Chapter 356: Taiqing Hall

Chapter 356: Taiqing Hall

The very moment Zhang Yu laid eyes upon Zhang Pianpian, he was completely rooted to the spot.

When he had sensed the information from the Taiqing Talisman, he had naturally assumed that unleashing the power of this Dao Seed would allow him to carve out a spiritual realm sanctuary entirely of his own.

Yet, as it turned out, he and Zhang Pianpian were to share a single spiritual domain?

Confronted by her questioning gaze, Zhang Yu found himself utterly unable to conjure a plausible explanation on such short notice.

He certainly could not disclose matters regarding the Dao Seed or the Feathered Scroll.

After all, having spent several years here in Kunxu and having associated with Fuji for so long, Zhang Yu had gradually come to realize that his Feathered Scroll was entirely unique, a marvel unheard of even among the latent potentials awakened by the Evil Gods.

Were he to speak of the Feathered Scroll to other Evil Gods, they would only assume he was concocting an entirely novel form of deception.

To say nothing of the astute Zhang Pianpian standing before him now.

Thus, Zhang Yu could only stammer in response, "I don’t know what happened either. I had intended to head over to the Heart-Forging Residence to study, but the moment my consciousness entered the spiritual realm, I sensed this place. By the time I came to my senses, I found myself right here."

Listening to his words, Zhang Pianpian fell into a brief, contemplative silence.

She did not harbor any suspicion that Zhang Yu might be withholding the truth; after all, this Taiqing Realm was by no means a spiritual cave-heaven that someone of his meager strength and cultivation realm could possibly discover.

Furthermore, to the best of her knowledge, Zhang Yu was an utter novice regarding talismans and incantations, a complete outsider to the intricate workings of the spiritual realm networks.

"Could it be due to our bloodline?"

"Because of Zhang Yu's familial bond with me, that is why..."

"Or is it because of our connection? A link forged between our souls?"

"Or perhaps it was the choice of the Taiqing Realm itself?"

One possibility after another surged through Zhang Pianpian's mind, yet none seemed to fit perfectly, leading her to simply set her doubts aside for the moment.

"Never mind," Zhang Pianpian said, watching the young man before her as a sudden thought struck her. "Your ability to enter the Taiqing Realm might actually prove to be a blessing."

Curious, Zhang Yu asked, "Where exactly is this place? What is it used for?"

Zhang Pianpian explained, "This place is known as the Taiqing Realm, a spiritual domain left behind by a certain... senior of immense cultivation."

"A so-called spiritual domain is a personal virtual space carved out within the spiritual realm."

"Moreover, the status of the Taiqing Realm is extraordinarily high. The master of this domain possesses supreme authority here, capable of shielding it from external scrutiny and interference, a rule from which even the True Gods are not exempt."

Zhang Yu's eyes lit up. "Which means that whatever we say or do here, even the True Gods will remain completely unaware?"

Zhang Pianpian nodded and continued, "I came to learn of this domain by chance, and after expending a great deal of effort, I became its master."

"Ordinarily, this Taiqing Realm should only accommodate a single person, and I cannot fathom why you have come."

"Regardless, it works out well; you can utilize the conveniences of the Taiqing Realm for your own studies and cultivation."

She pointed toward the Daoist temple before them and said, "This Taiqing Realm was originally meant to be far grander in scale, possessing four main paths aligned to the cardinal directions, comprising thirty-six halls and seventy-two courtyards."

"However, with my current strength, I am only able to activate this central Taiqing Hall for the time being."

"Only when my mastery over talismans advances further, and after spending a considerable amount of spirit coins to purchase additional spiritual space to expand this realm, can the original majesty of this domain be gradually restored."

As they spoke, Zhang Pianpian had already led Zhang Yu into the grand hall.

"Even so, the Taiqing Realm currently possesses a grand utility for you, and that is time acceleration."

"Here, by accelerating your cognitive processes, it can achieve an effect where one second in the outside world equates to twenty seconds within this realm."

Hearing this, a surge of joy welled up within Zhang Yu's heart, and he exclaimed, "A twenty-fold acceleration of time?"

He was well aware that the spiritual realm services offered outside generally capped out at a tenfold acceleration, and the fees were so exorbitant that he could never afford to use them on a daily basis.

Zhang Pianpian nodded and said, "I shall teach you how to bring external documents in here, so that you may study within this domain in the future."

With a swift flick of her fingers, her fingertips traced lines through the air as gracefully as a dancing dragon, drawing a crimson talisman that Zhang Yu could not comprehend.

The next moment, the crimson talisman drifted into Zhang Yu's palm. With a mere thought, the interface of his Remnant Demon Ocular Vessel manifested.

Zhang Pianpian instructed, "In the future, store the materials you wish to study inside your ocular vessel."

"Once you arrive in the Taiqing Realm, you need only activate this talisman to extract the documents from your ocular vessel into this space."

Zhang Yu immediately put it to the test, attempting to extract the engineering geology textbook he had been studying that day.

An instant later, a faint flash emanated from his hand, and a secret tome materialized. Flipping it open, he found it indeed contained the contents of engineering geology.

Suddenly remembering the various cultivation techniques he practiced, Zhang Yu inquired, "Sister, can various internal techniques be cultivated here as well?"

Zhang Pianpian curled her lips slightly. "The spiritual realm is a world of the mind, particularly under a twenty-fold acceleration. When your consciousness is accelerated twenty times over, do you truly believe your physical body in the outside world can keep pace with such speed?"

"When the body and mind are out of sync, how could you possibly cultivate?"

"Unless it is a pure technique that involves solely your mind and consciousness, completely detached from the physical flesh, spiritual energy, or any other external elements."

Zhang Yu realized he had asked a foolish question; if such cultivation were possible, it would have long been achievable through the tenfold acceleration services available outside.

Secretly, Zhang Yu thought to himself, 'It seems the greatest utility of this place for me remains the acquisition of knowledge.'

'Which is just as well; I am currently lacking the time to master several courses in the Artifact Forging Department. I shall simply study them here in the Taiqing Realm henceforth.'

'I wonder what manner of power the Taiqing Realm will manifest once this Taiqing Talisman is elevated to Level 2.'

Suddenly, another question occurred to Zhang Yu. "Sister, you mentioned last time that if my consciousness connects to the spiritual realm, it would be best not to execute that dark technique."

"What about here?"

"Can I operate the mantra of the Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body within this place?"

Zhang Pianpian nodded. "The Taiqing Realm can obscure all external perception. It matters not if you run that mantra here."

At those words, a spark flickered in Zhang Pianpian's eyes as she thought to herself, 'Come to think of it, that Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body... seems to be a technique purely dedicated to tempering the mind and cognition.'

'I might as well test whether cultivating it here yields an accelerated effect.'

Zhang Pianpian had examined this dark technique before, but she had been far too occupied with her duties to find the time to attempt it.

Now, blessed with the twenty-fold acceleration of the Taiqing Realm, she sat cross-legged within the grand Taiqing Hall, attempting to cultivate the Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body.

...

In the blink of an eye, the better part of the night slipped away. When Zhang Yu opened his eyes, he felt his thoughts racing like lightning, his cognitive speed vastly superior to what it had been in the past.

Through this single night of cultivation, his Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body had broken through to Level 20 in one fell swoop, granting him the capability of dividing his mind into four simultaneous tasks.

"It truly accelerated."

"The twenty-fold acceleration of the Taiqing Talisman, combined with a purely mental technique like the Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body, and further augmented by my Feathered Scroll's trait where a technique advances after a set number of cycles, not to mention the enhanced efficiency from my University Holy Body..."

Zhang Yu felt a surge of exhilaration. "With these multiple layers of amplification, I managed to raise the Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body from Level 11 to Level 20 in an instant."

"Should I try another mantra?"

Yet, after a moment's consideration, Zhang Yu realized there was little point to it.

Mainly because his current mantras, whether it was the Remnant Ox Self-Sacrifice Mind Verse or the Boundless Mind Internal Dharma Body, were already the strongest techniques he could access.

Even if he mastered other mantras, he would have no opportunity to utilize them.

Furthermore, many mantras involved the physical body, spiritual energy, or astral qi, among other external variables. The number of techniques that could be accelerated within the Taiqing Realm was minuscule, and none were of use to him.

'If the need truly arises, I shall simply spend a night cultivating here.'

'For the time being, the greatest benefit the Taiqing Realm offers me is still learning.'

Feeling his current state of being able to focus on four things at once, Zhang Yu smiled slightly and thought to himself, "With one mind split into four uses, plus 20 times acceleration, doesn’t that mean studying here for one day is equivalent to studying alone for 80 days in the past?"

Zhang Yu knew his learning ability wasn’t particularly strong, but with this 80-fold increase in efficiency, he believed it would be more than enough for him to tackle the courses in the Artifact Refining and Civil Engineering departments.

Turning to look at Zhang Pianpian beside him, he noticed that his sister had also stopped circulating her cultivation technique. She smiled and said, "It really works. I’ve already advanced the Wuliang Xin Nei Fashen to level 7. It seems it won’t be long before I can push this technique to level 20."

Zhang Yu was inwardly astonished. "Even with all these enhancements, it would still take me several days outside to raise the Wuliang Xin Nei Fashen to level 11."

"Yet my sister, relying solely on the Taiqing Realm, has already reached level 7 in such a short time?"

Zhang Pianpian looked at Zhang Yu, her heart filled with even more emotion. First, the loan of 50 spirit coins allowed her to unlock the Taiqing Realm ahead of time.

Then there was this Wuliang Xin Nei Fashen cultivation technique, which could greatly enhance her efficiency in learning and researching talismans.

"No, it’s not just about learning and research."

"Multiple streams of thought operating in parallel allow me to cast talismans with multiple efficiencies in the spirit realm. This is an incredible enhancement."

"From now on, whether I’m engaging in combat with others in the spirit realm or earning money, my efficiency will improve tremendously."

Thinking this, Zhang Pianpian let out a sigh. "Little brother, you’ve really helped me out again this time."

Zhang Yu smiled. "As siblings, of course we must support each other on the path of immortality and advance together."

Hearing this, Zhang Pianpian paused for a moment before nodding seriously. "You’re right. On the path of immortality, we will climb together."

The next moment, Zhang Yu exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no, what time is it?"

He checked the time and thought, "I’ve missed the scheduled communication time with A’Zhen."

"A’Zhen was taking exams all day yesterday, and we agreed to discuss her final grades tonight."

Watching Zhang Yu hurriedly log off, Zhang Pianpian smiled slightly and resumed her cultivation of the Wuliang Xin Nei Fashen.

…

In the dormitory.

Zhang Yu’s consciousness slowly returned to his body, and he felt something cold and soft sitting on top of him.

The next moment, as Zhang Yu removed his spirit realm visor, he saw Le Mulan sitting on him.

Le Mulan, who had been meditating with her eyes closed, immediately opened them upon sensing Zhang Yu’s movement. Looking at Zhang Yu, she said, "I saw you were in the spirit realm, so I didn’t disturb you."

"Shall we begin today’s mana infusion?"

At the same time, noticing Bai Zhenzhen’s constantly blinking avatar, Zhang Yu pointed at Le Mulan and said, "Stay still over there and behave. Remember, when I’m communicating later, don’t make any movements or sounds. Understood?"

Le Mulan obediently nodded and moved to sit beside Zhang Yu.

(End of Chapter)