Chaotic World Book

San Niang and Chichi were unable to comprehend Zhao Changhe's jest; only Zhao Changhe himself knew that he was still covertly probing the blind girl.

There were two conjectures regarding the blind girl's identity: one, that she was a Book Spirit; the other... that she was Emperor Ye.

It had now been confirmed that the phrases in the Chaotic World Book had originated from her. In other words, the first conjecture had settled, and the second could be ruled out.

Still, Zhao Changhe subconsciously tested her by mentioning "Emperor Ye's cook," referring to feeding her beauty liquid, a connection only he and she would make. What would her reaction be?

There was no reaction.

It seemed she truly was the Book Spirit...

If she was the Book Spirit, it made sense, including her being set with "unable to reveal worldly matters" and "unable to participate in worldly strife." The great surprise of the Kunlun God Demon years ago—"It's actually you" and "You personally took action"—could also be explained. If the Heavenly Book represented a treasure of the Heavenly Dao, the Book Spirit, in a sense, was also a manifestation of part of the world's will. Who had ever seen the world itself physically beat people and steal things? That God Demon's astonishment was then understandable.

Only one thing was perplexing: by nature, the spirit of an object is passive—its existence is purely for that object, much like the Dragon Sparrow, which had no initiative of its own. To punch people and piece together the Heavenly Book might be described as gathering its "own body," but without a master's command, it shouldn't actively shake people in the Otherworld—a bit extraordinary.

Of course, given the high status of the Heavenly Book, explaining its unique Spirit as an anomaly could account for everything; there was no need to overthink it.

Zhao Changhe did not explain further, simply saying, "Chichi, go directly to pick the fruit. Remember to activate your Azure Dragon Technique, or you'll be rejected and unable to pluck it."

Xia Chichi felt somewhat embarrassed. She glanced at San Niang, "There's just one fruit... giving it all to me, is that a bit..."

San Niang was exasperated, "Xia Chichi! I've already told you, I came on this sea voyage to escort you; you better hurry up and make a breakthrough!"

Xia Chichi replied, "You're pretty decent, you know."

Escort? There had been none; rather, there had been plenty of riding upon my man. Could you get off of him, please?

Forget it. With important matters at hand, Xia Chichi was not in the mood for jealousy; she knew dismissing the treasure was pointless and cautiously stepped onto the pond water.

As for the White Tiger Inheritance, she had inherited it in its entirety from her mother; she had not personally sought out much content, nor was she clear on how the Vermilion Bird or Xuanwu inheritances worked. By contrast, the Azure Dragon Inheritance had been pursued by her from the beginning in Beimang; she had a relatively complete understanding of it. Judging by this pond, it seemed that the Beimang Pond behind the mountain simply imitated this one, where the Star Map Array above the Shuilian Cave was actually reflecting the interface of the sea and sky, the true Heavenly Vault above.

Xia Chichi felt as though she had returned to Beimang with Zhao Changhe... Everything was traceable, the beginning and end matched, like a perfectly completed circle, hence her path of seeking the Dao also became a circle.

She gently plucked the Eastern Extreme Fruit, feeling no resistance at all. This pursuit of beginning and end was the most complete alignment with the Law; if the Holy Object was sentient, it would recognize her as the most fitting fated person.

As the fruit entered her belly, a refreshing coolness spread to her limbs and into her Spirit Platform, bringing a moment of clarity.

It was as though she could feel herself transformed into an Azure Dragon, and as she rose out of the water at dawn, it was like the sun rising from the East Sea; with her leap, it was the fierce sun overhead blessing the world.

Qian, the nine-five, Flying Dragon in the Sky.

It wasn't a dragon, but the fundamental Law of the world, commonly known as the Dao.

Zhao Changhe was also looking at the record of the Azure Dragon emerging from water in the Mountain and River Atlas, "Nine-four, perhaps leaps in the abyss. Purely strong, yet not in the middle; not in heaven above, not in the fields below, not in the midst of men; hence 'perhaps.' The 'perhaps' implies doubt; hence no blame."

This record actually revealed why this place was related to mirages of the sea and the refraction of light—why the Light Heavenly Book would fall here.

The aspect itself implied an "array of doubt," and its position was even more illusory; the so-called "not in heaven above, not in the fields below, not in the midst of men" affirmed this.

Thus, the explanation of how to get out was also here.

When the aspect of "perhaps leaps in the abyss" became the Flying Dragon in the Sky, one would get out.

How to transform? The statue would not change; what changed were the environment and the person. When Xia Chichi understood, she left...

Mysterious and more mysterious, transcending the understanding of Martial Arts. Going forward, Cultivation would become very obscure, far from the ease of before. The Third Layer Secret Treasure might still be somewhat attainable, but reaching the Imperial Realm was truly as difficult as ascending to heaven.

San Niang seemed to resonate, watching Xia Chichi sitting before the statue, digesting the fruit on a lotus leaf; she said softly, "The meaning seems obscure; can Chichi really use this to break through?"

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, thinking to himself that despite their fierce disputes, the unity of the Four Symbols Sect was genuine at heart; they truly hoped for Chichi's success.

It would be a wonder if this Sect did not achieve great things.

San Niang merely expressed her worries and did not expect Zhao Changhe to answer, but he did, "The Imperial Realm is uncertain, but the Third Layer Secret Treasure is definitely attainable. Even if a breakthrough doesn't happen right away, it's only a matter of insufficient time; there will be no more thresholds."

San Niang didn't ask him why he was so certain; instead, she asked, "What about you? Have you found a way to your Third Layer Secret Treasure?"

Zhao Changhe absent-mindedly nodded and then shook his head, "There's some progress, but it's still unclear..."

San Niang said, "This place isn't truly ours, so what we gain here definitely won't compare to Chichi, but it's not entirely without help. In our Four Symbols Sect, we have always shared and intertwined strengths. Here, I've also gained some sense of the Imperial Realm, and at the very least, you can improve your Rejuvenation Technique, right? While Chichi is digesting her gains, we should also make the most of our time."

Zhao Changhe grunted in agreement and shared some of the herbs he had picked along the way with San Niang, "At least there are herbs here that can boost cultivation..."

Apart from otherworldly treasures like the Eastern Extreme Fruit, in a land abundant with vibrant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, the most one can find are various types of cultivation-boosting or healing elixirs. Insights into the Imperial Realm might be nebulous, but the advancements in cultivation are tangible and concrete, so much so that one could even share some with others later...

After dividing the herbs, San Niang leisurely moved to another lotus leaf and lay down flat, not moving anymore, "For me, the greatest benefit of this place is having a bed... Do you want to join me?"

Zhao Changhe couldn't help but laugh and cry at the suggestion; he took the medicine himself and sat by the pond to meditate.

What was he still lacking in the progress of his Third Layer Secret Treasure, aside from needing to reach a critical juncture in his cultivation?

The significant improvement here of his Rejuvenation Technique, the vigorous growth of his spiritual power and life force, as well as his recent grasp of Water and Light Manipulation, had all vastly increased Zhao Changhe's combat abilities since setting out to sea. However, at its core, all these were merely indirect benefits and references that offered no direct aid to his Blood Evil Skill.

A breakthrough refers to fundamental cultivation. Just like in the past, no matter how much else he learned, the breakthrough in the First Layer Secret Treasure had to be sought through the Blood God Sect, and the key to overcoming the Second Layer Secret Treasure was to enhance his Blood Asura Body—little to do with anything else.

It was evidently the same with the Third Layer Secret Treasure. All those manipulations of light and water were of no use to the Blood Evil Skill.

However, what was once completely elusive, with no clear path or understanding of what was missing, was now crystal clear.

The First Layer Secret Treasure was about reaching a level where one began to touch upon the nature of the world, being able to merge with and borrow surrounding forces. The Second Layer Secret Treasure was about adapting one's body to cultivation, mastering the transformation of powers—which for him, meant cultivating the Blood Asura Body and transitioning from brute force to the skillful and harmonious utilization of power, balancing the dichotomy.

Because there were no clear benchmarks and everyone's situation varied, people like Vermilion Bird Tang Wan Zhuang and Yue Hongling could at most offer him experience, but could not provide explicit guidance or teaching.

And after so many experiences, even the slowest learner should understand by now that the Third Layer Secret Treasure has to do with the Divine Soul. The Imperial Realm already permitted one's spirit to leave the body; therefore, the Third Layer Secret Treasure was naturally about the process of strengthening the Divine Soul through cultivation.

Vermilion Bird had broken through to the Third Layer because of her Heart Flame, which was how she repaired the deficits in her spirit soul once she had tamed the flame. Regrettably, Zhao Changhe still had no idea what that Heart Flame was used for...

So now, besides accumulating cultivation, he also needed to temper his soul. The means for that were quite clear: the bow made from Dragon Soul Wood and the leaves of the same tree both had a tempering effect on the soul—a supplementary aid from an external object; while the training and understanding of light inside the illusions of the Heavenly Book formed an innate fit for his sea of consciousness, which was similar to the Four Symbols Sect, also filled with starlight. The page from the Heavenly Book was like a pillow being offered to someone dozing off.

If there was anything in this place related to the Blood Evil threshold, it meant that he might need to use methods related to the Divine Soul to obliterate a soul of sufficient significance!

The cultivation of nurturing Blood Evil by killing still held true to this day.

Zhao Changhe slowly opened his eyes.

The pond's spiritual energy was dense and misty, swirling around Chichi on the central lotus leaf. Beneath the moonlight, the scene was blurred and dreamlike.

She resembled the Dragon Maiden in the water and also the Eldest Senior Brother who first stepped into the pond years ago.

Chichi seemed to sense something and also opened her eyes, catching his gaze.

The two exchanged looks for a moment, Chichi gave a slight smile, then suddenly spun around, and in a flash, she was beside Zhao Changhe, bringing with her the fresh coolness of the pond water and her own fragrant scent.

She sat down and naturally leaned on Zhao Changhe's shoulder, looking up at the dim moonlight obscured by the dense foliage, "Changhe..."

"Hmm?"

"It's strange. My cultivation has skyrocketed rapidly in this Creation Land, but I strangely feel like you're still a bit stronger than me..."

Zhao Changhe chuckled, "It's an illusion."

"Whether it's an illusion or not..." Chichi murmured softly, "I only know that it won't be long before we can admire the moon together openly and honorably..."

Zhao Changhe could feel that Chichi had already reached the middle stage of the Second Layer Secret Treasure after just one night...

And she had only just entered the Second Layer Secret Treasure when she set out to sea... The Third Layer Secret Treasure for her was only a matter of time.

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