Volume 5 Chapter 4

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Volume 5 Chapter 4: The Incarnation

Bright sunlight streamed down from the noon sky, casting dappled patterns through the leaves of the secluded forest. The interplay of light and shadow made those sheltered under the trees feel a bit more drowsy.

Xu Qingfan sat cross-legged in this quiet forest, closed his eyes, and gradually adjusted his state to the best possible condition.

This time, Xu Qingfan did not seclude himself in the wooden cabin within his cave dwelling as he had done before. To cultivate the mystic art of "Incarnation Beyond the Self," he needed ample space due to the large-scale formations required. So, he left the cave and chose a secluded, open area on the back mountain, set up formations for concealment and defense, and then began cultivating his second mystical art according to plan.

After a long while, Xu Qingfan slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of anticipation flickering within them.

Xu Qingfan stood up and took out a large number of high-level five-element spirit stones from his sleeve, burying them one by one in the ground to set up the most basic "Spirit Gathering Formation" in the cultivation world. However, unlike the usual formations, Xu Qingfan’s "Spirit Gathering Formation" was composed of over a hundred small formations to create a grand one, making it many times more powerful than ordinary ones.

Due to its complexity and scale, Xu Qingfan had to invest a great deal of time and energy, and it took him three whole days to complete it. After examining the formation, another entire day passed.

The complexity of this composite "Spirit Gathering Formation" was exceptional.

Then Xu Qingfan meditated again, taking half a day to restore the mental energy expended on constructing the formation. This cultivation of the "Incarnation Beyond the Self" art was extremely challenging and any mistake could lead to failure, requiring Xu Qingfan to be exceptionally cautious.

After everything was completed, the practice of "Body Beyond the Body" finally began.

Just as Xu Qingfan had predicted, after repeated refinement and fusion, the original five pieces of "Yellow Jade" were reduced to two pieces of the same size. The color changed from light yellow to deep yellow, with a hint of transparency, resembling glass.

But Xu Qingfan knew that the changes in the "Yellow Jade" after refinement and fusion were far more significant. He had tested that the two pieces of "Yellow Jade" could withstand "Withered Qi" and "Flourish Qi" three times more strongly than before.

Xu Qingfan took out one piece of "Yellow Jade," sat cross-legged, and slowly began to channel "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" into it, until all the "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" in his body were transferred.

As the two energies were channeled in, the color of the "Yellow Jade" gradually changed. The deep yellow turned golden under the transformation of "Flourish Qi," yet under "Withered Qi," the golden color was intertwined with dark golden lines, forming a strange pattern that no one could understand.

Xu Qingfan didn’t focus on these changes but immersed himself entirely in the shifts of energy within the "Yellow Jade," carefully observing how "Withered Qi" and "Flourish Qi" transitioned from fierce battles to harmony, from harmony to blending, and then to separation again in an endless cycle. With these energy changes, the glow on the surface of the "Yellow Jade" fluctuated, reflecting uncertainly on Xu Qingfan’s face.

In a trance, as Xu Qingfan observed for a long time, he experienced a feeling as if witnessing the birthing of a life.

Finally, as time passed and the sun and moon alternated outside the formation, the two energies within the "Yellow Jade" gradually began to stabilize.

"Just at this moment!"

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan’s eyes flew open wide, and he spat a mouthful of vital blood onto the "Yellow Jade" in his hand, which quickly absorbed it. At the same time, Xu Qingfan divided a part of his Divine Sense Original Soul, gradually merging it into the "Yellow Jade" while the "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" inside were still unstable.

As the "Yellow Jade" fully absorbed the vital blood and merged with Xu Qingfan’s split Divine Sense Original Soul, the "Flourish Qi" and "Withered Qi" inside finally stabilized.

Holding the "Yellow Jade," which now contained all his "Withered Qi," "Flourish Qi," much vital blood, and a part of his Original Soul, Xu Qingfan felt a deep sense of connection, as if the "Yellow Jade" were a part of his own bloodline.

Yet, without dwelling on this feeling, and without taking time to observe the changes in the "Yellow Jade," Xu Qingfan placed it into the complex "Spirit Gathering Formation." Using his remaining strength, he activated the formation. Patterns of five-colored light gradually illuminated the clearing in the dark forest. Soon, the Spirit Qi began to converge towards the "Yellow Jade" at the center.

As the energy grew denser, the "Yellow Jade" began to slowly float into the air, surrounded by a mist of multicolored light.

With time, the Spirit Qi around the "Yellow Jade" became increasingly dense, almost taking on a tangible form. The Spirit Qi seemed to center around the "Yellow Jade," vaguely forming a human shape.

Suddenly, an immense power emanated from the formation’s center, even stronger than Xu Qingfan at his peak. The pressure forced Xu Qingfan back three steps despite his exhausted Spirit Qi.

Still, Xu Qingfan’s face was filled with joy as he observed the human-like light figure at the center of the formation closely.

Finally, after an unknown period, the dazzling light surrounding the five-colored figure dispersed, revealing a person standing quietly at the center of the formation.

As soon as this shadowy figure appeared, Xu Qingfan immediately felt a deep connection, as if this figure were a part of his own body.

Xu Qingfan felt a slight stirring in his heart and tried issuing a command. This made the figure blur for a moment and then suddenly appeared right in front of Xu Qingfan, moving even faster than Xu Qingfan, who had mastered wind magic.

But when Xu Qingfan looked at the figure so close to him, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

It wasn’t just anything else; it was because this "external embodiment" looked remarkably like Xu Qingfan. Perhaps due to merging with Xu Qingfan’s essence and Original Soul, this embodiment had the same eyes, nose, mouth, ears, facial shape, body, and clothes as Xu Qingfan, like twins.

The only way to tell them apart was the dark red flame pattern under Xu Qingfan’s left eye and the faint scar on his right cheek, which weren’t copied onto this embodiment. Furthermore, this figure’s eyes were expressionless and lacked any spark, or even Xu Qingfan might not have been able to tell them apart.

After observing for a while, Xu Qingfan commanded the embodiment to move and attack again and again, then nodded in satisfaction.

This embodiment, much like the "Golden Armored Soldier God," was entirely composed of energy, hovering between the real and unreal. Its speed was incredibly fast, and its defense strong. Although it couldn’t use various magic, it could transform energy into all sorts of weapons to attack, sharp beyond compare. In terms of fighting power, it was even a notch above Xu Qingfan.

"From now on, I will call you Xu Zhiyuan."

Xu Qingfan murmured, not caring whether "Xu Zhiyuan" understood or not, as he saw this silent embodiment and thought of the phrase "tranquility brings clarity."

Then Xu Qingfan closed his eyes and began to meditate, working to restore the Spirit Qi that had been depleted inside him. Just creating one "external incarnation" nearly emptied his Spirit Qi, yet he still needed to create a second one.

…

No one knew how much time had passed, nor how many times the sun and moon had traded places, but now Xu Qingfan was sitting quietly in a corner of the silent forest, alongside Little Black perched on his shoulder, watching the battle between two figures before them.

Among the two figures, one moved at incredible speed, covering a great distance in an instant, never pausing for a moment. It continually circled the other figure while constantly changing weapons, launching attacks from afar. It thrust a long spear, wielded a large blade, or retreated to launch hidden weapons. The attacks were relentless, with each weapon imbued with a different elemental property—fierce fire, icy chill, dazzling brilliance, or immense weight—exhibiting over ten different elements.

This figure was none other than the first "external incarnation" that Xu Qingfan had created—Xu Zhiyuan!

The other figure, in contrast, was incredibly clumsy, particularly slower than Xu Zhiyuan. It was continually struck by Xu Zhiyuan but seemed unaffected, even if its limbs were chopped off, they quickly regenerated. Surrounding this figure was a kind of barrier, which slowed Xu Zhiyuan considerably when he approached. Despite the figure’s sluggish attack speed, Xu Zhiyuan was extremely cautious, retreating immediately when an attack was imminent.

This figure was the second "external incarnation" that Xu Qingfan had crafted. Unlike Xu Zhiyuan, during its creation Xu Qingfan ingeniously thought of the "Golden Armored Soldier God," primarily using Golden Spirit Qi. Thus, he made modifications. Though initially similar to "Yellow Jade" and Xu Zhiyuan, he only allowed the dense earth and wood Spirit Qi from Jiuhua’s hillside to infuse this "external incarnation" after placing it into the "Spirit Gathering Formation."

As a result, this "external incarnation" had a fundamental difference from Xu Zhiyuan, losing the ghostly speed and diverse attack techniques but gaining immense defensive strength and regenerative power, with great force and increased gravity in the surrounding area. Xu Qingfan designed it to protect himself.

Because Xu Qingfan planned for the second "external incarnation" to always protect him, he named it "Xu Ying."

Xu Ying and Xu Zhiyuan looked exactly like Xu Qingfan in appearance, except their vibes were slightly different. Xu Ying appeared more solid, while Xu Zhiyuan had an air of mystery and elegance.

After a long while, Xu Qingfan nodded with satisfaction, instructing them to stop fighting. The abilities of these two "external incarnations" pleased him.

"It wasn’t in vain, using up all my spirit stones."

Xu Qingfan thought to himself. The five thousand spirit stones Xu Qingfan had collected were all used to set up formations, and after Xu Ying successfully refined them earlier, they shattered completely, with their energy depleted.

Xu Qingfan smiled contentedly, dismantled the formation outside the dense forest, and walked out.

But when Xu Qingfan saw the scene outside the forest, he couldn’t help but pause in surprise.