Ch. 39 - Life Wheel

“All things are born from an origin, and within the human body, there is also such a place. It is the fundamental source of life force, storing the essence of the entire body. It is called the Life Wheel, also known as the Primordial Life Wheel,” Elder Wu Qingfeng said calmly and slowly.

“Where is this Life Wheel?” Pang Bo asked.

“Below the navel,” Elder Wu Qingfeng pointed to the spot below Pang Bo’s navel and said, “Its location is precisely the most perfect dividing line between the upper and lower parts of the body.”

Ye Fan was a little surprised. He immediately thought of the golden ratio point of the human body, which coincided exactly with the spot the elder described. The golden ratio of 0.618 from foot to head defines the most aesthetically pleasing body structure, this point is located just below the navel.

In fact, there are many golden ratio points throughout the human body, all of which correspond to very important areas. Yet, compared to them, the largest golden ratio point, below the navel, seems, on the surface, not very significant.

At this moment, hearing Elder Wu Qingfeng say this spot was the Life Wheel, the very core of bodily essence, Ye Fan suddenly felt a flash of clarity, it might truly be the “origin of all things.”

The Life Wheel is not a single point, but rather a region. According to Elder Wu, it forms a circle about the size of a palm centered just below the navel, this is the repository of life essence.

Elder Wu Qingfeng emphasized seriously and sincerely: “The Life Wheel, for ordinary people, it gives birth to offspring; for cultivators, it gives birth to the physique. It is the foundation of all cultivation.”

According to him, the Life Wheel is the source of god-power. For a cultivator to embark on the path to immortality, everything must begin here.

“For an ordinary person, the Life Wheel continuously dries up over their lifetime. Each year, time leaves a mark upon it, like the rings in a tree. When a person reaches old age, the Life Wheel is filled with the scars of time, and at that moment, it shatters completely.”

“Then how many marks are there on our Life Wheel?”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were originally young men in their twenties, but now had regressed in appearance to around eleven or twelve, undergoing a miraculous reversal of aging.

“Your Life Wheel has eleven marks.”

Upon hearing this, Pang Bo immediately grinned widely. Compared to the classmates who had lost their youth, what had happened to him was practically miraculous. Then he pointed at Ye Fan and asked, “What about him? He should be the same as me, right?”

Wu Qingfeng already knew Ye Fan’s physique, but still examined him carefully. The conclusion was consistent with others: Ye Fan’s Life Wheel was utterly silent; his Bitter Sea was as firm as divine iron, as steady as a boulder, completely unshakable, impossible to open.

“His physique is very special, unclear, hard to read. Likely he has around the same number of marks as you,” said Elder Wu, showing a strange expression. “His energy and blood are vigorous, comparable to a flood dragon or mammoth. If he could cultivate… what a pity.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo had finally understood what the Life Wheel was, but they still had many unanswered questions.

“The Life Wheel is the root of cultivation. If one reaches that legendary realm and maintains a crystal-clear, unmarked, and flawless Life Wheel, like at the moment of birth, there may be a faint chance of becoming immortal.”

“Is becoming immortal really that difficult?”

“The so-called immortals spoken of in the mortal world are just cultivators capable of flying through the sky and traveling underground. Whether the True Immortals of legend exist or not is hard to say. As far as I know, in the vast Eastern Wilderness, not a single person has become immortal in thousands of years. Perhaps only the Sacred Grounds or the ancient imperial bloodlines passed down from the Desolate Era, or certain primal demons know the truth.”

“Elder, you’re crushing our hopes. We’ve just decided to cultivate, and you’re telling us immortals might not even exist. That’s a huge blow.”

“Spring flowers don’t survive autumn, and cicadas don’t endure winter. Mortal lives are at most a hundred years. If someone could live for thousands of years, they would have broken nature’s laws, and might already count as an immortal in some sense.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo understood the elder’s point. Once a cultivator steps onto the path of cultivation, they transcend ordinary people. The strongest among them may live thousands of years, defying the rules of nature. Even if they never become true immortals, it would still be a life worth fighting for, because they’ve broken fate and transformed their destiny.

“In fact, I’m not denying the existence of immortals entirely. Perhaps it’s simply that we cannot touch that world.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo continued asking questions, and the elder answered patiently.

“We always hear people talk about the Bitter Sea, what exactly is it?”

“It’s the endless sea of suffering that shrouds the Life Wheel.”

“What does that mean?” Ye Fan and Pang Bo didn’t understand.

“Once a cultivator reaches a certain realm, the seemingly palm-sized Life Wheel becomes like an entire world within, and the Bitter Sea exists within it, inseparable.”

“Please explain more clearly. The Life Wheel and the Bitter Sea seem to be in the same place, how are they related?”

“The Bitter Sea overlaps the Life Wheel, or more accurately, the Bitter Sea engulfs the Life Wheel. Not only does time erode it, the Bitter Sea also constantly eats away at it.”

“So that’s where the saying ‘crossing the Bitter Sea’ comes from?”

Elder Wu Qingfeng nodded and said, “Yes. The entire foundation of cultivation lies in the Life Wheel. One of the goals of cultivation is to fully cross the Bitter Sea.”

Ye Fan and Pang Bo were shocked. “According to what you said, the Bitter Sea is endless and engulfs the Life Wheel, how can it possibly be crossed?”

“Indeed, it’s nearly impossible. That’s why even the most talented and powerful cultivators eventually return to dust after thousands or tens of thousands of years.” Elder Wu’s eyes shone with longing as he said, “It’s said that a true immortal must fully cross the Bitter Sea, transforming it into a spring of life, just a drop can bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh from bone.”

“Sigh, but that’s just a legend. Whether immortals truly exist is still uncertain,” Pang Bo sighed. “Elder, maybe tell us something that actually exists.”

“Though the Bitter Sea may be endless, if a cultivator wants long life, they cannot be trapped in it,” Elder Wu Qingfeng’s eyes glowed brightly. “They must create life within suffering, cultivate vitality within desolation, forge divine veins, raise the Celestial Bridge, and reach the Other Shore, arrive at the end of the Bitter Sea.”

Ye Fan pondered for a moment and asked, “If the Bitter Sea engulfs the Life Wheel, and they overlap, then forging a Celestial Bridge to escape the Sea means leaving the Life Wheel behind. But isn’t the Life Wheel the foundation of a cultivator? Can it really be abandoned?”

Elder Wu Qingfeng nodded in approval and said, “I’ve said the Life Wheel is the root of cultivation, the foundation of everything, but I never said there was nothing beyond it.”

Pang Bo’s eyes widened. “There’s more?”

“To become an immortal, cultivating the Life Wheel alone is not enough. The Celestial Bridge is the key to crossing the Sea and connecting to other hidden realms within the body...”

“Wait, are you saying the body doesn’t just have one Life Wheel? There are others like it?” Ye Fan was stunned.

“To become one of the world’s top powerhouses, cultivating the Life Wheel to its peak is enough. But if you want to become immortal, it’s far from sufficient.” Elder Wu Qingfeng shook his head. Even he wasn’t sure immortals truly existed. He continued, “Even a once-in-a-millennium genius can benefit endlessly by focusing solely on the Life Wheel. But to forge god-veins, raise the Celestial Bridge, and reach the Other Shore to obtain eternal life, it's not easy. Don’t aim too high too soon. Remember: building a strong foundation is absolutely essential!”

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