The Bai family was an established clan in Great Ming Prefecture. Their ancestor, Bai Tianhao, had left a deep mark on human history.
A Lingyun ninth layer slaying a Shanhai seventh layer!
Whether that had been accomplished through a Primordial Spirit Aperture could not be verified. After all, the man had been dead for many years and had left behind no rumors regarding such an aperture.
People had examined the records Bai Tianhao left behind, but none had gained much from them. In the end, everyone—including King Daming—had abandoned research in that direction, writing it off as Bai Tianhao's desperate burst of power on the brink of death.
The Bai family was located in the eastern district of Tiandu Prefecture's city, where quite a few other old clans resided.
Among them, the Bai family was not considered top-tier.
On the way, Bai Junsheng kept chatting.
"Su Yu, you're visiting my family to ask about our ancestor, right? Honestly, there isn't much to ask. Our ancestor was exceptionally gifted, which was how he pulled it off. Just like you—you're strong because of sheer talent, not some Primordial Spirit Aperture...
"People outside are claiming our ancestor might have discovered a Primordial Spirit Aperture. Total nonsense. If he really had, my family would have struck it rich long ago, and I would've learned it already."
Su Yu nodded slightly. He would take a look anyway.
Truth be told, he did not harbor high hopes either.
If Bai Tianhao had truly left behind even a few words about the Primordial Spirit Aperture, someone would have taken them long ago.
The Bai Manor.
Guards stood at the front gates.
Upon seeing Bai Junsheng, several guards hurried to salute. "Second Young Master!"
"Second Young Master is back!"
Bai Junsheng laughed and waved a casual greeting before striding into the main courtyard without lingering for pleasantries.
Su Yu followed closely behind. The moment he stepped through the gate, he heard the whistling whoosh of wind!
Someone was practicing martial techniques!
In the courtyard stood a young girl practicing a martial art. She looked to be only seven or eight years old.
"Bai Ye, your brother is back! Why aren't you coming over?" Bai Junsheng shouted. Then he turned his head and whispered to Su Yu, "That's your martial aunt—my cousin's younger sister. After my cousin left, my second uncle and second aunt were lonely, so they had another kid!"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. A seven- or eight-year-old kid as his martial aunt!
Cultivators didn't adhere to such rigid formalities!
Bai Feng's younger sister?
Su Yu had never imagined his teacher had a sister.
Over in the courtyard, the young girl turned around. Her ponytail swung as she looked at Su Yu with curiosity. Soon, as if recognizing him, she ran over with visible excitement and blurted, "Are you Su Yu? Are you my brother's student?"
Su Yu smiled and nodded. "I am Teacher Bai Feng's student."
"It really is you!"
Bai Ye had likely seen Su Yu before, though Su Yu had no impression of her—a huge crowd had gathered to watch his public body casting earlier.
Bai Ye said eagerly, "When will my brother come back? I haven't seen him in years..."
Bai Junsheng scoffed exasperatedly, "You only saw him once when you were tiny. What the hell do you remember? I'm your brother; that other one is fake."
"You're the fake one!" The little girl pouted in annoyance. "You're just a cousin! He's my real brother. My brother is amazing—a top-tier powerhouse and a monstrous genius Civilization Master! You're only in the Mind Tempering Realm."
"..."
Bai Junsheng was used to bickering with the little girl and didn't mind. He chuckled and said, "I'm in the Tengkong Realm, and so is he. I'm younger than him, so naturally I'm the greater genius! Little Ye, you should worship me, got it?"
"No way! You always bully me. When my brother comes back, I'll have him beat you up!"
"Heh, he might not be able to beat me!"
"Impossible!" Bai Ye refused to believe it. She turned eagerly to Su Yu. "Brother Su Yu, tell him—Junsheng can't beat my brother, right?"
Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Of course. One strike is all it would take. There's no comparison."
Bai Junsheng felt crestfallen. The way Su Yu put it made him sound utterly weak.
Yet when he thought about it, Bai Feng really did possess that kind of strength, which only made him feel more dejected.
Hearing this, Bai Ye grew thrilled and began chattering away with endless questions. She showed no reservations toward Su Yu at all. Perhaps because he was her brother's student, she treated him as family right away. Being at a talkative age, she asked question after question.
Su Yu replied with a warm smile, though deep down, he was beginning to understand why Bai Feng never returned home.
Both of his parents were here, and he even had a sister now.
Meanwhile, Bai Feng had joined the Multiple Divine Characters Faction in Great Xia Prefecture.
Even before Bai Feng had learned of that hidden Invincible expert, he had known that their faction had struggled against the Single Divine Character Faction for years, and a violent clash was bound to erupt sooner or later.
Under such circumstances, dragging his family into it would have been inappropriate.
In ten years, he had returned only once.
The Bai family might have grown distant and emotionally estranged from him, but in Bai Feng's eyes, that might have been the exact outcome he desired.
With a daughter to care for, his parents might not miss their son quite as painfully.
Su Yu inhaled softly. Perhaps... he shouldn't have visited in the first place.
After this visit, it would be best for him to keep some distance from the Bai family as well.
After chatting for a bit, Bai Junsheng led Su Yu toward the inner courtyard, saying as they walked, "My second uncle seems to be on duty today, but my dad should be home. I'll take you to see him."
Bai Ye, trailing behind them like a little tail, chimed in, "My dad will definitely come home once he knows Brother Su Yu is here! I'll call him..."
"No need to disturb him!" Su Yu said with a smile. "Don't go through the trouble, Little Ye. Next time there's an opportunity, I will greet General Bai."
"Oh... alright then." Bai Ye looked slightly disappointed, but her smile quickly returned. "Brother Su Yu, has my brother found me a sister-in-law yet?"
"A sister-in-law..."
Su Yu pondered for a moment and shook his head. Sister-in-law my foot—Bai Feng barely stepped outside his laboratory, so where would he find a wife?
In his memory, Bai Feng had never even spoken to a woman.
Wait, that wasn't true; he had spoken to Wu Qi. But Bai Feng had probably been beaten by her, considering how sour his tone was whenever her name came up.
"None? What a pity. I really wanted to see what my sister-in-law looked like. Junsheng is a bachelor, too."
"What kind of talk is that?" Bai Junsheng grumbled in dissatisfaction. "I'm still young! Sooner or later, I'll find you seven or eight sisters-in-law. What's the rush!"
Amidst the laughter and banter, someone had already reported their arrival to the head of the Bai family.
Su Yu had come to visit!
Soon, a guard came up and reported in a low voice that the eldest master was waiting in the reception hall. The group headed toward the hall.
...
In the reception hall.
The eldest master of the Bai family did not look particularly old, but he carried an aura of dignity. He possessed the strength of the Lingyun ninth layer. Formerly a myriarch in the Tiandao Army, he had been transferred back from the front lines several years ago and now served as a vice-commander in the prefectural army. In Great Ming's prefectural army, a legion of a hundred thousand was led by a commander at the Shanhai Realm, while vice-commanders included both Shanhai and Lingyun experts.
Bai Feng's father also served in the prefectural army as a myriarch, holding an active post. Bai Zhanyi, on the other hand, held a largely honorary post, spending most of his time at home with the freedom to report to the army or not.
At that moment, Bai Zhanyi gazed outside, lost in thought as countless matters crossed his mind.
A moment later, hearing footsteps, he exhaled softly and composed himself.
That nephew of his in Great Xia Prefecture had truly taken in an extraordinary student.
The next instant, Su Yu entered the hall behind Bai Junsheng.
The moment Bai Zhanyi laid eyes on Su Yu, he felt as though he were looking at the Bai Feng of years past—clad in snow-white robes, a faint smile gracing his face, refined and scholarly. Such a demeanor was exceedingly rare in the martial Bai family.
Even when Bai Junsheng tried to imitate Bai Feng, he could never capture that essence, looking more like a rogue instead.
Su Yu, at first glance, unmistakably appeared as a gentle scholar.
Yet Bai Zhanyi knew this young man was no frail bookworm. The fellow had killed many enemies, and along the path he had walked, he had weathered as many storms as anyone.
"Student Su Yu greets General Bai!"
Snapped out of his daze, Bai Zhanyi smiled. "No need to be so courteous. Have a seat and let's talk! You are Xiao Feng's student, which means your ties to our Bai family can never be severed."
With that, Bai Zhanyi looked at Su Yu and continued, "Ever since you arrived in Great Ming Prefecture, you've been busy, and so have we. That is why we didn't send anyone to look for you, lest we intrude on your time."
Su Yu said hastily, "It is I who should have come to pay my respects to General Bai sooner."
"Enough with the polite formalities!" Bai Zhanyi chuckled and pressed his hand down, gesturing for him to take a seat. "We of the Bai family are a martial warrior lineage; we don't care much for formalities."
He looked at Su Yu and soon said, "You are currently researching the Primordial Spirit Aperture. I know of this. A few days ago, the Manor Lord summoned me and mentioned it. However... our Bai family truly does not possess any Primordial Spirit Aperture technique. Otherwise, we would have handed it over to the Manor Lord long ago.
"Our ancestor did leave behind some documents and records, but none of them pertain to the Primordial Spirit Aperture, nor do they mention it from beginning to end. Those records were also examined by several powerhouses in the past; otherwise, our family would never have known peace."
Su Yu nodded. That was only natural.
A Lingyun ninth layer slaying a Shanhai seventh layer—after Bai Tianhao's death, many people must have come to inspect those records.
Su Yu hadn't expected Bai Zhanyi to get straight to the point right away.
Since that was the case, he dropped the formalities as well and smiled. "General Bai, I hold immense admiration for Senior Bai Tianhao. I also speculated whether Senior Bai had mastered a Primordial Spirit Aperture. Of course, it's very possible no records were left behind. Sometimes an insight bursts forth in an unexpected crisis, leaving no time to record anything."
Bai Zhanyi nodded. That was indeed very likely.
A spontaneous breakthrough under life-or-death crisis against a powerful foe—in such circumstances, there was naturally no chance to leave anything behind before dying.
Skipping any further pretenses, Bai Zhanyi said plainly, "The items left by our ancestor are stored in the family library. If you wish to read them, you may do so at any time."
He paused briefly, then added, "Regarding your teacher, Bai Feng... I heard you asked Head Niu and the others to arrange for Bai Feng's return to Great Ming Prefecture. You truly took this to heart!"
Then, he let out a sudden sigh. "However... the likelihood of his return is slim."
Su Yu froze. Slim?
What did he mean?
A moment later, realization dawned upon him. Sure enough, Bai Zhanyi sighed, "Hong Tan has emerged from seclusion. Had he remained inside, it might have been fine. But now that he's out... trouble! He has been pulled right back into the vortex. Knowing Bai Feng's temperament, even if he had planned to return to Great Ming Prefecture, he will refuse to do so now."
Su Yu fell silent.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Teacher cannot offer much help there. I still believe coming to Great Ming Prefecture would be best."
"You think that way, but he might not," Bai Zhanyi said, shaking his head. "Though he didn't follow the Bai family's path of a martial warrior, he possesses a warrior's spirit. In a critical moment, he will not abandon Hong Tan, even if he knows a mountain of blades and a sea of flames lies ahead!"
Su Yu fell silent once more. That truly was the choice Bai Feng would make.
If his grandmaster remained in secluded cultivation, Bai Feng might have come to Great Ming Prefecture. But now that his grandmaster had emerged and was embroiled in deep trouble, given Bai Feng's character, would he stay in Great Xia Prefecture or come here?
Su Yu thought it over and quickly found his answer: Great Xia Prefecture!
Bai Zhanyi sighed, letting the subject drop. "Let us not dwell on him. That boy has had a stubborn mind of his own since he was young. In the past, his heart was set on going to Great Xia Prefecture and entering the Great Xia Civilization Academy to chase the footsteps of the Fifth Generation and the others. No one could dissuade him then, and no one can dissuade him now.
"You are his student. I only hope... you can look out for him in the future. Although he is your teacher, he might not be as mature as you. He hasn't endured much hardship since childhood..."
After a few more words, Bai Zhanyi said, "I won't waste your time with idle chatter. Junsheng, take Su Yu to the library. If there are any useful materials, he may borrow them, so long as a rubbing is left behind."
"Thank you, General Bai!"
Su Yu expressed his gratitude. He hadn't expected it to be so effortless; Bai Zhanyi had barely spoken a few sentences before granting him full access to the family records.
Su Yu had originally intended to offer something in exchange, but now he felt embarrassed to bring it up.
Never mind; he would simply give something to Bai Junsheng later.
...
Leaving the reception hall, Su Yu followed Bai Junsheng toward the library. After walking for a bit, he asked, "Why did my teacher want to go to Great Xia Prefecture back then? I never felt like he revered the Fifth Generation that much..."
Bai Junsheng chuckled. "My cousin didn't worship the Fifth Generation specifically. Back then, he was drawn by the glory, the power, the mystery, and the subsequent fall of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Great Ming Prefecture actually preserved records of Senior Liu Wenyan and the others, while Great Xia Prefecture had comparatively few.
"From glorious peak to decline, the Fifth Generation slaying Invincibles, Senior Liu Wenyan in his prime... those were what my cousin chased! To put it bluntly, he was arrogant. He probably believed he could change the course of history..."
Beside them, Bai Ye chimed in angrily, "Don't talk about my brother like that! He isn't arrogant!"
"What does a little girl like you know? Scram, stop following us. When adults are talking, keep your mouth shut!"
Bai Junsheng tugged her pigtail, trying to shoo her away. Bai Ye flailed her arms, fuming, "Just wait until I finish Kaiyuan and reach the Qianjun Realm! I'll give you a proper beating!"
"Come off it. Beat me at the Qianjun Realm? By the time you reach Qianjun, I'll be in the Lingyun or Shanhai Realm!" Bai Junsheng laughed heartily. "Up to now, you've only opened one aperture. If you want to finish Kaiyuan, wait another five or six years. If you manage to complete Kaiyuan by fifteen, you'd already be considered a genius!"
Bai Ye instantly deflated, grumbling, "Kaiyuan is so annoying!"
Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he sent a voice transmission to Bai Junsheng: *Does the Bai family support Bai Ye's cultivation?*
Bai Junsheng paused, replying via transmission: *Why wouldn't we? We're a warrior clan. Why wouldn't she cultivate?*
*What I mean is, if I help her complete Kaiyuan now, would it disrupt the Bai family's training methods?*
Bai Junsheng was taken aback. Then, realizing something, he asked excitedly, "A Sky Origin Fruit?"
Right!
Su Yu was highly valued by the Manor Lord; he could likely request a Sky Origin Fruit.
Upon hearing his shout, Bai Ye asked curiously, "A Sky Origin Fruit? Junsheng, why are you mentioning that? Do you have one? Did you win it from the Ninth Prince? You've beaten him up so many times—haven't you won one yet? How about going to beat him up again?"
"..."
Su Yu blinked. Bai Junsheng regularly beat up Zhu Hongliang... could it be that this little girl had been instigating it all along just to secure a Sky Origin Fruit?
Bai Junsheng looked sheepish, while Su Yu chuckled. Since the family supported her cultivation, there was no need to hesitate.
After some thought, Su Yu said, "I have a Sky Origin Fruit that the Manor Lord gifted me. I don't need it myself. If Bai Ye needs it, I'll have someone deliver it over later..."
Before he could finish, Bai Ye gasped in delight. "Brother Su Yu, really?"
Bai Junsheng scratched his head and offered a dry chuckle. "That's too precious. Even the Manor Lord probably doesn't have many. He gave it to you, and for you to give it to Bai Ye... that's a waste. This girl's talent seems pretty average..."
"You're the one who's average!" Bai Ye retorted, though alongside her excitement, she felt bashful and added timidly, "Those are very precious. Maybe... never mind."
She wanted it, but she also understood its immense value.
Su Yu smiled. "It's fine. I have no use for it, and letting it sit around is a waste. I'll have someone send it over later."
Without lingering on the topic or giving them a chance to decline, they arrived at the library.
Stepping inside, Su Yu saw rows of books. The Bai family library did not have an overwhelming collection. On one particular shelf, the books and animal hides had already yellowed with age—relics of an earlier era.
As for texts of will and jade talismans, those were creations of later generations; during the founding era of the human prefectures, knowledge was recorded on paper and beast hides.
Seeing Su Yu gazing at the shelf, Bai Junsheng smiled and said, "Take your time reading. We won't disturb you."
"Alright, thank you!"
Bai Junsheng was tactful enough to drag Bai Ye away. Soon, Su Yu was the only person left in the library.
Wasting no time, Su Yu walked forward, picked up a volume, and began reading.
...
At the same time.
Bai Zhanyi walked up to the door of a secret chamber, knocked, and waited for a moment.
The door opened.
Inside the chamber, an elderly man sat cross-legged in cultivation. He coughed once and asked, "Is something the matter?"
"Father!" Bai Zhanyi greeted respectfully. "Someone has come to consult the ancestor's records..."
"Just let them read them!"
"No, this person is Xiao Feng's student, and he's a genius in research..."
Bai Zhanyi briefly summarized the situation, then added, "He has also conducted research into the Primordial Spirit Aperture. Father, what do you think..."
The old man remained silent for a while. "The Primordial Spirit Aperture... that thing brings calamity! To use it means certain death! It is not as simple as they imagine! Unless driven into a corner with no way out, using it is a death sentence! Never mind using it—merely opening it will ruin nine out of ten people..."
"Su Yu might be different. He has opened more apertures than our ancestor did."
With a pause, Bai Zhanyi hesitated before adding, "Father, your injuries are too severe. Su Yu might discover something through his research. If he yields real results, it might heal you. That way, our family would have sufficient confidence to weather upcoming crises."
The old man asked in a deep voice, "Has that brat Bai Feng caused trouble again?"
"It's not Xiao Feng; it's Hong Tan. Hong Tan has emerged from seclusion and stepped into the Sun-Moon Realm. He intends to reopen the Multiple Divine Characters College. Not only that... he has also invented the disassembly art... Though I suspect it wasn't Hong Tan, but Xiao Feng. That was what he used to defeat Xia Yuwen of the Xia family..."
The old man fell silent once more, then sighed. "That rebellious son of the Bai family insists on bringing trouble upon us. If this continues, the Bai family will be dragged into the mire sooner or later."
"Xiao Feng hasn't returned in many years," Bai Zhanyi sighed. "He knows he stirred up trouble, so he wanted to cut ties. But blood is thicker than water; how could ties be cut so easily? Right now, all our family can do is turn a blind eye. We are too weak to take part. With Father injured, we don't even have a Shanhai expert...
"Second Brother says nothing, but his heart is weighed down. Over these years, he has grown increasingly silent."
The old man sighed. "So long as we stay in Great Ming Prefecture, we will be fine. But if we leave and get involved, Great Ming will no longer shield us, and a single misstep would mean annihilation! There are still plenty of eyes watching our family; regarding our ancestor's explosive feat, even after all these years, not everyone has given up."
"Father, what about Su Yu...?"
The old man pondered for a moment before speaking: "The ancestor didn't leave much behind either. He merely mentioned that all apertures return to one; having shattered in the past, they reconverged to manifest the core of the apertures, requiring another cycle of destruction and reconstruction... I attempted it several times, which only shattered my own apertures and left me heavily injured. Careless experimentation easily leads to death."
"Should we tell Su Yu?"
The old man hesitated. "Reckless experimentation means certain death. These young people lack patience..."
"He might be different."
The old man fell silent again. After a long while, he nodded. "Go ahead, then. Don't tell him directly. Just leave a few clues, and let him discover it and choose for himself. The Primordial Spirit Aperture... the core of the apertures... what the ancestor spoke of might not even be the same thing he is looking for."
"Understood!" Bai Zhanyi replied, then quickly asked, "Father, if Su Yu truly manages to discover the Primordial Spirit Aperture he speaks of, could it help your injuries?"
"That depends on whether he can discover a stable method to open it. Otherwise... it will be of no use."
"I understand!"
Saying no more, Bai Zhanyi backed out of the secret chamber.
The stone door closed once again.
...
At the same time.
Su Yu was flipping through various manuscripts and records.
"Bai Tianhao must have opened around two hundred and seventy Yuan apertures!"
Su Yu looked at an aperture diagram. Having opened many apertures himself, he could tell this diagram was relatively crude, resembling scattered dots. Yet after cross-referencing, he quickly realized it was indeed an aperture map.
Not only that, but a crucial detail stood out: among the apertures shown, a special aperture had actually been unsealed.
The Glabella Acupoint!
This aperture was exceptionally unique. Su Yu had only unsealed it via the cultivation art of the Primordial Demon Race; attempting to open it blindly without countless deaths would be nearly impossible.
He hadn't expected Bai Tianhao might have opened it as well.
"If that's the case, it makes sense. He likely unsealed some special apertures and discovered something from them..."
However, Su Yu had unsealed even more apertures, yet had found nothing.
There might be unknown factors at play.
Su Yu continued reading. As he did, Bai Junsheng suddenly walked in holding a booklet. "I almost forgot—I took one of the ancestor's handbooks from here a few days ago. Take a look and see if it's of any use to you."
Su Yu nodded slightly, took the booklet, and Bai Junsheng laughed. "Carry on, then. I'm taking off!"
With that, he strode away.
Su Yu didn't try to keep him and casually flipped through the booklet.
As he read... he froze slightly.
Apertures shattered?
He noticed a handwritten annotation, seemingly added by someone later, and turned back to reread it.
This time, Su Yu read with utmost care, his brow furrowing as thoughts flashed through his mind. The text recorded that in his youth, Bai Tianhao had suffered a severe injury that caused many of his apertures to shatter.
The apertures had become a chaotic mess, forcing him to spend seven or eight years recuperating. While his peers advanced to the Shanhai and Sun-Moon Realms, he had remained stuck at the Lingyun Realm—all due to that past injury.
Not long after recovering from that wound, he had fought that historic battle, slaying a Shanhai while at the Lingyun Realm.
"Apertures shattered... then recovered..."
Thoughts surged in Su Yu's mind. He recalled his discussions back in Great Xia Prefecture with Hu Qiusheng and the others.
Originally, human apertures might have formed a unified whole.
Later, they shattered.
Thus, human cultivation—growing from weak to strong—was a process of opening apertures and then fusing them.
Ultimately, upon reaching the Sun-Moon Realm, all hundred apertures merged completely, becoming the Sun-Moon divine aperture.
In the Sun-Moon Realm, there was only one aperture.
It was a process of restoration!
And the Primordial Spirit Aperture might be the central focal point.
"Apertures shattered..."
Su Yu continued reading. The annotations were quite old, apparently written by a descendant of the Bai family.
Upon reading further, he was stunned. Someone in the Bai family had actually tried it!
They had intentionally shattered their own apertures to retrace Bai Tianhao's path. In the midst of shattering them, they had vaguely sensed something, but the shattered apertures proved impossible to mend, leaving the person crippled!
"What insane audacity. To shatter one's own apertures... isn't that an absolute idiot?"
Su Yu muttered internally. Who wrote this annotation?
A fool!
Recklessly shattering one's own apertures—and a large number of them at that—was practically begging for death, wasn't it?
The fellow who wrote the note had probably ended up killing himself.
Conducting research to the point of killing oneself—warriors truly weren't suited for this craft. To act so recklessly without any certainty was practically an insult to proper researchers.
"Naturally, one should test it on a model first, then preferably find someone else to test it, and only then try it on oneself... Otherwise, how many lives would you have to squander?"
Su Yu shook his head. The person who wrote this note was an idiot.
It was a pity the Bai family had such an ancestor, considering his own teacher was quite sharp... Never mind, Bai Feng shared that same habit of using himself as a guinea pig. When working on the divine character battle technique disassembly art, he had used himself as the test subject.
This was probably in the Bai family's blood!
The result was obvious: one burst of power had nearly killed Bai Feng. It truly was a Bai family tradition. He wondered whether his teacher had ever read this book or knew that one of his elders had ruined himself in the exact same manner!
"Shattering apertures, restructuring them, and using that opportunity to draw out the Primordial Spirit Aperture?"
Su Yu felt he might have grasped a key point, but it was far too perilous. He certainly wouldn't attempt it on himself—that was no different from suicide.
"Shattering them might not even be necessary. The shattering might have merely served to weaken the repulsive force between apertures or rearrange them, allowing the Primordial Spirit Aperture to emerge on its own... That was only necessary because he hadn't opened enough apertures. But I have opened plenty!
"In other words, by reorganizing and rearranging the three hundred and sixty Yuan apertures, some secrets might be revealed!"
"..."
Without realizing it, Su Yu ignited the Flame of Civilization within his mind, his thoughts racing at incredible speed.
At that moment, elsewhere in the Bai family, Bai Zhanyi and several others turned their gazes toward the library. What was happening?
A sudden sense of mental clarity and refreshment washed over them.
Matters they previously could not comprehend now felt clear and intuitive upon reflection, as though trivial all along.
Bai Junsheng, who had been bickering with Bai Ye, suddenly muttered, "Strange. Why do I feel like I can forge a peak-tier low-grade Yellow rank civilized armament now? During forging... my flame control was slightly off!"
He mumbled to himself and shook his head, suddenly feeling as though his intellect had leaped forward.
...
Meanwhile, Su Yu was connecting countless thoughts.
Primordial Spirit Aperture... divine apertures... Yuan apertures.
The two sides of yin and yang!
What Bai Tianhao had discovered might not have been the complete Primordial Spirit Aperture, but a yang aperture. Yuan apertures corresponded to yang, while divine apertures corresponded to yin. Perhaps each system had its own corresponding, symmetrical aperture, and only by merging the two would the true Primordial Spirit Aperture be formed!
Symmetry!
This was what Wu Lan had mentioned before, which had led Su Yu to open all three hundred and sixty apertures. Could the Primordial Spirit Aperture actually be two apertures—one yin and one yang, two sides of the same coin?
"Then the divine apertures might also number three hundred and sixty..."
Thoughts flashed in rapid succession. At this moment, Su Yu felt as though many puzzles had unraveled in his mind.
Looking at the booklet in his hands, he smiled. This... was probably not something just anyone was permitted to see.
Even if others saw it, though, it might not be a blessing. If people went around attempting it blindly, countless lives would be lost. Bai Tianhao had likely stumbled upon it through sheer coincidence back then, allowing him to discover what Su Yu defined as the yang aperture.
For anyone else to retrace his steps would require paving the road with their own lives.
This book of the Bai family had probably never been circulated to outsiders.
Now, Su Yu had a clue, but extensive experimentation was still required.
The humanoid puppets gifted by Zhao Tianbing would likely come in handy this time.
"The Bai family..."
Su Yu murmured softly. Saying nothing more, he slipped the booklet into his storage ring to take back with him. He wasn't sure whether it was Bai Zhanyi's gift or that of the old master in secluded cultivation.
Never mind; since it had been handed to him, he would accept it.
As for whether his interpretation was flawed, it likely wasn't.
...
It was not until late at night that Su Yu took his leave.
Shortly after he left, Bai Zhanyi entered the library and noticed the booklet was missing. He couldn't help but chuckle. The young fellow wasn't even afraid the Bai family would accuse him of theft; he was considerably more slick than Bai Feng.
That was for the best. Being too rigid and stubborn rarely ended well.
"I'm even more curious about what divine character that boy possesses. Why did all sorts of insights suddenly flood my mind today...?"
Bai Zhanyi shook his head. He had been stuck at the Lingyun ninth layer for several years, yet today he felt he had gained tremendously, as though the Shanhai Realm were now within reach.
"That kid is a walking treasure trove. If he radiates that brilliance every day, I could probably break into the Shanhai Realm soon. No wonder the Manor Lord values him so highly."
He could faintly sense that when Su Yu visited the Bai family, numerous powerhouses were tailing him in secret. Even within the city walls, experts guarded his path. This young fellow received treatment far superior to anyone else.
...
At that same moment, in the Prefecture Lord Manor.
Zhu Tiandao stroked his chin, muttering, "The Primordial Spirit Aperture... can it really allow someone to cross realms and kill enemies?"
If that were true, and he mastered it, could he slay Invincibles?
He genuinely looked forward to it!
Smacking his lips, he set the thought aside. When it came to Su Yu, Zhu Tiandao wished the fellow would conduct research twenty-four hours a day without sleeping at all. Great Ming Prefecture needed him too badly. Perhaps he should send some refreshing tonics over to Su Yu later.
Chapter 313