Chapter 921: Little Red Sky Collapses, The Sea-Calming Pearl is Formed

Chen Mobai's breakthrough to a minor realm quickly spread. He had no intention of keeping it a secret, after all. Even though people knew he was the most talented individual in the Immortal Sect's history, his rapid progression still shocked many.

"It seems that in my lifetime, I will witness the emergence of a new Transformation God True Monarch in the Immortal Sect," Senior Chengxuan remarked with emotion over the phone. Chen Mobai repeatedly expressed humility, stating that his swift cultivation speed was primarily due to the path paved by ancestors like Patriarch Yuanyang.

Next, Chen Mobai consulted Senior Chengxuan about artifact refining matters. Having broken through to the third stage of Nascent Soul using the Pure Yang Cohesion Pill, he needed some time to refine his true qi with the Lamp Lighting Art. Therefore, he planned to dedicate the upcoming period to artifact refining, which also suited his role as the head of the Weapon Dao Institute. At the same time, he would complete the artifact refining tasks he had accumulated for a long time.

Coincidentally, many minerals not found in the Immortal Sect realm had been discovered in the other world. Once it was confirmed that there was no danger on the other side, the Immortal Sect would fully open the world gate, and with Chen Mobai's status, obtaining samples would be effortless. Previously, he had given the thousands of minerals obtained from the Immortal Sect realm to Zhuo Ming. Considering it was her natal artifact, he let her refine them herself. However, he discovered that the number of minerals this natal artifact could refine depended on the owner's cultivation level. At the Golden Core realm, one could only refine a maximum of 999 types of minerals. There was no choice; Chen Mobai still had to intervene.

Because Chen Mobai had also participated in refining this artifact originally, the Myriad Virtues Cauldron still recognized him. After he refined the four thousand types of minerals from the Immortal Sect into it, the artifact upgraded to a mid-grade fourth-tier level. Chen Mobai's interest in minerals from the other world, besides the Myriad Virtues Cauldron, also stemmed from the usefulness of cultivating the Earth Gathering Art. Minerals like "Life-Breath Stone," which contained earth-element spiritual energy, could accelerate the cultivation of the Earth Gathering Art.

Chen Mobai himself was not in a hurry, as his earth spirit root value was already very high. The minerals from the Immortal Sect and the Sky River Realm were enough for him to cultivate to 100 points. For example, his earth spirit root had already reached 96 points, needing only two more layers of the Earth Gathering Art to become an Immortal Earth Spirit Root. However, for Qing Nü, it was extremely useful. After all, if she were to cultivate the Everlasting Spring Technique in the future, she would need a triple-attribute Heavenly Spirit Root. What he could think of, the intelligent people of the Jumang Dao Institute naturally could as well. Wenren Xuewei had specifically dispatched a group of people into the other world to collect various minerals and spiritual plants.

After finishing his call with Senior Chengxuan, Chen Mobai responded to the other Nascent Soul Seniors. Upon hearing of his breakthrough, Qi Yuheng immediately invited him to spar in the Little Scarlet Heaven, claiming it was to help Chen Mobai familiarize himself with his new powers. Chen Mobai truly found it hard to refuse. He also wanted to use this opportunity with Qi Yuheng to demonstrate and hone the "sword intent" he had comprehended after his recent breakthrough.

Inside the Little Scarlet Heaven, Qi Yuheng suppressed his cultivation to the third stage of Nascent Soul, unleashing the Sixfold Imperial Scripture, which manifests a domain around the user, his expression slightly solemn. Previously, whenever he used this move, Chen Mobai, no matter how powerful his sword light or sword intent, could do nothing against him. But now, amidst the rapidly slashing orange-red sword light, faint red marks appeared on his sturdy physical body.

The perfected fourth-tier Yuanyang Sword Aura, combined with the subtle Yuanyang Sword Intent, already possessed power at the peak of the fourth-tier. If Qi Yuheng's body-refining technique hadn't been fifth-tier in essence, his defense would likely have been shattered in a single encounter. However, as time went on, Qi Yuheng noticed that Chen Mobai's Yuanyang Sword Aura was becoming even more powerful and fierce. This was not only due to Chen Mobai's increasing proficiency in wielding his third-stage Nascent Soul power, but also because the previously subtle Yuanyang Sword Intent was gradually solidifying.

With the sword intent's empowerment, the sword aura's power grew even stronger, almost reaching the fifth-tier level. However, Qi Yuheng was also no ordinary opponent; he cultivated the Sixfold Imperial Scripture, the Immortal Sect's foremost Transformation God Great Art. With a thought, six kinds of qi emerged. Although the orange-red sword light became more radiant and dazzling under the sword intent's boost, it still couldn't pierce his bodily defense.

In the Little Scarlet Heaven, neither of them needed to worry about depletion of origin energy, directly pushing their respective Transformation God Great Arts to the extreme. As Chen Mobai controlled his sword with his divine sense, unleashing all his innate and acquired Pure Yang True Qi, the Yuanyang Sword Intent, which he had previously intercepted as a mere embryonic form, now completely solidified. The moment the orange-red sword light struck, a sliver of dark crack suddenly appeared in the void of the Little Scarlet Heaven, extending towards Qi Yuheng. This was because the current limit of the Little Scarlet Heaven was only the peak of the fourth-tier. If power exceeding the fourth-tier level appeared, the void would shatter.

Seeing this, six-colored light wheels appeared in Qi Yuheng's pupils. Unmoving, he extended his right index finger, pointing towards the orange-red sword light before him. Six types of qi condensed at his fingertip, four colors more vibrant, while the other two were slightly dimmer, evidently because his Sixfold Imperial Scripture had not yet reached completion. Even so, his fingertip had already condensed Qi Yuheng's entire domain. A silver light, like a thimble, rendered his entire index finger as if sculpted from silver, colliding with the sword light that Chen Mobai, exhausting all his Pure Yang True Qi and sword intent, had forcefully elevated to a fifth-tier level.

An offense and a defense, at this instant, both were at the fifth-tier! With a *bang*! The Little Scarlet Heaven could no longer bear it. The room they were in dissolved into chaotic nothingness. At that moment, Chen Mobai and Qi Yuheng's consciousness returned to reality. Both shook their heads regretfully, as they hadn't seen the offense and defense determine a victor. However, in a sense, Chen Mobai had already won. This was because Qi Yuheng, at the third stage of Nascent Soul, would certainly not have been able to use the fifth-tier techniques he displayed in the Little Scarlet Heaven.

"Senior, the Little Scarlet Heaven's server suddenly crashed, and everyone was forcibly disconnected. The Immortal Affairs Hall is investigating, but there's no detailed cause of the fault or accident report yet." Chen Mobai was in his office, replaying his sparring session with Qi Yuheng, when Zhuang Jialan knocked and rushed in to inform him of the news.

"Yes, Qi Yuheng and I did it," Chen Mobai nodded. Then, under Zhuang Jialan's astonished gaze, he called Ying Guanghua to inform him of the incident. "During the sparring session, facing Hall Master Qi's Sixfold Imperial Scripture, my competitive spirit got the better of me, and I accidentally used power beyond the Little Scarlet Heaven's limit... The primary responsibility still lies with me. If I hadn't used fifth-tier power, Hall Master Qi surely wouldn't have followed suit. I am truly very sorry for causing the Little Scarlet Heaven server to crash... There's no need to waste public resources on an investigation. We'll release an announcement later, and I'll apologize to the public..."

After speaking with Ying Guanghua, Chen Mobai called Qi Yuheng again. Shortly after, the latter teleported to his office. Qi Yuheng stated that both of them were responsible for the Little Scarlet Heaven's crash and that they should apologize together. But Chen Mobai felt too awkward about it. After they briefly discussed, the drafted announcement from Lan Haitain had already arrived.

Within the Immortal Sect, the Little Scarlet Heaven's crash had already become the top trending topic. This was unprecedented. The last time Senior Chengxuan attempted to reach the Transformation God stage, the Little Scarlet Heaven was also shut down, but at least every user was notified. Unlike today, everyone was directly kicked offline at the same time. For a time, rumors abounded. Some even, fearing no chaos, claimed that powerful adversaries had been encountered in the other world, and the elites of the Three Great Halls had gone to support, leaving them unable to oversee the Little Scarlet Heaven. Regardless of the claims, some believed them. Soon, an atmosphere of panic spread online, as if the Immortal Sect was about to conscript all eligible cultivators for battle at any moment.

After long years of peace, many cultivators in the Immortal Sect were quite resistant to war. Of course, due to the Immortal Sect's system, essentially ninety percent of male cultivators had served in the military. So, although there was apprehension, it didn't devolve into complete chaos, but widespread unease was inevitable. At this point, only half an hour had passed since the Little Scarlet Heaven crashed. The internet's existence allowed various negative rumors to ferment at an unprecedented speed.

Under these circumstances, the Three Great Halls issued an announcement: "We deeply apologize for the sudden crash of the Little Scarlet Heaven server. The primary cause was Senior Pure Yang and Hall Master Kaiyuan using fifth-tier power during a sparring match, which exceeded the Little Scarlet Heaven's current set limit, causing a server malfunction. The Little Scarlet Heaven will soon initiate a backup to revert to the time before the crash. Please do not worry, esteemed users..." At the end of the announcement were apology statements from both Chen Mobai and Qi Yuheng, promising never to use power exceeding the limit in the Little Scarlet Heaven again.

As soon as this announcement was released, the vast majority of people believed it, and the initial atmosphere of panic began to subside. However, a very small minority still believed that the Immortal Sect was using this to conceal the true situation in the other world, claiming, "The truth of the Little Scarlet Heaven's collapse is not this." Facing these "truth-tellers," Chen Mobai had the Enforcement Department act, inviting a few of the most disruptive individuals to "have tea" in prison under the charge of disturbing public order. Afterward, a video of his sparring session with Qi Yuheng from the Little Scarlet Heaven's backup was released. The video ended precisely when both of them unleashed fifth-tier techniques and the void cracks appeared.

The appearance of this combat video, showcasing a duel between the Immortal Sect's top Nascent Soul cultivators, further astonished everyone in the Immortal Sect with Chen Mobai's astonishing and peerless sword dao talent. Despite being only at the third stage of Nascent Soul, he had astonishingly comprehended the Yuanyang Sword Art to the fifth-tier level and could even unleash it. Although this was within the Little Scarlet Heaven where one didn't fear origin energy depletion, his reputation as the foremost talent in sword dao began to spread throughout the Immortal Sect from a small circle.

Previously, Chen Mobai's cultivation talent as the Immortal Sect's top cultivator was widely recognized. However, regarding sword dao talent, most people believed he was slightly inferior to Patriarch Baiguang. Even those with the utmost confidence in Chen Mobai thought they were merely comparable. However, once this video was released, his hardcore fans, led by Chen Xiaohei, claimed that Senior Pure Yang was the greatest talent in both cultivation and sword dao throughout the Immortal Sect's history. They argued that Patriarch Baiguang was only considered the greatest because he lived in an era when Senior Pure Yang was not yet present.

It was fortunate Chen Mobai didn't know about this, or he probably would have been scared to death. How could his sword dao talent compare to Patriarch Baiguang's? He merely cheated by using the "Line of Immortal Life Sword Intent that Intercepts the Heavens" to appropriate Patriarch Yuanyang's sword intent as his own. Nevertheless, after this incident, his persona as a genius within the Immortal Sect was solidified beyond further consolidation. Even if he were to suddenly become mediocre in the future, people would likely assume he had passed the age of seeking limelight, beginning to restrain his brilliance and hide himself. Perhaps he would be "nurturing his sword," preparing for a stunning debut.

After dealing with this matter, Chen Mobai simultaneously refined his artifact crafting skills and reviewed information about the other world. Over these years, the Immortal Sect had delved deep into the underground of the other world. The foreign demon beasts encountered were increasingly powerful, and there were even casualties. With the two realms not yet fully connected and the Immortal Sect's army unable to cross, Patriarch Qianxing issued instructions to stabilize the defense line and cease further exploration. Meanwhile, while tracking the Ascension Cult, Nangong Xuanyu discovered a relic-like place at the bottom of the sea. It was enveloped by a chilling energy and contained many ancient inscriptions and murals. Patriarch Qianxing had a puppet that arrived at the ruins and was attempting to decipher the foreign world's script and patterns, but progress was not ideal.

On the Immortal Sect's side, the military department of the True Dharma Hall had already assembled, waiting only for the world gate to fully open before Hall Master Shuixian personally led them into the other world. Chen Mobai had initially wanted to lead the expedition. However, according to Immortal Sect rules, the military was directly managed by the True Dharma Hall Master. With a Hall Master present, his position as Deputy Hall Master put him lower in the command hierarchy. Chen Mobai did mention to Shuixian that if she didn't want to lead the military to campaign in the other world, he could directly take her place. But Shuixian, usually so lazy, was surprisingly proactive this time. Especially after hearing about the situation in the other world, she believed that the underwater ruin might very well be her opportunity for Transformation God, as mentioned by the Spirit Venerable. Since she put it that way, it would have been excessive for Chen Mobai to still contend for the leadership position. It just so happened that he wasn't particularly eager to go anyway.

Consequently, while the Immortal Sect busily prepared for war, Chen Mobai found himself at leisure. Besides refining his cultivation, which he had boosted with pills, using the Lamp Lighting Art, he also studied artifact refining and integrated all the Immortal Sect's knowledge regarding the Dao of Space to compile the "Void Scripture." During this process, he discovered that he seemed to possess genuine talent in spatial matters. These concepts were easily assimilated and understood by him after careful contemplation. In particular, the Primordial Reversion Secret Art was modified by him using Immortal Sect knowledge into the "Minor Void Art," allowing Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect to successfully cultivate it using Minor Void Talismans.

This Minor Void Art could only store spiritual energy, so he combined it with domain knowledge and upgraded it to the "Mustard Seed Void Art," which allowed for the storage of tangible objects on one's person. Beyond that, it would be the Immortal Sect's concept of domains. Upon completing this chapter of the Void Scripture, the previously high-threshold Golden Core domain in the Immortal Sect now had a practical and achievable cultivation path for Foundation Establishment cultivators under his writing. If one did not upgrade to a domain, cultivating the Minor Void Art to its extreme would result in an external void dantian, similar to Chen Mobai's Myriad Dharma Body, providing an additional true qi foundation when forming the Nascent Soul.

In the Sky River Realm, this knowledge would be a hidden, ultimate technique, passed down only to direct descendants. But in the Immortal Sect, Chen Mobai compiled all this content into a paper and uploaded it to the Immortal Sect's National Library. After passing review, this paper, titled "Research and Discussion on Two Branch Paths of Void Domain and External Dantian: The Minor Void Art!", instantly caused a huge sensation within the Immortal Sect. If his previous paper, "On the Feasibility of Disassembling and Cultivating Void Walking," earned him a nomination for the Flying Immortal Award, then this new paper, if proven successfully cultivable, would essentially guarantee him the Immortal Sect's highest honor.

People once again marveled at Chen Mobai's peerless wisdom, believing he might be the ultimate merged version of Patriarch Baiguang and Patriarch Qianxing, possessing both Qianxing's wisdom and Baiguang's valor! At the Kunpeng Dao Institute, Senior Beiming immediately took the lead, gathering teachers from his lineage who specialized in the Dao of Space, and established a new "Void Class" specifically for studying Chen Mobai's two papers. Especially the second paper: if it could truly allow cultivators to cultivate domains in large numbers at the Foundation Establishment stage, their Kunpeng Dao Institute would have more "Dao Seeds" for cultivating the Sixfold Imperial Scripture, and in the foreseeable future, they would certainly surpass the other three great Dao Institutes in the number of Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, the quickest to verify and complete the second chapter of the Void Scripture was Wenren Xuewei. With the aid of the Great Toon Tree, her perception of void power was almost on par with the Echoes of the Empty Valley, and she was fearless of death. Additionally, her financial resources were considerable. After using many Minor Void Talismans, she easily cultivated the Minor Void Art and then upgraded it to an external void dantian.

"I was originally short by twelve strands of Everlasting Spring True Qi, estimated to barely complete it by the time the world gate opened. Now, with your Minor Void Art and the Tushita Fire, I can perfect my true qi and form my Nascent Soul next year." After Wenren Xuewei successfully cultivated it, she specifically called Chen Mobai to thank him.

"When you form your Nascent Soul using the true qi stored in your external Minor Void, remember to record your feelings and tell me about them..." Chen Mobai, with the mindset of a researcher, instructed Wenren Xuewei. When he himself formed his Nascent Soul, he was primarily focused on the process and didn't thoroughly immerse himself in the sensations. If the Void Scripture were to be published in the future, it would certainly need to include successful examples and experiences.

"Absolutely, wait for my good news," Wenren Xuewei promised. Relying on the Everlasting Spring Technique, she could have successfully formed her Nascent Soul much earlier. By this time next year, the Immortal Sect would have one more Nascent Soul Senior. Chen Mobai was also happy for her.

Wenren Xuewei's success also verified the feasibility of Chen Mobai's second Void Scripture paper. For a time, all Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect with aspirations began to download it, and on various forums, they discussed their experiences cultivating the Minor Void Art, imagining the glorious prospect of successfully opening a domain when they reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. Senior Beiming even personally called Chen Mobai, wanting him, as the honorary headmaster of the Kunpeng Dao Institute, to come and give a lecture on the Void Scripture to the newly established Void Class teachers and students. In response, Chen Mobai stated that his papers and understanding of the void were still in their nascent stages, with many imperfections. To avoid misleading students, he declined to teach.

Senior Beiming greatly admired Chen Mobai's rigorous and serious attitude. After the Void Scripture papers appeared, Chen Mobai had become the undisputed authoritative grandmaster in the Immortal Sect concerning the Dao of Space, unrivaled, yet he remained so humble. However, this was also the Immortal Sect's consistent academic approach: extreme caution. Because once their knowledge was published, it would be disseminated to hundreds of millions of cultivators, and any errors or omissions could have unimaginable consequences. As for the papers, at least some permissions were required for download, which could prevent unqualified individuals from blindly practicing.

After uploading the papers, Chen Mobai occasionally checked comments and feedback, while also teaching his daughter to cultivate the external Minor Void. According to his vision, Chen Xiaohei could refine five external Minor Voids, each storing one of the five elemental spiritual energies. This way, when synthesizing Primeval True Qi, it would be uniform and perfect. Chen Xiaohei thought her father was an absolute genius for even conceiving such a method. In reality, it was based on Chen Mobai's past experience of purchasing void spirit energy packs.

Time thus slowly flowed by. On this day, Chen Mobai finally completed the design of Qing Nü's three artifacts. His improvement in artifact refining and compilation of the Void Scripture were primarily preparations for this task. Two were gourds obtained from Loquat Valley, and the third was the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl, from which innate water essence had been extracted.

He modified the two gourds according to Qing Nü's original requests. The blue-skinned gourd, which contained mist that could form a natural illusion array when released, was preserved by Chen Mobai. He also incorporated the Longevity Sect's "Ruyi Water Mist" great art into it. This way, Qing Nü could easily activate the great art's power to the fourth-tier level by simply injecting Profound Nether True Water, making it impenetrable even to the divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The other red-skinned gourd perfectly showcased Chen Mobai's artifact refining prowess. Everything Qing Nü had asked for, he accomplished. First, he created a separate minor void within the gourd to isolate the Earth Core Flame. Then, using void power, he constructed successive spaces inside the gourd, capable of storing not only inanimate objects like pills, minerals, and tools but also sustaining living things such as spiritual plants and beasts. This fourth-tier red-skinned gourd, even in the Sky River Realm, would be considered a top-tier storage artifact, fought over fiercely.

Finally, there was the fifth-tier Grand Abyss Blue Pearl. At Chen Mobai's current level, he obviously couldn't refine a fifth-tier artifact. However, he imitated a Sea-Stabilizing Pearl based on Patriarch Yun Ya's work, the Sea-Stabilizing Sword. Similar to the effect of the ten-thousand-year pearl on the sword hilt, Qing Nü could store the Profound Nether True Water she refined within it, taking it out for refining when needed for combat or breakthrough. However, because the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl's grade was too high, if Qing Nü wanted to fill it with her Profound Nether True Water, it would require hundreds of times her current realm's spiritual energy.

Besides storing spiritual energy, Chen Mobai also inscribed two great arts, the "Dripping Water Sword" (an offensive technique) and "Jade Water Heavenly Net" (a defensive technique), into it. When Qing Nü faced an adversary, she could simply suspend this Sea-Stabilizing Pearl above her head. It would provide not only nearly infinite spiritual energy but also allow her to instantly condense the Profound Nether True Water within the pearl into a sword to attack foes, or transform it into a water curtain for defense. Moreover, because the raw material, the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl, contained innate Dao韵, Chen Mobai also referenced the Pure Yang Treasure Pearl, adding the ability for it to evolve into a second Nascent Soul, or even a second Primordial Spirit. Although this Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was not a fifth-tier artifact, it already possessed the essence of a fifth-tier item. Once Qing Nü refined it and nurtured it for a long time until it developed sentience, it would become a true fifth-tier artifact.

"You're truly amazing. In terms of artifact refining, I'd say you're probably no less skilled than Senior Chengxuan and Patriarch Qianxing now." Qing Nü, having received the three artifacts Chen Mobai refined for her and listened to the intricacies of each, expressed her genuine admiration.

The Immortal Sect's fifth-tier artifact refining mastery, limited by resource conditions, required opportune chances to pass the assessment. Patriarch Qianxing passed his fifth-tier assessment by refining a fifth-tier Heaven-Calculating Pearl, which incorporated all the variations of the Heaven-Screen Earth-Net Grand Formation. As for Senior Chengxuan's fifth-tier artifact refiner assessment, he encountered Patriarch Baiguang's request to refine a fifth-tier flying sword. Patriarch Baiguang had already collected all the materials, and after Chengxuan completed it, he successfully obtained his fifth-tier certification. Of course, before that, Senior Chengxuan had already passed all the written examinations for fifth-tier artifact refining knowledge in the Immortal Sect, with Patriarch Qianxing personally setting the questions. If Chen Mobai were to obtain a fifth-tier artifact refiner certification in the Immortal Sect, he would also need to follow these two steps: first pass the written examination, then wait for an opportunity for the practical assessment. Therefore, after seeing the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl, Qing Nü felt that Chen Mobai's artifact refining skill, even within the Immortal Sect, had already reached the fifth-tier level.

"Not at all, compared to the headmaster, I'm still slightly inferior, and completely incomparable to Patriarch Qianxing." Chen Mobai remained very clear-headed about this. The primary reason he could refine such excellent and satisfactory artifacts for Qing Nü was his complete immersion in the task. Furthermore, from conception to practical execution, he had pondered for over a decade, with every requirement and step already clear in his mind. Only artifacts crafted with such dedication could possess this quality. If it were refining other prescribed artifacts, he definitely wouldn't be able to compare with Senior Chengxuan and Patriarch Qianxing.

"This pearl is called 'Sea Stabilizer,' so what should these two gourds be called? We can't keep calling them 'blue-skinned' and 'red-skinned,' can we?" Qing Nü was extremely pleased with the "Sea-Stabilizing Pearl" crafted from the Grand Abyss Blue Pearl. Conveniently, Chen Mobai had a "Sea-Stabilizing Sword," so they could be considered a pair of "couple's artifacts."

"Do you have any ideas? The items are already yours; you can name them whatever you like." Chen Mobai said with a smile to Qing Nü. She looked up, thought for a moment, pointed at the blue-skinned gourd, and said two words: "Ruyi!" Then, pointing at the red-skinned gourd, she said: "Myriad Transformations!"