The Grand Void Dao Evolution Record

[Long ago, Grandmaster Chen Xu upheld the collapsing halls of his sect alone. Though confined within the Dark Gate, he was unmoved by sights and sounds, and devoted himself daily to profound cultivation. From then on, his qi reached the heavens, and with a single thought, his spirit could roam the Eight Extremities. Thus he grasped the Dao's true meaning, restored its lineage, and renewed the foundations of immortality. Later generations of disciples revered him as the Founder of the Revival, and his incense burned for eternity.]

When Chen Qing opened the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record again, the first thing that caught his eye was the change in the entry about Chen Xu.

"'Though confined within the Dark Gate, he was unmoved by sights and sounds, and devoted himself daily to profound cultivation. From then on, his qi reached the heavens, and with a single thought, his spirit could roam the Eight Extremities. Thus he grasped the Dao's true meaning'—these are new additions. Sure enough, it's the third one... I thought that since this was a dream, perhaps things could be even better. What a shame, what a shame..."

He wore an expression that said he'd expected as much, then felt a pang of regret. But he quickly rallied, turned to the first page, and glanced at the number of Dao Marks.

"Six true phrases should only have cost six Dao Marks, but I had more than ten in reserve, and now only three remain! That means 'supreme treasure that suppresses the world' and 'reincarnation of a true immortal' weren't just invalidated; they also consumed Dao Marks. But they were so outrageous that they never made it into the final draft."

Chen Qing sighed, but didn't dwell on it. This was simply the price of exploration.

"Actually, this is better than I expected. At least three remain, in case of need."

He studied the new words that had appeared in the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record, weighing each addition.

"'Though confined within the Dark Gate' corresponds to my current predicament; 'devoted himself daily to profound cultivation' refers to studying the Primordial Chaos Qi Scripture; 'his qi reached the heavens' points to the nature of the cultivation art that he grasped; and that last phrase, 'with a single thought, his spirit could roam the Eight Extremities,' is the key to escaping this predicament!"

Studying the Primordial Chaos Qi Scripture was the approach Chen Qing had chosen. It fit the existing storyline, and the inscrutable nature of the cultivation art left ample room for what came next.

This arrangement cleverly connected the existing clues while naturally laying the groundwork for future developments.

After comparing everything, Chen Qing also vaguely grasped the three rules for adding new details midway through—

"First, they must reasonably extend from established facts."

"Second, they can't directly change the outside environment or another person's will."

"Third, they should link up as much as possible with existing cultivation arts, treasures, and objects!"

Simply put, excessively outrageous details would be rejected, but reasonable extensions of existing clues could be accepted!

"That means that in this dream, while studying the Primordial Chaos Qi Scripture, I can gain the ability to 'let my spirit roam' and find a way to escape! But for one's soul to leave the body, at the very least, one needs to condense a Yin Spirit, and there are many other restrictions. My dream-self may have had some fortunate encounters, but he's still only at the second realm. How could he let his spirit roam?"

As he thought about it, he shook his head with a laugh and put those distractions aside.

"Why think so much? I'll understand once I enter the dream and see for myself."

Having made up his mind, he touched the words on the page with a fingertip and closed his eyes, focusing his mind.

"Enter the dream."

With a soft murmur, Chen Qing's consciousness gradually sank into darkness.

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water.

Chen Qing's body sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, eyes closed and silent, his expression serene.

Tap.

Not far away, a Golden Silk Monkey suddenly stopped.

It tilted its head toward the figure inside the room. Its bright, round eyes turned, then it suddenly crossed its hind legs and lowered its forepaws in front of its belly, fingertips touching. It had copied Chen Qing's meditation posture to perfection!

As the night breeze swept past, every hair on the little monkey's body stood on end.

Yet it didn't move a muscle. Only its nostrils trembled faintly, as if it had caught the scent of some wondrous aura.

The Immortal Dynasty era, year 797.

Jade Capital, Senluo Pavilion.

Chen Xu sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes as hollow as a still pond. The Bronze Wine Goblet in his hand rose and tipped mechanically, amber liquor pouring down his throat without making him show the slightest sign of drunkenness.

His other hand slowly traced the brick wall. Wherever his fingertips passed, the etched lines of the Primordial Chaos Qi Scripture glimmered faintly.

"Glug—"

He drained another cup.

As soon as he set the goblet down, it filled itself again, as if an invisible attendant stood beside him.

In the shadows, the figure of a gray-robed old man appeared and disappeared. His eyes were full of astonishment.

"How strange!" The old man lightly flicked his horsetail whisk. "Has this state of Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion gone on for too long? Could this fellow be a descendant of the Supreme? An illegitimate son of the Dao Ancestor? But his surname isn't Li!"

Buzz—

As Chen Xu kept drinking, the aura around him grew clearer and purer. The lines he had traced on the brick wall gradually joined together into an intricate pattern.

"Crack—"

A faint sound rang out. A hairline fracture suddenly appeared in the goblet, and a mysterious light shone through it.

The old man's pupils contracted sharply. "This... A fracture means the drinker is about to become impervious to a thousand cups! Is he really going to succeed? This could get complicated! It's going to cause trouble! And he's using wine as his medium and the wall as his mirror. Could he be on the verge of understanding something?"

He actually felt that a pool of dark water was taking shape in the heart of the man sitting below, its ripples spreading, as if something were about to leap out!

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xu suddenly raised his head.

Clarity burst into those hollow eyes, as if a galaxy had been turned upside down within them.

The gray-robed old man clenched his whisk. His beard stirred though there was no wind.

"He's done it!"

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

"So that's how it is!"

The instant Chen Qing's main consciousness returned, countless insights poured into his heart like rivers in flood!

His eyes immediately fell half-shut. Spiritual energy boiled around him, and a sudden realization bloomed in his heart like wine that had been brewing for ages.

Supreme Harmony Qi surged from his dantian, raced through his meridians, and finally converged at the crown of his head, turning into a thread of crystal-clear spiritual energy.

"Qi reaching the heavens, the spirit roaming with a single thought!"

As he murmured softly, the thread of spiritual energy suddenly slipped out of his body and wound through the air like a living creature. Chen Qing felt his consciousness—his spiritual sense—stretch outward!

The gray-robed old man sensed something and focused his gaze. His pupils contracted sharply.

"His mind is roaming?! How can he leave his body and let his spirit roam without first forming a Yin Spirit?"

He stared fixedly at the wandering thread of spiritual energy.

It wasn't pure spiritual sense or thought. It was made of spiritual energy of the utmost purity, with a strand of spiritual consciousness nestled inside. The spiritual energy flowed ceaselessly around it, drawing in the essence of heaven and earth to nourish that consciousness, keeping it gathered and intact!

"Using spiritual energy as a boat to carry spiritual sense on a journey? It's not a Yin Spirit leaving the body, but consciousness and thought entrusted to spiritual energy. As long as the spiritual energy doesn't disperse, the spirit can roam without end!" The old man's eyes widened. "Brilliant! This method of letting the spirit roam on a boat of spiritual energy is practically a school of its own! It may be a clever workaround, but it's worthy of founding a whole tradition! Who'd have thought that, though this child lacks a Spiritual Bone, he could still have such insight!"

The more he savored it, the more exquisite it seemed. Unable to help himself, he clapped his hands in praise. "In all my years, I've never seen such a marvelous workaround! This boy is interesting! Very interesting!"

At the far end of his gaze, Chen Qing's thread of spiritual energy absorbed the energy around it with every movement, growing stronger. His consciousness stretched along the filament of spiritual energy like a fish swimming through water, passing freely through gaps in the restrictions around the treasure vault.

In Chen Qing's "eyes," the restrictions around the vault had become transparent veins. The currents of spiritual energy that sustained the formation had all become his pathways!

After a few breaths, his spiritual sense had followed a stream of spiritual energy through the outermost layer of restrictions.

Whoosh—

Outside the tower, the dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged in like a tide, making Chen Qing's wisp of consciousness grow more than tenfold in an instant!

The scenery of the outside world unfolded like a painting. The myriad lights of Jade Capital, the towering palaces of the Imperial City, the brilliant stars in the night sky, the boundless wilderness—all were clearly visible at that moment!

Chen Qing felt as if he had become a breeze, roaming freely through heaven and earth without restraint!

A sense of freedom unlike anything he had ever known filled his heart!