Chapter 165: Illusory Dream Opportunity

At the edge of Xu Yang's dimming vision, the old woman's voice slowly drifted in, and her silhouette gradually became clear. This transformation from nothingness to presence happened in an instant, so quickly that even someone as powerful as Xu Yang couldn't sense her presence beforehand.

The old woman had her silver hair coiled up and wore a brown cloth robe. A broom in her hand incessantly swept, making rustling sounds. Every sound she made was remarkably clear, indicating she was definitely no ordinary person.

Xu Yang took a deep look at her, yet couldn't discern her true power or origins.

"Senior," Bai Lianxue respectfully asked, having clearly sensed the old woman's extraordinary nature, "are you the guardian of this Library Pavilion? Are you here to test us?"

"Only two kinds of people can enter this Library Pavilion," the old woman replied. "Those with persistent obsessions, and those seeking answers to unresolved questions. I have no intention of testing you, but since you've come this far, you should gain something."

The old woman approached Xu Yang and the others, her gaze sweeping over each of them before finally resting on Xu Yang.

"Qi Refinement realm?" she said. "Young man, I believe I understand what you seek. There are countless books here; you will surely find an answer in one of them."

*Whoosh!* Xu Yang felt a clear aura brush past his face, and in an instant, the scene before him completely changed.

"Embodying Heaven and Earth, creating Yin and Yang, endless cycles of birth and death, myriad paths of reincarnation!"

These profound sixteen characters instinctively appeared in his mind, seeming to be a unique guide for Xu Yang.

He was stuck at the peak of the Qi Refinement realm, having never been able to perfectly complete the final layer. Compared to the Dragon's Hoard, this was the question Xu Yang most yearned to resolve.

Standing in the center of a gigantic Tai Chi diagram, Xu Yang seemed to witness every fragment of the entire world. Origin energies of various attributes floated in mid-air, waiting for him to absorb them one by one.

"I understand!" he realized. "The previous 9,999 layers of my foundation were all various heaven and earth origins absorbed into my body. The reason I couldn't reach perfection was because I had no more desires. This final step is to return all my accumulated foundation to heaven and earth, and create my own Dao. Only then can I achieve true perfection!"

With this realization, Xu Yang sat cross-legged in meditation, beginning the final stage of his cultivation in this illusionary realm.

Seeing Xu Yang's body in meditative repose, the old woman finally revealed a satisfied smile. She then turned her gaze towards Bai Lianxue.

A flame seemed to ignite in her pupils. The old woman's gaze remained calm, yet it seemed to emit an irresistibly powerful spiritual force that instantly locked onto Bai Lianxue's aura.

*Whoosh...* The golden clay Bodhisattva hidden within Bai Lianxue's body once again emitted a soft glow, and its golden silhouette gradually detached from her. Bai Lianxue tried to retrieve it, but found her body utterly unable to move. Before this old woman, even Bai Lianxue, a Spirit Soul realm cultivator, had no room to resist.

"Young lady," the old woman said, "the sea of books is boundless, and there are countless Great Daos. Yet, there is only one path leading to your destination. If you can achieve enlightenment here, you will find the shore you seek."

Bai Lianxue somewhat understood the old woman's meaning and soon entered her own illusionary space.

However, the scene before her was entirely different from Xu Yang's situation.

It was a hellish abyss, filled with blood-stained battlefield remnants. Countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood were piled up, and the air was thick with the heavy scent of blood.

Bai Lianxue saw no way back. Only the radiant moon in the blood-stained sky remained clear and bright.

"Perhaps, it's time to do something," she thought.

Bai Lianxue sat cross-legged, Buddhist light enveloping her body. With her Buddhist thoughts, she began guiding the countless lingering souls in the abyss.

Where the Buddhist heart shines, there is a place of return.

In comparison, Ling Yao was more straightforward. Her heart held only a fervent obsession with the Way of the Sword; awakening her Sword Heart was her only question.

Ling Qingshu's situation was more complex. When the old woman asked about the confusion in her heart, the girl looked utterly bewildered.

"I came here simply to follow my ancestor and to do something for him," she explained. "Whatever they do, I do too. Besides that, I just want to improve my own strength as much as possible."

The old woman nodded with a smile. With a wave of her hand, she retrieved a cultivation technique from a bookshelf. Awkwardly, Ling Qingshu found it contained not a single word when she looked inside.

"No words?" Ling Qingshu asked. "Old woman, you're not messing with me, are you?"

The old woman didn't reply. She simply gently touched Ling Qingshu's forehead, forcing her into slumber. In her dream, Ling Qingshu saw an entirely different scene.

Only Long Kun and Little Tuantuan remained before her.

The old woman walked up to Long Kun and carefully scrutinized him.

"You rascal," she said, "hundreds of years have passed, and you still haven't made any progress."

"Hehe," Long Kun chuckled, "Master, it's already good enough that I haven't been expelled from the academy. These guys, they're the fated ones you told me to wait for, right? Are they the Dragon's Hoard envoys?"

The old woman nodded gently. "They are all remarkably talented individuals," she said. "You did them a favor; you'll have a future because of it."

Long Kun shrugged indifferently. "Master," he said, "didn't you promise me that when I retire, I could come sweep the floor with you?"

The old woman smiled kindly. "Silly boy," she said, "with their abilities, they will surely succeed in opening the Dragon's Hoard. When that happens, not only the academy but the entire Yuanyang Empire could vanish. This Library Pavilion will also be lost to history."

"What about you then?" Long Kun asked.

The old woman gently shook her head. "After guarding this place for ten thousand years," she said, "it's time for me to return."

"All the cultivation techniques that appear in your vision are ones you can cultivate. Just learn them casually. I still have to attend to this little one!"

"What?" Long Kun exclaimed. "She gets a share too?"

The old woman chuckled and patted Tuantuan's head. "Do you think this little girl is ordinary? Look closely at her eyes!"

Hearing this, Long Kun glared at Tuantuan. When he saw the burning flame in Tuantuan's eyes, he was utterly dumbfounded.

"Wh-what!" Long Kun stammered. "She, she's actually..."

***

In the illusion, Xu Yang recollected his entire ten-thousand-year journey. All the accumulated essence within his body was now being returned to the surrounding darkness, guided by the Tai Chi diagram.

It was as if Xu Yang had personally created this world within the illusion.

And in this virtual world, Xu Yang was the sole master!

The laws, everything here, were set by him!

A single flower holds a world, a single leaf embodies Bodhi...

What Xu Yang was doing at this moment was using his entire being to make this world as perfect as possible. This was the entire cultivation content for the final stage of his Qi Refinement realm.

*Boom!*

When the last part of his accumulated foundation was drawn out from his body, and he slowly opened his eyes, Xu Yang finally used his soul to set the entire world in motion.

A flash of light streaked across the sky, and the aura of life began to form. Xu Yang finally understood that this place was the culmination of his past cultivation, and also the starting point of his future cultivation!