In the past few months, having experienced so many things, Fang Ze has gained a deep understanding of his high-interest loan ability. He knows that one feature of this ability is that the amount of resources it consumes is not only related to time and difficulty but also to the completeness of the steps required to accomplish something.
In summary, high-interest loans aren't a wishing machine, but a converter. If Fang Ze finds the right path and that path is very complete, he can use very few resources to trade for time and speed up the process.
However, if Fang Ze doesn't find the right path or if the path he finds is incomplete, then his ability will fail to work, or it will work but consume an enormous amount of resources.
Right now, Fang Ze is in such a situation.
"Where exactly did things go wrong? Did I take the wrong path? That shouldn't be...." Hesitant, Fang Ze closed his eyes and used the Void Eye to recall the entire process of his inner vision of Jiang Cheng's flesh and blood. He then compared it with the results of his cell penetration and found them to be identical.
"If the result is not wrong, then it can only be the process that went wrong." Thinking this, Fang Ze concluded, "Could it be that there's a special method during the Spirit Ascension cultivation?"
With this in mind, Fang Ze slowly pondered how to find this special method. After a while, he had a plan. He picked up the fixed-line phone on the table and dialed the number of Black Bull, the most powerful member of the Si family.
When the call connected, before Fang Ze could speak, Black Bull's buzzing voice came through from the other end of the line, "Young Master, you called for me?"
Hearing Black Bull's voice, Fang Ze acknowledged with a hum, then said, "Yes. Come to Villa No. 8 now."
Black Bull didn't ask why, he simply replied in a muffled voice, "Okay."
However, after saying that, he paused. After a moment of hesitation, as if he had something difficult to say, he finally asked, "Young Master, can I ask you something?"
Fang Ze was taken aback. It was strange to hear someone as straightforward as Black Bull sound hesitant. Thinking this, he couldn't help but say, "Go ahead. What is it?"
Getting Fang Ze's permission, Black Bull quickly asked in a buzzing voice, "Young Master, did you take that Mortality-Shedding level person away?"
Hearing Black Bull's words, Fang Ze couldn't help but laugh, "I thought it was something serious."
"Yes. I took him away."
Hearing Fang Ze's confirmation, Black Bull finally felt relieved and said, "Then I'm at ease! I guessed it might be this, but I was afraid I might be wrong, so I've been digging three feet in the secret chamber looking for that Mortality-Shedding level person."
"But now that I know the Young Master took him away, I'm relieved."
As he spoke, the sound of a shovel falling to the ground clattered through the receiver.
Good grief, he really was digging three feet deep...
Five minutes later, Fang Ze met Black Bull in the room.
Black Bull still had dirt from digging on him, even his horns were covered in dust. Looking at this top expert by his side, Fang Ze thought about how he had managed to escape the Golden Sparrow Flower incident with his high Yang Transformation level powers and had hidden in Xida State for over ten years without being caught... Maybe, there's something to the idea that fools have their own fortune?
As he silently complained in his mind, Fang Ze motioned for Black Bull to sit down, then inquired, "General, here's the thing. I have... a friend."
"He has already advanced to the Spirit Ascension level, but he has no clue about it, doesn't know how to cultivate, doesn't know what this level is about, or if there are any precautions. So, he asked me to find out from those who have advanced to this level, what they need to do after reaching the Spirit Ascension level."
Hearing Fang Ze's words, the straightforward Black Bull silently glanced at him, then said, "Young Master, this friend is you, isn't it?"
Using a direct statement, without pursuing the matter further, he began explaining, "Young Master, I don't recommend you break through to the Spirit Ascension level now."
Fang Ze, "My friend, my friend."
Black Bull nodded, "Right. Your friend. I think your friend shouldn't break through to the Spirit Ascension level so quickly."
Black Bull said earnestly, "Young Master, without experiencing Spirit Ascension, you won't understand the pain of that level."
"It's simply the hardest level in the path of cultivation. Other levels test talent and perseverance. This level tests accumulation! And it's accumulation before reaching this level!"
Hearing Black Bull's words, Fang Ze was stunned. It felt like he caught a fleeting inspiration. He pondered for a moment, then followed up on Black Bull's words and asked, "Accumulation? I've often heard people say this, but never understood it. It's not just accumulating cultivation resources and Martial Arts Cultivation, right? Is there something else that needs to be accumulated?"
Black Bull seriously nodded and said to Fang Ze, "Young Master, do you know why Spirit Ascension has the highest fall rate? Because among the Federations' officials and the Awakener nurtured by large families, all others, whether small family Awakeners or individual Awakeners, have a high probability of never advancing to the Yang Transformation level."
"Weren't you asking about what preparations are needed for Spirit Ascension?"
Saying this, Black Bull opened his Space Folding Bag and took out a document.
The document was a thick stack of papers that appeared a bit yellowed, looking like it had been around for a long time.
Seeing the stack of documents, a hint of nostalgia flashed in Black Bull's eyes. He placed the documents in front of Fang Ze and said, "Years ago, I was responsible for the security of my family's Spirit Ascension level, so I had related documents. Later, when the family met with misfortune, we took away all the documents we could when we left."
"Most of the documents weren't valuable, but the most valuable one is this 'Si Family's Spirit Ascension Cultivation Manual,' which details the preparations before Spirit Ascension and the cultivation methods during Spirit Ascension."
"Young Master, you can take a look first."
Hearing Black Bull say this, Fang Ze couldn't help but reach out to pick up the documents and began reading them in detail.
After just a quick glance, Fang Ze was a bit shocked: To be honest, if it weren't for the documents in Black Bull's hand, Fang Ze wouldn't have known that other Awakeners had to prepare so many things to advance to Spirit Ascension.
According to the records in the documents: Spirit Ascension has three sub-levels. Spirit Framework, Flesh, and Yang Fusion, also commonly referred to as low, mid, and high stages.
And these three levels are the cultivation sequences that human ancestors explored to transform a spiritual body into a physical body and pure Yin into pure Yang:
[Spirit Framework] Using memory and the power of laws to outline the bones, organs, blood vessels, etc., in the spiritual body, making the spiritual body solid instead of vague.