At almost the exact same moment,

HUMMMM—

The Primordial Cauldron underwent another strange transformation.

The cauldron’s body suddenly trembled violently. The various ancient patterns etched upon it seemed to roar to the heavens, as if reborn.

CLANG... CLANG... CLANG!

Along with the sound of chiming bells and clanging cauldrons, the scene before him changed abruptly—

It was a boundless, desolate land.

All trees had withered, the fertile soil had crumbled away. As far as the eye could see, a tide of withered yellow swept across the heavens and earth, like dust, like ash, constantly spreading and settling until it filled his entire vision.

Lin Changheng strained his eyes to their limit, only then making out an enormous, withered tree of some unknown species, rooted in the midst of this deathly silence.

Its branches were like rusted ancient iron, every inch of its bark covered in cracked patterns. Gnarled boughs reached toward the Void, yet not a single leaf remained. At the heart of the tree, a faint speck of green flickered in and out of sight, like a candle sputtering in the wind.

Yet Lin Changheng had a strange feeling, as if the deep shadows within the tree’s hollows were countless eyes, staring right at him.

Suddenly, the giant tree swayed, and its thousands of withered branches sang out in unison!

The sky full of withered yellow abruptly receded. That speck of green erupted violently, transforming into hundreds of millions of emerald streams of light that poured down like a spring rain nourishing the fields!

Lin Changheng did not dodge, allowing it to happen. In the next instant, he was enveloped by a sky full of burgeoning life force.

’Hiss... so this is [Flourishing Life]!’

’To be more precise, it should be the cycle of Withered Silence and Flourishing Life! So-called Flourishing Life is the image of plants thriving, but it’s also an act of seizing Creation by reversing death to attain life. True "flourishing" must have a foundation of withered silence...’

Lin Changheng murmured to himself, as if he had come to an understanding.

Looking up again, he saw that branches and leaves, brimming with verdant life force, now blotted out the sky. As they swayed gently, strange phenomena of illusionary birth and destruction flowed between the gaps in the foliage.

Lin Changheng’s eyes widened, wanting to see more.

But he found that the entire scene, including the endless desolation and the giant tree, shattered like a Water Curtain, then faded away, never to be seen again.

The Primordial Cauldron reappeared before him.

The strange light within the cauldron dissipated. In the place where the Treasure Seed had been, an illusory Dao Fruit had appeared, freely pulsing with radiant light.

’Flourishing Life, Withered Silence... In the end, when the two converge and become one, could that be the renowned Dao of Life and Death?’

After that flight of fancy, Lin Changheng turned his thoughts to a more practical matter: how to obtain the Wood Element [Profound Spirit Essence Blood].

’Since the Beast Taming Sun Family has moved in, I really should apply for a station at the Cyan Spirit District for a while.’

He had only accepted the clan’s reward and had refused the valuable thank-you gift that Patriarch Xu and his daughter, Xu Hanji, had offered him in their personal capacity. He had wanted to save that favor for later.

At the time, Xu Hanji had seemed thoughtful before taking the gift back.

’Yes, this would be a good time to use it.’

A glint in his eye, Lin Changheng made his decision.

Sitting cross-legged in meditation, he once again entered a state of Cultivation. The Perfection Level [Qi Concealing Skill] ceased its operation, revealing his true Cultivation level!

Compared to before, the aura of his Cultivation had changed dramatically; his Magical Power was incredibly profound!

It was none other than Late Stage Qi Cultivation!

The Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation, at that!

In just over four years, less than five, he had achieved successive breakthroughs.

Not only had he broken through the great bottleneck of Late Stage Qi Cultivation, but he had also advanced a great deal further, entering the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

To this, Lin Changheng could only say it was a pleasant surprise.

It was all thanks to that fortunate encounter—

The scarlet powder used by that Chen Family remnant!

Lin Changheng had refined it directly and found it to be a great supplement. He later discovered that the substance even had the effect of helping to wear down bottlenecks!

It could be called a "Cultivation Marvel"!

He just didn’t know where that scoundrel had gotten it, or why he had so wastefully treated it as some wicked aphrodisiac.

To only use its side effects was to go completely astray, mistaking the branch for the root—a blasphemous waste of a heavenly treasure!

However, Lin Changheng was unaware that while the scarlet powder’s effects were potent, its side effects were also extremely tyrannical.

As for Chen Guqing, it wasn’t that he had never tried using it himself, but the side effects were difficult to eliminate and could only be released through the sole method of "Joyful Union."

The problem was, after a hysterical frenzy, he became like an tireless beast of burden, plowing endlessly without any control...

Not only did he fail to enjoy any gains in his Cultivation, he was left even more exhausted. His eyes were sunken, his face was pale, and several times he nearly suffocated, almost dying on top of his Furnace Cauldron.

This had genuinely frightened him.

He didn’t dare use it on himself again.

But for Lin Changheng, protected by the [Poison Transformation Demon Technique], the side effects were nonexistent, while the main effects were fully realized.

Despite not having a Middle Grade Spirit Root, he broke through naturally.

And without harming his potential.

This left Lin Changheng deeply shocked, and then ecstatic.

’It’s a shame the scarlet powder in that black stone vial is limited. Otherwise, if I had used enough of it with some masterpiece-quality Middle Grade Elixirs, I could have charged straight to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation in one go without much trouble.’

Thinking of the nearly empty vial of scarlet powder, Lin Changheng felt a fresh pang of regret.

...

WHOOSH!

The newly acquired Middle Grade [Spirit Gathering Array] activated. Spiritual Qi converged and condensed, becoming like smoke and mist.

The Night Illuminating Fire, which he had also cultivated to the Perfection Level, rumbled to life, breathing in the Spiritual Qi and making it his own.

But the familiar Cultivation process had become second nature, requiring no conscious effort, and Lin Changheng’s mind was focused elsewhere.

He was silently deducing.

This was because the technique was incomplete and could only be cultivated to the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation.

The path after the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation was cut off.

The conventional paths were to either retrieve the stolen latter half of the Cultivation Technique and complete it, or to find another technique and switch over.

As for the former, its whereabouts were unknown; searching for it was no different from finding a needle in a haystack.

As for the latter, switching techniques would be a waste of Energy and effort, with the losses outweighing the gains.

Fortunately, Lin Changheng had found a third path.

To complete the technique and continue the path!

To complete the Cultivation Technique and reconnect the broken road.

The reason he had this idea was the advancement of his [Origin Treasure Seed].

[Origin Treasure Seed·Fourth Layer]

[Refined Ability: Enhanced Enlightenment Celestial Gift: Ascending Marvels]

[Utility: Observing the Dharma and Understanding the Scripture, Every Detail is Clearly Manifested; Worldly Laws Renew Themselves]

CLANG—

Like a divine sound from beyond the heavens resounding in his heart, the [Origin Treasure Seed·Fourth Layer] suddenly burst forth with a brilliant, strange light. Countless mysteries swirled like stars, outlining a vast scripture within his sea of consciousness.

In that instant—

Lin Changheng felt his mind become clear and empty, reflecting all laws.

Previously obscure and difficult nodes were now as clear as the lines on his palm, every detail manifest. Mysteries that an ordinary person could not hope to comprehend in a lifetime were now being unraveled before his eyes, layer by layer, as if he were peeling a cocoon.

’So that’s how it is...’

An astonishing light reflected in Lin Changheng’s pupils as all his accumulated Cultivation experience was deconstructed and reassembled in that instant.

He suddenly understood. The so-called "renewing" was not a simple improvement, but a recreation that pointed directly to the essence; not a general continuation, but a derivation that extended from the very root!

’It’s too marvelous!’

’Almost there! Over the past two years, I have repeatedly visited the Scripture Hall, spending Contribution Points and burying myself in its scrolls. Now, the major adjustments to the first seven layers of the technique are complete, and the Eighth Layer is also finished. All that’s left is the Ninth Layer... The skeleton is already formed, just waiting for flesh and blood. Then it will be a complete Upper Grade Technique, superior to the old and more perfect than the original!’

His time spent in Cultivation was also time spent by Lin Changheng immersing his mind in innovating and deducing his Cultivation Technique.