Chapter 103: The Art of Controlling Spirits

In the Dragon Gate small world, on the fishing platform.

Baize was operating a divine ability, tidying up the miscellaneous items scattered all over the ground.

Having spoken a bit too much just now, he had suffered some backlash, and the entire pavilion had collapsed by half; cleaning it up was quite troublesome.

"Fellow Daoist, let us end the story here for today."

"You must remember, keep this content to yourself; you must never speak of it, nor write it down."

"If you lack a supreme treasure to suppress your Luck, or a divine ability to shield your Causality, it is highly likely you will fall into a trap and be plotted against by others."

While tidying up, Baize spoke to Li Xiang with great solemnity.

"A trap?"

"Who set the trap?"

"Is it the person who buried history?"

"Is he wary of something, preventing later generations from understanding the past?"

Li Xiang asked; he was also very curious. After coming into contact with Baize, he discovered that the history of this world seemed different from what he had initially imagined.

He had originally thought it was already absurd enough that the history recorded by the Human Race was inverted.

But now it seemed that the past history of this world was even more complex.

It had shadows of the Primordial World, yet it was not the history of the Primordial World.

At the very least, the births of the Innate Saint and the Demon Court were different from the Primordial World. Although he only understood the Demon Court's Emperor through fragments of speech, he could still feel that it was an existence capable of Covering the Sky with One Hand, possessing unparalleled boldness.

It was quite different from the Eastern Emperor and Dijun in the myths of the Primordial World.

Moreover, the subsequent rise of the Human Race was also completely different from the Primordial World. Before the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had even emerged, Huangdi rose up, one man and one sword, hacking his way from Fire Cloud Cave to Kunlun Mountain, changing the world in twenty years; he was simply insanely strong.

For a moment.

While listening to the story, Li Xiang even suspected that this Huangdi was a transmigrator, and the kind with a cheat at that.

Emerging ahead of time, disrupting all destiny.

"Who the layout-setter is, I do not know either."

"I slept for too long; when I woke up, I discovered that history had already been covered up by someone, and the Human Race had already become the number one race in the world."

"What I know is not necessarily as much as you imagine."

"Moreover, history is inherently a mix of truth and falsehood; I do not know how many people have cultivated it back and forth—unless one has experienced it personally, who can explain it clearly?"

Baize sat in the center, green light revolving around his body, tidying up the miscellaneous items in the pavilion bit by bit.

"Alright, do not mention this matter again."

"I am a bit weary today; I may need to sleep for a period of time to recuperate my body."

"You should depart."

Baize said softly, his eyes carrying a hint of drowsiness.

It seemed the pressure he bore from shielding the Causality just now was indeed not small.

"Fellow Daoist, you and I have a connection; heed my advice."

"I shared these secret accounts with you today only because I am grateful you helped me find a way to solve the Dragon Gate problem."

"These ancient secrets also concern the origin of your Human Race; telling them to you is also to repay the Great Emperor's past kindness."

"However, treat these things as a story; you must never delve into them!"

"This matter is not something you can touch. Just keep it in your heart and know of the past glory; you must never speak of it to others or record it on paper. Once you open your mouth or make a record, there will be a response in the dark."

"You are not Xuanyuan, nor are you the Emperor. Live out this life well; it is enough to be lucky enough to leave a name in the passage of time. You must never investigate the things behind this."

"If you meet with disaster because of this, it would have been better if I had never told you these things."

Baize warned him repeatedly.

His eyes looked at Li Xiang earnestly.

Li Xiang nodded, not saying much.

As Baize said, there were still many things in this world that he had yet to explore, and hidden dangers were still numerous.

His own cultivation was indeed not very high. If he caused trouble, he might be fine, but he still had parents and a junior martial brother.

If they met with disaster because of him, Li Xiang would truly find it unbearable.

However...

Speaking of supreme treasures that suppress Luck and Causality.

He involuntarily looked at the Heavenly Ring in his own mind.

Uh...

I wonder if the person who set the layout has any interest in clashing with the Heavenly Dao.

Li Xiang looked at Baize, recalling the things he had spoken of.

He really wanted to retort.

How do you know I am not as good as Xuanyuan, not as good as the Emperor?

He shook his head, ultimately not saying it out loud.

"In that case, let this Daoist send you out of the mountain, Fellow Daoist."

Baize spoke.

However, Li Xiang did not nod, but instead turned his head and said one thing.

"Fellow Daoist, could you grant me half an hour?"

"Hmm?"

"It is nothing major, it is just that I see the Spirit Rhyme here is quite abundant, and my cultivation has just reached a bottleneck; I would like to borrow the Spirit Rhyme of this place to break through my cultivation."

"My home is near the Southern Wilderness, where there is not much Spiritual Qi, making cultivation very difficult. I do not know if you, Fellow Daoist..."

Hearing Li Xiang's request, Baize suddenly began to laugh.

"I wondered what major matter it was."

"So it is only to seek some Spiritual Qi."

"Fellow Daoist may cultivate directly inside this pavilion of mine; I, the Daoist, shall stand guard for you."

"What does Fellow Daoist think?"

Li Xiang nodded, just about to agree, but then a thought crossed his mind.

He spoke slowly:

"Fellow Daoist Ze, my cultivation is a bit different from others."

"The commotion might be somewhat large."

"I shall not disturb you in this pavilion; I will just find any flat ground within this small world."

Li Xiang looked at Baize and said earnestly.

The Southern Wilderness outside was a bit impoverished, so he planned to improve his own 【Spirit-Gathering Art】 to store more Spiritual Qi for his future cultivation.

He had not continued to research this 【Spirit-Gathering Art】 ever since he played against Hongjun.

For one, there were many trivial matters in Chiyang County, and he had not been able to attend to it.

For another, the Southern Wilderness was too poor; he had not found a suitable place to cultivate.

And thirdly...

Well, Li Xiang admitted, he had become a bit lazy.

Relying on his abundant talent, he lay flat at home every day.

He had to complain that his Martial Uncle was truly a great benefactor!

Over these past two days, relying on the Ranyi Bone Pen, he had already revisited many classic games.

Do you know what a happy experience it is to be able to play your own Steam in another world!

You can even play 【Simulated Immortal Cultivation】 in an immortal cultivation world!

Cultivate immortality? Cultivate my foot...

Is cultivating immortality as fun as playing games? Hahaha.

Just as he was muttering to himself, Baize interrupted his train of thought.

"Fellow Daoist's words are reasonable; the path of cultivation has various inheritances, and for me to watch rashly would be somewhat abrupt."

"I hope Fellow Daoist does not take offense."

As he spoke, Baize gently raised his hands.

"Fellow Daoist, you may find a place to cultivate; if you encounter any problems, just clench the Token I gave you, and I, the Daoist, will naturally sense it."

"The great river below the Dragon Gate Spirit Pool is a very good place."

"Although the Spirit Rhyme is not as strong as the Dragon Pool, it is the gathering place for the Spirit Rhyme of this small world; if you cultivate beside that great river, I imagine it should be twice the result with half the effort."

Baize introduced this to Li Xiang, his words carrying a hint of apology.

This actually made Li Xiang somewhat surprised.

Regardless, this was an old monster who had lived from ancient times to the present; Baize was rumored to be the military advisor of the Demon Court of the Demon Race, a figure of extremely high status.

Yet, looking at him now, he had no temper or airs at all.

It was truly surprising.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Ze."

"I will certainly come to disturb you again in the future; I hope you will not mind then."

"No matter, no matter; in the future, I, Ze, will likely have to trouble you regarding matters of the Dragon Gate, so I hope you do not mind; remember to come and drink wine then."

Li Xiang nodded, then said no more, performed a hand salute, and headed back the way he came.

Not long after, he descended from the pavilion, stepping on clouds as he walked down.

Baize watched Li Xiang's retreating back.

He was slightly lost in thought.

He had not seen the last person who ate fish with him for a very, very long time.

——

Inside the small world, Li Xiang walked slowly.

He did not stop until he was about to reach the boundary of the small world.

He walked toward the side of the surging great river and sat down cross-legged on the ground in silence.

The water was clear, and the great river surged.

There were many fish within it, swimming against the current toward the direction of the Dragon Gate.

The water churned; if one were not careful, they would be swept up by the great river, rolled away by a wave, and washed out of this small world, losing their opportunity.

Looking at the fish in the water, Li Xiang shook his head.

Even if they swam to the very front and leaped over the ninth level, so what?

It would only be facing another hell.

Li Xiang could not be bothered to think about these things.

He reached out his hand, his fingertips lightly forming a Daoist seal, seemingly plucking a ray of spiritual light from the air.

This was the great river formed by the Dragon Gate Spits Spring, and it contained quite a bit of Spiritual Qi.

It was perfect for helping him cultivate.

What he had just performed was the most basic Spirit-Gathering Art.

Using hand gestures combined with a Daoist seal, he drew Spiritual Qi from the surrounding heaven and earth, letting the Spiritual Qi cover and gather on his Spirit Platform to nourish his Divine Soul.

Currently, Li Xiang's Immortal Dao cultivation is still stuck at the Ninth Grade, just enough to illuminate the Spirit Platform and see the Divine Soul; this is known as "seeing oneself."

This is the most basic introductory stage of the Immortal Dao: using Spiritual Qi to gather at the Spirit Platform to nourish the Divine Soul, and with the aid of the Divine Soul, transforming this Spiritual Qi into one's own Immortal Light to store in the Spirit Platform; once the Immortal Light illuminates the self, one is considered to have entered the Ninth Grade of the Immortal Dao.

That day, while watching the chess match between Hongjun and Yang Mei, he casually absorbed a bit of Spiritual Qi and directly entered the Ninth Grade.

It was just unexpected that the subsequent Southern Wilderness would be so barren, so barren that Li Xiang once thought he had arrived in the Age of Dharma Decline.

"Such harsh conditions are truly difficult for those Demons."

He muttered a complaint.

Li Xiang sat on the ground and began to try to operate the Na Ling Technique with all his might, breathing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

The first three stages of the path of cultivation are all about the accumulation of the quantity of extraordinary power.

The Qi and Blood of the Martial Dao, the Haoran Righteous Qi of the Confucian Dao, and the Spirit Rhyme and Immortal Light of the Immortal Dao.

There is no need to understand too much of the Dao and Principle; one only needs to pile up the quantity.

Of course, this quantity is not so easy to pile up.

For instance, being able to condense a thousand strands of Essence Blood in the earlier stages like Li Xiang, without the body collapsing, is truly unimaginably difficult.

Although it is an accumulation of quantity, the extent to which one can accumulate and the foundation one can lay still depend on the cultivator's own ability.

Li Xiang operated the Na Ling Technique, feeling the surrounding Spiritual Qi flowing into his body bit by bit along his limbs and meridians, then surging toward the vicinity of the Spirit Platform to nourish the Divine Soul and be transformed by it.

Before long, he saw the Spiritual Qi as if disturbed, forming a small whirlwind around Li Xiang.

This is a sign that the absorption of Spiritual Qi has reached a certain degree.

That Li Xiang could directly cause changes in the surroundings shows that his absorption speed was already very rapid.

Many cultivators who have entered the Seventh Grade can only barely achieve this by operating their sect's unique breathing techniques.

But before long, the spirit vortex stopped.

Li Xiang looked at the Immortal Light within the Spirit Platform and muttered a slight complaint.

"Too slow."

"At this speed, for me to break through to the Seventh Grade, I would have to absorb Spiritual Qi here for a full five days."

"Bai Ze can afford to wait, but I cannot."

That clone at home is fine for fooling Xiao Zhenger, but it is a bit troublesome to fool his own parents.

After all, they are his biological parents; how could an ordinary clone fool them?

Li Xiang shook his head.

He sat on the ground.

His mind immersed; eyes watching the nose, nose watching the mouth, mouth watching the heart, and the heart watching itself.

Dao scriptures began to flash through his mind, and he began to re-analyze the operating method of the 【Na Ling Technique】.

A unique supernatural structure emerged in his mind.

Analyze, understand.

Then, perfect, debug, and apply.

The next moment, the system's familiar prompt sounded.

【You are attempting to evolve the Na Ling Technique into the Juling Technique, current progress: 21%】

【You are attempting to evolve the Na Ling Technique into the Juling Technique, current progress: 65%】

【Congratulations, evolution successful!】

【You have mastered the Xuan-grade breathing technique - Juling Technique】

Following the sound of the system prompt.

A spirit vortex suddenly reappeared around Li Xiang.

In just a few breaths, the spirit vortex rotating around Li Xiang had expanded to a zhang, and the Spiritual Qi swirled around Li Xiang like a tornado, blowing the grass on the ground to sway slightly.

However, the color of that grass gradually turned from a malnourished withered yellow to becoming increasingly verdant.

"Uh, still too slow."

"With a Xuan-grade breathing technique, collecting Spiritual Qi will probably take three days."

"Continue."

【Ding! You are attempting to evolve the Juling Technique into the Earth-grade technique Tunling Technique! Current progress: 44%】

【Congratulations, you have successfully evolved the Juling Technique into the Earth-grade technique Tunling Technique!】

Without hesitation, he activated it directly.

The Spiritual Qi immediately condensed into strands of gale-force wind, surging toward his body.

This terrifying speed of Spiritual Qi absorption had already begun to cause changes in the celestial phenomena.

In the distance.

On the pavilion.

Bai Ze felt the flow of the surrounding Spiritual Qi.

He sighed softly.

"A good seedling for Immortal cultivation indeed."

"I told him not to put his energy into the Confucian Dao, and he was able to listen, immediately cutting his losses to specialize in the Immortal Dao; it can be considered not failing to live up to my painstaking efforts."

Feeling the weak power within his own body.

Bai Ze said with self-mockery:

"The Confucian Dao and the Demon Dao are both external paths that borrow the power of living beings."

"If the power of living beings is surging, naturally the cultivation is extremely fast, advancing a thousand miles a day."

"But once the path of living beings one relies upon collapses, one's cultivation will also be completely lost along with it."

"In this world, where is there an undying path of living beings? Even the Heavenly Court of the Emperor and the others must perish."

"Not to mention that in a few decades, the Human Race will face a great catastrophe."

"Borrowing external paths will never lead to the true fruit."

Feeling Li Xiang's mastery over Spiritual Qi, Baize sighed involuntarily.

"With such powerful control over Spiritual Qi, I imagine that even in ancient times, one could have at least cultivated to become a Second Grade Demon General."

Just then.

Baize's words had barely finished.

He suddenly felt that the surging Spiritual Qi had suddenly stopped.

By the river.

Li Xiang, who had been sitting quietly in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.

Looking at the Spiritual Qi rushing toward him like a gale, he still frowned in dissatisfaction.

"Too slow. If it continues like this, I'm afraid it will take another eight hours."

"Continue!"

【Ding! You are attempting to evolve the Tunling Technique into the Heaven-grade cultivation method, Yuling Technique. Current progress: 54%】

【Ding! You are attempting to evolve the Tunling Technique into the Heaven-grade cultivation method, Yuling Technique. Current progress: 76%】

【Congratulations! You have successfully mastered the Heaven-grade breathing technique—Yuling Technique!】

Along with the sound of the system notification.

Baize was still wondering why Li Xiang had stopped.

"Hmm?"

"Did something go wrong with his cultivation?"

"Should I go over and take a look? If he damages his foundation, it won't be easy to deal with later."

While pondering.

He suddenly felt something in his bosom grow slightly warm.

After taking it out, it was a Token.

This was a Token made by Baize, with Immortal Light attached to it, which could transmit some information.

He had just given one to Li Xiang earlier.

In this world now, the only ones who possessed this were likely Li Xiang and himself.

He took out the Token and looked at it.

A line of text appeared on it.

It was Li Xiang sending a message to Baize.

"Fellow Daoist."

"I am about to cultivate seriously, and the commotion might be a bit large."

"I heard you say the Dragon Gate has a spirit; will it mind?"

Hahaha!

Baize laughed.

So it was because of this that he stopped his cultivation?

The little fellow really thinks too much.

This Dragon Gate World was transformed from the corpse of a True Dragon after its death; how vast is the Spirit Rhyme within it.

Not to mention, this small world uses the flowing water to connect dozens of famous mountains and cave dwellings, constantly drawing Spiritual Qi from the outside world to turn into Spirit Spring to nourish the fish-dragons below.

This is an entire world.

Although it is a small world, how could it possibly be something Li Xiang could interfere with?

As a cultivator at the very bottom, how much Spiritual Qi could you possibly absorb?

How could the Dragon Gate possibly bicker with you?

Baize took out the Token, extended his finger to write lightly upon it, and after expressing the content clearly, he released a bit of Immortal Light, which followed the connection and was imprinted onto the Token in Li Xiang's hand.

"Fellow Daoist, do not worry."

"Just cultivate as quickly as you can."

Concise and to the point, it dispelled Li Xiang's concerns.

Baize shook his head, complaining that this young man was good at everything, except he didn't quite know how much his own strength was worth...

Before he could finish his thought.

Baize suddenly felt an inexplicable palpitation.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire small world seemed to have frozen at this moment.

Even the Dragon Gate Spits Spring trembled slightly at this moment.

"This is..."

Suddenly.

The previously stagnant Spiritual Qi began to continue gathering in one direction.

The sound of a gale blowing past his ears seemed to arrive; the violent Spiritual Qi began to gather toward a certain direction like a tide.

In an instant.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire small world was vibrating, rushing toward that place as if hundreds of thousands of troops were attacking.

Looking up.

Baize saw a vortex of Spiritual Qi that reached from the sky to the earth slowly taking shape in the distance.

Above, it connects to the firmament; below, it meets the rushing spring.

Faintly and vaguely, one could seemingly see a youth in simple attire sitting cross-legged at the center of the vortex, black hair flying, like a deity descending to the mortal world!

At the same time, the Token in the embrace of Baize grew hot.

A single, simple large character descended.

"Good!"

There is still fifteen thousand left; I will strive to finish writing it today after I wake up.

(End of this chapter)