Chapter 1189: The Mixed Origin Golden Core is Achieved
"That talisman seems capable of absorbing the power of the stray True Immortal Seal Characters. I should be able to use it as a cover."
"However, this is the first time the Broken Immortal Tower has revealed such a technique. Even here, in the Dao Proving Academy—hailed as the very source of the Immortal Boat's cultivation arts—there are no records of it."
The gaze of Li Fan's clone instantly fell upon the soundly sleeping Zhao Xian.
"The Mysterious Immortal Boat has a rigid class system. Many people spend their entire lives without ever leaving the continent of their birth. A formidable fortress is best breached from the inside."
The clone gently raised a finger and tapped it against Zhao Xian's forehead.
In a daze, Zhao Xian felt as if he were dreaming a long, protracted dream.
In the dream, the conflict between the Broken Immortal Tower and the Immortal Pivot Academy dragged on endlessly, with no clear victor. The struggle intensified, their methods growing ever more extreme until it culminated in a devastating catastrophe. The Immortal Boat plummeted into the depths of the Relic Sea, utterly annihilated. No one aboard survived, including Zhao Xian himself.
Startled awake from the nightmare, Zhao Xian, who had always been optimistic and easygoing, couldn't regain his composure for a long time. His face was deathly pale.
It was because the dream had been far too real. Zhao Xian could still recall some of its details with crystal clarity, leaving him with the uncanny feeling that he had traveled back in time.
"As one of the Academy's elite disciples, I had the good fortune to study some of those techniques in the dream."
"The Sea Fixing Sword Technique..."
Zhao Xian subconsciously began to circulate his energy according to the principles of the technique from his dream.
A moment later, his expression changed drastically.
"How can this be?"
Zhao Xian then recalled the contents of even more profound techniques.
*Taikang Metal Sword Qi*, the *Heavenly Emperor Qi Canon*, the *Dual Qi God Illuminating Heavens Silencing Technique*, the *Boundless Heavenly Pivot Separating Spirit Art*...
One after another, world-shaking, peerless techniques surfaced in his mind.
Every word, every phrase, was perfectly clear.
The way his qi circulated as he mentally recited the verses of these techniques made Zhao Xian realize they were not figments of his imagination. They were genuine, supreme divine arts!
"These techniques... forget me, not even the entire Dao Proving Academy could deduce something like these..."
Zhao Xian's heart pounded in his chest.
"Could it be that I've truly returned to the past from the future?"
For the better part of a day, Zhao Xian struggled to accept this reality. He racked his brain, but he couldn't fathom why something so bizarre would happen to him.
Since he couldn't find an answer, he decided to stop dwelling on it.
Zhao Xian's thoughts quickly shifted to the dream's catastrophic ending—the destruction of the Immortal Boat.
"If that was real..."
"I have to change everything," Zhao Xian muttered, clenching his fists.
Having witnessed so much cruelty in his dream, the young Zhao Xian had matured, becoming far more composed. He resisted the urge to consult the Myriad News Record for answers, knowing that his every post and every search was monitored by the Dao Proving Academy.
"The destruction of the Immortal Boat is too terrifying to speak of. I can't tell anyone, not even my master. And I absolutely cannot let the Dao Proving Academy—an organization destined for annihilation in the future conflict—learn of this. Otherwise, there's no telling what extreme measures they might take, possibly even hastening the Immortal Boat's demise."
Zhao Xian paced back and forth in his room, his mind racing. Ever since the dream, his thoughts felt sharper, more agile.
"Master was right. The Immortal Boat must have, and can only have, a single helmsman. But the conflict between the Broken Immortal Tower and the Immortal Pivot Academy is irreconcilable. If I let their infighting continue, the boat's destruction is inevitable."
"The best solution is to cut the Gordian knot—to help one side achieve an overwhelming advantage in a short amount of time."
A glint appeared in Zhao Xian's eyes. "Although my memories of the people and details from the dream are hazy, my recollection of future techniques and secret arts is perfectly clear. With knowledge that's decades ahead of its time, I'm confident I can help one side unify the Immortal Boat. The only question is... which side to help?"
After slowly recalling the actions and governing philosophies of the two major factions from his dream, Zhao Xian finally decided to side with the Broken Immortal Tower.
"The Broken Immortal Tower is just beginning to make its mark, so they must be in need of talent. If I demonstrate just a fraction of my ability, I should be able to join them easily."
"My current strength is still too weak; I need to improve as quickly as possible. Fortunately, my mind is now filled with countless miraculous techniques."
"As long as I have enough resources, breaking through two major realms within a year won't be a problem."
Zhao Xian closed his eyes and began to cultivate, preparing to astound the Dao Proving Academy upon emerging from his seclusion.
What he failed to notice was a faint, almost invisible figure standing beside him, watching him intently.
This figure was, of course, Li Fan's clone.
"Without the restriction of 'incompatible cultivation,' the countless techniques I've witnessed in the past can finally be used to their greatest effect here."
"Compared to the treacherous Xuanhuang Realm, this Immortal Boat is a veritable paradise."
Li Fan, who had been constrained at every turn in the Xuanhuang Realm, now felt a thrilling sense of freedom as he stirred the pot aboard the Mysterious Immortal Boat. It was deeply satisfying to finally unleash his vast repository of skills without restraint.
...
He had crossed more than half of the Star Sea, encountered the Mysterious Immortal Boat civilization hidden within the ocean of relics, and finally found an opening to infiltrate and lie in wait.
All told, Li Fan's clone had spent over a year on this endeavor.
Yet, due to the varying flow of time across the different regions of the Star Sea, less than half a year had actually passed in the Xuanhuang Realm.
In that half-year, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had already recovered from the great tremor that had recently shaken the Xuanhuang Realm.
The distorted barriers of white mist that crisscrossed the land had all returned to normal.
The cultivators' memories of the catastrophe slowly began to fade, and it seemed as if everything had returned to the way it was.
Meanwhile, in the Great Qi Sage Dynasty, a small world attached to the Xuanhuang Realm, the changes over the past six months could only be described as astonishingly rapid.
This wasn't merely a figure of speech. A wondrous spectacle had truly appeared in the skies above the Great Qi, one that rivaled the brilliance of the sun and moon.
It was a growing constellation of shining stars, centered around five hazy rings of light.
They were clearly visible even in broad daylight.
At night, their radiance completely overshadowed the dynasty's native stars.
According to popular legend, the five rings symbolized the five direct disciples of His Majesty, the Sage Emperor.
The stars that appeared sequentially around the rings, in turn, represented the many brilliant talents emerging throughout the dynasty.
This rumor was not without basis; in fact, there was ample evidence to support it.
Just three days prior, the entire populace of the Great Qi had witnessed one of the shining stars near the celestial rings suddenly erupt with a light hundreds, even thousands of times its usual brilliance.
It then transformed into a beam of light that shot straight down toward the Sage Emperor's throne in the Sacred Capital.
The celestial phenomenon lasted for the better part of a day before the pillar of light connecting heaven and earth finally vanished.
Afterward, the people were startled to realize that the star in the sky had vanished, having descended upon the mortal realm.
If a disciple of the Sage Emperor could cause such a spectacle, what was the Sage Emperor himself capable of?
Following the Sage Emperor's martial demonstration half a year ago, which had caused the world itself to tremble, discussions and speculation about his immense power flared up once more—in private, of course.
Throughout the Great Qi Sage Dynasty, the adoration and trust placed in the Sage Emperor had reached a terrifying, almost unanimous, level of devotion.
And at that moment, this peerless Sage Emperor, the object of his people's devotion, was frowning deeply as he stared at a white-haired youth sitting cross-legged before him, eyes closed in meditation.
Unlike the popular legends, when the beam of light—rumored to be a star descending to the mortal world—fell from the sky three days ago, Sage Emperor Li Ping felt no joy.
Instead, he was filled with astonishment that quickly turned to anger and alarm.
He had immediately recognized the beam's true nature: one of the massive grotto-heavens—separate from the Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven—that Daoist Bai Hua had painstakingly moved outside the Great Qi's small world to act as propulsion, dragging the world through the void at high speed...
...had exploded.
And the culprit was right here, in the Great Qi, in the Sacred Capital!
Yet Li Ping had been completely unaware until it happened. How could he, the self-proclaimed Heavenly Mandate Sage Emperor, accept such a thing?
Over the past six months, while the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was preoccupied with quelling the disaster and reassuring its people, Daoist Bai Hua had worked day and night without rest, painstakingly transporting several grotto-heavens here from the Xuanhuang Realm.
Perhaps because the cosmic forces from the Star Sea had shaken the Xuanhuang Realm, moving the grotto-heavens had become much easier. Even so, six months of tireless work had left Bai Hua on the verge of collapse. Unable to press on, she had retreated into the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven to recuperate.
But now, the unthinkable had happened: one of the grotto-heavens had been destroyed.
Daoist Bai Hua's expression was grim. Forgetting all about her recovery, she immediately rushed out of the Five Elements Grotto-Heaven.
By this point, Li Ping had already identified the culprit.
But before he could act, a single sentence from Master Yin turned his shock to joy, dispelling his anger entirely.
"Someone..."
"...has successfully forged the Mixed Origin Golden Core!"
Even as the Sage Emperor, Li Ping felt his mind tremble the moment he heard Master Yin's words, and he was momentarily stunned.
The Mixed Origin Golden Core was the stage that came after "Foundation Establishment Through Oneself." It was a critical component of the New Method, a key part of Li Ping's plan to subvert the system established by the Dharma Propagators.
This first step was exceptionally difficult. Once taken, it would undoubtedly bring about unimaginable changes.
When Li Ping had summoned Master Yin to the Great Qi to research the New Method, he hadn't held high expectations. He had approached it with a "let's just see what happens" attitude.
After all, the Dharma Propagator's system had stood unshaken for ten thousand years.
How could it be so easy to destroy its very foundation?
Li Ping had anticipated that developing this new cultivation path would take decades, if not centuries.
He had never imagined that after little more than half a year, Master Yin would give him such a tremendous surprise.
At the same time, however, doubt and vigilance stirred in Li Ping's heart.
He didn't ask questions. Instead, his gaze shifted from the white-haired youth to Master Yin, awaiting an explanation.
Master Yin paid Li Ping no mind, his gaze fixed rapturously on the cultivating youth, full of admiration.
"The aura of a world..."
Li Ping's brow furrowed.
The feeling the white-haired youth gave him was strange.
He was indeed one of the children practicing the 'Foundation Establishment Through Oneself' method, and he had now truly broken through to the next realm.
The erratic, elusive fluctuations of power emanating from him were difficult for even Li Ping to comprehend.
The boy's life force, however, was terrifyingly weak.
It was nothing like the vibrant, flourishing state expected after a breakthrough; instead, it was like a candle in the wind, perilously close to being extinguished.
It seemed his life could be snuffed out at any moment.
After a long pause, seeing the pained expression on the white-haired youth's face, Master Yin sighed deeply. "To seize the very creation of a world with one's own body..."
"How arduous a path. Though he has achieved the Mixed Origin Golden Core, he suffers a backlash. If he cannot endure it, the only outcome is death, his Dao dissolving with him."
Li Ping mentally disregarded the latter half of the sentence, focusing instead on the first part.
"'To seize the creation of a world with one's body?' Is that the key to forging the Mixed Origin Golden Core?" Li Ping asked.
Master Yin fell silent for a moment before answering, "You've seen the situation. He has indeed broken through, but the risk... it's almost certain death."
"This should not be the path of the New Method."
Master Yin began to explain to Li Ping how this fortuitous breakthrough and the understanding of the Mixed Origin Golden Core had come about.
"What does 'Mixed Origin' mean?"
"'Foundation Establishment Through Oneself' means using one's own being as the bedrock of cultivation. But as a person exists within the world, to advance further, one must seek answers from the world itself, from heaven and earth."
"'Seizing the creation of a world with one's body' isn't about directly devouring heaven and earth like the Dharma Spreader's method..."
"...although the practical effect is quite similar," Master Yin added abruptly, then stopped himself.
He glanced up at the faint afterimage of the vanished grotto-heaven before continuing, "Achieving Mixed Origin isn't about seizing specific materials or energies. It's about seizing the world's very [Creation]."
"The Great Dao is fifty, but heaven derives only forty-nine. It is because of that 'escaped one' that the world has variables, allowing heaven and earth to remain endlessly vibrant even after countless eons."
"But if that 'escaped one' is seized..."
"What you just saw—that beam of light—is the result."
"Of course, my intervention played a part. Without external interference, it likely would have taken nearly a century for the effects to manifest. I acted to help the boy. Otherwise, for a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator to try and seize from a world—even a grotto-heaven—his consciousness would have been lost in the struggle." Master Yin glanced at Li Ping, his expression unapologetic.
"To conceive of something I never could... this boy is truly remarkable."
...
From Master Yin's explanation, Li Ping began to grasp the nature of this so-called "Mixed Origin Golden Core."
As the master of the Great Qi world, having observed and interacted with numerous small worlds up close, he understood the implications of Master Yin's words better than most.
"A world is like a human body. This idea of seizing a world's creation to forge one's own Mixed Origin Golden Core is indeed feasible."
"It's just that..."
Li Ping pondered for a moment before inwardly shaking his head in rejection.
"This leap is far too great!"
"To devour a world with a human body... even I might not be capable of such a feat."
"The New Method is supposed to be a universal path, one that anyone can cultivate."
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