353: Physical examination

Although he didn't know what this thing was for, and he couldn't absorb Zuoqiu Zhen's Divine Soul, for now, it could only serve as a night pearl.

Though useless, it was easy enough to take.

Xu Sanyan opened her Storage Pouch and took out everything inside. Among them was a book, which was the second half of the Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation, and also ten Soul Crystals, he didn't know where she found them.

Xu Sanyan looked at the items in her hand, furrowing his brow in thought. Was she hoping to resolve this enmity?

No matter what she was thinking, if he had the chance in the future, Xu Sanyan would definitely repay her handsomely.

He opened the book and read it carefully. After just one glance, Xu Sanyan quickly closed it.

His head hurt.

The complex patterns gave him a headache. This second half was the true essence of the Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation. With his meager understanding of Formations, it was difficult to comprehend its principles.

With a thought, the panel in his eyes appeared. Looking at the abundant "Qi," Xu Sanyan nodded in satisfaction.

It was time to witness his hard work and sweat again.

"Improve!"

In an instant, countless insights about Formations flooded his mind, like a dam breaking, the surging knowledge pouring into his head like a torrent.

Xu Sanyan closed his eyes tightly, his mind filled with complex and obscure mysteries like Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Heavenly Stems, and Earthly Branches.

Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements, mutually generate and overcome each other, while the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches are interdependent. Ten thousand variations flashed through his mind, making it difficult to fully absorb them all at once.

This time was much stronger than the last. It took a full quarter of an hour before he felt he couldn't hold on anymore and quickly stopped.

"Hoo..."

Xu Sanyan wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling his mind in a state of Chaos. Although the knowledge was forcefully crammed into his brain, he still needed to carefully comprehend and organize it himself.

He looked at the panel; the "Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation" entry was still Entry-Level. It seemed it was far from reaching the initial stage.

"As expected of Immortal methods..." Xu Sanyan exclaimed again. Every time he saw this grand Formation, he felt as insignificant as a firefly compared to the bright moon.

However, this disparity did not make him despair; instead, it further piqued his curiosity.

He also wanted to ride the void, pluck Immortal fruits, and then ascend to the Nine Heavens to see what kind of spectacle this Immortal Ascension, longed for by everyone, truly was!

Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles. He knew this was not an overnight achievement, so he had never been in a hurry.

Besides, he was only in his twenties and had thousands of years left to live, so there was no need to rush.

Xu Sanyan closed his eyes to rest and absorb the insights from the Formation.

Now that he had obtained the Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation, he must cultivate it well. This Formation could help him achieve the He Dao Realm and seize authority from the Heavenly Dao!

Recalling his path to Immortal Ascension now, it could be said to have been smooth sailing. Since he began cultivating, Xu Sanyan had always been unrivaled in the same Realm.

As a Mortal, he had the Blood-colored Small Knife to help him strengthen his Physical Body, and his immense strength far surpassed others in the same Realm.

During Foundation Establishment, he used heaven and earth treasures to establish his Foundation, obtaining a supreme Dao Foundation, and the strength of his Physical Body was comparable to a Spirit Treasure.

During the Mystic Path Realm, he obtained a Cultivation Technique from the Demon Sect's supreme treasure, the Saintly Book, which led directly to the Immortal Dao.

Now, in Soul Refining, he had the Nether Phoenix to help him condense his Divine Soul, and he also gained many benefits from Ghost City, far surpassing the Prodigies of his generation and becoming the number one among the younger generation!

And for the next Realm, the He Dao Realm, he had the Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation to assist him. If he could gain some authority from the Heavenly Dao, his strength would multiply!

One must know that other He Dao Realm Cultivators could only barely borrow a trace of Heavenly Dao power. For example, the previous Gan Country Cultivator, the Taoist Nun who cultivated forbidden arts and transformed into a calamity, her cultivated Heavenly Dao was probably related to flesh and blood.

That's why she possessed such abilities after transforming into a calamity: impervious to ten thousand swords piercing her heart and indestructible even when her body was torn apart by countless swords.

Xu Sanyan speculated that the principle of forbidden arts might be to borrow a certain power from the Heavenly Dao, and the Physical Body couldn't withstand this power, which is why it would transform into that appearance.

It could also be the price to pay for borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao.

However, the Cultivation Technique Xu Sanyan cultivated was precisely about 'snatching' the power of the Heavenly Dao, and this Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation was perfect for his use. This Formation could help him plunder the Heavenly Dao, providing no small benefit.

Heavenly Dao...

What exactly is it?

Xu Sanyan hadn't reached that step yet, so he couldn't fully understand the specific meaning of the Heavenly Dao, but he knew that the Heavenly Dao was the framework of this world.

It's like the underlying code of a game; countless lines of code form a virtual game, and countless Heavenly Dao construct this magnificent world.

For example, the secret realm fruit in his hand. One Heavenly Dao must be 'Spirit-Nullifying,' so there is no Spiritual Qi in the entire world.

However, the secret realm fruit was, after all, man-made. The so-called 'Heavenly Dao' was merely created by Cultivators with immense magical power. As long as Xu Sanyan's cultivation surpassed that of the Secret Realm creator, he could modify the Heavenly Dao within it.

But this world...

Thinking of this, Xu Sanyan suddenly froze, looking up at the night sky.

The primitive people living in the secret realm fruit seemed to have never left the Secret Realm. In Xu Sanyan's view, they were like caged birds, confined to that small plot of land.

But the question arose: was he himself like those primitive people, unaware...?

Could the world he was in also just be a larger Secret Realm...?

Xu Sanyan suddenly remembered that three thousand years ago, the incredibly prosperous Yaotian Holy Sect was suddenly annihilated...

And the four Immortals who created the "Soul-Gathering Life-Preserving Grand Formation" sought to use this Formation to explore the Realm beyond Immortal, but ultimately failed and died...

At this thought, a chill suddenly rose from the bottom of his feet, rushing straight to the top of his head.

If that were truly the case...

Is the Heavenly Dao truly the Heavenly Dao?

Suddenly, Xu Sanyan shook his head and laughed, "Haha, worrying needlessly."

He was merely a Soul Refinement Realm Cultivator; why should he consider such things?

Once he achieved Immortal Ascension in the future, he would naturally have the opportunity to explore. Considering it now was too soon.

Although he comforted himself in this way, he firmly kept this doubt in his heart.

Xu Sanyan took out the Soul Crystals and began to absorb them, while also organizing the insights about Formations in his mind.

...

The next morning, Spring Plum knocked on the door, "Master, Wang Ying and Wang Yu request an audience."

Xu Sanyan pushed open the door, and the sunlight spilled onto the front of the house, illuminating Spring Plum in a surprisingly alluring way. Her delicate face, paired with her fair skin, was as translucent as jade.

"Please let them in."

"Yes."

Xu Sanyan suddenly added, "Come to my room tonight. I'll help you check your body."

"Yes..."

Spring Plum's face flushed with shyness, also concealing a hint of joy.

"Call Xia Zhu too."

..."Yes."

Spring Plum suddenly wasn't as happy anymore.

In the pavilion,

Wang Ying and Wang Yu cupped their hands and bowed, "Greetings, Brother Lin."

"Please, sit down quickly." Xu Sanyan smiled very warmly, after all, they had given him gifts last time.

The two sat down and exchanged a few simple pleasantries. Wang Ying stated the purpose of their visit, "Brother Lin, do you still remember the Xuanku Mountain I mentioned last time?"

Xu Sanyan nodded, "I remember."

That was the Sect that produced tan milk; he even got a free drop last time.

"It's time to exchange tan milk again recently, and we still need Brother Lin to come forward and negotiate with them."

"Still need to negotiate?" Xu Sanyan was puzzled.