Chapter 15 Yuan Qing's Commentary

When Xiao Yan reacted, he suppressed the urge to laugh and reached out his hand expressionlessly to quickly collect the Nine Transformations along with the items from the space he had opened up.

Meanwhile, the corners of Yuan Qing's mouth twitched wildly. "How many have tried to obtain this martial arts volume?" he thought. Many had exchanged their finest techniques with him only to return empty-handed. Some even ambushed Yuan Qing to seize it by force, only to be killed by him; others who escaped were hunted down by his forces. That is why Yuan Qing's heaven-defying martial art was untouchable.

Yet now, for the sake of his future strength and to forge alliances with the powerful, Yuan Qing had reluctantly offered his proudest martial art to Xiao Yan. But judging by Xiao Yan's indifferent attitude, it was clear he looked down on Yuan Qing's prized skill.

Yuan Qing sighed inwardly. The scions of powerful forces were simply different—their renown made Yuan Qing seem insignificant in their eyes. He looked at Xiao Yan with a dim, wistful gaze, his already fragile body appearing even more ethereal. "A genius with an infinite future—how could an old man like me, so weak, ever cling to him? Alas…" The more Yuan Qing pondered this, the more depressed he became.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan looked at Yuan Qing with surprise. In fact, Yuan Qing's form was growing increasingly insubstantial. Noticing this, Xiao Yan frowned and, after several glances, asked with a serious tone, "Brother Yuan Qing, what's wrong with you? Why is your soul essence constantly disintegrating?"

Xiao Yan's words snapped Yuan Qing out of his reverie. Hastily, Yuan Qing retrieved the jade bottle that had fallen to the ground; the soul power in his body was shrinking rapidly. In a flash, his essence entered the jade bottle as a beam of light and vanished.

Then, Yuan Qing's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind, tinged with apology:

"Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan, I cannot remain to speak with you due to the Emperor's Origin between heaven and earth. If I have been negligent, please forgive me. Once my body recovers, I will reward you richly. For now, I can only offer my apology."

Xiao Yan frowned. What did the collapse of one's soul origin have to do with the Emperor's Origin?

Sensing Xiao Yan's frown, Yuan Qing's aged voice returned with a smile as he explained, "Haha, I suspect Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan has focused solely on boosting his strength, rarely delving into the continent's records. Allow this old man to help solve this puzzle." His words then trailed off; even the miniature version of Yuan Qing within the jade bottle seemed to dim, as he sighed and met Xiao Yan's puzzled gaze.

In a low, dull murmur, Yuan Qing continued, "If I were strong enough, why would I fear my soul's origin leaving my body? If I were truly powerful, I'd have mastered the Nine Transformations by now. Strength is the foundation of all achievements!"

With a heavy sigh, he added, "I am dissatisfied, Fellow Daoist Xiao Yan. My soul origin's collapse is due to my own weakness. On the mainland, anyone whose strength hasn't reached the Source Transformation Realm—when their body dies and their soul origin departs—will see it gradually merge with the source energy of heaven and earth and dissipate, unless they can gather that energy to sustain it. This is the rule of our world."

The immutable rules of heaven and earth dictate that no one can alter them; everyone born on this continent is molded by these laws. Those below the Source Transformation Realm are like ants—they have yet to truly merge with the Source Qi of heaven and earth and thus tend to repel it. When the Source Qi touches the soul's origin—the part most exposed to this energy—it easily merges and dissipates. Ultimately, the soul's origin, carried by the Source Qi, scatters between heaven and earth, lost forever.

To preserve the soul's origin, there is only one remedy: the Soul Injection Stone. This spirit stone is highly effective for cultivators below the Return to Origin Mirror, as it stabilizes the soul's origin and prevents its dissipation.

As its name implies, the Injection Spirit Stone is a mysterious stone imbued with pure energy from heaven and earth that can resist the merging of the source energy. It contains extremely rich innate spiritual energy that, being inherent to a spirit stone, does not mix with the source energy. Unless the stone is shattered, its energy will eventually dissipate, rendering it useless.

However, if one uses the innate energy in the Soul Injection Stone properly before it dissipates, it can replenish one's soul. Consequently, these stones are highly sought after in this world, where the strong are revered and many below the Origin Transformation Realm risk the loss of their soul's origin. Whenever a Soul Injection Stone appears, powerful cultivators flock to it, often through grand auctions, since most have already been bought up.

Yuan Qing's soul origin has endured thus far due to his own strength. Yet if left exposed too long, it will hinder his cultivation. Part of this protection comes from the jade bottle on the ground—made of spirit stone, it secured Yuan Qing's soul the moment Xiao Yan reminded him.

"I see. No wonder you were so anxious to enter the jade bottle earlier. Why didn't you refine a body yourself?" Xiao Yan nodded as if he had suddenly understood, then inquired further. At that, Yuan Qing felt as if his whole body cramped.

Forcing himself to calm down, Yuan Qing asked with a hint of hope, "According to what Daoist Xiao Yan said, can you refine your physical body?"

Xiao Yan was momentarily speechless; his eyelids twitched slightly before he looked at Yuan Qing in surprise and replied,

"Brother Yuan Qing, you don't even have that low-level method, do you?"

Yuan Qing's mouth twitched. Did Xiao Yan truly come here just to gain experience? Clearly, he was here to attack others.

Yuan Qing sighed inwardly and explained, "Refining the physical body is a matter of life and death. Those who master it are soon taken by the top leaders of major forces. The rest—except for a few powerful old seniors who refuse to be controlled—only have a superficial understanding of it. Moreover, not everyone possesses the secret technique; most belong to major forces or ancient families, and outsiders have no chance of obtaining it."

His face filled with envy as he spoke. Xiao Yan remained silent for a moment. This method was a low-level secret technique that almost anyone with some strength would know—but since arriving here, he had found not one. Tsk, tsk—it appears I have come to a barren, desolate place.

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly as Yuan Qing continued, "It's not that the secret technique is rare, but that our strength is too weak. We are seen as ants by others. Those less strong than us can still refine their bodies, and this alone causes many to look down on our level."

Xiao Yan had initially thought their strength mediocre, but hearing them described as ant-like shocked him. If even the Dou Emperor is considered so low-ranked, then the top existences on this continent must be terrifyingly powerful. Xiao Yan felt a deep sense of shame. He had not expected this alien continent to be so formidable.

Recalling the words of the old demon Yan Mo, Xiao Yan mused that while the old demon had waited for him here for ten years, this was his first time in the place. How could he know anyone here? Even Emperor Hun Tian had long perished. It seems I must return to training alone—but that is fine; I will unravel this mystery step by step!

Reflecting on today's events, Xiao Yan nodded vigorously, his eyes burning with determination.

During the following period, Xiao Yan used his original materials to help Yuan Qing refine a physical body once more. Yuan Qing, understanding Xiao Yan's plan, quickly adapted to the new body and then departed, leaving Xiao Yan to continue his work alone.