Chapter 521: Tempering and Refining

In the darkness, Duan Rong walked a full circle along the edge of Wanxiang Cave, feeling his way.

After returning to the spot where he had first collided with the edge, he stood there, his gaze flickering as he scrutinized the pitch-black Wanxiang Cave before him.

Based on his estimation from walking the circle, this Wanxiang Cave was only about four or five zhang square, not particularly large.

Yet within this space of four or five zhang square, Ghost Eye Light Spots were densely distributed across the pitch-black canopy, flickering on and off.

Duan Rong watched those Ghost Eye Light Spots flashing in the darkness.

This space of four or five zhang was divided into individual zones; each zone was arranged with corresponding Ghost Eye Light Spots, generally two or three to a zone, though there were also zones with a single Ghost Eye Light Spot, albeit in very small numbers.

Duan Rong shifted his gaze and estimated the path he had taken when he had sprinted wildly and collided with the edge just moments ago.

Upon calculating this, his brows could not help but furrow.

His luck was truly not very good!

After feeling his way along the edge for a circle, Duan Rong already had a rough outline of the overall space of Wanxiang Cave in his mind.

The spot where he had previously lost consciousness was not in the center of Wanxiang Cave.

At the place where he had lost consciousness, there was actually an edge not far from his side, but he had run in the opposite direction.

This had triggered the dense, layer upon layer of endless Ghost Eye Light Spot attacks, beating the Clear Glass Body within his Spirit Sea into a state of ruin.

Duan Rong suspected that if he had not refined the Clear Glass Body, the Gray Shadow with the blurred face from before might not have been able to withstand the long-term strangulation of the sky-filling murderous intent within his Spirit Sea, and he likely would have lost consciousness again before even reaching the edge of Wanxiang Cave.

Truth be told, although Xiao Qiwu had struck him with the God-Striking Whip six times without any good intentions, under the interlaced repair of the Soul Silk Grass and the Qingyou Light Silk, the six strikes of the God-Striking Whip had refined his Divine Soul's origin into the Clear Glass Body, which was indeed a tremendous benefit to him.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered deeply.

If he wanted to further understand the operating rules of Wanxiang Cave, he could not keep staying at this edge.

Although it was safe here, the main body of Wanxiang Cave's operation was those Ghost Eye Light Spots.

He had to be clearer about the attack rules of the Ghost Eye Light Spots.

At this moment, having gained a rough understanding of the overall space of Wanxiang Cave, Duan Rong no longer needed to run around blindly like before, as if he were bumping into the sky.

He clearly planned out three routes; these routes were all very short and were all near the edge of Wanxiang Cave.

Duan Rong decided to explore from the shallow to the deep.

Once his thoughts were settled, Duan Rong began to run along the first route.

As soon as he ran into Wanxiang Cave, he triggered those flickering Ghost Eye Light Spots, which instantly opened wide as if staring fixedly at him.

Within his Spirit Sea, the sky-filling murderous intent surged once again.

However, this time Duan Rong's heart was not very nervous; the previous route had been so long and had cut across the center of Wanxiang Cave all the way to the edge. He had endured such powerful attacks.

He knew very well that this new route was only one-third the length of the previous one and was closer to the edge, so it was impossible for it to injure him severely.

Duan Rong did not run very fast this time; as he ran, he felt the detailed changes in the attacks of those Ghost Eye Light Spots.

When he returned to the edge again, the sky-filling light and shadow murderous intent in his Spirit Sea instantly dissipated.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged, and he saw that within his Spirit Sea, the Clear Glass Body sitting in the center of the Cangqiong had only a dozen or so fine cracks left on its body, with almost no damage.

Duan Rong felt slightly surprised; this damage was even lower than he had estimated.

Immediately, he understood: after being ravaged by the thousands of light and shadow murderous intents last time, the repaired Clear Glass Body seemed to have a better luster than the original.

In other words, the Ghost Eye Light Spots of this Wanxiang Cave could likewise refine his Divine Soul's origin.

That was also true... otherwise, why would Lv Yinlin have let him enter Wanxiang Cave?

Duan Rong moved his thoughts, and the cultivation method of the Womb Treasury Sutra began to circulate; those Qingyou Light Silks floated away again, and this time, after only a few breaths, the dozen or so fine cracks on the Clear Glass Body were repaired as before.

Duan Rong stood up and ran toward the second planned route.

After running the second route and making slight repairs, he ran through the third route.

After finishing the third route, Duan Rong sat there, repairing himself while recalling the situation just now.

Suddenly, in the darkness, he opened his eyes and stared at a certain place in the darkness, where in a certain zone, only one Ghost Eye Light Spot was flickering there alone.

That zone was somewhere in the middle of the third route.

For some reason, Duan Rong felt that that Ghost Eye Light Spot had not attacked him just now?

Why?

There must be a reason!?

Duan Rong got up and stepped into Wanxiang Cave; this time he stepped through every zone one by one.

In each zone, two or three Ghost Eye Light Spots attacked him, but after several times of the layer upon layer of endless sky-filling murderous intent in his Spirit Sea, the attacks of the Ghost Eye Light Spots in these single zones were like tickling to him, leaving no traces on the Clear Glass Body within his Spirit Sea.

Soon, Duan Rong arrived at the zone in the middle of the third route that had only one Ghost Eye Light Spot.

The moment he stepped into this zone, Duan Rong's gaze stalled.

Like entering other zones, as soon as he stepped in, that Ghost Eye Light Spot opened wide as if staring fixedly at him, but the difference was that this Ghost Eye Light Spot did not launch an attack on him.

Moreover, the moment that Ghost Eye Light Spot stared fixedly at him, Duan Rong clearly felt that a certain very weak Divine Soul connection had been established between him and that Ghost Eye Light Spot.

The moment that connection was established, Duan Rong had a feeling. He felt he could manipulate that Ghost Eye Light Spot.

Why was it like this?!

Duan Rong's heart was filled with confusion, but he still tried to issue a command to that Ghost Eye Light Spot to attack himself.

The next moment, that Ghost Eye Light Spot, which had not launched an attack on him before, suddenly became filled with cold murderous intent and surged into his Spirit Sea.

Several Blade Shadows slashed wildly at the Clear Glass Body within his Spirit Sea, and then retreated.

Duan Rong stood there, looking at the wide-open Ghost Eye above his head that was staring fixedly at him, his eyes revealing a look of contemplation.

Duan Rong suddenly stepped back and stood into another zone.

As soon as he stepped into another zone, the two Ghost Eye Light Spots in that zone launched an attack on him.

After the attack receded, Duan Rong stood there, sensing the Divine Soul connection with the Ghost Eye Light Spot that did not attack him; he discovered that even though he was standing in this zone, the Divine Soul connection with that Ghost Eye Light Spot actually still existed.

Duan Rong suddenly stood in this zone and issued a command to that Ghost Eye Light Spot to attack himself.

Duan Rong stood at the edge of this zone, watching that Ghost Eye Light Spot flickering on and off, flashing and darting about in that zone, yet it was unable to launch an attack on him.

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he suddenly stepped into that area.

The moment he stepped into that area, that Ghost Eye Light Spot instantly locked its gaze onto him, and then it launched an attack against him.

He had issued the command to this Ghost Eye Light Spot while in another area. Although separated by an area, this Ghost Eye Light Spot was clearly able to receive his command, which was why it had been flickering and darting about within its area, yet it could not find its target.

Once he suddenly stepped in, this Ghost Eye Light Spot immediately launched an attack against him.

A realization dawned in Duan Rong's heart.

For some reason, he had established a weak Divine Soul connection with this Ghost Eye Light Spot.

Because of this weak Divine Soul connection, he could, to a certain extent, manipulate this Ghost Eye Light Spot.

But there was a prerequisite: he could not violate the operational rules of Wanxiang Cave itself.

For example, he issued a command to the Ghost Eye Light Spot to attack himself; the Ghost Eye Light Spot clearly received the command and was also searching for him, intending to attack, but it could only attack targets within the area it occupied and could not attack across areas.

This showed that the rules of Wanxiang Cave itself were greater than his commands.

However, why was he able to establish a Divine Soul connection with this Ghost Eye Light Spot? And why did the Ghost Eye Light Spots in other areas not exhibit this phenomenon?

On this third route, the only unique thing about this Ghost Eye Light Spot was that this area only had one Ghost Eye Light Spot. The other areas on the third route all had two or three Ghost Eye Light Spots.

But why would a single Ghost Eye Light Spot establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him?

Duan Rong suddenly thought that among the three routes he had planned, the first route and the second route also seemed to have areas with single Ghost Eye Light Spots, but the Ghost Eye Light Spots there did not refrain from attacking him, nor did they establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him.

"Strange?!"

Duan Rong stroked his chin and pondered for a while, then suddenly decided to go to the single Ghost Eye Light Spot area on the second route to take a look.

He wanted to see what the difference was between the single Ghost Eye Light Spots on those two sides.

Why would one establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him, while the other would not?

Duan Rong slowly stepped into the single Ghost Eye Light Spot area on the second route.

The moment he stepped in, his heart was filled with astonishment.

He saw that the Ghost Eye Light Spot in this area was also staring at him as if wide-eyed, yet it did not launch an attack against him, and even more bizarrely, that weak Divine Soul connection had actually appeared.

Standing here now, Duan Rong could perceive that he had established weak Divine Soul connections with two Ghost Eye Light Spots.

Moreover, the Divine Soul connection with this second Ghost Eye Light Spot clearly appeared the moment he stepped into this area.

Why?

What exactly had happened?

Duan Rong calmed down and began to analyze it carefully, peeling back the layers like silk from a cocoon.

The Divine Soul connection with the second Ghost Eye Light Spot was only established when he stepped into this area; this meant that before, when he ran the second route for the first time and passed through this area, he had not established a Divine Soul connection with this Ghost Eye Light Spot. If he remembered correctly, when he passed through this area at that time, this Ghost Eye Light Spot had attacked him.

But when he stepped into this area again at this moment, why did this Ghost Eye Light Spot no longer attack him, and why did it even connect with him through a weak Divine Soul connection?

First of all, some kind of change must have occurred, leading to a change in the situation?

"Then... what change occurred?"

There were only two possibilities: one was that he himself had changed, and the other was that the Ghost Eye Light Spot had changed.

Duan Rong immediately dismissed the second possibility; the Ghost Eye Light Spot was an illusion created by a Symbol Array and would not change.

Therefore, the only reason for the change in the situation was that he himself had undergone some kind of change.

It was some change in him that caused that single Ghost Eye Light Spot to no longer attack him and even establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him.

"It is I who have changed! Then... what exactly has changed in me?!"

Duan Rong focused all his attention on himself; it had only been half a stick of incense since he first passed through this area and stepped in again now.

What exactly had changed in him?

Duan Rong's eyes suddenly lit up!

He understood!

It was not that he had changed, but that the Divine Soul origin within his Spirit Sea had changed!

If there was a difference between passing through this area the first time and stepping in now, it was that the Clear Glass Body within his Spirit Sea had undergone two more temperings and repairs.

Every time the Clear Glass Body within the Spirit Sea underwent tempering and repair, its luster would become more translucent and gentle.

This showed that the Clear Glass Body within the Spirit Sea was becoming stronger bit by bit!

In other words, what caused that single Ghost Eye Light Spot to no longer attack him and even establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him was that his Divine Soul origin, that is, the Clear Glass Body, had gradually become stronger and suddenly reached a certain critical value.

And once a certain critical value was reached, the single Ghost Eye Light Spot would no longer attack him and would even establish a weak Divine Soul connection with him.

To verify this deduction of his, Duan Rong came again to the area with the single Ghost Eye Light Spot on the first route.

He slowly stepped into that area, staring blankly at that wide-eyed Ghost Eye Light Spot.

The moment he stepped in, the Divine Soul connection with this third Ghost Eye Light Spot was instantly established.

Duan Rong stood there, his gaze deep and flickering.

His guess was correct; it was because his Divine Soul origin had become stronger bit by bit, reaching a certain critical value, that the single Ghost Eye Light Spot would no longer attack him and would even establish a Divine Soul connection with him.

Then, what was this?

Or rather, was this phenomenon a part of the operational rules of Wanxiang Cave, or was it a bug in the design of this Wanxiang Cave Symbol Array?

Duan Rong suddenly thought of another point, which was that because he had consumed the Spirit Tool, there were over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conceptions within his Divine Soul. Moreover, these Artistic Conception light membranes had formed the Clear Glass Body within his Spirit Sea after being tempered by six strikes of the God-Striking Whip.

This phenomenon was likely unique in this realm.

Because relying solely on one's own comprehension, no one could comprehend over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conceptions.

Duan Rong felt that the reason the single Ghost Eye Light Spot no longer attacked him was that after his Divine Soul origin became strong enough to reach a certain critical value, the attack of the single Ghost Eye Light Spot could no longer cause him any harm, so the attack would not occur.

As for why a weak Divine Soul connection would be established, Duan Rong suspected it was related to his Divine Soul containing over a hundred types of complex Artistic Conceptions, because his Artistic Conceptions were complex, and there must be some parts within the Artistic Conceptions that could resonate with the Artistic Conceptions contained within the Ghost Eye Light Spot.

Because of this resonance of Artistic Conceptions, a weak Divine Soul connection was established.

In other words, after the attack no longer initiated, another function of the Ghost Eye Light Spot was awakened, which was Artistic Conception resonance.

Similar to how he looked at that piece of calligraphy by Gu Daoling.

Attack is a form of tempering, while Artistic Conception resonance is a form of smelting.

Thinking of this, Duan Rong suddenly felt that the phenomenon occurring was both a bug in the design of the Wanxiang Cave Symbol Array, and yet not a bug.

To say it is not a bug is because this was originally one of the functions of Wanxiang Cave: first, tempering; second, smelting.

To say it is a bug is because the ancestral masters of past generations likely never imagined that one day, someone with hundreds of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions within their Divine Soul would enter Wanxiang Cave.

In other words, as long as Duan Rong's Divine Soul is sufficiently powerful, the regions with two Ghost Eyes and the regions with three Ghost Eyes will no longer attack him.

For an ordinary cultivator, even if their Divine Soul were powerful, reaching this point would be enough; the attacks stop because the ancestral masters believed that if your Divine Soul is this powerful, you no longer need tempering.

But Duan Rong is different, because his Divine Soul contains hundreds of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions, which means he can establish a Divine Soul connection with almost all the Ghost Eye Light Spots within Wanxiang Cave.

What does that mean?

It means that he can, to a certain extent, manipulate the entire Wanxiang Cave!

These are things the ancestral masters of past generations could never have imagined, so it is a bug.

Because even a cultivator with an extremely powerful Divine Soul generally only comprehends one type of Artistic Conception, constantly working to shape, mature, and deepen the Artistic Conception they have comprehended.

Therefore, even if their Divine Soul is so powerful that no Ghost Eye Light Spots attack them in Wanxiang Cave, the only Ghost Eye Light Spots they can establish a Divine Soul connection with are the few that can resonate with their Artistic Conception, or perhaps only one, or even none at all.

Perhaps the Artistic Conception you have comprehended is too unique and obscure, and even Wanxiang Cave is not truly all-encompassing.

But Duan Rong is different; his Divine Soul contains hundreds of miscellaneous Artistic Conceptions, and he can establish Divine Soul connections with a vast number of Ghost Eye Light Spots.

However, there is one prerequisite: these Ghost Eye Light Spots must switch from the tempering of attacks to the smelting of Artistic Conception resonance.

This switch has only one condition: that the origin of the Divine Soul is sufficiently powerful, powerful enough that the attacks can no longer provide tempering, and then the switch will occur automatically.

(End of chapter)