Not Universally Applicable

The faint sound of yellow leaves falling outside the window reached Wang Xuan's ears with clarity. The trajectory of night birds gliding across the pitch-black sky was clearly captured by his eyes.

Something was different. Even without entering the Super-Sense state, his hearing, vision, and other senses had improved to a certain extent. The distance between him and this world had shrunk.

He traced a finger across his skin and immediately felt a resilience. As he applied more pressure, his flesh trembled and resonated, actually pushing his finger away.

At this stage, Wang Xuan's fingers could leave deep marks on tree trunks and carve characters into tables and chairs, but now his own skin blocked him and repelled him with vibrations.

Was this the most direct effect of the Golden Body Art?

He knew, of course, that the benefits were not limited to this. He clearly perceived the vigorous vitality within his flesh and blood, a manifestation of the comprehensive improvement in his physique.

He could imagine that if he were injured, his wounds would heal faster, shortening the recovery time.

Furthermore, his five senses and spirit were now even stronger than before.

"The Golden Body Art is indeed extraordinary!"

Especially in this era, the Golden Body Art held unusual significance for him. It could protect him from sneak attacks and block the lethal force of firearms.

This alone was enough for Wang Xuan to practice the Golden Body Art at any cost. If that group of people dared to appear again, not one of them would escape.

Most crucially, this effect of the Golden Body Art allowed him to see the value of the Old Arts path. Although it had declined, if one delved into it, there were surely many treasures hidden within old texts.

In those vanished ancient years, there were legends of various miraculous skills and secret arts, some of which were incredibly legendary. Just thinking about finding and mastering the most top-tier ones made the usually steady Wang Xuan excited.

He quickly calmed down. Thinking so much at this stage was useless; he needed to proceed step by step, grounded in reality.

"The third layer of the Golden Body Art already provides strong defensive effects. Although it still can't block bullets, sneak attacks are no longer as fatal to me."

Wang Xuan believed that by resisting with his resilient flesh and blood, he could effectively reduce the damage from firearms to his body. As long as he wasn't shot directly in vital areas like the heart, it would be difficult to kill him in a short period.

If those gunmen appeared again, as long as Wang Xuan was willing to pay a certain price, he could eliminate them all in a very short time.

"Don't let me find you!"

This matter could not be let go. Wang Xuan would continue to investigate until he found out who wanted to kill him.

"Practicing the Golden Body Art to the third layer is still not quite enough. If I could advance it to the sixth or seventh layer, then bullets would likely become ineffective against me."

Of course, larger caliber firearms with greater power would still pose a threat to him. However, if the Golden Body Art were raised to the tenth layer or above, it would be hard to say.

As for the perfect state of the Golden Body Art, it was currently difficult to imagine. After all, Zhou Yun Kong himself in the Northern Song Dynasty had not achieved it; he had only left behind scriptures based on theoretical deductions.

Wang Xuan calmed his mind and emptied his spirit. He wanted to immerse himself in that special state again, enter the highest level of Meditation, and establish himself in the Inner Scenery Realm.

However, no matter how he tried, after multiple attempts, he failed.

Even after circulating the Root Method from the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips dozens of times, he could not sense that secluded Inner Scenery Realm and could no longer enter it.

He meditated several more times, but reaching the highest level, hoping to stay in the void for several years, was impossible no matter what.

Wang Xuan sighed lightly. He was mentally prepared and could accept this outcome.

After all, even masters of Meditation, who pursued the highest level of meditation throughout their lives, had few who truly succeeded.

At the very least, there had been no reports of anyone achieving it since modern times.

As for discussing it in terms of the Daoist Inner Scenery Realm, it would only be more difficult. Wang Xuan believed that since the end of the Old Era, no one had entered the Inner Scenery Realm at all.

Consider this: a master in the field of Old Arts finally emerged from the New Star, but because he practiced the secret scriptures of the Daoist ancestral court, he ended up practicing himself to death, his internal organs rotting away.

If he had been able to enter the Daoist Inner Scenery Realm, such a thing would never have happened.

Because, within the Inner Scenery Realm, one could clearly see the changes in the internal organs, and mysterious factors would descend, nourishing the internal organs. Even if one failed to master it, they wouldn't die.

Even more, Wang Xuan strongly suspected that in modern times, those who studied Old Arts simply didn't know about the mysterious realm of the Inner Scenery Realm.

Even if some ancient sects still had such sayings, they were likely treated as legends, and later generations might not believe that a person's spirit could reach such a special place.

Wang Xuan was not in a hurry. Since he had entered it once, he should have opportunities in the future.

Moreover, he had a general idea of how to enter that mysterious place, having personally experienced it and understood every detail.

"I need the Super-Sense state, and then circulate the Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners to succeed."

How could the Super-Sense state be triggered?

He pondered: was it triggered by extreme external danger, causing a violent stress response within himself, resonating with the Old Arts, and thus accidentally activating the Super-Sense state?

"No rush, I can take my time, using various methods to stimulate and recreate that Super-Sense state."

Even more, Wang Xuan had a thought: to participate in various exploration activities, the possibility of triggering stress responses and activating the Super-Sense state would be greatly increased.

Wang Xuan got up and tidied the shed skin. This scene was truly somewhat bizarre. What kind of power had erupted from his body in just a few minutes to cause such drastic changes and consequences?

Unfortunately, his spirit was in the Inner Scenery Realm at the time, and his external perception was vague, failing to clearly capture that brief yet astonishing transformation.

However, he could understand that all living things in the world were constantly evolving, from ancient times to the present, never changing. Species that couldn't keep up were ultimately eliminated.

It's just that this process of adapting to nature and self-improvement is very slow, requiring continuation generation after generation.

But there were also extremely rare historical periods when certain species evolved rapidly, improving dramatically.

For example, humans, when they diverged from other creatures, experienced an incredible period of explosive growth, evolving at high speed in the shortest possible time, thus achieving a qualitative leap in life's hierarchy.

Many people speculate that humans, due to some unknown change, underwent sudden and drastic evolution, which led to the subsequent brilliance.

In Wang Xuan's view, those who walked the path of Old Arts were actually experiencing various "changes," which could sometimes greatly shorten the original process of transformation.

In the Pre-Qin era, ordinary people feared tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, but Daoist practitioners could already divert rivers, throw elephants, and carve mountains.

What kind of power was that? How could it be obtained in such a short period?

As for the Immortal Lords, they should be even stronger, with more significant transformations.

Now, after visiting the Inner Scenery Realm, Wang Xuan's view of the Immortal Lords has also subtly changed. He feels that such people might indeed exist.

Of course, he still believes that the Immortal Lords were human, and humans are bound to die.

Wang Xuan took a cold shower, changed into loose pajamas, and flipped through the Huangting Jing, searching for anything related to the Inner Scenery Realm, but unfortunately, he found nothing new.

These classics are very general, and any occasional cryptic phrases require one's own Insight.

The true Root Method is in the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips. Later books can only serve as supplementary materials to understand terminology and Old Arts names from earlier times.

"Attain Emptiness to the Utmost, Guard Stillness with Devotion..."

Wang Xuan was unwilling to give up and searched through other materials. However, even after poring over countless classics, he couldn't find a way to instantly trigger the Super-Sense state.

"There must be some conventional method, otherwise, the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners wouldn't have been so strong. Only by frequently entering the Inner Scenery Realm could they achieve what later generations cannot match."

Wang Xuan felt that he needed to pay attention to various Pre-Qin Bamboo Slips in the future, collecting and reading anything related to Daoist practitioners.

He believed that in some dusty old texts, the conventional method for entering the Inner Scenery Realm might be recorded.

"It's a pity. The good stuff is all on the New Star, in those life research institutes, and in the hands of the top Zaibatsu. If I could read all the bamboo slips and philosophical texts they have, I would definitely find what I'm looking for."

Wang Xuan felt regret and at the same time, his desire to go to the New Star grew stronger.

But soon, he adjusted his emotions, calmed himself down, and maintained a peaceful state of mind, which is very important for someone walking the path of the Old Arts.

"One should be content. In just a few minutes, I achieved what others might not achieve in five years."

Thinking about this time ratio, it was truly exaggerated. If it were to get out, even with the rise of the New Star and New Arts, it would cause a huge storm.

Becoming calm and rational, Wang Xuan further judged that he might be too optimistic. Even the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners couldn't enter the Inner Scenery Realm all the time.

Otherwise, if they stayed there for years on end, even if there were no immortals in the world, they would likely become immortals by then!

A few minutes in there were equivalent to several years of time, so how many years would a day in the real world equate to there?

What about a year?

A lifetime?!

Wang Xuan felt that the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners could only enter once every so often.

Moreover, he estimated that the method to enter was not universally applicable, and only a few people could achieve it.

"Is this why the Old Arts declined? The requirements for individuals are too high."

Then he speculated whether, as time passed, certain external factors had also changed, and the overall environment was different, making it increasingly difficult for later generations to enter the Inner Scenery Realm.

Wang Xuan guessed that in modern times, he might be the only person who had ever entered the Inner Scenery Realm.

"Although I stayed there for five years, I didn't feel the erosion of time, nor did I experience the sense of being in a different world. Instead, my spirit became more vigorous. Both my physical vitality and mental energy improved, with a sense of new life overflowing."

Wang Xuan realized that after five years in the Inner Scenery Realm, his spirit had not aged. This was mainly because he was completely immersed in the comprehension of the Old Arts, isolated from the world, with no contact with external stimuli. His heart was pure and free of distractions, not eroded by the dust of the mortal world. Of course, the most crucial factor was the mysterious factors drifting down from that void, which nourished his spirit and body.

That night, despite experiencing a shooting and being ambushed in a residential area, Wang Xuan slept soundly. He had found his path.

He was confident that if those people came again, he could capture them all.

In the early morning, Qin Cheng sent a message: "Brother, I'm leaving. Goodbye!"

He was going to the New Moon, leaving the Old Earth for deep space.

"Take care!" Wang Xuan silently sent a message.

At nine in the morning, Professor Lin informed Wang Xuan that he was departing to return to the New Star, leaving Wang Xuan with the address and contact number there.

This meant that the classmates who were going to the New Star would also be leaving, embarking on new journeys.

As expected, Wang Xuan soon received some text messages from Zhou Kun, Kong Yi, Su Chan, and others bidding him farewell.

Half an hour later, Wang Xuan received a letter, surprisingly from an unexpected person.

Li Qingxuan, someone from the New Star, warmly invited Wang Xuan to join her family's exploration team. The letter also provided an address and contact information for her family on the Old Earth.

She promised generous rewards and offered to help him find a way to the New Star if he agreed.

"Li Qingxuan..."

Wang Xuan recalled her appearance from the previous night at the bar street: slightly curly long hair, a pair of phoenix eyes with a natural allure, and sensual red lips. She was a very youthful and beautiful girl.

However, he had no prior interaction with her, only a brief encounter. Why was she looking for him? Was she really trying to recruit him for her family's exploration team?

Wang Xuan set the letter aside and pondered. Zhao Qinghan had also invited him to cooperate. The organizations and Zaibatsu on the New Star seemed to be preparing for something.

"Wang Xuan, we have a lead. Do you want to hunt them down?!" At noon, Qing Mu called, informing Wang Xuan that they had found the hideout of the gunmen.

Wang Xuan, having just mastered the third level of the Golden Body Art, received this news and naturally wanted to personally participate in the hunt.

"These people are not simple. According to our latest information, killing you was just a trivial matter for them. They actually located... the Tomb of the Immortal Lords and are heading for it!"

By the end of his sentence, Qing Mu was somewhat agitated, his voice trembling.

If the intelligence was accurate, it was incredibly shocking. Many people didn't even acknowledge the existence of Immortal Lords, and now, someone had located the tomb of such beings and intended to excavate it!