To tell the truth, Yun Zhi was shocked the first time she saw the primordial spirit. It looked eighty percent like Junior Brother Lu Yang and twenty percent like Fairy Eternity. Her first reaction was to think that Junior Brother had something going on with Fairy Eternity, such as a spiritual union of sorts.

Later, she realized that this was because Fairy Eternity had helped Junior Brother with his cultivation.

Even so, the appearance of the primordial spirit still gave her an odd feeling.

She felt that if Fairy Eternity continued to help Junior Brother with his cultivation, and the primordial spirit’s appearance changed again, that odd feeling would only become stronger.

When in the Nascent Soul Stage it wasn’t so conspicuous, since the Invincible Nascent Soul still looked quite young, and except for Lu Yang himself, others couldn’t really tell whom the Invincible Nascent Soul resembled.

But it was different with the Divine Transformation Stage primordial spirit.

Considering this, Yun Zhi spoke out to prevent Fairy Eternity from further aiding Junior Brother’s cultivation.

Of course, continuing the aid also seriously risked odd transformations.

Convinced by Eldest Senior Sister’s earnest guidance, Lu Yang had no choice but to give up the idea of vengefully using the primordial spirit, instead treating it better and letting it help him learn cultivation techniques.

Lu Yang and his primordial spirit studying cultivation techniques together doubled the efficiency.

And doubled the exhaustion as well.

However, with Revival Pills at hand, even doubled levels of exhaustion were a minor issue.

These were special Revival Pills that refreshed the mind, complete with Elixir Patterns and Elixir Clouds, the finest among Revival Pills.

Lu Yang had made such immense contributions to the Seek Dao Sect that he had a vast number of contribution points to spend. He bought the top-quality Revival Pills in bulk, which was quite extravagant.

Considering the single taste of the Revival Pills and the potential for disgust if consumed over a long period, in front of Lu Yang were several small dishes with dips like broad bean paste, fermented tofu, chili sauce, and leek flower sauce... Whatever flavor he wanted, he could have.

If he ever wanted a dipping sauce that wasn’t stored in his Identity Jade, he would simply send his primordial spirit to the shopping district to buy it, which was very convenient.

When the primordial spirit returned, it was stopped at the door for carrying food.

Going downstairs, Lu Yang realized his primordial spirit was holding a bunch of skewers, which was not in the instructions.

Needless to say, this was surely something the people from the Eternity Sect had given to the primordial spirit in an attempt to curry favor with him.

Lu Yang had stayed in the Scripture Pavilion the entire time, taking only three breaks.

The finest Revival Pills weren’t magic; overuse would dilute their effectiveness, so Lu Yang had to slow down his learning progress and lie down in a chair to sleep.

The primordial spirit also had the fortune to rest alongside its master.

Fairy Eternity had also, rare as it was, not caused any ruckus in the Spiritual Space, providing Lu Yang with a quiet resting place.

In the blink of an eye, a month and a half had passed, and the fascinating principles of the Divinity Transformation Stage cultivation techniques had gathered in Lu Yang’s mind. From ancient techniques to the present, he was like a mobile treasury of cultivation methods.

Lu Yang spent another half a month breaking down those principles, trying to integrate them with the "Mind Seeing Method" Nascent Soul chapter.

"I can write the cultivation technique now!"

In those two months, Lu Yang was like having a dialogue with cultivators from thirty thousand years past and future, discussing the meanings of techniques, and exploring the significance of cultivation, which brought him significant gains. He was rejuvenated from the inside out, and even his speech and manner were different from before.

Lu Yang revealed a confident smile. Indeed, the wisdom of his predecessors should not be underestimated; it gave him a lot of inspiration.

The primordial spirit set up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, grinding and handing over the brush. With brush in hand, Lu Yang wrote fluently as if divinely assisted in one go, thoroughly enjoying it. The understandings of those two months merged and flowed into the cultivation technique.

"It’s perfectly accomplished!"

...

"Your cultivation technique needs to be completely rewritten," Yun Zhi said heartlessly and coolly.

"What?"

Seeing the astonished look on Lu Yang’s face, Yun Zhi sighed and explained, "Junior Brother, it’s commendable that you study others’ techniques to assimilate their strengths, but you’ve forgotten the unique aspects of your own Divinity Transformation Stage."

"Special property, my primordial spirit?"

"Yes, the most important aspect of the Divine Transformation Stage Cultivation Technique is how it allows you to communicate with heaven and earth."

"Your technique includes things like worldly experiences, comprehending the vicissitudes of life, playing the zither by the brook, and so on. These methods are useful, but you can have even better ones."

"What are they?"

"Are you aware that at the brink of death, a cultivator’s perceptive abilities can expand infinitely? Even ordinary people on the verge of death can perceive ghosts and other phenomena they couldn’t before, let alone cultivators."

Lu Yang shuddered, "You mean to keep me in a near-death state?"

Yun Zhi shook her head, "That’s too dangerous. From what I’ve observed, when your primordial spirit returns to your body, the sensations sync with you."

Lu Yang’s eyes lit up, understanding Eldest Senior Sister’s point, "Eldest Senior Sister, you mean to have my primordial spirit die in my place?"

"Not to die, but to keep your primordial spirit in a near-death state," Yun Zhi corrected him; there was a difference between the two.

Lu Yang nodded repeatedly, almost the same idea.

"Shall we give it a try?" Lu Yang said excitedly, summoning his primordial spirit and commanding it not to flee from any danger it might encounter.

Yun Zhi nodded lightly to signal that Lu Yang should step back, then aimed a palm strike at the primordial spirit that remained in its place.

If not for Lu Yang’s command, the primordial spirit would have fled long ago.

Even before her hand reached the primordial spirit, it became dim as if it were under some immense pressure and extremely weakened.

Seeing this, Yun Zhi stopped her attack, signaling that Lu Yang could recall his primordial spirit.

Had she exerted any more force, the Junior Brother’s primordial spirit would have collapsed.

The moment the primordial spirit returned, Lu Yang knelt on the ground, taking deep breaths, inheriting the spirit’s sensations.

The palm strike had been terrifying; even if he had cultivated to the Divinity Transformation Stage, he would still feel like an ant facing a mountain—such was the insurmountable gap.

Lu Yang’s consciousness blurred, the world spinning around him, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, eyes void of life.

At this moment, his perceptive abilities intensified limitlessly. He could hear the sound of spiritual essence traversing within his body, sense the movement of Spiritual Energy weaving through tree leaves, feel the solemnity of Sky Gate Mountain...

Even listening to Third Senior Sister play the zither had never been as clear.

As Lu Yang gradually regained consciousness, he realized this was the communication with heaven and earth he sought. If he were to undergo this process several more times, his perception of the world’s changes would become even clearer.

Yun Zhi took a drop of water from her Identity Jade, carried it on a leaf, and fed it to Lu Yang.

The origin of this water was unknown, but after taking it, Lu Yang felt his consciousness become much clearer.

"How does it feel?"

"It works!" Lu Yang laughed.

A near-death state without danger—how many Divine Transformation Stage Cultivators would envy this.

The only downside was that it couldn’t be done consecutively; his primordial spirit was severely damaged and needed time to recover quietly.

The strong would stop at nothing to become stronger; Lu Yang didn’t mind sacrificing his primordial spirit in the slightest.

"As long as it works," Yun Zhi said, nodding as he had expected, "You need to incorporate this method into your technique. With this..."

"My technique is considered complete then?"

"With this, there’s only sixty percent of your technique that needs modifying."

Lu Yang: "..."

Isn’t that still a failing grade?