"So what does this have to do with Primordial Qi?"
System 10086 grumbled. There was already no trace of Primordial Qi left in this.
"Of course it is related. Primordial Qi is Dao Generates One. Beyond that, One generates Two, Two generates Three, and Three generates all things."
"One is Primordial Qi, Two is Complete Nature and Life, Three is the Three Treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and all things are the Inner Universe within the human body."
Lin Xian said leisurely, "Spirit Summoning and Dispatching is a spiritual branch evolved from Innate Qi, the path of the Ghost Immortal."
"It seems to be a rank below Qi-State Origin-Flow," System 10086 commented. When they had handed out the beginner gift package, they had not paid much attention and had merely chosen Qi-State Origin-Flow at the host's request.
Now, it seemed that the host had planned this long ago. Was it accidental, or deliberate?
"That is only natural. What Zhang Huaiyi comprehended had already surpassed his fourth brother, Wugensheng. That was why there was the ultimate of techniques, Qi-State Origin-Flow."
Lin Xian said leisurely, "Human Immortals obtain a technique, Earth Immortals obtain a method, and Heavenly Immortals obtain a Dao. Dao gives rise to methods, and methods give rise to techniques. Qi-State Origin-Flow, the ultimate of techniques, has surpassed techniques and can be considered an Earth Immortal's method."
"Even with Zhang Huaiyi's talent, he still ranked beneath Zhang Zhiwei," System 10086 reminded him. "Have you figured out how to deal with the Old Celestial Master?"
Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei's combat strength had always been a mystery, because no one had ever seen him fight at full power.
Whether it was the Ten Elders or the Eight Extraordinary Skills, Heaven-Connecting Daoist had beaten them all single-handedly. He had not even used his trump card, relying only on basic attacks. Such overwhelmingly superior strength made it impossible to gauge his true realm.
According to the system's calculations, the Old Celestial Master most likely possessed Life Spring Peak combat strength, with a small chance of having reached the Initial Divine Bridge. The key was that the Celestial Master wielded the Five Thunder Righteous Method. Even if it possessed only one ten-thousandth of a Heavenly Tribulation's power, it would still be enough to crush the mortal world.
"Heaven-Connecting Daoist? That is simple. I just need to break through!"
A vast aura rose up. The surging presence of the Life Spring Peak shook the observatory until it seemed on the verge of collapse. His blood and qi shot into the heavens like a pillar of heaven, while Lin Xian stood in the Human World like a war god.
The phone in his hand flashed as a message arrived.
Xia He: I have found Baron. He agreed to meet you. The address is...
"Six Vaults Immortal Thief."
Lin Xian laughed loudly. The thing he had waited so long for had finally arrived. With this Extraordinary Skill, coupled with the World Association's immense wealth, he would be able to refine essence into qi even in a world where Postnatal Essence Qi was scarce, perfectly absorbing nutrients by digesting food.
The Shrouding Method's Self-as-Seed originated from the Chaotic Ancient Era and the Desolate Heaven Emperor.
Back then, the Desolate Heaven Emperor had eaten his way upward. Other than humanoid creatures, no race could escape that great mouth of his.
Eating was precisely the best method of replenishing life energy and filling one's essence and qi.
After informing Feng Zhenghao to prepare a large amount of medicinal cuisine, Lin Xian walked to an open area and opened the Depraved Map. Then he connected with the Life Wheel within his body. The Divine Spring gushed forth, mana arose at once, and a divine rainbow formed beneath his feet like an Immortal Bridge spanning the sky.
Like a streak of platinum lightning, he shot toward the nine heavens, crossing mountain ranges and skimming over winding rivers at astonishing speed.
[The Depraved Map is planning a route for you... You have deviated from the route. Replanning route...] [Warning! Warning! You are speeding, you are speeding!!!]
At the City Traffic Administration's Fifth Branch, an Administrator was handling various traffic violations and speeding incidents as skillfully as usual when the large screen suddenly flashed and a red notification popped up.
"Speeding again. Drive carelessly, and your family will shed tears," the Administrator muttered. Just as he was about to call the nearby traffic police and have them handle it, he caught sight of the speed listed on the violation notice from the corner of his eye. His pupils contracted, and he blurted out, "Holy shit, was that flying too low?!"
"Beep beep beep..." Just as the Administrator stood there dumbfounded, the internal phone across from him rang.
He answered it instinctively, and a voice sounded in his ear. "We are members of All-Management Division Six. We are notifying you now: put down everything you are doing, ignore all abnormalities, and specialists will come to handle the aftermath..."
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting mottled patches of light and shadow. Birds chirped from time to time. At a glance, it was a secluded and tranquil place rarely visited by people.
Xia He sat cross-legged atop a moss-covered rock, silently keeping time. Suddenly, a divine radiance too swift for the naked eye flashed past.
Lin Xian stood before Xia He, examining the graceful woman standing alone. He asked calmly, "Where is Baron?"
"Baron is already here." Xia He smiled faintly and pointed toward the dense forest. "He is playing a little game with you."
"A game? No need."
Lin Xian shifted his gaze. He saw no figure, yet he already understood. This was one of Six Vaults Immortal Thief's abilities. By stealing the vitality of heaven and earth for oneself, one's aura became close to heaven and earth, reaching a certain sense of unity between man and nature, as though invisible.
"Senior, do you need my help?" Xia He asked with a beaming smile, her eyes gleaming.
"Skip..." Lin Xian said.
"Skip?" Xia He froze. What did that mean?
"No commentary."
Gathering his blood and qi and weaving Divine Runes, Lin Xian casually formed a hand seal and shouted, "Wretch, reveal yourself at once!"
In an instant, the vast aura of the Life Spring Peak erupted like a mountain pressing down from above. With a thunderous boom, divine light spanning dozens of meters bore down upon the forest. A massive hand seal crashed down, toppling towering ancient trees like building blocks and smashing through them as easily as cutting tofu, leaving behind a huge crater!
"Xia He." Countless pieces of wood lay scattered within the crater. A blood-soaked foreigner lay on the ground, barely alive, yet he still could not help cursing, "You bastard, you set me up..."
Xia He stood rooted to the spot and instinctively swallowed. Was this even human?
So that attack from that day had not been a finishing move. It had merely been a basic attack.
"Stop playing dead. A successor of Sage Thief will not die that easily." Lin Xian grabbed Baron, casually tossed him onto the grass, and silently watched as his breathing gradually changed from ragged to calm.
His mangled flesh began repairing itself bit by bit, the bleeding stopping at a visible rate. In the end, he looked as though nothing had happened.
However, when Baron got back to his feet, the grass beneath him had already withered yellow. Some of it had even turned to dust and scattered with the wind, leaving behind a large patch of bare ground.
"So this is one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills..." Xia He murmured, deeply shaken.
"Can we talk properly now?" Lin Xian chuckled as he looked at Baron.
Before absolute strength, all words seemed incomparably pale.
Baron fell silent for a while before speaking. "Like everyone else, you want the Eight Extraordinary Skills too. But you do not know how terrifying Six Vaults Immortal Thief is."
"Terrifying? Is it not simply that one's nature cultivation is insufficient while one's life cultivation is excessive? A weak soul cannot control a powerful body, causing the body's desires to swell. Then, because one pursues those desires too obsessively, the heart becomes utterly empty, until one eventually grows so bored that one wants to eat people."
"When desires are satisfied, emptiness follows. When desires are not satisfied, suffering follows."
"All living beings are like this, struggling bitterly without finding liberation. They may possess immortal bodies, yet they lack immortal hearts."
Lin Xian seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. He laughed loudly, then said meaningfully, "If one cannot even pass this trial, what is the point of talking about becoming immortal?"
When it came to eating people, who could compare to the Dark Supremes of Shrouding the Heavens? They treated the universe as a garden of leeks, devouring galaxy after galaxy.
The dragon slayers of the past became evil dragons. The Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors who had protected all living beings in their first lifetimes became the greatest puppeteers of all ages after using the Self-Severing Slash.
What that slash severed was not merely the realms and Heavenly Hearts of the Ancient Emperors and Great Emperors. It also slashed at their Great Emperor Dao Hearts.
Compared to that, Baron's psychological problems were nothing more than a drizzle. They would be far too easy to solve.
Baron's pupils contracted. Remembering Xia He's message and recalling why he had come here, his voice could not help trembling. "You... no, sir. You have a solution."
"Baron, I will only tell you one sentence." Lin Xian stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Mind Monkey returns to righteousness, and the Six Thieves vanish."