Chapter 240: Returning to the Inner Domain, Marvels of the Mind

Chapter 240: Returning to the Inner Domain, Marvels of the Mind

When Xu Yan saw that Jing Po Po was looking at him strangely, he furrowed his brows slightly, wondering if she had seen through his imposture as a Lingzong.

"There are countless Lingzong in the Spirit Realm, could she possibly know them all? Or is my Lingzong attire not convincing enough?" Xu Yan muttered to himself.

The guardian of the Spirit Realm's gate was not particularly strong, and when Xu Yan revealed a hint of his powerful aura, she did not dare to look him directly in the eye, let alone scrutinize the emblem on his clothing.

So Xu Yan was confident that he could easily deceive her without being exposed.

However, he had not anticipated meeting Jing Po Po along the way, and her discerning eye seemed to have detected something amiss.

Just as Xu Yan was contemplating whether to avoid Jing Po Po and change his attire before proceeding to the Spirit Realm's gate, the old woman spoke in a cold voice, "You, a lowly loose cultivator, dare to impersonate a Lingzong? You deserve to die for your audacity!"

As a Lingzong warrior and a high-ranking member of the Water Star Palace, Jing Po Po could not stand idly by when she encountered a loose cultivator pretending to be a Lingzong warrior.

Moreover, upon realizing that Xu Yan was not particularly strong, she decided to kill him immediately for his bold impersonation.

She raised the cane in her hand and thrust it towards Xu Yan.

The might of a Great Celestial Warrior was undeniable.

The little jade dragon coiled around Xu Yan's wrist froze, seemingly taken aback by the old woman's actions. Was she tired of living?

Xu Yan smiled. He had just been considering how to avoid this old woman, change his clothes, and then proceed to the Spirit Realm's gate.

Now, it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

Since she wished for death, he would grant her wish!

At the same time, Xu Yan once again deeply realized the arrogance and disdain that permeated the bones of warriors from the Lingzong and aristocratic families towards loose cultivators.

"A scion like Shen Haizhou is truly a rare find!"

In comparison, Shen Haizhou seemed like a good person among the aristocratic families.

"If you insist on seeking death, I shall grant your wish!"

Xu Yan didn't even bother to draw his sword. He simply extended his middle and index fingers forward, and with a surge of sword intent, the landscape of mountains and rivers enveloped his opponent.

Jing Po Po's expression turned horrified as she exclaimed, "You..."

Boom!

Her spiritual consciousness suffered a tearing pain, and darkness clouded her vision as the sword light enveloped her.

Jing Po Po was dead.

She had perished even faster than Jiao Ming and Ping'er, killed before they even reached the Spirit Realm's gate.

Xu Yan grabbed the storage bag she left behind and opened it to find a jade plaque inside.

"Water Star Palace?"

This old woman was from the same Lingzong as Jiao Ming.

"It seems she was also planning to go to the Inner Domain. Perhaps she intended to investigate Jiao Ming's prolonged disappearance," Xu Yan mused.

"What business does a warrior from the Water Star Palace have in the Inner Domain?" Xu Yan wondered, his face filled with confusion.

What kind of Lingzong was the Water Star Palace?

He made a mental note to ask Shen Haizhou about it when he returned to the Spirit Realm.

After storing the bag, Xu Yan made his way towards the Spirit Realm's gate.

...

In the grand hall before the Spirit Realm's gate, the two guardians sat cross-legged, seemingly diligently cultivating.

In truth, they were communicating via sound transmission.

"Old Ke, what do you make of the Dai family incident?" the guardian on the right transmitted.

Although they were tasked with guarding the Spirit Realm's gate, they still received news about some major events in the Jade State's martial world.

Guardian Ke on the left replied gravely, "The Dai family is likely finished. The Jade God Sect and the Su family are also in peril."

He continued in a heavy tone, "Old Nie, regardless of whether he is the Blood Demon or not, the fact that he came from the Inner Domain and we let him in must never be revealed.

"Not only the Superlative Lingzong, but even the Jade God Sect and the Su family would not spare us if word got out."

Guardian Nie nodded in agreement.

Regardless of the circumstances, all they could do was feign ignorance and keep everything confidential.

Otherwise, not only would the Celestial Refiners from those sects take their vengeance on them, but even that person would not let them off the hook.

After their discussion, the two guardians continued their silent cultivation.

Their task of guarding the Spirit Realm's gate was relatively relaxed, and the disputes in the Jade State's martial world rarely affected them. Anyone who wished to enter the Inner Domain only needed to have the gate opened for them.

"The deadline set by those Superlative Lingzong is almost here. I wonder if there will be any more holders of the Jade Token entering the Spirit Realm," Guardian Nie said.

"After this, the Spirit Realm's gate will likely be closed permanently. It's uncertain how many ages will pass before the Inner Domain can enter the Spirit Realm again," Guardian Ke replied with a nod.

"Why close the Spirit Realm's gate permanently? Is it because of the Blood Demon?"

"I don't know. Perhaps they feel that the Inner Domain is an inferior place with limited geniuses, and it's not worth the attention. By completely separating the two realms, they can avoid any interference," Guardian Ke speculated. "Or perhaps, they don't want the Spirit Realm to interfere with the Inner Domain.

"Back when the Blood Demon had not yet entered the Inner Domain, there were quite a few warriors from the Spirit Realm who would enter the Inner Domain to throw their weight around and indulge in their desires, including seeking beautiful women for pleasure."

"Maybe, for the inferior lands of the Inner Domain, it's a blessing in disguise," Guardian Nie added.

The two guardians fell silent.

Suddenly, a figure walked into the hall.

The two guardians, Ke and Nie, looked startled, and quickly stood up to greet the newcomer respectfully, "Greetings, Senior!"

The visitor was at least a Great Celestial Realm cultivator.

And they dared not look directly, only bowing their heads slightly in deference.

"I wish to travel to the Inner Domain," Xu Yan said indifferently.

"Yes, Senior!"

The two guardians hastily opened the Spirit Realm's gate, not daring to delay for a moment.

Xu Yan glanced at the two pillars in the hall, which glowed and turned slightly, opening a narrow gap in the Spirit Realm's gate.

"So this is how the Spirit Realm's gate is opened," Xu Yan noted to himself.

After committing the method of opening the gate to memory, Xu Yan walked silently through the hall and toward the Spirit Realm's gate, returning to the Inner Domain!

The two guardians were shaken to their core. What business did this Lingzong senior have in the Inner Domain?

"We'll do our part and keep our mouths shut. If anyone asks, we won't hide anything except for that person's identity!" Guardian Ke said in a low voice.

Guardian Nie nodded solemnly.

...

On Canglan Island, Li Xuan refined the theoretical understanding and cultivation of the'state of mind' in the Great Wilderness Martial Arts. He worked on creating a framework for this concept.

Among his three disciples, only Su Lingxiu had not yet comprehended a state of mind, although her specialty lay more in her alchemy and martial arts. Nonetheless, Li Xuan still hoped that Su Lingxiu could use this opportunity to understand the unique state of mind of an alchemist-warrior.

So, whenever he had free time, Li Xuan imparted the theories related to states of mind to Su Lingxiu, encouraging her to combine them with her understanding of alchemy and martial arts to awaken her unique state of mind.

After guiding Su Lingxiu, Li Xuan continued to contemplate how to further improve the martial arts style he had created. He had already formulated the Qi Men Martial Arts and was only waiting for his disciples to cultivate it.

He also began to consider the fifth martial arts system and the cultivation levels beyond the Divine Transcendence Realm, preparing the theoretical framework and cultivation levels in advance.

"The path of martial arts is truly challenging," Li Xuan sighed inwardly.

Even with the assistance of the Great Way of the Golden Book, perfecting the martial arts system was no easy task.

Su Lingxiu cultivated tirelessly, preparing for her breakthrough to the Perfection of Penetrating the Mysteries realm, while simultaneously pondering her unique state of mind.

A state of mind unique to an alchemist-warrior?

"Alchemy requires fire. Fire refines impurities and extracts the essence..." Su Lingxiu contemplated, her thoughts turning first to the alchemy flame. Her true yuan was vibrant and lively, yet it could also transform into an alchemy flame for refining pills.

A delicate flame appeared in Su Lingxiu's palm as she stared at it, deep in thought.

On Canglan Island, all was calm and peaceful.

Meanwhile, the Great Wilderness Martial Arts was flourishing. Every day, more and more practitioners were embracing the Great Wilderness path, and the method of cultivating innate laws, perfected by Peng Yuan with Li Xuan's guidance, was spreading among the Grand Masters.

Even without relying on elixirs, one could still transition to the innate realm, although the process would be challenging. The Heavenly Bridge formed after the transition tended to be fragile, requiring a longer period for consolidation.

Nonetheless, it was a significant advancement.

This method of transitioning had already spread throughout the Great Wilderness martial arts community.

Now, Grand Masters were embracing the transition to the martial path, while Grand Master Masters faced a more difficult situation. They could only rely on elixirs for their transition, and even then, they would only reach the Innate Realm, not the Penetrating the Mysteries Realm.

The method of transitioning to the Penetrating the Mysteries Realm had not yet been shared.

Of course, not all Grand Masters and Grand Master Masters would choose to transition. A significant portion opted to wait and see, while others decided against it due to limitations in their talent or other reasons.

Meng Chong had already reached the Perfection of the Penetrating the Mysteries Realm and was now accumulating a solid foundation for his breakthrough to the Great Sun Unconquerable Golden Body. However, the spiritual medicines in the Inner Domain were of lower rank, and even when refined into elixirs, they didn't accelerate his progress as much as he would have liked.

At this rate, it would likely take a year or two for him to accumulate enough to support the transformation during his breakthrough.

Meng Chong was in no rush, as he had already become an invincible existence within the Inner Domain.

Chi Mao, on the other hand, was focused on learning how to read. Determined to become a cultured tiger, he spent his days studying the array diagram, even though he didn't fully understand it. Yet, he could sense its profound mystery.

He spent his days with Xu Mu, who naturally also became familiar with the array and grew curious about it. In her free time, she would study it as well.

After breaking through to the Innate Realm, Xu Mu's lifespan increased significantly. Lacking grand ambitions in the martial path, she reduced her cultivation time once again, practicing only for one hour a day.

Sometimes, she would even cultivate once every two days.

Xu Junhe still hadn't broken through his bottleneck and remained in the Perfection of the Innate Realm, accumulating power for his breakthrough to the Penetrating the Mysteries Realm.

Zhou Ying and Shi Er were in a similar situation.

Meng Shushu, after transitioning to the martial path, had also reached the Perfection of the Innate Realm. However, she had not yet found the opportunity to break through to the next realm.

Li Xuan wasn't surprised by this, as it was the normal state of martial arts cultivation.

Talented geniuses like Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu were rare. Most practitioners, even after reaching perfection in one realm, might not be able to break through to the next.

Some might even remain stuck at a particular realm, unable to progress further.

This was true for both the Great Wilderness and the Grand Wilderness martial arts paths.

Countless First-Ranked Warriors failed to advance to the Grand Master realm, and countless Grand Masters were stuck, unable to reach the Grand Master Master realm.

Among those cultivating the Great Wilderness martial arts, there were surely many who would plateau at the Qi and Blood Realm.

However, in the Great Wilderness martial arts, the Qi and Blood Realm practitioners were stronger and lived longer, making the Great Wilderness path all the more attractive.

"Talent, comprehension, and opportunity," Li Xuan mused to himself, "these are the necessary conditions to reach the pinnacle of martial arts."

Xu Yan possessed exceptional talent and comprehension.

As for opportunity, being able to become Li Xuan's disciple, successfully cultivate the martial path, and rise uncontested was an opportunity in itself. Thus, Xu Yan had all the necessary conditions to reach the peak of martial arts!

"I wonder who will be the one to obtain the opportunity of the Qi Men Martial Arts," Li Xuan thought.

Su Lingxiu reduced her elixir refining practice and devoted more time to comprehending the unique state of mind of a Dan Yi Warrior.

She studied the elixir flame for a while but gained no new insights, so she shifted her attention to elixir refining and medicine.

"The core of a Dan Yi Warrior lies in elixirs and medicine," she mused. "Regardless of whether it's elixirs or medicine, one must thoroughly understand the properties and effects of spiritual herbs and be able to combine them into suitable elixir formulas..."

"But with countless spiritual herbs and objects in this world, how does one discern the properties and effects of an unfamiliar herb?"

Suddenly, Su Lingxiu had a moment of enlightenment.

She picked up a spiritual herb and began to contemplate it intently.

Li Xuan, for his part, had been studying the third page of the Grand Wilderness Book. Whenever he had free time, he would offer guidance to Xu Junhe and the others. However, he had given up hope of finding a fourth disciple in the Inner Domain.

"Your disciple Su Lingxiu has awakened her innate talent, and you have achieved perfection in your innate talent."

Suddenly, the Grand Way of the Golden Book flipped open, emitting a radiant golden light.

Li Xuan was overjoyed. Finally, Su Lingxiu had comprehended the unique talent of a Dan Yi Warrior!

Innate Talent!

This was a peculiar state of mind, a kind of innate ability.

The innate talent wasn't meant for combat but allowed one to discern the characteristics and effects of spiritual objects. For example, one could understand the effects and properties of a particular spiritual herb, how it should be combined with others, and so on.

Once one awakened this innate talent, they could easily discern the characteristics and effects of any unfamiliar spiritual object and utilize it to its fullest potential.

"Your disciple Su Lingxiu has comprehended the embryonic form of the third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon, and you have obtained the third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon!"

As soon as Su Lingxiu awakened her innate talent and comprehended the embryonic form of the third level, Li Xuan immediately gained access to the complete third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon.

The third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon was more comprehensive, refined, and powerful than the previous levels, encompassing improved elixir refining techniques, medical knowledge, techniques for using elixirs in combat, and more sophisticated elixir formulas.

"The Dan Yi Martial Arts are becoming stronger, and the application of elixirs is also improving," Li Xuan exclaimed excitedly.

Su Lingxiu's innate talent in the Dan Yi Martial Arts was indeed extraordinary. In such a short time, she had not only awakened her innate talent but also used it to comprehend the embryonic form of the third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon.

Having already mastered the third level himself, Li Xuan decided it was time to pass it on to Su Lingxiu. As for how many levels the Dan Yi Martial Canon ultimately had, even Li Xuan didn't know.

Perhaps Su Lingxiu could continue to comprehend more levels?

After Su Lingxiu finished her cultivation, Li Xuan called her over.

"You've made progress in your comprehension of the Dan Yi Martial Canon, and today, I shall impart to you an even higher level of the Dan Yi path. With your awakened innate talent, you can carry on the legacy of the Dan Yi Martial Arts."

"Yes, Master!" Su Lingxiu replied respectfully.

In her heart, she marveled at her master's perceptiveness. He had known about her awakening of the innate talent and her progress in comprehending the next stage of the Dan Yi path.

"Master's realm is truly lofty, beyond my reach," she thought.

Li Xuan transmitted the third level of the Dan Yi Martial Canon to Su Lingxiu, instructing her to continue her contemplations and explore the profound mysteries of the Dan Yi path.

After comprehending her innate talent, Su Lingxiu immediately selected spiritual herbs and combined them into more potent elixir formulas, refining them into elixirs.

She was now on the cusp of reaching the Perfection of the Penetrating the Mysteries Realm.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end