Goodbye

After returning to the Sub-Institute, Yan was soon summoned by Grand Patriarch Bodhi to his cave abode to begin the next stage of spell instruction.

"The path of Mind Force, this master guides the disciple in its entry; where you stop depends on yourself alone," the Grand Patriarch began, looking at Yan with approval. "Being able to externally project Pseudo-consciousness and employ powers beyond your own to execute arts you normally couldn't is something far exceeding this master's expectations. Do you know what this 'Pseudo-consciousness' is?"

"This disciple does not know."

"Mind cultivators use Mind Force to comprehend the heavens. However, the method to comprehend the heavens is not solely Mind Force. A mind cultivator's 'Mind Force' is born from the heart, manifested in form. Whatever one thinks, one can achieve. 'Pseudo-consciousness' is similar, yet it resembles divine sense. Although it bears the word 'consciousness,' it is inferior. It manifests externally through technique; its essence is also soul power. However, following changes in one's mental state, it can also metamorphose into divine sense. This requires you to explore on your own; your master can offer no more help.

The reason I summoned you here today is to teach you the next form: 'Heaven-Earth Mimicry.' This form differs slightly among the Three Ancestors, but I have summarized the similarities and differences. You may examine it yourself." With that, the Grand Patriarch once again pointed a finger towards Yan's glabella from a distance, then dissipated. "This form is mutable; you may experiment with it yourself."

Instantly, the complete technique was copied into Yan's mind in one go. He stood frozen in place, continuously receiving this massive influx of information.

After a moment, he recovered. Walking to the central giant stone, he sat down cross-legged.

The art was named 'Heaven-Earth Mimicry.' As the name implied, it required observing heaven and earth, then transforming oneself to embody them. Yan understood this, but when he attempted to release his soul power again, he felt this mere patch of sky and earth was far too small.

He thought of that realm beyond realms he had once reached—the limit of his first soul expansion. Thinking he should be capable of handling it, he released his soul power once more, intending to observe that place.

When his soul power was first released, all was well. Along the way, he saw disciples from Master Lan's faction, disciples from Lan Jinxi's faction, and some other familiar faces gathered together. All were dressed in white mourning clothes, as if something significant had happened.

Yan thought to himself that with his prior experience, this time should be much faster. Unwilling to give up halfway, he paid it no mind and continued releasing his soul power.

Once again, mountains appeared like mounds, rivers like streams. Everything in this cosmos rapidly entered his view.

However, when his soul power expanded to the edge of the cosmos, just as he could see the outside world, an overwhelmingly domineering force suddenly and violently shoved his entire soul power back into his body. In an instant, Yan bled from all seven orifices; his skin cracked inch by inch, muscles swelled and exploded, and all his meridians expanded before ultimately shattering completely. Blood continuously seeped from his body, and the light in his pupils faded away in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, there was the Bloodline Crystal given by Lan Jinxi earlier. His flesh body, aided by his immense soul power, quickly regenerated, though his body was left in an extremely weakened state. "That cheap master didn't mention this could happen! If not for Jinxi's crystal, I'd truly be dead! Forget it, my current state isn't suitable for further observation. I'd better go see what's happening down the mountain first!" Grumbling, Yan stumbled his way down the mountain.

"Wh-what's going on?" Yan finally shuffled his way to the gathering place of the two factions' students just before nightfall. Everyone wore white mourning clothes with grave expressions. Yan carefully weaved through the crowd, ran to Shaheluo's side, and asked.

"Brother Yan? What happened to you? Where have you been? Don't you know?" Upon seeing Yan, Shaheluo was first startled by his wretched state, then questioned him. "You just vanished! Everyone searched for you for so long but couldn't find you!"

"Huh? I was at my master's place. It didn't feel like I was gone long?" Yan was somewhat shocked, as in his impression, less than two hours had passed. "What's going on?"

"Let's talk later. First, put on this white mourning robe. Don't always stand out so much," Shaheluo said with exasperation. He discreetly produced a garment of white hemp and deftly slipped it onto Yan.

Yan wisely didn't press for more details, though he could feel the oppressive atmosphere. Unconsciously, he bowed his head in shared sorrow.

They were positioned quite far to the side, and Yan was far too weakened. Because of this, he had no idea what was happening at the front. Only when the crowd began to slowly disperse was he supported and led away by Shaheluo.

"Chi... is dead." Once the two were further away and Shaheluo saw there were fewer people around, he slowly spoke up.

Yan's pupils rapidly dilated, his gaze fixed straight on Shaheluo. "No... It couldn't... Are you sure? Brother Chi... How could he...?"

"It's true. Chi is dead," Shaheluo reiterated. Yan slumped onto a nearby rock. "Why?"

"Remember during our last mission to eliminate the remnants of Danfeng, Jinxi gave each of us a crystal? That was her Bloodline Crystal. You heard what that person at the Imperial City said too, right? The senior only temporarily treated Jinxi back then, unable to cure the root cause. So, Chi went to seek the bloodline regulation method of their clan. After that..." Shaheluo's face remained expressionless, yet a deep sorrow was audible in his words.

"What?" Yan still couldn't believe it. That forthright young master from a great family was dead? Who could have killed him? Even if he went to the far south seeking a method, who... who would kill him? Who *could* kill him?

The two of them fell into a long silence under the moonlight, neither speaking another word.

Shortly after, Dun found them carrying two jugs of wine. They exchanged a look, said nothing, and simply poured wine for each other. They deliberately poured an extra cup. Raising their cups, they drained them in one gulp, then simultaneously poured the extra cup towards the southern sky.

The moon that night was crescent, a small hook that caught the sorrow of those left behind. It also snagged the less-than-pleasant memories in their hearts. Everyone pondered that 'what if,' but they all knew there was no 'what if.'

They didn't sleep the whole night. Cups emptied and were refilled, refilled and emptied, yet it was hard to intoxicate the heart.

Dawn broke, bringing a new day. Everything returned to its usual order, and the several of them went back to their cultivation.

In the Sub-Institute, whether from the 'Macro' or 'Micro' division, it was common for students to fall outside. After mourning, no one lingered overly long. It was just one less busy disciple, one less reassuring elder brother, one less fellow disciple with the air of a great young master.

That cup of warm wine poured towards the south had long since turned cold.

After returning, Yan didn't grieve for long. In truth, he barely grieved at all. In the blink of an eye, he threw himself back into figuring out how to cultivate the next technique.

With the experience of his first failure, Yan was much more cautious. This time, he didn't even dare to extend his soul power beyond the cave, terrified of blowing himself to smithereens again.

After some trial, he could count it a success. The top of his head reached the cave ceiling; his feet stood upon the mountain base. His entire body filled the cavern.

"No good, no good. Won't I just become a giant target like this?" The once spacious cave became narrow and cramped. Wherever his soul power had covered, his physical body rapidly swelled to match. Still, he could clearly feel his body's density had increased significantly.

"This is only good for intimidating people. In a real fight, with such huge wind-up and recovery, even if the damage is high, it's useless if you can't land a hit. It's good for drawing fire, though. And if the enemy also has a giant like this, it could be advantageous."

However, a technique only suited for special occasions or circumstances was clearly not what Yan wanted. Recalling the Grand Patriarch's words before leaving—that he could refine it based on his own comprehension—Yan immediately thought of that moment when his soul power was violently forced back into his flesh.

"Perhaps... I can use a similar method to enlarge my body first and then compress it. That way, without hindering my movement, I can raise my body's density by more than just one level. The best of both worlds!"

No sooner said than done. Yan turned his thoughts to trying it, but he clearly overestimated his initial physical toughness. Whenever his size increased even a bit, his body immediately couldn't support it. While it didn't burst apart, the sensation of massive bleeding all over was anything but pleasant.

Left with no choice, Yan could only seek help from Cisheng and the old dean—but neither was at the sect. After that, Yan thought of Jiguang's technique, which increased body density by inverting one's own 'Zi'.

The ideal was plump, but reality was bony. Yan initially thought this method could bring his flesh to that level of toughness. But as it turned out, the two were incompatible. When shrinking after using Heaven-Earth Mimicry, he couldn't control his own 'Zi' at all. Perhaps someone like Jiguang, who created this technique purely through personal enlightenment, could manage it.

Afterwards, he went into the mountains to find Yan Kui. However, the 'Yan' (rock) in his name wasn't for show; he truly tempered himself like stone. His usual training intensity was completely beyond what an ordinary person could endure, let alone someone like Yan who always sought shortcuts. Yan immediately waved his hands, politely declining Yan Kui's kind offer.

He then sought out several other senior brothers in succession. But either they purely didn't cultivate the body, or their cultivation methods were unsuitable for Yan. In the end, he didn't find anyone.

Finally, Xiao came uninvited. Upon learning Yan wanted to strengthen his body, he generously taught his own clan's secret art.

"Our Shenxiao Clan is also different from the Heterodox Clan. The Heterodox Clan are actually the primordial beings of heaven and earth who first took human form in the Primordial Era. Their descendants are thus born in human form. To be precise, even the human race is a branch of the Heterodox Clan.

We Shenxiao clansmen, however, are classified as part of the yao clan. We are not born in human form, but in the appearance of our own clan. We are guided into cultivation by our elders and can only assume human form after undergoing rigorous training. Therefore, most notable yao clans, to ensure their descendants can transform more easily, leave behind a hereditary cultivation method. It essentially encompasses all aspects of magic, Mind Force, and physique. Hence, most clansmen need only practice this one method throughout their lives to cover all cultivation."