Moon Rises Over the Sea

The Sect Master's Secret Treasury was inside the Scripture Pavilion, yet it was an independent world that required a key to open. Otherwise, no one else could enter.

Lin Jiufeng had managed the Scripture Pavilion for a hundred years before this and had never known of it. If Bai Yunfei had not told him, he never would have imagined that a hidden Small World existed within the Scripture Pavilion.

This Small World was nowhere else; its entrance was on the highest floor of the Scripture Pavilion. Holding the Crescent Moon Jade Pendant, Lin Jiufeng walked here and discovered that the pendant was glowing, heating up, and trembling faintly, guiding him in a certain direction.

Lin Jiufeng slowly adjusted his direction and determined the location of this hidden Small World.

Once he had confirmed it, the Crescent Moon Jade Pendant also grew still, though it continued to glow.

Lin Jiufeng held the jade pendant in his palm and lightly touched the space before him.

The empty space suddenly rippled, as though a stone had been tossed into a tranquil lake.

Lin Jiufeng's palm passed through the space.

With the Crescent Moon Jade Pendant, he remained unharmed.

Having confirmed that this was the entrance to the hidden Small World, Lin Jiufeng walked straight inside, vanishing from the highest floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

His vision was obscured by a sheet of white light, and he could not see anything. After waiting a moment, his sight gradually recovered, revealing the scene before him.

The highest floor of the Scripture Pavilion led to a bamboo forest within the Small World. A little over a hundred and twenty steps west, he could hear the sound of flowing water. Following the path down, he saw a lake. Beneath the glow of the evening clouds, the lake reflected the Sky Dome, where clouds blazed like fire—a beauty beyond compare.

The lake was vast. Looking into the distance, he could see dark green mountains far away, their trees emerald and vigorous.

Nearby, an island stood at the center of the lake. Upon the island was a huge boulder, and atop that boulder lay a turtle lazily basking in the sun.

Along this shore stretched a chain of mountains, too many to count, each peak hollowed out with a cave.

Lin Jiufeng wanted to know what was inside these caves, so he walked over to investigate.

Entering the cave closest to him, he found rows upon rows of neatly arranged books.

"This was probably opened up by the successive Sect Masters of the Feather Transformation Sect. Books unsuitable for inclusion in the Scripture Pavilion were placed here for the Sect Masters of the Feather Transformation Sect alone to read," Lin Jiufeng silently guessed.

He casually picked up a manual from a bookshelf and began leafing through it.

Compendium of Ancient Incomplete Formations

"To be crowned an ancient formation, it must have been earth-shattering. Though incomplete, it truly was unsuitable for the Scripture Pavilion," Lin Jiufeng said seriously.

The books in the Scripture Pavilion could be borrowed by all disciples of the Feather Transformation Sect, so most were fairly ordinary, recording only the basic knowledge of the Cultivation World.

Anything beyond that knowledge, such as this Compendium of Ancient Incomplete Formations, was collected within this hidden Small World.

After flipping through it a few times, he found it truly exceedingly complicated. Formation patterns, formation pathways, and Formation Runes intertwined together in a bewildering complexity, like astronomy itself. Without patient and meticulous study, it was simply impossible to understand.

Thus, Lin Jiufeng soon set it down and picked up another book.

Cultivation Essentials for the Seventh to Ninth Restrictions

This contained the cultivation principles compiled by the founding patriarch of the Feather Transformation Sect, specifically for the Seventh Restriction through the Ninth Restriction. Its explanations were exceptionally detailed, and Lin Jiufeng was captivated after reading only a few pages.

He did not look at any other books. Instead, he carried this volume to the lakeside, sat upon the green grass beneath the gentle sunlight, and read it carefully.

The founding patriarch of the Feather Transformation Sect had been a peerless expert of the Cultivation World in his day. There were rumors that he had seen through the barrier of the Ninth Restriction and entered the legendary Tenth Restriction, so Lin Jiufeng greatly anticipated the cultivation essentials he had written.

I have already entered the Sixth Restriction. Next comes breaking through to the Seventh Restriction, so these cultivation essentials are exactly what I need to read. Lin Jiufeng read with great anticipation.

Seventh Restriction: Immortal Treasury of the Spiritual Platform.

Unlike the previous major realms, this realm involved opening the immortal treasury of the Primordial Spirit World.

The book stated that every person's Primordial Spirit was a treasure ground inexhaustible in supply and limitless in use.

Cultivation at the Seventh Restriction was the excavation of the treasures within the Primordial Spirit of the Spiritual Platform, hence the name Immortal Treasury of the Spiritual Platform.

How should I excavate it? Lin Jiufeng carefully continued reading.

The founding patriarch had written in great detail.

Different people unearthed different things. Some excavated innate sacred bodies, some excavated immense Primordial Spirit power, while others could only excavate several times their original magical power.

It varied from person to person.

But how should I excavate it? Lin Jiufeng continued reading with this question in mind.

To excavate the Primordial Spirit, one first had to understand its foundation. Only by seeing through one's own Primordial Spirit could one dig up the treasure that belonged to oneself from this treasure ground.

Some people cultivated a Primordial Spirit and comprehended Dao Rhyme, yet understood nothing at all about their own Primordial Spirit. Thus, no matter what they did, they could not excavate any treasure.

Therefore, to break through to the Seventh Restriction, the first step was to understand one's own Primordial Spirit.

Only by seeing through the essence of the Primordial Spirit and comprehending the foundation of one's own Primordial Spirit could one begin excavating treasure.

Reading this, Lin Jiufeng carefully examined himself and discovered that he truly had never properly understood his own Primordial Spirit.

To break through to the Seventh Restriction, I need to thoroughly see through my Primordial Spirit. But how do I do that? Lin Jiufeng continued reading with doubt in his heart.

The founding patriarch had also left behind a solution in the book.

Empty one's thoughts. Regard one's fleshly body and Primordial Spirit as two different selves, then face each other and seek Enlightenment.

Lin Jiufeng racked his brains over how to empty his thoughts.

He pondered for a long time, yet remained utterly without a clue.

A person's thoughts were influenced by the outside world at every moment, giving rise to countless different ideas. To empty them completely, one needed to isolate oneself from the outside world.

Thinking this, Lin Jiufeng looked at the empty Small World. Did this count as being cut off from the world?

Yet even within this Small World, he still could not empty his thoughts.

Suddenly, Lin Jiufeng saw the crystal-clear lake ahead of him. He set down the book, then jumped in.

Splash.

Lin Jiufeng did not control himself to float atop the water. Instead, he sank directly to the lakebed.

At the bottom of the lake, fish and shrimp swam freely, aquatic grass swayed, and silt settled. Lying there, he looked through the clear water and saw the dazzling starry sky.

Splendid, vast, mysterious, beautiful...

It was like the Milky Way had poured backward, spreading before Lin Jiufeng's eyes.

Gradually, he became absorbed in the sight, and his entire being entered a state of Enlightenment.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, a vast river of stars also appeared, encircling his Primordial Spirit.

At this moment, Lin Jiufeng truly saw through his own Primordial Spirit.

The Primordial Spirit surrounded by the Milky Way resembled an ancient star god, shining brilliantly, linked with Lin Jiufeng's heart and mind, communicating without limit.

Boom!

At that moment, every star in the heavens cast down endless rays of light from the incomparably distant void. They passed through the lake water, fell into Lin Jiufeng's brow, entered his Mud Ball Palace, and were absorbed by his Primordial Spirit.

With starlight entering his mind, Lin Jiufeng felt a coolness wash over his entire body. Even his Primordial Spirit felt as though it had been bathed in a spring breeze. Every pore of his body breathed in spiritual energy, and his whole being felt light enough to ascend to immortality.

A line of words appeared before his eyes.

You have seen through your own Primordial Spirit, activated Heaven-Defying Comprehension, and comprehended Moon Rises Over the Sea.