After spending the day at the Ye residence and having dinner, Lin Yan bid farewell to Ye Lingling's parents and prepared to return to the academy. Ye Lingling also planned to return to the academy with him. Seeing Ye Lingling's demeanor, her parents didn't object, only sighing, "A daughter grows up and leaves home."
Lin Yan felt exceptionally happy with Ye Lingling's parents' approval. Holding Ye Lingling's hand, he walked along the road, his steps becoming much lighter.
Before long, Lin Yan escorted Ye Lingling back to the girls' dormitory. Looking at the tender light in her eyes, Lin Yan gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Go back and get some rest."
Ye Lingling nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "You too."
After saying that, she turned and walked quickly into the dormitory building, her slightly accelerated heartbeat seemingly audible only to herself.
Lin Yan watched her figure disappear behind the door, smiled slightly, and then returned to his single dormitory room.
Closing the door to shut out the outside noise, Lin Yan couldn't wait to take out the ancient book he had bought at the auction.
He took a deep breath, calmed his somewhat excited emotions, and carefully turned to the first page.
What came into view were still the same characters and patterns seen on the auction stage, which were regarded as "scribbles" by the world. But in Lin Yan's eyes, these characters were all too familiar. Although they were in seal script, because Lin Yan had been forced by his grandfather to read ancient medical books since he was a child, he also had to learn to recognize ancient characters. Therefore, these characters were not only not difficult for him, but every stroke also had the intimacy of his distant hometown.
He read on, word by word:
The Great Purity Begins, from which the Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things. Those who cultivate immortality follow the laws of Heaven and Earth, refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, returning to emptiness to unite with the Dao, and ultimately reaching the state of Great Purity and Primordial Chaos. This scripture takes "purity" as its core and "primordial" as its foundation, and is called the " Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture ".
"Taiqing... Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture?!" Lin Yan almost exclaimed in surprise. The name, the path described in the general outline of "refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit to return to emptiness, and returning to emptiness to unite with the Dao," was clearly an authentic cultivation system! Moreover, this was not comparable to his family's ancestral health cultivation technique, " Supreme Purity Breathing Technique." This was a complete and rigorous cultivation classic!
He suppressed his excitement and continued reading:
Those who wish to begin should first abstain from meat, alcohol, and other rich foods, avoid noise and worldly disturbances, find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, sit cross-legged, place their tongue against the roof of their mouth, inhale pure and refreshing air through their nose as if swallowing clouds and exhaling mist, letting it sink into their dantian; exhale turbid air through their mouth as if expelling blockages, letting it disperse into the void. Do this once each morning and evening, for three hours each time. After forty-nine days, the turbid air in the body will gradually dissipate, the meridians will begin to open, and one can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body.
After spiritual energy enters the body, one guides it with intention, circulating it along the Ren and Du meridians like water irrigating the meridians. Once the spiritual energy fills the dantian, one refines it using the " Supreme Purity Spirit Concentration Technique the mind and spirit), transforming the spiritual energy into true essence, like building a tower from sand, thus Foundation Establishment. On the day the foundation is completed, radiant light protects the body, making one immune to all diseases, and lifespan increases to two hundred years, officially embarking on the path of cultivation.
After Foundation Establishment, one's true essence gradually becomes more abundant. This true essence is condensed into a pill, known as the Golden Core. This elixir can then be used to temper the muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, making the body as solid as diamond or jade, impervious to swords and spears. Every day, one nourishes the five internal organs with true essence, repairing congenital damage and cleansing acquired impurities. The body becomes increasingly refined and elegant, and the aura becomes increasingly ethereal.
Once the true essence is full, one can use intention to guide it into the sea of consciousness to nourish the spirit. When the spirit is strong enough, it can break free from the shackles of the sea of consciousness, transcend the physical body, and roam the world. Within a thousand miles, one can perceive everything, and command the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to perform magical arts and supernatural powers, such as summoning wind and rain, moving mountains and filling seas...
After closing the ancient book, Lin Yan remained unable to calm down for Jiujiu. His heart was pounding, and his mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
"A complete cultivation technique... the Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture... How is this possible?!" He muttered to himself, "The world rules of the Douluo Continent are clearly dominated by Martial Soul and Soul Power, so how could an Earth-based cultivation system appear? Could it be... because of my transmigration?"
A bold conjecture surfaced in his mind. Perhaps his time travel was not accidental, or rather, his arrival triggered some unknown chain reaction, or perhaps there was a deeper connection between the two worlds that he had not yet understood.
In any case, this is an incredible opportunity for him! If he can cultivate the " Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture ", he may be able to break free from the shackles of the Soul Master system and embark on a completely different path of cultivation.
After the initial excitement came a strong desire to put it into practice. Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the bed and, following the instructions in "Qingling Foundation Establishment Chapter: Breathing and Marrow Cleansing," adjusted his breathing, pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and attempted to sense and absorb the so-called "spiritual energy of heaven and earth."
He calmed his mind, emptied his thoughts, and carefully sensed his surroundings. With his extraordinary spiritual power, he could indeed vaguely sense some active energy particles in the air, different from Soul Power. They seemed more primal and pure, as if they were one of the most fundamental components of the world. This might be what the book referred to as "the spiritual energy of heaven and earth"!
He guided the spiritual energy through his mouth and nose into his body according to the incantation, letting it slowly sink down along a specific meridian route—not the conventional route of Soul Power, but a subtle meridian that is often overlooked in many Soul Master systems—intending to return it to his dantian.
The process was unexpectedly smooth, yet filled with an eeriness.
The absorbed "spiritual energy" did indeed circulate according to the route of the " Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture " after entering his meridians. However, as it circulated, his Soul Power seemed to be attracted or "assimilated" in some way, spontaneously enveloping it and merging with these spiritual energy particles.
More precisely, it is the Soul Power that is actively "devouring" and "transforming" this spiritual energy!
The spiritual energy did not exist independently in the dantian as described in the book, condensing into the so-called "true qi" or "true essence." After being fused with Soul Power, Lin Yan's total Soul Power increased, and the quality of his Soul Power seemed to become more refined and active. However, this increase and refinement was entirely based on the improvement of the Soul Power system, far from reaching the "marrow cleansing and hair removal" and "initial opening of meridians" described in the Daoist scriptures, let alone the condensation of Foundation Establishment.
He persevered for an entire night, repeatedly practicing the " Breathing and Marrow Cleansing " method. The result remained the same: he could sense and draw in a faint "spiritual energy," but this spiritual energy ultimately turned into nourishment for his Soul Power. Apart from some improvement in his Soul Power, his body did not exhibit any characteristics of a "cultivator," such as expelling impurities from his body or sensing the formation of his dantian.
As the morning light streamed through the window, Lin Yan slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Why? The cultivation technique is real, I can feel the presence of that 'spiritual energy,' and the circulation path is correct... but why can't I Foundation Establishment? Why can't I generate independent true energy?" He frowned, lost in deep thought.
"Is it a limitation of the rules of this world?" he speculated. "The laws of heaven and earth in the Douluo Continent may fundamentally favor the Martial Soul and Soul Power system. The so-called 'spiritual energy of heaven and earth' here may be a more primitive and sparser form of Soul Power, or the two may be of the same origin but different structures. Therefore, when cultivating the ' Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture ' in this world, the 'spiritual energy' introduced will be automatically absorbed and transformed into Soul Power by the rules of heaven and earth, making it impossible to independently build the foundation of cultivation—true qi."
"Or perhaps... it's because of this body?" He considered another possibility. "This body of mine was born in the Douluo Continent. From the moment I awakened my Martial Soul, I was completely integrated into the rules of this world. My meridians, dantian, and even my soul have all been imprinted with the Soul Master system. It's like a piece of land that has already been planted with crops; it's very difficult to cultivate a completely different spiritual field to grow another kind of crop."
"Or perhaps... a special opportunity or medium is needed? For example, certain rare and precious materials to change one's physique, or one needs to be in a specific place with exceptionally rich spiritual energy to begin the path of cultivation?"
One hypothesis after another emerged, which he then examined one by one. He lacked sufficient information to verify any of them.
Looking at the Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture in his hand, which contained the supreme Dao but seemed somewhat "unsuited" to the current state of affairs, Lin Yan felt extremely complicated. It was like guarding a huge treasure trove but not being able to find the key to open the door.
Lin Yan sighed helplessly.
Although it didn't truly embark on the path of cultivation, the " Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture " is not entirely useless. It can accelerate Soul Power cultivation and purify the quality of Soul Power, which is a huge advantage in itself.
He carefully put away the " Supreme Purity Profound Origin Dao Scripture." It was not just a cultivation technique, but also his connection to the past world, and the key to potentially breaking through the world's rules in the future. His inability to cultivate now did not mean he would never be able to. As his strength increased and his understanding of the world's rules deepened, perhaps one day he would find a solution.
The most urgent task is to improve our existing strength and lead the Imperial Fighting Team to achieve good results in the Soul Master Tournament.
"We have to take it one step at a time." Lin Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "Let's get to the Soul King level as soon as possible!"
Outside the window, the sky was already bright, and a new day had begun.