Dividing Yin and Yang

The Concealing Breath Art had extremely high demands on the control of origin power, yet this posed zero problem for Tang Tian.

Especially since he had already unlocked one hundred and eight hidden meridians of the heavenly gang and earthly fiend, handling origin power came to him with even greater ease.

It was fair to say that almost no one else could manage such effortless control as Tang Tian.

The Thousand-Face Technique required formidable control over the physical body, and if it were his past life, as a combat-useless alchemist, Tang Tian naturally would have fallen short.

Having practiced such a top-tier physical cultivation art as the Nine-Turn Heavenly Thunder Art, his level of mastery over his own body was matchless; within just a brief moment, he had grown proficient.

Right now, the muscles on Tang Tian's body rippled and shifted, transforming him into an ordinary-looking youth while his aura contracted inward, making him appear like any ordinary person.

Mm, this is quite nice.

Tang Tian smiled and decided to use this appearance on his journey back.

Most people in Starfall City were familiar with his original face.

Being a person meant one still had to keep a low profile.

Night fell swiftly, and Tang Tian sat cross-legged upon a boulder within the Heavenly Thunder Valley.

At this moment he circulated the Primordial Star Scripture, continuously attempting to absorb the external power.

Only, the power of the stars was exceptionally ethereal, and wishing to absorb it required one to first sense the existence of this force.

Much like an ordinary person needing to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in order to become a Meridian Refining Realm cultivator, thereby absorbing and transforming it into their own strength.

The power of the stars was even more illusory than spiritual energy, and as Tang Tian continuously sensed it, he found himself somewhat lacking in strength.

Fortunately, his greatest virtue was stubborn persistence.

In his previous life as an alchemist, for the sake of refining a single medicinal pill, he had often gone without sleep or rest, pressing on until he achieved success even after failing a thousand or ten thousand times.

It was by relying on this stubborn tenacity that he became the most dazzling alchemist in that world.

It was not until the latter half of the night that the moon slanted westward.

Tang Tian finally sensed a thread of illusory power—gentle, sharp, profound, void-like, mighty, vast, and omnipresent!

The moment he perceived the starlight, the circulation of the Primordial Star Scripture within his body abruptly accelerated, establishing a connection with the power of the stars.

Immediately following that, starlight descended from the skies, enshrouding Tang Tian within it.

Bathing in the starlight brought no discomfort whatsoever; on the contrary, it felt exceedingly comfortable.

Unlike heavenly thunder entering the body, guided by the Primordial Star Scripture, the starlight seemed to have found its ultimate destination. Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it poured straight into his dantian.

"Boom!"

Tang Tian even heard a booming roar echo from within his body as his dantian actually began to expand and swell outward at this very moment!

His dantian contained far more than just starlight; thunder force resided there as well. When the two forces met, a collision instantly erupted.

Oh crap—Pfft...

He only had time to curse two syllables before Tang Tian spewed a mouthful of blood.

Cutting off his cultivation technique, the descent of starlight halted, leaving Tang Tian's face deathly pale.

He had been a bit too careless just now, failing to anticipate that the starlight and the thunder force would refuse to yield to one another and actually start a fight.

The most wretched part was that he, their master, was the one suffering an inexplicable and unmerited disaster...

"Kid, you really dare to play with fire. Was it thrilling?"

Fan Siren's voice naturally rang out, infuriating Tang Tian so much that he failed to hold back, and another mouthful of blood spewed out.

"Master Fan, you knew long ago this would be the outcome, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Tang Tian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, unable to refrain from complaining.

Who would have thought that Master Fan would retort in a lukewarm tone, "Kid, why must I tell you everything? Have you ever considered what you would do if I didn't exist, or if one day I were no longer around, how would you cultivate? Could it be that your so-called drive to grow stronger requires relying on me to point out everything, remind you everywhere, offer suggestions at every turn, and lecture you?"

"I—"

Tang Tian was left somewhat dazed by this sudden, fierce scolding.

"You what you? Master will give you another lesson today. In the boundless universe, cultivators are as numerous as grains of sand, countless. But do you know how many astonishingly talented and peerless powerhouses among them were entirely self-reliant, walking to the peak all on their own? If you rely on me for everything now, can you truly grow? Let me ask you, what if one day Master is gone?"

Fan Siren's tone was stern and severe. This time, the water he splashed wasn't just cold—it was boiling oil.

"Master told you, trust no one, and rely on no one. The only thing you can lean on is yourself, and the only thing you can believe in is the sword in your hand! Even if one day Master is no longer around, you must learn to use your own brain to ponder problems and solve them so that you may step onto the peak of the universe! Understood?"

Understood? Understood? Understood?

Those final three words echoed like a tolling bell within Tang Tian's mind, striking deeply at his soul.

No matter how infantile a child might be, eventually they still had to learn to walk and run on their own.

No matter how fledgling and tender a young eagle might be, eventually it still had to learn to spread its wings and soar high!

"Master Fan, I have been taught."

Tang Tian offered his thanks with utmost sincerity.

He felt no resentment or blame toward Master Fan simply for being scolded.

To tell the truth, Master Fan owed him nothing whatsoever; being able to act as his guide was already a profound grace.

A master may lead you through the door, but cultivation depends entirely on the individual. If he could not manage to think for himself, how was he any different from trash?

Having figured this through, Tang Tian calmed his mind to ponder: why could the power of the stars and the power of thunder not coexist?

He raised his head to gaze at the heavens, where the stars shone brilliantly with dazzling radiance.

Looking upon the starry sky, Tang Tian's thoughts drifted, gradually becoming immersed within it.

"Whether it is the stars or heavenly thunder, both are forms of power belonging to heaven and earth, just like the omnipresent spiritual energy. Why can so many forces coexist?"

Tang Tian fell into deep contemplation, faintly sensing that if he could figure out this single question, all other problems would be readily solved.

Within the Primordial Unity Tower, in the Burial Ground of Stars, Fan Siren rubbed his nose and muttered softly, Did I sound a bit too harsh with my scolding just now? If this kid becomes dispirited and utterly crushed by this, it's going to be troublesome. Still, given my brilliance and martial prowess, he should be fine.

He indeed held high hopes for Tang Tian.

Yet powerhouses were never forged by relying on others; the path had to be walked by oneself.

And a powerhouse's path was hacked out with one's own hands!

Tang Tian sat thus upon the boulder, staring blankly at the starry sky until the break of dawn.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling into the Heavenly Thunder Valley and shining upon Tang Tian's body.

"The power of the sun, the lunar power of the moon, the power of the stars, the power of thunder..."

Tang Tian's eyes were dull and unseeing, his mouth opening and closing as he muttered the words over and over, acting as though possessed.

Gradually, life returned to his eyes, flashing with a sharp edge.

"I understand, I understand, I understand, hahahaha!"

Tang Tian abruptly leaped to his feet, spreading his arms wide as his laughter echoed throughout the valley.

"No matter what kind of power it is, the reason it can coexist between this heaven and earth is because of the rules of the Heavenly Dao. Heaven and earth are like a dantian, and the universe is like a person. The cultivation art I practice is akin to the Heavenly Dao rules of this world."

Tang Tian murmured to himself, the brilliance in his eyes growing increasingly lively the more he spoke.

Aside from his foundational realm and experience from the past, his own innate talent and comprehension were what enabled him to figure all this out.

Tang Tian once again sat cross-legged upon the boulder, closing his eyes to steady his mind before circulating the Primordial Star Scripture.

"Whether I draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the power of thunder, or the power of the stars into my dantian, circulating them through my cultivation art means I must follow my own rules. My dantian is like heaven and earth; stars and thunder coexist, just like Yin and Yang opposing yet engendering one another!"

Tang Tian did not draw upon external starlight; instead, he divided the starlight and thunder force already inside his body into Yin and Yang, nurturing his dantian...