Over the past two years, Yaoguang had already taught the first group of array casters the improved techniques for level 4 and level 5 spirit-gathering arrays.

As for the improvement method for level 6 spirit-gathering arrays, Gao Shenghan, Huang Wei, and the others had almost fully mastered it. With another half-year to a year of practice, they would officially complete their training and independently implement improvements to level 6 spirit-gathering arrays.

Once they grew more proficient, they would also be able to teach other level 6 array casters the new methods for arranging spirit-gathering arrays. Within the next decade, all spirit-gathering arrays across the Nine Cauldrons Sect would be reformed, raising the annual spirit stone production from less than a hundred million to three hundred million.

As the reform of the spirit-gathering arrays advanced in an orderly fashion, Yaoguang’s annual dividends continued to rise. When this year’s profits were successfully credited to him, his gaze returned to the Psyche Dao branch.

"It's finally enough." Yaoguang let out a quiet remark.

His recent efforts had not been in vain. He had taken orders for the Purple Firmament Institute without pause, divided his psychic thoughts to instruct Gao Shenghan, Huang Wei, Zi Qiangwei, and others in arranging spirit-gathering arrays, and at the same time worked at the Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3, analyzing the Spring Rain and designing a new warship. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Cultivating immortality made rest far less necessary. During this period, he worked more than twenty-two hours a day. He had never experienced such solid, grounded fulfillment, even when he worked on Blue Planet before[1]

Fortunately, he was a cultivator. Had an ordinary person worked like this for over two years, they would have died from exhaustion long ago.

After so much hard work, it's finally time to reap the harvest. From here on, I can relax a little. With that thought, the newly gained Merchant experience was immediately invested into the Psyche Dao branch.

The progress, which had already reached eighty-six percent, began rising rapidly again. The branches of the ancient tree extended swiftly, as if piercing into a mysterious void. It was as though time and space themselves had been distorted, gathering information from another dimensional layer.

All of this information flowed back into Yaoguang’s perception and was rapidly absorbed. What gradually appeared before him was not a Dharma Form, nor psychic thought. It was an entirely new kind of power.

True Spirit. A realization stirred in Yaoguang’s heart. The realm above the Dharma Form Realm was the Grotto-Heaven True Spirit. It resembled an upgraded version of the Void Psychic World. But the True Spirit was not entirely synonymous with a realm above the Dharma Form.[2]

Countless fragments of information coursed through his mind, yet they were incomplete, as if something crucial was missing. Even his Martial Dao branch began to sway, seemingly drawing nourishment from the Psyche Dao.

In the midst of these changes, Yaoguang grasped the true nature of the power beyond the Star God Realm, Golden Core Realm, and Dharma Form Realm.

"Above the Golden Core Realm lies the Void-Piercing Realm, the realm of wielding the power of the Infinite Primordial Void. Anyone in that realm is a truly powerful existence in all the cosmos, wielding powerful abilities in any world! But to break through to that realm, body, qi, and psyche are all indispensable. On the path of the star god... Wait, how many acupoints must be opened? 1080?!"

Yaoguang was utterly shocked. Because the three great systems of the new realm were so deeply integrated, he had perceived the realm above the Star God Realm through the Psyche Dao. One had to open 1080 acupoints, each containing the power of a Primary Star!

These 1080 acupoints would then be compressed into a peculiar pulsed energy state. Using this as a medium, one would collide with the power of the Primordial Void, binding it and ultimately controlling it.

Yet even possessing the pulsed star god body formed from 1080 acupoints and the Infinite Primordial Void power evolved from the Golden Core was not enough. The True Spirit’s distortion of time and space was paramount.

Through twisting chaotic space-time, the True Spirit would open a grotto-heaven within the void. The pulsed star god body and the Infinite Primordial Void power would then serve as the positive and negative poles of this grotto-heaven, allowing the two forces to perfectly coordinate and harmonize. This was the true Void-Piercing Realm!

Without the Grotto-Heaven True Spirit opening a grotto-heaven from the void, both the pulsed star god body and the Infinite Primordial Void power of the Golden Core would become highly unstable, just like the current Golden Core Realm of this world.

They would possess immense destructive force, yet they lack precise control and would not even achieve the most basic trait of a Void-Piercing expert: everlasting life. Yes! Everlasting life! The basic lifespan of the Void-Piercing Realm is ten thousand years!

Compared to a Golden Core cultivator who could only live a few centuries, the difference was immeasurable! Even if a Void-Piercing expert quietly remained within the Great Cangwu World, they would likely witness the rise and fall of the Ten Great Immortal Sects.

"True Spirit..." Yaoguang murmured to himself. The Void-Piercing Realm.

He looked at the Psyche Dao branch, which had halted at ninety-nine percent, then at the Martial Dao branch, which had grown to thirty-one percent, and understood. To truly reach the Void-Piercing Realm, both the Martial Dao and the Qi Dao likely have to reach over sixty percent of the Star God and Golden Core Realms.

Before those two paths reached that level, investing experience into the Psyche Dao branch would merely cause the Martial Dao branch to grow.

He even had a faint premonition. Once the Martial Dao branch reached 60 percent, if he continued investing experience in the Psyche Dao... Even if he had not broken through to the Dharma Form Realm, a new branch belonging to the Qi Dao would probably grow.

"It’s as if I’m not even given a choice. The answer’s already laid out in advance." Yaoguang let out a soft sigh.

Although his Dharma Form had not yet advanced to the tri-unified Void-Piercing Realm, the secret techniques that had emerged once his Dharma Form progress surpassed eighty percent had already opened his eyes.

Many of those secret techniques were meant to preserve one’s life before a True Spirit. If used in combat against other Dharma Form cultivators, they would grant an overwhelming advantage.

"Right now, what I need most is to quietly advance to the Dharma Form Realm. As for secret techniques to contend with other Dharma Forms cultivators..."

That had to come later. Otherwise, even if he could defeat the Dharma Form cultivators of the Thousand-Beast Sect, the Immortal Alliance, or the Infinite Star Palace, if they abandoned all restraint and sent Golden Core cultivators against him, he would have no truly effective way to respond.

"A concealment method... There is one! Heavenly Dao Formlessness. Hmm?! It can even transform into a primordial psyche array art? Heavenly Dao Sovereign?" He examined it briefly.

This secret technique not only concealed his existence at the level of psychic thought, but it could also manifest as the Heavenly Dao Sovereign array art. It would evenly distribute his power among all participants forming the array, while simultaneously gathering the psychic thoughts of other primordial psyche cultivators and channeling them into him. This was entirely different from the Psyche King!

The Psyche King merely allowed a group of scattered individuals to act as one, as smoothly as moving an arm. But Heavenly Dao Sovereign effectively concentrated the power of many onto a single person.

In that case, even if he revealed Dharma Form power and was detected by the Infinite Star Palace, the Immortal Alliance, or the Thousand-Beast Sect, he could attribute it to the Heavenly Dao Sovereign array, lowering their suspicion and buying time for his advancement to the Star God and Golden Core Realms.

"Not bad at all. If I use it properly, it can even allow primordial psyche cultivators to contend with Dharma Form cultivators. Let me see... Is this a true secret art of the Heavenly Dao Sect? It is probably like the Formless technique I cultivated in my early days, not a lineage from the Great Cangwu World or its surrounding vassal worlds. I will use it for now." Yaoguang felt at ease.

Moreover, through his foresight into the True Spirit, he had realized how extreme the cultivation system of the Great Cangwu World was. However, since he was currently walking the Dharma Form path, he had no solution to that.

Once his Qi Dao branch emerged and reached sufficient progress, that problem would likely resolve itself. At that time, he might even find a way to completely eliminate the instability hidden within Li Hanqiu’s Golden Core.

With that thought, Yaoguang calmed himself and began to adapt to the changes brought by the Heavenly Dao Formlessness and Heavenly Dao Sovereign array art.

***

One month later, streams of light tore through the sky and gathered in the Big Dipper Domain. Although the masters of these lights did not release sword qi that pierced the heavens like sword cultivators, their importance was no less than that of great sword cultivators.

"Deputy Hall Master Yaoguang, I’m here. Is there anything I can help with?"

"Deputy Hall Master Yaoguang, if you need anything, just say the word. No need to talk about compensation."

"My uncle Murong Hui asked whether you need him to bring people down from the Heavenly Palace to assist."

Voices rose one after another. Standing before Yaoguang were primordial psyche cultivators from every branch of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Without exception, they were powerful cultivators capable of entering the layer of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning and undergoing its tempering.

Xu Kong, Cang Hai, Murong Tianguang, and others were among them. In addition, Hall Master Jiang Zhouyue of the Garrison Hall personally arrived, leading several minor battle institutes to maintain order.

Around the surrounding Nine Heavens Domain, Lou Yuyu and Shen Qinglian personally led their elite teams in patrols over the sea. The sect's defenses had been raised to the extreme.

While responding to the greetings of these primordial psyche cultivators, Yaoguang divided a portion of his psychic mind within the Void Psychic World, holding a secret conversation with two individuals. They were Li Qingshan and Li Hanqiu.

"Are you confident?" Li Hanqiu asked, his expression solemn.

"At least eighty percent confident, maybe ninety," Yaoguang replied.

"Then break through! Leave the rest to me. Even if the Infinite Star Palace, the Thousand-Beast Sect, or the Immortal Alliance decide to make a move right now, I will hold them off for you. They may hold the advantage right now, but I have nothing left to lose. I refuse to believe they truly dare to fight me until mutual destruction!" Li Hanqiu swung his hand forcefully.

"I have a method. Using that as a cover, it will be hard for others to detect something." As he spoke, Yaoguang transmitted the Heavenly Dao Sovereign array to Li Hanqiu. "I summoned the primordial psyche cultivators precisely to cooperate with this technique. Furthermore, if they master it and work together, although they may not be able to fight with Dharma Form cultivators, tearing open the information-blackout zone of a Sky Patrol Warship will not be too difficult."

Li Hanqiu sensed it for a moment, his eyes filling with disbelief. "Such an array art exists? Have you developed this yourself?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized the question was somewhat inappropriate. Yaoguang undoubtedly possessed his own secrets. But Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan had long ago reached a tacit understanding not to pry. As long as he stood with the Nine Cauldrons Sect, they would grant him absolute trust and support.

He immediately corrected himself. "That's wonderful! With this method as cover, your breakthrough will be foolproof!"

He then turned to Li Qingshan. "Have the Public Relations Hall announce that the Nine Cauldrons Sect will be conducting a primordial psyche array experiment. Make it half true and half false. Only by mixing reality with illusion can we hope to keep things concealed long enough."

"Got it. I will arrange it immediately," Li Qingshan said, nodding. "Break through with peace of mind. Leave everything else to us."

1. This probably refers to his previous life. ☜

2. Grotto-heavens or Dongtian are a type of sacred Daoist site. Grotto-heavens are usually caves, grottoes, mountain hollows, or other underground spaces. ☜