155: Chapter 155 Night Tour of the Primal Mystic Arts

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, it felt as if a torrent accumulated for a thousand years had suddenly burst its banks.

The moment his Scholar Rank ascended to LV12, a Mental Energy so vast it was hard to imagine erupted, sweeping through his entire conscious space in an instant.

The translucent, jade-like figure perched in the center of the Sea of Consciousness vibrated slightly, then greedily absorbed this vast power.

Li Wen clearly "saw" the Sea of Consciousness expanding and solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The jade figure became increasingly clear and profound; the patterns upon it shimmered with the luster of wisdom and power, and at its core, an even more pure and heavy Aura was gestating.

When this expansion force reached its peak, the jade figure radiated a brilliant light, which then immediately withdrew inward.

It seemed to have undergone a complete baptism; its form hadn't changed much, but its internal texture and the power it contained were now utterly different.

The mental will residing within was as vast as a sea of stars and as deep as a frozen abyss.

Third Layer of Nascent Soul!

There were no world-shaking phenomena, only a transformative sublimation on the level of consciousness.

Li Wen's perception became even more acute, and the speed of his thoughts was frighteningly fast.

He understood that his Primordial Spirit had finally successfully stepped into the third layer Realm.

Unlike the qualitative change when he first entered the second layer, although he was still far from the legendary point where a Primordial Spirit could rival the Physical Body of a Marquis-level Expert, the potential brought by this fundamental leap had begun to show its prominence.

With a slight thought, Li Wen sank into his Sea of Consciousness and tried to "separate" this newborn jade Primordial Spirit.

An illusory figure about three feet tall, much more solid and identical to Li Wen's appearance, slowly floated out from between his eyebrows.

This was Primordial Spirit Leaving the Body.

His perspective shifted instantly.

Li Wen felt as if he had transcended the shackles of his Physical Body, no longer observing the world through naked eyes but perceiving everything around him with a nearly omniscient God's-eye view.

Within a radius of one li, the texture of trees, insects and ants in the cracks of stones, and the figures of Disciples in the distant villa area—every detail was revealed with hair-raising clarity.

His will expanded, and a rough sense instantly covered a radius of ten li; most of the residential peak where he was located, along with scenes from some adjacent peaks, were reflected blurrily in his mind.

He controlled the Primordial Spirit figure and tried to fly out of the window.

However, a breeze that should have been pleasant blew in, and when it hit the Primordial Spirit figure, it felt like countless tiny blades scraping past.

Waves of cutting pain were clearly transmitted back to the core of Li Wen's consciousness.

He immediately recalled what he had read in the ancient texts.

The third layer of the Primordial Spirit is also known as the Night Walk Realm; although one can leave the body during the day, it is fragile and easily damaged, and ordinary energy flows in the world can cause harm.

“The Primordial Spirit has just formed; as expected, I cannot stay outside for long during the day. I'll try again tonight.” Understanding this, Li Wen quickly retracted the Primordial Spirit figure into his Sea of Consciousness to nurture it.

Despite the pain, this attempt allowed him to truly experience the mystery of the Primordial Spirit's agility and the elevation of his perspective.

Afterward, he focused on the initial interference of Primordial Spirit Power with the real world.

His gaze fell on a stack of heavy ancient texts on the desk; as soon as the thought arose, a massive amount of Primordial Spirit Power surged out invisibly.

Whoosh! That stack of books was lifted as if by an invisible hand, floating steadily in the center of the study; controlling it was unexpectedly easy.

“Let's try something heavier.” With a shift of his mind, Li Wen's Primordial Spirit Power suddenly enveloped the desk in front of him, which was made of hard Purple Iron Wood.

Buzz— The heavy desk let out a low hum, and its four legs slowly left the ground, the entire tabletop floating more than a foot high.

But this time, Li Wen clearly felt the strain, as if he were mentally carrying a small mountain.

He could clearly perceive the weight of the desk pulling strongly against his Primordial Spirit Power.

This was not only because the desk itself was incredibly heavy, but also because his current Physical Body Rank determined the upper limit of power his Primordial Spirit could contain and safely use.

A moment later, the desk landed.

After a series of tests on different heavy objects in the room, Li Wen roughly estimated the physical limit his current Primordial Spirit Power could safely Move—about a thousand jin.

This seemingly unremarkable power was a sign that his Primordial Spirit, after entering the new Realm, could initially affect the material world.

The true Breakthrough lay in combat!

He walked into the martial arts room.

The core function of the Primordial Spirit's elevation is undoubtedly its Fusion with physical power, bringing an explosive increase in combat strength.

He clearly remembered the scenes of fusing with blood qi for five times the power and fusing with the whole body for ten times the power when he was at the second layer.

But as his physical strength increased from being unranked initially to his current status as an Advanced Super Martial Artist, that Heaven-Defying multiplier had been diluted.

Now, when the second-layer Primordial Spirit fused with blood qi, the increase had dropped to over three times; fusing with the whole body was only five times.

Now that his Primordial Spirit had stepped into the third layer, how much of an increase could it bring?

Focusing his mind and steadying his breath, Li Wen first mobilized the third-layer Primordial Spirit Power, merging it without reservation into the torrent of blood qi flowing through his limbs and bones.

Boom! A violent power instantly exploded.

His blood qi was like ignited volcanic magma, rushing and roaring, its energy content skyrocketing exponentially.

Li Wen threw a punch, the air letting out a piercing sonic boom, and the wind from the punch left a clear dent on the specially made alloy wall.

With a quick estimate, the increase from this Fusion with blood qi reached a staggering six times!

Immediately after, he took a deep breath. No longer limited to just blood qi, he poured the entire Origin power of the Primordial Spirit figure into every cell of his body.

Buzz! The air around him instantly froze and distorted.

Li Wen felt as if his body had turned into a humanoid divine weapon, possessing a sense of power that could shatter mountains and crack the earth with every movement.

In this state, his power completely surpassed the limits of simple physical strength, reaching another dimension.

He slashed a blade toward the test target machine; before the blade edge even arrived, that substantial Saber Intent had already locked onto the target, leaving a long-lasting black crack in the air.

Power assessment—twelve times increase!

The only flaw was that such a powerful Fusion state still had a short duration.

The blood qi Fusion state could be maintained for about two minutes; while the whole-body Fusion, which was the most powerful but also consumed the most Primordial Spirit, had its limit extended to only fifteen seconds.

But Li Wen's eyes were calm, and he was already satisfied.

Between experts, a single second can decide life and death, let alone fifteen seconds.

With his current physical foundation as an Advanced Super Martial Artist, supplemented by Saber Intent and an explosive twelve times combat strength—he was confident that if he faced that Advanced Flying Star Rank Yao Beast that attacked on New Year's Eve again, perhaps only one strike would be needed.

After finishing the test, the power receded like a tide, and his Primordial Spirit returned to the Sea of Consciousness to be nurtured, bringing a hint of fatigue but even more excitement from mastering new power.

It was already noon, and the smart robot punctually delivered the prepared high-energy nutritional meal.

Li Wen quickly finished lunch, took a short break, and then immersed himself once again in the sea of books.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

After entering Kindling University, cultural subject exams became a thing of the past, and the accumulation of Scholar experience relied entirely on this day-after-day reading.

Today's six hours of focused reading once again brought him 360 points of valuable Scholar experience.

More importantly, the "One Proof, Eternal Proof" Scholar class trait ensured that the knowledge he absorbed was no longer fragments of memory but a foundation of understanding that was constantly depositing, accumulating, and being integrated.

He became increasingly convinced that his inhuman speed in comprehending the Nine Heavens Divine Body was largely due to the accumulation of understanding brought by this vast amount of ancient texts.

This path was perhaps one that only he, Li Wen, could walk so steadfastly and efficiently.

Without "One Proof, Eternal Proof," even if others were brilliant, they would inevitably lose track of things when facing such a vast amount of books, unable to build their own massive martial arts knowledge System without burden like he did.

Putting down the last book in his hand, Li Wen stepped into the martial arts room once again.

One of his strongest trump cards now—

The Silent Rainbow Style of the Five Styles of Dawn had been stuck at a 99% progress Bottleneck for some time.

At this moment, the 120% Comprehension Ability bonus from Scholar LV12, combined with the state of his recently broken-through Primordial Spirit and his Perfection state of mind, was the perfect opportunity to break through this last barrier.

Inside the martial arts room, Li Wen closed his eyes slightly and remained silent for a few seconds.

When he opened his eyes again, the sharp light in his pupils was withdrawn, and only pure combat consciousness was flowing.

He slowly drew his blade; the blade hummed as if unwilling.

There was no world-shaking opening stance; Li Wen stood with his blade, and his entire Aura suddenly became ethereal and uncertain, as if he were about to merge into the surrounding light and shadows.

The true meaning of the Silent Rainbow Style was not a noisy thunderclap but an extreme sharpness that erupted in a moment of silence, sufficient to break through all darkness.

He moved.

The blade light flashed, yet it was not as fast as lightning; instead, it carried a unique rhythm.

Like the quietest ray of light when dawn first breaks, it spread out silently yet irresistibly in the martial arts room.

The blade shadows were hazy, seeming both real and illusory; every hack and every rotation pulled at the air currents in space.

Forming an invisible Domain, it swallowed, distorted, and then gathered the light.

This final 1% was like a thin but tough membrane.

Li Wen was immersed in the sea of Comprehension Ability brought by the LV12 Scholar, and the spiritual sense of the third-layer Primordial Spirit magnified every subtle perception.

Every transition of the blade Moves, every bit of power flow, every alignment and deviation of the Concept were presented before his eyes with unprecedented clarity.

Sweat slid down silently.

He practiced over and over, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, with power sometimes light and sometimes heavy, searching for that perfectly fated node.

At a certain moment, when the blade edge flowed through a seemingly ordinary and unremarkable trajectory, the surrounding light that had been swallowed suddenly solidified and converged at the tip of the blade.

An unprecedentedly condensed, pure, and all-destroying Concept erupted.

The sense of spatial distortion left from previous practices instantly vanished, replaced by absolute silence, with only a point of extreme brilliance condensing and compressing at the tip of the blade.

At this moment, even the lights in the martial arts room seemed to dim for an instant.

Buzz—!

That point of brilliance did not explode but, with a flick of Li Wen's wrist, silently merged into the opening of the next form.

The entire process of sheathing the blade was smooth and unobstructed, as if that piece of extreme silent sharpness was originally a part of him.

Silent Rainbow Style, Perfection!

Li Wen stood with his blade, and the remaining sharp Aura at the tip of the blade slowly dissipated.

There were no extra fluctuations, only a sense of completion where the Moves were connected and the intent followed the blade.

A hundred percent Realm meant that his understanding of the "Silent Rainbow Style" was no longer flawed; this blade technique had reached the Transcendent state, capable of erupting with the most penetrative and stealthy fatal blow at any time.

The Way of the Blade had taken another step forward.

Li Wen sheathed his blade; there wasn't much excitement in his heart, only a deeper and more far-reaching exploration of higher Realms.

He looked up at the Nine Heavens Peak towering into the clouds outside the window, a new goal already in his mind.

Time quickly reached night, and the villa area was silent.

Li Wen sat cross-legged in the quiet room, eyes tightly shut, waiting patiently.

Not until the starlight outside shifted and everything was silent did he take a deep breath and slowly mobilize the Primordial Spirit Power in his Sea of Consciousness.

—

With a slight thought, that three-foot-tall Primordial Spirit figure once again floated lightly out from the Baihui point at the top of his head.

Compared to the obvious illusory feeling during the initial trial in the daytime, the figure now appeared somewhat more condensed.

It floated in the dim light of the quiet room, its entire body flowing with a warm jade-like luster, and a sense of serenity and transparency born from within spread out.

The Primordial Spirit figure slightly adjusted its position and then passed through the closed window as if it were nothing, arriving silently under the night sky outside the villa.

The chill of the night instantly enveloped it, and what followed was not a gentle night breeze, but a sudden current of air carrying a bone-piercingly sharp intent.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

This airflow felt like countless invisible blades, scraping violently against the surface of the Primordial Spirit figure, which appeared light and ethereal but was actually condensed with the energy of the Soul Origin.

A sharp pain, like being sliced by blades, erupted from the depths of the Soul.

Li Wen had been psychologically prepared and did not dodge or retreat. The Primordial Spirit figure only trembled slightly before stabilizing its form, silently enduring this baptism.

This was the "Wind Tribulation" that the Primordial Spirit must pass through to advance from its initial formation into the Night Roaming Realm.

The gale formed by the Qi of Heaven and Earth, though seemingly intangible, was the whetstone that tempered the Primordial Spirit, enabling it to truly traverse the night sky.

Only by surviving this tribulation could the Primordial Spirit shed its initial fragility, become sufficiently resilient, and truly adapt to the consumption and external pressure of Night Roaming.

This Wind Tribulation lasted for about ten minutes.

Time itself had not lengthened, but under the constant, agonizing pain, every minute and every second felt as long as a century.

Li Wen focused all his willpower on the Primordial Spirit, guiding it to persevere amidst the blade-like wind, realizing the changes brought about by every moment of tempering.

Finally, as if ice melting into snow, the biting gale silently dissipated.

Before the residual pain had completely faded, it was replaced by a strange sense of solidification.

The outline of the Primordial Spirit figure became incredibly clear, as if carved from the purest glazed crystal, and the mental radiance within was restrained, appearing more stable and resilient; the previous sense of fragility and tendency to dissipate had mostly vanished.

Li Wen's heart stirred, and he attempted to control the Primordial Spirit to drift forward.

As soon as the thought arose, the Primordial Spirit figure silently appeared above a flat granite stone bench a dozen meters away.

This ability to teleport was clearly smoother than before.

Feeling the clear information fed back by the Primordial Spirit regarding the surrounding grass, leaves, sand, dust, and the faint barrier energy of the distant villa, the profundity of Night Roaming truly began to manifest.

He manipulated the Primordial Spirit figure, attempting to Move within the villa courtyard to familiarize himself with the state of Night Roaming.

However, after only a few short minutes, a strange feeling suddenly enveloped the Primordial Spirit.

The surrounding void, originally quiet and peaceful, suddenly transformed into an unfathomable ocean filled with invisible pressure.

That pitch-black darkness seemed no longer to be simple night, but a deep abyss breeding unknown fluctuations.

A strong sense of unease gripped the Primordial Spirit, as if this fragile flame of the Soul could be completely engulfed and dissipated into nothingness by the next inexplicable surge at any moment.

"This is the Void Fear of the Night Roaming Realm." Li Wen warned himself, "If the Primordial Spirit leaves the body for too long, it is ultimately like a rootless duckweed. Having lost the strong protection of the Physical Body, it is more sensitive to the energy fluctuations hidden in the Void, but it also endures greater psychological pressure. It seems that the Primordial Spirit's strength is still far from enough for truly long-distance, free Night Roaming."

"Return." He hesitated no longer, and a thought flashed across his mind.

The Primordial Spirit figure hovering in the courtyard instantly blurred, turned into a streak of clear light, and went straight through the wall into the meditation room.

It returned to the Baihui acupoint on the top of Li Wen's head, and then sank into the familiar, safe, and warm Sea of Consciousness space.

Only after returning to this fortress built from his own essence, blood, and Divine Thought did that unsettling, engulfing sensation from the Void completely dissipate.

"The Third Layer of Nascent Soul, the Night Roaming Realm, is truly profound, yet it is filled with thorns at every step." Li Wen slowly opened his eyes, a flash of bright light passing through them.

He carefully recalled his recent experience and the many ancient books he had read regarding Primordial Spirit cultivation.

"The books record that once the Primordial Spirit enters the Third Layer, the ability to interfere with reality using Mental Energy will be greatly enhanced, and the power of the Primordial Spirit is enough to silently kill any expert below the Marquis-level who has not yet birthed a Primordial Spirit."

"It could even pose a fatal threat to some experts who have just entered the Marquis-level but have a weak Primordial Spirit or are simply not proficient in this path."

"If used in the hands of a King-level Expert proficient in the Primordial Spirit, killing an ordinary Marquis-level Expert is not difficult—"

Li Wen pondered, his brows slightly furrowed.

"But—how to do it?" He raised his hand, and a wisp of nearly invisible Mental Energy extended, easily moving a fountain pen from the desk nearby through the air.

"Using Mental Energy to Move objects, amplify one's own perception, or even burst forth to augment combat power—these are all easy to understand."

"But the terrifying methods described in the books, such as 'Primordial Spirit Impact' and 'Nirvana of the Mind,' which are truly aimed at the enemy's Soul Origin and can determine life and death with a single thought—the specific techniques and forms of power for these are vaguely described in the books."

He tried to strike the air with condensed Primordial Spirit Power, but apart from causing a barely perceptible ripple of Mental Energy, he could not produce that terrifying effect capable of instantly destroying another person's will or Soul core.

"Is my control of Primordial Spirit Power not precise enough? Or—is a key triggering method missing?" Doubts lingered in Li Wen's mind.

He felt that his Primordial Spirit Power was already quite considerable, far exceeding those Marquis-level Experts who had not cultivated their spirit.

However, he could not find the way to transform it into an effective, crushing Soul attack as described in the books.

Even after searching through all the classics in his memory, he could not find any description of truly practical, specific techniques; most only stopped at descriptions of power and the division of Realms.

"It seems I can only go and ask an expert who knows the inside story." Li Wen's thoughts finally fell upon the white-haired, unfathomable Principal.

"The Principal is a being of the Venerable Realm, and his understanding of the Dao of the Primordial Spirit must be at its peak. Moreover—besides Teacher Fang Chengwu, only he knows that I have already nurtured a Primordial Spirit."

Ask other Peak Masters or unfamiliar Seniors? That would not only be too reckless, but might also arouse unnecessary covetousness.

Only the Principal, with his Transcendent strength and lofty status, and who also seemed to have good intentions toward him, was the most suitable.

Having made up his mind to go and ask the Principal tomorrow, Li Wen suppressed the various thoughts in his mind and ended his cultivation for the night.

The meditation room returned to tranquility, with only starlight shining through the window, casting quiet spots of light on the floor.

The next morning, at the first light of dawn.

Li Wen sent an appointment request to the Principal via his personal smart AI assistant; the content was concise, only stating a request for an in-person meeting.

He had thought the Principal was busy and would need to wait a few days, but he did not expect the reply to come so quickly.

"Tonight at eight, at the summit of Wudao Peak."

Looking at the short reply on the screen, Li Wen composed himself.

He spent the rest of the day in routine cultivation and reading, though his heart held an extra bit of anticipation for the meeting that evening.

Night fell as scheduled, and the stars dotted the sky over Kindling University.

Li Wen arrived on time at the foot of the cloud-piercing Wudao Peak.

Stepping onto the familiar white jade plaza, the surrounding air suddenly produced a subtle distortion, like ripples spreading when a stone is thrown into water.

A path paved with faint starlight extended out of thin air to his feet.

"Come here." The Principal's voice sounded gently in his ear, carrying a unique penetrating power.

Li Wen suppressed the emotions in his heart; the methods of a Venerable-level expert were truly unfathomable.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped onto this strange path.

As his footsteps landed on the starlight path, every step seemed to span spatial distances, and the surrounding scenery retreated and blurred rapidly.

A moment later, he was already standing outside the elegant pavilion on the mountaintop he had visited before.

The Principal was still wearing a plain robe, his silver-white hair particularly striking under the moonlight, and he was sitting casually on a stone bench with a cup of clear tea on the tea table in front of him.

The atmosphere was tranquil, yet it possessed a Transcendent Aura of its own.

Li Wen stepped into the pavilion.

The Principal then raised his head, his gaze falling on Li Wen, and a trace of extremely subtle surprise flashed through his originally calm eyes, immediately replaced by deep satisfaction.

"It seems you have come to find me this time because of the Third Layer of the Primordial Spirit." The Principal spoke, his voice peaceful, "Your Primordial Spirit's growth rate indeed far exceeds my expectations. There have been many Primordial Spirit Awakened throughout history, but such a rapid improvement as yours is truly rare."

"The Principal has eyes like torches." Li Wen bowed slightly, not surprised that the Principal could see through his core progress at a glance.

The level of this pillar of the Human Race was unfathomable.

"You must be wondering why your Primordial Spirit has clearly reached the Third Layer of the Primordial Spirit, yet it does not have the capabilities recorded in the books, right?" The Principal tapped his index finger gently on the table.

"That is exactly it." Li Wen admitted frankly; this was the biggest puzzle lingering in his mind, "The classics describe that the Primordial Spirit Realm can trigger Mental Energy attacks, provide mental defense, and even interfere with reality to micro-manipulate energy, but I currently can only clumsily allow the Primordial Spirit to materialize and leave the body briefly, relying on brute force to swing and Move heavy objects weighing hundreds of catties, and attacks rely entirely on possessing the Physical Body to forcibly augment with blood and Qi. It feels like I am far from the records."

"That is because you do not have the 'key'." A smile appeared on the Principal's face, and he explained, "Powerful strength requires corresponding techniques to guide, gather, and release it."

"A key?"

"Primordial Spirit Secret Techniques." The Principal gave the key answer, "This is a field that only King-level Experts begin to deeply explore and Cultivate. If the Primordial Spirit's strength is insufficient, the secret techniques are like castles in the air, and one cannot even get started. This is also the reason why I did not tell you in advance. But—you are indeed an exception among exceptions."

His tone carried obvious approval, and at the same time, he operated the personal terminal on his wrist, "Alright, special permissions have been activated and opened to you. After you go back, enter the 'Core Cultivation Technique Legacy Area' of the Xinhuo World; there is now a learning area exclusive to you, and all the Primordial Spirit Secret Technique materials opened to you can be accessed there."

"Thank you, Principal!" A glimmer of anticipation lit up in Li Wen's eyes.

The Virtual Mentor System of the Xinhuo World was exactly what he needed.

The Principal nodded slightly, then solemnly added, "However, I must remind you that while secret techniques are good, you must act according to your ability. Given your current total Primordial Spirit amount, the most suitable one, or rather the only one you can try to Cultivate at this stage, is probably only one kind, and you must take the route of 'extreme quality'."

"There are many other secret technique classics, and they are powerful, but the required Primordial Spirit Power far exceeds the threshold you can currently provide. It is like an infant trying to wield a giant hammer; forcibly cultivating will only damage your own Origin, and the loss will outweigh the gain. Before your Physical Body Rank reaches the Flying Star Rank and you have a massive life magnetic field to nourish and moisten the Primordial Spirit, looking at those will only add to your troubles."

Seeing Li Wen listening attentively, he stated the key: "In the directory, just find 'Soul-Shocking Spike'. This is a secret technique that releases a mental impact by extremely condensing and compressing Primordial Spirit Power, pursuing instantaneous bursts, and it is currently the only one that might fit your conditions."

"I understand, I will definitely choose carefully." Li Wen promised solemnly.

"Alright, go ahead." The Principal picked up the teacup, signaling that Li Wen could leave, "The Profound Truth of 'Soul-Shocking Spike' is not simple to understand. If you have questions in the beginning, first make full use of the Xinhuo World's Virtual Mentor to resolve them. If you encounter problems that even the mentor cannot resolve, or if you feel something is wrong during cultivation, then come to me."

"Very well, this student will take his leave."

Li Wen bowed again, then turned and walked quickly away along the path paved with starlight he had come on, his figure quickly disappearing into the night and the ripples of space.

The pavilion returned to silence.

Until confirming that Li Wen's Aura had completely left the range of Wudao Peak, the peace on the Principal's face slowly faded, and his deep gaze looked toward the empty direction of the Void outside the pavilion, as if talking to himself, or as if asking a certain existence: "Star Vortex, tell me, does this child—have a chance in the future to walk that legendary path of 'One Proof, Eternal Proof' of the Primordial Spirit?"

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

As the voice faded, light rippled like a stone thrown into water in the previously empty air, outlining the blurry silhouette of a woman.

Her figure existed between reality and illusion, seemingly composed of pure data streams and ghostly blue starlight.

“Difficult. But—” The voice of the woman called Star Vortex was ethereal and cold, as if coming from a distant time and space. “The Primordial Spirit characteristics and growth potential he has shown so far are the highest we have ever recorded. The hope is greater than for anyone else.”

“As long as there is hope... that's good.” The Principal sighed softly and set down his teacup. His finger unconsciously brushed across the tabletop, leaving a trail of faint light. “As long as there is hope. If there were none, that would be the real worry. The Prophet said the hope of the Human Race lies within these few sessions. Ling Feng,”

“Li Wen—or who else?”

His gaze turned toward the deep night sky in the distance, as if he could pierce through space to see that massive, constantly twisting and expanding blood-colored giant eye hanging near Blue Star's orbit—the Interstellar Gate, which looked like a passage to a different dimension.

An indescribable, heavy worry surfaced in the depths of his eyes.

“We... don't have much time left.”

The Principal called up a floating holographic screen displaying a highly classified 'Interstellar Gate Energy Fluctuation Monitoring Curve Report'.

The peaks from the past month were shocking, and the upward trend showed no signs of slowing down.

“The largest Interstellar Gate is devouring Void Realm energy faster and faster. Prediction models show that in as little as a few decades, its structural stability will break the critical point, becoming sufficient to allow beings of Venerable-level mass and energy levels to pass through the barrier restrictions!”

The Principal's tone was grave. “At that time, the Yao Race's Venerables can cross over in their true bodies without any hindrance. As for our Venerables—the total number for all of humanity is only thirteen! And that's including the other three planets.”

“What about the Yao Race? The number of known Venerable-level Yao Venerables... definitely exceeds a thousand! Not to mention the higher-order Saint Realm existences behind them—”

The Principal opened his eyes, the look of exhaustion deepening. “Unless... we can also give birth to a Saint Realm who stands above all Venerables.”

“Only a Saint Realm expert, with their absolute mighty power, can act like a stabilizing pillar to reverse the situation and forcibly lock or even destroy those giant gates. Otherwise, what awaits us is the fall of our planet and the end of our civilization under the impact of the Yao sea flood.”

Star Vortex's phantom remained silent, the projected light fluctuating slightly, conveying wordless emotions.

The Principal gave a bitter smile and swiped his finger across the light screen, pulling up Li Wen's file and Cultivation data stream. The growth curves of various indices on it were startling.

“However, the Saint Realm... is easier said than done.” He seemed to be sighing to Star Vortex, or perhaps to the cold void. “Among the current Venerables of the Human Race, the youngest is already over a hundred years old. The eldest is over eight hundred years old, trapped at the Venerable Realm Bottleneck for a full six hundred years! The path ahead is severed, and there are no successors—”

On the holographic screen, the module representing the Interstellar Gate's energy data flashed with a striking, intensifying blood-red alarm indicator.

Time seemed to turn into a falling hourglass; the sound of fine sand rubbing together was clearly audible and suffocating.

Li Wen was completely unaware of what happened after he left Wudao Peak.

His mind was currently occupied by one thing: learning that Primordial Spirit secret technique as quickly as possible.

He strode toward the landing pad specifically for parking aircraft next to the White Jade Plaza and nimbly climbed onto his—

—that aircraft with its sleek, smooth body.

Streamlined tail flames spat silently as the silver aircraft quickly streaked across the night sky, landing steadily on the private platform of Villa No. 1 on Mingde Peak.

Walking into the room, Li Wen went straight for the virtual pod.

Sensing his arrival, the virtual pod's hatch slid open silently, and Li Wen lay down inside without hesitation.

As his vision shifted, he was instantly transported into the vast, boundless ocean of data of the familiar Xinhuo World.

With almost no pause, Li Wen's thoughts moved, and he passed through the Shuttle Gate with a clear target, arriving at the Cultivation Technique World where countless Legacies were stored.

Unlike the previous few times, as soon as he stood firm this time, he keenly noticed an anomaly—next to the area he usually browsed, an ancient gate emitting a soft white light had appeared out of thin air.

Above the lintel, there were faint patterns of energy flow, manifesting its special nature.

“This is it.” Li Wen understood clearly; this must be the entrance to the 'Primordial Spirit Secret Technique Legacy Zone' that the Principal had opened for him.

He reached out and gently pushed the seemingly heavy stone door. A solemn but not oppressive Aura rushed toward him.

Behind the door was not the vast space he had imagined, but a relatively compact domed hall.

The light was bright and soft. Rows of dark wooden bookshelves were neatly arranged, with faint blue projected text floating above them, indicating the category index for each shelf.

Compared to the ocean of Cultivation Techniques outside, there were far fewer bookshelves here, and the classics on each shelf appeared more sparse.

However, the material itself and the faint energy barriers surrounding them all showed that these classics were extraordinary.

“Search for 'God-Shocking Sting'.” Li Wen issued a direct command.

An invisible scanning beam shot down from the dome, and soon, a striking point of light lit up on a bookshelf deep in the hall.

He walked over quickly.

On the bookshelf labeled 'Soul Attack Type · Introductory Secret Manuals', he precisely found a dark golden Jade Slip suspended in a transparent energy box. Three ancient characters were carved on it in concise Common Tongue: 'God-Shocking Sting'.

Even through the energy box, Li Wen could faintly perceive the special fluctuations targeting the Soul level contained within the Jade Slip.

Taking out the Jade Slip, a cool sensation came over him.

Li Wen walked to a reading desk set up to the side and sat down, sinking his mind into the Jade Slip.

A massive flow of information instantly flooded his mind, but it was not chaotic; it was orderly sorted by Li Wen's powerful Mental Energy.

A moment later, the overview of the God-Shocking Sting was clearly presented in his consciousness. Just as the Principal had said, this was a pure Primordial Spirit attack technique.

Its core was to extremely compress and condense one's own Primordial Spirit Power, eventually forming a 'Primordial Spirit Piercer' with ultimate penetrative power.

The Cultivation threshold's requirement for the quantity of Primordial Spirit was indeed not high, but the requirement for quality was almost harsh. The Cultivation process also carried a certain degree of danger; a slight mistake could damage the Primordial Spirit's Origin.

The secret technique was divided into seven layers. The higher the Realm, the more terrifying the power:

With the first layer mastered, one can instantly kill Great Sun Realm Gods and Demons who have not condensed a Primordial Spirit.

With the second layer mastered, one can kill Great Sun Realm Gods and Demons who have condensed a Primordial Spirit.

With the third layer mastered, one can instantly kill Great Sun Realm Gods and Demons who have condensed a Primordial Spirit.

With the fourth layer mastered, one can use it to escape from the hands of an entry-level Marquis-level Expert.

With the fifth layer mastered, one will possess the strength to fight an entry-level Marquis-level Expert.

With the sixth layer mastered, one will be able to defeat them.

With the seventh layer mastered, it is enough to kill an entry-level Marquis-level Expert!

And this power evaluation benchmark assumes the practitioner's Primordial Spirit Cultivation is at the 'Third Layer of Nascent Soul'.

If the Primordial Spirit Realm is higher, condensing the God-Shocking Sting with the corresponding Primordial Spirit Power will increase the power exponentially.

“As expected, it's the most suitable choice for me right now.” A sharp glint flashed through Li Wen's eyes.

The power description of this God-Shocking Sting could be called domineering and peerless, and its harsh Cultivation conditions were precisely met by his powerful Primordial Spirit quality and multiple talents.

After seeing it, he temporarily lost the desire to explore other Primordial Spirit secret techniques.

Decisively, he turned his thoughts toward the main text of the specific Cultivation method for the God-Shocking Sting.

The subsequent process was filled with a sense of smooth progression, like water flowing in a channel.

Long-term accumulation—a profound understanding of the Nine Heavens Divine Body, precise control over his own power—

—the terrifying Comprehension Ability bonus brought by Scholar LV12, and the mastery brought by the core trait [One Proof, Eternal Proof].

All advantages combined perfectly at this moment, forming an incredibly terrifying furnace of comprehension.

The Divine Thought compression techniques, energy rune structures, and control methods involved in the first layer of the God-Shocking Sting—

—content that seemed obscure and difficult to outsiders, requiring years of pondering, was rapidly dismantled, understood, and reconstructed in Li Wen's Primordial Spirit vision.

Difficulties melted away like thin ice under the sunlight.

During this period, he only summoned the Virtual Mentor of the Xinhuo World twice, more for the purpose of verification and optimization than for actual need of guidance.

galactic calendar, February 24th, Year 227.

Time flowed in the virtual world; in the real world, three days had passed.

The figure immersed at the desk trembled slightly and slowly raised its head.

—

In those deep eyes, a divine light as sharp as a fleeting glimpse suddenly condensed, then became as restrained as a deep, ancient well.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the complete blueprint of the first layer of the God-Shocking Sting no longer had any mist; it was clearly imprinted in the depths of his Soul.

[Cultivation Technique: Nine Heavens Divine Body · Seventh Layer (31%), God-Shocking Sting · First Layer (0%)]

Looking at the progress of the God-Shocking Sting appearing on the System panel, there wasn't much of a ripple on Li Wen's face, only a calm sense of things being settled.

With a slight thought, his consciousness left the Xinhuo World.

“Psh—” The virtual pod opened, and Li Wen sat up from it, carrying a hint of cool water vapor.

After briefly adjusting his breathing and dispelling the touch of mental fatigue brought by continuous high-intensity meditation, he did not delay at all.

The true Cultivation had just begun—he needed to condense his own first Primordial Spirit Piercer in the real world.

Inside the quiet room, Li Wen sat cross-legged, his mind completely sinking into his Sea of Consciousness.

That three-inch-tall Primordial Spirit figure sitting in the center of the Sea of Consciousness, emitting a faint white light, now quietly opened its eyes, which reflected complex and unfathomable Law runes.

Invisible Mental Energy began to surge around the Primordial Spirit figure.

A large amount of extremely pure Primordial Spirit Power, like boiling liquid metal, was continuously forced out from the body of the Primordial Spirit figure.

This power did not dissipate but was firmly bound by a powerful and precise intent. Under the guidance of Li Wen's absolute will, it all gathered in front of the Primordial Spirit figure.

Compress! Condense!

The process was not without cost.

The light on the surface of the Primordial Spirit figure dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and its outline even became slightly blurry. This was a sign of excessive Origin loss.

Under continuous high pressure, the density of the majestic Primordial Spirit Power increased crazily, and its structure underwent a transformation.

Time flowed slowly in the silent confrontation.

After an unknown amount of time, the churning energy core finally stabilized.

A nearly translucent crystal cone, only three inches long, floated in front of the Primordial Spirit figure.

It was unremarkable, with no earth-shattering Aura, and its form was extremely simple, like the most basic awl.