Chapter 546: Manifestation Art

Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze, the intuition in her heart growing stronger—this island exuded a natural harmony everywhere, yet there was also an indescribable sense of order and inclusiveness.

It was not simply an uninhabited wilderness island; it felt more like... a place silently guarded by some will.

The woman and the turtle continued deeper into the island's interior.

Mountains, rivers, birdsong, and floral scents—this realm was like an independently operating miniature version of the Soul Power World.

Upon reaching the island's core, the Soul Mist grew thicker, almost to the point where one could not see their hand in front of their face.

Hua Changxi had to fully extend her spiritual sense, carefully probing the path ahead.

The Soul Turtle also abandoned its usual laziness, shrinking onto Hua Changxi's shoulder, its two small mung-bean-like eyes warily scanning in all directions.

At first, the dense Soul Mist only blocked the view, but after walking for a while, the mist became sticky, making it feel like being trapped in a swamp—each step required immense mental effort.

Even the Soul Turtle, who was just lying still on Hua Changxi's shoulder, became exhausted and listless.

Hua Changxi found it even more strenuous. Gritting her teeth and persisting for a time, she was soon panting heavily. Her physical body was fine, but her soul body was experiencing an indescribable fatigue and weakness.

Just as she was about to give out, she keenly caught a golden halo flickering deep within the thick Soul Mist.

"Master, I'm so tired. Let's leave," the little turtle said, sounding like a beached fish, its voice weak and feeble.

Hua Changxi forced herself on: "Hold on a little longer. Let's go see what that golden light ahead is."

The Soul Turtle blinked in confusion: "What golden light? Where?"

Hua Changxi's heart jolted: "You can't see the golden light ahead?"

The Soul Turtle nodded honestly.

Hua Changxi fell into thought, then said, "I'm going to investigate. How about you retreat for now?" The Soul Turtle's defenses were formidable; it should be fine for a short while alone.

"No, I want to go with you!" The Soul Turtle clung tightly to her clothes.

Without another word, Hua Changxi pressed on against the immense fatigue of her soul body, trudging forward with difficulty until she finally neared the golden light.

The golden light was emanating from an ancient, timeworn stone well.

On the mottled well wall, two vigorous, profoundly mysterious large characters were carved: Bu Qi!

"This golden light..."

As she drew closer, Hua Changxi felt an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness welling up in her heart.

The texture of the halo in particular struck her as very familiar, and four words instantly popped into her mind—Merit Golden Light.

Although she could not directly see her own Merit, she had seen the Merit Golden Lotus in Song Weimin's dantian.

The golden light emanating from the stone well before her was exactly the same as the radiance flowing from that Merit Golden Lotus.

Recalling how the Soul Turtle had been unable to see the golden light earlier, Hua Changxi quickly asked, "Little Turtle, can you see this well?"

The Soul Turtle nodded vigorously: "I see it!"

It stretched its neck, craning to peer into the well opening, and when it saw nothing but darkness inside, it retracted its neck and added, "It's just a dry well."

"Huh?"

Hua Changxi was taken aback, a look of shock crossing her face.

In her eyes, the stone well was radiant with golden light, sacred and extraordinary. Through the golden rays, the well shimmered with ripples and held deep soul well water.

Yet in the little turtle's eyes, it was nothing but a dried-up abandoned well!

The sense of familiarity brought by the golden radiance was so real that what she saw was likely the truth, while the little turtle could not perceive the true form of the Soul Well.

Perhaps this was the trial of the Soul Island?

The more precious a place, the less likely it was to be easily claimed.

After entering the island, they had encountered no soul beasts or prohibitions blocking their way. Perhaps the island was not barren or useless, but had set up a more hidden and stringent threshold.

And possessing Merit was that threshold!

"Bu Qi..."

Located at the very heart of the Soul Island, the Soul Well was almost certainly the island's core.

Controlling the core means controlling the Soul Island.

Once this thought arose, Hua Changxi's gaze toward the Soul Well grew even more ardent.

Yet, whenever Hua Changxi's eyes fell into the well, a strong urge to throw herself into it surged from the depths of her heart, as if something deep within the well was silently pulling at her soul.

First, she glimpsed the Merit Golden Light, then discovered the Soul Well hidden within the soul mist, and then came this irresistible call to enter the well...

Is it a test?

Hua Changxi wasn't certain, but the resources on the Soul Island were so abundant that if she could become its master, she wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources after stepping into the Lingtai Realm.

The gain was too great—great enough that she was willing to take the risk.

"Little Turtle, how do you feel now?"

The Soul Turtle shook its head, the previous languid fatigue noticeably lessened: "I feel much better now that I'm close to the well."

"That's good. I want to explore the well. You wait for me by the edge."

The Soul Turtle didn't understand why Hua Changxi wanted to investigate a dry well, but leaning against the well wall, it felt so comfortable and content that it didn't want to move, so it obediently nodded in agreement.

Gazing into the depths of the Soul Well, Hua Changxi's expression turned slightly solemn as she urged, "Little Turtle, if I happen to be in danger, you must find a way to save me."

The Soul Turtle tilted its head, not thinking that an ordinary dry well could pose any danger, and promptly agreed without a second thought: "Okay!"

Hua Changxi's instructions to the Soul Turtle were merely for psychological comfort. She gave the half-hearted turtle a glance, said no more, took a deep breath, and then leaped into the Soul Well.

There was no anticipated fall or suffocation, nor the cold of being submerged in well water. The moment she jumped into the well opening, the scene before her abruptly transformed.

The space inside the well was deep and boundless, vast as an ocean of mist, as if connected to another world.

In an instant, Hua Changxi's feet firmly planted on a smooth, mirror-like water surface.

There was nothing around her, only this endless expanse of calm water beneath her feet.

After looking around, Hua Changxi could only head in the direction where the soul force was most abundant. Each step she took caused crystalline ripples to spread outward from her soles, slowly expanding into the distance.

Time seemed to pass in an instant, yet also for a long while. At the edge of her vision, Hua Changxi once again spotted the familiar Merit Golden Light, and immediately quickened her pace toward it.

Soon, other beings began to materialize out of thin air within this realm.

There were human cultivators, demon beasts, and even beings from the Nine Nether realms.

These beings did not disturb one another, all converging silently and uniformly toward the place where the Merit Golden Light emanated.

Watching this, Hua Changxi, filled with vigilance and doubt, cautiously trailed behind those beings.

After her, many more beings arrived one after another.

Hua Changxi blended into the vast crowd, inconspicuous and drawing no extra attention from any entity, which slightly soothed her tense nerves.

After not traveling far, the view suddenly opened up.

There, a magnificent and grand Merit Golden Lotus hovered silently above the mirror-like water surface, radiating a dazzling and sacred light.

As the beings approached the Golden Lotus, they all raised their hands and condensed golden masses of merit, varying in size, before them.

Then, in perfect unison, they cast their condensed golden masses into the towering Golden Lotus suspended above.

As the Golden Lotus continuously absorbed these incoming masses of merit, its radiance grew ever more brilliant.

The next moment, beneath the Merit Golden Lotus, meditation cushions materialized out of thin air, spreading outward in a fan shape.

Then, the beings took their seats in orderly sequence, according to the size of the golden merit mass they had offered.

"This..."

As soon as the meditation cushions appeared, the place somewhat resembled a Daoist preaching hall.

And those golden merit masses were the fee for listening to the sermon.

Hua Changxi watched with astonishment.

Seeing the beings skillfully condense golden merit masses, she grew curious, eager to know how they managed to condense that merit.

"First-time listeners of the sermon, come receive the Manifestation Art."

Hua Changxi heard the voice and followed it with her gaze, only to see that a young Daoist attendant had appeared beneath the Merit Golden Lotus.

A young Daoist acolyte holds a soul jade tray, upon which lies a Lunar Yin Jade.

Hua Changxi approaches with full vigilance.

"First time here?"

"Yes."

The acolyte only asked that one question, then said no more, directly handing the Lunar Yin Jade to Hua Changxi, signaling her to read it.

Hua Changxi did as told, extending her divine sense into the Lunar Yin Jade, and instantly read the "Manifestation Art" method inscribed within.

"Alright, next."

The acolyte's voice was flat and emotionless. As soon as Hua Changxi finished reading, she was immediately urged to step out of the line to make room for the beings waiting behind her.

Hua Changxi stepped aside as instructed, silently observing the beings of various races still converging from all directions while diligently studying the "Manifestation Art."

The Manifestation Art: after cultivating it, a cultivator can manifest their own merit, karma, desires, and so on.

After understanding the uses of the Manifestation Art, Hua Changxi was delighted, thinking the technique was quite useful.

Afterward, she earnestly began to cultivate it.

By the time the figures of beings appearing in this world gradually diminished and guests from all sides had found their seats, Hua Changxi had finally mastered the Manifestation Art.

Moments later, a merit golden lotus the size of a fist slowly took shape in her palm.

Knowing that merit was a good thing, she intentionally controlled the degree of manifestation while operating the Manifestation Art.

Compared to the magnificent and grand merit golden lotus suspended above the water realm, the one in her palm seemed truly insignificant.

However, what she had condensed was indeed a merit golden lotus!

Sure enough, when she tossed the merit golden lotus into the air, all beings turned to look at her.

At the same time, a cushion in the very center of the first row materialized out of thin air, clearly specially set for her.

Hua Changxi had no intention of stealing the show, but now she had become the center of attention, and could only brace herself and take her seat under the gaze of countless eyes.

Fortunately, everyone's gaze didn't linger on her for long.

Because at that moment, the giant merit golden lotus suspended in the center of the water realm blazed with brilliant light, and a majestic, sacred figure that was daunting to behold slowly emerged.

The next moment, all seated beings rose simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized, and bowed deeply toward that figure, their respectful voices resounding through the world.

"We pay our respects to Lord Buqi."