Chapter Seventy-Six: Forming the Sea of Divine Consciousness

Boom... An endless white swiftly flooded Jiang Yan's spiritual perception.

Wherever the whiteness spread, pain vanished; the searing, piercing heat at his brow disappeared, replaced only by a gentle warmth that slowly flowed through his spiritual channel, nourishing the shattered pathways wounded by the explosion of the spiritual arrow.

Hoo... Jiang Yan let out a long breath. At last, he had opened his spiritual channel, finally stepping onto the path toward becoming a Rune Master.

"East wood, west metal, return to origin..."

Having cleared his spiritual channel, Jiang Yan dared not be careless. He promptly performed the spiritual control technique recorded in the Refining Spirit Chapter, commanding the essence surging from within—spiritual liquid.

According to the Refining Spirit Chapter, after the first opening of the spiritual channel, a small amount of spiritual liquid would quickly well up inside, crucial for nurturing the spirit. Spiritual liquid is the primary substance within the spiritual sea once a Rune Master opens it, and this initial drop is the source for all future spiritual liquid in the sea.

As this was only the first opening, the spiritual liquid was scant. Jiang Yan hurriedly formed seals with his fingers, controlling his spirit to erect barriers, halting the precious spiritual liquid from flowing out and being wasted.

"Heaven and earth boundless, wood becomes water, condense."

With the spiritual technique, Jiang Yan layered barrier upon barrier within his spiritual channel, finally restraining the flow of spiritual liquid. Taking advantage of the brief respite, he quickly cast another spell.

"Five elements united, spirit and soul as one, condense."

As the incantation fell, his brow underwent a transformation; green strands of wood intent gathered at his brow, and under Jiang Yan's deliberate control, the spirit that had blocked the spiritual liquid gradually withdrew, merging with the green wood intent at his brow.

The cultivator's innate spiritual power, together with the spirit, forms the origin at the forehead where the spiritual liquid condenses. Once the spiritual liquid repairs the channel and reaches this origin, it is drawn in by the cultivator's elemental attribute, seeping into the core. When enough spiritual liquid accumulates, the spiritual sea—the source of a Rune Master's spirit—is fully formed.

Gradually, more spirit withdrew from the channel, and the barriers within faded, allowing spiritual liquid to flow toward the origin where wood intent and spirit converged, inching closer to the vibrant wood at Jiang Yan's brow...

Buzz...

As the spiritual liquid reached the exit of the channel at Jiang Yan's brow, it was drawn in by the origin power, instantly merging with the wood intent and spirit, bursting forth in dazzling emerald light. The spiritual liquid near the edge was swept away.

The buzzing faded, the green radiance slowly dissipated, revealing Jiang Yan's brow...

A wood character, about half the size of a thumbprint, appeared as the green glow faded, gently manifesting at the center of his brow.

...

Each Rune Master's spiritual sea is unique, just as a cultivator's spiritual power is divided into five elements. The power of a Rune Master's spirit also follows the five elements, and the spiritual sea they open is distinct. For Jiang Yan, his spiritual sea was embodied in the vibrant wood character now formed upon his forehead.

The location of the spiritual sea is closely tied to a Rune Master's cultivation. For most, it may form at the crown, beneath the brow, or at the center of the forehead. Yet, they share a trait: the more symmetrically the sea is positioned between the cheeks, the greater their future potential. Jiang Yan's spiritual sea had condensed at the very core.

Touching the spiritual sea just above his brow, Jiang Yan felt a surge of pride. From now on, with this wood character displayed, he wouldn't need to raise a hand—his adversaries would instantly recognize him as a Rune Master. In time...

"The spiritual sea is formed," Jiang Yan cried out in excitement within. He hadn't expected to so swiftly take the first step—condensing his spiritual sea.

With the sea formed, the pain at his forehead vanished, and the fatigue seemed to dissipate along with the emergence of the wood character. Having opened his spiritual channel, Jiang Yan sprang up and quickly settled cross-legged upon the emerald marble.

The first spiritual channel was cleared, the spiritual sea condensed—Jiang Yan had finally taken the initial step to becoming a Rune Master apprentice.

Seated cross-legged atop the emerald marble, the spirit wrapped within the wood character at his brow gently poured forth, probing into the marble beneath him as he sought to seize control of the Rune Array Arena.

The Rune Array Arena is where Rune Masters cultivate and craft jade charms. Previously, Jiang Yan had relied on his innate spiritual power to claim initial control—merely the most basic authority. To fully command the arena and unlock its full potential, he needed to use his spirit to seize control.

...

The heart of the Rune Array Arena is the platform where Jiang Yan sat. Above, the emerald dome flickered with lights from small chambers, and the rune testing ground was veiled in a white haze—all governed by the marble beneath him. To command the arena, he had to master the marble's core.

His spirit, now possessing some corporeality, emerged from his spiritual sea, pierced the marble's surface, and entered its depths.

As his spirit entered, Jiang Yan's perception was engulfed by a boundless emerald mist, seemingly endless, wrapping him layer upon layer...

Jiang Yan steadied himself, unhurriedly invoking his authority as the arena's master, guiding the emerald within the marble to carve out a path for his spirit.

The mist rolled and parted, and a channel appeared before his spirit, at the end of which lay a radiant white exit.

With a thought, Jiang Yan's spirit swiftly reached the end. As he traversed the emerald passage, he distinctly sensed several powerful prohibitions emanating an icy chill, brushing past his spirit—then retracting. By his estimation, any one of these restrictions could have shredded his spirit to pieces. He quietly gave thanks that he already held the arena's control.

Buzz... Jiang Yan's spirit had just exited the newly opened channel when his senses were flooded with brilliant white light.

At the end of the emerald passage was a boundless, circular space, open above and bottomless below. At the center, a white disk emitted a gentle glow, slowly rotating.

Jiang Yan's spirit flickered, and within the transparent space, countless restrictions swept over him—far stronger than those felt in the outer passage. If the prohibitions outside could have torn his spirit apart, here, any one brushing past him could reduce his spirit to dust.

His gaze fixed on the white disk. To control the Rune Array Arena, he had to invade it, fully transform it into wood attribute, making it resonate with his spirit and thus gain the marble's true authority—the source of all power within the arena.

Thank you to Little Grass hyc for the reward, Hong Yan bows in gratitude; Lord Jun for the tip, Hong Yan strives to maintain quality updates in return. As for quantity—I'm afraid that's difficult. I have to work overtime today, so only one chapter tonight. Please forgive me, everyone.