Besides comprehending the Dao, the most challenging aspect of cultivating the [Great Dao Embodiment Technique] was maintaining the delicate balance between refinement and self-preservation.
Before the majestic Great Dao, the mortal body was less than an ant.
While its immense pressure could temper the body, it could also crush it to dust.
This was why Nangong Hongzhao repeatedly stressed caution and gradual progress.
In fact, without the experience and insights gained from cultivating the Great Dao Embodiment Technique from scratch, even the first step was incredibly difficult.
However…
Li Fan was no ordinary cultivator.
Though body refinement was a lost art in the Xuanhuang World, he had prior experience.
Initially, after obtaining the [Immortal Healer's Scripture] and studying various other texts, he had developed a method for tempering the body by utilizing the body's hidden potential, calling it the [Creation Crucible Technique].
This technique evolved alongside Li Fan's growing experience.
The integration of the Demonic Beast Crucible, the flesh and blood factory, and the [Record of Mending the Heavens] led to several iterations.
But limited by the Xuanhuang World, it couldn't reach its full potential.
Therefore, Li Fan eventually turned to conventional ascension methods.
And the ambitiously named Creation Crucible Technique stagnated.
"I received guidance from Master Bai while inhabiting the body of Little Black, the Heavenly Mandate Black Tortoise, within the Beast Taming Sect trial of the Fallen Immortal Realm."
"He taught me the perfected version of the Creation Crucible Technique."
"But due to the Fallen Immortal Realm's memory restrictions, I couldn't bring it back. And as my power grew, surpassing even Master Bai, whom I initially perceived as merely an Eternal Life cultivator, I lost interest in the technique. However, I now know Master Bai was influenced by Evil Su Bai from another possibility."
"Having obtained Evil Su Bai's memories, Master Bai, though perhaps still at the Eternal Life Realm, possesses a perspective far beyond anyone within the Primordial Possibility. Even the faint traces he left behind could outline the New New Method, proving his profound understanding. This means…"
"My initial awe upon seeing the perfected Creation Crucible Technique, that feeling of glimpsing the true secrets of the Dao, wasn't simply due to my limited understanding at the time. The technique truly is that profound."
"I must revisit the Fallen Immortal Realm and study it again for reference."
Five years passed in the Shuo Star Sea.
Only ten days had passed in the Xuanhuang World.
Li Fan's true body was still searching for a way to avoid eye contact with the Nameless True Immortals reflected in his Thoughts Manifest Divinity.
Sensing his divine sense projection's experiences, his eyes lit up.
The Creation Crucible Technique was a distant memory. He hadn't expected to revisit it after reaching the Half-Immortal Realm.
"This proves my decision to abandon it and not stubbornly pursue it was correct. The more valuable something is within the Fallen Immortal Realm, the more difficult it is to bring back. If the Creation Crucible Technique is truly as profound as I believe, retrieving it now wouldn't be easy."
"I wonder if my Thoughts Manifest Divinity can bypass the Fallen Immortal Realm's memory restrictions?"
One's perspective changed based on their circumstances.
Li Fan wanted to study the perfected Creation Crucible Technique again.
But knowing the extraordinary nature of Master Bai and the Fallen Immortal Realm's master, he needed to prepare.
For a long time, he had avoided entering the Fallen Immortal Realm, even delegating the inheritance trials of the Great Celestial Venerable of Xuanhuang.
This was due to his possession of True Return and the immortals seemingly waiting for him within.
However, after comprehending Thoughts Manifest Divinity, the situation changed.
"Initially, I entered the Fallen Immortal Realm out of ignorance and recklessness. Now, I have the power to protect myself."
He focused his mind, withdrawing it into his miniature Dao Net.
Then, the Dao Net pulsed with light, a new thread of divine sense emerging.
However, this divine sense was entirely fabricated, a disguise created by the Dao Transformation Stone.
Though fabricated, it was based on a near-perfect simulation, indistinguishable from reality except for the fact that such a person didn't exist.
A mask upon a mask.
This was Li Fan's current method for reducing the risk of detection by the True Immortals within the Great Dao.
As expected, the moment this disguised divine sense appeared, the scrutiny from the Nameless True Immortal projections within his miniature Dao Net significantly decreased.
The oppressive sense of danger receded. Li Fan, hidden in the shadows, felt a moment of relief.
Of course, this was only a temporary solution.
The disguise might work for now, but as his Thoughts Manifest Divinity grew, it would inevitably attract attention again.
If his miniature Dao Net ever surpassed the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net in scale, stepping out of the shadows, he would become a target for all remaining Nameless True Immortals.
Given his cautious nature, Li Fan wouldn't take that step without absolute certainty.
But that was a future concern. For now, concealed behind his disguised divine sense, he entered the Fallen Immortal Realm.
As expected, his fabricated identity, lacking the [Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra], didn't experience the [Ningyuan Life Fruit] scenario.
Li Fan immediately ended his life, exiting the Fallen Immortal Realm.
He then modified his disguised identity, adding the experience of "Comprehending the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra within the Body Purifying Spiritual Pool," an event from his own life.
To the Fallen Immortal Realm, this disguised divine sense was now a completely different person.
Unburdened by the time restriction, he re-entered the Fallen Immortal Realm, experiencing the Ningyuan Life Fruit scenario.
With his experience, he quickly completed it.
Still having time, he entered the Beast Taming Sect trial.
Using the same method, he waited for Master Bai. The Heavenly Mandate Black Tortoise ascended, appearing before him.
The scene replayed itself.
Master Bai observed him, shaking his head slightly. "Why are you practicing such flawed techniques?"
Then, he imparted the true [Creation Crucible Technique].
Time seemed to freeze. Though already a Half-Immortal, Li Fan was captivated by the technique's profound mysteries.
"My initial assessment was correct. Even a mortal without any cultivation talent could use this technique to ascend to the Immortal Realm!"
"If there were no restrictions and the Immortal Realm still existed."
"But now…"
Li Fan wasn't the same person he was back then.
Though still awestruck, he could now offer his own critique.
Meanwhile, outside the Fallen Immortal Realm, his true body's divine sense, hidden behind the miniature Dao Net, attempted to observe the true Creation Crucible Technique through its reflection.
The Fallen Immortal Realm was truly a remarkable creation.
Existing in the gap between reality and illusion, even though Li Fan could bypass the distance of countless walls and Star Seas with his miniature Dao Net, his perception of the events within the Fallen Immortal Realm was distorted, like looking through a warped mirror.
Even some parts were completely obscured.
But he had truly bridged the gap, observing the illusory realm from reality.
"Without my [Thoughts Manifest Divinity], I would need power surpassing the Fallen Immortal Realm's creator to bypass these limitations."
"To reflect the Xuanhuang World in a single thought, and to witness its endless evolution…"
"I'm not capable of that yet."
He suspected the True Immortal who created the Fallen Immortal Realm must have possessed a treasure like the [Dao Transformation Stone Mother].
Within the Fallen Immortal Realm, Li Fan's disguised divine sense practiced the perfected Creation Crucible Technique.
In reality, he used these insights to correct and restore the distorted reflections, then began practicing the technique himself, using the feedback from his own body to further refine his understanding.
Thoughts Manifest Divinity, utilizing the omnipresent power of the Dao, projected the illusory contents of the Fallen Immortal Realm onto reality.
Through persistent effort, Li Fan finally reconstructed the [Creation Crucible Technique]!
However, he didn't withdraw his divine sense projection from the Fallen Immortal Realm.
He remembered Master Bai appearing in the subsequent Heavenly Sword Sect Sword Refining trial. He might glean more information from him.
Moreover, given the close relationship between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Shuo Star Sea's Sword Domain, further investigation was warranted.
He synchronized the refined Creation Crucible Technique with his "Ma Tiande" identity in the Shuo Star Sea.
Since that divine sense projection was isolated and the Shuo Star Sea potentially contained numerous Nameless True Immortals, Li Fan imposed some restrictions.
The projection couldn't access all of his true body's experiences.
And it wouldn't actively probe the Xuanhuang World through the miniature Dao Net.
This was to ensure he had enough time to activate True Return if his cover was blown.
Though time flowed one hundred and twenty times faster in the Shuo Star Sea than in the Xuanhuang World, the Fallen Immortal Realm had its own unique time flow.
By the time Li Fan finished refining the Creation Crucible Technique, only half a day had passed.
In the Shuo Star Sea, it was less than a month.
Their vacation wasn't over yet.
Even without the Creation Crucible Technique as a reference, Li Fan had grasped the basics of the Great Dao Embodiment Technique.
Within his divine sense, the Dao Net strings, thin as a cicada's wings, glowed with a soft, white light, illuminating his body.
He sat at the center of the Dao Net, enduring immense pressure.
If one looked closely, they would see his flesh and blood constantly being crushed and reformed by the Dao Net.
But almost instantly, they were regenerated by the combined power of the Transformations of Truth and Falsehood and the Dao Net's creative properties.
"Without my extensive experience, I couldn't maintain this body's life force."
"I've only just begun cultivating this body refinement technique, and it's already comparable to carrying the weight of an entire cultivation world, though less than carrying a Celestial Realm fragment."
"Ordinary cultivators would be crushed instantly!"
Li Fan knew his "beginner" level was far from ordinary.
But with the foundation of countless reincarnations, he didn't need to start from scratch.
"The normal cultivation method is gradual. Even with the aid of various treasures, it's still a slow process. My method is too crude and brutal for others to replicate."
Having grasped the basics of the Great Dao Embodiment Technique, his body was renewed.
He finally understood why body refinement was so important in the Shuo Star Sea.
Compared to his previous frail body, this refined body could access twice the Dao Net's power with the same number of commands.
"The Dao Net considers the operator's limits."
"A stronger body can withstand more."
Like a weapon wielded more effectively by a stronger individual.
"And this feeling…"
Li Fan stretched his stiff body, temporarily deactivating the miniature Dao Net's projection.
He paced back and forth, seemingly walking within his courtyard, but in reality, traversing the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net.
"It's familiar."
He closed his eyes again, focusing his senses.
After a few moments, he understood.
The Great Dao's pressure, constantly crushing and reforming his flesh and blood, had imprinted itself upon his body.
His miniature Dao Net and the Shuo Star Sea's Dao Net were both projections of the Dao, sharing the same origin.
Therefore, the familiarity cultivated through the Great Dao Embodiment Technique naturally extended to the [Dao Net].
"This is a Sacred Body forged through cultivation."
"If refined to its limit…" Li Fan's expression suddenly shifted.
"Thoughts Manifest Divinity is a projection of the Dao Net."
"And my physical body is a mold shaped by the Dao Net's constant refinement."
"The theoretical limit is a body that replicates all Daos of heaven and earth."
(End of Chapter)