even a blurred version of himself.

As his mind moved, the spiritual energy in his dantian surged slightly toward his brain. His vision expanded—the corridor five or six meters away, the stones seven or eight meters away, the wood over ten meters away… As his vision grew wider, the objects he could see became increasingly blurred. By the time he reached the stone table over twenty meters away, he could see nothing further, and the consumption rate of the spiritual energy in his dantian accelerated sharply.

Pulling back his gaze, Lin Dong took a deep breath and checked his dantian—there was still a little spiritual energy left.

Compared to the Lingdong Phase, another advantage of the Xinshen Phase was that the reach of spiritual energy was no longer limited to the senses and limbs but could reach any part of the body.

Recalling carefully the methods Yun Lan had explained about using a spiritual energy shield, Lin Dong stood up. Spiritual energy flowed out of his dantian but instead of returning there, it spread throughout his internal organs.

Driven by his will, the spiritual energy entered his skin. Lin Dong tried to use his mind to control this energy, preventing it from dissipating, but he managed to contain it in some areas while allowing it to leak elsewhere.

After repeated attempts—just like during his first practice—he eventually developed the habit of keeping the spiritual energy concentrated on his skin. Finally, an invisible light barrier formed around him.

Relaxed, the spiritual energy that had gathered on his skin instantly flowed back into his dantian. Compared to before, there wasn’t much loss of energy.

Unfortunately, to truly create a spiritual energy shield like Yun Lan even during practice, he needed long-term practice to train his dantian.

With the task completed, Lin Dong stretched, feeling refreshed. He strode to the door and pulled it open forcefully.

Outside, Yun Lan stood silently, looking dreamlike in the breeze.

“When did you arrive?” Lin Dong asked in surprise. “Why didn’t I sense you just now?”

Yun Lan smiled. “I just got here. Besides… even if I were beside you, you wouldn’t be able to sense me.”

“Why?” Lin Dong asked, puzzled.

Yun Lan replied calmly, “Because I can now use my spiritual energy to block others’ prying thoughts.”

“Doesn’t that mean you can spy on me while I can’t spy on you?” Lin Dong’s expression grew complex. Since he had just created a spiritual energy shield, Yun Lan’s appearance clearly meant… she had been spying on him all along.

“It sounds unpleasant coming from you.”

Yun Lan rolled her eyes at Lin Dong. Unfortunately, Lin Dong couldn’t see the rolled eyes behind her veil.

“Uh!” Lin Dong responded awkwardly.

“Let’s eat,” Yun Lan said lightly.

Lin Dong’s stomach started to growl instinctively. Only after Yun Lan reminded him did he recall that this breakthrough had taken a full day and two nights. Touching his chin, Lin Dong said to himself with a hint of self-mockery, “If it weren’t for your Pulse-Protecting Pill and Good-Luck Pill, even if I hadn’t failed, I’d probably have starved to death. Next time I try to break through to a higher realm, I’ll have to eat my fill first.”

“You have extremely poor cultivation talent, but with those strange spiritual arrays, your strength shouldn’t be a problem,” Yun Lan said with a smile. “Speaking of which, your comprehension ability is quite strong. It only took you half an hour to sense the mental energy and learn the spiritual energy shield. It took me an hour to do the same thing back then.”

“You’re not trying to comfort me, are you?” Lin Dong asked skeptically. He knew his comprehension ability was good, but claiming it was better than Yun Lan’s seemed a bit exaggerated.

Yun Lan shook her head. “Do you still remember when you first learned the Sky-Controling Mantra?”

“Of course. I just randomly used a bench to mimic the movements, and Old Master Ding mistook it for me having grasped the actual practice stage. He was so jealous he almost spat blood,” Lin Dong said with a laugh.

Yun Lan nodded. “At that time, based on your understanding of the mantra for the actual practice stage, your comprehension ability should have been a bit weaker than mine. But now… it’s doubled.”

Lin Dong was stunned. “Comprehension ability can get stronger?”

“No!” Yun Lan shook her head.

“Then how did mine get stronger?” Lin Dong asked in confusion.

“Who can really explain your situation?” Yun Lan replied calmly. If she saw someone else’s comprehension ability improve, she would find it utterly bizarre and unbelievable. But since Lin Dong’s comprehension ability could get stronger, she didn’t find it particularly surprising—she was used to it by now.

Lin Dong frowned. “Can’t find a reason? Could it be that my cultivation talent is getting worse, and that’s affecting my comprehension ability?”

Yun Lan couldn’t help but laugh. “Is your talent like pouring tea? When the water in the kettle runs low, the water in the cup rises, and vice versa. Don’t worry! Although we don’t know the reason, it’s better for you in every way—there won’t be any side effects.”

Lin Dong felt much relieved. No matter how strong his comprehension ability was, if his cultivation talent was poor, it wouldn’t help. If his cultivation talent turned into complete nonsense, even the highest cultivation bonuses wouldn’t matter without a solid foundation. With his strength greatly increased and his comprehension ability improving as well, Lin Dong was in high spirits. He sat down carelessly on the stone table and knocked on it. “Serve the food!”

Yun Lan glanced at Lin Dong and floated away.

Before long, a delicate fragrance filled the air. On the tray, various meats made Lin Dong’s mouth water. After eating his fill, Lin Dong placed one hand on his stomach and the other on the table, asking, “I’m planning to go to the Combat Assessment Institute in Xilan City to register my level after taking a walk in the front yard. Want to come with me?” Yun Lan slowly shook her head. Lin Dong didn’t insist. He wiped his mouth, shoved all the dishes on the table into the mobile counter, and strode off. Upon arriving in the front yard, he noticed that a brand-new table tennis table had been set up there—black lacquered surface, wire netting at both ends. Qiao Tianhao held a racket covered with cowhide and moved swiftly. No matter how the three opponents hit the milky-white beef balls at the same time, he always managed to return them immediately. Faced with these returning balls, the three opponents were in a panic, unable to intercept them, while the two others tasked with picking up the balls were too busy to even lift their heads; as soon as they picked one up, another appeared in their line of sight. Aside from his awkward racket movements, Qiao Tianhao managed to take on three opponents without making a single mistake. “Too slow! If they run out of strength, replace them. Tell them that if anyone lets Lord Qiao miss a beef ball, he’ll not only give them this month’s salary but also next month’s…” Qiao Tianhao complained unhappily. The workers, having failed to make a profit and instead sweating profusely, had no choice but to retreat disappointedly. “Boss!” One observant worker spotted Lin Dong first. “Call Ma Chun over,” Lin Dong said with a smile, nodding as he walked toward the table. The workers nodded eagerly. Qiao Tianhao quickly put down his racket and rushed forward, saying, “Boss, have you come out of seclusion?” Lin Dong nodded and glanced at the milky-white beef balls, asking, “Has Ma Chun found any information about the Spirit Tree sap?” “He has found some information, but only a little, and it cost a lot to get,” Qiao Tianhao said disdainfully. “If the boss wants me to handle this, I’ll definitely bring you a whole bathtub full in half a day.” Seeing Qiao Tianhao’s contemptuous expression, Lin Dong suddenly remembered a saying: “If you don’t beat someone for three days, they’ll start causing trouble.” He extended his right hand, and spiritual energy rushed through his meridians at the speed of the Air Control realm, gathering in his palm. Instantly, Qiao Tianhao felt a tremendous force pulling at his clothes, dragging him toward Lin Dong. “W-what…?” Qiao Tianhao was stunned. With his strength, he could easily break free if his clothes were pulled; yet he was terrified by this strange phenomenon.

When Qiao Tianhao was brought in front of him, Lin Dong suddenly raised his leg and kicked him hard in the abdomen.
Bang!
Qiao Tianhao, with a confused mind, flew backward, his eyes still filled with shock at what had just happened.
After circling the billiard table a few times, Lin Dong frowned slightly—the size seemed different from what he remembered.
It seemed the wire mesh was a bit too low; his initial estimate of twelve centimeters must be wrong—there needed to be at least three more centimeters added.
The length also seemed off; it was probably a bit shorter—adding twenty centimeters would work.
By the time Qiao Tianhao got up from the ground, Lin Dong already had a revised plan.