When Xiao Yan came to his senses, he suppressed the urge to laugh and, keeping his face expressionless, quickly put the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art he had longed for together with the things in the space he had opened up.
Yuan Qing's mouth twitched furiously. Countless people had wanted this scroll of his cultivation method. Many had offered Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills that even tempted him in exchange, only to leave empty-handed in defeat. Some had even ambushed Yuan Qing, hoping to seize it by force, but had ultimately died at his hands. Some who escaped had later been hunted down and killed by the faction behind him. That was why, although Yuan Qing possessed such a heaven-defying Dou Technique, no one dared rob him of it.
Yet now, for the sake of his future strength and to befriend a powerful expert and establish a connection with him, Yuan Qing had forced down his reluctance and given Xiao Yan the Dou Technique he was proudest of. But judging by Xiao Yan's reaction, he clearly looked down on the Dou Technique Yuan Qing was so proud of!
Yuan Qing sighed inwardly. Disciples of major factions really were different. The thing that had made his name was apparently nothing much in Xiao Yan's eyes. Yuan Qing's gaze dimmed slightly as he looked at Xiao Yan, and his already insubstantial body grew even more ethereal. It seems I'm not fated to have a connection with Xiao Yan. Heh, how could an incompetent old man like me so easily attach himself to a genius with a boundless future? Sigh...
The more Yuan Qing thought about it, the more dejected he became. Just then, however, Xiao Yan suddenly looked at him in surprise-or, more precisely, at his increasingly ethereal body. Yuan Qing's dejected expression made Xiao Yan even more puzzled. Xiao Yan frowned at him for a few moments, then could not resist asking out of curiosity. Pointing at Yuan Qing's body, he asked solemnly:
"Brother Yuan Qing, what's happening to you? Why is your Soul Origin constantly dissipating?"
Xiao Yan's words jolted Yuan Qing awake. One moment he had been lamenting his own plight; the next, Xiao Yan's words brought him to his senses. He hurriedly picked up the jade bottle lying on the ground, the soul power throughout his body continually contracting. Yuan Qing turned into a flash of spiritual light and entered the jade bottle, disappearing once more.
Then Yuan Qing's voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Yan's mind, tinged with apology. "Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan, because of the Emperor's Origin in this world, I cannot show myself to speak with you now. If I have been discourteous, please don't take it to heart. Once I have regained a physical body, I will certainly repay you generously. But for now, all I can do is apologize."
Xiao Yan frowned at this. What did the dissipation of Soul Origin have to do with the Emperor's Origin?
Yuan Qing seemed to see Xiao Yan's deeply furrowed brow, for his aged voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind once more. Chuckling, he cleared up Xiao Yan's confusion. "Hehe, I imagine that in the past, Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan focused only on improving your strength and rarely visited a library to read books and records about the continent. Hehe, let me clear this up for you." At that point, Yuan Qing suddenly paused. The miniature Yuan Qing inside the jade bottle also looked slightly downcast. He sighed and looked up at Xiao Yan outside, his gaze meeting Xiao Yan's puzzled eyes precisely.
Yuan Qing looked at Xiao Yan with a lifeless gaze and murmured dejectedly to himself, "If I were strong enough, why would I be so terrified of my Soul Origin leaving my body? If I were strong enough, why would I still be unable to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art to its peak after all these years? In the end, strength is the foundation of every achievement!"
Yuan Qing let out a lament, then said to Xiao Yan, "To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan, the reason my Soul Origin dissipates is actually connected to my own strength. On this continent, when the physical body of anyone who has not reached the Origin Transformation Realm dies and their Soul Origin leaves it, if they cannot find a new body within a certain time, their Soul Origin will gradually merge with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth and disperse into the world. Only experts who have reached the Origin Transformation Realm can gather the Origin power of heaven and earth for their own use to replenish their expended Soul Origin. Otherwise, no matter what methods you possess or how powerful the expert protecting you, you will disperse into the world, because that is the rule of this world."
Such were the rules of heaven and earth. No one could violate this rule, no one could cross this boundary, and no one could change the Great Dao of heaven and earth in this world. Every person born on this continent had already adapted to it and conformed to the rules and the Great Dao of heaven and earth before they were born.
Such were the continent's rules: all below the Origin Transformation Realm were ants. The physical bodies of those below the Origin Transformation Realm had not yet truly merged as one with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, and would resist it to some extent. When Origin Qi came into contact with Soul Origin, because the soul was the part of the human body that had the most contact with the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, it was also the part most likely to merge with it and disperse. Once Soul Origin entered Origin Qi, it would merge with it. In the end, the Soul Origin would be carried away by the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, scattered throughout the world, unable to gather again.
There was only one way to preserve Soul Origin. On the continent, there was a kind of stone called the Spirit Infusion Stone. This spirit stone was immensely useful to cultivators below the Origin Return Realm. It was the only means of helping cultivators below the Origin Transformation Realm stabilize their Soul Origin and prevent it from dissipating.
As its name suggested, the Spirit Infusion Stone was a peculiar stone that contained pure energy of heaven and earth, resisted the Origin Qi of heaven and earth, and could aid cultivation. Within it was exceptionally pure and concentrated innate spiritual Qi. Because the stone itself was a spirit stone and could contain only the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, the Origin Qi of heaven and earth could not mingle with it. If the Spirit Infusion Stone was divided or damaged, however, its innate spiritual Qi would escape on its own, causing the spiritual Qi throughout the stone to break down and scatter, until it finally became a useless piece of rock.
However, if it was put to good use before the innate spiritual Qi inside had completely dissipated, some of it could be replenished. Spirit Infusion Stones were therefore still popular on the market. After all, this was a world where the strong were revered, and there were many people below the Origin Transformation Realm. Who knew how many faced the danger of their Soul Origin dissipating every day? Thus, whenever a Spirit Infusion Stone appeared on the market, countless experts below the Origin Transformation Realm would come to buy it in a frenzy.
This was not because Spirit Infusion Stones were scarce, but because the major factions had long since bought up the vast majority of them. Only a tiny fraction ever reached the market, so when a Spirit Infusion Stone did appear, it was generally sold at a grand auction.
The reason Yuan Qing's Soul Origin had not dissipated after so long was his strength. But if his Soul Origin stayed outside for too long, it would be affected, bringing his cultivation to a halt and leaving him unable to advance an inch. Of course, part of the reason was also the jade bottle on the ground. The palm-sized bottle was made of Spirit Infusion Stone, which was why Yuan Qing had entered it the moment Xiao Yan reminded him.
"I see. No wonder you rushed into the jade bottle like your life depended on it earlier. But why don't you refine a body for yourself?" Xiao Yan first nodded as though he had finally understood, then asked another question. The moment the words left his mouth, Yuan Qing seemed to cramp up all over.
Yuan Qing forcibly steadied himself before asking, a trace of anticipation in his voice, "From what you say, Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan, do you know how to refine a physical body?"
Xiao Yan was speechless, and his eyelid twitched upward slightly. He looked at Yuan Qing in some puzzlement and asked:
"Brother Yuan Qing, surely you don't lack even a low-level method like that?"
A strange expression appeared on Xiao Yan's face at those words, but he immediately felt that his tone had been wrong and gave an awkward smile.
Yuan Qing's mouth twitched at this. Had Xiao Yan really come out to gain experience? He was clearly here to deal blows to people.
Yuan Qing sighed inwardly, then explained to Xiao Yan:
"Refining a physical body is a matter of life and death. Anyone who knows how to do it has already been taken away by the higher-ups of the major factions. Apart from a few powerful old seniors who refuse to be controlled by others, those who remain are merely people with the most superficial grasp of refining a body.
"Besides, not just anyone possesses that kind of secret refining art. Most are held by major factions or ancient clans, and outsiders have no chance of obtaining them."
The envy on Yuan Qing's face was plain to see as he spoke.
Xiao Yan, however, was speechless for quite a while. On the Dou Qi Continent, methods for refining physical bodies were low-level secret arts that basically anyone with a bit of strength knew a few of.
But here, you can't even find one. Tsk, tsk, it seems I've arrived in a barren wasteland.
Xiao Yan was still reflecting to himself when Yuan Qing continued.
"It's not because secret arts for refining physical bodies are scarce, but because our strength is still too weak. People at our realm and level of strength are no more than bottom-rung existences in others' eyes. They simply disdain to help us refine bodies. Even though some of them are no stronger than us, they know how to refine physical bodies. That alone is enough for them to look down on many people at their own level."
Xiao Yan had originally thought those people's strength was nothing much, but when he heard that people of their strength were no more than ants, he was slightly shocked. The strength of a Dou Di was nothing much; even a Dou Di was a bottom-rung existence. If even those who had reached that level were only at the bottom, how powerful and terrifying must the existences at the peak of this continent be? The mere thought made Xiao Yan break into a sweat. He had not expected this otherworldly continent to be so powerful.
Xiao Yan recalled what Old Ghost Yan Mo had told him. He waited here for me for ten years, and I was the very person he was waiting for. But this is my first time here. How could there be anyone I know? Even Hun Tiandi died long ago. How could those people have found him? It seems I'll have to return to the days of training alone. But that's fine too. I'll unravel these layers of mist one step at a time!
After considering everything that had happened that day, Xiao Yan nodded firmly, his eyes full of resolve.
Over the following period, Xiao Yan used various materials he already had to refine another physical body for Yuan Qing. Yuan Qing also knew Xiao Yan had other things to do, so after adapting to his new body, he quickly departed, leaving Xiao Yan alone for the remaining time.
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