CHAPTER 518: CHAPTER 202: SUCCESSFULLY CRACKING THE NASCENT SOUL (3)

The love from before wasn’t true love; now, this unconscious surrender is the true completion of feelings.

Then the problem arose.

Love is something more terrifying than a Heart Demon.

At least when faced with a Heart Demon, I didn’t care, and could still practice while bearing it.

But this love...

Zhang Feng looked at Jingyi, the little carp in his arms, watching the happy smile that appeared on her face.

How could he return to practice like this?

He needed to think of a way.

...

In the end, Zhang Feng still left.

He used Spiritual Qi illusions to replace his true self and disengaged from her embrace.

By the time she realized, she was already pouting in anger.

Zhang Feng was already twenty miles away.

Then, looking from afar at her sadness in the distance, Zhang Feng actually couldn’t bear it either, and felt a faint pain in his heart; it was truly both a physical and illusory pain.

The physical pain is proven by experiments; people really feel pain in their hearts during love.

But the illusory heartache, amidst this sorrow of love’s separation...

Zhang Feng perhaps had truly gathered all seven souls, and at this moment sincerely felt the existence of the ’soul’.

It really is a form of material belonging to oneself yet impossible to observe.

Clearly existing in the heart, it can be felt.

But it just can’t be observed.

It’s just that, similar to the Golden Core in the four dimensions, it seemingly sees the soul stirring within the heart.

Amidst this large-scale emotional fluctuation, and the perfection of the emotions of the seven souls...

The Golden Core is integrating with the soul.

The talisman structure belonging to the Golden Core is also subtly changing.

Zhang Feng knew that when it completes its transformation, it should be the legendary ’Nascent Soul’ stage.

And with the remaining time, if he could break through, Zhang Feng would also feel it’s normal, because he’s actually been cultivating and refining his heart for hundreds of years.

An epiphany in one morning, a One Step Golden Core, followed closely by Nascent Soul.

Both being four-dimensional, it is originally homogenous in dimension, easily achieving a breakthrough in connection.

If there is no breakthrough, Zhang Feng feels it’s still normal; after all, it all accumulates as foundation.

Zhang Feng’s true goal is not the height of the realm but what his magical structure knowledge can achieve within the realm he can reach.

Like now, even if he is only at Qi Cultivation, as long as he is given some time, he can still accomplish ’calling the wind and rain’ within a ’radius of three miles’.

And by handing over this ’calling the wind and rain’ array method to the data center...

It can not only be made into a weather weapon to improve the weather of a certain place.

But also optimize even better magic, or enhance its effectiveness, ultimately indirectly deepening his knowledge foundation.

The more abundant his foundation, the more he can deduce talismans and cultivation realms.

This truly is his own strength, the power that can be carried to different worlds, and the strength that can impact the real self.

Contemplating, Zhang Feng felt much better, and the sadness from love also lightened a lot.

It seems learning is the bane of love.

Zhang Feng suddenly thought of a phrase, ’Pretty women may not be your own, but the knowledge you learn unquestionably is yours.’

Zhang Feng felt this saying was quite good, and after seeing his fiancée return to the water, protected by his array technique, he also left with peace of mind.

Because, for now, the beautiful fiancée truly belonged to him.

...

Upon arrival in Hengcheng, Zhang Feng discovered there was an additional great Cultivator in the estate.

Looking from afar, it was the State Preceptor.

Zhang Feng knew of him, because his image as described by some cultivators exactly matched this old abbot in a kasaya.

And Zhang Feng also understood his background.

He was actually a Buddhist, but he also cultivated the path of cultivation.

Buddhism, was what he joined before his cultivation.

Later, he didn’t bother clarifying any identity issues, so he let the Buddhists use his name for large temple buildings in various places.

This could be seen as settling some ’karma’.

Because it was after joining Buddhism that he detached from the mundane world and contacted cultivation.

Theoretically, it’s a profound karma.

But in practice, he should have a lackluster understanding of some Buddhist doctrines.

After all, this world does not have a Heavenly Dao.

But his way of sticking to his heart and not forgetting his origins was also virtuous.

In his thoughts, Zhang Feng suddenly arrived at the residence.

At this moment.

The State Preceptor was standing in the hall, holding an ’invitation’ and a book of "Carefree Wandering."

Beside him were three Golden Core Cultivators, as well as the Prefect and others.

"Greetings to Elder Zhang!"

At the same time, the three cultivators and the Prefect, upon seeing Zhang Feng arrive, gave a simultaneous salute.

The State Preceptor was suddenly stunned, just standing there stiffly.

Zhang Feng glanced at him and saw the invitation was to invite him to the court in three days, while the "Carefree Wandering" was of little use.

And regarding the State Preceptor’s sudden daze, along with his nervousness of not daring to speak...

Zhang Feng also found it normal.

Because when his Golden Core and soul merged, the aura was unstable.

The State Preceptor, being an utmost expert at Golden Core Perfection, could capture a trace of his aura.

Therefore, his fear was inevitable.

This is akin to the crushing exerted by a higher lifeform on a lower one.

The feeling it imparted to the State Preceptor was an overwhelming fear at the spiritual level.

The State Preceptor was experiencing this very feeling, not daring to move or perform regular etiquette.

Even though he knew it was wrong not to salute, he simply couldn’t move.

In imagery terms, the situation between Zhang Feng and him was like a human seeing an ant on a floor with no small holes, and the ant saw the human.

If the person wanted to step on the ant, the ant surely couldn’t escape.

Thus, the ant’s instinct was to ’freeze’, to ’play dead’.

And Zhang Feng, at this moment, was this ’higher-dimensional being’.

In a sci-fi sense, it’s a ’higher-dimensional’ strike.

In a Xianxia sense, this higher-dimensional aura is also called ’Dao Rhyme,’ which is the leakage of the talisman aura of Heavenly Dao rules.

Like an Immortal lecturing the Dao, the venue would be filled with Dao Rhyme.

In Zhang Feng’s view at this moment, it should be the partial unfolding of the high dimension over the low dimension.

If someone could see this higher dimensional unfolding and comprehend the Dao Rhyme (talisman), a relative increase in strength would be normal too.

In contemplation.

Zhang Feng also looked at the apprehensive State Preceptor, the one-time foremost Cultivator under heaven, who seemed to perceive some of his Dao Rhyme, yet couldn’t comprehend it.

Because his knowledge was too vast, it was like a ’Celestial Court’-like vast database of human civilization’s foundation.

Coupled with the collective knowledge conclusions of all scientific researchers and the unified system of all people globally.

Resembling a ’glorious time of human reality’.

Normal people couldn’t decipher it.

"Departure in three days."

Seeing his perplexity, Zhang Feng didn’t wish to elaborate further and continued to retreat for closed-door practice.

Meanwhile, the Prefect and others saw the State Preceptor’s apprehension and fear but felt curious, even confused.

Being all at Golden Core Perfection, and the State Preceptor being once the foremost under heaven, shouldn’t be so afraid of Elder Zhang, should he?

Could he not even utter a greeting?

While they couldn’t deny Elder Zhang’s might.

In the Prefect and others’ view, Elder Zhang was amiable and didn’t exude any Intimidation-like presence.

Especially after Elder Zhang had already left now.

The State Preceptor still maintained a cautious stance.

They found it very strange.

Until a while after Zhang Feng left, the State Preceptor’s tension slowly eased.

The crowd was equally puzzled, using Spiritual Sense to mutually communicate:

’State Preceptor, is there something different about Elder Zhang?’

’Yes, Elder Wu...’

They curiously inquired, knowing that the State Preceptor was kind-hearted, daring to ask him in this way.

At the same time, the Prefect was also bewildered,

’State Preceptor! I saw Elder Zhang as kindly disposed, and when near Elder Zhang, I felt close and natural; why are you so... like this?’

’Ah...’ Faced with the crowd’s questions, the State Preceptor sighed,

’You are merely at Foundation Establishment and Minor Achievement of Golden Core; having not reached Golden Core Perfection, you naturally cannot feel Elder Zhang’s aura, thus you find Elder Zhang amiable.

But I, this old monk, precisely because I am at the extreme of Golden Core Perfection, could detect a trace of Elder Zhang’s aura, hence understandably feared.

It’s like a kind elder being seen as an overwhelming figure by the lower ones.

With Elder Zhang, there’s no need for conventional salute, though we know neglecting to salute is wrong, we just cannot move.

’ God’s truth, Elder Zhang and I are exactly in a state like this, as if a man faces an ant without holes on the ground.

If this man wanted to step on this ant, then the ant would inevitably perish.

So, the instinct of the ant is to ’freeze’, to ’play dead’.

And right now, Zhang Feng is exactly this kind of ’higher-dimensional person’.

In a more fantastical sense, this high-dimensional aura is also called ’Daoist Rhyme’, which is the external leak of Heavenly Dao Rules talisman aura.

Like an Immortal imparting the Dao, where the venue is full of Dao Rhyme.

At this moment, in Zhang Feng’s mind, it felt like a ’partial unfolding’ of the high dimensional over the low-dimensional.

If someone could see the high-dimensional unfolding and comprehend the Dao Rhyme (talisman), a relative enhancement of power is also normal.

In contemplation.

Zhang Feng also looked at the uneasy State Preceptor, seeing this number one cultivator seemingly perceiving some of his Dao Rhyme, yet unable to comprehend it.

Because his knowledge was so vast, like a cosmic phenomenon representing ’Celestial Court’.

Though normal people can’t decipher it.