As Zhong Shenxiu approached the towering gate with that wing-like structure, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness—a "mental wave"—followed by an external force that inexplicably repelled it, ejecting him directly outside the "transparent sphere."

The entire event occurred so abruptly that Zhong Shenxiu had absolutely no time to prepare.

Gazing at the empty space, Zhong Shenxiu was speechless. If he had known this would happen, he would have sent more "mental waves" in.

He could not have imagined that the "mental wave" would be ejected at the most critical juncture; it felt like the universe was deliberately teasing him.

Of course, there was a reason this particular "mental wave" was expelled: first, the distance it traveled was ever-increasing, making control difficult; second, the separated "mental wave" was too weak, its frequency signal not strong enough to offer any resistance against that surging force.

It seemed that if he wanted to continue probing the secrets within, he would have to wait for the descent of the eighth Heavenly Thunder. Zhong Shenxiu had never anticipated a Heavenly Thunder so eagerly in his life; he was practically straining his eyes waiting for it.

Robin, who had been observing the situation from afar, was no longer as tense as before. Every time, Zhong Shenxiu managed to neutralize that overwhelmingly powerful Heavenly Thunder, turning disaster into safety.

Though she didn't know what method he was using, the crucial point was that Zhong Shenxiu hadn't sustained a single injury so far.

Robin dared not contemplate what her future would be like without Zhong Shenxiu. She didn't crave immense wealth or eternal life; her greatest wish was simply to stay by his side for his entire life.

This eighth Heavenly Thunder took over an hour to brew before striking. Strangely, the purple hue within the thunderbolt was even more pronounced than before.

However, this was no longer Zhong Shenxiu’s immediate concern. His focus was now on the secret hidden within himself—why everything felt so utterly unbelievable.

Upon re-entering the "transparent sphere," Zhong Shenxiu sent forth nearly half of his mental energy. As soon as he entered, he avoided any distraction and charged directly toward the black gate.

Although he sensed a repulsive force upon approaching the black gate again, because this time the "mental wave" was significantly stronger than the previous one, he arrived safely before the black gate after a brief alarm.

Calling it a black gate was perhaps inaccurate; it was more like a pitch-black tunnel, as there was no structure obscuring it—just endless darkness within, hiding unknown things.

Zhong Shenxiu had steeled his resolve before entering, so he didn't hesitate and plunged straight in.

Only after rushing through did he realize that the world inside was the exact opposite of the one he had just left. The world he was in now was utterly dark.

The oddity was that in this intensely black environment, countless lines of colored light, shifting slowly in irregular patterns, were visible. These light lines were mesmerizing, resembling the meridians within a human body—intricate and complex, yet maintaining perfect order.

Seeing this scene, Zhong Shenxiu knew his hypothesis was correct: the two illusions were indeed linked.

As with previous occurrences, gazing at these multicolored light lines gave Zhong Shenxiu an indescribable, profound feeling regarding space and time, as if he were gradually approaching some ultimate truth.

And just then, Zhong Shenxiu’s body trembled, and he understood something significant.

Space. Yes, it was space. Zhong Shenxiu finally realized why the "transparent sphere" had vanished without warning—it was related to space.

It was more appropriate to say the "transparent sphere" existed within an independent spatial pocket rather than merely in Zhong Shenxiu's mind. To explain this phenomenon, one could imagine using one's fali to tear open a pocket dimension, a localized "Universe Domain," which, while separate from the real world, could still be manipulated.

Furthermore, Zhong Shenxiu had figured out that his travel to this place was also linked to this mechanism.

But how were these two mysterious worlds created? Were they connected to that secret manual?

This conjecture was highly probable. Firstly, it was only after Zhong Shenxiu forcibly cracked the secret manual that this chain of events began. Secondly, Zhong Shenxiu clearly recalled that when he broke open the manual, it had emitted a multicolored glow, astonishingly similar to the multicolored light lines here.

With this realization, Zhong Shenxiu could barely contain his excitement. If this was true, it meant that provided he found the method, Zhong Shenxiu could gain complete, free control over these two mysterious worlds.

This was a monumental thing.

If Zhong Shenxiu succeeded, his insights would erupt like a tsunami—unstoppable.

All sorts of previously insurmountable problems and unanswerable questions would be instantly resolved. Even more astonishingly, the speed of Zhong Shenxiu’s inventions and research would soar, and this didn't even account for his comprehension of "space and time."

The current Zhong Shenxiu absolutely adored these two profound worlds. His next task was figuring out how to grasp them completely.

This was easy to say but infinitely more complex to execute. Zhong Shenxiu's greatest difficulty was that his understanding of these two worlds was currently too shallow; finding an entry point would be hard in a short time.

Difficult did not mean impossible.

Zhong Shenxiu calmed himself, replaying every piece of information related to these two worlds in his mind, including the scene when he cracked the manual, and the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the illusion.

Yet, after deep contemplation, he could only recall fragmented pieces, unable to grasp the core essence.

What should he do?

Just as Zhong Shenxiu felt helpless, an idea flashed through his mind.

Instead of overthinking here, perhaps retreating to the previous world could offer the answer.

Zhong Shenxiu remembered that whenever he encountered the first illusion, the problems troubling his mind would resolve themselves as if that world possessed the power to unlock wisdom and light the lamp of truth.

With that thought, Zhong Shenxiu delayed no longer and headed straight for the vast, white world filled with dancing runes.

Since the two realms were connected, from this perspective, it looked like a white gate suspended in mid-air.

This time, while scrutinizing the runes, Zhong Shenxiu paid special attention to his sensations. He felt as if something in his mind was following the trajectory of those runes, experiencing a sensation of detaching from himself and merging with the heavens and earth.

Wait—Zhong Shenxiu started violently, his heartbeat abruptly accelerating. Just then, four terrifying words flashed through his mind:

Comprehending the Heavenly Dao.

It was widely known that cultivators possessed the ability to traverse heaven and earth precisely because of their comprehension and understanding of the Heavenly Dao, which they then executed through continuous cultivation. The deeper the comprehension, the stronger their power. However, the Heavenly Dao was vast and profound, covering countless aspects; even gifted cultivators might only grasp a tiny fraction that would benefit them for a lifetime, allowing them to reign supreme.

But just now, Zhong Shenxiu had a feeling: he felt these two mysterious worlds were either an interpretation of the Heavenly Dao or the key to unlocking its essence.

If that were the case, it was understandable why his inspiration surged the moment this illusion appeared.

He never expected this secret manual to be this extraordinary. Though it contained not a single written character, it surpassed ten thousand secret codices—truly the creation of the cosmos.

No one knew the true essence of the Heavenly Dao; not even a genius like Zhong Shenxiu had dared to dream of mastering its core.

Yet, heaven had given him such a great opportunity to touch the key to the essence of the Heavenly Dao. Even someone as composed as Zhong Shenxiu would be stunned senseless.

Joy! This was truly joy amidst surprises!

Who could have imagined that merely undergoing this tribulation would reveal so many unexpected delights? Likely, no one.

Now, Zhong Shenxiu's resolve to incorporate these two fantastical worlds for his own use became even firmer.

Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, Zhong Shenxiu focused intently on the myriad runes dancing in the air.

Time passed slowly, and the images in Zhong Shenxiu’s mind began to assemble like a jigsaw puzzle, with a faint, blurry thread becoming visible.

Suddenly, Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes snapped open. He finally knew the reason behind all these secrets and the method to control these two worlds.

From the moment the secret manual was violently cracked, from the moment the multicolored light sphere drilled into his body, these two mysterious worlds already belonged to him. The only reason he couldn't control them freely was that his conditions had not yet been met.

Looking at the various experiences, this secret manual was conveying one message to Zhong Shenxiu: Return to Simplicity.

Everyone could consider why his spiritual power vanished and why he resembled a child. All these things pointed toward "Return to Simplicity."

The reason Zhong Shenxiu still couldn't control these profound worlds was that his personality had not yet "Returned to Simplicity."

Realizing this, Zhong Shenxiu frowned slightly. If his personality were to "Return to Simplicity," it would mean that not only his appearance but also his behavior would begin to trend toward that of a child. Simply put, he would completely become a child—albeit a child with monstrous power.

Of course, if that happened, another consequence would arise: all of Zhong Shenxiu’s previous knowledge would cease to exist, as that accumulation would prevent his personality from achieving "Return to Simplicity."

This was the one thing Zhong Shenxiu absolutely could not accept.

How could the knowledge he spent untold eons accumulating be wiped clean? Absolutely not.

Was there another way?

Zhong Shenxiu stared again at the suspended runes, falling into deep thought. A long period passed. Finally, another audacious idea sparked in Zhong Shenxiu’s mind.

Instead of thinking about returning to simplicity...