Another Cliché Cultivation Story

A short while ago, Ji Xian ended his simulations and his body stirred. Slowly opening his eyes, a light flashed through them before quickly fading away.

While rubbing his temples, he looked at the single rune in front of him that was the cause of the formation, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

This thing isn’t a rune. It’s something entirely different. This thing can draw in Heaven and Earth's True Essence to create a naturally formed formation. I’m almost tempted to say it’s more similar to a talisman, albeit much more advance. How interesting… It’s unfortunate there isn’t more so I don’t have much to go on.

Usually, cultivators would manipulate True Essence to do what they want but this thing actually makes it so it can move in a more natural flow. This is almost like a language, it's able to communicate with the Heaven and Earth True Essence. This is pretty insane, who came up with this?

I wonder if I can combine this with some inscribing method. If I can find a way to make that work then can’t I just inscribe it onto Lihua’s body and thus allow her to automatically absorb True Essence?

Hmm, but her Astral Essence isn’t compatible with True Essence. It could cause her body to possibly explode… Unless she’s willing to abolish her current cultivation to start over… I’ll have to look into it.

But what if I inscribe it into her Internal World… no.. same thing, but it could cause her body to explode from the inside instead.

Maybe I can make it so it can draw in Astral Essence instead of True Essence. Hmm, how would that work, though?

Even if this can’t benefit Lihua, it can still benefit me. If I do this…

Countless thoughts went through Ji Xian’s head as he try to find a way to integrate this new discovery with his current knowledge on cultivation, Divine Arts, formations, talismans, alchemy, and weapon smith.

If anyone can see his expression right now, he would look like a kid who just got his hands on a new toy.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the right time for him to be lost in his experiments so he quickly snapped out of it.

“Ugh.. what a shame I left my Hell Soul behind in the Mortal Haven World. If it was here with me then I can have it work on the simulations while I do other stuff.”

“Actually… now that I have the Soul Liberation Art, It’ll take some time but I can probably make another soul clone…a Heaven soul.. sigh… so many things to do.”

He turned and glanced at Xia Lihua and Xiao Yueyin.

Xiao Yueyin was holding a frown while Xia Lihua was looking at him in a daze as if she was deep in thought.

He ignored Xiao Yueyin and kept his gaze on Xia Lihua. Cultivators are usually quick to catch on when someone is watching them as long as the difference in cultivation wasn’t too big, but Xia Lihua was in such deep thought that she hasn’t even noticed that he was watching her. Not to mention he wasn’t even trying to hide his gaze.

Ji Xian was about to send her a message through his spiritual sense, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

He continued to look at her with a corner of his lips raised and his eyes slightly squinted with amusement.

Ji Xian didn’t need to wait long, a minute later, Xia Lihua shook and met his eyes.

She was a little embarrassed but there wasn’t a change in her expression.

Ji Xian let out a strand of his spiritual sense and sent it to Xia Lihua.

“What were you—“

“Did you figure it out, the formation?” Xia Lihua interrupted Ji Xian, not giving him the chance to question her first.

Ji Xian inwardly chuckle and said, “I have.”

“How long will it take you to open it?

“Not long, but it’s better if I head inside first and take a look around.”

Ji Xian didn’t wait for her to reply before performing a string of hand signs.

A distance away, Xia Lihua watched as Ji Xian performed complex hand signs she has never seen before. A serious expression appeared on her face as she noticed that each time Ji Xian perform a hand sign, the space in front of him would react in response. It folds and twists, curved and inverted. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

“His understanding of space is so high!” She quietly exclaims.

With Xiao Yueyin’s sensitivity to space, she also noticed that something was happening in front of her.

“What’s happening!?” She asked in surprise.

“Ji Xian is taking a look inside the formation first.” Xia Lihua replied after calming down.

“What! Did he solve the formation? That’s.. but..” Xiao Yueyin was speechless and didn’t know what to say. The Arcane Mountain has spent centuries and countless resources researching the formation in hopes of finding a way to solve it but nothing came from it, yet this man, who she has just met just a few days ago, a man who she once thought was just a servant, was able to find a way to open the formation just like that?

Ji Xian continued to manipulate the space in front of him.

The thing that he once thought was a rune, the source of the formation, pulsed in response to his movements.

It wasn’t pulsing due to resonance with his actions, but because Ji Xian was using a forceful method to enter the formation!

He can naturally solve the formation the normal way but to gain a greater understanding of this source, he wanted to see what happens if he tries to force his way into the formation.

And like an animal being threatened, it began to emit a red cloud of corrosive Essence.

It shot towards Ji Xian in an attempt to burn his body and destroy his True Essence but Ji Xian was unaffected. His True Essence was even overwhelming it instead!

Finally, after one final hand sign, the space warped and rotated, revealing what seem to be a black door. It looked bleak and unwelcoming.

He looked back at Xia Lihua and nodded at her before taking a step forward.

Darkness enveloped his vision.