Chapter 760: "The Book", The Strict Dharma Realm (Thanks to 'Xiaoyao Xian')

Chapter 760: The Book, the Unforgiving Realm of Law (Thanks to “Xiaoyao Xian Zhibai” for the Alliance Patron Donation)

Before Zhang Yu, the avatar slowly raised its head. A faint daze flickered in its eyes, then its entire demeanor shifted abruptly—its muscles and bones subtly rearranging themselves until it bore the complete likeness of another person.

Then this “person” looked at Zhang Yu and sighed inwardly: “You… are the possessor of The Book, aren’t you?”

Zhang Yu stiffened slightly at the words. Though his expression remained unchanged, an imperceptible shift passed through his eyes.

After so many years in Kunxu, this was the first time someone had openly revealed the secret he’d guarded deep within—a secret no one else had ever known.

It was impossible for his heart to remain entirely still. Yet the flicker of panic came and went swiftly, for he quickly realized how the other could have uncovered his hidden truth.

“Did you deduce it from my memories?”

Zhang Yu understood that this “avatar” before him was not a true resurrection of the dead, but rather a new personality forged from the deceased’s memories.

Creating such a personality was simply a matter of efficiency.

Of course, he could have used the power of the *Hell Soul-Washing Scripture* to transform the dead man’s memories into readable records, then sifted through them himself at leisure.

But human memory was vast as an ocean—and for cultivators with long lifespans, that ocean became an unfathomable abyss. Even for Zhang Yu, sorting and searching through it would be an immense burden.

By instead reconstructing a personality—one that could “recall” memories as if reliving them—he could efficiently retrieve the data he needed and converse directly with it, accelerating his search dramatically.

The personality now inhabiting this avatar was a fusion of Zhang Yu’s own consciousness and the memories of the deceased.

Naturally, this personality remained under Zhang Yu’s control—the body governed by his Level 40 *Myriad Transformations Self-Mastery Art*, and the memories bound by his Level 40 *Hell Soul-Washing Scripture*.

And those memories belonged to Zhanxian True Lord.

Zhang Yu thought to himself: “For me, the optimal choice should have been Fuxian Heaven.”

“But according to the Reincarnation Consortium, Fuxian Heaven’s death-memories are under strict preservation. In recent years, countless powerful figures have kept their eyes fixed upon them—accessing them would carry too great a risk.”

“Zhanxian True Lord, on the other hand, though also watched, has drawn far less attention thanks to Fuxian Heaven drawing the fire.”

Though Zhanxian True Lord held lower status than Fuxian Heaven and thus possessed less critical intelligence, he had extensive experience within the Examination Sect and had clawed his way up through the sect’s inner workings. As a disciple of a celestial’s disciple, he possessed deep knowledge of the sect’s hidden secrets and unspoken rules—precisely what Zhang Yu needed.

As he made this choice, another thought stirred in Zhang Yu’s mind:

“Zhanxian True Lord died before the Heavenly Court descended… If I can obtain these memories, it means the Reincarnation System was still functioning smoothly across Levels 2 to 5 at that time.”

Though he’d long suspected this, confirmation now made it clear: Dao Qiankun, Fuxian Heaven, and their faction must have collaborated with the Reincarnation Consortium far more deeply than he’d originally imagined.

Glancing once more at the avatar before him, Zhang Yu said nothing. Instead, he turned to Kuang Tianqing beside him and said, “I’ll handle the rest myself. No need to trouble you further.”

Kuang Tianqing, who had been straining to listen, smiled faintly, bid Zhang Yu farewell, and withdrew.

Zhang Yu then turned back to the avatar and said, “Let’s talk at the usual place.”

Moments later, Zhang Yu and the avatar stood together within the Grand Pure Realm, activating a twentyfold time-acceleration field for their conversation.

Zhang Yu asked, “What shall I call you?”

The “avatar” considered for a moment, then replied, “Names don’t matter. Just call me Zhanxian.”

Zhang Yu pressed, “What did you mean earlier—‘possessor of The Book’?”

Though he guessed the other knew of the secret of the *Feather Book* through his own memories, the phrasing unsettled him—it carried the implication that The Book… might not be known only to him.

As if sensing his thoughts, Zhanxian answered, “Master Fuxian Heaven once told me that every person is born with unique talents.”

“Some are exceptionally gifted, granting them advantages on the path of immortality that others can never attain.”

At these words, images of Yu Xinghan, Bai Zhenzhen, and Le Mulan flashed unbidden through Zhang Yu’s mind.

Zhanxian continued, “And among them, there are those whose talent is even more singular—upon birth, a ‘Book’ manifests within their hearts.”

“This Book aids their cultivation, unleashing earth-shattering potential.”

“The sect has seen such prodigies before—though they are exceedingly rare, and few know the truth behind them.”

“To outsiders, they merely appear astonishingly gifted; almost no one understands the mystery of The Book.”

“It was only after merging your memories that I realized—you are one such possessor.”

Listening to Zhanxian’s explanation, Zhang Yu felt growing astonishment. He thought inwardly: “So the *Feather Book* isn’t a unique gift of mine alone?”

He couldn’t help but voice a question that had long haunted him: “What exactly is this ‘Book’?”

Zhanxian shook his head. “As for its true nature… even Master Fuxian Heaven seemed uncertain.”

“All we know is that The Book’s origin is profoundly mysterious—it is neither a magical artifact nor tied to the flesh and blood of the body. And as far as I know, no sect has ever launched a formal research project into The Book.”

Zhanxian paused, thoughtful. “I never dwelled on this before, but now… it seems as if an invisible hand has deliberately prevented all sects from studying The Book.”

At the mention of Fuxian Heaven, Zhang Yu’s mind drifted to the final memories Fuxian Heaven had transmitted to him—and his last words.

…

Fuxian Heaven: “…You truly possess potential found in one out of ten thousand. Perhaps others share this potential—even enough to earn the favor of immortals. But among all who possess it, you are the only one I’ve ever seen who wishes to change Kunxu itself.”

…

Zhang Yu mused: “Could the ‘potential’ Fuxian Heaven spoke of refer to my *Feather Book*? Did he already suspect I possessed The Book back then?”

Then a chilling possibility struck him.

“If Fuxian Heaven guessed I had The Book… then those high-ranking existences who obtained his death-memories—do they now know as well?”

The thought clenched his heart like ice. He could almost see colossal hands descending from the heavens, snatching him away to some unknown realm for dissection and study.

But he quickly shook his head. “If they wanted to study me, they wouldn’t have let me take the sect examinations—or even join the sect.”

“So there are only two possibilities: either the high powers already know I possess The Book but, for reasons of caution or design, choose not to act against me yet…”

“…or Fuxian Heaven used the *Hell Soul-Washing Scripture* to erase part of his own memories—specifically any concerning me and The Book.”

Either way, Zhang Yu knew he was safe—for now. How long that safety would last, he couldn’t say.

“But no matter what… since I’m safe for the moment, I’ll use this window to climb higher. In Kunxu, only by growing stronger and rising further can I begin to seize control of my own fate.”

“Even if I have only one day left of safety, I won’t waste the chance to ascend.”

As for the schemes of those above—he knew worrying about them now was futile.

Just as Zhang Yu reaffirmed his resolve, Zhanxian spoke again: “However… the ‘Books’ Master Fuxian Heaven described differ greatly from your *Feather Book*.”

“At the very least, none of the others seem capable of evolving and expanding like yours.”

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. “Do their Books contain only a prologue? Is mine the only one with sections like the Dao Seed Catalogue and Chain Law Diagrams?”

Zhanxian shook his head. “I can’t confirm the exact abilities of other Books, but they likely differ entirely from your prologue, Dao Seed Catalogue, or Chain Law Diagrams.”

“What I can say for certain is that this capacity for growth—this repeated expansion of function—is something I’ve never heard of before.”

Zhang Yu absorbed this silently, continuing to exchange what little more they knew about The Book. When it became clear no further insights were forthcoming, he turned to the true purpose of their meeting.

He asked, “If Ah Zhen’s divine spirit root evolves into a celestial spirit root… will that cause trouble?”

Zhanxian replied, “Celestial spirit roots aren’t rare within the sect. Ordinary disciples often acquire them.”

“Even techniques to convert spirit roots exist among the higher echelons.”

“So possessing a celestial spirit root alone wouldn’t require concealment.”

“But if a divine spirit root can evolve into a celestial one on its own—that would surely attract covetous eyes.”

“Therefore, the safest course is to keep Bai Zhenzhen’s root at the divine stage for now.”

"Once you attain the Celestial Spiritual Root within the sect, you can seize the opportunity of exchanging spiritual roots to evolve your own Divine Spiritual Root into a Celestial one."

Speaking to this point, Zhan Xian paused slightly before adding, "However, you likely understand that this method treats the symptoms, not the root cause."

Zhang Yu’s eyes shifted slightly as he met the other’s gaze, saying, "Are you implying... the Law Realm?"

Zhan Xian nodded, sighing with emotion, "To conceal the Celestial Spiritual Root, one cannot merely focus on the root itself; indeed, the Celestial Spiritual Root is the least of your concerns."

He pointed at the Zhang Yu before him and said, "Compared to Bai Zhenzhen, you! You are the far more dangerous one."

Zhan Xian pointed a lone finger toward the heavens, saying, "The Myriad Dharma Sect of today is already thoroughly permeated by the Law Realm. The stringency of its internal surveillance can be said to rank among the highest of the Ten Great Sects..."

As he reached this part of his speech, Perfected Lord Zhan Xian suddenly froze for a brief moment, speaking in a rather abrupt manner, "After all, products of the Law Realm are invariably masterpieces. Our distance from the peak of the Immortal Path might only be a single memory-editing session away..."

Hearing the other man suddenly recite a lengthy string of words that sounded entirely like an advertisement, Zhang Yu asked in bewilderment, "What... what is wrong with you?"

Zhan Xian tapped his own head and said, "This is the advertisement that thing inserted into my recollection after I used the Law Realm to preserve my memory."

"If I were still within the Law Realm, then as long as I wasn't a paying member, every single time I recalled something, I would have to remember an advertisement from time to time."

Zhan Xian lamented, "Roughly for every three minutes of recalling, I am forced to recall thirty seconds of advertisements."

"Now that I am disconnected from the Law Realm, I naturally do not suffer from this issue. I merely want you to know... just how troublesome the Law Realm is." "The various operations regarding memory alone, the irregular screenings, and the comprehensive automated surveillance make it difficult for anyone to conceal the secrets in their heart."

Even memories are subjected to commercial insertion? Zhang Yu was profoundly shocked upon hearing this. Though he already possessed a deep awareness of the Kunxu's bottomless practices and had gained a certain understanding of the Law Realm through his studies for the sect examinations,

because the orthodox deity had delivered a pure, pristine version of the examination memories, it remained somewhat detached from actual sect life and was devoid of any compulsory advertising content. Therefore, at this moment, hearing of the Law Realm's wanton distortion of memory still caused a cold shudder to run through him.

Zhang Yu could not help but speak up, "They can even resort to such deeds... then does the Law Realm also covertly alter the memories of cultivators?"

Zhan Xian replied indifferently, "At least when I departed from the sect, it had not yet reached that stage. Memory alteration was still a paid service that could not be deployed at whim. But as for the current state of affairs... I cannot be certain."

Zhan Xian continued, "However, you possess the Scripture of Soul-Washing in Hell, so concealing your memories shouldn't be too difficult. Back up your memories frequently, and you won't have to fear even if you encounter memory alteration."

"Yet aside from memory, there are far too many ways within the Law Realm to monitor your every move."

"In fact, once you enter the Law Realm, every invocation of your cultivation methods, every exertion of your Daoist arts and martial arts, will incur a fee, and this process will likewise be subjected to surveillance."

"The secrets within your memory can be hidden, but masking the secrets of the physical body is exceedingly troublesome."

Zhan Xian said, "However, I do have a method here that can help provide a layer of concealment for you. This was also a method that my master and the rest of us used in the past to hide within the Law Realm."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "As expected, those of the Fu Xian Tian lineage must have begun preparing to stir up trouble while they were still within the sect. And with the protection of an Immortal... they naturally would have possessed ways to evade the surveillance of the Law Realm at that time."

Once Zhan Xian finished speaking, he tapped with his fingertips, already inscribing a successive chain of talismans.

"This is a specially crafted Law-Evading Talisman. Once unleashed, it can use simulated data to deceive the Law Realm for a period of time, aiding you in concealing the anomalies upon your person."

Discovering that what Zhan Xian had written was actually a talisman, Zhang Yu was not at all surprised.

After all, the Law Realm was the sublimation of the Spiritual Realm, having been born from the Spiritual Realm itself.

Beneath the shroud of the Law Realm, the Spiritual Realm had not ceased to exist; rather, it could be said that the Spiritual Realm had become the foundation upon which the Law Realm operated. It was merely that people were more accustomed to utilizing the Law Realm directly, rather than the Spiritual Realm.

As for the talismans of the Spiritual Realm, they could naturally still be cast.

And listening to Perfected Lord Zhan Xian's introduction, Zhang Yu understood that this Law-Evading Talisman was equivalent to granting himself an extra layer of disguise. It ensured that under the surveillance of the Law Realm, he appeared to be operating normal heart-methods, normal martial arts, and normal Daoist arts, rather than those illicit, forbidden cultivation methods.

As for what specific heart-method, martial art, or Daoist art was contained within this disguise, Zhang Yu could fill in the blanks himself.

Zhan Xian explained, "You can cultivate some conventional methods to populate this layer of disguise. Then, after activating the Law-Evading Talisman, the Law Realm will perceive you as performing these conventional methods."

"But you must remember, the Law-Evading Talisman is merely a data-level disguise. It is highly effective for dealing with the data surveillance of the Law Realm, but it is not absolute concealment. Remember not to act recklessly in broad daylight..."

Zhang Yu understood. This was much like a stealth fighter jet; it evaded radar, rather than achieving visual invisibility.

After Zhan Xian finished his string of warnings, Zhang Yu raised yet another question, "This Law-Evading Talisman won't have become obsolete, will it?"

Zhang Yu was concerned that after the Fu Xian Tian faction was eradicated, this so-called Law-Evading Talisman might have lost its efficacy.

Yet Perfected Lord Zhan Xian shook his head, "If it were the version of the Law-Evading Talisman we used in the past, it would indeed likely be obsolete by now. But this Law-Evading Talisman... appears to have been updated by someone."

He pointed to his own head and said, "Someone left this latest version of the Law-Evading Talisman within my memories of death."

"The purpose... is likely to bring this Law-Evading Talisman before you."

Zhang Yu’s heart stirred, "The Reincarnation Corporation?"

Perfected Lord Zhan Xian followed up by saying, "This Law-Evading Talisman was very likely crafted by an Immortal. As long as it hasn't been exposed to the public, it shouldn't lose its efficacy within three years."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "An Immortal? It seems that Immortals in other sects are probably also secretly researching the loopholes within the Myriad Dharma Sect's Law Realm."

Perfected Lord Zhan Xian went on to say, "After three years, with the arrival of a new generation of updates to the Law Realm, this Law-Evading Talisman will likely gradually lose its effect. You must bear this firmly in mind."

"Secondly, you must never casually pass this Law-Evading Talisman to others. If you must pass it on... it must be to someone you trust implicitly."

"Once this Law-Evading Talisman is leaked, the Law Realm will swiftly complete an update, and at that time, the talisman will become useless."

Zhang Yu inquired, "With this... it should also be possible to conceal the Celestial Spiritual Root, right?"

Zhan Xian replied, "So long as you do not actively release the power of the Celestial Spiritual Root in public, daily concealment will pose no problem."

Gazing at this sequence of talismans before him that was highly likely a gift from the Reincarnation Corporation, Zhang Yu opened his mouth to ask, "Then what is the price? What is it?"

"The faction capable of leaving this sequence of talismans within your memory should be the Reincarnation Corporation, correct?"

"In giving me this, what is it they want me to do?"

Zhan Xian shook his head and said, "Nothing... they didn't say they wanted you to do anything at all."

Zhang Yu smiled, "Free of charge?"

Zhang Yu understood well in his heart that what was free was often the most expensive.

As he accepted more assistance from the Reincarnation Corporation, the leverage he left in their hands would multiply, and he would find himself increasingly unable to detach from them.

Yet Zhang Yu understood even better that, compared to the high and mighty existences above—the sects, the Heavenly Court, the Immortals, and so forth—the bargaining chips he currently held in his hands were far too meager, granting him no right whatsoever to negotiate terms.

Faced with the honey before his eyes, no matter what manner of poison was encased within, he resolved to swallow it whole and find sweetness in the bitter draft.

Zhang Yu said, "Teach me, then. How is this talisman used?"

Zhan Xian blanked slightly, saying, "Can you not understand it?"

He then blanked once more, "Very well, you truly do not understand it..."

Zhang Yu snapped, "Cut the nonsense. If I ask you to teach, then teach."

...

In the days that followed, Zhang Yu's daily itinerary gained quite a few segments dedicated to interacting and learning with Zhan Xian.

Aside from that, there were all sorts of preparatory works for journeying to the sect.

Within the laboratory, accompanied by the completion of the final design blueprint for a Dharma treasure, Zhang Yu and Ye Xingli finally met all the requirements for upgrading their Dao Seeds together.

Looking at the design blueprint for the stocking-type Dharma treasure before her, Ye Xingli instantly lapsed into a state of trance, feeling as though countless fragments of artifact-crafting knowledge suddenly erupted within her mind, washing over her sea of consciousness like wave upon wave of design blueprints.

Simultaneously, Zhang Yu directed his gaze toward the Feathered Ledger, turning to the page of the Dao Seed Register, where the "Spiritual Resonance Artifact Heart" above had conspicuously risen to Level 2.

A Level 1 Spiritual Resonance Artifact Heart was capable of fusing two blueprints by burning inspiration, thereby generating a new artifact-crafting blueprint.

However, the randomness of this fusion was rather pronounced; the resulting new blueprint might extract the essence, or it might just as easily retain the dregs.

Furthermore, because inspiration was finite and could only be gradually restored through time once consumed, the output of blueprint fusions within a given period was exceedingly limited.

As for the Spiritual Resonance Artifact Heart upgraded to Level 2, after Zhang Yu pondered over the Dao Seed Register for a brief moment, comprehension dawned within his heart.

"A Level 2 Spiritual Resonance Artifact Heart allows one to choose the direction of the fusion," Zhang Yu murmured inwardly. "In this manner, the fused blueprints will possess a much higher probability of becoming useful, aligning precisely with the desires of the user."

Then Zhang Yu once again sensed the requirements for elevating his Spirit Resonance Core to level three, thinking inwardly, “Complete ten Golden Core–stage artifact blueprints together with Senior Sister?”

He mused silently, “There’s barely more than half a month left… It might not be enough time—but I’ll give it my best shot.”

…

Inside the meditation chamber, Yu Xinghan’s cultivation power, bolstered by Zhang Yu’s assistance, finally broke through the 8,000-unit threshold.

In that instant, he felt the third eye within his mind tremble violently.

Simultaneously, a sharp pain lanced through his brow.

Unbeknownst to him, a golden fissure had appeared right between his eyebrows.

Yet in the next moment, the golden slit vanished without a trace.

Beside him, Zhang Yu glanced at the Divine Seed Chart and saw the Four-Eyed Insight Technique now marked as level four. A faint smile crept onto his face.

…

In the Research Society’s office, Bai Zhenzhen let out a soft hum, feeling the ache of her True Spiritual Root being drawn out from her body and the Feather Spiritual Root being infused in its place.

Though she’d been swapping spiritual roots with Zhang Yu nearly every day recently—and her body had grown somewhat accustomed to the process—her frame still occasionally shuddered involuntarily.

Today, however, she sensed an unprecedented surge of vigor radiating from Zhang Yu.

“Yu-zi seems unusually excited today—pushing harder than ever.”

Watching Zhang Yu beside her, who was training furiously and cycling martial techniques without pause, Bai Zhenzhen wondered silently, “Why is that?”

Zhang Yu stared at the Divine Seed Chart within the *Feather Scripture*. He knew that to raise his level-three Azure Lotus Sword Embryo to level four, it required nourishment from ten grade-forty cultivation techniques.

He’d already gathered many such techniques recently but hadn’t found the time to dedicate them specifically to nurturing the sword embryo.

Now, with only one week remaining before entering the sect, Zhang Yu had finally completed the nourishment from nine of those grade-forty techniques.

If he could finish cultivating the final technique today, the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo would ascend to level four.

(End of Chapter)