Chapter 716 |
Inside the quiet meditation chamber, Lu Qing calmed his mind and spirit, preparing to begin his cultivation.
The second step of the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth Technique was to imprint one’s refined Divine Soul Mark into the very origin of the world itself.
However, before he could complete that imprint, he first needed to sense and locate where the world’s origin lay.
“According to the records within the secret art, the world’s origin usually rests at the world’s center — deep within the earth’s core.”
Lu Qing glanced down at the floor beneath his feet, then closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into absolute stillness as he followed the secret method recorded in the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth Technique, attempting to sense the pulse of the world’s origin.
Every world was born from its origin; thus, though the origin resided deep in the earth, its fluctuations could be felt everywhere — invisible yet omnipresent.
But only cultivators who had reached the Nascent Soul Realm could perceive those subtle undulations. Lower-level cultivators lacked the qualification to even sense them.
Following the method precisely, Lu Qing soon detected that silent yet vast and boundless wave of origin energy.
The moment his Divine Soul entered the earth, everything around him grew heavy and sluggish.
That was the power of the Earth Vein Magnetism, pervasive within the world’s crust, impeding his movement.
But with a thought, a yellow radiance surged from the five-colored halo behind his Divine Soul, enveloping it completely.
It was the Earth Spirit Pearl among his Five Elements Pearls, now activated.
Forged from the purest essence of earth, the Earth Spirit Pearl naturally wielded dominion over the power of earth and magnetism. Once its might was unleashed, the heavy resistance vanished at once.
The very magnetic force that had hindered him now became a guiding current, propelling his descent at astonishing speed.
Thus, Lu Qing’s Divine Soul continued its rapid journey toward the planet’s core. Along the way, he sensed the aura of various hidden treasures buried deep underground.
Yet, at his current level, such things no longer held his interest — and in his Divine Soul form, it would be no simple task to retrieve them anyway.
He ignored the treasures and pressed onward.
After passing through layers of rock and soil, a wave of scorching heat suddenly surged toward him, the world around him turning fiery red.
He had entered the boundless sea of magma.
Ordinary magma posed no threat to his Divine Soul, but as he descended further, the fire-element energy grew increasingly dense.
Every few hundred meters, the temperature doubled. Eventually, the magma itself vanished, leaving only pure fire-elemental force — a heat so fierce that even Lu Qing’s Divine Soul felt a faint sting.
With another flicker of thought, crimson light erupted from the five-colored halo — the Fire Spirit Pearl now shielding him.
Instantly, the burning sensation vanished, and the surrounding fire energy came under his faint control.
“The Five Elements Pearls still have such wondrous use underground,” Lu Qing murmured in surprise.
He had long since outgrown the Pearls’ ordinary utility — after all, with his current cultivation, artifacts of that grade were no longer of much aid. Yet here, beneath the earth’s heart, their resonance with the elements proved invaluable.
“They could be even greater if refined to the level of true Spiritual Artifacts,” he mused. “The transformation would be unimaginable.”
As his thoughts drifted, the fire energy around him suddenly thinned, giving way to an expansive void of pure chaos.
And there, at the center of that vast space, hung a colossal orb of chaotic radiance — like a blazing sun, yet infinitely more profound.
Before that light, Lu Qing’s Divine Soul was as insignificant as a speck of dust.
“This… is the world’s origin.”
Even with mental preparation, Lu Qing could not help but feel awe when he truly faced it.
The boundless power emanating from the origin far exceeded his expectations — countless times greater than any sun’s might.
After all, in this world, even the sun and moon were but manifestations of the world’s rules, mere shadows of the true source.
“The secret text said that without a mark of at least a hundred tribulations, one cannot approach the world’s origin.”
He finally understood why. Even a faint touch of that primal force would incinerate anything unqualified to withstand it.
No wonder most cultivators never even dared to approach such a thing.
Suppressing his excitement, Lu Qing circulated the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth Technique. A moment later, the Ten-Thousand Tribulations Imprint condensed within his Divine Soul drifted forward, merging into the chaotic light.
No resistance came.
That was the brilliance of this supreme secret art — the imprint itself constantly shifted, imitating the pulse of the world’s origin until it became one with it, like a mayfly resting unnoticed upon a mountain.
So long as the imprint could endure the world’s overwhelming energy, the act of anchoring it became possible.
And once it endured long enough to absorb the origin’s aura, it would be recognized by the world as part of itself.
From that point on, the imprint could draw upon the origin’s power — slowly growing stronger, until one day, it might even seize control of the entire world!
Of course, that was a process requiring ages. But Lu Qing’s Divine Soul, already perfect and refined to the extreme, easily withstood the pressure.
Before long, the imprint was anchored deep within the origin — not upon the surface, but far within, hidden beyond detection.
A ripple passed through his soul. A thread of mysterious connection linked him and the imprint.
Through it, Lu Qing could sense the state of the origin space at all times. More wondrously, consciousness itself could travel along that link, unimpeded by distance or force.
This — this was the true mystery behind the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth Technique.
Even more — as the imprint grew, that link would strengthen, until one day it could transmit not just thought, but power itself.
Then, the world’s very origin would serve as his inexhaustible energy source.
His Divine Soul power would never again run dry.
Realizing this, Lu Qing’s joy overflowed. He finally understood the true brilliance of this supreme art — the so-called “rebirth” was only its surface function.
Its true purpose was empowerment — an eternal bridge to the world’s source!
“No wonder it’s ranked among the supreme soul techniques,” he murmured. “This is more than a means of survival — it’s the very key to transcendence.”
After calming his heart, Lu Qing lingered a while longer, feeling the imprint’s steady absorption of origin energy before deciding to return.
The Technique was complete. His purpose fulfilled.
His Divine Soul transformed into a streak of light, ascending swiftly through magma and stone. Moments later, it rejoined his physical body.
Barely half an hour had passed since he began.
Opening his eyes, Lu Qing smiled, sensing the faint yet unbreakable link between himself and the Ten-Thousand Tribulations Imprint.
At last, he had fully mastered the Ephemeral Life Anchored to Heaven and Earth Technique.
From this moment on, his survival and recovery abilities had soared beyond imagination — and once the imprint matured, his soul would possess limitless endurance.
Feeling content, he rose from meditation and stepped outside, where Xiao Li, still not cultivating, turned curiously toward him.
Lu Qing scooped up the small creature, ruffling its fur with unrestrained affection.
“Ah Qing, what’s gotten into you?” the little beast blinked, confused — until it sensed his joy. “You’ve succeeded in cultivating that secret technique?”
Lu Qing nodded. “Just finished.”
“So fast?” Xiao Li was stunned. “I thought you’d need at least ten days!”
“I’d already completed most of it,” Lu Qing chuckled. “Only the final step remained — and once I began, I couldn’t stop halfway.”
“It must be an incredible technique,” Xiao Li said, eyes bright.
Lu Qing smiled. “Indeed. With it, even a Nine-Tribulation Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t kill me.”
Xiao Li’s eyes widened again. “That strong?!”
“That strong,” Lu Qing confirmed with a grin. “But unfortunately, it requires the Nascent Soul Realm to cultivate. You’ll have to wait.”
“Then when I reach Nascent Soul, you’ll teach me!”
“Of course. But best wait until you’ve passed at least a tribulation or two first,” he said with a knowing look.
Excitement flickered in Xiao Li’s eyes, but then it asked, “Ah Qing, since you’ve finished, can we leave seclusion now?”
Lu Qing laughed. “We should. Otherwise, Xiao Yan will start complaining about us again.”
He glanced toward the courtyard, wondering how far Xiao Yan had progressed in refining her blood essence.
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