Chapter 100: Lucky To Be Alive (2/2)

Mo Wuji, who had originally planned to take a short break after opening 36 meridians, changed his mind. He felt really good, possibly even stronger than before he entered the lightning tempering room, so he decided that he would finish all of the channel opening solution before stopping.

Down his throat the 14th bottle of channel opening solution went, but a sense of uneasiness appeared in Mo Wuji’s heart, because the burning line sensation was no longer present. Other than a light burn in his throat, there was no other reaction from his body. Without any reaction from his body, he would not be able to guide the lightning bolts to attack his meridians to open them.

Multiple lightning bolts continued to land on him, and Mo Wuji allowed them to freely strike his body, but other than the physical harm that they inflicted on him, there were no benefits that could be reaped any further

An uncomfortable feeling welled up within him. Desperate, Mo Wuji drank five bottles of channel opening solution, but to no avail. All he felt was some heat in his throat. His meridians no longer responded.

The lightning bolts kept raining down, and Mo Wuji forcibly started the circulation process to guide the lightning to break open one of the possible meridians. “Boom!” Mo Wuji spat out a mouthful of blood just as the lightning was guided into him, before falling to the ground, paralysed and spasming.

Lightning bolts threatened to strike again. Whatever was left of Mo Wuji struggled to crawl out of the area at the centre of the room where lightning struck. It was as though countless needles were pierced through his spine, as he spat out more blood with each wave of pain that hit him. Thankfully he had already got out of the epicenter of the lightning strikes, otherwise, he would not be able to crawl out ever in his life.

Forcefully guiding lightning through the body’s meridians had caused great pain and damage to Mo Wuji, making him unable to stand up. While he lay on the floor, he could not even move a muscle either. Even though the lightning bolts continued to fall, and his spirit stones were still being used up, but he did not have the strength to reach and pull the “Stop training” handle.

After a good one over hour of lying on the ground did Mo Wuji regain some strength. With this, he wriggled his way to the bag at one side to retrieve some recovery pills, instantly popping a few of them into his mouth.

The recovery pills coupled with half an hour of rest did the trick, and Mo Wuji could just barely stand up. He wobbled to the side of the door, and pulled the “Stop training” handle before collapsing to the ground once again.

The wastage of spirit stones were of secondary importance now. The main issue on his mind was why the channel opening solution lost its effectiveness. Could his natural limit be 36 opened meridians?

But based on his prior knowledge, he knew that the maximum number was 99 spirit channels, and even though Mo Wuji did not know the difference between meridians and spirit channels, from experience he also knew that there was negligible difference between opening 36 meridians and 36 spirit channels. In the world of cultivation, for those who could cultivate, opening 36 spirit channels was commonplace, and even those with the most average talent could achieve it. As long as you were a cultivator, you would be expected to at least open more than 36 spirit channels.

A strong sense of resentment burst forth from inside him. If he really only had the potential of 36 opened meridians, then he would likely be unable to cultivate even to the later levels of the Channel Opening Stage, much less higher stages or realms.

Time passed quickly while Mo Wuji just sat there, and at some point in time, an alarm went off in the lightning tempering room. This signified that Mo Wuji had not been training in the room for quite awhile, and would have to leave the room if he did not wish to continue cultivating. Only then, Mo Wuji woke up his idea, and a shiver went down him spine. Back when he could not cultivate, he was not sad or disappointed, but instead worked hard to find a path of cultivation for himself. However, now that he could already cultivate, and had become a Channel Opening Stage Level 4 cultivator, he was surprisingly defeated by his limit of opening 36 meridians.

This was out of character for him. Mo Wuji once told himself, so what if he had mortal roots? He would not give up, what more if he had mortal roots that allowed him to cultivate. No turning back, Mo Wuji had to find a new method to open meridians. If he couldn’t, then he would revert to his original plan, and pursue training in martial arts.

Thinking to this point, Mo Wuji instantly became mentally recharged, and his confidence was renewed. So what if I have mortal roots? So what if I only have 36 opened meridians? I can’t give up here. I must never give up! [1]

At most, he would just die as a ordinary mortal, which did not matter. He was already very lucky to have reached such a stage, so what was there to worry about? Mo Wuji soon regained his composure, put on his torn clothes, picked up his bag, and yanked open the door of the lightning tempering room.

Outside the lightning tempering room stood seven, eight people, out of which a guy and a girl were squashed in center. The guy, Mo Wuji could recognise. He was the one who gave three spirit stones to the young and handsome youth previously. The pretty girl had also been at his side.

Those outside were shocked by Mo Wuji’s appearance. Whole body burnt black, hair as though as it was lit on fire, body still releasing smoke, and the blood on the chest and the corner of the mouth mixed with black soot; Mo Wuji looked as though as he crawled out of a pile of dead people.

The only thing that looked out of place was his eyes. That pair of eyes reflected a profound sense of serenity, as though as the whole world had exploded, but yet he remained unaffected and calm.

[1] TL Note: Thoughts of people are now in italics