"I too have seen that cultivator from the Severing Immortal Tower who is said to have entered the Dao through the new method. Supposedly, it took him a mere three years to achieve the Dao. Furthermore, his mastery over the power of a True Immortal is in no way inferior to my own," Yu Shuo remarked, his tone difficult to read.
"If that is so, why do you still seem to harbor so much doubt, Elder Yu?"
"Because across the entire Severing Immortal Tower, among the cultivators who have reportedly attained Dao Entry and made public appearances, every single one wields the exact same kind of True Immortal power," Yu Shuo said cryptically.
"And what does that prove?" Zhao Xian asked, somewhat baffled.
Yu Shuo glanced at Zhao Xian with an inscrutable expression. After a long silence, he spoke in a remarkably calm voice. "Zhao Xian, you must remember this: when dealing with the power of a True Immortal, never let your guard down.
"The deeper you enter the Dao, the greater the danger to yourself."
Yu Shuo offered no further explanation, leaving only that unprompted remark.
"That will be all for today's lesson. Next time, it will be Nangong's turn." Yu Shuo's figure dissolved and vanished alongside his parting words.
Zhao Xian remained where he was, turning Yu Shuo's final words over in his mind.
A flash of insight struck him, revealing the hidden meaning behind the warning.
*The power of a True Immortal is like a web. While one can draw upon a True Immortal's power through the True Immortal's Web, the only result is becoming trapped deeper and deeper...*
The sudden epiphany hit Zhao Xian like a dousing of ice water in midwinter, sending a chill through his entire body.
*If that is truly the case, doesn't that mean our Dao Confirmation Academy, and even the entire Xuan Celestial Vessel, are all...*
Soon, however, Zhao Xian forced a bitter smile.
*It's simply a choice forced by necessity, for the sake of survival. After all, survival is the celestial vessel's paramount priority. Besides, we have wandered in exile through this star sea for so many years, witnessing only the remnants of True Immortals' power without ever catching a glimpse of a True Immortal in the flesh. A risk certainly exists, but for now, it can be set aside.*
At the same time, Zhao Xian understood the peculiarity about the Severing Immortal Tower that Yu Shuo had pointed out.
Within the Pitch-Black Star Sea, various residual powers of True Immortals were mingled together.
If they truly possessed a method to absorb realm-annihilation relics harmlessly and perfectly, then the Dao Entry manifestations of those Severing Immortal Tower cultivators ought to have displayed a corresponding variety of states.
After all, the residual powers of True Immortals that each individual was compatible with were not the same.
Within the Pitch-Black Star Sea, the celestial vessel had identified no fewer than five distinct types of True Immortal power. Among the Dao Confirmation Academy's three leaders, each had pursued a different direction in their Dao Entry.
Yet all six of the Dao Entry cultivators who had revealed themselves from the Severing Immortal Tower displayed the exact same Dao Entry power.
Such a coincidence was technically possible, but the probability was infinitesimally small.
*Either the technique they master only works on a single type of True Immortal power...*
*Or...*
A chill ran through Zhao Xian's heart, and he dared not pursue the thought any further.
For now, the task the academy had assigned him was to stabilize his Nascent Soul cultivation before making another push toward the Soul Formation realm.
Only after successfully achieving Soul Formation would he begin gradually attempting Dao Entry.
*Dao Entry must not be attempted too early, nor should it come too late.*
*If one touches the power of a True Immortal prematurely, a frail soul and will have virtually no hope of withstanding that boundless, peerless might. The most likely outcome is immediate mutation into a mad, grotesque monstrosity.*
*Yet if it comes too late...*
*The traditional Dao Integration realm fuses one's being with the residual Heavenly Dao laws of this star sea, creating violent friction with the path of a True Immortal. The difficulty of achieving Dao Entry would increase by manifold degrees.*
The teachings of Nangong Lie, Head of the Dao Confirmation Academy, echoed through Zhao Xian's mind.
*The academy won't push me too hard for now. The urgent priority is to raise my own strength as quickly as possible.*
*Although the Nascent Trapping Tribulation indicates that I can only break through after the age of fifty, the academy master said that the restrictions of this shattered star sea's broken Heavenly Dao are not absolute. With the academy's foundation and the accumulations from my dreams, defying fate to alter my destiny will not be difficult at all.*
Zhao Xian was brimming with confidence on this front.
In truth, many details of the future dream Zhao Xian had experienced early on had already diverged considerably from reality. Under normal circumstances, had he been even slightly more observant, he should have long noticed these discrepancies.
Yet under the covert, ongoing influence of a certain presence, Zhao Xian—whether consciously or unconsciously—simply overlooked every inconsistency.
To say nothing of a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, even the Dao Confirmation Academy's trio of leaders on this Xuan Celestial Vessel were far from a match for Li Fan when it came to manipulating the human heart.
At this moment, Li Fan's divine sense was using Zhao Xian's clearance to freely browse through various hidden reserves of knowledge within the Dao Confirmation Academy.
All records concerning the power of True Immortals were concealed and completely inaccessible.
Regarding the history of the Xuan Celestial Vessel, however, there was little obfuscation.
Consistent with what Li Fan had learned previously, the Xuan Celestial Vessel had originated from the split of the former celestial vessel Xuanshang.
What was recorded in greater detail, however, was that the primary cause of the celestial vessel's internal strife back then had been an outsider.
Despite entering as an outsider, this individual had swiftly won the trust of more than half the people aboard the vessel.
They had even been bewitched into attempting to cross the invisible High Wall that sealed off the Pitch-Black Star Sea.
At the critical juncture, a celestial vessel cultivator named Cai Zhengjun—who would later become the first Head of the Xuan Celestial Vessel's Immortal Pivot Court—promptly led a faction to halt this suicidal endeavor.
Ultimately, however, it led to open conflict between the two sides, fracturing the celestial vessel.
Concerning that outsider, there were only a few brief sentences on record. His true identity remained an enigma.
As for the situation within the Pitch-Black Star Sea, the Dao Confirmation Academy possessed extensive, detailed accounts.
Beyond the spatiotemporal charts recorded during the Xuan Celestial Vessel's years of drifting and flight, the vessel held distinctive treatises regarding the Sea of Relics and the High Wall.
"In the deeper reaches of the Sea of Relics, approaching the invisible High Wall, lies the graveyard of worlds, the burial ground of the star sea. A terrifying gravitational pull originating from the center of the star sea spans the celestial expanse, only to be blocked by the High Wall over endless epochs. Compounded by the influence of the High Wall's mysterious power, this suction has been tidally locked, creating a reverse forcefield.
"The closer one draws to the High Wall, the more formidable this pull becomes. After dozens of exploratory expeditions that all ended in failure, the celestial vessel has abandoned further plans to investigate."
...
Stumbling upon this report, Li Fan was overjoyed.
Perhaps due to its unique position, this Xuan Celestial Vessel's understanding of the Pitch-Black Star Sea's full picture far surpassed that of the Xuanhuang Realm.
*Beneath the High Wall, tidally locked world fragments?*
In Li Fan's mind's eye, a dead and silent vista seemed to emerge—an endless, sprawling expanse of shattered worlds lying dormant.
*Does that mean the presence deep within the star sea that I assumed could rival the Immortal Ruins' suction is merely a reflection of the Pitch-Black Star Sea's pull cast back by the High Wall?*
Though a trace of disappointment lingered in his heart, Li Fan felt a wave of relief instead.
After all, so long as it wasn't another True Immortal, everything remained manageable.
*To think this invisible High Wall can block the entire might of the "Hunger" Formula and even cause it to converge in reverse.*
*Just what kind of unfathomable power could accomplish such a feat?*
Chapter 1228