The feeling was akin to a container holding a substance no longer fitting its original form.
Precisely!
It was a mismatch!
Zi Lingling's eyes flickered with insight.
That sense of mismatch originated from her physical body.
In other words, the strength of her body was limiting the development of her spiritual power and divine consciousness.
Having understood the crux of the matter, what was there to wait for?
Body refinement!
That was the urgent task at hand.
"Elder Du, are you there?"
Elder Du, her mobile knowledge repository, was finally about to be put to good use.
Elder Du rolled his eyes, grumbling, "You ungrateful girl! You only call for Elder Du when you need something; otherwise, you forget me completely!"
Zi Lingling had indeed neglected Elder Du recently.
She offered an embarrassed, conciliatory smile, "Heh heh! Elder Du, you see, the Zi family has had so many troublesome matters lately that I've been swamped."
"Don't give me that!"
Elder Du's goatee twitched as he retorted impatiently, "Don't think I don't know. You were only busy for a few days at the start, and after that, you were completely hands-off."
Exposed, Zi Lingling felt less awkward.
She chuckled, "Elder Du, I've been busy refining elixirs and improving my strength! You don't know, although the Zi family is one of the Eight Great Clans, Zi Wenchang has hollowed it out over the years. Without resource replenishment, the clansmen's strength naturally falls far behind the other seven families."
Elder Du said in a nasally tone, "The logic holds, but what does that have to do with you? You, this cold-hearted individual, care about such things now?"
Though Zi Lingling knew Elder Du was teasing her, she didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and replied, "Elder Du, I wouldn't care about other people's families, but the Zi family has now become my territory. Can I still be indifferent?"
Elder Du was surprised, "You've completely subdued the Zi family's members so quickly?"
"It wasn't that easy. It was only half a month ago when I dealt with Zi Wenchang and intimidated the four elders. They have been more restrained since then," Zi Lingling said with a smile in her eyes.
Elder Du was aware of the matter concerning Zi Wenchang.
After all, Zi Lingling usually kept her emotions hidden, but her anger and killing intent had been out of control then.
He didn't find Zi Lingling's methods cruel. On the contrary, in this cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak, such a disposition allowed one to live longer.
He just hadn't expected that burning Zi Wenchang would have such a profound effect, directly stunning the four elders.
Moreover, judging by Zi Lingling's subtle implication, their restraint was more than just that.
He surmised that those four elders, now significantly more subdued, were likely completely compliant.
Directly subduing the Zi family's upper echelons was equivalent to subduing the entire Zi family.
"Excellent, excellent! That's quite fast! Is this also the reason for your constant elixir refining during this period?"
Elder Du nodded, a satisfied look in his eyes.
Although Zi Lingling had "neglected" him, she hadn't hidden her elixir refining from him, directly placing the finished elixirs into her Nine Spirit Ring.
"Yes!"
Zi Lingling nodded, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Since the Zi family has become my territory, improving their strength is inevitable. However, things obtained too easily are not cherished. Therefore, I don't intend to distribute these elixirs directly."
Elder Du nodded, thoroughly approving of Zi Lingling's approach.
Human hearts are treacherous; one must be wary.
Besides, most people in this world inherently possess a perverse nature.
If you treat them too well, they lose their sense of gratitude and may even repay kindness with enmity, a phenomenon known as "a bowl of rice given becomes a life's debt."
A hint of admiration flickered in Elder Du's eyes. "So, do you have a plan?" Su Dan Novel Network.
Zi Lingling nodded. "I have a plan, but I'm missing the right opportunity."
If a person doesn't plan for the distant future, they will soon face troubles!
She was inherently a far-sighted person; how could she act blindly?
"Opportunity? When do you choose?"
Elder Du already had an idea in mind, but he still wanted to hear Zi Lingling's plan.
Zi Lingling smiled and softly uttered six words—"Soul Severing Cliff's Nine Absolute Peaks!"
Elder Du smiled with satisfaction. "Indeed, a good opportunity."
Zi Lingling's thoughts aligned with his, proving that her nominal master was by no means simple.
"Yes! There's still half a month!"
A trace of fighting spirit flashed in Zi Lingling's eyes. She continued, "Elder Du, my divine consciousness and spiritual power cultivation have reached a bottleneck. I suspect it's because the strength of my physical body cannot support the breakthrough of my divine consciousness and cultivation."
Elder Du nodded. "It's commendable that you've recognized this. Most spiritual practitioners initially believe that spiritual practitioners should primarily focus on cultivating spiritual power and pay little attention to body tempering. Little do they know that holding such a belief leads them astray."
"If we compare the body to a riverbed, then spiritual power is the water flowing within, and divine consciousness is the sediment at the bottom."
"Normally, the water and sediment do not exceed the riverbed's capacity, so the riverbed can naturally accommodate them. At this time, both water and sediment are gentle, and the three exist in harmony."
"However, if the river swells with an overwhelming surge, the riverbed becomes precarious. If the increase in water level does not exceed the riverbed's capacity, then the riverbed itself remains safe."
"But if the surge of water exceeds the riverbed's capacity, the water will instantly collapse the riverbed, causing a catastrophe."
"At this point, if the riverbed cannot even hold the water, the sediment at the bottom will naturally become a burden, accelerating the riverbed's collapse."
"Similarly, when the human body cannot bear overloaded spiritual power and divine consciousness, it will collapse, leading to severe injuries or even death in extreme cases."
"And body refinement is the process of continuously widening the riverbed of the human body, constructing its embankments, and continuously raising and reinforcing them."
Elder Du articulated his millennia of cultivation experience in easily understandable terms.
Listening to Elder Du's eloquent explanation, Zi Lingling felt a sudden enlightenment.
Even some problems she encountered during normal cultivation were resolved with ease.
Through Elder Du's explanation, Zi Lingling finally confirmed her own ideas and adjusted her future cultivation direction.
At this moment, she was eager to begin.
However, she did not yet possess suitable body refinement techniques.
What should she do?
Naturally, she would set her sights on Elder Du.
Indeed, over the past two months, she had "robbed" him of many valuable items.
Techniques like the "Phantom Heart Method" and "Blazing Fire Spiritual Skill" were all from Elder Du's personal collection.
When one becomes accustomed to shearing sheep, they fall into a trap—shearing one sheep relentlessly!
Thus, Zi Lingling chuckled slyly, "Elder Du, do you happen to have any body refinement techniques in your collection?"