Chapter 546: Manifestation Technique

Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze, the intuition in her heart growing stronger—this island exuded a harmony that felt entirely natural, yet subtly hinted at an indescribable order and inclusiveness.

It was not merely an unclaimed deserted island; it felt more like... a place silently guarded by some will.

One human and one turtle continued deeper into the island's interior.

Mountains and rivers, birdsong and floral scents—this realm resembled an independent, miniature world of soul power operating on its own.

Upon reaching the island's core, the soul mist grew increasingly dense, almost to the point where one could not see their own fingers before their eyes.

Hua Changxi had to extend her divine consciousness to its fullest limit, carefully probing the path ahead.

The Soul Turtle also shed its laziness, shrinking down on Hua Changxi's shoulder, its two small mung-bean eyes vigilantly scanning in all directions.

At first, the thick soul mist merely obscured vision, but after walking for some time, the mist actually became viscous, making one feel as though trapped in a swamp, where every step required immense mental effort.

Even though the Soul Turtle was merely resting on Hua Changxi's shoulder without moving, it became utterly exhausted and listless.

Hua Changxi felt even more strained; gritting her teeth, she persisted for a while until she was gasping for breath. Her physical body was fine, but her soul form was undergoing an indescribable fatigue and weakness.

Just as she was about to collapse, she keenly detected a golden halo flickering deep within the dense soul mist.

"Master, I'm so tired; let's go out," the little turtle said, now resembling a fish stranded on shore, its voice devoid of strength.

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

The Soul Turtle blinked blankly: "What golden light? Where is there any golden light?"

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

The Soul Turtle nodded honestly.

Hua Changxi fell into thoughtful silence, then said after a moment: "I need to go over and investigate; why don't you retreat first?" The Soul Turtle's defense was astonishing, so staying away from her for a while should not cause it any harm.

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

Hua Changxi spoke no more, enduring the immense fatigue of her soul form, and continued her arduous advance until she finally approached that streak of golden light.

The golden light was actually emanating from an ancient stone well covered in the marks of time.

On the mottled walls of the well were carved two vigorous, powerful characters radiating endless mystery—Bu Qi!

"This golden light..."

As she drew closer, an indescribable sense of affinity and familiarity surged within Hua Changxi's heart.

Especially the texture of that halo felt incredibly familiar; four words instantly popped into her mind—Merit Golden Light.

Although she could not directly perceive 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 eyes now was exactly the same as the radiance flowing from that Merit Golden Lotus.

Hua Changxi then recalled the anomaly of the Soul Turtle being unable to see the golden light earlier and hurriedly asked: "Little Turtle, can you see this well?"

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

It stretched its neck, poking its head out to peer into the well mouth, but seeing only pitch darkness inside with nothing there, it retracted its neck and added: "Just a dry well."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi was stunned into silence.

In her eyes, this stone well clearly overflowed with golden light, sacred and extraordinary; through the golden radiance, the bottom of the well shimmered with waves, rippling with deep water from the Soul Well.

Yet in the little turtle's eyes, it was merely a dry, useless well!

The sense of affinity brought by the golden light was so real; thus, what she saw was likely the truth, while the little turtle was unable to perceive the true appearance of the Soul Well.

Perhaps this was the trial of the Soul Island?

The more precious a treasure land, the less likely it was to be easily occupied by anyone.

After entering the island, they had encountered no soul beasts or formations blocking their path; perhaps this did not mean the island was barren and useless, but rather that a more hidden and stricter threshold had been set here.

And possessing merit was that threshold!

"Bu Qi..."

The Soul Well was located in the central interior of the Soul Island; in all likelihood, it was the core of the entire island.

Controlling the core was equivalent to controlling the Soul Island.

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

However, whenever Hua Changxi directed her sight into the well, a strong impulse to throw herself into it would surge from the bottom of her heart, as if something deep within the well was silently pulling at her soul.

First witnessing the Merit Golden Light, then discovering the Soul Well hidden deep within the soul mist, and now this irresistible summons to enter the well...

Was it a trial?

Hua Changxi was somewhat uncertain, but the resources on the Soul Island were so abundant; if she could become the island master, she would not have to worry about cultivation resources after breaking through to the Spirit Platform Realm.

The benefits were too great, so great that she was willing to take the risk.

"Little Turtle, how do you feel now?"

The Soul Turtle shook its head; the original sense of powerless fatigue had lessened considerably: "After getting close to the well, I feel much better."

"That's good; I want to enter the well to investigate; you just wait for me by the wellside."

The Soul Turtle did not understand why Hua Changxi wanted to explore a dry well, but leaning against the well wall made it feel so comfortable and at ease that it had no desire to move, so it obediently nodded in agreement.

Hua Changxi gazed into the depths of the Soul Well, her expression slightly solemn, and instructed: "Little Turtle, if I encounter danger, you must find a way to save me."

The Soul Turtle tilted its head, completely unconvinced that an ordinary dry well could pose any danger, and readily agreed: "Okay!"

Hua Changxi's instructions to the Soul Turtle were merely for her own peace of mind; casting a glance at the half-hearted turtle, she said nothing more, took a deep breath, and leaped straight into the Soul Well.

There was no expected fall or suffocation, nor the chilling cold of being submerged in well water. The moment she leaped into the well mouth, the scene before her eyes suddenly transformed.

The space inside the well was boundless and vast, immense as a misty sea, as if connecting to another world.

In an instant, Hua Changxi's feet firmly stepped onto a surface of water as smooth as a mirror.

There was nothing around her; only this endless, calm water surface beneath her feet.

After looking around, Hua Changxi could only proceed in the direction where soul power was most abundant; with every step she took, crystal-clear ripples would rise from beneath her feet, slowly spreading outward into the distance.

Time seemed to pass in an instant, yet also as if an eternity had gone by; at the end of Hua Changxi's line of sight, that familiar Merit Golden Light appeared once again, prompting her to quicken her pace and advance toward it.

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

There were human cultivators, demonic beasts, and even races from the Nine Netherworlds.

These beings did not disturb one another; instead, with tacit understanding and unified purpose, they converged toward the place where the golden light of merit was dissipating.

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

After her, many more living beings arrived in succession.

Blending into this vast multitude, Hua Changxi remained inconspicuous, drawing no extra attention from any existence, which allowed her tense nerves to relax slightly.

They had not traveled far when the view suddenly opened up.

There, a magnificent and grand Golden Lotus of Merit hung silently above a mirror-like surface of water, emitting dazzling, sacred radiance.

Upon approaching the Golden Lotus, all the beings raised their hands, condensing orbs of golden merit of varying sizes before them.

Immediately after, they moved in perfect unison, casting their condensed golden orbs into the giant Golden Lotus suspended high above.

As the Golden Lotus continuously absorbed these incoming orbs of merit, the golden light it emitted grew increasingly brilliant and dazzling.

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

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

"This..."

Once the cushions appeared, this place somewhat resembled a venue for preaching the Dao.

And those orbs of golden merit served as the fee for listening to the sermon.

Hua Changxi watched in repeated astonishment.

Seeing how skillfully all the beings condensed their orbs of golden merit, she felt curious and very much wanted to know how they managed to condense merit.

"First-time listeners, come forward to receive the Manifestation Technique."

Hearing the voice, Hua Changxi looked toward its source and saw a Daoist youth appear beneath the Golden Lotus of Merit.

The Daoist youth held a soul-jade tray in his hands, upon which rested a piece of Taiyin Jade.

Hua Changxi approached with full vigilance.

"First time here?"

"Yes."

The Daoist youth asked only that single question, then spoke no more, directly extending the Taiyin Jade in his hand toward Hua Changxi, gesturing for her to read it.

Hua Changxi complied as instructed; she extended her divine sense into the Taiyin Jade and instantly absorbed the method of the "Manifestation Technique" inscribed within.

"Done. Next."

The Daoist youth's voice was flat and emotionless; the moment Hua Changxi finished reading, she was immediately urged to exit the queue to make room for the beings waiting behind her.

Hua Changxi withdrew to the side as instructed, silently observing the various races still converging from all directions while diligently studying the "Manifestation Technique."

The Manifestation Technique: once cultivated, a cultivator can manifest their own merit, karma, desires, and the like.

After becoming familiar with the uses of the Manifestation Technique, Hua Changxi felt a surge of joy, finding this technique quite useful.

Afterwards, she began to practice it earnestly.

By the time the figures of living beings materializing in this realm gradually diminished and guests from all sides had found their seats, Hua Changxi had finally mastered the Manifestation Technique.

Moments later, a Golden Lotus of Merit the size of a fist slowly condensed and took form in her palm.

Knowing that merit was a precious thing, she deliberately controlled the extent of her manifestation while operating the technique.

Compared to the magnificent and grand Golden Lotus suspended above the water realm, the one in her palm indeed appeared somewhat insignificant.

Yet, what she had condensed was undeniably a Golden Lotus of Merit!

Indeed, the moment she tossed the Golden Lotus of Merit into the air, all the beings turned to look at her.

Simultaneously, a meditation cushion materialized out of thin air in the exact center of the first row, clearly set aside specifically for her.

Hua Changxi had no intention of showing off, yet now she had become the focus of the entire assembly; she could only steel herself and take her seat under the gaze of countless eyes.

Fortunately, everyone's gaze did not remain fixed on her for long.

For at that very moment, the giant Golden Lotus of Merit suspended in the center of the water realm blazed with intense light, and a figure, solemn, sacred, and unbearable to look upon directly, slowly materialized.

The next moment, all the seated beings rose in unison, moving with perfect coordination to bow deeply toward that figure, their respectful voices echoing throughout this realm.

"We pay our respects to Divine Lord Buqi."