Chapter 390: Learning Universe in the Palm

"I believe you possess a profound aptitude for the Dao of Space," declared the Immortal Fairy, the foremost of the five ancient immortals, her voice thick with approval for Lu Yang's spatial spellcraft. "Just think, a spell like 'So Close Yet Worlds Apart' shouldn't even be within the grasp of someone at your level of cultivation, yet haven't you mastered it regardless?"

In the ancient eras, to receive a modicum of praise from the Immortal Fairy was a fortune far outweighing ten thousand lesser opportunities, enough to elevate a soul straight to the heavens.

Lu Yang, however, possessed none of this reverent awareness; to his mind, the Immortal Fairy brought him little more than trials and tribulations.

Had this been the ancient times, he would undoubtedly have been branded with the reputation of an ungrateful fool who knew not what was good for him.

"Very well, if I must learn, I shall learn."

Lu Yang reasoned that after practicing for so long, he might as well treat this as a respite to relax his mind.

"I never truly expected you to master the Universe in the Palm overnight. Even if you merely grasp the underlying principles of the spell, it will prove immensely beneficial when you cast other spatial magic, drastically accelerating both your learning speed and execution!"

The Immortal Fairy was well aware of the hurdles Lu Yang faced in mastering the Universe in the Palm, yet she was simply possessed by the desire to teach.

And when she desired to teach, who could possibly bar her way?

Lu Yang leaped down from the colossal sword-qi boulder, flipping thrice in mid-air with arms outstretched before executing a flawless landing.

With a flick of her thoughts, the Immortal Fairy drew Lu Yang into his spiritual domain, swapping her sleepwear for the Confucian robes favored by private tutors, a garment that lent her an air of significantly greater intellect.

"Heheh, now this feels appropriate."

"Before I begin your lessons, allow this immortal to give you a proper demonstration!"

Before Lu Yang could even register what she intended, he felt his four-room, two-parlor spiritual domain expand into a boundless, pitch-black void, dominated most prominently by several gargantuan stars before him, with pinpricks of light shimmering from much remoter celestial bodies further out.

Standing before Lu Yang, the Immortal Fairy extended her delicate hand and pressed it downward with ferocious force!

Lu Yang tilted his head back, his eyes narrowing slightly; the universe was too dark for him to see clearly, leaving him with only a vague sense that something massive was looming directly above.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Lu Yang noticed the stars overhead vanishing entirely, as though eclipsed by some colossal entity!

A titanic hand materialized from the absolute darkness, flooding his entire field of vision until nothing existed beyond its contours!

The lines etched upon its palm were stark and clear, its whorled fingerprints swirling like the trajectories of constellations, while the stars themselves rested within its grasp like mere grains of sand!

Lu Yang had survived the collapse of mountains and endured the overwhelming pressure of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage, yet compared to this singular hand, all those terrors paled into utter insignificance, utterly devoid of any comparison!

Oppression, suffocation, despair... a chaotic cocktail of emotions sprouted within his chest, growing with an uncontrollable, frenzied wildness!

"Behold carefully; this is the Universe in the Palm."

As the immense hand descended, Lu Yang’s vision plunged into absolute darkness, and his consciousness dissolved into nothingness.

When he awoke, the Immortal Fairy was leaning over him, her upper body suspended above his as her large, luminous eyes blinked rapidly, studying Lu Yang without blinking.

"Did I terrify you?"

"No, you slapped me to death."

"Ah, right. Well, did you witness the true majesty of the Universe in the Palm?"

Lingering dread gripped Lu Yang's heart, leading him to conclude that treating the Immortal Fairy with a touch more courtesy would be the safest course of action henceforth.

"Fairy, can you actually expand my spiritual domain?"

Lu Yang recalled her prior complaints regarding the cramped nature of his spiritual space, which she claimed left her with no room to stretch her limbs.

Resting her hands upon her hips, the Immortal Fairy spoke with unbridled pride: "I can expand it temporarily. I couldn't manage it before, but lately, this immortal has been sleeping daily and has recovered a portion of her strength."

"As the old saying goes: a world in a flower, a life in a tree, a bodhi in a blade of grass, a tathagata in a single leaf, a paradise in a grain of sand, a pure land in a single realm, a karmic bond in a smile, and tranquility in a single thought. Even the minutest of things constitutes a world."

"The Universe in the Palm originates from this very philosophy; the interior of the palm is itself a world, and a vast, boundless grand world at that!"

A flash of realization struck Lu Yang; he had heard that spatial spells were highly prevalent within the Buddhist sects, an inclination that likely stemmed from this exact doctrine.

"If you wish to cultivate the Universe in the Palm, your first step is visualization—visualize yourself, and view your own being as a grand world."

"Simultaneously, you must visualize the actual grand world, allowing every single detail of existence to manifest within your mind, constructing a true grand world within your consciousness."

"The merging of the internal and external, the inversion of space, the Sumeru within a mustard seed, the infinite within the infinitesimal... if you can comprehend the meaning behind these words, you will be close to executing the Universe in the Palm."

The Immortal Fairy thoroughly detailed the principles of the technique, and upon reaching the more profound complexities, she meticulously broke them down into several points, interpreting the knowledge from multiple angles in a fierce bid to ensure Lu Yang mastered it then and there.

"Alright, that should suffice for the lecture. Go out and give it a try." Raising her foot, the Immortal Fairy promptly kicked Lu Yang straight out of his spiritual domain.

As his consciousness snapped back to reality, Lu Yang steadied his mind and began to recall the teachings she had imparted.

"The merging of internal and external means combining the visualized concept with reality... the infinitely large is the infinitely small; the transformation of scale is the core essence of spatial magic..."

"The merging of internal and external means combining the visualized concept with reality... the infinitely large is the infinitely small; the transformation of scale is the core essence of spatial magic..."

Lu Yang held up his palm, inspecting the lines across his skin, wondering if they truly corresponded to the tracks of the stars.

Channelling his spiritual energy into his eyes to temporarily enhance his vision, he peered deeper past the creases to see the epithelial cells beneath.

Various tissues combining to form cells—how remarkably similar it was to the structure of the human body. Could they be viewed as an alternative form of living beings? With countless cells residing in his hand, did that not mean he held innumerable lives within his grasp?

"So the phrase 'a world in a flower' actually refers to this?"

Lu Yang knit his brows in deep contemplation, intertwining his own knowledge with the concepts the Immortal Fairy had explained, gradually parsing out the Buddhist philosophies, or rather, the foundational principles of the Universe in the Palm.

"The Fairy already demonstrated it to me; the universe is a world, and the Universe in the Palm is a world held in the hand, the absolute pinnacle of spatial magic, perfect for both offense and defense..."

Lu Yang murmured to himself, turning his hand over and back again as enlightenment gradually bloomed within his heart, like a ray of dawn piercing through the mental fog to unveil the shroud over this legendary divine ability!

"So that's how it works..."

Lu Yang stood up, brushing the dirt from his garments, a confident smile playing upon his lips.

"I've learned it."

Manifesting beside him, the Immortal Fairy assumed Lu Yang had given up and offered words of comfort: "It's fine, really. Even if you haven't mastered it yet, you grasp the principles. Once your cultivation reaches a certain threshold, you'll be able to pull it off."

"Wait, what did you just say? You've learned it?" The Immortal Fairy stared at Lu Yang in utter astonishment.

"The Universe in the Palm requires an immense reservoir of magical power to sustain. My spiritual energy is insufficient to maintain it for long, but possessing the Invincible Core means my spiritual energy reserves are five to ten times greater than those of my peers. It should just barely suffice for a fleeting moment!"

Lu Yang closed his eyes, transforming his body into a spiritual crucible to sketch the framework of the universe. An ordinary cultivator could never achieve this step, but equipped with memories of his past life, he knew the true face of the cosmos, and coupled with the Immortal Fairy's live demonstration, these combined factors allowed him to enact the technique!

Lu Yang extended his hand, flattening his palm as he frantically circulated the spiritual energy within his body, uttering a soft cry.

"Universe in the Palm!"

The Immortal Fairy watched with intense curiosity as a distinct pocket of space actually manifested within Lu Yang's palm, complete with stars revolving inside it like a microcosm of the cosmos!

"He actually managed to cultivate it... wait, why does the space in his palm feel so minuscule? It's barely a mile or two wide, and those stars are pitifully tiny!"

"Well? Have I mastered it?" Lu Yang cast a triumphant look at the Immortal Fairy.

The Immortal Fairy’s expression turned exceedingly peculiar.

If what she executed was the Universe in the Palm, then what Lu Yang had just unleashed was... a Village in the Palm?