Xu Yuan Opening

The space within the Taihuan Token, once empty, was now anything but.

The Messenger, who looked like a suckling pig, had conjured all manner of food, drink, and entertainment inside it. The place was practically a cozy little retreat.

But the Messenger had shed his usual languor, and his pig face wore a solemn expression.

"I told you before: Tianhuang Ancient Continent is vastly different from your Source World. Its underlying laws and world structure are completely different.

"Your world's main framework consists of the Eight Lower Laws and two higher laws. Tianhuang Ancient Continent, however, is built on individual Dao."

"Dao?"

"Heh. Dao like Taichi, Taishi, Taisu, Taiji, Xuanhuang, Causality, Nirvana, End of Dharma, and Creation. Does your world have anything like that?"

Jiang Yao muttered to himself, Good grief, how does this sound like it belongs to a completely different genre?

The Messenger seemed to know what Jiang Yao was thinking and sighed. "You can't even imagine how bizarre cultivation on Tianhuang Ancient Continent is. Even an existence like Divine Lord Taihuan could be caught off guard, fall into someone's trap, and end up dead. Your world's laws may be somewhat rigid, but at least they make it feel safe.

"Back to the point. Most of the techniques and divine abilities in the Divine Lord's inheritance either aren't compatible with this universe or will be forbidden or destroyed by this world's Supreme Rule.

"If the Divine Lord had reincarnated here, the laws of different Source Worlds would eventually converge as one climbed higher. With his level of cultivation, he could naturally take the high-level view and quickly master the principles governing this world. None of that would be a problem. But your cultivation is even weaker than your strength, so don't expect anything like that."

The pig's face took on a smug, self-satisfied look. "Of course, every system has loopholes, and this world is no exception. Naturally, that's no challenge for a distinguished Messenger like me.

"I've been working day and night, and I've finally found a few cultivation techniques suited to you. But you're simply too weak. The Myriad Races of Tianhuang Ancient Continent are countless, and at your level, you're less than an ant. Most techniques require at least the Stellar Level before you can cultivate them. So your task is to reach the Stellar Level as quickly as possible."

Jiang Yao frowned. "With my natural talent and the resources my race invests in me, I don't even know if I'll reach the Stellar Level in my lifetime. And surely the Taihuan Token, the inheritance of a Divine Lord, contains more than just cultivation techniques. Where are the treasures?"

The Messenger raised his head proudly and gave Jiang Yao a sidelong glance. "There aren't any treasures in the Taihuan Token. The Divine Lord imprinted the inheritance techniques in my primordial spirit long ago. You could say that I'm the only thing of value in the Taihuan Token. But don't worry. I have a way to get you to the Stellar Level quickly."

"What way?"

"For members of the Lingtong Race, reaching the Stellar Level from the Planetary Level isn't difficult as long as they have enough resources and their Mental Power Amplitude is up to par. You don't need to worry about your Mental Power Amplitude.

"As for that Seven Turns of Heaven's End, I can make a few changes and guide you through it. Getting your Mental Power Amplitude to eighteen times will be easy. The Planetary Level Mental Power Amplitude secret technique of your Lingtong Race doesn't even improve a fixed attribute, so it's hardly difficult."

The Messenger continued, swaying his head. "So, for you, things like Mental Power Amplitude, Combat Power Amplitude, and mental strength are all secondary. There's no point playing talent-development games with those little kids. You need to show the Lingtong Race that you're valuable enough for them to break their established talent-development system and invest massive resources in you, so you can reach the Stellar Level quickly."

"Domain?"

"Domain!"

Jiang Yao and the Messenger spoke at almost the same time.

"You catch on quickly. A Domain is exactly what you need. People say that only Stellar Level cultivators can possess one, but I've found examples in the Virtual Universe of Planetary Level cultivators who already had a Domain.

"Once you have a Domain, Mental Power Amplitude won't matter. Even if you cultivate Seven Turns of Heaven's End to its highest level, your Mental Power Amplitude might not match the terrifying explosive power of a Domain, which commands the soul, body, and mental power as one.

"That Prose fellow said that once you mastered Seven Turns of Heaven's End, you could wield the Planetary Level Telepathic Weapon, the Lone Star Disk, and become invincible at the Planetary Level. But if you had a Domain, you'd be invincible as soon as you reached the fifth rank of the Planetary Level. And that's only one of a Domain's uses.

"Once you have a Domain, the Lingtong Race would have to be insane to let a genius like you waste twenty years here beating up on weaklings."

"You have a secret technique that can give me a Domain?"

Jiang Yao jumped to his feet, elated. This was undoubtedly the fastest way to break out of his current predicament.

It would let him bypass the Lingtong Race's strict, multilayered training system. That was how the truly top geniuses of this world played by the rules.

The Taihuan Token having cultivation techniques but no resources wasn't a problem. This world had resources in abundance. The real challenge was getting the forces that controlled them to place those resources right in front of him.

But what the Messenger said next nearly made Jiang Yao fall over.

"I can't give you a Domain. Tianhuang Ancient Continent doesn't have such a thing. Besides, I've heard that comprehending a Domain requires insight. And you? You haven't even reached the level of Artistic Conception, so how can you talk about a Domain? But—"

"Don't leave me hanging!"

The Messenger lifted his pig face. "I can give you something similar to a Domain. No—something that surpasses a Domain."

"Didn't you say the Taihuan Token had no treasures?"

The suckling pig flapped his wings and flew around the space, his tone brimming with confidence. "Although you can't cultivate most of the techniques at your current Planetary Level, there's one secret art you can just barely master with my help: Xu Yuan Opening."

With that, the Messenger sent the relevant information into Jiang Yao's soul through thought.

Xu Yuan Opening consisted of three chapters: the Opening Chapter, the Control Chapter, and the Sealing Chapter.

It involved first forging an Opening Treasure within one's soul, then using that treasure to open a hidden realm inside one's body. A deity would then emerge within the realm, gaining the power to control one's vital essence, spirit, and energy, command the forces within a certain area, and even seal away enemies.

This secret realm, or space, could be called the Xu Yuan Space.

"The Xu Yuan Space exists between reality and illusion. It both exists and does not exist. Its foundation is your perception, your faith, and your will. If you believe it exists, it exists. If you believe it doesn't, then it doesn't."

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow. "That sounds pretty mysterious."

The Messenger swayed his head. "Heh. The mysterious within the mysterious is the gateway to all wonders. How else could we exploit this world's loopholes? If something doesn't exist, then the Supreme Rule can't do anything about it."

"Of course, because it exists somewhere between existence and nonexistence, the Virtual Universe of your Human Race can't render it. But that's not a big problem.

"Trial Space, Killing Space, and Sparring Space in the Virtual Universe all charge fees. Usually, only Stellar Level cultivators and above use them.

"The Lingtong Race doesn't expect its Planetary Level members to serve as cannon fodder, and it doesn't encourage you to develop combat instincts at the Planetary Level. Besides, Planetary Level cultivators have limited destructive power. You can't even leave a mark on this Starry Sky Building, so the sparring grounds inside are enough. That's why they don't usually let Planetary Level members spar in the Virtual Universe.

"Besides, Yanhe Star is the capital of the Yanhe Lineage of your Lingtong Race. Most of the higher-ups are on this planet, and some are even right here in the Starry Sky Building. That makes it convenient for them to test your 'Domain.' So as long as you reach the Stellar Level quickly, there's no need to worry about getting exposed."

Jiang Yao hesitated. "It's fine at the Planetary Level, but what about when I reach the Stellar Level? I definitely won't be able to keep it hidden then."

The Messenger swished his tail. "Once you reach the Stellar Level, you'll be able to cultivate the technique I teach you. By then, heh, whether you have a Domain or not won't matter much.

"But don't rush. The first chapter of Xu Yuan Opening, the Opening Chapter, has four stages: God Forging, Form Casting, Body Molding, and Opening.

"With my guidance and help, you'll have no trouble with the first three stages. But there's one prerequisite: you need to inscribe the Yan Script I give you into your soul. Only then can you forge the form of the Opening Treasure.

"The Yan Script is the writing used by the Main Sect of the Taihuan Sect to record its techniques and divine abilities. Each character contains boundless information. Your soul can't inscribe the Yan Script in its current state. You'd likely be reduced to a wandering soul in the process.

"So I've studied the laws of your world and developed a secret technique to rapidly strengthen your Soul Amplitude. It'll raise your Soul Amplitude to ten times in a short period, allowing you to withstand the pressure of inscribing the Yan Script.

"But right now, I can't find a good secret technique for strengthening Soul Amplitude. Such techniques would surely be extremely precious. My cultivation is far beneath the Divine Lord's, and I need to raise your Amplitude in a short time. The secret technique I've worked out by studying your world's laws is flawed.

"The price is that it'll drain your potential. In other words, your soul, mental power, and body will all suffer damage.

"But don't worry. Once you reach the Stellar Level and cultivate the technique I give you, you'll be able to make up for all the damage."

This pig in the Taihuan Token spoke like a demon from the depths of hell, tempting people to plunge into the abyss.

Jiang Yao thought it over for half a quarter of an hour. He still had doubts, and deep down, he suspected the pig had some other scheme. But today, his status as a genius of more than ten years had collapsed in an instant, and he'd found himself in a situation where he was being targeted. He really had nothing left to lose.

For a salted fish with nothing to its name to turn its life around, how could it expect to take no risks?