The subject has no smell, the object has no smell; it is born from the void, exists throughout the entire realm, and ultimately returns to the void. Qin Yu cannot determine its location, yet he can truly perceive its existence.
It was because he was smelling it; more precisely, the "it" that Qin Yu smelled was the very source of his own senses, the very principle of "smell." The third Emanation Guardian —the "Smell-Derivation Beast"—has appeared in the world.
"You come from the Hearing-Derivation Beast." A vast and profound Dao intent arose directly within Qin Yu's senses, needing no sound waves or words, naturally clear and distinct. "You have learned to listen, without clinging to being heard."
Above the qi barrier, countless qi rippled and pulsed gently. "Very good." That ancient breath slowly spread and expanded around Qin Yu. "But here, the problem is exactly the opposite."
Qin Yu stood silently, not uttering a word in response. In an instant, a primal force far exceeding any previous tracking touched and enveloped Qin Yu's entire body. The Smell-Derivation Beast was sniffing him. It did not sniff his flesh and blood, nor his Fate Soul and foundation, nor did it seek any external residual aura.
What it sniffs is Qin Yu's "smell" itself. When Qin Yu seeks its origin with a single thought, this thought is thoroughly smelled. When Qin Yu pursues the third fragment deep within the air wall with a single thought, this obsession is understood.
Qin Yu deduced the true meaning of tracking the Realm Without Qi in a single thought, and this contemplation was preserved.
All the obsessions of "wanting to smell all things and seeking the truth" have left behind in this ancient breath Source Dao that is clearer and more profound than any external scent.
"Within your eyes, you are fixated on 'seeing'." The Daoist essence of the Smell-Derivation Beast flowed slowly. "Within your ears, you are fixated on 'being heard'."
With each exhale, the air barrier expands outward, giving rise to a myriad of new energies; with each inhale, countless energies converge, and all traces fall silent. "Upon reaching the root of your nose, your obsession deepens, becomes more hidden, and more fundamental." Qin Yu's brows furrowed slightly, his mind calmly comprehending. "You enter the Wanyan Ancestral Land, seeking fragments and reciting the name of the Great Ancestor."
"You have traversed the roots of sight, breaking through the 'Attachment to Seeing'; you have passed through the roots of hearing, breaking through the 'Hearing Attachment'." "Every step you have taken has radiated your existence to the heavens and earth." On the surface of the qi barrier, a slender and long trace of qi suddenly appeared, clearly outlining Qin Yu's past trajectory.
Qin Yu's pupils narrowed slightly. This trace shouldn't exist. Since entering the Realm Without Qi, he had dissipated all external traces, leaving no trace. Yet, on the Qi barrier, his path was clearly visible.
Stepping into the Wanyan Ancestral Land, entering the True Evolution Divine Hall, breaking through the Eye Faculty Trial, breaking free from the shackles of "Attachment to Seeing," traversing the Ear Faculty Emanation Domain, severing the chains of "Hearing Attachment," until finally reaching the Secret Realm of the Nose Root.
Every experience transforms into subtle, primordial remnants, interconnected and endless. "You think you're smelling the ancient aura left behind by Wanyan creations." "But your nostrils always point outward, always seeking outward." That sourceless breath quietly landed before Qin Yu. "You yearn for a response, yearn to find the truth, yearn to discover the fragments."
Qin Yu remained calm and did not answer, silently bearing this question. "This is merely a superficial obsession." Whoosh—the ancient breath suddenly faded, gradually becoming nothingness. The billions of qi within the barrier receded and fell silent.
Just as the sense of existence of the Smell-Derivation Beast had almost completely dissipated, and it was about to pass away, Qin Yu suddenly sensed a unique aura that was unprecedented and could not be classified.
It is neither fragrant nor foul, neither pure nor impure, neither born nor dying. It does not depend on the physical body, nor does it entrust its Fate Soul to the body. It does not retain the foundation of the Dao, nor is it involved in cause and effect. It originates from the deepest part of existence, from the core obsession of the origin of all things.
For the first time, a clear ripple appeared in Qin Yu's eyes as the Dao intent of the Smell-Derivation Beast slowly rose from this wisp of primordial aura. "Your true obsession has never been about smelling external things." Deep within the Qi barrier, all the Dao traces belonging to Qin Yu's existence Return to One towards the center. "What you are obsessed with is smelling your own existence."
... The entire Nose Root Emanation Domain suddenly froze completely, time and space stood still, all energy fell silent. Qin Yu stood silently, his mind fully comprehended. "Use your senses to confirm that you are still here." A series of traces suddenly lit up. "Use your senses to confirm that you have not Return to Emanation the void."
The second ray of light appeared. "By smell, confirm—I am me." The third, deepest Source Dao slowly lit up, penetrating the inside and out, reaching the core of the Dao. This phrase transcended the appearances of the six senses, striking directly at the origin of existence.
Eye Faculty Trial, he held fast to his true self, refusing to let countless illusory possibilities rob him of his core; now, Nose Faculty Trial, the Smell-Derivation Beast points directly to a more hidden and fundamental shackle of the same origin.
Every living being, in its very nature, will subconsciously seek out the traces it has left behind, using the remaining breath of heaven and earth to prove its existence; using the traces of the world to show that its self has not perished.
No one sees me, no one hears me, but as long as there is still a trace of my breath and a hint of me in the world, I can tell myself that I still exist and have not yet returned to oblivion.
This hidden, unnoticed obsession with verification is the only undying and identifiable source of energy in the Realm Without Qi.
What the Smell-Derivation Beast track is never some external, illusory trace, but rather the undying, age-old, fundamental obsession within Qin Yu's heart—the pursuit of self-affirmation. "This is the Ultimate trial of the Nose Root Emanation Domain."
The ancient breath of the Smell-Derivation Beast suddenly spread throughout the entire area, and the invisible Dao rhythm gently penetrated Qin Yu's body, mind, and soul. There was no impact or harm, only the manifestation of reason. Behind Qin Yu, the original trace of energy that Does Not Exist before completely manifested.
Extending from beneath his feet, it traverses the Realm Without Qi, crosses the Ear Faculty Emanation Domain, penetrates the Eye Root Secret Realm, and stretches all the way to the outside of the True Evolution Divine Hall, passing through all past trajectories.
This is not the path taken by the physical body, but the Source Dao trace of "self-existence" that has been preserved since time immemorial.
"If you are fixated on smelling yourself—" Countless traces of the same origin emerged around Qin Yu. The present self, the past self, the self that may continue in the future, and the self that may return to nothingness in the future.
Deep within every trace lies the same age-old conviction. "I am me." You will never grasp the truth. Boundless barriers of energy slowly approached from afar, and countless primordial auras locked onto Qin Yu at the center.
The Endless breath of the Smell-Derivation Beast completely Return to One with Qin Yu's primordial existence. "If you yearn to confirm your own existence—" All the primordial energy traces belonging to Qin Yu suddenly shone brightly. "You will completely transform into the energy itself, forever trapped in the obsession at the root of your nose."
Qin Yu stood calmly in the center of the billions of primordial energy traces, his mind clear and unmoved, refraining from rashly attempting to break the deadlock. The Ultimate constraint of the third trial was now fully revealed. "Smell Attachment." The Ultimate paradox of the Realm Without Qi was thus perfectly resolved.
Even when there is no energy in the heavens and earth, and no trace of anything, the Smell-Derivation Beast can still accurately lock onto its target, simply because as long as there is a trace of the obsession to "prove its own existence," this obsession itself is the first wisp of primordial energy that all living beings can never hide.
"If you desire confirmation of your existence—you will become the aura itself." Before the last wisp of Daoist meaning from the Smell-Derivation Beast had dissipated, the boundless aura barrier spanning the entire Nose Root Emanation Domain had already quietly changed.
Initially, at the center of the qi barrier, only a trace of qi unique to Qin Yu appeared. It stood suspended in mid-air, colorless, without any worldly scent or trace of physical life. It was a more primordial and thorough remnant of existence, a "traces of existence" automatically left by the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth after Qin Yu stood here, traversed the past, and made countless choices.
In the next instant, the second, third, tenth, hundredth, and ten thousandth traces of energy appeared one after another. Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind clear. The thousands of traces of energy were all different in shape and foundation, and were by no means replicas of the same origin.
The leftmost aura, carrying the weight of countless ages, belongs to Qin Yu from the past. It extends from the depths of countless experiences that have long since settled. Every step taken, every life-or-death situation faced, and every choice made to take root has left a unique and indistinguishable primordial resonance within this aura.
The past atmosphere, layer upon layer, clearly distinct.
Some are weighty and profound, bearing the marks of time; some are sharp and fierce, concealing the ambition to break through barriers and compete; some are quiet and indifferent, returning to silence and dormancy; and some have undergone dramatic changes, their styles before and after being completely different, as if they were two different people.
Despite their myriad forms and vast differences, they all share the same origin— Qin Yu. Subsequently, the aura of the present moment slowly manifested.
This is the clearest and most authentic trace. It extends straight from where Qin Yu is standing to the depths of the vast Qi wall. His physical body texture, Fate Soul foundation, Dao foundation essence, past experiences, original mind cognition, and that unchanging self-confidence of "I am who I am" are all condensed into it, engraving the most authentic trace of his existence at this moment.
Following closely behind—a myriad of possibilities for the future burst forth, buzzing—
The entire boundless gas wall suddenly stretched backward, expanding layer by layer. Countless transparent temporal layers extended from the depths of the gas wall into the endless void, and within each temporal layer, a future gas trace unique to Qin Yu was born.
One future trajectory leads him to break through this realm and complete the third trial; another future trajectory leads him to stop at the Nose Root Emanation Domain, stagnating and unable to move forward; further away, numerous traces of energy vary in length and direction. Some stretch endlessly, with vast roads ahead; some break off in an instant and vanish abruptly; some are intertwined with other traces from birth, then split and branch out, unfolding countless different paths ahead.
Ten, ten thousand, hundreds of millions... The number skyrocketed until the numbers completely lost their meaning. Qin Yu stood still in the void, his figure motionless. The entire vast and boundless Nose Root Emanation Domain was completely filled with the primordial aura of countless "Qin Yu".
No second physical body was born here, nor did any future phantom appear, yet his aura was omnipresent, covering the entire area.