Chapter 382: Learning the Universe in the Palm

"This Immortal believes you have an exceptional understanding of spatial laws. Think about it: you weren't supposed to be able to learn 'Shrinking the Ground to an Inch' at your cultivation level, yet you did, didn't you?" Immortal Fairy, as the chief of the Five Ancient Immortals, highly acknowledged Lu Yang's talent in spatial magic.

In ancient times, receiving praise from Immortal Fairy was considered more valuable than a myriad of opportunities, enough to propel someone to instant success.

Lu Yang, however, completely lacked this understanding. He felt that Immortal Fairy only brought him challenges. If this were in ancient times, he would have undoubtedly been labeled "unappreciative."

"Fine, I'll learn it then." Lu Yang considered it a break to relax his mind, given how long he had been cultivating.

"I don't expect you to fully master 'Universe in the Palm.' Even just understanding its principles will greatly benefit your other spatial magic, significantly improving both your learning speed and casting speed!" Immortal Fairy knew Lu Yang would have difficulty learning 'Universe in the Palm,' but she simply wanted to teach him. If she wanted to teach, who could stop her?

Lu Yang leaped from the giant sword-qi boulder, tumbled three times in the air, spread his arms, and landed smoothly.

Immortal Fairy pulled Lu Yang into the spiritual space. With a thought, she changed her pajamas into the Confucian robe typically worn by a private tutor, making her appear somewhat more intelligent.

"Hehe, this feels more appropriate."

"Before I teach you, this Immortal will demonstrate it for you first!"

Before Lu Yang could understand what Immortal Fairy was about to do, he felt his four-room, two-hall spiritual space become boundless and pitch-black. The most striking features were several colossal stars directly in front of him, with faint points of light further away, representing incredibly distant stars.

Immortal Fairy stood before Lu Yang, extended her small hand, and pressed down forcefully!

Lu Yang looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly. The universe was too dark for him to see clearly; he only sensed something above his head.

"Huh?" Lu Yang realized the stars above his head suddenly vanished, as if obscured by something!

A colossal hand emerged from the darkness, filling his entire field of vision. Lu Yang couldn't see anything beyond the hand! The palm lines of the colossal hand were incredibly clear, its concentric fingerprints resembling stellar orbits, with stars appearing as mere grains of sand within its grasp!

Lu Yang had experienced mountains collapsing and the oppressive might of the Tribulation Transcending stage, but compared to this colossal hand, all those were utterly insignificant, completely incomparable! Oppression, suffocation, despair... all sorts of emotions sprouted in his heart, growing uncontrollably.

"Watch closely. This is 'Universe in the Palm.'"

As the colossal hand pressed down, Lu Yang's vision went black, and his consciousness faded.

When he awoke, Immortal Fairy was floating half-submerged above Lu Yang, her large eyes blinking as she intently observed him.

"Did I scare you?"

"No, you just killed me."

"Oh, right. So, did you witness the power of 'Universe in the Palm'?"

Lu Yang felt a lingering fear, deciding it would be safest to be more polite to Immortal Fairy in the future.

"Fairy, you can expand my spiritual space?" Lu Yang recalled Immortal Fairy previously complaining that his spiritual space was too small for her to fully maneuver or demonstrate.

Immortal Fairy put her hands on her hips and proudly declared, "I can expand it temporarily now. I couldn't before, but I've been sleeping every day recently and have recovered some of my strength."

"As the saying goes: 'A single flower holds a world, a tree embodies a fleeting life, a blade of grass signifies enlightenment, a single leaf is a Buddha, a grain of sand is paradise, a given space is a pure land, a smile reflects worldly karma, and a single thought brings tranquility.' Even the most minute things are still worlds."

"'Universe in the Palm' originates from this concept: a hand's interior is also a world, and a vast, boundless world at that!"

Lu Yang seemed to grasp something. He had heard that Buddhist sects were renowned for their spatial magic, perhaps stemming from this very concept.

"If you wish to cultivate 'Universe in the Palm,' the first step is contemplation. Contemplate yourself, envisioning yourself as a great world."

"At the same time, you must also contemplate the true great world, allowing every detail of it to appear in your mind, constructing a real great world within your consciousness."

"The fusion of inner and outer, spatial inversion, the concept of 'mustard seed containing Mount Meru,' infinite size... if you can comprehend the meaning of these words, you will almost be able to cast 'Universe in the Palm.'"

Immortal Fairy explained the principles of 'Universe in the Palm' in detail. When she reached profound points, she meticulously broke them down into several aspects, interpreting the knowledge from multiple angles, striving to make Lu Yang learn 'Universe in the Palm' immediately.

"Alright, that's enough explanation. Go out and try it." Immortal Fairy raised her foot and kicked Lu Yang out of the spiritual space.

His consciousness returned to reality. Lu Yang composed himself and began recalling what Immortal Fairy had taught him.

"The fusion of inner and outer means combining the contemplated object with reality... infinite vastness is also infinite smallness, and size transformation is the essence of spatial magic..."

"The fusion of inner and outer means combining the contemplated object with reality... infinite vastness is also infinite smallness, and size transformation is the essence of spatial magic..."

Lu Yang extended his palm and observed its lines. Could it be that the palm lines truly corresponded to stellar orbits? He channeled spiritual energy into his eyes, temporarily enhancing his vision. Looking deeper into the lines, he saw epithelial cells. Various tissues are composed of cells, which are incredibly similar to the human body. Could they be considered another form of life? With countless cells in his hand, didn't that imply an endless number of living beings within his grasp?

"So, 'a flower contains a world' actually means this?"

Lu Yang frowned in thought, integrating what he had learned with Immortal Fairy's teachings. He gradually unraveled the Buddhist concept, or rather, the fundamental principles of 'Universe in the Palm.'

"The Fairy has already shown me that the 'Universe' means 'world,' so 'Universe in the Palm' is a 'world in the palm.' It's the ultimate spatial magic, capable of both offense and defense..."

Lu Yang muttered to himself, turning his hand over and over. Enlightenment gradually dawned in his heart, as if a ray of dawn had pierced through the fog in his mind, unveiling the legendary divine ability!

"So that's how it is..."

Lu Yang stood up, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and smiled confidently. "I've learned it."

Immortal Fairy appeared, thinking Lu Yang had given up. She consoled him, "It's alright. Even if you haven't mastered it, you've grasped the principles. You'll be able to learn it once your cultivation reaches a certain level."

"Wait, did you just say you learned it?" Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang in astonishment.

"'Universe in the Palm' requires a great deal of spiritual power to sustain. My current spiritual energy isn't enough for prolonged use, but as an 'Invincible Core,' my spiritual power reserves are five to ten times greater than others at the same level. It's just barely enough for a momentary cast!"

Lu Yang closed his eyes, his body transforming into a furnace, sketching out the appearance of a world. An ordinary person couldn't achieve this step, but he possessed memories of a past life, knew what the universe looked like, and had Immortal Fairy's demonstration as a reference. With these various factors bolstering him, he could cast 'Universe in the Palm'!

Lu Yang spread his hand, flattening his palm, and furiously circulated the spiritual energy within his body, letting out a soft shout.

"Universe in the Palm!"

Immortal Fairy observed with curiosity. She saw that a space truly appeared in Lu Yang's palm, with stars orbiting within it, resembling a universe!

"He actually managed to cultivate it... Wait, why does the space in his palm feel so small, only about a mile or two in width and length, and the stars are pitifully tiny?"

"How about it? Did I succeed?" Lu Yang cast a triumphant glance at Immortal Fairy.

Immortal Fairy's expression was strange. If what she performed was 'Universe in the Palm,' then what Lu Yang performed was... 'Village in the Palm'?