[Colorful Talent: Vajradhatu Mandala]
[You have achieved sudden enlightenment regarding the World Honored One's closely guarded [Secret Method for refining a Minor Sea of Bitterness]. As long as you gather sufficient materials, you will refine a kingdom of your own.]
A very plain and simple name.
To be honest, Lu Yang had thought the final settlement would be like the previous two times, providing multiple talents for him to choose from. But that turned out not to be the case.
However, he quickly grew excited. As the [Vajradhatu Mandala] was settled, a massive influx of knowledge flowed down and surged into his mind. It automatically organized itself into volumes, and even thoughtfully provided idiot-proof, detailed annotations tailored to his comprehension level.
[Secret Method for refining aMinor Sea of Bitterness]!'
'With this talent, I can open up a [Vajradhatu] of my own. This is entirely different from the Banner Spirit space inside the Righteous Dao Banner.'
The Banner Spirit space was merely a simple secret realm.
The [Vajradhatu], however, was different. As the core of the World Honored One's One Mind, this was his critical method for achieving his [All for One, One for All] concept.
'Perhaps I can replicate the World Honored One's setup.'
'The World Honored One's [One Mind] is definitely not just for bullying lower-tier cultivators. As his signature method, it is highly likely connected to attaining the Nascent Soul realm.'
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it his ultimate trump card.
However, the World Honored One probably never imagined that the wisdom he had accumulated over endless years—such a crucial secret method—would be ruthlessly plagiarized by Lu Yang today.
'I'll try it right now!'
With this thought, Lu Yang didn't say another word. He directly tore open the [Sea of Bitterness] and stepped inside. Then, he took out the Righteous Dao Banner, instantly filling the area with permeating purple qi.
Following that, Lu Yang steadied his heart and quieted his mind, condensing his spiritual power to the absolute limit. He formed a hand seal, igniting a faint wisp of flame at his fingertips. Finally, he pointed a finger, tossing that flame into the [Sea of Bitterness] beneath his feet. In an instant, the single spark transformed into a raging prairie fire.
Rumble!
Lu Yang's gaze was solemn. Fortunately, with the enhancement of the [Vajradhatu Mandala], this supposedly immensely difficult secret method was executed effortlessly by him at this moment.
Anchoring space, establishing time.
'This feeling...'
Suddenly, Lu Yang frowned. While constructing his own [Vajradhatu], he suddenly felt a resonance with the operational techniques.
'It's so similar.'
This Sea of Bitterness refining method created by the World Honored One was incredibly similar in direction to the profound wonder of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] he had deduced earlier under the [Supreme Dao Transformation]!
'The key lies in the concept.'
A look of realization gradually surfaced in Lu Yang's eyes.
'All myriad phenomena and entities are composed of different concept. Therefore, as long as one can gather all the concept of an object, one can create something out of nothing.'
Although it sounded very mystical, it was easy to understand if "concept" was swapped with "information."
To put it bluntly, if a stone simultaneously possessed the mass, color, taste, nutrition, and texture of an apple—essentially all the information that makes up an apple...
...would it still be a stone?
The answer: Not anymore. Because its information and concept had been completely replaced by those of an apple, no matter how you looked at it, it was an apple.
By the same logic—
'The refining of the [Vajradhatu] is based on this principle. It involves sorting through all the conceptwithin the [Sea of Bitterness], extracting the necessary ones to fill the void, and ultimately carving out an ordered space from the originally chaotic waters of the Sea of Bitterness. And every concept within this space is completely under my control...'
While pondering, Lu Yang's hand seals were also changing, and he chanted aloud:
"By fathoming the hidden and perceiving the void, one beholds the Immortal Mountain within the spiritual heart. When the Dao-heart is pure and lucid, one may enter the Grotto-Heaven of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars.."
Rumble!
As his incantation fell, the raging prairie fire beneath his feet finally took shape. Looking down from above, it looked as if a wound had been torn open in the boundless Sea of Bitterness.
Seeing this, Lu Yang's heart stirred. He immediately split off a strand of his divine sense and dropped it into the rift. Instantly, he felt his vision spin. The original scenery of the [Sea of Bitterness] was flipped upside down, like a mortal plunging into the deep ocean. His eyes were filled with darkness until the gloom parted, revealing a bright light.
Within the bright light, a majestic immortal mountain was reflected.
The scenery of the four seasons manifested across the mountain: snow-capped peaks, verdant hills and vegetation, the bleak autumn wind, and the chirping of summer cicadas. Layers of spiritual light jointly upheld a palatial pavilion.
Lu Yang's divine sense manifested his figure, drifting down gracefully.
He landed steadily on the pavilion at the mountain's peak. Above it hung a plaque that read exactly what his incantation had described: [Slanting Moon Three Stars Grotto-Heaven].
"...It worked?"
Lu Yang looked around, feeling surprised. 'Although it was just refined by my personal thoughts, borrowing a name from classical allusions, it actually managed to perfectly reproduce it?'
At this thought, he looked up and observed the world outside the immortal mountain. With a single glance, he saw streaks of radiant light hovering above the mountain like ribbons. Even further up was a colossal shadow, so vast that its full scope couldn't be seen. Yet bizarrely, he could actually form a connection with it.
"No wait... that's me!"
The next second, Lu Yang came to a sudden realization. "I'm currently at the bottom of the [Sea of Bitterness]. That vast shadow is the reflection of my main body in the [Sea of Bitterness]!"
Realizing this, he suddenly lowered his gaze.
Looking up was the scenery of the [Sea of Bitterness]. Then what about looking down?
Just as he expected, looking down, he saw the entire immortal mountain resting atop a shimmering golden lake, within which was a distinctly dim and gloomy scene.
Looking out, he could see numerous torch-like entities lighting up the gloom. At the same time, they were jointly bearing the weight of the massive [Sea of Bitterness], as well as the Dao Fruits residing within it. If he concentrated, he could even vaguely make out human figures within those torches.
'That is... the [Foundation Establishment Realm]!'
'Does that mean I am currently situated between the [Foundation Establishment Realm] and the [Sea of Bitterness]? But how does that work? Is my stature negative?'
'The World Honored One probably didn't do it like this.'
Lu Yang fell into deep thought.
This characteristic reminded him of the Netherworld that [Sky-shrouding] had once told him about, although the Netherworld was even more extreme than his [Vajradhatu].
'When the World Honored One refined the [Vajradhatu], he had most likely already stepped onto the Paramita. So, his [Vajradhatu] is located between the [Paramita] and the [Sea of Bitterness]'
'But I am still at the Golden Core stage.'
'Therefore, my situation has subtly misaligned with the World Honored One's... yet unexpectedly matches [Sky-shrouding]'s situation, bearing some similarities to the Netherworld.'
This was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
'If I use this place as my foundation—luring someone in first and then fighting them here—could I perhaps demote their stature, thereby enabling me to fight above my realm?'
Lu Yang's heart immediately skipped a beat.
In addition, such a secret realm located at the bottom of the [Sea of Bitterness] was an absolutely perfect hiding place to evade tribulations. It could serve as his lair.
'I can replicate the Star Palace's artifact-formation refiningtechniques here. As for the various resources needed to refine the artifact-formations, I can simply manipulate the conceptdirectly in here, combine and proportion them, and create them out of nothing! After all, the Star Palace's artifact-formations have always been famous for using low-quality materials but having detachable components.'
'Oh right, there's also the World Honored One's One Mind.'
[One Mind]
Lu Yang wore an amused expression. He wasn't particularly interested in [One Mind]; after all, he already had Banner Spirits. So, he planned to find a way to modify it.
'My [Divine Firmament Thunder] is on the verge of perfection.'
'Therefore, the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual for the [Divine Firmament Thunder] must also be put on the agenda.'
He already had a rough draft for the content of the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual in mind. The goal was very simple: to ensure that every single cultivator in the sea of light had undergo a tribulation!
'When the time comes, perhaps this place will prove useful.'
With this thought, Lu Yang suddenly waved his large hand. The immortal mountain scenery before him instantly dissolved into chaos—the result of all its concept being scattered by him.
Following that, the concept restructured.
A short while later, bright light danced and transformed into a majestic, towering palace. Vermilion watchtowers soared into the sky, and black jade steps cascaded downwards. Above the entrance, a single plaque hung high.
[Arctic Exorcism Court].