Chapter 19: A Bright Moon Rises Over the Sea

The Sect Master's secret cache was hidden within the Canon Pavilion, but it existed as an independent world — one that required a key to open. Without it, no one could enter. Lin Jiufeng had managed the Canon Pavilion for a hundred years and had never known of this place. Had Bai Yunfei not mentioned it, he never would have imagined that a hidden Small World lay concealed within the Canon Pavilion.

This Small World was nowhere else — its entrance was on the highest floor of the Canon Pavilion. When Lin Jiufeng arrived there with the crescent jade pendant in hand, he found the pendant glowing, warming, and trembling faintly, pointing him in the right direction.

Lin Jiufeng slowly adjusted his direction until he had pinpointed the location of the hidden Small World.

Once he had confirmed it, the crescent jade pendant grew still, though it continued to emit a soft glow.

Lin Jiufeng held the pendant in his palm and gently touched the space before him.

The seemingly empty space suddenly rippled, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

Lin Jiufeng's hand passed through the space.

With the crescent jade pendant in his possession, he was completely unharmed.

Having confirmed this was the entrance to the hidden Small World, Lin Jiufeng stepped straight through — and vanished from the highest floor of the Canon Pavilion.

A blinding white light filled his vision, obscuring everything. He waited a brief moment for his eyes to adjust, and then the scene before him came into focus.

The highest floor of the Canon Pavilion led into a bamboo grove within the Small World. Walking westward for over a hundred and twenty paces, one could hear the sound of flowing water. Following the path further revealed a lake, which, bathed in the glow of the evening sunset, mirrored the sky above — blazing clouds and all — in a breathtaking display of beauty.

The lake was vast. Gazing into the distance, one could make out dark green mountains far away, their trees lush and vigorous.

Nearby, at the center of the lake, sat a small island. On the island rested a large boulder, and atop the boulder, a tortoise was lazily basking in the sun.

Along the near shore, a continuous range of peaks stretched out — too many to count — but each one had a cave carved into it.

Curious about what lay inside these caves, Lin Jiufeng walked over to investigate.

He entered the cave closest to him, and to his surprise, found row upon row of neatly arranged books.

"This must have been created by the successive Sect Masters of Yuhua Sect," Lin Jiufeng mused quietly. "Books unsuitable for the Canon Pavilion were stored here, reserved exclusively for the Sect Master's eyes."

He casually picked up a tome from one of the shelves and began to flip through it.

"Ancient Incomplete Compendium of Array Formations."

"Anything bearing the title of an ancient array formation must be earth-shattering," Lin Jiufeng remarked to himself. "Even if incomplete, it's certainly not something appropriate for the Canon Pavilion."

The books in the Canon Pavilion could be borrowed by any disciple of Yuhua Sect, so most of them were fairly ordinary — recording only the basic knowledge of the cultivation world.

Anything beyond that, like this ancient compendium of Array Formations, was stored here in this hidden Small World.

Flipping through a few pages confirmed it — the contents were extraordinarily complex. Array Formation patterns, circuit pathways, formation inscriptions — all interwoven in layers of staggering intricacy, like reading the heavens themselves. Without patient, meticulous study, it was utterly incomprehensible.

So Lin Jiufeng set it down quickly and picked up another.

"Cultivation Essentials from the Seventh Seal to the Ninth Seal."

This was a collection of cultivation principles compiled by the founding patriarch of Yuhua Sect, specifically addressing the Seventh Seal through the Ninth Seal, explained in remarkable detail. Lin Jiufeng had only flipped through a few pages before he was completely absorbed.

Rather than browsing the other books, he cradled this one and made his way to the lakeside, where he sat down on the soft grass, basking in the warm, gentle sunlight, and read with great care.

The founding patriarch of Yuhua Sect had once been a supreme master of the cultivation world. There were rumors that he had broken through the barrier of the Ninth Seal and entered the legendary Tenth Seal. So Lin Jiufeng had high expectations for the cultivation essentials he had written.

"I've already entered the Sixth Seal, and my next step is to break through to the Seventh Seal — so this is exactly what I need to read right now," Lin Jiufeng thought with eager anticipation as he began.

The Seventh Seal: Spiritual Sanctuary.

Unlike the earlier seals, this realm involved opening the immortal treasury within the Divine Soul world.

The book stated that every person's Divine Soul is an inexhaustible treasure trove.

Cultivating the Seventh Seal meant excavating the treasures hidden within the Spiritual Sanctuary of one's Divine Soul — hence the name, Spiritual Sanctuary.

"But how does one excavate it?" Lin Jiufeng read on with focused attention.

The founding patriarch had written in great detail.

What each person excavates differs. Some unearth an innate Sacred Body; others discover a vast reservoir of Divine Soul power; still others can only draw out a few times their Magic Power.

It varies from person to person.

"But how does one actually excavate?" Lin Jiufeng continued reading with the question still in mind.

To excavate the Divine Soul, one must first understand its fundamental nature. Only by gaining insight into one's own Divine Soul can one begin to dig out the treasures belonging to oneself within that vast trove.

Some cultivators had already manifested a Divine Soul and comprehended the Dao Rhythm, yet understood nothing about their own Divine Soul — and so, no matter how hard they tried, they could never excavate any treasure.

Therefore, the first step to breaking through the Seventh Seal was to understand one's own Divine Soul.

To perceive the essence of the Divine Soul, to clearly grasp its fundamental nature — only then could the excavation of treasures begin.

Reading this, Lin Jiufeng reflected carefully and realized that he had indeed never truly come to understand his own Divine Soul.

"To break through the Seventh Seal, I need to gain a thorough understanding of my Divine Soul. But how do I go about that?" Lin Jiufeng continued reading with the question lingering in his mind.

The founding patriarch had also left a solution in the text.

Empty your mind. Treat your physical body and your Divine Soul as two separate versions of yourself, and face each other in the pursuit of the Dao.

Lin Jiufeng pondered deeply — just how was one supposed to empty one's mind?

He thought about it for a long while and still had no idea where to begin.

A person's thoughts are constantly influenced by the outside world, giving rise to countless different notions at any moment. To truly empty the mind, one would need to be completely cut off from the outside world.

With that thought, Lin Jiufeng glanced around at the empty Small World — did being here count as being cut off from the world?

But even now, inside the Small World, he still found himself unable to empty his mind.

Suddenly, Lin Jiufeng's gaze fell upon the clear, transparent lake before him. He set down his book — and jumped in.

Splash.

Lin Jiufeng made no effort to float on the surface. Instead, he sank straight to the bottom.

At the lakebed, fish and shrimp swam freely, water plants swayed, and silt settled in layers. He lay there on the bottom, and through the crystal-clear water above him, he gazed up at a brilliant, star-filled sky.

Dazzling. Boundless. Mysterious. Beautiful...

It was as though the Milky Way had reversed itself and unfurled right before Lin Jiufeng's eyes.

Gradually, he fell into a trance, his entire being sinking into a state of Dao comprehension.

Within his Soul Sea, a vast river of stars appeared, swirling around his Divine Soul.

In that moment, Lin Jiufeng truly perceived his own Divine Soul.

Encircled by the Milky Way, his Divine Soul resembled an ancient star deity — radiant and luminous, perfectly attuned to Lin Jiufeng's innermost being, communicating with him in boundless ways.

Boom!

In that instant, every star in the heavens sent down rays of infinite light from their unfathomably distant void — piercing through the lake water, falling upon Lin Jiufeng's brow, entering his Niwan Palace, and being absorbed by his Divine Soul.

As starlight flooded his mind, Lin Jiufeng felt a cool clarity wash over his entire being — his Divine Soul included — as though bathed in a gentle spring breeze. Every pore on his body breathed in Spiritual Energy, and his whole person felt as though he were about to transcend into immortality.

A line of text appeared before his eyes.

[You have perceived your own Divine Soul, activating Heavenly Comprehension. You have comprehended: A Bright Moon Rises Over the Sea.]