Ding Huan at this moment was gaunt and skeletal, his mind was haunted by one recurring question.
How could he ensure his foundation would not limit the heights of Daoist cultivation he could achieve in the future?
He had integrated the gene spiritual root for cultivation, but was this spirit root different from ordinary spirit roots?
Initially, he had integrated genes for injury recovery, detoxification, and Illusion Eye…
Ding Huan suddenly froze, hadn’t he resolved this issue before?
He had considered that no matter which genetic ability he integrated, the integrated genetic ability would be fixed at the level it was obtained.
As his cultivation level increased, this ability would no longer suffice.
To solve this problem, he dissolved useless gene fragments and identified the genetic ability fragments he needed, these were the Alien Gene Ability Fragments.
Turning Alien Gene Ability Fragments into his own skill was not merely relying on the innate abilities of the alien gene.
Instead, it was transforming this genetic ability into his own attribute ability through the expression method of the alien gene.
He had succeeded and had created a completely new gene.
This new gene was his own genetic ability, one that would enhance as his cultivation level increased.
Otherwise, why would he rely on the ordinary Detoxification Gene of a White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape to counter the Illusion Poison of Han Baeng?
It was because the detoxification gene in him was no longer that of the White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape but his own Detoxification Gene, which improved as his power enhanced.
Since this was the case, the foundation he constructed could also follow this method.
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He needed to build such a foundation, one that would become more solid as his cultivation level improved.
He absolutely could not let the future enhancements rest solely on the foundation he established early on; if so, no matter how deep that foundation was, it would eventually collapse.
How then could he ensure the foundation he built enhanced with his cultivation level?
No, it should be that every time he cultivated, his foundation would enhance accordingly.
He was different from others, he was a gene spiritual root…
Gene spiritual root?
Given this, why should he adhere to the ordinary cultivation methods of common people? What Qi Refinement, Qi Transformation into Spirit, what do these have to do with him?
He simply needed to make his gene spiritual root stronger, and his cultivation technique also had to match the gene spiritual root.
By integrating the detoxification gene from the White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, he had generated a detoxification gene, and by merging the recovery gene from the Fire Lizard, his injury recovery had strengthened…
But he couldn’t always think about integrating various genetic types and abilities to enhance his genetic diversity and power, right?
In the vast universe, how many genes exist?
If he were to extract each gene once, even if an extraction took only a minute, he feared he would never finish.
Could he create a cultivation technique where, no matter where he cultivated, if that place had the genes he needed, he could choose to integrate or not integrate them?
Just like opening Pandora’s box, when Ding Huan thought of this, endless genetic knowledge and cultivation methods filled his mind.
Such a strong resolve from Ding Huan also made him dizzy with the bombardment of this plethora of information.
After an unknown duration, when Ding Huan spat out a Blood Arrow, he finally snapped out of it.
Rubbing his still clouded mind, Ding Huan swallowed a handful of Energy Capsules.
He didn’t have a Fasting Pill now, so he had to rely on Energy Capsules.
This wouldn’t do; he absolutely couldn’t continue like this.
Relying purely on the Luo Shijin would definitely not realize his ideas.
The reason was simple, for the current Ding Huan, Luo Shijin was just a bit resistant, fundamentally unable to accommodate his wildly innovative thoughts.
He needed a much broader cultivation technique platform, and then let his ideas bear fruit on this platform.
Even if he merged billions of genes, it would not cause this cultivation technique platform to collapse.
Such a boundless cultivation technique platform existed only in one place, that was the vast universe.
No matter how many genes, how many species, how many lives, they all existed within this vast universe.
As long as one day he hadn’t stepped on this vast universe beneath his feet, his cultivation technique would never have an end, and his foundation would never collapse.
Ding Huan’s Divine Will had been tempered in this boundless universe.
Now, thinking again of this boundless universe, he desired even more to find his direction for the Great Dao foundation in this limitless universe.
The Cosmic Map, which he had tempered his Divine Will with for two years in the universe, appeared in his mind, from blurry to clear, then gaining a sense of hierarchy…
In this vast universe, he was like a speck of dust.
The moment a speck of dust appeared in his consciousness, Ding Huan felt a clear starry sky map emerging in his mind.
Yes, he was now the star dust.
He would start cultivating from the dust.
His first step on the Great Dao was the Star Dust, this speck of dust wandering in the vast universe.
He desired to no longer wander in the vast universe, then he had to make this speck of dust grow bigger and stronger, to become a Star Nebula.
At that moment, Ding Huan seemed to transform into a nascent universe.
His blood, flesh, bones, even his hair and breath, were all within this vast universe.
"Greatness lies in the absence of borders, majesty in the all-encompassing, profound silences echo the universe’s voiceless, and the grand forms remain formless, the Dao conceals the unnamed…"
(The meaning refers to the boundless universe, the starry heavens like bamboo mats, the myriad stars silent and formless, within which lies infinite mysteries and cosmic laws… from the Tao Te Ching.)
Ding Huan unconsciously felt the first Cosmic Cycle, in that moment, he was the universe, his Cycle was the Cosmic Cycle. He felt the Daoist Skill, which belonged to his own Cosmic Law...
The first Cosmic Cycle ended, and that mysterious feeling instantly disappeared.
Ding Huan excitedly opened his eyes, aware that something about his location was off.
The Star Dust Realm he had derived was equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Realm of refining essence into Qi, and his derived Star Nebula Realm was what others referred to as the Foundation Establishment Realm.
With the vast universe as the foundation of his Great Dao, as long as the universe still existed, no matter how high his cultivation rose, his foundation would not crumble.
Ding Huan stood up, knowing he had to leave West Wind City to find the place of Foundation Establishment.
Compared to before, he was clear about where he needed to go.
That was in the starry sky, where he would transform his Luo Shijin through a new cultivation technique, turning the Qi Cultivation phase into the Star Dust Stage.
Once he forged the Star Nebula, his vast universe would have a fledgling form, meaning he had succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
"Brother Huan, you finally finished your closed-door cultivation…"
Yan Mei watched Ding Huan walking out and paused halfway through her sentence.
After a few moments, she stammered, "Brother Huan, what happened to you?"
Others who went into closed-door cultivation not only improved their cultivation, but also their vitality and spirits.
Ding Huan, after a few months of closed-door cultivation, looked as though he had been indulging in Joy Stick for months.
He was even frailer than Peng Leizhi, with messy hair. Could a few months of indulging in Joy Stick really lead to this?
"How long was I in closed cultivation?" Ding Huan asked, seemingly unconcerned.
He even felt that these months of seclusion would determine the pinnacle of his life.
"It’s been over three months. Also, Nu Rong came looking for you more than once during this period."
Almost as soon as Yan Mei’s voice fell, a woman’s voice came from outside:
"Captain Yan, has Mr. Ding finished his cultivation?"
Ding Huan laughed:
"Sister Rong, I just finished. Please come in."
Nu Rong, hearing Ding Huan’s voice, hurriedly stepped into the courtyard and, upon seeing Ding Huan’s appearance, was even more shocked than Yan Mei:
"Mr. Ding, what’s happened to you?"
Ding Huan waved his hand:
"I need to step out for a bit, did you need something?"
Nu Rong quickly said:
"I went to Tao City once, and in Tao City, I found that a Sect was looking for you, it seemed to be the Dual Soul Sect."
Hearing this, Yan Mei involuntarily shivered.
The Dual Soul Sect was the one she feared most.
Ding Huan nodded:
"Thank you, since they are focusing on Tao City, it means it’s unlikely they’ll find West Wind City anytime soon."
"Yes, I just came to inform you about this," Nu Rong said, then made to leave.
Ding Huan asked:
"Sister Rong, I also want to ask if there’s a simple way to leave Triple Star Land for the starry sky?"
Nu Rong paused, then said:
"There are many locations in the Taoist Realm that lead to the starry sky, but all these places are controlled by Sects or certain forces, and ordinary people can’t access them. Some companies can access the starry sky from the Mortal World. For us of this status in the Taoist Realm, it’s a bit difficult..."
Here, she seemed to recall something and hurriedly spoke:
"Mr. Ding, I remember I told you before, there are rumors that there’s a vortex in Hidden Sword Mountain that connects to the starry sky. But there’s much hearsay, and no one has confirmed it, plus Hidden Sword Mountain is always enveloped in Poison Fog and is inaccessible."
Ding Huan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked her again.
Nu Rong chatted briefly then excused herself, her main purpose being to alert Ding Huan that the Dual Soul Sect was after him.
She greatly admired Ding Huan and guessed that his presence in West Wind City was likely due to insufficient qualifications.
Otherwise, with Ding Huan’s capabilities, he would have long been a disciple of a Great Sect.
She relayed this information partly to befriend Ding Huan and partly because she did not want someone like him to be taken away by the Dual Soul Sect.
"Brother Huan, are you leaving Triple Star Land?" Yan Mei asked anxiously.
"You’ve done well, not only managing West Wind City excellently but also reaching the fourth level of Qi Cultivation. I’ll go to Hidden Sword Mountain to see if I can leave, and I’ll come back for you and Lao Liu if I can. If I don’t return for you, just wait for me here," Ding Huan was very satisfied with Yan Mei.
Yan Mei rejoiced, "Thank you, Brother Huan."
Ding Huan patted Yan Mei:
"Don’t worry, the Dual Soul Sect absolutely won’t find this place in the short term, and they would never imagine we would be in such a low-level city."
"I’m just worried someone might do as Sister Rong did and go to Tao City, telling our information to the Dual Soul Sect," Yan Mei expressed her concern.
Ding Huan nodded, "That’s a possibility, but definitely not a high one. Sister Rong is in the real estate business, and with our help, she has plenty of Crystal Stones. How many of the ordinary people living here have the qualifications to go to Tao City?"