Primordial Divine Sense, Transforming Nature and Developing Artifice

Before the character was even formed, Qiu Yan's body changed. A "consciousness" containing intention, perception, soul power, and a trace of Heart Fire burst forth from his body and attached itself to the Spring and Autumn Brush.

Instantly, Qiu Yan felt a deep connection with the Spring and Spring and Autumn Brush. This feeling was indescribable, as if his consciousness had extended outwards, establishing a nervous system within the Spring and Autumn Brush that connected with his thoughts, allowing him to control it as easily as his own arm.

"Divine Sense! This is a condensed Divine Sense!"

The next moment, Qiu Yan had a sudden realization, and although no one explained it to him, he understood what the changes before him represented.

The Third Realm of Nature Cultivation has four phases: the first phase is the emergence of Heart Fire, the second phase is the Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul, and the Third Tier is the arising of the soul like blood by thought and the generation of inner Divine Sense.

During the stage of Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul, the soul can already withstand Yang Qi, so after Spirit Projection, it can possess the body and control objects. However, as long as it controls objects, the soul will not leave the body. But if one condenses Divine Sense, even if the soul does not Spirit Projection, a wisp of Divine Sense can fly out to control external objects, making the physical body safer.

Before Scholar Forest, Qiu Yan had only just entered the Third Realm and had only condensed his Heart Fire. However, after entering the forest, he first used the Realm Stone to advance his Soul-Nourishing by the Corporeal Soul, and now, after experiencing several transformations in his State of Mind, he has condensed a Divine Sense.

Advanced two levels in a row!

However, this Divine Sense is still very primitive and does not contain any special characteristics. Complete Divine Sense are derived from Cultivation Method, possess various characteristics, and can Spirit Transformation.

"Back then, Tang Lai had only condensed his Divine Sense, but he practiced the Upper Spirit Three-Turn Art, which allowed him to switch between souls, making him a formidable fighter. However, this Cultivation Method has too many limitations, and although I retrieved it from his memories, I did not cultivate it."

After Qiu Yan realized that he had gained Divine Sense, some memories surfaced in his mind.

"Without the corresponding cultivation method, it will take some effort to complete the Divine Soul. However, it will be able to deal with the Black Skeleton suppressed in the bookshelf."

Several souls were still suppressed in Qiu Yan's bookshelf. The Black Skeleton he met in the Land of the Divine Remains was one of them. This person had condensed the Divine Sense of a skeleton. Although he was suppressed, he could never be reformed. Now that Qiu Yan had also condensed his Divine Sense, he had more methods at his disposal.

The souls of the Black Skeleton, the Crow Daoist, and others were suppressed and imprisoned, unlike the souls of Bei Ming and others who were attached to the Long River. Therefore, they were not pointed out by the old man.

These thoughts flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, but he quickly gathered his thoughts and instead transmitted his insights. Following his Divine Sense, he wrote them in the Void—

The reason why life is so is called nature...

This is from the essay "Rectifying Names," which elaborates on and describes human nature.

As each word flowed smoothly into existence, the surrounding cracks grew denser and continued to expand, threatening to engulf the entire illusion!

The malice from all directions, though it once again rushed into Qiu Yan's heart, was captured by his inner insights and directly transformed into Literary Thought!

As Qiu Yan wrote, the perception transmitted from the Soul Aperture became increasingly abundant. These insights were derived from divine power, a process that consumed a great deal of divine power but also brought about perfect understanding.

Originally, even if this insight were absorbed by the Divine Spirit Body, Qiu Yan would still be able to understand it. However, the current focus is not on comprehension, but on imbuing it into the tip of the brush to shatter the illusion. That's why it was transmitted over. Otherwise, if the Divine Spirit Body had directly absorbed it, Qiu Yan's Divine Soul would have gained the same benefit. After all, although the two seem to be two separate individuals, they are actually one person, both being "Qiu Yan".

The two bodies are moving in separate ways, just like two hands doing different things; there is no inherent distinction between primary and secondary tasks.

In a flash, Qiu Yan's pen took a turn—

... to achieve the common aspirations of all under heaven, and to possess them all...

This section begins to describe using nature to guide and govern, since the purpose of analyzing problems is not to criticize or show one's own nobility, nor to highlight one's own difference, but to solve problems.

As the article unfolds, words appear to float in mid-air, gradually revealing a strange and ancient, simple artistic conception.

The words Qiu Yan wrote were not written on a whim, but rather derived from the writings of Sage Sun, and were in line with this illusory realm. As the writing continued, Qiu Yan's understanding of that Sage deepened.

"The idea that human nature is inherently evil is not something Sage Sun deliberately made to startle people, nor is it speculation. Rather, it stems from the fact that in the era he lived in, morality and Order had collapsed, and the strong preyed on the weak. Without restraint, the darker side of human nature was uncontrollably revealed. Therefore, for Sage Sun, this inherent evil of human nature was not an argument, but a personal experience, a reality! He pointed it out not out of cynicism, but to confront the deep-seated evil within people..."

As Qiu Yan wielded his pen, his thoughts drifted, as if he were about to touch something, and more and more insights arose in his heart.

"Based on this, the Yin-Yang aspects of this Scholar Forest are also reflected in the same way. The Light Side shows the brilliance of Human Thoughts, while the Dark Side subtly touches on the worst aspects of human nature. This has nothing to do with race or nationality, but rather originates from human nature! Even Sage would not hide or evade this. No one is perfect. We should not avoid it, but rather strive to improve it."

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan moved his hand, writing down the last character. Then, with a push of his feet, his frail body soared into the air, reaching the very top of the floating text. With a wave of his hand, he completed the four characters in one breath.

Transforming Nature and Developing Artifice!

The moment those four words were formed, the entire article burst forth with dazzling light!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Cracks spread, the surroundings crumbled, and the cracks expanded in all directions of the illusion!

As the illusion shattered and fragments scattered, the hidden objects were revealed and came into Qiu Yan's view. He looked up and saw a towering ancient tree.

A faint sense of calling compelled Qiu Yan to raise his hand and reach out to touch the ancient tree. However, the tree was ethereal and clearly not a physical object. When Qiu Yan touched it, ripples spread across its surface.

The ripples continued to expand, quickly covering the entire tree trunk. The tree suddenly disintegrated, turning into light that converged towards Qiu Yan!

Within Qiu Yan's body, the essay "Exhortation to Learning" spontaneously emerged, echoing his inner voice!

At the same time, on the Yang Side of the Scholar Forest.

This is a dense forest, the ground covered with Doubt Frost. An invisible protective barrier covers an area of ten miles. Light and shadow flow on the barrier, isolating the breath. Although the trees inside the barrier constantly emit faint Literary Thought, they cannot break through this barrier.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Four figures darted through the forest at great speed.

A moment later, the four figures stopped. They were three men and one woman, all slender, dressed in strange, tight-fitting clothes, with their hands hanging at their sides and sharp nails. Most strangely, each of them had a long, thin tail trailing behind them.

The four tails are either curved or straight, or wrapped around the waist.

After stopping, the four looked around, their eyes flashing with a sharp light. If you looked closely, you would find that all four of them, regardless of gender, had pupils that were all vertical lines.

Vertical pupils!

After looking around, the woman asked in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Second Brother, are you sure it's around here?"

"Indeed, the great formation sealed this place, and the Sage Ancient Tree must have sensed it," the tallest man among the four replied. "According to the divination, this tree should be the one that Howling Moon Pavilion found back then. They plundered two strands of Sage Spirit from it, and the tree moved on its own."

Another person chimed in, "I've long heard that the Sage Ancient Tree is different from ordinary Tree of Responding People. Not only does it contain more profound Literary Thought, but it can also spontaneously shift when threatened. No wonder you had us set up a grand formation beforehand, Second Brother."

The last person said, "Now that we've checked most of it, that tree shouldn't be hiding for long. We just need to stay calm..."

However, before the man could finish speaking, a blinding light suddenly burst forth from the nearby Lin Zhong!

Where the light shone, an ordinary-looking tree suddenly grew wildly, becoming taller and larger, with gnarled roots and vines intertwined, and in the blink of an eye it pierced through the air, constantly releasing various fluctuations of Literary Thought from within, and several spiritual entities were wrapped around the trunk!

"Huh?" The tallest man was taken aback at first, then his expression changed drastically. His tail suddenly straightened, and the hair on his tail stood on end. "Someone has triggered the inheritance of the Sage Ancient Tree. This ancient tree is about to be passed on!"

"What?" Before the other three could react, the tallest one had already jumped out. While still in mid-air, he lashed out with a claw, his soul's Heart Fire and his Divine Sense roaring!

Meow!!!

A deafening meow erupted in mid-air, Divine Sense intertwined to form a cat, its massive claws, gleaming with a cold light, reaching out to grab the tree!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amidst the thunderous explosion, the enormous cat-like shadow flashed with the radiance of Seven Souls, which circulated Seven Souls times, giving rise to internal Yang Fire!

The flames surged outwards, and guided by Divine Sense, they transformed into a cage, about to engulf the ancient tree. However, the ancient tree sensed a strong threat and its instincts were triggered!

Twisted, exploded!

The branches and leaves burst open, and the light emitted became even brighter, with a beam of light shooting into the sky!

Call!

The beam of light burst forth, instantly shattering the cage of Yang Fire!

"Oh no, that Sage Ancient Tree has escaped!" The other three finally came to their senses and were ready to give chase, but then a series of crackling explosions came from the sky. The invisible protective barrier was shattered by the beam of light, and then a flash of bright light appeared. The radiance had already reached the horizon and then disappeared without a trace.

"Hmm!"

"Second Brother!"

The three looked at each other blankly, then heard a muffled groan. They quickly turned around and rushed over to catch the man falling from the sky.

"This time, our plan backfired. That Sage Ancient Tree originally transmitted one or two spiritual legacies, but after we threatened it, it was completely uprooted! Even if there wasn't much spirit left, this entire root... cough cough..."

The "second brother" mentioned by the three said a few words, and his soul became somewhat distorted. In the previous move, he had activated his potential, but it was directly broken, and he suffered a backlash as a result.

Seeing his appearance, the other three looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

"How could someone suddenly activate the ancient tree's inheritance for no reason? It's too much of a coincidence..." one person muttered.

Upon hearing this, the woman thought of something, "Didn't that Zhang Qin we met earlier say that a passage had been opened in a Continent, and there would be a large-scale influx into the forest? Things in this world are interconnected, and there can't really be so many coincidences. In my opinion, it's very likely that the people of that Continent have touched upon the inheritance. We might as well go and investigate. We can't let others benefit from our efforts!"