Whirling Illumination

"Teacher, the Eastern Lands where I live are rife with conflict, and great battles often break out. So I think I'll need to focus on magical combat in the future." After thinking for a while, Li Yu voiced his thoughts.

For him, the most important thing right now was staying alive. As long as he lived, the possibilities were endless.

"Magical combat? That's not really my specialty. I may not be able to teach you that in the future," Su Wen said after hearing him out.

He devoted all his computational power to researching formations and avatars. His ability in magical combat was practically zero.

But as a top student at the Great Evolution Academy, Su Wen had no need to worry about his safety. His true body remained hidden at the academy and never left.

Whenever something needed doing, he only had to split off a strand of divine consciousness and have an avatar inhabit an artificial body to go out in his stead.

"I looked through the Taiyi Divine Chapter. Its strongest divine ability for magical combat is the Primordial Unity Divine Sword. But if you want the means to secure a place for yourself and survive in these troubled times, I actually think Taiyi Divine Illumination would suit you better." Taking his responsibility as a teacher seriously, Su Wen offered his opinion.

Confusion appeared on Li Yu's face, but knowing that his cultivation was far below Su Wen's, he immediately asked for guidance.

Taiyi Divine Illumination was the original divine ability from which Jiang Taiyi had simplified Taiyi Starshine. As for what the ability actually did, Li Yu had no idea. His access privileges did not yet allow him to read the complete Taiyi Divine Chapter.

"Taiyi Divine Illumination is a divine ability that sees through heaven and earth. Once you cultivate it to Mahayana, the entire universe will lie within your gaze. Unless a cultivator of the same realm conceals something, everything will be visible to you down to the finest hair."

"The best way to deal with danger isn't to overcome it with overwhelming power. It's to perceive beforehand where the danger lies and how it will arise, then prevent it in advance-or simply avoid it."

"And Taiyi Divine Illumination is a technique of divine consciousness. It's ideally suited to establishing the framework of your cultivation through Whirling Illumination."

Hearing Su Wen's analysis, Li Yu felt as though nectar had been poured over his head, bringing sudden enlightenment.

That's right.

Why insist on meeting danger head-on? Why not just avoid it?

So this was the true way to use Taiyi Starshine.

Back when Patriarch Jiang Taiyi was only in the Nascent Soul Realm, he had dared to venture onto a battlefield where dynasties rose and fell to observe Emperor Tianwu, a man at the very pinnacle of the immortal path. He had probably relied on mastering this divine ability.

"Please teach me how to advance to Whirling Illumination using Taiyi Starshine, Teacher Su." Once Li Yu understood, he immediately sought Su Wen's guidance with humility.

"Taiyi Starshine?" Su Wen was a little puzzled. Wasn't it Taiyi Divine Illumination?

After listening to Li Yu's explanation, he examined the Taiyi True Explanation and marveled at Jiang Taiyi's simplified version. "Send me this Brother Jiang's contact information. His insight and talent may be no less than mine. I'd like to get to know him."

After all, every heaven-tier cultivation method represented a path to Mahayana.

Although the path laid out by the Taiyi Divine Chapter could not be completed for certain special reasons, its theory was sound. Modifying and abridging such a cultivation method while preserving the essence of every divine ability was no less difficult than mastering the Great Evolution Academy's Thousand Mechanisms Evolution.

"Patriarch Jiang failed to reach Spirit Transformation and has already passed away in meditation," Li Yu answered honestly. His estimation of the patriarch soared straight to its highest point.

"What a pity." Su Wen shook his head and sighed.

Then Su Wen tapped the large screen behind him. A virtual Li Yu appeared on it, his heart shining like a morning star, illuminating his entire body.

The heart was the human body's crimson palace, also known as the middle dantian.

To advance to Whirling Illumination, one had to plant a strand of the purest divine consciousness there and turn it into a divine seed. From then on, the cultivator would have a foundation, the body would have a core, and the soul would have a place to receive nourishment.

With divine consciousness in the heart, one could nurture the heart's essence blood.

Among the various schools of the Mystic Sects, many powerful offensive spells and divine abilities required heart's blood as a catalyst.

Although Li Yu had previously reached the qi refinement ninth layer, he had only vaguely sensed this. He had assumed that heart's blood would naturally develop after Foundation Establishment.

Only now did he understand that the key to cultivating heart's blood lay in having divine consciousness take residence in the crimson palace.

"These are the essential points for advancing to Whirling Illumination. Is there anything you don't understand?" After using his computational power to run through the process for Li Yu, Su Wen displayed the possible problems and key points on either side of the virtual Li Yu on the screen. Arrows linked them to the corresponding parts of his body, making everything clear at a glance.

Li Yu shook his head repeatedly to show that nothing could have been clearer. He rose, intending to log out of the Purple Origin Palace, return to his true body, and begin putting it into practice.

"Stop, stop, stop! What are you doing? I haven't dismissed class yet!" Seeing Li Yu stand up, his body beginning to fade, Su Wen called him back.

"Teacher Su, is there something else?" Li Yu looked puzzled. The bell marking the end of class had clearly rung ages ago.

"You've only mastered the theory. In practice, you could still fail. It's rare to have a sample like you cultivating the Taiyi Divine Chapter. I need to make the most of you." Su Wen's words gave Li Yu an inexplicable sense of unease.

He felt as though he had become an experimental specimen.

"Come with me!" Su Wen led Li Yu to another classroom, which contained rows of humanoid puppets. Pointing at one of them, he said, "Take residence in this artificial body. It will let you simulate the cultivation process of your own fleshly body while in a state of divine consciousness. Even if you fail, all we'll lose is this one body."

There are even perks like this! As expected of the Great Evolution Academy!

Feeling more than ever that his ninety-nine star coins had been well spent, Li Yu asked how to take residence using his divine consciousness, then eagerly entered the body.

Then Li Yu failed his first attempt to advance to Whirling Illumination.

The artificial body abruptly flickered, then turned into strings of data and dissipated within the laboratory.

Li Yu stood there awkwardly. Su Wen pointed at another body, signaling for him to continue, and added, "These consume computational power. Computational power costs star coins, so it'll all be deducted from your account."

"Teacher, I don't have many star coins left in my account." Li Yu immediately grew anxious.

"It's fine. Use it first. We'll talk once your balance runs out," Su Wen replied without concern.

Li Yu's face fell. But then he thought of the ninety-nine star coins he had already spent. A little more would hardly make a difference, and this was for his own cultivation, after all.

Next, to save star coins, Li Yu went over the key points Su Wen had explained for Whirling Illumination again and again. He also reviewed what he had learned from his first attempt. Only after confirming that he had overlooked nothing did he begin his second attempt.

Lacking confidence in himself, Li Yu had already prepared for another failure and planned to treat it as accumulated experience. To his surprise, this time he actually

succeeded outright.

Huh, this kid's insight seems pretty decent.

Su Wen thought this to himself as he watched a point of light appear in the heart of Li Yu's artificial body, shining like a brilliant star and illuminating the whole body.