The Choice of the Crimsonbright Diagram

Abridged manuals bound in desert sheepskin were scattered across the long table before him. Ji Ning swept his gaze over them, reading the names of the Fiendgod Body Refining techniques on each one.

"Demon-Refining Tribulation Manuscript," "Blood Demon Immortal Body," "Burning Sun Song," "Thunder Tusk Vajra Buddha Scripture," "Wishful Green Spirit Body," "Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens," "Profound Yellow Imperishable Body," "Fox Spirit Sutra," "Future Buddha Sutra"... Each abridged manual was written in ancient, strange pictographic characters. Fortunately, Ji Ning had learned these characters in the two years since he came to this world.

Ji Ning took a deep breath. This was a critical choice! A fateful decision.

He then picked up the manuals and began to read.

"Demon-Refining Tribulation Manuscript" — At the start of training, one must carve demonic runes on the body, drawing netherfire to refine the flesh, enduring extreme agony. After nine layers of runes and eighty-one netherfire refinements, the body transforms completely into a Xiantian lifeform. With a casual gesture, one possesses boundless strength, can spew netherfire from the mouth, and can regrow severed limbs. It is an extremely dangerous yet fast secret technique; in theory, the fastest could reach Xiantian in just eighty-one days.

"Blood Demon Immortal Body" — Its pain is even greater than the Demon-Refining Tribulation Manuscript. It requires three full years of carving runes, as if being tortured in hell for three years...

"Burning Sun Song" — One must cultivate beside a blazing bonfire, even be burned by fire, until eventually entering volcanic lava unscathed, becoming one with fire and able to control endless flames. Only then does one step into Xiantian.

After reading three manuals in a row, Ji Ning frowned. Why were all these Fiendgod Body Refining techniques so painful? It was worse than torture!

"Child," his mother Yuchi Snow couldn't help saying, "among Fiendgod Body Refining techniques, truly painful ones are only a few. Of these nineteen, only five can be called painful ordeals. The others are not painful to cultivate. I didn't expect you to pick three in a row..."

"Ah!" Ji Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

His father Ji Yichuan spoke with a cold voice: "Fiendgod Body Refining is more difficult than Ki Refining. For a mortal to become a Xiantian lifeform is already going against the heavens. To take the hardest path, Fiendgod Body Refining, is naturally even harder! But taking shortcuts through suffering and tribulation, while fast, results in a less solid foundation than other methods."

Ji Ning nodded and continued reading.

"Thunder Tusk Vajra Buddha Scripture" — A Vajra technique from the Buddhist school.

"Wishful Green Spirit Body" — Requires an extremely long time to cultivate. Upon reaching Xiantian, one can undergo a thousand transformations, possess boundless vitality, and even if chopped into pieces can quickly reassemble. It is the supreme life-preserving technique among Fiendgod Body Refining methods.

"Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens" — The number one Fiendgod Body Refining method, indisputably first!

"What!" Ji Ning's eyes turned red. He immediately stared at the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens and read carefully.

The Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens had nine layers. The first three layers were Houtian. The middle three layers were Xiantian lifeforms. The last three layers were the Zifu Disciple stage.

"Indeed, it's different," Ji Ning became excited. "The previous techniques could only reach Xiantian lifeform at best. But this Crimsonbright Diagram can reach the Zifu Disciple stage at its peak." He read on.

Once entering Xiantian, one could control water and fire, possess tremendous divine strength, become light and agile, gain keener senses, and regenerate severed limbs. Once entering Zifu, one could even achieve blood-drop rebirth and cultivate great divine abilities such as the Heavenly Transformation, Three Heads and Six Arms, Kuafu Chasing the Sun, Candle Dragon Eye, and many more — provided one could obtain such techniques.

The Fiendgod Body Refining stream crushed the Ki Refining stream at the same stage. And the Crimsonbright Diagram crushed other Fiendgod Body Refining techniques at the same stage. Universally acknowledged! No dispute!

But its difficulty was also indisputably the number one hardest!

"This is the one!" Ji Ning, after perusing the remaining Fiendgod methods, chose without hesitation. "Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens."

"That one?" Ji Yichuan looked at his son.

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

Ji Yichuan said slowly, "The Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens is recognized as the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique across the endless earth. It is far superior to the Burning Sun Song, Thunder Tusk Vajra Buddha Scripture, and Demon-Refining Tribulation Manuscript. This is merely the stage up to the Zifu Disciple peak. There are even more profound continuations. If you can become a Zifu Disciple, acquiring the higher parts will be very easy."

"It is also the most widespread and easiest Fiendgod Body Refining method to obtain," Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "But also the hardest!"

Ji Ning smiled. In the two years since coming to this world, he had read many books and knew that cultivation methods were the foundation! The more profound the technique, the harder it was to obtain. But the higher parts of the Crimsonbright Diagram could be obtained easily, which only made him more determined to choose it.

"Its power is the strongest! Indisputably number one!" "It is the most widely spread!" "It is the easiest to obtain!" Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "It has countless advantages, but only one shortcoming — difficulty! Among the five prefectures of our Ji Clan, no one has ever trained to the fourth layer and become a Xiantian lifeform through it."

"What? Not a single person in the five prefectures has become a Xiantian lifeform through it?" Ji Ning was surprised. Failure to reach Zifu was one thing, but not even one Xiantian lifeform?

"Correct," Ji Yichuan said. "Not a single one. Because it is too difficult, beyond your imagination. But I also admit that it is the most mysterious and powerful Fiendgod Body Refining technique. Even in the legends of the Fiendgods, it is the strongest!"

"This is the one!" Ji Ning didn't hesitate for a moment. He was born with the Nuwa Diagram, a supreme visualization technique that could make him stand out even among heavenly soldiers and generals. With such a solid foundation, how could he not even try? Even if he failed, there was no great loss — he could always switch to another technique.

"Good!" Ji Yichuan showed a rare smile, very satisfied with his son's unwavering resolve. "I will fetch the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens for you."

"Thank you, Father." Ji Ning was filled with anticipation.

...

Late at night. The hall doors were closed. Inside, arm-thick candles were burning with a crackling sound. Only three people were in the hall — Ji Yichuan, Yuchi Snow, and their son Ji Ning.

Ji Ning was holding a thick, ruddy-red book, reading. It was the legendary supreme Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens.

"Truly hard." Ji Ning frowned as he read.

The Crimsonbright Diagram had several major hurdles.

First, the entry. To enter, one must first be able to sense the two supreme stars, the 'Taiyin' and 'Sunstar'. Many Fiendgod Body Refining techniques absorbed natural elemental energy, or energy from water, fire, lightning, etc. But the Crimsonbright Diagram from the very beginning required sensing the two supreme stars and absorbing the power of Taiyin and Sunstar.

Many cultivators simply could not sense the Taiyin and Sunstar. This was just the first hurdle!

After that, absorbing the Taiyin and Sunstar forces would automatically form divine runes on the body. This was the second hurdle! Only when both the Taiyin divine rune and the Sunstar divine rune had formed could one be considered to have completed the first layer of the Crimsonbright Diagram. In fact, from the first layer, one could see the mystery of this supreme technique. For example, the Demon-Refining Tribulation Manuscript and other body refining methods required carving demonic runes, whereas the Crimsonbright Diagram formed divine runes naturally, and two kinds at that — Taiyin and Sunstar!

Once the first layer was completed, one could generally cultivate to the third layer without obstacles. But to train to the fourth layer and become a Xiantian lifeform was an even harder hurdle. One needed to achieve 'the merging of Yin and Yang, the fusion of water and fire' to break through and become a Xiantian lifeform in one go. As for later hurdles... they were still distant, no need to worry.

"Phew." After finishing reading, Ji Ning let out a long breath.

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow both watched their son.

"Father, please instruct me on the profound mysteries of the first layer of the Crimsonbright Diagram," Ji Ning looked at his father.

"Understanding the Crimsonbright Diagram is very easy," Ji Yichuan said. "You just need to cultivate according to the diagrams. The first layer has nine diagrams, very simple."

Ji Ning nodded. Having read so many books in this world, he immediately understood how to cultivate upon flipping through. But he was worried that there might be some special mysteries he had missed. Cultivation was not something to be careless about. Since his father said so, and the manual was clear, he would begin.

Ji Ning closed his eyes, raised both hands high, then bowed forward... This was the first diagram — Worship of the Sun and Moon!

He performed the movements one by one according to the diagrams. There was an ancient, mysterious charm to them, like a strange ritual dance.

"Oh?" Ji Yichuan was surprised.

"His first attempt at the movements is already so standard, with a sense of divine charm," Yuchi Snow was also surprised. Normally, even if one understood the movement in their mind, they wouldn't be able to execute it so perfectly. But Ji Ning had been cultivating the Nuwa Diagram since birth, his soul was powerful, and his control over his body was naturally very strong. Furthermore, his body had been scoured by natural energy for a long time, making it as pure as a newborn's. It was not surprising that he could make such precise movements.

Whoosh! Ji Ning completed the final movement, kneeling directly down, his hands held empty before him as if one hand was supporting the Taiyin and the other supporting the Sunstar.

Complete silence.

Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow also held their breath. They knew this was the critical moment. The previous offering dance was to help him better sense the Taiyin and Sunstar. Whether he could sense those two supreme stars was the entry requirement for the Crimsonbright Diagram. This entry alone had stopped countless people.

They also knew that the Crimsonbright Diagram was the hardest Fiendgod Body Refining technique, and that their four-year-old son had a very low chance of entering. But parents always hope for a miracle from their child. The two of them also longed for a surprise.