The simplified "Qi-Yi Primordial Shield" (thanks to Golden Jasmine for becoming an Alliance Leader)

Li Yu sat cross-legged, his mind focused.

He had now left the Purple Origin Palace and returned to his own body.

As he circulated Taiyi Starshine, a strand of divine sense slowly sank from between his brows into his Crimson Palace like a ghostly light. There were no extraordinary signs; his heart merely flashed faintly red, and he reached Whirling Illumination.

Once divine sense occupied his Crimson Palace, his true essence and spells all gained a commander, like soldiers who finally had a general.

Li Yu kept his eyes closed, savoring the unfamiliar realm of Whirling Illumination.

With a stir of his mind, the radiance formed from the world's killing metal qi in his lungs flickered faintly. Then, within a few breaths, it contracted sharply into a strand of keen cutting energy.

This meant he had mastered "Yi Light Condensing Edge."

Li Yu was somewhat surprised. He had only been drawing qi from Jin Ling for a month or so. At his previous pace, he should have needed at least another half a year to master this spell.

Was this the enhancement that came from reaching Whirling Illumination and establishing divine sense in the Crimson Palace?

Pondering this, Li Yu opened his eyes and exhaled.

A pale white stream of qi shot from his mouth like a flying sword.

It hissed.

A nearby tree so thick that two people could barely encircle it was cleanly cut in two. With a tremendous crash, its upper half struck the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

At the sight, Li Yu nodded in satisfaction.

He had gained another killing technique.

What delighted him even more was that, now that he had reached Whirling Illumination, his lungs-which had been emptied by casting the spell-began actively drawing in the world's killing metal qi. He no longer needed an external converter like Jin Ling to perceive it.

This was because, after reaching Whirling Illumination, all the spells he cultivated formed frameworks centered on his Crimson Palace.

In the Galaxy Alliance's terminology, they all now had backups. Once a spell was used up, its framework would follow its previous pathways and replenish itself automatically.

With that thought, Li Yu practiced all the other spells in the Taiyi True Explanation. He discovered that each required less divine sense and true essence, yet delivered greater power.

Micro-Yi Qi Control allowed him to manipulate finer, subtler changes, while Wandering Yi Void Step moved him twice as fast.

Even without talismans, Yi Xiao Mystic Thunder could now be condensed and unleashed much faster, no different from when he had been at his peak before Foundation Establishment.

Finally, Li Yu cast Taiyi Starshine again.

In an instant, it was as though a third eye had opened on his forehead. The small grove around him, the stream in the distance, the dewdrops on blades of grass along its banks, and the animals darting through the woods all became perfectly clear, as plain as a fire before his eyes.

Even the world's killing metal qi that had dispersed after his earlier Yi Light Condensing Edge strike was marked within Taiyi Starshine's field of vision. It stood out vividly at the tree trunk's smooth cut, resembling a thick layer of pale golden mist.

Li Yu also spotted a spiritual herb shimmering with blue light in the grove. Hidden among weeds taller than a person, it was quietly drawing in spiritual energy from the world. Without hesitation, he plucked it from a distance with Micro-Yi Qi Control and placed it in his storage pouch.

This was one of Taiyi Starshine's abilities: marking things imbued with spiritual energy within his field of vision.

If he used it to gather pearls, he ought to make a handsome profit.

Li Yu felt he could learn how to film and edit short videos, then see whether gathering pearls along the shore could attract viewers and earn him some Star Coins.

If he could find a supreme-grade Spirit Pearl like Ying Ruomu had, he would be even more confident of establishing his foundation again.

Li Yu then used his divine sense to circulate his Taiyi true essence and found that it obeyed him as naturally as an arm moved its fingers. The time needed to absorb the world's spiritual energy and complete one cycle of the Taiyi Scripture had shortened to one-third of what it had been.

This was far more than a mere doubling of efficiency.

He felt it would not be long before he broke through again and reached the eighth level of Qi Refinement. His foundations would also be sturdier and more substantial than before.

Next, Li Yu attempted to cultivate "Qi-Yi Primordial Shield."

This was the last spell in the Taiyi True Explanation that could be cultivated during Qi Refinement. Once mastered, a mere thought would summon an invisible qi shield around his entire body, leaving no blind spots. It could block every spell below Foundation Establishment and was not subject to the counteracting properties of yin, yang, or the five elements.

However, mastering this spell first required cultivating a wisp of "Taiyi primordial qi." This belonged to the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement in the Taiyi True Explanation and was also the foundation that determined whether one could eventually transform it into "Taiyi immortal qi."

It had originally been impossible for Li Yu to master it at his current level. But after reading the Taiyi Divine Chapter and the Taiyi True Explanation, Su Wen had suddenly felt a spark of competitive spirit. He wanted to prove that whatever Jiang Taiyi could do, he could do as well.

Thus, Su Wen had simplified "Qi-Yi Primordial Shield" once more.

Instead of enveloping the whole body, it now covered only a few vital areas.

The neck, heart, Crimson Palace, and crown of the head, for instance.

These were all prime targets for an opponent during a magical duel. Condensing a single patch of "Qi-Yi Primordial Shield" to protect them could greatly improve one's chances of survival.

Su Wen had allocated another tenth of his main body's computing power to this task. After simplifying it, he named it "Su-Yi Primordial Shield."

Li Yu thought the name sounded a little awkward, but applauded nonetheless.

Although the simplified "Su-Yi Primordial Shield" offered less protection than "Qi-Yi Primordial Shield," it could be condensed using Taiyi true essence. Its advantage was that Li Yu did not have to wait until the thirteenth level of Qi Refinement.

Li Yu was deeply grateful. He felt more and more that his ninety-nine Star Coins had been well spent. The educational resources of Great Expansion Academy were simply incredible.

After he had sat upright for a long while, a layer of pale blue-white light suddenly appeared before Li Yu's heart. It formed a round, invisible qi shield that firmly protected his chest.

Yet the moment this "Su-Yi Primordial Shield" took shape, Li Yu felt that his Taiyi true essence had diminished by thirty percent.

This prompted him to dispel it immediately and return the true essence to his lower dantian.

Now that he had mastered it, however, he could incorporate it into his own framework, back it up through Whirling Illumination, and cast it again whenever he needed it.

Su Wen's modified "Su-Yi Primordial Shield" had two casting methods. The first was what Li Yu had just done: using divine sense to gather and refine true essence. This could block the vast majority of Qi Refinement spells.

The other used Whirling Illumination to cast it instantly, but offered only one-third of the first method's defensive strength.

Still, defensive spells like this generally needed to be cast instantly when they mattered most.

After all, an enemy launching a sneak attack would not give you time to react.

After mastering the shield over his heart, Li Yu did not continue experimenting.

He had only just reached Whirling Illumination, after all, and still needed to consolidate his cultivation. This was also something Su Wen had emphasized during an earlier lesson.

It had been one of the key points he listed.

Just as Li Yu rose, preparing to visit the harbor and learn more about pearl gathering, a violent surge of spiritual energy rose within Haо City.

Li Yu looked over and saw an enormous Blue Lotus burst open in midair, transforming into invisible ripples of spiritual energy that spread outward.

"A sect summons-blue!"