Avatar, Inner Threefold Samadhi

Staring at the strand of rat fur in the glass bottle, Zhou Yao's expression turned somewhat strange.

Previously, in order to find affordable, high-quality Mythic Material, Zhou Yao had deliberately combed all of Yin Mountain City, even taking the initiative to explore several God-Abandoned Ruins.

The name God-Abandoned Ruins was merely something concocted by idle busybodies. In essence, they were fragments that had accidentally fallen from the Celestial Circuit Realm, producing these phenomena after merging with reality.

A God-Abandoned Ruin might be an attic, a Daoist temple, or even a forest, carrying Lost Mythology into the present world.

The overwhelming majority of God-Abandoned Ruins held no value whatsoever. Even if they produced anything unusual, it would be picked clean soon after their arrival.

The several God-Abandoned Ruins around Yin Mountain City had already existed for decades and had fully developed into tourist spots for residents' everyday outings. Only ordinary people dreaming of becoming Mythic Walkers through other means would take an interest in these long-abandoned ruins.

Of these God-Abandoned Ruins, the oldest was Yellow Sand Valley, which occupied the northwest of Yin Mountain City and had existed for over two hundred years.

Within Yellow Sand Valley, fierce winds howled almost every moment, sweeping yellow sand across the sky. It was considered the most distinctive sight around Yin Mountain City.

Some Mythic Walkers believed there had to be a source behind the boundless gale. Yet over two hundred years, countless Mythic Walkers and the Yin Mountain Warden had searched tirelessly, even hollowing out more than half the valley, but they had never found its source. In the end, they could only regard it as a natural feature of a God-Abandoned Ruin.

The strand of rat demon fur in Zhou Yao's hand had been found in Yellow Sand Valley.

With his eyes capable of seeing through mythology, Zhou Yao spotted this strand of rat fur with a panel at a single glance amid the flying sand.

From the panel's description, Zhou Yao learned that the rat fur was protected by divine wind and hidden within the boundless yellow sand, visible only to the rat demon race.

But there were no rat demons in the present world, which was why no one had discovered its secret in two hundred years.

Had Zhou Yao not been able to see through Mythic Material, he probably would have overlooked that insignificant strand of rat fur hidden in the sand.

"This strand of rat fur not only has a mysterious origin, its quality also surpasses every Mythic Material I've ever seen.

"Of the Mythic Material found on those antique streets, the vast majority do not even possess the most basic quality. Only a small number of costly pieces can reach the quality of Spiritual Dust.

"Though I don't know what level False God Ember is, it is at least above Spiritual Dust. It is absolutely sufficient for creating my first avatar."

Holding the glass bottle in his hand, Zhou Yao paused slightly, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"More importantly, the vague description of this rat fur, along with the valley of endless yellow sand outside Yin Mountain City, gives me an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"It seems to share several traits with a certain demon king from my memories."

"That demon king was a great master of divine powers even in the Mythic Era. Ordinary immortals and Buddhas would find it difficult to rival him.

"If this truly is a strand of fur he left behind, then using this Mythic Material as the foundation, I may have some hope of plucking that great divine power."

At that thought, even Zhou Yao could not help feeling excited as he removed the rat fur from the glass bottle.

Zhou Yao had possessed this Mythic Material for some time, but before today, he had always lacked Mythic Factors and therefore had not completed Avatar Creation.

Some scholars believed that Mythic Factors had been called spiritual energy, elements, or aether in ancient times—the foundation of extraordinary power.

But the extraordinary was difficult to find in the present world. To obtain Mythic Factors, one could only enter the Celestial Circuit Realm.

Most entrances to the Celestial Circuit Realm were controlled by the Human Federation authorities. Only after becoming a Mythic Walker and registering with the authorities could one enter the Celestial Circuit Realm through official channels.

Under normal circumstances, Zhou Yao had no right to obtain Mythic Factors at all.

Fortunately, from the moment the Yin Mountain Metro had first appeared, Zhou Yao had discovered that it, as an instance of Mythic Invasion, contained a certain amount of Mythic Factors.

By absorbing that chilling aura whenever he rode the Yin Mountain Metro, he could steadily accumulate faint Mythic Factors each day. The amount was not large, but it was stable.

However, the Yin Mountain Metro harbored unknown dangers. To be safe, Zhou Yao had not chosen to remain inside it for long periods, instead mingling with the crowds during his daily travels and slowly absorbing the energy.

If not for accumulating Mythic Factors, why would Zhou Yao deliberately ride the Yin Mountain Metro when he knew it was abnormal?

As the Yin Mountain Metro expanded, the rate at which he accumulated Mythic Factors increased somewhat. Only today had he finally gathered the 100 Mythic Factors needed to create an avatar.

"The preparations are complete. It's time to try making contact with Lost Mythology."

As his thoughts shifted, the Mythic Factors on the panel before Zhou Yao's eyes began diminishing at a visible pace. He could clearly sense the chilling aura he had accumulated over these days pouring into the rat demon fur in his hand.

The next moment, a light breeze appeared in Zhou Yao's palm.

The golden rat fur began to glow. Tiny motes of light peeled away from it, spinning through the air as they gathered.

More and more motes converged, gradually outlining a small figure.

Its limbs formed first, slender yet powerful, its claw tips gleaming gold. Its torso then solidified, dense golden fur covering its entire body, while a long, nimble tail extended from behind.

Its head gathered last, pointed ears standing upright, with a pair of amber eyes especially striking on its tiny face.

The entire process lasted three minutes.

When the final wisp of light dissipated, a palm-sized yellow little mouse appeared in Zhou Yao's hand. Perhaps influenced by Zhou Yao's own perception, it bore a faint resemblance to a certain famous electric mouse from his previous life.

Its entire body was golden yellow, with faint windblown sand swirling around it. Those golden grains rotated and flowed with the rhythm of its breathing.

Zhou Yao felt a wondrous connection form.

It was not the relationship between a master and a pet, but a connection between himself and another body.

Zhou Yao could sense every detail of that body, control its every movement, and even perceive the world through its senses.

With a thought from Zhou Yao,

the avatar immediately leaped from his palm, flipped through the air, and landed steadily on the desk.

The sensation was exceedingly strange. Zhou Yao could perceive both bodies at once: one was his human body standing before the desk, and the other was the mouse-shaped avatar standing atop it.

The two perspectives appeared simultaneously in his mind, yet they did not conflict.

He tried controlling the avatar. The yellow-furred mouse raised its front paw and gave a light hop across the desk, landing on the laptop keyboard. Its tiny claws stepped on the keys, producing faint clicking sounds.

Zhou Yao could clearly feel the sensation of its claw tips touching the plastic keys, as well as the slightly cool temperature emanating from the keyboard's surface.

Filled with curiosity, Zhou Yao looked at the yellow-furred mouse's panel.

[Avatar: Unnamed

Rank: Scavenger

Fate: Great Sage, Great Thief (Unfathomed)

Talent: Inner Threefold Samadhi (False God Ember): Having gained a trace of True Samadhi Resonance, it can empower Wind Arts and enhance their might. Should it comprehend the mysteries of samadhi, it may aid in evolving its innate divine power.

Spell: Flying Sand and Rolling Stones (Stirs up sand, dust, and stones to conceal one's form and vanish without a trace. If empowered by True Samadhi Resonance, it can wield the sand and dust as a heavenly calamity with great magical power, swallowing all things!)]