The lingering traces of past existence, the naturally dissipating aura of existence in the present moment, and the potential aura of the myriad possibilities of the future that have not yet materialized but have been pre-deduced and manifested by the Great Dao of Wanyan Great Dao —all these descended from the depths of the aura wall, transforming into countless Formless and intangible long rivers that crisscrossed and permeated the entire Root of the Nose Root Emanation Domain.
Suddenly, all the energy traces trembled in unison, conveying the same ancient Dao intent to Qin Yu. "I am your energy." Qin Yu remained silent, offering no reply. A second batch of energy traces appeared in response, their Daoist rhymes advancing layer by layer. "The past has already happened, and only I cannot deny it."
A trace of past history, heavy with the weight of time, stretched forward first, drawing ever closer, followed closely by a clear and bright trace of the present. "The past is gone; the present is you." Countless chaotic traces of the future vibrated and roared incessantly, "If the present is everything, why can you continue to evolve?"
"I am you." "Choose me." "Confirm me." "As long as you can smell me, you can prove that you are still here." The boundless wall of energy slowly approached, and billions of primordial energies belonging to Qin Yu intertwined and wrapped around each other, weaving a vast net of energy that covered the heavens and the earth.
With a slight thought, Qin Yu merely sensed and lightly smelled a wisp of it, and in an instant—BOOM!!! That subtle aura suddenly surged and exploded. He had not acknowledged, not recognized, not been obsessed with it; it was merely a brief pause of his mind to sense it, and that trace of aura split on its own, giving rise to countless new tributaries.
"If this is me," the first possible new beginning quietly takes shape. "If this is not me," the second opposing trajectory emerges in response. "If it only represents my past self," the third defining branch slowly extends. "If it represents the root that currently exists..."
The fourth primordial trajectory quietly takes shape. Each time a layer of thought and judgment arises, a new aura is generated; each new aura, in turn, forces out more opposing, defining, and speculative judgments.
In the blink of an eye, what was originally a faint trace of energy had split and multiplied, transforming into a vast network of energy covering half of the void, layer upon layer, omnipresent. Qin Yu immediately focused his mind and withdrew his senses.
However, the vast aura did not dissipate. Because of the act of "actively withdrawing perception and actively abandoning definition," a completely new primordial aura remained. "I give up confirming this one." A new branch was born again. Qin Yu's eyes were deep, and he had completely understood the perilous core of this trial.
This is the true constraint and killing intent of "Smell Attachment". As long as any trace of energy is chosen as the "origin of self", one will immediately anchor one's existence and establish a solid foundation for existence.
Once the anchor point is established, the Wanyan Great Dao will take it as its core, endlessly deducing, questioning, and evolving: Why am I who I am? What experiences constitute my true self? Which future trajectory will still be me? To what extent will I, through self-transformation and metamorphosis, cease to be myself?
With a changed physical body, am I still myself? With a shifting Fate Soul, am I still myself? With my past trajectory rewritten, am I still myself?
The endless questions about the origin will revolve around that initial wisp of "self-awareness," constantly giving rise to new traces of existence, new definitions of opposites, and new shackles of obsession.
The final outcome is never annihilation by a single aura or death by a single definition, but rather complete submersion by the infinitely multiplying and stacking of "self-affirmation," trapped in self-obsession, forever unable to transcend...
Qin Yu stood silently, no longer sensing, defining, or seeking truth from falsehood. He also did not rush to activate any supernatural powers to break the deadlock.
He suppressed the thought of "Return to Origin and Sever Retracing" in his heart. The myriad traces of energy before him all originated from himself and from his own heart. Forcibly stripping them away and eradicating them would only sever the great questioning and original answer of the Nose Faculty Trial, resulting in avoidance rather than transcendence.
The "Star Wancai Key and the Edict of Returning to Zero" is equally useless. There are no external disturbances or Outer Dao here; all shackles arise from one's own attachments, and the path to zeroing has no way to exert its influence.
"Void Source · Dream Stillness" can smooth out countless chaotic traces of energy, returning them to the origin of Emptiness, but its essence is still "actively eliminating Non-Self energy and actively defining the true self," still deeply trapped in the obsession of "choosing and discarding the self," and has never escaped the game.
The "Book of Fate Law - Realm Severing Origin Brush" can penetrate the boundaries of traces and distinguish the authenticity of trajectories, but Qin Yu has never summoned it. Once he begins to analyze "which trace best matches his true self", he has already stepped into the obsession loop set up by the Smell-Derivation Beast and actively entered the game.
Even the "Silent Beginning: Ring Master Soul Diagram" was not used by him this time for self-anchoring.
Eye Faculty Trial, he firmly guarded his original mind with his heart, and suppressed himself with the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel. He solidified his core with the phrase "I am who I am", so that countless illusory possibilities could not steal his original self.
The Nose Faculty Trial allows for deeper inquiries and more thorough questioning.
If even the thought of "I want to guard my self" exudes a traceable and tangible aura of origin, then the act of "anchoring oneself to oneself" is itself a breeding ground for "Smell Attachment."
Qin Yu stood quietly in the center of countless traces of energy, his mind clear and free from attachment and stagnation. He no longer bothered to distinguish the myriad traces, nor did he seek the so-called truest trajectory of himself. He reversed all his obsessions and deduced them from the opposite direction.
When the vital energy of the physical body dissipates, am I still there? Yes. When the Fate Soul vanishes, leaving no trace, am I still there? Yes. When all past experiences leave no Wuhen, and time leaves no mark, am I still there? Yes, I am still there. So—if even the thought of "I exist" doesn't need deliberate confirmation or proof?
All the turmoil in Qin Yu's eyes subsided and returned to clarity. At this point, he fully understood the essential differences between the three trials. The Eye Faculty Trial was about letting go of attachment to a certain "visible image".
The Ear Faculty Trial is about letting go of the obsession and desire to be heard and responded to, while the Nose Faculty Trial points directly to the deepest and most hidden fundamental constraints. Everyone has an attachment: I must confirm my existence. Qin Yu never denied this thought, because deliberately denying it is itself another form of confirmation.
He never engaged in self-deception or falsely claimed that he Does Not Exist; such forceful denial would only create another false definition that would need to be maintained for eternity. He simply completely removed all his obsession with seeking external verification or internal validation.
No need for a physical body to prove my existence, no need for Fate Soul to prove my true self, no need for past traces to define my origins, no need for a future path to promise my destination, no need for heaven and earth to leave even a trace to prove "Qin Yu once set foot here," I am who I am.
This unchanging original intention, for the first time, is no longer an obsession that needs to be repeatedly maintained, verified, and confirmed, but has quietly sunk into the depths of the heart, returning to a natural state that needs no proof and no words.
Qin Yu was still Qin Yu, but he no longer sought any proof of his existence from heaven and earth, from time, or from himself. Boom—on the air barrier, billions of auras belonging to Qin Yu suddenly stopped and fell Ji Ran.
The past energy remains, the present energy remains, and the energy of countless possibilities for the future has not dissipated. However, all traces of energy have suddenly lost all meaning in the struggle for "self-origin" and the definition of "true self-belonging," simply because Qin Yu no longer seeks himself or confirms his existence from any trace.
A faint trace of future energy brushed past him, which Qin Yu let come and go without welcoming or rejecting it. A thick trace of past energy wrapped around his wrist, which Qin Yu treated calmly without rejecting or detaching himself. A wisp of clear present energy rose from his chest, which Qin Yu accepted with equanimity without grasping or clinging to it.
The countless traces of energy could all be attributed to Qin Yu, but they no longer needed to bear the original responsibility of "proving their own existence." Gradually, the countless traces of energy flowed around his body, going back and forth. Whether there was energy or not; whether there Wuhen or not.
All the changes and transformations could not shake that undeniable, unverifiable, and fundamental existence. At this very moment—deep within the Nose Root Emanation Domain —a long, ancient breath resounded. Whoosh—The entire boundless wall of air suddenly bulged outwards, expanding completely. Inhale—
The countless streams of Qin Yu's energy that crisscrossed the void were all drawn by an invisible force, flowing back to the deepest part of the Emanation Domain. Qin Yu slowly raised his eyes, Smell-Derivation Beast, and it appeared in the world.
The first thing to appear was not the head, the torso, or the limbs, but an endless shadow that covered the entire Nose Root Emanation Domain. The shadow had no ink color and no concrete color.
Qin Yu was able to clearly perceive its presence because wherever the shadow passed, all the energy in the world flowed backward, changed course, and returned to stillness.
The countless streams of energy that originally stretched across the barrier of energy and had been solidified since time immemorial now seemed to have encountered a bottomless abyss, all bending towards the center and sinking inward.
The ten-thousand-foot ribbon, forged from the fragrance of flowers, curls inward, and the ancient, scorched breath left behind by the destruction of the world changes course and flows back. The life force of billions of living beings, which has lasted for thousands of years, rises from the thick, mountain-like atmosphere.
Even the Nose Root Emanation Domain, which had not yet taken root and formed, all changed direction and headed towards the same destination. At this moment, the entire domain inhaled in unison.
Boom! The air wall was silent and without any rumbling or vibration, yet the magnificent phenomenon of millions of miles of airspace collapsing inward simultaneously created a visual impact that shook the very foundations of the universe, as if an entire world had been instantly emptied by an invisible giant lung.
A colossal, boundless beast silhouette slowly rose from the depths of the qi barrier. Qin Yu's pupils narrowed slightly, his mind trembling. It was enormous and boundless. It was the head of a supreme beast slowly rising from the center of the vast Sea of Qi.
Without fur, flesh, or bones, the entire skull was formed by millions of layers of translucent air currents intertwining and solidifying.
The outer layer of airflow is clear and transparent, like the first wisp of primordial energy at the beginning of creation; the middle layer of airflow is continuous and flowing, carrying the life essence of all living beings throughout the ages; the deep layer of airflow is deep and heavy, sealing the ancient remnants of the decay of heaven and earth, the destruction of civilization, and the decay of time. The myriad energies penetrate each other without colliding, always firmly maintaining the magnificent outline of this supreme beast head.
It has no eyes; where ordinary eyes would be, there are two slowly swirling, breathless voids, deep and bottomless, containing all things. It has no ears, no mouth, and no form of any mortal creature.
The most awe-inspiring sight on the entire skull is a giant, vertically piercing nasal slit running through the center, seemingly reaching to the heavens and the earth. This slit has no ordinary nostril shape; it is like a primordial abyss spanning the realms of "breath" and "absence."
On both sides of the abyss, twelve layers of overlapping and rotating semi-transparent air rings are arranged in a staggered pattern.
Each layer of the aura has its own breathing and its own laws. The first layer absorbs all the tangible flavors and worldly atmospheres of the world, while the second layer contains the life energy of all living beings, which continues to exist and is subject to birth and death.
The third layer carries the hidden lingering charm of the rise and fall of all Fate Soul and the cycle of reincarnation; the fourth layer absorbs the ancient Dao breath that has been accumulated over the ages and changed countless times; the fifth layer records the traces of existence left by all things as they pass through and all living beings linger.
Layer by layer inward, the absorbed things become more and more primordial and closer and closer to the core of existence, until the deepest twelfth layer, where even the fundamental primordial aura permeating the thought of "my existence" has nowhere to hide and is completely absorbed.
With a slow exhale, the Smell-Derivation Beast unleashed its breath, and all twelve layers of energy rings surged forth, unleashing countless streams of primordial energy. In an instant, countless ancient and modern phenomena appeared in the airspace surrounding Qin Yu.
In a corner of the sky, the primordial energy of the newborn universe lingers; in a realm, the ancient breath of civilization's demise and the end of an era settles; in the distant, majestic clouds, the complete life essence of billions of beings from birth to death is compressed and frozen in a moment, vividly depicting the myriad forms of life and death.
Each exhaled breath, falling into the Emanation Domain, naturally transforms into landforms, forming mountains and rivers; as the breath falls, mountains rise; as the breath condenses, rivers arise; as the rhythm disperses, wastelands stretch endlessly. Then—inhale.
All the newly formed landforms and myriad auras shed their forms and returned to nothingness, only to be swallowed back into the body of the Smell-Derivation Beast. With each breath, all things were born and died, and all forms were reincarnated.