Gazing inward at his primal spirit, Zong Shou saw that the sea of his soul was utterly transformed from what it had been a year prior.

That whirlpool in the soul-sea remained, yet hovering above it was a counter-rotating vortex. One above, one below, one consuming, one expelling, each occupying precisely half of his primal spirit.

Yet, the celestial and earthly spiritual energy Zong Shou absorbed had not diminished in the least; rather, it had become purer. It had even established a perfect cycle, ensuring Zong Shou existed in an environment perpetually saturated with spiritual energy, constantly inhaling and exhaling impurities. Often, the energies of heaven and earth, after just a few cycles of refinement, became impossibly pristine.

At the very center, the true talisman remained the core. A full eighteen spirit-restrictive talisman formations encircled the heart of the vortex.

“Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Lightning, Gale, Accumulation, Overlap, Inhale, Purify, Illusion, Yin, Yang, Heaven, Earth, Cosmos—”

A total of eighteen true talisman spirit-restrictions were nurtured within his primal spirit. Over the course of a year and a half, Zong Shou had managed to condense almost one true talisman every one or two months, but gathering that final character proved the most arduous. Zong Shou had initially intended to form the character ‘Nether’ (), as he had meticulously studied the Nether River Death-Bearing Sword in his previous life, possessing an unparalleled understanding of its laws. Yet, strangely, despite grasping the majority of that rune’s profound meaning, his attempts to forge it repeatedly failed.

It was as if the position for that final true talisman had already been claimed. Zong Shou then attempted to substitute several other true talismans, all to no avail.

Finally, half a month ago, an impulse struck him. Thinking he might as well try, he began to concentrate on forming the character ‘Cosmos’ (). Then, inexplicably, the spirit-restriction of this true talisman was completed with astonishing ease. The process was simpler than he could have imagined; with barely a flicker of intent, a true talisman bearing the character ‘Cosmos’ materialized suddenly within his primal spirit.

Beneath this true talisman, Zong Shou remained utterly ignorant of its detailed true inscription structure or the full extent of its profound meaning.

Now, half a month later, this ‘Cosmos’ true talisman had become the core of all the others.

Unbidden and beyond his control, it extended dense, scrolling clouds of runes, connecting with the other true talismans and commanding the operation of those seventeen inscriptions.

Opposite it lay the Heaven and Earth (Qian and Kun) talismans. Because these two characters represented the cosmos, they also aligned with the character for ‘Universe’ (), implying spatial meaning.

Above and below were the Yin and Yang talismans, acting in concert with the ‘Cosmos’ character as a co-core.

Beyond these five primary talismans lay Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Characters like Thunder and Gale were positioned further out.

All were extensions of the Yin-Yang universe and the Five Elements. Only after Heaven and Earth existed could there be Thunder, sound, accumulation, inhalation, and all manner of universal laws.

The entirety of his primal spirit was now perfectly ordered. The Nine-Layered Pagoda seemed to have withdrawn most of its power from the soul-sea vortex, redirecting it entirely toward repairing his spirit-soul damage.

“Past and present constitute the Cosmos—this ‘Cosmos’ true talisman truly arrived out of nowhere! Could that blue sphere of light within the core of my spirit-soul truly be that ‘Cosmos Apex World-Guiding Scripture’? Did I seize it in my past life and bring it into the primal spirit of this ‘Zong Shou’?”

“But seizing the Cosmos Apex World-Guiding Scripture clearly happened within a virtual illusion! Can such a book truly be digitized? How bizarre. Or perhaps, as my soul traversed ten thousand years, it inadvertently carried the characteristics of the ancient and the present?”

Puzzled after much contemplation, Zong Shou sighed faintly. Nevertheless, thanks to this, the final preparations for advancing to the Day-Wandering Realm were complete.

Within his sea of soul, there was now a feeling of burgeoning fullness; there was no more space to gather other true talismans.

He felt as if he could now release all his soul power without constraint, allowing it to commune freely with heaven and earth, requiring no further preparation. In perhaps a quarter of an hour, he would naturally step into the Day-Wandering Realm!

Yet, he still formed hand seals and manipulated energy with full focus. Lines of crimson markings bloomed across his skin, then twisted into arcane runes, ultimately converging at the center of Zong Shou’s brow to form the character ‘Seal’ () once more.

Zong Shou had already absorbed nearly all the essence of the Thunder Luan. His True Force cultivation was now pushing toward the peak of the Black Tortoise Realm, with his internal nine wheels each having fused with two spirit meridians.

His True Force was vast and mighty, rivaling that of a Heaven-Rank Martial Sovereign, a seventh-tier powerhouse. His physical body, built upon the foundation of the Purple Gold Lotus Seed and Marrow from the Qian-Li stage, constantly reinforced by the ‘Dragon Essence’ within, meant his external martial arts were almost purely focused on hard body tempering. At this moment, he possessed near-indestructible sinew and bone; his bare hands could withstand a sixth-tier spirit weapon without injury.

This was why, on that day in the Evil Spirit Ditch, he had cleaved two eighth-tier Yin Flood Dragons without suffering any harm himself.

The residual essence of the Thunder Luan clinging to his outer skin was now having minimal effect. Zong Shou simply used it to seal his own soul power.

As the ‘Seal’ character manifested, all the crimson markings vanished.

The immense soul energy that saturated the room instantly disappeared.

Zong Shou opened his eyes and glanced out the window. In the back courtyard, a slender white figure was practicing swordplay. Her posture was graceful; the sword light shifted from dazzlingly light and nimble to heavy as a mountain, then piercingly sharp, then soft as flowing water, and finally aggressive as fire.

It was, unmistakably, Chuxue. Over a dozen talismans were stuck to her body. Upon close inspection, eight were ‘Earth Sinking’ talismans designed to increase her weight. Another four were also the character ‘Seal.’

These sealed off the vast majority of the True Force and internal breath within Chuxue’s body. She practiced the sword forms with meticulous adherence to every movement, every beat, following Zong Shou’s instruction without the slightest deviation, yet naturally radiating an ethereal grace unmatched by others.

Five spirit beasts surrounded her, watching. A Stone Qilin, a Crimson Fire Golden Phoenix, a Black Scaled Beast, a Dark Tortoise, and a Cold Gold Tiger.

Except for the Cold Gold Tiger, which was fully grown, the other four were juveniles. Each bore a mysterious and exquisitely crafted rune etched on its forehead, emitting peculiar soul power fluctuations that linked them together.

With the Stone Qilin leading, a close look revealed that the runes on their foreheads formed a complete spirit formation, now disassembled yet still tightly connected, placing the five spirit beasts in a state between innate bodyguards and standard protection.

Recalling a year ago, when the Five Spirits Formation first coalesced, Chuxue had been unable to suppress it at all. Over the past year and a half, by utilizing the Five Spirits’ method of sensing heaven and earth, she comprehended their innate divine abilities. In just a few short months, she condensed the twelve true talisman spirit-restrictions, achieving it with an almost enviable ease.

Although she relied on external forces, she had, like him, advanced to the peak of the Life Return Realm.

She could finally command the five spirit beasts as easily as her own limbs.

Currently, she was practicing the Five Spirits Sword technique Zong Shou had taught her, sweat beading profusely on her brow.

The eight ‘Earth Sinking’ talismans bore a load of 3.6 million pounds, forcing her to rely solely on her physical body since she could not utilize her inner breath.

Chuxue’s movements, however, showed not a single flaw. She had clearly adapted completely and was now intimately familiar with this Five Spirits Sword style.

The five spirit beasts watched, some lying down, some standing, all appearing listless. Only when Chuxue’s sword form reached passages related to them would a spark appear in their eyes, their auras subtly aligning.

Zong Shou watched with a satisfied smile; as long as she wasn’t practicing spirit arts, Chuxue never slacked off.

Though this Five Spirits Sword style was only the most fundamental part, an ordinary person with lesser aptitude would struggle to execute even a single movement flawlessly, much less achieve mastery. Yet, Chuxue had already reached the stage where person and sword were one, mastering all five true spirit sword intents.

Gradually, the sword style shifted again. It became chaotic and lawless, but Chuxue’s soul power within was drawn out, swirling around the blade. Using the flow of the sword path, she tried to forcefully fuse her True Force with her soul power. It was utterly useless; the two energies clashed violently.

Chuxue’s complexion paled slightly—a minor consequence of backlash.

“Why is Chuxue still practicing this sword style?”

Zong Shou’s eyes filled with resignation. This was a style he had spontaneously created over a year ago upon first entering the Vast Life Dome, intending for Chuxue to master the path of spiritual-martial unity.

Now, nearly two years later, he himself had completely abandoned it, yet Chuxue persisted tirelessly, practicing it unceasingly, even when seeing no hope.

Even when Zong Shou specifically ordered her to stop, Chuxue had promised him to his face, only to secretly resume practicing this style afterward.

She kept trying to combine True Force and soul power.

“The path of spiritual-martial unity, before reaching the Immortal Realm, depends entirely on opportunity; it must arise according to the circumstances. Trying to force it intentionally only leads one further astray—”

Thinking it over, Zong Shou realized Chuxue’s stubbornness surpassed even his own.

He saw the potential in the Black and White Cave Dharma Forms and thus ignored Han Fang’s advice, insisting on following the Dharma Form path.

Chuxue, however, continued down this road without reservation simply because of a single sentence he spoke, disregarding that the path Zong Shou pointed toward was a deviation.

After a moment of thought, Zong Shou shook his head. Forget it, he thought, it causes no harm anyway.

If Chuxue kept practicing like this, at most, she would fail to achieve spiritual-martial unity before the Immortal Realm.

He himself held no hope for that outcome, so it was natural Chuxue wouldn't either—there was no real loss involved.

With a reaching gesture, two dragon-eye-sized spheres flew out of Zong Shou’s Qiankun Pouch, hovering before him.

They were the Glazed Fire Fierce Bead and the Dark Extreme Cold Origin Bead—these two precious jewels.

Initially, both orbs were the size of fists. Now, they were both reduced to the size of dragon eyes.

The crimson Glazed Fire Fierce Bead had shifted to a blazing white, while the Dark Extreme Cold Origin Bead was a depth of utter gloom.

When the two beads appeared, the entire quiet chamber was split in two: one half dazzlingly bright, the other half dimly lit and distorted. One side was fiercely blazing like fire, the other felt like standing on the Arctic ice plains.

They continuously tugged at Zong Shou’s soul sea, causing the soul energy within to become agitated.

Zong Shou’s expression remained impassive. Two drops of vital blood flicked from his fingertips, striking the two beads. Then, forming hand seals, he drove symbol after symbol into their interiors.

From the moment he acquired these two precious beads, Zong Shou had never ceased in his relentless effort to modify and refine the Glazed Fire Fierce Bead and the Dark Extreme Cold Origin Bead.