Chapter 208: Yin and Yang Duality

The Rise of Kyushu

Lady Yun had previously mentioned that the inheritance Lu Ye received might be incomplete.

Lu Ye wasn't sure if it was incomplete, but he knew for certain that the Talent Tree was indeed the inheritance of a Spirit Mark Master. However, unlike what others believed, he hadn't obtained it in the Spirit Stream Battlefield; he had possessed it since he arrived in this world.

Of course, there was no need to publicize this.

"What do you wish to learn from me?" Lady Yun asked.

"If possible, this disciple wishes to start from the very basics."

Lady Yun nodded. "A correct choice. Follow me."

Saying this, she walked away, with Lu Ye following behind her.

Soon, they arrived in front of a room. Lady Yun pushed the door open and entered.

Unlike the room where he had his spirit mark inscribed previously, this room was very large. All four walls had recesses filled with books of varying thickness. There were probably over a thousand books stored there in total; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a small library.

Not only that, visible spirit marks swam like fish on the walls, clearly indicating that a very profound formation array had been set up here.

Lady Yun casually beckoned, and a book about a finger's thickness flew into her hand. She handed it to Lu Ye, saying, "Read this book first."

Lu Ye respectfully accepted it, thinking to himself, "So I have to self-study first."

Lady Yun departed. Lu Ye looked around; there were no tables or chairs, so he took out a futon from his storage bag, laid it down, and sat cross-legged on it, looking down at the book in his hands.

The cover had no words. Opening the first page, a line of large characters appeared before his eyes.

*Fundamental Theory of Spirit Marks: An Exploration*

Beside it was a signature: Mu Xiaoyao.

It seemed this book, *Fundamental Theory of Spirit Marks: An Exploration*, was written by someone named Mu Xiaoyao.

Turning another page, Lu Ye focused his gaze.

"Chaos differentiates into Yin and Yang, which then transform into all things. All things in the world possess both Yin and Yang. The path of Spirit Marks is founded upon Yin and Yang, forming through endless combinations to derive infinite wonders..."

Time flowed as Lu Ye read word by word, quickly becoming immersed.

This *Fundamental Theory of Spirit Marks: An Exploration* didn't contain any particularly miraculous spirit marks. Instead, Mu Xiaoyao used a simple yet profound method to thoroughly explain the fundamentals of spirit marks, making it especially suitable for beginners like Lu Ye. An ordinary beginner might not grasp the essence of some of its concepts, but Lu Ye, despite being a beginner, had already mastered some spirit marks. This prior knowledge helped him understand the concepts explained in the book even more thoroughly.

Unconsciously, Lu Ye reached the last page. He sat still, holding the book in one hand and propping his chin with the other, lost in thought.

"Have you finished reading?" Lady Yun's voice suddenly rang beside his ear.

Lu Ye was startled and was about to stand up, but Lady Yun gestured for him to remain seated. She then sat down in front of Lu Ye.

"What are your thoughts?" Lady Yun asked.

"The path of Spirit Marks is vast and profound, exceeding this disciple's original imagination." This was the truth. Before reading the book, he knew spirit marks were complex and profound, but he hadn't realized the extent of their depth.

Lady Yun smiled. "That's why Spirit Mark Masters are so rare. To walk this path, it's not enough to merely have perseverance and determination; talent is also required, and a very high level of talent! Fortunately, you have already received the inheritance of a Spirit Mark Master, so talent won't be an issue for you."

"This disciple will redouble his efforts," Lu Ye said, then asked, "According to the book, the two main elements that form spirit marks are the Yin and Yang primals. All spirit marks can be broken down into varying numbers of Yin and Yang primals. Are there no exceptions?"

Lady Yun shook her head. "There are no exceptions. At least, I haven't seen any."

Lu Ye couldn't help but feel admiration. "The person who discovered these Yin and Yang primals is truly remarkable."

As recorded in *Fundamental Theory of Spirit Marks: An Exploration*, chaos gives birth to Yin and Yang, which then transform into all things. Therefore, all people and objects in this world belong to either Yin or Yang. Spirit marks, in turn, are the grand culmination of Yin and Yang convergence.

There are two basic elements for constructing spirit marks: the Yin primal and the Yang primal. The Yin primal is a very simple pattern, appearing like the character '己' (jǐ) laid flat. The Yang primal, though also this pattern, is a reverse of the Yin primal.

The Yin and Yang primals, through different arrangements and combinations, form various spirit marks with different properties. If there's an error in any part, the spirit mark cannot form, let alone function.

In Lu Ye's understanding, the process of constructing spirit marks using Yin and Yang primals was like using two different types of building blocks to construct houses of various shapes.

How to build these "houses" stably and make them functional is precisely what a Spirit Mark Master needs to do.

This was no simple matter. Each spirit mark contained at least several hundred primals, and the number of permutations and combinations these hundreds of primals could form was almost unimaginable.

This was also why Lu Ye said that the path of Spirit Marks was vast and profound.

At this moment, he recalled the spirit marks he had constructed and realized that each one was indeed formed by the arrangement and combination of Yin and Yang primals. Previously, he hadn't paid attention to this, only thinking that the internal structures of these spirit marks looked similar at first glance.

But now he understood that the internal structures of those spirit marks were vastly different. This was truly a case of a layman seeing the excitement while an expert saw the intricacies.

People who don't understand spirit marks are unable to discern the differences in their internal structures.

"The person who discovered the Yin and Yang primals is indeed remarkable," Lady Yun said, "but those Spirit Mark Masters who created different spirit marks are even more remarkable. Each practical spirit mark might be the result of one or several generations of relentless pursuit. Before creating these spirit marks, they might have failed millions, tens of millions, or even more times."

Lu Ye nodded in agreement. This number was not an exaggeration.

"However, it is precisely because of the efforts of our ancestral Spirit Mark Masters that we, their descendants, have so many spirit marks available today." Lady Yun looked at Lu Ye. "Truly outstanding Spirit Mark Masters are those who can innovate and create new things, rather than simply relying on what their predecessors left behind. If everyone were like that, the path of Spirit Marks would eventually decline. I hope that one day you will be able to make your own contribution to the path of Spirit Marks."

"This disciple will certainly strive to do so."

Lady Yun nodded. "You now have some understanding of the fundamentals of spirit marks. So, you can begin practicing now."

As she spoke, she slowly raised her right index finger. At its tip, a faint light shimmered. "What do you see?" she asked.

Lu Ye strained his vision to look, and after a good while, he hesitantly said, "A Yin primal?"

"And now?"

"A Yang primal?"

"Your eyesight is decent. Spirit Mark Masters must have excellent eyesight and also require extremely precise control over their spiritual power. Without this, it's impossible to become a Spirit Mark Master. Let me see what you can do; construct a Yin primal and a Yang primal just as I did."

"Yes!"

Lu Ye sat up straight, raised a finger, and activated his spiritual power to try and construct a Yin primal on his finger.

Lady Yun had made it look effortless, but only after trying it himself did he realize it wasn't so simple. Fortunately, he already had multiple experiences constructing spirit marks. Even if he had only a partial understanding of spirit marks before, experience was still valuable.

After spending the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a Yin primal constructed from spiritual power appeared on his finger.

Lu Ye frowned, because this Yin primal was too large. The one Lady Yun constructed was almost invisible, requiring intense focus to barely discern, but the Yin primal Lu Ye constructed was the size of a fingernail. Moreover, he couldn't maintain its stability; as his spiritual power surged, the Yin primal suddenly dispersed, lasting less than two breaths of time.

Such a large Yin primal could not be used to construct spirit marks. A single spirit mark contained several hundred primals; if hundreds of such large elements were combined and arranged, the resulting spirit mark would be enormous. Cultivators would find it difficult to withstand such consumption during combat, not to mention the instability.

Lady Yun smiled. "That's quite good. When I first practiced, it took me two days to reach your level. It seems that Spirit Mark Master inheritance is indeed very useful. Moreover, your spiritual power is pure enough, which makes control easier. This is your advantage. Try constructing a Yang primal now."

Lu Ye responded and attempted to construct a Yang primal.

Having had one experience, this time was considerably simpler, but it still didn't solve the drawbacks of being too large and unstable.

Lady Yun was extremely approving. "Your progress is very fast. Now that you've learned to construct Yin and Yang primals, all that's left is practice. Once you can easily switch between Yin and Yang primals, make them stable enough, and then shrink them to the size of a grain of rice, you can proceed to the next step."

Saying this, she extended her hand again, and over a dozen books flew from all directions. She handed these books of varying thickness to Lu Ye. "Take these back and read them. They all explain the fundamentals of spirit marks. Once you meet the requirements I mentioned earlier, come find me again."

Lu Ye stood up and respectfully said, "Yes, this disciple will certainly practice diligently upon returning."

A moment later, Lu Ye walked out of Lady Yun's residence and bowed again after turning back.

Amber, who had been waiting outside, scampered over. Lu Ye flipped onto the tiger's back and headed towards Shouzheng Peak.

Lady Yun was truly a good teacher with a gentle temperament. How could the Sect Master bear to let her live alone on Mingxin Peak? Even if she had made a mistake, an apology would suffice. *Hmm, the Sect Master's backbone is indeed straight.*

Returning to Shouzheng Peak, he greeted Senior Sister Shui Yuan and then entered the encampment.

The encampment was not as lively as he had imagined, mainly because the cultivation environment had suddenly become so favorable. Both newly inducted sect disciples and rogue cultivators were diligently cultivating.

As a cultivator, one's own strength is the foundation. Without this awareness, one cannot go far on the path of cultivation.

Lu Ye first found a junior disciple stationed in the Heavenly Mystery Hall and learned from him that the encampment had been peaceful lately. He then headed towards the cultivation rooms.

Currently, the cultivation rooms were overcrowded. Even though there were several hundred rooms, they weren't enough for everyone, and some people were still waiting in line outside. One could also cultivate outside, but without the augmentation of the Spirit Gathering Array inside the cultivation rooms, the efficiency would be lower.

However, this situation would gradually improve because everyone's cultivation resources were limited. Once the previously distributed monthly stipends were used up, the pressure on the cultivation rooms would ease.