Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Deep within Lin Sheng's Changsheng Abode, an intense golden radiance suddenly emerged from his body, spreading across his skin until his entire surface appeared to have been cast from pure gold. The light penetrated his robes, outlining his physique with a brilliant sheen, while the immense vitality contained within his flesh and bones surged in a steady rhythm, causing the spiritual energy gathered inside the meditation chamber to tremble in response.
The transformation had finally begun.
After two years of secluded cultivation, Lin Sheng had successfully integrated the third divine ability seed, Rainbow Illusion Butterfly, into his Golden Body.
Unlike the integration of an ordinary divine ability, which might produce a brief surge of power before gradually settling into the cultivator's foundation, the fusion of Rainbow Illusion Butterfly had triggered a more profound change. The divine ability had been nurtured by his Golden Body, and as its structure merged with his physical foundation, the spiritual characteristics contained within the seed spread throughout his flesh, bones, and Qi-Blood Furnace, establishing a connection between his immense physical vitality and the spiritual power that governed his consciousness.
The golden radiance surrounding him grew brighter, and for a moment, his body seemed to possess a faintly translucent quality, as though the flesh and bones beneath his skin had become a vessel through which an extraordinary power was flowing.
Yet Lin Sheng barely noticed any of it.
His attention was entirely occupied by the transformation taking place within his Sea of Consciousness.
At that moment, his internal spiritual form stood within an endless expanse of golden light, staring at the enormous structure that had gradually taken shape around his True Spirit.
The Yellow Origin Star Diagram had changed.
Previously, the spiritual platform supporting his True Spirit had consisted of eight distinct layers, each representing a stage of refinement in his Shen, with the entire structure resembling a towering altar that connected his spiritual foundation to the mysterious star diagram suspended above it. Now, as the surrounding golden light slowly converged, another layer began forming beneath the existing structure, its surface covered in countless intricate markings that resembled the patterns of ancient stars.
The ninth layer gradually stabilised.
A profound resonance spread throughout his Sea of Consciousness, and the entire platform tower trembled before settling into a state of perfect stillness.
Lin Sheng's internal spiritual form stared at the completed structure.
Nine layers.
The platform surrounding his True Spirit had finally reached its full height, forming a towering structure that resembled a pagoda built to protect the most vulnerable part of his Shen. Although the platform did not completely isolate his True Spirit from external attacks, each layer strengthened the foundation supporting it, making his consciousness more stable and considerably more difficult to shake.
He had finally reached the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm.
The moment the ninth layer stabilised, Lin Sheng felt his perception expand dramatically.
His spiritual awareness surged outward, passing through the formations surrounding Changsheng Abode before spreading across the mountain and the distant wilderness beyond it. The trees, rocks, streams, yao beasts, and even the faint fluctuations of spiritual energy within the surrounding vegetation became extraordinarily clear, while his perception continued extending until it covered a region measuring hundreds of li.
The entire mountain seemed to have become an extension of his consciousness.
He could distinguish the movement of a small creature beneath the fallen leaves, sense the flow of spiritual energy through the roots of ancient trees, and perceive the subtle changes occurring within the formations that protected his abode, all without deliberately concentrating on any single detail.
The increase was not merely a matter of range.
His perception had become sharper, more stable, and considerably more sensitive to changes in the surrounding world. Even when his attention was divided, he could maintain an extraordinary awareness of his surroundings, allowing him to detect disturbances that might have escaped him in the past.
A faint smile appeared on his spiritual face.
Peak Spiritual Platform.
He had been approaching this boundary for some time, and although the final breakthrough had required considerable accumulation, the result was well worth the effort.
More importantly, the breakthrough had produced an unexpected benefit.
The instant his Shen completed its transformation, a strange state of emptiness descended upon his consciousness, silencing his scattered thoughts and allowing his awareness to settle into a state of extraordinary clarity. It was similar to the state he had experienced during previous moments of profound comprehension, but this time it was considerably deeper, as though the nine-layer platform had provided his mind with a foundation stable enough to support a more complete union between his consciousness and the principles he had been studying.
That was precisely what he needed.
The Rainbow Illusion Butterfly seed had already been stabilised, and the final stage of its integration required him to establish a complete connection between the divine ability and his Golden Body. Under ordinary circumstances, even with his formidable mental strength, this process would have required careful refinement and considerable time, but the sudden breakthrough in his Shen had created an ideal opportunity.
Lin Sheng did not waste it.
His internal spiritual form returned its attention to the divine ability seed, and as his consciousness settled into the state of emptiness, the rainbow-coloured seed began to dissolve into countless strands of light.
The strands spread through his Sea of Consciousness before following the mysterious connection linking his Shen to his physical body. They passed through his meridians, entered his flesh and bones, and gradually merged with the immense Qi-Blood Furnace residing within his Golden Body.
The process continued silently.
The golden radiance surrounding Lin Sheng's physical body grew increasingly intense, while the energy circulating within his muscles and bones became more refined. His Golden Body was undergoing a transformation, not simply because another divine ability had been added to its foundation, but because the newly integrated power had begun harmonising with the existing characteristics of his body.
The Five Elements Profound Light, the Yin-Yang Treasure Robe, and the Rainbow Illusion Butterfly each possessed different qualities, yet they were no longer independent seeds existing within the same cultivation foundation. Their connections had gradually become more stable, allowing their respective principles to complement one another while strengthening the overall structure of his Golden Body.
The final strands of rainbow light disappeared.
The golden radiance surrounding Lin Sheng's body suddenly contracted, sinking beneath his skin before spreading through his flesh once more in a subdued, steady rhythm.
The transformation was complete.
Lin Sheng's Golden Body had advanced to the middle stage of Rank 4.
However, by the time the change had finished, his attention had already returned to the transformation within his Sea of Consciousness, and he only gradually became aware that the immense pressure surrounding his physical body had settled into a new equilibrium.
His eyelids lifted.
For an instant, his pupils reflected a faint golden light, and the world before him appeared strangely different.
A thin layer seemed to cover his vision.
No, not a layer exactly.
It was as though countless transparent sheets had been arranged throughout the surrounding space, one behind another, each separated by a distance that his eyes could barely comprehend. The stone walls of the meditation chamber remained in their original positions, yet beneath their familiar appearance, Lin Sheng could faintly perceive a series of subtle boundaries extending through the space around him.
He almost unconsciously raised his hand to touch one of them.
His fingers stopped halfway.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand and narrowed his eyes, carefully examining what he had just witnessed.
The strange layers gradually faded as his perception returned to normal.
For several breaths, Lin Sheng remained motionless.
Then he muttered, "Was that what I think it was?"
He did not immediately attempt to reproduce the phenomenon. Instead, he closed his eyes and released his Martial Concept.
There was no explosion of spiritual energy, nor did the surrounding formations tremble beneath an overwhelming pressure. A silent ripple spread outward from his body, passing through the meditation chamber before extending beyond the walls of Changsheng Abode and travelling across the mountain.
The moment the ripple expanded, Lin Sheng's expression changed.
His Qiankun Pseudo Domain had advanced.
Not slightly, but by an astonishing amount.
He carefully examined the conceptual structure he had cultivated over the years, tracing the relationship between Qian Heaven and Kun Earth as they circulated through his perception. The two principles had once existed as distinct yet complementary concepts, with Qian Heaven representing the vastness and movement of the heavens while Kun Earth embodied the stability and bearing capacity of the earth. Their fusion had produced his Qiankun Pseudo Domain, but the resulting domain had remained incomplete, unable to fully express the principles contained within the two concepts.
Now, however, the relationship between them had become considerably clearer.
The heavenly principle no longer appeared as a distant force pressing down upon the world, and the earthly principle no longer seemed confined to the ground beneath his feet. Instead, their interaction formed a more complete conceptual structure, one that seemed to encompass the relationship between the heavens, the earth, and the space existing between them.
Lin Sheng slowly withdrew his perception.
After examining the changes several times, he arrived at an estimate.
His Qiankun Pseudo Domain had advanced to approximately 9% comprehension.
He could hardly believe the difference.
Only a short time ago, his progress had been stuck at three per cent, and despite his repeated attempts to improve it, the concept had seemed to encounter an invisible obstruction that prevented further advancement. Yet now, after his Shen had reached the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm, the comprehension that had previously remained stagnant had surged forward by an extraordinary margin.
The improvement was so significant that he immediately recalled the strange phenomenon he had witnessed upon opening his eyes.
The layers of space.
Lin Sheng's expression gradually became thoughtful.
If his understanding was correct, then the phenomenon he had briefly perceived might not have been an illusion at all.
It might have been the underlying structure of space itself.
He had studied the Qiankun conceptual framework extensively before deciding to comprehend Kun Earth and combine it with his existing Qian Heaven concept. The decision had not been made on impulse, because he had long understood that a martial artist's conceptual foundation determined not only the power of their attacks but also the range of possibilities available to them when their comprehension reached a sufficiently profound level.
A cultivator who comprehended Fire could develop increasingly powerful fire-based techniques, while someone who comprehended Lightning might eventually manipulate thunder with extraordinary precision. Such concepts were powerful in their own right, but their applications were still closely connected to the principles from which they originated.
Qiankun was different.
It represented a much broader conceptual framework, encompassing the relationship between Heaven and Earth, the interaction of opposing principles, and the structure of the world in which those principles manifested. Although his understanding remained incomplete, Lin Sheng had already suspected that a sufficiently profound comprehension of Qiankun might allow a martial artist to touch upon aspects of reality that were inaccessible to those who pursued narrower concepts.
The spatial layers he had just perceived seemed to support that possibility.
According to the information he had gathered on the Martial Continent, practitioners who comprehended Qiankun were known to encounter the mysteries of space after reaching the Domain level, and some could eventually learn to manipulate it through further comprehension and cultivation.
Such individuals were exceptionally rare, because the Qiankun conceptual framework was notoriously difficult to comprehend, and even among those who possessed the necessary talent, many spent their entire lives without advancing beyond the early stages of Martial Domain.
Yet the rewards were extraordinary.
The Qiankun Bags and rings used by powerful martial artists were believed to originate from this principle, their spatial properties allowing them to contain objects within a space that was much larger than their external dimensions suggested.
Unlike the storage rings commonly used on the Immortal Continent, which were created through established methods and circulated among cultivators as valuable but recognised treasures, spatial storage items on the Martial Continent were exceedingly rare. Only a handful of powerful factions possessed the necessary inheritances to produce them, and the process was so difficult that even major forces could not manufacture them in large quantities.
Lin Sheng had long found this difference interesting.
If both continents possessed space, then why was the ability to manipulate it so much more accessible on one continent than the other?
Perhaps the answer lay in the difference between their cultivation systems, or perhaps the laws governing each continent placed different restrictions upon the methods through which space could be perceived and manipulated.
He could not yet be certain.
Nevertheless, the possibility that Qiankun comprehension allowed martial artists to touch the spatial layers of the world provided another reason for him to continue pursuing the concept.
Lin Sheng raised his hand and examined the space before him once more.
He could no longer see the strange layers.
Even after deliberately releasing his Martial Concept, he could only sense the faintest disturbance around the boundaries of his perception, nowhere near enough to allow him to interact with space directly.
Still, he had witnessed something.
That alone was valuable.
His gaze gradually sharpened as another thought occurred to him.
The major reason for the sudden increase in his Qiankun comprehension was almost certainly his advancement to the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm.
He had previously suspected that the development of a martial concept was closely related to the practitioner's Shen, but he had not fully understood the relationship between them. Now that his spiritual foundation had undergone such a dramatic transformation, he could finally begin piecing together the mechanism.
Martial Intent primarily involved the conscious aspect of the Shen, particularly the mind's ability to understand a principle, deliberately direct that understanding, and incorporate it into one's attacks. A martial artist who comprehended Sword Intent could consciously guide the nature of their swordsmanship, allowing every strike to carry the principle they had understood rather than relying solely on physical strength or the movements of a technique.
Martial Will represented a deeper stage.
At that level, the principle was no longer merely something the practitioner consciously applied. It had become deeply embedded within their subconscious, allowing the martial artist to respond almost instinctively when confronted by danger. Their attacks could carry Martial Will without requiring them to deliberately reconstruct the entire thought process behind every movement, and their killing intent could be released naturally as soon as the situation demanded it.
Domain required something more.
The conscious mind and subconscious will were still important, but they were no longer sufficient by themselves. A true Domain demanded that the spiritual aspects of the Shen become integrated with the practitioner's understanding and will, allowing the martial artist's comprehension to extend beyond their own body and influence the surrounding world.
In other words, the progression from Martial Intent to Martial Will and then towards Domain was not simply a matter of increasing the strength of one's concept.
It involved a gradual transformation in the relationship between the principle, the practitioner's mind, and their Shen.
Every advancement in the Shen could therefore contribute to the comprehension of a martial concept, provided the practitioner had already established the necessary foundation and understood the principle they were attempting to develop.
Lin Sheng's case was an especially clear example.
He had already comprehended Qian Heaven and Kun Earth, and their fusion had produced the foundation of his Qiankun Pseudo Domain. What he lacked was the spiritual development necessary to support a deeper integration between the concept and his own existence.
Now that his Shen had reached the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm, the missing foundation had become considerably stronger, allowing his comprehension to advance almost naturally.
Unfortunately, there was still a problem.
Lin Sheng's smile gradually faded as he considered the implications.
If his Shen had developed sufficiently to support a true Domain, then his Qiankun comprehension should have advanced beyond nine per cent, perhaps even allowing him to begin forming the foundation of a genuine Qiankun Domain.
Yet that had not happened.
His comprehension had increased dramatically, but it remained trapped at the boundary of a Pseudo Domain, unable to cross into the next stage.
The obstruction was unmistakable.
Lin Sheng leaned back against the meditation cushion, his expression growing contemplative.
So my theory was correct, at least to a certain extent.
He had already suspected that the laws of the Immortal Continent imposed some form of restriction upon martial cultivation. His internal martial cultivation had nearly stagnated, his acupoints struggled to attract the Five Elements Essence naturally, and his Qiankun Pseudo Domain had remained stuck at three per cent despite his considerable efforts.
Now, even after his Shen had advanced enough to support a much deeper comprehension, his martial concept still could not cross the final threshold.
The evidence was becoming difficult to ignore.
It did not necessarily mean that martial cultivation was completely incompatible with the Immortal Continent, nor did it prove that every martial artist would encounter the same limitation. There might be other factors involved, and Lin Sheng had no intention of drawing a final conclusion from his own experience alone.
Nevertheless, it was increasingly likely that the advancement of martial cultivation on the Immortal Continent was subject to a restriction arising from the difference between the two continents' underlying laws.
His Golden Body could continue advancing because its cultivation method had already established a connection with the principles available in this continent, allowing him to condense and integrate divine ability seeds through the refinement of his physical foundation.
His internal martial cultivation, however, depended upon a different relationship with the surrounding world, and his comprehension of Qiankun appeared to encounter a similar limitation when it approached the threshold of a true Domain.
Even so, Lin Sheng was not particularly troubled.
The restriction was inconvenient, but it did not threaten his immediate survival, and he had already gained enough from the breakthrough to justify the time spent in seclusion. His Golden Body had advanced to the middle stage of Rank 4, his Shen had reached the peak of the Spiritual Platform Realm, and his Qiankun comprehension had increased considerably.
Those were substantial gains.
As for the mysteries of the world's underlying laws, they were matters for another time.
He had no intention of wasting years attempting to force open a door that might not even be capable of opening on this continent.
Lin Sheng rose from the meditation cushion, and the golden radiance surrounding his body gradually faded as he suppressed the fluctuations of his newly strengthened Golden Body. He checked the stability of the three divine abilities within his foundation, confirmed that the Rainbow Illusion Butterfly had fully integrated without disturbing the Five Elements Profound Light or the Yin-Yang Treasure Robe, and then turned his attention towards the resources he would need for his return journey.
It was time to leave.
He had spent enough time on the Immortal Continent to understand that remaining in seclusion indefinitely would not necessarily provide the answers he sought, especially when the stagnation of his internal martial cultivation could only be properly investigated by returning to the Martial Continent.
He still needed to prepare some materials before leaving Changsheng Abode, and he intended to examine his storage ring carefully to determine which resources should be carried with him and which could safely be left behind.
However, just as Lin Sheng began organising his thoughts, a sudden sensation ran down his spine.
His expression changed.
It was a strange feeling, one that seemed to arise from the depths of his instincts rather than from his ordinary perception, and before he could identify its source, his entire body stiffened.
Something had happened.
The next instant, a tremendous shock wave erupted from somewhere far to the east.
BOOOOOOM!
The world seemed to tremble.
The shock wave travelled across the distant horizon with terrifying speed, sweeping through the mountains and forests before reaching Changsheng Abode. Countless trees were uprooted in an instant, their trunks snapping as the violent pressure tore through the vegetation, while enormous rocks were lifted from the slopes and hurled through the air.
The protective formations surrounding Lin Sheng's abode reacted immediately.
Layer after layer of formation light flared to life, creating a vast barrier around the mountain as the shock wave struck. The entire formation trembled violently, and cracks began spreading across several of its outer layers, the defensive patterns flickering as they struggled to absorb the force.
Even with the formations bearing the brunt of the impact, the residual pressure still reached Lin Sheng.
His head rang.
For a brief instant, his vision blurred, and a dull pressure pressed against his chest as the spiritual energy surrounding him was swept into chaos. He steadied himself almost immediately, circulating his Qi-Blood to reinforce his body while extending his perception towards the distant source of the disturbance.
His expression gradually became solemn.
Such a familiar shock wave.
He had encountered something similar countless years ago, just before he left for the Martial Continent, a battle between Rank 5 powerhouses had unleashed a terrifying disturbance across the surrounding region.
At that time, he had been barely at the peak of Xuan Gang in his internal martial cultivation, with a Rank 3 physique that was nowhere near strong enough to withstand the residual force of such a confrontation. The shock wave had nearly killed him, and if he had not managed to escape through the cross-continental formation and reach the Martial Continent, he might have perished before he could understand.
The memory remained vivid despite the passage of time.
Back then, the difference between him and a Rank 5 powerhouse had been so enormous that even the aftermath of their battle could have destroyed him.
Now, however, things were different.
Lin Sheng lowered his gaze towards his own hand, watching as a faint golden radiance appeared beneath his skin.
His Qi-Blood Furnace remained stable, its immense vitality circulating through his body without the slightest sign of disruption. Although the protective formations had absorbed a considerable portion of the shock wave, his physical foundation had endured the remaining pressure far more comfortably than it could have in the past.
He had not even suffered a serious injury.
The contrast was remarkable.
A faint smile appeared on his face, though it vanished quickly as he looked towards the eastern horizon.
The source of the disturbance was still visible in the distance.
A gigantic mushroom cloud had risen beyond the mountains, its upper portion spreading across the sky while the lower region remained hidden behind the distant terrain. The surrounding clouds had been swept away, leaving a vast empty region above the horizon, and faint ripples continued spreading through the atmosphere as though the world itself had yet to recover from the impact.
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes.
"A Nascent Soul-level battle, without a doubt."
He had no difficulty recognising the scale of the disturbance.
A Golden Core cultivator could unleash extraordinary divine abilities, and a sufficiently powerful technique could devastate a city or reshape a section of the surrounding terrain. However, the shock wave that had just reached Changsheng Abode was on an entirely different level, carrying enough force to shake the protective formations around an isolated mountain despite the immense distance separating them from its source.
Only a battle involving Nascent Soul True Monarchs could produce such a disturbance so casually. It is said that Nascent Soul Divine Abilities are borderline capable to vaporising a Hundred miles of landscape single by waving.
Lin Sheng remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed upon the mushroom cloud.
The Eastern Region had been embroiled in a war between the Orthodox Alliance and the Seven Star Palace, and although Golden Core cultivators had already begun appearing more frequently on the battlefield, the major powers had generally avoided allowing their Nascent Soul experts to engage directly.
There were good reasons for such restraint.
A Golden Core cultivator could already achieve massive devastation but a Nascent Soul True Monarch possessed the power to devastate entire regions through the use of major divine abilities. Once two such experts began fighting without restraint, the surrounding terrain could become little more than collateral damage, and even distant cities might suffer from the aftermath.
The consequences would extend far beyond the two combatants.
Spiritual veins could be damaged, formations protecting important settlements could collapse, and countless ordinary cultivators might die without ever seeing the people responsible for their deaths.
The major factions therefore had strong incentives to keep their high-level combatants from engaging unless the situation became sufficiently serious.
Yet the shock wave suggested that something had changed.
Lin Sheng's expression became thoughtful.
Have the major powers finally decided to let their Nascent Soul experts fight directly?
It was possible.
The war had continued for a considerable period, and the balance between the Orthodox Alliance and the Seven Star Palace had become increasingly unstable. If one side believed that a decisive victory was within reach, it might have decided to deploy its Nascent Soul True Monarchs in an attempt to break the stalemate.
Alternatively, the battle might have been caused by a sudden confrontation that neither side had anticipated, forcing powerful cultivators to reveal their strength before they were ready.
Lin Sheng could not determine the truth from the shock wave alone.
He also had no intention of rushing towards the battlefield simply because a battle between Nascent Soul experts had attracted his attention.
Although his Golden Body had advanced to the middle stage of Rank 4, and his foundation had become considerably stronger after integrating the Rainbow Illusion Butterfly, he remained cautious about confronting beings whose cultivation surpassed his own by an entire major realm. A Nascent Soul True Monarch was not an opponent to be underestimated, particularly when the true extent of their divine abilities and defensive methods remained unknown.
His physical strength might allow him to withstand attacks that would destroy ordinary Golden Core cultivators, but surviving a shock wave was not the same as surviving a direct confrontation, and his ability to escape remained more important than any temporary curiosity.
Lin Sheng withdrew his perception from the distant battlefield and turned back towards Changsheng Abode.
The protective formations were still stabilising, and several of their outer layers had suffered damage from the shock wave. Before leaving, he would need to inspect the formation nodes, repair the damaged restrictions, and ensure that the concealment formations could continue hiding the mountain after his departure.
He had no desire to leave behind a conspicuous trail that might lead another cultivator to his secluded abode.