Chapter 507: Mountains and Rivers Form a Trend, the Constellations Spread Out

Duan Rong finished his three sets, a layer of fine sweat already seeping from his forehead; under the moonlight, his forehead glistened as if coated in a layer of water.

Duan Rong sheathed his blade and stood, exhaling a turbid breath, then knelt on one knee in the direction of Lv Yinlin and said respectfully, "This unworthy disciple's blade technique is clumsy and has soiled the Ancestor's discerning eyes."

Duan Rong's words were a display of modesty, but at this moment, Lv Yinlin only stared at him blankly, unable to respond for a long time.

The Sect Ancestor, Lv Yinlin, felt his heart surging like the sea.

Chu Qiushan had once told him that Duan Rong possessed a unique Kongming Realm, which was why he could comprehend Artistic Conception while still in the Qi Refining Realm.

But seeing it today, the blade radiance under the moonlight—and the complex, flickering Artistic Conception beneath that radiance—truly shocked Lv Yinlin.

Never mind that Duan Rong was only twenty; even if he were two hundred, it would be impossible to comprehend so many complex and numerous Artistic Conceptions.

The comprehension, deepening, and fusion of Artistic Conception are incredibly difficult; every step of progress involves an element of serendipity.

"How is it possible? To possess over a hundred types of Artistic Conception in one body?"

"And what exactly is this unique Kongming Realm that Duan Rong possesses?"

Several questions intertwined in Lv Yinlin's heart.

At this moment, a bizarre scene surfaced in Lv Yinlin's mind once more. It was what he had seen when he projected his Nascent Soul's avatar into Duan Rong's Spirit Sea: on the southeastern horizon, the sky was filled with dense, overlapping shadows of weapons.

Those shadows were not real objects, nor did they have physical form.

At that time, his Nascent Soul's avatar had not sensed a single trace of inherent Artistic Conception from those weapon shadows.

Yet, Lv Yinlin always felt that the dense weapon shadows within Duan Rong's Spirit Sea and the complex, flickering Artistic Conception beneath his blade radiance seemed to have some sort of indescribable connection.

Seeing Lv Yinlin standing blankly under the moonlight for a long time without speaking, Duan Rong could not help but feel a bit anxious, yet he dared not ask questions recklessly.

Just as Duan Rong hesitated over whether to say something more, Lv Yinlin suddenly spoke.

"Duan Rong, how is it that you possess over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conception? Could it be that these were all comprehended by you one by one?"

A hint of severity inevitably welled up in Lv Yinlin's voice.

Duan Rong was startled; he did not know how Lv Yinlin had managed to discern over a hundred types of Artistic Conception.

The Artistic Conceptions he devoured were soul-light clusters wrapped in light membranes, which could not be directly digested or absorbed within the Spirit Sea.

He would swallow the Artistic Conception light clusters into the Gray Shadow, shroud them, and then use the Soul Piercing Needle to pierce the clusters, allowing the fragmented spots of Artistic Conception to merge into the Gray Shadow.

In effect, his Divine Sense essence had fused with various complex Artistic Conceptions.

After fusion, those Artistic Conceptions had vanished without a trace. Except for the Blade Intent Duan Rong specifically condensed, even Duan Rong himself could not detect the others; he had not expected Lv Yinlin to see through it at a single glance.

A flash of astonishment clearly crossed Duan Rong's eyes.

Lv Yinlin naturally caught it and said coldly, "Speak!"

Duan Rong said, "This disciple is not very clear either. When that kind of Kongming Realm activates, my heart is perfectly clear, with no other distracting thoughts. Afterward, I am only aware in hindsight and can only recall some vague traces."

Duan Rong had always used the Kongming Realm to fob off the fact that he had comprehended Artistic Conception while in the Qi Refining Realm; this matter was naturally a well-worn excuse. Although he was a bit flustered at first by Lv Yinlin's sharp questioning, it lasted only an instant, and he immediately resolved to respond by feigning ignorance.

"The Kongming Realm!?" Lv Yinlin's expression shifted.

The Kongming Realm was not unheard of in the Jiuzhou Continent.

Some gifted individuals possessing the Kongming Realm would suddenly, without warning, enter a state of no-thought where their six senses were sharp and their state of mind was clear and transparent; in this state, they were like different people, able to see through the essence of things at a glance.

But the useless aspect of this Kongming Realm was that its triggering had no pattern to speak of, and it generally only appeared in youths; once they reached adulthood, it basically vanished and ceased to exist.

Yet, the Kongming Realm Duan Rong possessed clearly had its own peculiarities.

First, he was already an adult, but the Kongming Realm had not disappeared. Second, he seemed to have found a pattern for triggering the Kongming Realm, which was resonating with specific weapons.

"Could it be that the dense shadows in Duan Rong's Spirit Sea are the unique Kongming Realm?!" Lv Yinlin thought, his expression one of astonishment.

Those shadows corresponded to specific weapons, thereby triggering the Kongming Realm.

Lv Yinlin suddenly remembered something; he looked at Duan Rong and asked, "When you formed your vortex, you triggered the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide—did you also enter the Kongming Realm then?"

"That..." Duan Rong stammered slightly.

Lv Yinlin said, "Speak the truth."

"Yes, Ancestor," Duan Rong said. "This disciple is not entirely sure. That time in the Elder Council, when the vortex suddenly formed, it was actually related to a piece of calligraphy by Uncle-Master Gu."

Duan Rong knew very well that the more complex he made the story, the more it would help hide the truth. After all, he believed that even if Lv Yinlin were an old monster of the Nascent Soul Realm, it would be impossible for him to see through the fact that he had a Devouring Artifact Spirit. His own confusion regarding why the sea of ghostly light within his Spirit Sea took the form of trees served to confirm this.

The ability of the Devouring Artifact Spirit that he had brought with him when he crossed over to this world was definitely not an ability that existed in the Jiuzhou Continent. Even a powerhouse of the Nascent Soul Realm could never know this.

This was the source of Duan Rong's confidence in making the story increasingly complex.

Since Lv Yinlin could never know the reality of the situation, he only needed to play dumb while making the surface appearances seem muddled and ambiguous; Lv Yinlin would then organize a logic for himself out of the chaotic appearances.

A typical trait of the strong is that most are somewhat conceited; compared to what others say, they are usually more willing to believe the conclusions they have analyzed by peeling away the layers of complex information themselves.

At this moment, Duan Rong was catering to Lv Yinlin's temperament, creating the conditions for him to peel away the layers and analyze a conclusion.

Lv Yinlin's gaze narrowed as he said, "A piece of calligraphy by Gu Daoling?"

"Yes, Ancestor."

Duan Rong then recounted the entire story: how he first saw the calligraphy in Zhu He's room, how the lingering sensations surfaced while he was in the Elder Council, and how Zhu He had gifted the calligraphy to him.

During this time, Lv Yinlin interrupted Duan Rong several times to ask in detail about the state of Artistic Conception he entered when observing the calligraphy.

After finishing, Duan Rong looked at Lv Yinlin and said, "Reflecting on it afterward, this disciple called that state a Peak Experience. Because the insights I gained in that state were far beyond those of ordinary times."

"A Peak Experience?!" Lv Yinlin smiled slightly and said, "You certainly know how to name things."

Seeing Lv Yinlin smile, Duan Rong also chuckled; the heavy and solemn atmosphere between the two had now vanished.

Although Duan Rong had been half-truthful earlier, his account of the state he was in when forming the vortex and his insights from observing the calligraphy were entirely factual. Under Lv Yinlin's detailed questioning, he provided many more details, and after listening to it all, Lv Yinlin believed most of it.

"Is Gu Daoling's calligraphy in your Cave Abode?" Lv Yinlin asked, looking at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong had just mentioned that Zhu He had given him the calligraphy when he entered the valley today.

"It is currently in this disciple's cave!"

Lv Yinlin said, "Bring it here for me to see."

Duan Rong immediately returned to his Cave Abode, retrieved the calligraphy, walked back under the moonlight, and handed it to Lv Yinlin.

Lv Yinlin reached out to take it and unfurled the scroll; under the cold moonlight, he could not help but gasp, exclaiming quite uncharacteristically, "What fine calligraphy!"

"Mountains and rivers form a momentum, the constellations spread out!"

Lv Yinlin's eyes brightened at this moment; upon viewing this character, his state of mind was unexpectedly excellent.

He watched for a while, then sighed to himself: "Gu Daoling put great heart's blood into this character. But Zhu He has been immersed in worldly affairs for too long, his spiritual nature is dull, and he is already unable to comprehend the wonder of this character."

"You, on the other hand, still have quite some fortuitous opportunity..." Lv Yinlin said, looking at Duan Rong.

Upon seeing this character, Lv Yinlin was even more convinced of the state Duan Rong had just described.

That state was a chance collision and agitation between the strangeness Duan Rong himself possessed and the wonder of this character, which was why it could trigger the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi Tide.

Lv Yinlin observed it for a long time before reluctantly rolling up the scroll and handing it back to Duan Rong, saying: "Keep this character carefully and observe it well. Over time, it will indeed be of great benefit to your cultivation."

Duan Rong received it respectfully and said: "Thank you, Ancestor, for the reminder."

Lv Yinlin said: "You may go now."

Duan Rong knelt and bowed, saying: "This disciple takes his leave."

Lv Yinlin stood at the edge of the tree shadows, watching Duan Rong's figure in the moonlight, his gaze cold and clear.

"This child truly has extraordinary talent!"

"However, his triggering of the Heaven and Earth Tide still contains many coincidental elements of external opportunity."

In truth, Lv Yinlin had never believed that Duan Rong would become an existence like Master Lingji.

In the Nine Provinces Continent, there is only one Lingji.

There was no one before him, and as for after... I fear it is a vast emptiness...

In the Nine Provinces Continent, with its millions of years of turbulent history, before Lingji, the world did not even know of the Original Spirit Realm.

Only after Lingji did they finally realize that the Nascent Soul was merely a rudimentary state of the Original Spirit, not only fragile but also having many limitations.

And the Original Spirit can leave the body and travel to all directions.

A person's Divine Soul is originally a fragment detached from the Divine Body, and achieving the Undying Original Spirit is to restore the Divine Body to its original appearance; thus, Master Lingji named this realm the Original Spirit Realm.

A person's soul is originally divine, but it is incomplete, obsessed with delusions, and thus falls into ignorance, not knowing where it belongs.

And the cultivation of experiencing the trials of the mortal world is to return to the pure and perfect nature of the self and attain the Undying True Body.

In Lv Yinlin's view, it was naturally impossible for Duan Rong to advance to the Original Spirit Realm like Master Lingji, but he was quite confident that Duan Rong could advance to the Nascent Soul Realm.

He currently had three seedlings in his hands: Chu Qiushan, Gu Daoling, and Duan Rong.

If he had to rank these three seedlings, Chu Qiushan would likely be ranked last.

As for Duan Rong and Gu Daoling...

Although Gu Daoling had already achieved the late stage of the Dongming Realm, he was only one step away from the Nascent Soul Realm.

But that very step, over endless years, had exhausted the pride and spirit of who knows how many, and caused how many heaven-gifted geniuses to fail...

Duan Rong was currently only in the Qi Cyclone Realm.

Although this child had many strange qualities, Lv Yinlin felt it was still too early to rank him ahead of Gu Daoling.

Let us observe his future performance!

Lv Yinlin shook his head to himself and muttered: "It is truly hard to say with these two..."

In truth, in Lv Yinlin's heart, the hope of Chu Qiushan achieving the Nascent Soul Realm was already slim. As for Gu Daoling and Duan Rong, if even one of them succeeded, the Taiyi Sect would not be left without successors.

"If both of them can succeed, then the Taiyi Sect will truly rise far beyond Qingzhou!"

The land of Jiuzhou is so rich, while Qingzhou is bitter and cold, with heavy winds and sand. The Taiyi Sect had occupied Qingzhou for tens of thousands of years, yet it was merely struggling to survive. Rising far beyond Qingzhou was the dream of generations of ancestors!

If both failed and turned to white bones, then when his, Lv Yinlin's, lifespan was exhausted, it would likely be the time of the Taiyi Sect's destruction.

A Taiyi Sect without a Nascent Soul Realm expert to preside over it would be nothing more than a piece of fat meat on a chopping block, waiting to be slaughtered. Who wouldn't come to take a bite?

In the history of Jiuzhou, how many sects have perished!?

It is a matter of time and fate. Why could the Taiyi Sect not perish as well?

When Duan Rong walked back to his Cave Abode, he glanced at Lv Qingzhu's cave, only to see the entrance was pitch black with no sign of anyone; he returned to his own Cave Abode and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He had no dreams all night.

Duan Rong stretched, walked out of the cave, and the valley in the morning light was filled with soft radiance; his mood was excellent for a moment, so he carried a wooden basin to the spring to wash up.

After Duan Rong finished washing, he scooped up a handful of the gurgling clear water from the spring and drank a few mouthfuls; he raised his head and suddenly saw two bright red fruits growing on the cliff wall nearby.

Duan Rong was quite knowledgeable in medical principles and identifying herbs, and he recognized the fruit.

Although he practiced Inedia, it was no harm to occasionally eat a couple of wild fruits.

Duan Rong picked two fruits, washed them at the spring, put the wooden basin back into his Cave Abode, and while eating a fruit, walked toward Lv Qingzhu's place; he stood at the entrance of Lv Qingzhu's cave and called out once.

Before long, Lv Qingzhu appeared at the cave entrance.

Duan Rong bit into the fruit in his hand, handed the other fruit to Lv Qingzhu, and said: "Want to eat?"

Lv Qingzhu glanced at the fruit and asked: "Is this fruit not poisonous?"

Duan Rong smiled faintly and said: "This is called Red Scenery Fruit. It is poisonous when green or yellow, but once it is bright red, it is not only non-poisonous but also tastes excellent."

"Is that so?" Lv Qingzhu said coldly: "You eat it yourself."

As she spoke, she was about to turn and return to her Cave Abode, when Duan Rong suddenly said: "Wait!"

Hearing this, Lv Qingzhu stopped and looked back at him.

Duan Rong said: "I didn't come to give you fruit. The Mysterious Ice Turtle, remember it?"

Lv Qingzhu said: "When?"

Duan Rong spat out the fruit pit from his mouth and said: "Now."

"Now?"

"Yes!" Duan Rong laughed: "Better early than late." He was still concerned about rescuing Xiao Yu, so naturally, the sooner the better.

Lv Qingzhu only hesitated slightly before walking with Duan Rong toward the Deadwood Forest at the valley entrance.

Inside the Deadwood Forest, Duan Rong asked: "Miss Lv, where do you usually descend into the Dark Forest from?"

Lv Qingzhu said, "Just follow me in a moment."

After the two left the Deadwood Forest, Lv Qingzhu suddenly leaped up, her graceful figure drifting away toward the clouds and mist, and Duan Rong immediately followed, trailing closely behind her.

The figures of the two suddenly landed one after the other in a mountain hollow.

Duan Rong followed Lv Qingzhu for only about two zhang of mountain path before she suddenly stopped beside a large rock.

That large rock stood imposingly, two or three zhang high, just like a small mountain.

On the ground at the base of the large rock, there was a fissure; that fissure was not even as wide as a well mouth, and its length was no more than half a zhang.

It looked pitch black inside, appearing just like a natural crack.

At the mouth of the fissure, many house centipedes and centipedes were crawling back and forth.

"This is it!" Lv Qingzhu suddenly said, pointing at the fissure.

Duan Rong said in surprise, "This is the entrance to the Dark Forest?"

Lv Qingzhu said, "It was originally an entrance guarded by people, but it was later abandoned. However, there are still three iron chains inside. I usually enter the Dark Forest from here."

Duan Rong nodded; although it looked strange, since Lv Qingzhu had walked this way, it should be fine.

"Then let's go down," Duan Rong said in a calm tone.

Lv Qingzhu leaped, jumping down into the pitch-black fissure; the Heaven and Earth Qi she wrapped around herself instantly pulverized the house centipedes and centipedes crawling at the mouth of the fissure into powder.

After Lv Qingzhu's figure disappeared, Duan Rong also jumped down.

(End of this chapter)