Chapter 106: Cultivation

Chapter 106: Cultivation
Chapter 12: Preaching the Mystic Dharma on Spirit Mountain; Traveling Alone on Clouds Across Ten Thousand Miles (XVI)

Ye Hua could not help but offer a wry smile. He slowly ceased his practice, deciding not to persist any longer. As his vision blurred, the bright daylight of the high heavens appeared before him.

"Sigh!" Ye Hua sighed, gazing at the distant scenery, lost in thought for a moment.

He had not expected the Azure Water Cold Pearl to hinder his cultivation of the Root Heaven Treatise at this crucial juncture. Truly, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. What was he to do? The power of the Azure Water Cold Pearl was immense, and to master the Root Heaven Treatise, he had to overcome this hurdle. It was an incredibly daunting task.

Unable to find a solution, Ye Hua shook his head and set the matter aside. He stood up, formed a seal with his hands, and pointed toward the sky. The clouds in the azure expanse swirled, slowly revealing a black hole. He flew upward, and as he passed through the void, the world brightened once more.

Looking around, he realized he was back on the eighth floor of the Great Scripture Pavilion. The "Hundred Thousand Mustard Seed Sumeru Heaven" formation behind him was gradually fading away.

Ye Hua did not linger and began to head downstairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, he found Ma Sen and Wang Ting sitting at leisure.

Seeing Ye Hua descend, the two men were stunned, then joyfully exclaimed, "Brother Ye, how are you out so quickly? It has only been half an hour! We thought you would need at least three or four days!"

Ye Hua was shocked. "Half an hour? But it felt like three or four days... Oh! Could this be the Art of the Yellow Millet Dream?" A sudden realization dawned on him, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

Ma Sen and Wang Ting praised him, "Brother Ye, you are indeed well-read and worthy of being a disciple from a prestigious family! Do not be so surprised. Have you not heard the saying, 'A day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world'? This is precisely that art of reversing time. Although the Hundred Thousand Mustard Seed Sumeru Heaven does not quite match the 'one day equals a thousand years' divine effect, it is not far off!"

Ye Hua sighed repeatedly. "I never imagined I would personally experience such a marvelous technique! Alas, I wonder what kind of genius could have created such an incredible Sumeru Heaven?"

Ma Sen laughed. "Do not be too astonished, Brother Ye. This formation was not created by human effort alone. The Great Scripture Pavilion within these Three Mountains and Five Gardens was built according to the Ziwei star cluster in the heavens. Most of this formation relies on the celestial power of the Seven Stars of Ziwei, combined with immeasurable human effort to refine it. Only then could such a feat of divine craftsmanship be achieved!"

Wang Ting added, "Look at this Hundred Thousand Mustard Seed Sumeru Heaven; it is a world unto itself, complete with mountains, rivers, sun, and moon. The principles of Yin and Yang are profound. Heaven, earth, sun, moon, and the five elements originate from this. Once the Taiji is defined, the clear qi rises to form the heavens, and the turbid qi descends to form the earth. The essence of wood and fire becomes the sun, while the brilliance of metal and water becomes the moon. Heaven, earth, sun, and moon are formed by the interplay of these two qi! If one can understand the Yin and Yang of heaven and earth and delve deep into the creation of the five elements, one will better appreciate the extraordinary nature of this formation. However, once someone reaches that realm, they are not far from ascension."

Ye Hua bowed respectfully. "Listening to you two brothers has been truly enlightening!"

Ma Sen laughed. "We are only speaking from experience! We have guarded this Great Scripture Pavilion for over a decade and have read many books, so we know a few things about these oddities and secrets. But when it comes to actual cultivation techniques, we are far behind!" Both men shook their heads in agreement.

Ye Hua felt a stir in his heart. These two brothers were well-informed; perhaps he could ask them about the obstacles he faced with his Root Heaven Treatise. If they could provide a solution, it would resolve a major problem. He asked, "Do you two brothers know of any magical artifacts for stabilizing the mind and calming the spirit?"

Ma Sen nodded. "While there are many items for calming the mind and soul, most have little power and are not very effective. It is even rarer to find one that can be used in combat! Why, Brother Ye, are you looking for one?"

Wang Ting smiled. "There are several books on the thirteenth floor of the Great Scripture Pavilion that detail such artifacts. You could go take a look, Brother Ye."

Ye Hua sighed. "I once obtained an Azure Water Cold Pearl. For some reason, it has become fixed in my sea of consciousness, and no matter what I do, I cannot remove it."

Ma Sen and Wang Ting smiled slightly, assuming the item Ye Hua mentioned was merely an ordinary object. They were not surprised and said, "If it is an ownerless object without a spirit, you can simply refine it. If it has already developed a bit of intelligence, it is not impossible to expel it using secret techniques. There is another way, but... heh, never mind."

Ye Hua asked curiously, "What other way? Please, feel free to speak, brothers! Is it some sort of secret?"

Ma Sen shook his head. "It is not a secret, but it seems utterly absurd. It involves dissolving the artifact into one's sea of consciousness, merging the two into one. Not to mention the extreme danger, if one were to merge with their own sea of consciousness, would they still be human or an object? Wouldn't the spiritual consciousness take on the nature of the object? How could it then combine with one's internal essence? The five seas cannot be connected! Even reaching the Yuhua Realm, let alone the Sanzhen Realm, would be impossible. No one has ever been heard to truly succeed in this; it is mostly just the fantasy of cultivators!"

Ye Hua nodded upon hearing this. "That method must be a rumor. May I ask if our Great Scripture Pavilion contains other methods for refining such things?"

Wang Ting smiled. "Of course, they are on the thirteenth floor. You may go look for yourself. Since you are facing such a problem, we shall wait here for your good news!"

Ye Hua said happily, "Thank you, brothers. I will head there now. Please forgive me if I have to trouble you again later!"

Ma Sen chuckled. "No time like the present, Brother Ye. Go quickly!" Ye Hua bowed and headed straight for the thirteenth floor.

Ma Sen and Wang Ting exchanged a glance and laughed. "Brother Ye is truly an impatient man! Alas, I have never heard of the Azure Water Cold Pearl having any great power; it is likely a useless item for calming the spirit. Why bother?"

Wang Ting nodded. "Indeed. Aside from some secrets kept by our ancestors, only the Taixu Cauldron of our sect leader, Tianfeng Shanren, has the power to stabilize the consciousness, and its power is immense. The rest are hardly worth mentioning."

Ye Hua knew that the thirteenth floor specialized in magical artifacts, refining techniques, and materials. Upon reaching it, he saw hundreds of bookshelves neatly arranged, each glowing with various lights.

Ye Hua felt a slight headache; there were thousands of secret texts. How was he supposed to read them all? Just as he frowned, the scenery shifted. He found himself in a void surrounded by dozens of floating books, each depicting swords, spears, halberds, axes, and more on their covers.

Ye Hua stared for a long time, unsure of what it meant. He reached out to touch a book with a pearl on the cover, but his hand passed through nothingness. He was startled, and the scene shifted again, revealing dozens more books.

The covers still featured various patterns—some pearls surrounded by flames, others by lightning, green mist, or beast shapes. Ye Hua finally understood: the library was categorized for people to choose from.

Once he understood, he smiled and reached for a pearl immersed in water. The scene blurred again, but this time, he was prepared.

When his vision cleared, five books were floating before him: two jade tablets, one scroll, a wooden tube, and an unknown animal skull. "This is incredibly convenient!" Ye Hua muttered. He picked up a jade tablet, and as it emitted a faint light, text began to appear in his mind.

After a brief glance, Ye Hua shook his head, withdrew his consciousness, and returned the book. He repeated the process with the others, reading each for a while, appearing to gain some insight.

After several hours, he finally let out a long breath and returned all the books to their places.

Ye Hua did not leave immediately. He stood there, brow furrowed, as if facing a difficult problem. After hesitating for a long time, a look of determination appeared in his eyes. He let out another long breath, as if he had made a decision, and his expression relaxed slightly.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, his gaze caught something that caused a long-hidden memory to surface.

The thought of this object filled him with an inexplicable, chilling dread. Floating to his left was a book with a small cauldron on the cover, glowing with a green light. The cauldron was depicted with startling realism, yet for some reason, looking at it caused an indescribable feeling of disgust in his heart.

He took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and touched the book. It shifted, revealing dozens more. His eyes wandered until they stopped on a book depicting a massive bronze cauldron.

As he looked at this bronze cauldron, Ye Hua’s body could not help but tremble. He slowly reached out, and in his hand appeared a tattered, yellowed scroll, impossibly old. He looked closely at the seal characters written on it: "Nine Cauldrons of Huaxia." The writing was slightly blurred.

Seeing those four words made his heart tremble once more. Before his eyes, he seemed to see the massive bronze cauldron he had witnessed in his hometown on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, floating slowly through the moonlight! And there was that cultivator, standing with his hands behind his back, facing the wind and looking proudly at the full moon. What kind of powerful being could he have been?!