Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

Inside the shelter, time seemed to stand still. Only the faint hissing sound of the protective array and the eternally silent wind outside served as reminders of the approaching danger.

Lin Xuan (possessed by Elwin) sat cross-legged on the cold stone ground, casting aside the despair and panic of the original owner of this body, his mind entering a state of absolute calm and insight. His first priority was survival. The protective array's light was like a candle flickering in the wind, threatening to go out at any moment. Once the array shattered, the dense undercurrent outside would instantly engulf this last refuge.

He turned his gaze once more to the floating "Root Codex (Fragment)". This time, he wasn't looking at it from the perspective of a mage, but from the perspective of a cultivator, someone who had projected his image across the heavens and witnessed different power systems, to re-examine the "magic" of this world.

Elwin's memories were like a vast library, containing an immense wealth of knowledge about magical theories, meditation techniques, elemental cognition, and the structure of the magic network. Lin Xuan quickly and efficiently browsed and organized this information, comparing and contrasting it with his own knowledge of the cultivation system.

In the Azure Netherworld, the core of the path to immortality lies in "refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into emptiness, and refining emptiness into the Dao." Cultivators inhale and exhale the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, condensing true essence in their dantian to temper their soul and ultimately comprehend the laws of heaven and earth in order to transcend. Power originates from the interaction between oneself and heaven and earth, and true essence is highly condensed energy that is under one's absolute control.

According to the Root Codex and Elwin's understanding, the core of magic lies in "spiritual guidance and magical network response." Mages strengthen their spiritual power (soul power) through specific meditations, and then use this spiritual power to construct complex "spell models." This model is like a precise "key" or "command," which, through the connection between the soul and the "magical network," unlocks the vast elemental energy flowing within the network, thereby releasing spells.

"The Magic Network..." Lin Xuan mused. In the cultivation world, spiritual energy permeates the void, which cultivators directly absorb and refine. But in this world, energy (magic power) seems to be regulated and managed by a "network" that covers the entire world. Mages are not energy producers, but rather energy "dispatchers" and "programmers," requesting energy from the "central server" (the Magic Network) by writing the correct "code" (spells).

"Interesting." A hint of understanding flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. This model allows magic at the low to mid-levels to unleash spells far exceeding one's own energy reserves, provided that mental strength is sufficient and the spell formula is constructed correctly. These spells are incredibly powerful and diverse. However, the drawbacks are equally obvious—over-reliance on the external environment (the magic network). Once the magic network collapses or becomes unreachable, the mage is like a computer with its network cable unplugged, possessing powerful hardware (mental strength) and knowledge (spell formulas) but unable to utilize them effectively.

This also explains why, after the collapse of the magic network, despite having considerable magical knowledge and the mental strength of a high-level mage, Elwin could not even maintain a simple illumination spell and could only rely on the meager energy remaining in the spellbook and burning his life essence to survive.

"Then, what about elemental power?" Lin Xuan continued to delve deeper. Magic divides basic forces into elements such as earth, water, fire, wind, light, and darkness, which is similar to the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) and yin-yang concepts in the cultivation world.

He used his divine sense to carefully perceive the thin, violent, and polluted energy environment outside. Disregarding its polluting characteristics, he delved into its energy attributes.

The restlessness and explosiveness of the fire element, and the intense heat and rising of fire-attribute spiritual energy in the cultivation world, are essentially similar, both representing "movement" and "change." The fluidity and inclusiveness of the water element, and the resilience and nourishment of water-attribute spiritual energy, share the same core, both symbolizing "gentleness" and "life." The heaviness and stability of the earth element, and the condensation and bearing of earth-attribute spiritual energy, though different in path, ultimately embody "stillness" and "concealment." The lightness and swiftness of the wind element, while not entirely corresponding to the "wood" attribute in the Five Elements (representing growth and expansion), leaning more towards a kind of "dynamic momentum," also resonates with the cultivation world's understanding of the "wind" way (all-pervasive and unpredictable). The purification and order of the light element, and the erosion and chaos of the dark element, subtly correspond to the clear yang and turbid yin in the concept of yin and yang.

"All laws share the same origin; they are all different interpretations and applications of the fundamental laws of the universe." A sense of sudden enlightenment rose in Lin Xuan's heart. Whether it's cultivation of immortality or magic, the source of their power points to the underlying rules that constitute the world. It's just that the perspective of cognition, the channels of utilization, and the focus are different.

This profound understanding deepened his comprehension of the path of cultivation. Previously vague notions about the five elements' interactions and the transformation of yin and yang became increasingly clear after comparing them with theories of magical elements. The drop of liquid true essence within his dantian also seemed to become more refined and fluid, and his perception of the surrounding world (even though it was an alien world) became more acute.

His cultivation had made some progress silently and without anyone noticing.

However, increased awareness cannot immediately resolve the immediate crisis. He remains trapped in this weakened body, facing crumbling defenses and omnipresent undercurrents.

His gaze once again fell on the hypothetical statement in the "Origin Codex" about "bypassing the magic net and directly touching the origin of the rules with the soul".

"The soul touches the rules..." Lin Xuan murmured to himself. In the cultivation world, high-level cultivators also need to use powerful divine sense to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, but that is based on having abundant true essence and being able to draw upon and bear the power of the laws. But here, energy is depleted, and directly "touching" the rules is no different from a mortal trying to grab a red-hot iron with bare hands, which is extremely dangerous.

However, he seems to have an advantage—the essence of his consciousness is a "projection" that transcends this level! His core soul contains the mysterious power of "Projection of All Heavens," which touches the origin of all heavens and myriad worlds!

Perhaps, he could try an extremely bold approach—without relying on any external energy of this world (whether it be residual magic or polluted spiritual energy), but solely using the most essential "divine thought" or "will" carried by his own projected consciousness to directly communicate with and invoke the world's... "fire" rules!

It's not about casting a fireball spell, but about trying to make a wisp of the concept of "fire" appear here!

This is an unprecedented challenge. Success might open a path to survival; failure could result in a direct backlash from the rules, or even attract stronger undercurrents of attention.

Lin Xuan glanced at the increasingly dim protective light shield and no longer hesitated.

He closed his eyes, completely severing the connection with the weakened senses of this body, and immersing his entire mind in the core of his projected consciousness. He recalled all the descriptions of fire elements in Elwin's memories, recalled the understanding of the Dao of Fire in the cultivation world, and more importantly, he mobilized the "fire" conception within his own Dao heart—a concept that could burn everything but also bring light!

This is not true essence, nor magic, but a pure "thought," a call to and resonance with the rules of "fire"!

He carefully and gently placed this wisp of "intention," which embodied his entire understanding of "fire," into the surrounding silent, cold sea of ​​rules, like a pebble thrown into an ancient well.

At first, there was no reaction. It was as if a stone had sunk into the sea. The surrounding darkness and cold remained, with only the nauseating, corrosive feeling of the undercurrent.

Lin Xuan was not discouraged. His Dao heart remained as steady as a rock, and he continued to maintain that wisp of "fire" intent with unwavering focus.

One breath, two breaths, ten breaths...

Just as he felt his own consciousness beginning to weaken from this unreserved "output"—

"laugh!"

A sound, extremely faint yet as powerful as the creation of the world, suddenly rang out in the void where his mind was focused!

A tiny flame, smaller than a pinhead and pure orange-red in color, suddenly leaped out of thin air without warning!

Without relying on any fuel or drawing on any external energy, it burned quietly, emitting a faint yet incredibly real light and heat! This light and heat formed an extremely stark contrast with the overall grayness, deathly silence, and coldness of the world!

It worked!

However, the instant this faint flame appeared, Lin Xuan clearly felt that the omnipresent undercurrents around him, like an enraged swarm of bees, became even more active and violent! Like sharks that had smelled blood, they surged wildly from all directions toward this tiny flame and Lin Xuan's consciousness at its source!

The newly born flame flickered violently under the onslaught of the dense dark current, its light dimming rapidly, as if it would be extinguished at any moment!

A fierce glint flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes.

Do you want to extinguish the first ray of light I ignited?

It's not that easy!

He endured the weakness and stinging pain that came through his consciousness, and poured more of his "intention" into that wisp of flame! It was not energy, but his unbreakable "Dao Heart", his persistence in "light" and "existence"!

"Awesome!"

With the support of his will, the flame that was about to go out suddenly stabilized and even grew stronger! The orange-red light stubbornly resisted the encroachment of the darkness. Although its range was still small, it was like a lighthouse in the night, firmly illuminating this small area!

At that very moment, Lin Xuan felt that his understanding of the rules of "fire" had undergone a rigorous refinement, becoming clearer and more profound than ever before. Even more so, through this flame ignited by his will, he established an extremely faint yet undeniably real connection with this desolate world!

An unprecedented path seemed to have been pried open in this desperate situation by him in the most ruthless and direct way!