Chapter 342

Chapter 342: The Land of Third Zen

The martial arts and battle techniques he harvested from the field required no cultivation. Once obtained, he simply knew them.

That was why Wang Jie understood, in the instant Undying Body settled into him, how important it truly was.

Its cultivation method was, in one sense, simple.

You chose a planet and forcibly compressed its starforce—again and again—pressing it deeper into the planet until the starforce concentrated around a specific material. Then you refined that material into your own bones, using it to strengthen your skeletal frame.

The “material” could be an external treasure.

It could also be a shard of your own bone.

If you used your own bone, you first had to shatter a piece of yourself and cast it into a star. Then you compressed the starforce into that star until the force tempered the shard through relentless pressure—before finally retrieving it and reintegrating it into your body.

The pain would feel like being broken apart, melted down, and reforged.

Using external material would be far easier.

This was what it meant to take celestial circuit of stars as bones.

Because once that shard fused with a star’s essence, your bone truly carried the weight of a world.

The stronger your bones, the more lockforce you could contain in the future.

In the bluntest possible terms: it meant you could survive more madness.

Undying Body did not cultivate starforce directly. Compressing starforce into a planet was only the process. Starforce naturally leaked and dispersed; the method used that continuous overflow to polish the chosen material again and again. The planet was essentially the unit of measurement.

Otherwise, what were you supposed to do—compress an entire star chain? A whole nebula?

Even a World Realm powerhouse couldn’t pull off something like that.

With Undying Body, the more materials you refined into your bones, the stronger your body became. Stronger bones meant your blood, channels, and meridians could endure more strain; your flesh, tied to that structure, would follow and become more formidable as well.

It was both an immediate path to combat strength and a foundation for what came later.

Ordinary cultivators broke into the Roaming-Star Realm by fusing starforce into blood, meridians, and bones—training the body to withstand the universe.

Undying Body simply went further, tempering the bones externally first.

It was ahead of its time.

And it would be agony.

How long would it take to forcibly compress the starforce of a single planet?

It sounded like a long-term project—an extremely long one.

And if he used a special kind of star… would his bones become even tougher?

His mind jumped to the Nan Family’s hidden cache.

He could try it.

But he would have to wait until ten years from now.

Right now, he couldn’t afford to waste time on long travel.

If he wanted to cultivate Undying Body, he could only search for suitable stars within the range of Third Zen Heaven.

There was another problem.

After leaving Black-White Heaven, the star-devourer was gone. He needed a way to replenish lockforce.

Maybe Third Zen Heaven had something similar.

With that thought, Wang Jie looked at the field and began planting again.

First, he tried the nameless cultivation method his Bargain Master had given him.

He sat in the field and used it.

Nothing happened.

The nameless bone-and-sinew tempering method had once produced Undying Body, but this time it yielded nothing. A pity.

He tried Tempered Sword-Thread. No response.

Red Moon. No response.

Bone-Motion Art—one after another—nothing.

Either he lacked the later parts of those methods, or he’d reached the end of what they could produce.

He could only sigh at how lucky he’d been before, to harvest so many techniques.

Now he could only hope that once he entered Third Zen Heaven, he might obtain something new—something he could plant and grow.

It was time.

He took out the deck-board, shot into the void, and looked toward the distant ring-sect corridor—similar to Black-White Heaven’s, yet grander, wider, and far more imposing.

Third Zen Heaven.

He was here.

Black-White Heaven’s ring-sect corridor was narrow.

Third Zen Heaven’s was different.

Not only was it vast, it also served as the trial grounds for cultivators who wanted to join Third Zen Heaven.

None of that mattered to Wang Jie.

He stepped onto the ring-sect corridor and presented his zen token.

The disciples of Third Zen Heaven immediately led him to a designated location and told him to wait.

The ring-sect corridor stretched away on both sides. Ahead lay an enormous lake—so massive that even from a great distance it dominated his vision.

That must be Zen Lake.

Si Yao had told him about it on the way.

Third Zen Heaven was divided into three realms: Entering Zen, Transforming Zen, and Zen Regression.

Those realms corresponded to three territories: Zen Lake, Zen Mountain, and Zen Hall.

Entering Zen disciples could only cultivate at Zen Lake.

Transforming Zen disciples belonged to Zen Mountain.

Zen Regression disciples belonged to Zen Hall.

These realms could be seen as progressive, but they could also exist independently.

Someone could remain at Entering Zen for life, cultivating at Zen Lake, and still reach the Star-Refining Realm—or beyond.

The progression of realms did not guarantee stronger combat power. Some people entered Third Zen Heaven and, by understanding themselves, immediately stepped into Zen Regression. Others were geniuses and yet remained trapped at Entering Zen forever.

It was normal.

That was why Zen Hall held fewer disciples, but not so few as outsiders imagined.

There were even Star-Breaking Realm cultivators who had already reached Zen Regression.

Above these three realms stood three great figures outsiders called First Zen, Second Zen, and Third Zen.

And the master of Third Zen Heaven was called Chief Zen.

Wang Jie stood in silence, letting the information settle, when another figure arrived.

“Please wait here,” the newcomer said. “Senior Sister Qing Dai will come shortly.”

“Thank you,” Wang Jie replied.

As he turned, he heard a familiar voice.

Zhi He?

Not far away, Zhi He saw him as well and stepped forward, then bowed politely. “I am Zhi He of Black-White Heaven. Greetings, Brother.”

Wang Jie went still.

Of all the people to run into here…

Then he remembered. Back then, Elder Xingxue had given Zhi Ye a zen token to protect the Silver Radiance Empire.

Zhi He must have come here using that same token.

Zhi He was at the Roaming-Star Realm and possessed Six-Path Roamer strength. In Black-White Heaven, his progress had likely stalled. Coming to Third Zen Heaven could only have one goal: strengthen himself for the Wandering-Star Tournament ten years from now.

He didn’t recognize Wang Jie.

Wang Jie wore Lu Bu Qi’s face.

“I am Lu Bu Qi,” Wang Jie said evenly. “A rogue cultivator.”

Zhi He looked surprised. A rogue cultivator with a zen token—and clearly someone waiting for admission like himself.

“Brother Lu is from First Nebula?” Zhi He asked.

Wang Jie smiled faintly. “I don’t know. The starry sky is endless. I go where I end up.”

Zhi He nodded, and they began to chat—awkwardly at first, then more easily.

In Black-White Heaven, Zhi He was famously cold. On the battlefield and within club matters, he rarely spoke.

Here, he spoke far more.

Maybe place really did shape a person.

In Third Zen Heaven, he couldn’t afford to be arrogant.

And if Zhi He could come here, then other zen token holders might appear as well.

Wang Jie kept his attention sharp.

He didn’t know whether any other familiar faces would show up, but each major sect and force had its own tokens and requirements.

Third Zen Heaven was prized because it only required the zen token. It asked no origins and conducted no investigation. That alone made the zen token’s value surpass the trust tokens of Jia Yi Sect.

As they spoke, someone arrived.

A woman—plain enough that you might forget her the moment you glanced away. Yet no one who knew Third Zen Heaven would dare underestimate her.

Especially Wang Jie.

The instant he saw her, instinctive caution rose in him.

She was very strong.

The woman stepped before Wang Jie and Zhi He and spoke softly. “My name is Qing Dai. I am a Cheng Zen disciple. Since you both carry zen token, upon entering the sect you will become Cheng Zen disciples as well.”

She gestured ahead. “You may choose your cultivation territory: Zen Lake, Zen Mountain, or Zen Hall. You may only choose one—unless your realm breaks through.

“You may choose now.”

No origins. No questions. No cultivation checks.

Upon entry, they would be Cheng Zen disciples—true disciples—entitled to the sect’s greatest resources.

That was the value of a zen token.

Zhi He didn’t hesitate. “I choose Zen Hall.”

Qing Dai turned to Wang Jie.

Wang Jie asked, “Senior Sister, could you explain the difference between the three?”

“Zen Lake,” Qing Dai said, “is where Entering Zen disciples cultivate. The heart must Guard the One and preserve the true self. You cultivate the Mysterious True Transformation Scripture. From Entering the Painting to Losing the Painting, you forget yourself to truly understand yourself. There are techniques such as Guard the One and Silent Zen. It suits cultivators with lower comprehension and lower realms.”

“Zen Mountain is for Transforming Zen disciples. One may shed the old body and be reborn. You cultivate the Heavenly Astral Body-Forging Chart, drawing the body with starforce. There are techniques such as Heavenly Punishment Five Injuries and Refining Slash.”

“As for Zen Hall, it belongs to Zen Regression. It requires balance and harmony at the center. You cultivate the Zen Martial Precepts and may reach unity between heaven and man, finding the power of the self. There are techniques such as Zen Palm Form.”

Qing Dai’s gaze remained calm. “Junior Brother, you may choose.”

Wang Jie weighed it quickly. “I choose Zen Mountain.”

Qing Dai looked mildly surprised.

Even Zhi He couldn’t help it. “Brother Lu… most who enter Third Zen Heaven with a zen token aim for Zen Martial Precepts.”

Wang Jie smiled at him. “I know. But my aptitude is dull. I don’t think Zen Hall suits me. Yet I’m unwilling to stay only at Zen Lake. Zen Mountain feels like the best fit.”

Zhi He accepted it and didn’t push further.

Qing Dai nodded. “Each territory has its strengths and weaknesses. We do not judge by realm. Choose what suits you.”

“Come.”

The ground beneath them split smoothly, forming a path that carried both men into the depths of Third Zen Heaven.

There was also Outer Zen, a place where borrowed disciples and those who failed to Enter Zen cultivated.

Luan Dao, for example, had been borrowed from Milky Way Defense Corporation and had cultivated Outer Zen’s First Blade—Myriad-Instant Slash.

But someone who entered by zen token would never choose Outer Zen.

Why would they?

Zen Lake, Zen Mountain, and Zen Hall all sat above it. Outer Zen disciples could not enter those territories, but those within could leave freely.

Before long, Qing Dai led Wang Jie past Zen Lake and brought him to the foot of Zen Mountain. She contacted a disciple to bring him inside, then took Zhi He toward Zen Hall.

Before leaving, Zhi He offered Wang Jie a polite farewell.

Wang Jie watched them go, then withdrew his gaze.

He had decided on Zen Mountain long before arriving.

He asked Qing Dai to explain only because he wanted to confirm Si Yao’s information—see whether there were any omissions.

Heavenly Astral Body-Forging Chart suited him.

It used starforce to “draw” form inside the body, instead of relying on crude fusion. Ordinary cultivators fused starforce into bones, blood, and meridians.

With this method, you did more than fuse—you shaped.

Maybe the structure wouldn’t be overly complex, but it would be stronger than anything typical cultivators could manage.

It meant that even at the Roaming-Star Realm stage, he might already possess a world of his own.

Rumor said this method made it easier to step into World Realm.

Of course, that required reaching Star-Refining Realm first.

And the most suitable realm for cultivating this method was Full-Star Realm.

Full-Star Realm required starforce fusion into the body anyway. If he used that moment to cultivate Heavenly Astral Body-Forging Chart, he could accomplish two things at once—while also laying groundwork for the instant he broke into Roaming-Star Realm and resonated with the universe.

Starforce worked like that.

Lockforce likely did too.

That was why Zen Mountain could truly remake a person.

It was also why Zen Mountain was best for body refiners.