By the lake behind the villa, the Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree leaned on her cane, her back slightly hunched as she watched Wang Sheng busy at work. Unable to stop herself, she finally asked cautiously, "Master, what are you... trying to do?"

Without looking up, Wang Sheng replied, "Just running a few simple tests."

He kept carving an array on the ground.

During his three hundred years of "training" under Xu Zhongliang and the others, he had truly learned quite a bit.

He even studied strategy, not to command troops himself, but to understand the tactics and plans his subordinates would present. Moreover, he studied arrays, not to set up world-sealing arrays, but to avoid suffering unnecessary losses due to ignorance when trapped inside one. Now, Wang Sheng, a sword cultivator, knew a little bit about all kinds of immortal Dao knowledge.

The array he was setting up now was meant to block all detection.

The Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree seemingly wanted to say something, but she hesitated. In the end, she chose to remain silent. She was actually quite skilled in formations and arrays herself.

Once the array was complete, Wang Sheng took out several herb spirits from his Qiankun Ring—the last few he had not used before. He fixed one of them at the center of the array.

Then, with a strand of Spiritual Dawnlight wrapped around his fingertip, he slowly backed away and instructed, "Stand back a little."

Ling Sheng and the old woman both retreated.

The ginseng-shaped herb spirit trembled uncontrollably. It already knew its fate would be no different from its companions—it would be stewed, fried, or refined into alchemical pills.

A thin thread of Spiritual Dawnlight circled Wang Sheng's finger as he held the small wooden sword, his pseudo-supreme treasure.

After a brief hesitation, he separated a tiny strand of the Spiritual Dawnlight and let it drift toward the herb spirit.

The herb spirit shuddered as the light entered it. It then seemingly fell into distress.

However, nothing happened.

Wang Sheng frowned and reached out, pulling the strand of Spiritual Dawnlight back out of the herb spirit. It had no effect at all.

Chaos Spiritual Dawnlight could enhance the quality of spirit treasures and even give birth to a spirit within them.

Considering herb spirits count as living beings, can they really be used this way?

"That doesn't make sense."

Wang Sheng took out a piece of spirit wood and infused it with an even smaller amount of Spiritual Dawnlight. The wood trembled slightly, and a trace of spirituality was born within it. He held the piece of wood in his hand, already thinking about carving it into something later.

"How could that be..."

Sitting cross-legged, he absentmindedly used the spirit wood to practice a few sword moves that he had recently comprehended.

He had come up with this idea out of sheer boredom—ahem. He came up with it because he wanted to make use of the Chaos Spiritual Dawnlight that he had obtained back then.

Leaving it inside him only gave it potential value; it served little practical use.

Spiritless was currently immersed in the Dao of Creation. Once it emerged, it would surely be an extraordinary treasure. Keeping half of the Spiritual Dawnlight for it would be enough.

Can I use the rest to nurture a powerful ally?

Ling Sheng was his best choice to nurture. After all, she was a powerful combatant. On her own, she could rival an army of a million, and no one below the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm could stand against her.

Even so, that was already close to the natural limit of the Ghost Heart Vine.

Everything in the world had its limits. The Ghost Heart Vine's divine ability was formidable, but it was not beyond all bounds.

Moreover, Ling Sheng's true body was fragile. If a Golden Immortal could resist her amplified killing intent, then once they closed in, she would have no way to defend herself.

In the future, he would have to confront a major faction head-on and face large armies.

Earth was only a single celestial body. Even with the fusion of the Immortal Dao and technology—even with powerful qi cannons—it still could not compare to Haotian, who had been secretly building power for countless ages.

That was why Wang Sheng wondered whether Chaos Spiritual Dawnlight could raise the grades of plant spirits.

If he could help a Ghost Heart Vine surpass its limits and keep it completely obedient to him, it could save countless lives on their side in future battles.

Sitting there, he toyed with the spirit wood, deep in thought.

The Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree and Ling Sheng exchanged a glance. They both understood what their master was thinking.

Ling Sheng said softly, "Master, try it on me instead."

"Not yet." Wang Sheng looked at the herb spirit. "Let me run a few more tests first."

He started a series of experiments. If he wanted to truly understand the essence of the problem, he would have to conduct an in-depth analysis of Chaos Spiritual Dawnlight. Unfortunately, that would take far too much time and effort, and it could still end up just being a waste of time.

Hence, he chose a simpler approach: try every method he could think of and observe the results.

It was a clumsy method, but it was straightforward and within his ability.

First, he went with blood infusion.

Using the small wooden sword, he pricked his fingertip and squeezed out a drop of blood. He mixed a strand of Spiritual Dawnlight into it, then flicked his finger.

The herb spirit trembled violently. Still, it shut its eyes and endured.

Soon, Wang Sheng dissolved the drop of blood, and the strand of Spiritual Dawnlight floated back out.

No use...

Wang Sheng slapped his thigh. "Second method."

He quickly moved on to the next attempt: carving artifact runes onto the herb spirit. Before long, it failed as well.

Then came the third, the fourth...

Finally, the herb spirit could not take it anymore. It let out a faint, miserable cry that made both the old woman and the girl show traces of sympathy. If that cry were translated into human words, it would probably be similar to begging for a quick end.

Though unwilling to accept it, Wang Sheng still chose to face reality.

He ran his fingers through his long hair. In a slump, he pressed both hands against his forehead.

"Master, try it on me," Ling Sheng urged.

"It wouldn't change anything." Wang Sheng sighed. "This thing works on treasures, but never on living beings. Some things simply cannot be changed. What is fixed will remain fixed. Rules are still rules."

The Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree smiled. "Master, you should not trouble yourself like this. All things follow the path of the Great Dao. Unless it is a tremendous stroke of fortune, how could one go against the natural order so easily?"

Wang Sheng nodded. "It's fine, I was just trying something simple... Mm? What did you just say?"

The old woman looked puzzled. "What do you mean, Master?"

Wang Sheng frowned slightly at her. "You said a tremendous stroke of fortune, right?"

"Well... yes..."

How could I forget that?!

Wang Sheng suddenly laughed, then quickly closed his eyes. Strands of Dao Rhythm rippled around him. Although his Primordial Spirit was separated from him, his awareness was projected from it. The Primordial Spirit—the immortal infant—was the elevation of his soul.

With a single thought, his awareness returned to his Primordial Spirit. His mind was instantly filled with a profound and mysterious Dao Rhythm. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The Great Dao of Creation...

He had already accepted part of it, which meant he had understood a portion of the Dao of Creation. Naturally, he could now use some of its abilities.

If an answer could not be found through normal reasoning, then perhaps it could be found within the Great Dao of Creation.

Wang Sheng thought quietly. Soon, he sank into the Dao, instantly making him feel like a fish swimming through a clear and gentle stream without resistance. A deep sense of satisfaction rose within him, as if he could remain immersed in it forever.

Heaven, earth, all things, and the Great Dao settled into his heart and spirit.

Flowers bloomed and withered. Life grew and faded. Stars rose and fell. The Dao unfolded without end and transformed without limit.

***

Several hours later.

By the lake, Wang Sheng opened his eyes, a sharp light flickering within them. He raised a hand and pointed at the herb spirit. The strand of Spiritual Dawnlight at his fingertip changed at once.

The strand drifted away from his finger and traced out an intricate talisman in the air. The talisman then burst apart, turning into threads of white mist that wrapped around the herb spirit.

The herb spirit tried to cry out, but no sound came out.

Wang Sheng closed his eyes again. The obscure Dao Rhythm continued to revolve around him.

After a short while, the white mist inside the array faded, as if the herb spirit had absorbed it all.

The herb spirit had now taken the form of a young boy.

He knelt before Wang Sheng and said in a childish tone, "Thank you, Master, for granting me transformation."

The Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree's expression filled with shock.

The child now seemed like a true living being who looked no more than seven or eight years old. She could no longer discern his original nature. His medicinal essence had transformed into pure power, granting him tens of thousands of years of cultivation.

He had even reached the middle stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

"That's..."

Wang Sheng, still with his eyes closed, called out softly, "Ling Sheng. Come into the array."

"Yes, Master."

Ling Sheng lowered her head and stepped forward without hesitation. The boy, who was dressed in simple clothing and had his hair tied in two small bundles, quickly stepped aside to make way for her.

Wang Sheng raised his hand again. This time, he drew out half a catty[1] of Spiritual Dawnlight.

Ling Sheng had followed him since she was picked up at the divine tree, helping him through countless trials. She killed and trapped foes without complaint—even though it had all been under the control of the Fiend-Controlling Incantation.

Using Chaos Spiritual Dawnlight on her as a reward was only fair.

If he could allow her to break past her limits and shape her into a powerful fighter capable of quickly clearing the battlefield, she would greatly increase their overall strength. Had it not been for the fact that Ling Sheng could not withstand more Spiritual Dawnlight, he would not have hesitated to use even more.

From his palm, strands of seven-colored Spiritual Dawnlight poured out, forming a circular array about two meters wide. Talisman patterns crossed within it before slowly dissolving into multicolored mist.

The mist then drifted toward Ling Sheng and wrapped around her. She grunted softly, then let out a faint, almost comfortable murmur.

At that moment, thunder roared across the sky, and chanting echoed in all directions as the sky suddenly darkened.

A beam of light descended onto Wang Sheng. At its source, the sky seemed to split open, revealing a pair of enormous eyes.

The eyes opened and fixed on him.

Wang Sheng did not stop what he was doing. The Great Dao of Creation's Dao Rhythm surged in his palm as the seven-colored mist slowly entered Ling Sheng.

He raised his head, meeting the eyes in the sky with a calm and distant gaze.

The eyes continued to watch, and the changes in heaven and earth grew more intense. The Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree and the herb spirit had already dropped to their knees, trembling.

At last, Ling Sheng fully absorbed the mist.

Wang Sheng lowered his hand. The eyes in the sky slowly closed, and everything returned to clarity.

Ling Sheng didn't seem to have undergone any obvious change. She only appeared more refined. Her already pale skin now looked fresh and vibrant, and the faint sickliness in her complexion had disappeared.

Moreover, not even the old woman could see the depth of her cultivation.

Ling Sheng knelt slowly and whispered, "Thank you, Master, for this gift of creation."

Wang Sheng nodded. The layers of Dao Rhythm around him faded, and his awareness returned fully to his body.

Just now... Ugh...

Wang Sheng could not help but cover his eyes with his hand.

Have I just wasted my third chance to draw down heavenly might just like that?

1. Unit of weight. A catty is roughly 600 grams. ☜