Chapter 274: Soul Extinguishing Bell, Dream Walking Technique, Jingxin Year Thirty-Three (Main Chapter)

"Yes, I only differentiated six soul bodies," Zhao Xing nodded. "My main soul and six differentiated souls each occupy a life star."

Upon hearing this, King Tianyan immediately frowned. "How could such a situation arise?"

He also cultivated the Divine Derivation Art. For him and everyone else, including Liu Tianning, all seven stars resided within their main soul.

The main soul, known as the 'Spirit Soul,' could endlessly differentiate into sub-souls.

Of course, while theoretically infinite, there was a practical limit, which varied from person to person.

For instance, King Tianyan differentiated 8,100 sub-souls at the first layer, but Liu Tianning's exceeded 10,000.

This difference was merely due to innate soul variations, but the core principle of the Divine Derivation Art—the seven life stars—remained consistent: all life stars were contained within the Spirit Soul, or main soul.

There had never been a case like Zhao Xing's, where the seven life stars were completely separated.

"You haven't..." King Tianyan looked at Zhao Xing, somewhat worried that he might have suffered a cultivation deviation.

After all, such a situation had never occurred before.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I have not suffered a cultivation deviation," Zhao Xing said.

"Let me take a look." After saying this, King Tianyan stood motionless, and a phantom figure flew out from his body.

It was formless and insubstantial, invisible to the naked eye, and could only be perceived through Heavenly Eye techniques or similar clear-sight spells.

This was the characteristic of a soul exiting the body, a trait of reaching the Third-Rank Primordial Soul Realm.

"I am about to enter your Sea of Consciousness. Do not resist, or you could easily harm me," King Tianyan said.

He wasn't worried about harming Zhao Xing, but rather about being harmed himself.

If it were any other Fourth-Rank cultivator, King Tianyan could easily destroy their life soul upon entering their Sea of Consciousness.

This was because Fourth-Rank cultivators typically couldn't cultivate their souls and were relatively fragile.

However, Zhao Xing was different; he was the fastest cultivator of the Divine Derivation Art's first layer in history.

He had consumed Primordial Spirit Fruit (which King Tianyan knew about) and Primordial Soul Fluid. With his Divine Soul Seven Stars Diagram completed, King Tianyan's life soul entering his Sea of Consciousness was akin to stepping onto Zhao Xing's home turf.

King Tianyan's life soul would first be weakened by Zhao Xing's physical body's seven corporeal souls.

The life soul residing in the physical body, along with the seven corporeal souls of the flesh, acted as the life soul's armor. Simultaneously, the seven corporeal souls could nourish the life soul, making combat within an enemy's Sea of Consciousness dangerous.

Originally, this wasn't necessary, but King Tianyan, as an elder, insisted on going in to examine him thoroughly, as he wouldn't be at ease otherwise.

So Zhao Xing could only agree. "Alright."

"Buzz."As King Tianyan's life soul overlapped with Zhao Xing's physical body, Zhao Xing's body immediately emitted a golden glow of vital energy.

This was the instinctive repulsion and protection of the seven corporeal souls.

However, Zhao Xing quickly suppressed the golden glow, effectively switching off his 'firewall.'

Even so, King Tianyan's life soul became weaker upon entering Zhao Xing's Sea of Consciousness.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, starlight shone brightly.

With a thought, Zhao Xing conjured a living room.

King Tianyan's phantom body entered the living room.

"Hmm?"

King Tianyan looked up and saw seven giants in front of him.

All seven giants resembled Zhao Xing.

"Yours... why are they so tall?" King Tianyan was somewhat bewildered.

His own life soul was at the Second-Rank perfection, yet upon entering, he found himself to be only 1.8 meters tall, while Zhao Xing's soul bodies were 2.8 meters.

The height of a life soul, to some extent, could represent its strength.

Although he had entered on his own volition, intentionally suppressing his life soul's power and being weakened further, the contrast was simply too stark.

"Is this due to a powerful innate life soul, or an effect of your cultivation?" King Tianyan asked.

"Unclear," the seven Zhao Xings shook their heads in unison. "Perhaps a bit of both."

King Tianyan's interest was piqued. "I've seen strong innate life souls before, but yours is indeed a bit exaggerated. Perhaps it's because you are the most talented Divine Derivation Art cultivator."

The speed of cultivating the first layer determined one's talent in the path of the soul.

With Liu Tianning's speed, he would also enter the second layer quickly, and upon doing so, he would be even stronger than others, making the differences more pronounced.

For example, Liu Tianning had over 10,000 life souls at the first layer. After comprehending the second layer, his Spirit Soul's differentiation reached twelve times, exceeding 120,000.

In contrast, when King Tianyan comprehended the second layer, his Spirit Soul could only differentiate 81,000. He only had a tenfold increase.

The disparity became very obvious.

With such a gap, if they were to simultaneously cast the same soul spell, King Tianyan would undoubtedly be utterly defeated in a clash.

"These seven life souls of yours indeed show no distinction between primary and secondary," King Tianyan mused. "I can't see any flaws."

"Alright, I'll go out to speak first."

King Tianyan leaped upward."Bang!" He hit the ceiling, feeling a bit dizzy, and nearly lost his balance upon landing.

With that leap, he still hadn't managed to exit Zhao Xing's Sea of Consciousness?

"My apologies," Zhao Xing said, somewhat embarrassed. "I just broke through and am not very proficient yet."

Then, the seven life souls emitted faint starlight, and the conjured living room instantly vanished.

King Tianyan successfully exited Zhao Xing's Sea of Consciousness, and a phantom figure flew out from Zhao Xing's physical body, returning to King Tianyan's own body.

"Phew," King Tianyan shook his head. "Your situation is quite interesting. I need to make a detailed record of it."

"Zhao Xing, please tell me in detail about your cultivation insights," King Tianyan said.

As the first person to break the record, King Tianyan speculated that Zhao Xing's understanding of this spiritual art might be more complete.

Because its strength was fundamentally different from what he understood.

How could there be seven-star life souls without primary or secondary distinctions?

And how could one be so strong after only completing the first layer?

Therefore, King Tianyan concluded that Zhao Xing might be on the right path and was very likely to comprehend the third layer of the Divine Derivation Stele in the future.

"No problem." Zhao Xing followed King Tianyan to the archive room in the Star Palace.

He was not stingy about paving the way for future cultivators.

Because in the Age of Spiritual Energy, everyone who cultivated the Divine Derivation Art consolidated seven life stars into their main soul, which then differentiated into six sub-souls.

When Zhao Xing cultivated the first layer, he also relied entirely on his past life's experience to lean towards this method.

"First, review the insights summarized by previous generations, then compare them," King Tianyan said, pulling out several scrolls.

The names on the scrolls were sealed, so Zhao Xing didn't know who wrote these insights.

After Zhao Xing completed his cultivation, he would also leave his insights there.

"Here, you'll find insights left by Divine Derivation Art cultivators from not only our current dynasty but also previous ones. The names of those from our dynasty are obscured, but the older ones are not."

"Alright." Zhao Xing read carefully.

In less than fifteen minutes, he finished reading thousands of scrolls and fell into deep thought.

King Tianyan waited quietly. Zhao Xing had closed his eyes, and simultaneously, his soul fluctuated, evidently deep in thought or deduction.

About half an hour later, Zhao Xing opened his eyes and nodded towards King Tianyan.

King Tianyan picked up his brush and began to record: "What is the difference between your method—dividing the life stars among seven soul bodies—and having all seven life stars within the Spirit Soul?"

Zhao Xing pondered, "If all seven stars reside in the Spirit Soul, and the Spirit Soul is destroyed, then the person perishes."

"If the seven stars are divided among seven soul bodies, as long as one soul remains, it can recover and generate new soul bodies, eventually restoring the full seven."

King Tianyan nodded. He had been pondering this himself, and it was quite similar to what he had envisioned.

"What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?" King Tianyan continued to ask.

Zhao Xing considered, "Logically, with all seven stars residing in the Spirit Soul, the advantage would be stronger Spirit Soul defense."

"With seven stars divided among seven souls, the defense would be weaker."

"'Logically speaking'?" King Tianyan paused, startled, and stopped writing. "Then what's the actual situation?"

Zhao Xing said, "In reality, I can also merge the seven soul bodies into one, forming a Seven-Star Soul Body."

"What?" King Tianyan was stunned. "Doesn't this imply that the Seven-Star Soul Body is the correct cultivation path?"

Zhao Xing nodded. "It should be."

King Tianyan's face showed shock. Could it be that previous cultivators had all been on the wrong path?

This discovery was too significant! So significant that King Tianyan found it hard to believe.

"Wait, if your seven souls merge into one, how many sub-souls can you differentiate?"

Here, the 'sub-souls' King Tianyan referred to were differentiated soul bodies without life stars.

Differentiated soul bodies did not contain a soul core, so their destruction or dispersion had little impact. As long as not too many were lost at once, they could be replenished quickly.

"Let me try first." Zhao Xing closed his eyes again. He had just broken through and hadn't yet tried how many he could differentiate.

"Good," King Tianyan watched with anticipation.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the seven life soul giants merged into one.

Stars appeared on its forehead, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, and feet.

Then, with a thought from Zhao Xing, the stars on the Seven-Star Soul Body began to shimmer.

Sub-soul bodies rapidly appeared, one after another.

They quickly exceeded ten thousand.

Zhao Xing wanted to test his limit, so he continued to differentiate.

He only stopped when all seven life stars began to tremble.

Moments later, Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

"I can differentiate 49,999."

"How many??" King Tianyan's brush dropped to the ground.

"What was the previous historical record holder's number?" Zhao Xing also grew curious. King Tianyan's reaction indicated that the number was extraordinarily high.

King Tianyan waved his hand to pick up the brush, then asked, somewhat incredulously, "You... you're not joking, are you?"

"The previous historical number one only managed to differentiate 15,642 sub-soul bodies."

King Tianyan was simply at a loss for words.

Zhao Xing's upper limit for the first layer was incredibly high.

He himself only had over 81,000 sub-souls, and Zhao Xing was already nearing 50,000 in the first layer!

Could there truly be such a huge disparity among Divine Derivation Art cultivators?

"It might be related to my personal experiences," Zhao Xing said.

However, this explanation was difficult to justify.

Zhao Xing had consumed Primordial Spirit Fruit, Primordial Soul Fluid, and Life Soul Pills. Had others not consumed similar treasures? Perhaps even more!

The treasure factor could be ruled out. Only two points could explain it: first, a powerful innate life soul, and second, that the seven-soul body was the true path of cultivation.

Only then could it be explained why no one had mastered the third layer for so many years.

"A great discovery, a truly great discovery..." King Tianyan's lips trembled. "This discovery is destined to go down in history."

Zhao Xing wasn't particularly excited, as this was common practice when he first encountered the Divine Derivation Art; there was nothing unusual about it.

In the Age of Spiritual Energy in his past life, when everyone cultivated the Divine Derivation Art—that ultimate technique—the number of differentiated souls after comprehending the first layer was generally between 20,000 and 30,000.

Zhao Xing estimated that his ability to reach 49,999 was likely due to his high 'innate soul power.'

In games, players would see this innate stat on their character panel upon birth. However, in this life, he hadn't seen this value from the beginning.

At that time, Zhao Xing didn't pay much attention to this art anymore, as ultimate techniques were already widespread by the ascension version of the game.

As one of the first high-level players, Zhao Xing quickly acquired more powerful techniques after ascending, so he no longer focused on this one.

Now, after reviewing numerous scrolls, Zhao Xing discovered that cultivators of the Divine Derivation Art from 35,346 years ago until the present seemed to have all been on the wrong path.

At least the first layer was incorrect.

He had previously thought that this art inherently had multiple development directions.

However, after learning these figures, Zhao Xing realized that it seemed not to be the case.

While King Tianyan was still in shock, Zhao Xing closed his eyes and quickly fell into thought: "In that case, Liu Tianning's madness seems to have been caused by multiple factors. Simply giving him the Primordial Spirit Fruit couldn't compensate for the flaws in the Ultimate Strawman Art. I wonder what the second layer will be like. The cultivation insights from my past life and this life are very different; I can only wait and see the results."

The closing and opening of his eyes was instantaneous. When Zhao Xing opened his eyes again, King Tianyan was still in shock.

"If the Spirit Soul's seven stars being able to separate and merge is the correct way, then both previous and current cultivators would need to re-cultivate!"

Zhao Xing asked, "Your Highness, you've cultivated the second layer. What is the situation with the second layer?"

King Tianyan replied, "The second layer expands more life stars and allows for the differentiation of more sub-soul bodies. However, the life stars still remain within the Spirit Soul; they don't appear within the sub-soul bodies as they do with you."

"As for the third layer, there's no record of anyone having mastered it to this day."

Zhao Xing nodded. This wasn't much different from what he knew: the number of differentiated soul bodies multiplied, and life stars also increased.

The only difference was whether the life stars could be separated.

King Tianyan solemnly said, "Zhao Xing, please provide a detailed summary of your cultivation insights from the past two years."

"Ideally, you should transcribe them into a propagation painting, allowing others to perceive your path."

"I will immediately halt the cultivation of everyone currently practicing the first layer of the Divine Derivation Art in Great Zhou, pending your results."

"As for those who have already mastered the first or second layer, a decision will be made after observing your long-term effects."

King Tianyan had the authority to halt those cultivating the first layer, but he was powerless concerning those who had already mastered the first or even second layers.

He would need to report to Emperor Jing and obtain his permission to proceed with that.

It might not be approved quickly, as currently, those who had comprehended the second layer of the Divine Derivation Art showed no apparent drawbacks, only a lack of comparable strength.

If they were to re-cultivate without knowing the consequences, few would likely be willing.

Furthermore, with the ongoing war, this would significantly impact high-rank combatants, and this plan could not be accomplished in just a few years.

However, this discovery would undoubtedly influence the next generation of Divine Derivation Art cultivators.

"If your method is ultimately proven correct, you will be the pioneer of this path, and all who cultivate the Divine Derivation Art will be grateful to you. This will be a great merit!"

"This matter is of utmost importance. Please prioritize it! On behalf of everyone who cultivates the Divine Derivation Art, I thank you in advance." King Tianyan bowed solemnly to Zhao Xing.

Who were the people qualified to cultivate the Divine Derivation Art?

Top-tier geniuses among the Mid-Rank cultivators, and all High-Rank cultivators.

Whether they could master it was another matter, but these two types were the ones qualified.

The impact was immense!

Even if only a small portion could master it, its generational transmission within Great Zhou would have profound effects!

Zhao Xing was currently just a record-breaker, and while impressive, it was merely an honor with no direct personal benefit to others.

However, if he truly succeeded in this endeavor, it would be akin to forging a new path for future generations, and everyone who mastered it would have to call him their teacher.

"Your Highness, please don't perform such a grand禮." Zhao Xing quickly helped King Tianyan up. "I will do my utmost in this matter."

"Good, good," King Tianyan held Zhao Xing's hand and smiled slightly. "If I can help you accomplish this in my remaining years, I will have no regrets even in death."

Seeing this, Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile wryly in his heart. The pressure was immense.

He wasn't sure if he could elevate the Divine Derivation Art to the level it would reach in later generations. Seeing King Tianyan's high expectations, he had to offer a precautionary note: "Your Highness, please don't forget there are other factors. Right now, this is just a possibility, and it may not be entirely due to cultivation reasons."

King Tianyan also regained his composure at this moment and said gravely, "Rest assured, until there are definite results, I will not let you be exposed. This is top secret, known only to you and me. Do not feel any psychological pressure."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness," Zhao Xing cupped his hands in salute.

Having mastered the first layer, Zhao Xing also received a brief one-month vacation.

As for King Tianyan, he no longer had time to oversee Zhao Xing. He had already gone to halt the other thirty-seven individuals currently cultivating the first layer of the Divine Derivation Art in Great Zhou.

These individuals were all at the Mid-Rank Realm, so stopping them was simple. As for the Third-Rank cultivators also practicing the first layer, King Tianyan temporarily refrained from interfering.

Zhao Xing's main body exited the Star Palace in the Military World and arrived at the Local Deity Temple in Chongming Prefecture.

"Today is the twentieth day of the tenth month, New Jing Calendar, year 32," Zhao Xing murmured, looking into the distance.

He then quickly left Chongming Prefecture and arrived at a secret manor he had purchased in Dongyang County.

After burrowing underground and making all necessary preparations, he attempted to enter the Great Dream Academy.

This time, his 'login' was not outside the misty gate of the Great Dream Academy, but directly within the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion where the Destined Black Bird resided.

As the Destined Black Bird had violated the rules, Zhao Xing's entry point had changed.

"Caw! You're here." The moment he logged in, he heard the Black Bird's voice from where it perched on a cabinet.

'Caw! You're here,' Zhao Xing muttered internally, yet a smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands and said, "Senior, long time no see."

"Caw-caw! You seem to have grown stronger again," the Destined Black Bird chirped with some pleasure. "Very good, very good."

"It's all thanks to your guidance, Senior." Zhao Xing looked up. The Destined Black Bird's missing feathers hadn't fully grown back, but it had mostly recovered.

"How have you been lately, Senior? How is your recovery progressing?" Zhao Xing asked with concern.

His last visit was in the deep winter of the New Jing Calendar, year 29. Now it was early winter of year 32, approximately three years later.

The Destined Black Bird preened its feathers. "Not bad, I'm recovering quite well."

Zhao Xing eagerly asked, "Senior, I wonder if you could venture out again..."

The Destined Black Bird interrupted, "No, I haven't fully recovered yet. Going out again would cause major problems!"

Zhao Xing said, "The dynasty I'm in is about to face great upheaval. When top-tier experts run rampant, I fear I won't be able to protect myself."

The Destined Black Bird shook its head. "No means no. If I break the rules with my incomplete strength, I will die."

Seeing the Destined Black Bird's firm resolve, Zhao Xing could only give up. "Senior, how much longer until you fully recover?"

"At least a year and a half, at most three to five years," the Destined Black Bird said.

Zhao Xing understood that he could only wait.

He hoped the Destined Black Bird would recover before the New Jing Calendar, year 35.

Although it couldn't retrieve treasures for him now, this trip wasn't in vain.

The Destined Black Bird had once said that if he broke through to Fourth-Rank within ten years, it would bestow him a portion of fate.

Only three years had passed, and he was already at Fourth-Rank perfection, so of course, he had come to claim this benefit.

"Senior, I have fulfilled your requirement. I am now at the Fourth-Rank Primordial Soul Realm."

"I can see that," the Destined Black Bird nodded. "Do you want it now? You must think carefully. You currently possess Tier 5 fate. If you accept my bestowal of fate, you'll immediately reach Tier 6!"

"If you are in a crucial place and often interact with high-level experts, a sudden surge in fate might not be a good thing. It's best to choose an opportune moment to accept this fate."

Zhao Xing was startled. He had acquired the Heavenly Mechanism Robe and possessed perfected high-level fate spells, so he had indeed overlooked this point.

Wasn't King Tianyan a fate official? And a top-tier expert at that.

He could certainly discern it. Would this cause any problems?

Although King Tianyan was considered one of his own, Zhao Xing still chose not to take the risk.

After all, he would still be entering and exiting the Star Palace. With the first layer of the Divine Derivation Art completed, he also needed to cultivate related attack, defense, and other secret techniques. He would have to stay there for the next few years.

Therefore, choosing an appropriate moment to accept this fate was also crucial.

"With King Liang's rebellion, many government institutions in Pinghai Prefecture will fall into paralysis and upheaval. Accepting this fate then would be perfectly timed," Zhao Xing mused to himself.

"Firstly, I'd have a plausible reason to be away for an extended period. Secondly, with King Liang's rebellion, Pinghai Prefecture's fate would also undergo massive fluctuations. Some would fall, while others would rise dramatically, making my transition from Tier 5 to Tier 6 fate justifiable."

Having made his decision, Zhao Xing said, "Then I will come to see you again next time, Senior."

With that, he voluntarily exited the Great Dream Academy.

Waking up from underground, Zhao Xing checked the time; only a quarter of an hour had passed.

"A portion of fate from this silly bird, and later I can have it help me retrieve some good treasures."

"Over the next two years, I can slowly prepare some things," Zhao Xing mused.

First and foremost, a suitable and reasonable identity!

As a Temple Administrator of the Local Deity Temple, it was highly inconvenient for him to go around killing rebels.

Furthermore, his scope of activity was too small. Cross-regional combat would be inappropriate, and Zhao Xing had to resolve these procedural issues.

He also planned to visit Dayuan Prefecture, his hometown, at that time.

For a Local Deity Temple Administrator from Chongming Prefecture to go to Dayuan Prefecture would be very strange.

"Solving this problem is simple; Princess Youruo and Liu Tianning can both do it. However, it's best to go through Liu Tianning."

"Otherwise, whatever I do or whatever merits I achieve would be influenced by Princess Youruo's name, making it seem like I received her help or leveraged her prestige."

"Liu Tianning is different. We have a legitimate teacher-student relationship. He is a Military World Inspector, a Commissioner of both prefectures, and also holds a position in the Imperial Guard Bureau."

"Having him arrange such an identity for me would make operating much more convenient then," Zhao Xing mused.

"Next are the lists."

"A kill list and a rescue list."

Zhao Xing browsed his memory palace: "King Liang's rebellion involved many followers, including numerous agricultural officials."

"For instance, in several branch academies of the Xuan Tian Academy, there were individuals who defected to King Liang at that time."

"Additionally, the armies within Pinghai Prefecture's Grotto-heavens, particularly their military agricultural officers,