Chapter 1553: Infinite Improvement

If the merging of mountains and seas was an inevitable trend, then the merging of the three paths represented an unprecedented miracle in the realm of mountains and seas. The mountains and seas themselves, and even Huanzhen, might have been silently awaiting its outcome.

Resisting the Dao's demise from the merging mountains and seas was incredibly difficult. How much more so the tribulation of three paths merging?

Once in a merged state, it was almost impossible to fully escape without the power to transcend the three paths, even with Huanzhen's assistance.

Even when Li Fan sprayed essence blood to dilute the power of the Great Dao of Longevity within him as much as possible, he still couldn't reverse the merging trend. Any thought of "merging" would instantly cause the trend to resume.

"The method of extracting essence blood only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Only by discovering and steadfastly believing in other, more appropriate paths could this inertial dependence be severed."

"However..."

Li Fan frowned slightly.

Not just Li Fan, but even the Three Sages likely had no answer at this moment.

"I'll take it one step at a time," he thought.

With a calm mind, he suppressed the numerous thoughts in his head. Li Fan set aside concerns about the distant future and focused solely on the path beneath his feet.

In his mind, a wonderfully mysterious alchemy furnace seemed to appear. All his past knowledge became like alchemical ingredients. As Li Fan organized and gathered them, they were slowly placed into the furnace.

His thoughts, like a slow-burning fire, began the refining process. Li Fan, as if peeling silk from a cocoon, analyzed the essence of countless divine abilities. He stripped away their superficial forms, leaving only their core essence for the pill he intended to create.

Li Fan quietly watched the great divine pill slowly taking shape before him, feeling an unprecedented clarity.

"Seeking outwardly is inferior to seeking within oneself."

"I painstakingly pursued Huanzhen's transformation into a true immortal, yet I almost forgot why Huanzhen had always relied on me."

Li Fan seemed to perceive, outside the alchemy furnace in his mind, that beyond the "alchemical ingredients" representing the many divine abilities he had mastered during his reincarnation, there was also a jewel he had overlooked – one that was actually the most dazzling.

"Infinite Spirituality..."

All other ingredients originated from the mountains, seas, and the mortal world. No matter how superb the alchemical technique, it could never yield a pill surpassing those realms. Only this jewel came from beyond the mountains, seas, and the mortal world.

If added to the pill, it might possess the power to transform decay into wonder!

Li Fan's heart pounded, and the alchemy furnace trembled.

The brilliant jewel, in that instant, erupted with incredibly bright radiance.

It flew directly into the alchemy furnace.

All the original ingredients in the furnace spontaneously made way for it. The jewel seamlessly moved to the very center, as if it rightfully belonged there.

Countless ingredients, like stars, encircled this brilliant stone.

And, touched by the radiance emanating from the jewel, the ingredients within the furnace themselves began to undergo inexplicable changes.

"Infinite Spirituality is not merely what Huanzhen craves. It can also play a crucial role for the Great Dao of the mountains, seas, and the mortal world."

Like a flash of light illuminating the darkness, Li Fan instantly understood another potential miraculous use of his Infinite Spirituality.

"The art of formations."

With a sudden insight, Li Fan infused a small amount of Infinite Spirituality into one of the ingredients within the furnace. Almost immediately, he felt a slight dizziness.

Immediately afterward, countless scenes appeared before his eyes.

These were scenes of countless "Li Fans" diligently studying and analyzing the art of formations.

There were the faltering first steps of Foundation Establishment, and the innovative breakthroughs of the True Immortal realm. Although their cultivation levels differed, each Li Fan poured his life's efforts into the study of formations. Undistracted, they toiled relentlessly until their dying breath. Without exception, they were pure seekers of the Dao, seemingly with no other pursuit beyond the art of formations.

With each Li Fan's life lighting up and fading, Li Fan felt as though he had personally experienced that figure's lifelong research into the art of formations.

Although like a fleeting dream, no memories remained. However, Li Fan felt that his familiarity with the art of formations had not diminished.

The flickering and jumping speed of the phantoms became faster and faster, and the "art of formations" in Li Fan's eyes simultaneously underwent an incredible transformation.

They became increasingly familiar, intimate, and simpler.

They were like intimate companions who had spent countless years together, already possessing a profound understanding and unspoken synergy.

Li Fan knew that his talent in the art of formations had already reached a level beyond the grasp of countless beings in the mountains and seas. Moreover, this talent was still continuously ascending!

"The Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Formation..."

When Li Fan contemplated this peerless immortal formation, the arrays that had previously seemed incredibly complex to him, even difficult to deduce with the Immortal Array Disintegration Disc, were no longer so obscure.

Furthermore, through the interconnections of the nine sets of Profound Origin Primordial Spirit formations, he could deduce the remaining ones based on the five already known.

"Of the nine Profound Origin Primordial Spirit formations, five are known: Xuanji, Myriad Spirits Return to Numbers; Huangluo, Empty Room Blooms; Wuliang, Vast Primordial Square; Daoqi, Endless Cycle of Life; and Yuhua, Rise and Fall of Life and Death."

"The remaining four are..."

Before Li Fan's eyes, the five great formations automatically branched into countless fine lines. These extended into the adjacent blank areas, slowly completing the unknown.

The remaining parts of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Formation thus appeared before Li Fan's eyes.

"Dingding, Stepping on Mountains and Suppressing Seas."

"Lingxu, Myriad Dao Connecting to the Profound..."

"Ah!"

Just as he had discerned the two great formations, Li Fan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.

This pain seemed to originate from the deepest reaches of his soul, the very foundation of his consciousness. Words could not describe even a fraction of it; all the suffering Li Fan had experienced through countless mortal reincarnations was but a drop in the ocean compared to this.

In his mind, not only did the deduced formations instantly shatter without a trace, but even the image of the alchemy furnace and its divine ability also instantly shattered.

Only this one concept remained in Li Fan's mind.

His soul, and even his body, seemed to begin to shatter from this extreme pain!

It's unclear how long it lasted, but as the pain began to subside, Li Fan finally regained some capacity for thought.

Li Fan had a premonition that this sudden onset was far more than mere pain.

It was a terrifying crisis that could utterly destroy the very foundation of his Infinite Spirituality.

"It seems I was reckless. Utilizing Infinite Spirituality isn't as effortless as I imagined; instead, it carries immense risks."

"While it can rapidly enhance my talent, the excessive outpouring of spirituality in a short period will also shake the very foundation of my existence."

Li Fan felt lingering fear and decisively halted this rash action for the time being.

Fortunately, the infinite nature of spirituality ultimately persisted.

After halting the consumption, the pain lingering in Li Fan's mind quickly vanished.

Everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

However, the two great formations he had just deduced—Dingding, Stepping on Mountains and Suppressing Seas, and Lingxu, Myriad Dao Connecting to the Profound—were clearly imprinted in Li Fan's mind.

Along with them was a feeling of utter exhaustion, as if he had battled for three days and three nights.

This constantly reminded Li Fan that what had just transpired was no mere illusion.

"Though I gained something, it came at a price."

The only thing that offered Li Fan some solace was that his feeling of weakness was slowly fading at a perceptible rate.

"I just need to recuperate for a while, and I'll recover."

After seven days of resting with closed eyes, a reinvigorated Li Fan began testing his talent in the art of formations.

Under the enhancement of Infinite Spirituality, he could discern the reality and illusion of the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Formation at a glance and perform rapid deductions. In normal circumstances, his abilities wouldn't be so absurdly potent, yet he was still almost at the pinnacle of the mortal world.

There might still be some distance before he could use the art of formations as a path to transcendence. However, the ability to grasp one concept and understand a hundred, becoming proficient, was now effortless.

"Even if the Profound Origin Primordial Spirit is one of the most complex immortal formations in the mortal world, with my current talent in formations, I would only need a hundred years of deduction to fully comprehend it."

"However, that's only possible with my complete dedication of body and mind, just as those fleeting phantom lives experienced. In reality, I cannot maintain such complete focus, as there are many external matters, like the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm, that still demand my attention."

"The more focused I am, the higher the efficiency. The more distracted, the lower the efficiency. But regardless, a thousand years should be enough to fully analyze it."

After a thorough examination, Li Fan was quite satisfied with the improvement in his talent for the art of formations.

After all, before this, without the aid of the Disintegration Disc, his talent for formations was merely average. If quantified on a scale of 100, his previous score was only 9, barely enough to begin cultivation.

And now...

It had reached an almost extreme value of 99.

Any higher was already the theoretical limit. That single point difference was almost more challenging to bridge than the sum of all points from 1 to 99.

Even with the infusion of Infinite Spirituality, it hadn't helped Li Fan surmount this final hurdle.

"Those capable of taking this step are likely transcendent beings."

Li Fan inwardly sighed with regret. His attention then returned to the two Profound Origin Primordial Spirit Grand Formations.

The formations were true to their names.

The Profound Origin Primordial Spirit formations were deduced by the Three Sages as tools to facilitate the creation of Immortal Realms within Shangfang Mountain.

Both of these grand formations concerned the stabilization of the Immortal Realm after its creation.

Dingding, Stepping on Mountains and Suppressing Seas, solidified the Immortal Realm's foundation within Shangfang Mountain.

Lingxu, Myriad Dao Connecting to the Profound, conversely, diminished the mountains and seas' influence on beings within the Immortal Realm. This allowed even unnamed True Immortals within the Immortal Realm to have the opportunity to comprehend the Dao, without being intimidated by the might of the mountains and seas.

"They will be of great reference for me in constructing the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm," Li Fan nodded slightly.

"If all nine Profound Origin Primordial Spirit formations were complete, I could truly create an Immortal Realm from scratch, opening up heaven and earth and rebuilding it. Moreover, with my various methods, I might even be able to fulfill the former Emperor Tianluo's ambition: to forge a truly ascended Immortal Realm and escape the tribulation of Dao's demise."

"Although the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm has integrated the Great Dao of Longevity, due to its inherent flaws, it can only nurture unnamed True Immortals at most. It's insufficient to support the birth of transcendent powerful beings..."

He incorporated the two newly comprehended grand formations into the transformation of the Xuanhuang Immortal Realm. Subtle changes quietly occurred in the world once again.

"Just a small extraction of my Infinite Spirituality has brought about such tremendous changes..." Li Fan mused, his gaze drifting towards the other divine ability "ingredients" that had reappeared within the mental image of his alchemy furnace.

"All hundred paths complete, all hundred paths understood." Li Fan murmured, seeming to envision himself, with the aid of Infinite Spirituality, transforming into the foremost heavenly talent of the mountains and seas.

"The growth of talent is by no means useless, especially the simultaneous increase across all aspects and abilities. Like a rising tide lifting all boats, as the strength of my talents is perfected in every domain, I will undoubtedly more easily discern my true path. Perhaps even the transformation of true and false could be effortlessly replicated and performed."

After some deduction, Li Fan couldn't help but draw a conclusion.

This was not a baseless fantasy.

The cornerstone of the true-false transformation was, in fact, all existing Great Daos within the mountains, seas, and the mortal world.

And if one truly understood all Great Daos and knew all their principles, then mastering the True-False Dao would certainly be effortless.

However, for ordinary individuals, this method of improvement seemed to hold no practical significance.

This was because the difficulty of elevating all talents to their peak simultaneously far surpassed even the challenge of mastering the True-False Dao!

Only the Infinite Spirituality within Li Fan could support this seemingly impractical plan.

"Although there were some mishaps just now when using Spirituality to enhance my talent, it was because I was too hasty. If I proceed gradually, perhaps I can avoid various drawbacks."

As Li Fan pondered how to further develop his Infinite Spirituality, a familiar, long-absent fluctuation reappeared.

"Huanzhen?" Li Fan's heart instinctively lifted.

But moments later, he raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

In an instant, Li Fan had already grasped the meaning behind Huanzhen's inexplicable fluctuating message.

The reason Huanzhen had awoken from its injured dormancy was naturally Li Fan's recent use of Infinite Spirituality, which prompted its dissuasion.

The reason for its dissuasion, however, was not explicitly stated before it fell back into slumber.

Given Li Fan's character, if others were to criticize or interfere with his personal affairs, he would invariably choose to ignore them.

However, Huanzhen's opinion could not be taken lightly.

"Does Huanzhen wish to monopolize Infinite Spirituality, or does my method of using it to enhance talent actually harm me?" The question surged in Li Fan's mind.

Although he had stumbled upon a method to utilize his Infinite Spirituality by chance, Li Fan did not understand its true essence. He didn't even know what it fundamentally meant.

After careful consideration, Li Fan ultimately decided to temporarily heed Huanzhen's advice.

He ceased all actions involving the use of Spirituality to enhance talent.

However, this was only a temporary measure.

Once he had mastered this almost cheat-like enhancement method, it would be difficult to resist using it when confronted with his own shortcomings.

"Although Huanzhen has been my reliance throughout my journey," he mused.

"However, I cannot simply yield. The final decision must still be mine."

After experiencing the merging of the three paths, the extraction of spirituality, and other such events,

Li Fan, who would never fully trust others, finally began to waver in his trust for Huanzhen.