Chapter 949: Mustard Seed Space

"Refining spatial rifts into pocket dimensions? This heaven-defying secret technique..." Han Li's face showed faint shock as he spoke with a hint of disbelief.

Anything involving spatial secret techniques is earth-shattering and profoundly significant. The most common magic item in the cultivation world, the storage bag, is itself a common application of spatial secret techniques. However, no matter how high-grade a storage bag may be, its capacity is limited, making it far from a true pocket dimension.

Many cultivators even believed that higher-tier spatial secret techniques were impossible to manifest in the human realm, considering them divine abilities exclusive to cultivators from the upper realms. This belief was almost an unspoken truth in Tiannan.

But now, hearing Elder Wang's words that the Great Jin had already developed secret techniques for refining spatial rifts over a thousand years ago, Han Li was utterly astonished.

"Brother Han, there's no need to be so surprised," the elderly man surnamed Fu suddenly said with a smile. "This so-called 'pocket dimension' isn't as profound as you imagine; its creation was merely a fortunate coincidence."

"Brother Fu is correct. For most, a pocket dimension is essentially a cumbersome existence," Elder Wang added with a wry smile. "It's not only incredibly difficult to refine but also comes with numerous usage restrictions, making widespread application impossible. In fact, there are only about a dozen such pocket dimensions throughout the entire Great Jin, and the one here in our Pavilion was the first to appear."

"The earliest? Could it be..." Han Li's eyebrows twitched, a hint of surprise and doubt appearing on his face.

"Indeed. This secret technique was actually discovered by accident by several of our Pavilion's artifact refining masters. Only two artifact refining masters in the world, both from our Pavilion, possess the ability to create these pocket dimensions. In a sense, both the Heavenly Secret House and Heavenly Secret Mansion are also secret techniques developed independently, based on this very pocket dimension refining method," Elder Wang explained, holding nothing back.

"Heh heh, I see," Han Li said, regaining his composure and smiling. "I truly wish to witness the marvels of this pocket dimension firsthand."

"Brother Wang, please escort Fellow Daoist Han. I've already visited that pocket dimension and will not go again. I still need to process this Red Spirit Ganoderma. I shall take my leave of both of you now," the elderly man surnamed Fu said solemnly, clasping his hands.

"Since Brother Fu has other important matters, I won't detain you further. Until another day, Brother Fu," Elder Wang replied, cupping his hands in a respectful salute.

Meanwhile, the elderly man's low instructions reached Han Li's ears, urging him not to miss the final day of the underground trade fair. Han Li subtly nodded in acknowledgment.

Without further hesitation, the elderly man exited the hall and descended the stairs.

"Brother Han, let's go," Elder Wang said, turning to Han Li with a smile. "The pocket dimension is right behind the pavilion; we'll be there in a flash." With a casual flick of his sleeve over the table, the larger jade box vanished instantly.

Han Li, of course, did not refuse. He immediately followed Elder Wang through a heavily guarded restriction to a small open space behind the pavilion. In the center of this clearing, Han Li saw a peculiar teleportation array, unlike any he had encountered before.

It was noticeably more complex and considerably larger than an ordinary teleportation array.

Han Li frowned slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression.

"To reach the pocket dimension, this is the only teleportation array that can take you there," Elder Wang explained, seemingly noticing Han Li's confusion.

"A teleportation array? So, is this refined spatial rift fixed in a specific location?" Han Li's lips twitched, surprised internally. However, as this clearly involved secret refining techniques, he found it inappropriate to ask directly. He hesitated briefly before following Elder Wang into the teleportation array after the latter had already entered.

It was then that he noticed the seven or eight spirit stones surrounding the teleportation array were all mid-grade. Merely entering the pocket dimension would cost seven to eight hundred low-grade spirit stones. If he also needed to teleport back, a round trip would cost over a thousand spirit stones—an expense truly beyond the means of most ordinary cultivators.

As Han Li pondered, the spirit stones surrounding the teleportation array abruptly flared with white light, and the two cultivators vanished within the array.

After a moment of disorienting dizziness, Han Li and Elder Wang found themselves on a slope covered in rubble, with a teleportation array beneath their feet that was identical to the one they had just used.

Han Li composed himself and looked around.

His gaze swept across a space stretching over a thousand zhang, filled with white stones on the ground. Scattered across it were numerous stone pits of various sizes, some over ten zhang wide, others merely a zhang, all distributed in a chaotic manner.

Han Li took a deep breath, a slight murmur forming in his mind. This space contained not a single blade of green, nor could he detect any spiritual energy. Even the sky looked gray, clearly indicating a desolate, lifeless land.

"Brother Han, you must have realized that this space is essentially a barren spatial rift," Elder Wang said with a smile, stepping out of the array. "Spatial rifts that naturally contain spirit veins are extremely rare, perhaps one in ten thousand. To even imagine one as rich in spiritual energy as the fabled Spirit Miasma Garden, a holy land surpassing the human realm, is a pipedream. Since the Great Jin cultivation world began discovering spatial rifts, only three or four have been found with even a slight trace of spiritual energy or a spirit vein, and even those are far less potent than the spiritual energy found in the human realm. Nevertheless, the sects that discovered these rifts have all sought our Pavilion's help in refining them into pocket dimensions."

"So, apart from saving some space and allowing free entry and exit, this pocket dimension seems to have no particularly special use," Han Li mused, stroking his chin with a peculiar expression. "No wonder I've been here so long and never heard anyone mention pocket dimensions."

"One shouldn't phrase it that way," Elder Wang quickly interjected, a hint of awkwardness in his tone. "If certain sects wish to store large, clandestine items, accumulate vast quantities of materials, or even establish a hidden chamber for evading enemies, these pocket dimensions remain the optimal choice. Even for our Heavenly Secret Pavilion, using one as a testing ground for artifacts and treasures is quite effective. The scarcity of pocket dimensions primarily stems from the difficulty in locating suitable spatial rifts. There are already very few spatial rifts with known precise locations in the world, and even fewer still that are both suitable and secretly known only to a handful of sects. Moreover, the material cost for refining such a pocket dimension is astronomically high. These numerous factors collectively contribute to the extreme rarity of pocket dimensions."

"Even so," Han Li sighed, a hint of regret in his voice, "your Pavilion's pocket dimensions are a far cry from what I originally imagined: something that could be freely manipulated or even carried on one's person. The fact that entry and exit still require a teleportation array means it can hardly be called a true 'Sumeru and Mustard Seed' concept."

"Heh heh," Elder Wang said, dismissing the notion, "the ability to carry such a vast space on one's person is likely exclusive to mighty cultivators who have ascended to the Spirit Realm or true immortals from the Immortal Realm. In our human realm, such a heaven-defying ability is absolutely impossible. Merely being able to utilize vast quantities of rare materials to stabilize and fix an existing spatial rift is already an extraordinary breakthrough."

"Stabilize space? Can even spatial rifts on the verge of collapse be reinforced?" Han Li's heart pounded, his eyes flickering rapidly.

"Naturally, yes. As long as a spatial rift hasn't truly collapsed, we can use materials to re-stabilize it. Why, does Fellow Daoist Han know of such a rift?" the silver-robed cultivator asked, his expression shifting with surprise.

"Heh heh, I did discover such a rift somewhere overseas," Han Li replied with a vague smile. "As for whether it's collapsing, I haven't had the ability to enter, so I don't know for certain. I merely felt the entrance was a bit unstable."

The silver-robed cultivator naturally perceived Han Li's reluctance to discuss the matter further and, being tactful, did not press him. Instead, he flipped his hand, and the jade box containing the Heavenly Secret Mansion appeared in his palm.

"I will now release this Heavenly Secret Mansion," Elder Wang said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist can then enter and inspect its internal arrangements to see if they meet your satisfaction. If you find it acceptable, we can proceed to discuss the transaction for this item."

"Very well, Fellow Daoist Wang, please proceed with your spell," Han Li replied with a nod.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, the silver-robed cultivator no longer hesitated. He reached out, opened the jade box, and revealed a patch of milky-white spiritual light within, faintly outlining an object.

Before Han Li could clearly discern the object within the box, Elder Wang began chanting. He gently shook the jade box, and a ball of white light shot forth, rapidly expanding against the wind. After a single swirl, it transformed into a large expanse of white mist, several *mu* in size, subtly revealing buildings, pavilions, and other structures seemingly carved from white jade.

Elder Wang formed hand seals with both hands, then pointed a finger at the air with a low cry. Following a deep hum from the white mist, it suddenly descended to the ground.

With a thunderous roar, and amidst myriad spiritual lights, a complete immortal cave, crafted entirely from exquisite jade, manifested on the open ground below the slope.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, carefully scrutinizing it with his hands clasped behind his back.

This exquisitely crafted immortal cave was noticeably smaller than ordinary ones. Yet, it was fully equipped with pavilions and courtyards, and its surface was enveloped by a layer of white light, giving it an ethereal and dreamlike appearance, much like a celestial villa.

After gazing for a moment, Han Li's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of green light that shot forward.

Witnessing this, Elder Wang quickly flipped his palm, revealing a white jade token. He gently waved the token towards the immortal cave below a few times, causing the light barrier outside the cave to instantly disappear and dissipate. The streak of green light that was Han Li shot unimpeded through the cave's main entrance, and his figure vanished from view.