"His strength only reaches the level of Nine-Star Dou Sheng?!"
Why is that?
Upon hearing Gu You's words, Xiao Yan's expression immediately changed. He was surprised. Just a moment ago, Gu You had said that the Origin Return Mantra could allow cultivators to reach the Yuan Zun Realm. How could he have become a Nine-Star Dou Sheng in the blink of an eye?
"Hey kid, what's the rush? I haven't finished speaking yet."
Gu You chuckled lightly, making a teasing remark, then his old face turned serious as he continued:
"As I just said, the Origin Return Art can indeed allow a cultivator to reach the Yuan Zun Realm, that's true. However, I also said that the Returning Origin Return Art that your ancestor cultivated could at most only allow him to reach the Nine-Star Dou Sheng."
"Um?!"
Xiao Yan was taken aback. Could it be that the Origin Return Art was divided into higher and lower levels?
The moment Xiao Yan had this thought in mind, Gu You immediately spoke up.
"As far as I know, the Origin Return Art is divided into three volumes..."
"That's really true!"
Xiao Yan was stunned, and the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. He hadn't expected that there really was such an outrageous technique.
"The first volume of the Origin Return Art can elevate a cultivator's strength to the Dou Sheng level, eliminating any bottlenecks before reaching the Nine-Star Dou Sheng."
"What!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was immediately shocked. A cultivation technique that could eliminate bottlenecks—just for that reason alone, the Origin Return Art Technique was already terrifying!
As we all know, the path of cultivation is arduous and difficult. Countless ambitious people have stagnated due to bottlenecks on their cultivation path, causing their strength to stop improving. Their original great cultivation potential has come to an end because they cannot break through their own cultivation bottlenecks. In the end, the former cultivation geniuses can only fade into obscurity.
There will never be a shortage of people on this continent who go from geniuses to good-for-nothings. For example, Xiao Yan back then, or Bai Zhan who once rivaled him. Of course, the latter was just pretending, but even so, he could not escape the eyes of the world.
The bottleneck in cultivation can be seen as a barrier that hinders countless people on the path to becoming strong. If you can break through it, the future will be smooth sailing. Otherwise, you will be forever imprisoned on the other side of the barrier, and you will only be able to become a supporting character for others in this life.
But now, the Origin Return Mantra can actually free cultivators from various bottlenecks on their cultivation path. Doesn't this mean that as long as one cultivates the Origin Return Mantra, even someone with the worst cultivation talent can become a powerful figure overnight?
Who doesn't yearn to transform into a dragon? Who doesn't wish to become an unparalleled powerhouse, renowned throughout the land and revered by all? It is precisely for this reason that so many powerful figures on the continent are driven mad by the Origin Return Mantra.
"Don't be too happy yet. This is indeed the reason why the Origin Return Mantra is so popular, but becoming a strong person is not that easy. Even the Origin Return Mantra cannot be without any bottlenecks."
Just as Xiao Yan was reeling from the terrifying power of the Origin Return Mantra, Gu You Xiao Yan a bucket of cold water on his head, instantly pulling Xiao Yan out of his reverie.
"As I just mentioned, the Origin Return Mantra is divided into three volumes, each with its own advantages. However, to truly elevate one's cultivation to the Yuan Zun using the Returning Origin Return Mantra, the three volumes must work together in harmony."
"The first volume can help cultivators raise their strength to the Nine-Star Dou Sheng, just like your ancestor. However, the Nine-Star Dou Sheng is the limit of this first volume. To break through this barrier, you must cultivate the second volume."
"Similarly, the second volume can only raise a cultivator's strength to the Origin Return Realm. To break through, one must cultivate the third volume. The transitions between each volume are the Half-Emperor and Origin King realms, and the Yuan Sheng realm after the Yuan Zun realm. After cultivating the Origin Return Mantra, the time and difficulty required to break through these three realms will be several times that of ordinary people. However, even so, it cannot conceal the fact that the Origin Return Mantra is powerful!"
"I've heard that a thousand years ago, someone accidentally obtained the complete set of this cultivation technique, which allowed him to rise to become a peerless powerhouse renowned throughout the continent in just a hundred years. Even in that era, few could match his strength. One can only imagine how terrifying this Origin Return Mantra truly is!"
In the end, even with Gu You's composure, a look of horror couldn't help but appear on his old face. One could imagine that in just a hundred years, he had become an unparalleled powerhouse who had astonished the continent. How could this not move people?
A hundred years may seem like a long time, but in the eyes of cultivators, it is but a blink of an eye. Thinking of the Four Great Sects in the Western Region, which of their sect leaders did not cultivate for hundreds of years to reach their current achievements? In contrast, when comparing the two, it is as if these people have been sleeping their whole lives.
"Whisper..."
Xiao Yan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. If the latter had already shown this expression, he was naturally no better off. After a while, Xiao Yan gradually regained his composure and his gaze returned to the scroll in his hand. Suddenly, Xiao Yan felt that this incomplete scroll had become much heavier.
If what Gu Tou said is true, then the incomplete scroll in his hand is related to Xiao Xuan's strength after his resurrection. Facing Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yan dares not be careless or negligent in any aspect.
" Elder Gu, can you tell which part of the Origin Return Mantra this fragment belongs to?"
Xiao Yan raised his gaze, turned to Gu You beside him, and asked curiously.
Although there were many words on the tattered scroll, Xiao Yan couldn't understand any of them, let alone tell which volume it was.
"Well... I don't know either. It just depends on whether you have the chance to find the rest of the fragments. You can't tell anything from this small piece alone. If it weren't for the strange thing that happened to this jade bottle at the auction, I wouldn't have realized that this was actually the Origin Return Mantra."
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Gu You shrugged helplessly. Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel annoyed. Helpless, he could only keep it safe for the time being. As for the remaining fragments that Gu You mentioned, Xiao Yan would naturally try his luck, since it concerned his ancestor Xiao Xuan.
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan glanced again at the jade bottle he was clutching tightly in his right hand, a smile appearing on his face.
"Ancestor, please wait a little longer. As soon as I have collected enough Soul Origin, I will repair your soul as soon as possible!"
Then, Xiao Yan turned around and stood up, heading out of the cave. But just as he put the Xiao Yan bottle into his Storage Ring, a faint light shone from the bottle, so faint that Xiao Yan didn't even notice it.