Chapter 1634: The Nature of Spirituality
Chapter 1634: The Nature of Spirituality
"Unifying with your selves from other possibilities can also augment your true spirit. However, the depth of true spirit varies depending on the circumstances of each self. Moreover, during this convergence of selves, it's impossible to fully absorb the true spirit of these other incarnations."
"The amount absorbed varies from person to person. The higher the conversion efficiency, the greater one's potential to become a Saint."
"If, after absorbing all of your selves from the remaining possibilities within this entire segment of the Mountain and Sea, you still haven't glimpsed an opportunity for Sainthood..."
"...then your hopes are slim."
"Unless you have something like the Great Luck Saint Medicine from the Tai Wei Sacred Dynasty, the accumulated true spirit carried by a Saint returning from the Eternal Silent Void Realm, or the aid of some other sacred object..."
After a moment of leisurely contemplation, He Gan Xian's thoughts eventually circled back to the "arena" plan Li Fan had proposed.
"Deceive him, and deceive myself."
"He and I were originally one entity; we can sense each other. The closer we get, the stronger and more accurate that connection becomes. How could I possibly achieve this?"
He Gan Xian's expression wavered, a storm of uncertainty brewing on his face.
If Li Fan were someone he knew and trusted, he might have given the idea serious thought. But as it stood, the man's origins were a mystery, and his identity and motives were completely unknown.
The risk was simply too great!
For any ordinary matter, the ever-cautious He Gan Xian wouldn't have given it a second thought. But this... this concerned Sainthood!
"A Saint! The very pinnacle of the Mountain and Sea. An ultimate being, capable of transcending this entire segment of existence."
"Wasn't the goal of becoming a Saint the very reason I chose the Dao of Morality in the first place...?"
Therefore, even knowing the path ahead was fraught with peril—and was very likely a trap—
He Gan Xian couldn't bring himself to completely dismiss the idea of trying.
"He's right. I am indeed not ready yet." After standing there for a long time, steeped in indecision, He Gan Xian let out a heavy sigh.
In truth, it wasn't just He Gan Xian who was unprepared.
Even Li Fan himself was not yet fully prepared.
Li Fan had witnessed the power of the Moral True Immortal after he had achieved Sainthood.
Even a newly ascended Saint was not a being that Transcendent experts could plot against. In the face of such an absolute disparity in power, any and all schemes were utterly useless!
Li Fan was certainly not arrogant enough to attempt the impossible feat of an ant swallowing an elephant.
"The best-case scenario is to refine both He Gan Xian and the Faceless Immortal simultaneously, using their dual moralities to achieve my grand ambition."
"However, the probability of that is very low."
"The Moral True Immortal was originally a single entity. Now that they've split, if one of them falls, the other will absorb them far more quickly than an outsider like me ever could."
"So, it's highly probable that one of them will emerge victorious in the arena and then ascend to Sainthood."
Li Fan was already mentally prepared for this outcome.
After all, his initial goal was simply to understand the secret of how the merged Dao of Morality could instantly achieve a status on par with the Mountain and Sea itself.
If the Dao of Morality could achieve this, then perhaps other Great Daos within the Mountain and Sea could as well.
"Besides repeatedly observing the Moral True Immortal's ascension process, perhaps I can also count on him revealing the secret himself."
"He Gan Xian is a virtuous person. If I help him attain Sainthood, the favor would be as great as giving him a new life. Once he becomes a Saint, the secret of Morality will be useless to him. There would be no harm in telling me."
"The only condition is that he must not see the [Truth] within me."
Thin streams of fresh blood trickled from Li Fan's body, converging in the empty space before him to form a humanoid figure.
Though shaped only of blood, the moment it took form, it seemed imbued with a spirit of its own, bowing respectfully to Li Fan.
Then, it began to curiously observe its surroundings.
Using his finger as a brush, Li Fan began to write continuously upon the blood figure.
Torso, limbs, and facial features.
He sketched them out, one by one.
"From this day forward, you are Li Fan."
"When the true becomes false..."
"...the false also becomes true!"
With a final, life-giving touch, Li Fan's true self slowly exhaled a plume of silvery-white mist toward the blood-formed figure.
It was like flesh and blood merging; once the mist was completely absorbed, what appeared before Li Fan was, astonishingly, another version of himself!
Its appearance and soul were identical to Li Fan's in every way.
Even if Rinsing Moon Bai stood before them, she likely wouldn't be able to tell which one was her dear nephew.
This was no simple cloning technique; it was a creation infused with the principle of True False Transformation, so perfect it was indistinguishable from the original!
It felt like a new extension of his own body.
Yet, the [Truth] remained separate.
In past cycles, Li Fan had created numerous clones.
Sage Emperor Li Ping and many others.
But this one before him was, without a doubt, his masterpiece.
Li Fan studied his creation carefully, then shook his head with a hint of regret.
"It's still lacking something... compared to the theoretical ideal."
"The distribution of spirituality!"
"If, much like how [Truth] preserves memories, I could actively take a portion of my infinite spirituality and transfer it to this clone, then I might be able to achieve true self-replication and creation."
Li Fan felt no sense of repulsion or fear at the thought of creating another himself.
This was due to the nature of his infinite spirituality.
It was a trait that was destined to be unique.
No other clone, no matter how perfect, could ever possess this trait, which was unique in all the Mountain and Sea.
"Spirituality, potential... or in other words, true spirit."
"I'm still not entirely sure what it is."
"However, by observing my aunt's constant transformations through her cycles, I've begun to faintly glimpse its traces."
"I can learn and imitate the [Truth]'s transformation of real and false."
"This method of dividing spirituality might not be impossible for me to learn either!"
As Li Fan continued to create and perfect this other self—a deception intended for the ascended He Gan Xian of the future—
he also turned his attention to his aunt back in the Xuanhuang Realm.
Although she had already resolved not to blindly follow the suggestions of the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall, Bai Shuyue still sought out the wondrous object from the Saint's Dao Palace as soon as she was reborn.
After spending some time together, the two gradually settled back into their ideal rapport.
Surprisingly, even though they hadn't experienced countless life-or-death crises together in this life, the Wall's trust in her had not diminished in the slightest.
Perhaps this was due to the Wall's unique intuition.
After Bai Shuyue had cultivated diligently within the Wall for a hundred years, the Understanding Dao Infinite Wall, just as in her previous life, began to grow restless.
"Too slow, far too slow! At this rate, it'll take an eternity for you to transcend! Why don't you..."
Bai Shuyue simply ignored the Wall's suggestion.
"Hey, why don't you trust me!" the Wall exclaimed, growing anxious when it saw she remained unmoved.
Bai Shuyue retorted, "Didn't you used to stand guard at the Saint's gate? How can you have so little patience? A mere century has passed."
The Wall huffed. "It's precisely because of those difficult days I endured in the past that I don't want to wait idly again."
"But I understand your fear of the outside world. If you really don't want to leave the Xuanhuang Realm..."
The Wall pondered for a moment, and an idea came to mind.
"I can faintly sense the aura of a colleague from the Great Change Palace in this place."
"Perhaps I can borrow its divine power for our use!"
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