Mortal: Li Feiyu, who came from the realm of a supreme being

"Since Luoyun Sect intends to forcefully elevate Ruyin to the Core Formation stage, then we should fully cooperate. However, we must be careful to conceal our martial arts foundation. With the Supreme Elder's life-extending Qi and the sect's resources, Core Formation shouldn't be a problem. But Ruyin should also give back more appropriately. Tell her that she can make proper use of the results of that forbidden formation from back then." Li Feiyu replied to the message via the Ten Thousand Mile Talisman.

He was not surprised that Xin Ruyin was valued so highly by the sect. She was a genius in array formations and did not need to undergo any life-or-death trials on her own. She only needed to provide array support for the sect.

Even ordinary sects need protective formations to protect their mountains, let alone places like the Three Sects of Yunmeng, which possess great treasures.

If it weren't for the Yunmeng Three Sects having a genuine need for her, and Xin Ruyin being a true genius in array formations, plus the fact that she had already established her foundation and was no longer on the verge of death, giving her some room to maneuver, the Luoyun Sect would likely not have insisted on elevating her. After all, if Xin Ruyin's chronic illness wasn't resolved, even if she reached the Core Formation stage, her lifespan would only be three or four hundred years, which would be somewhat counterproductive.

"Young Master, dinner is ready. Shall we eat now?" Yan Ruyan asked.

At this moment, her black hair was styled into a cloud-like bun, adorned with gold hairpins, and pearl earrings swayed gently with her steps. A gold chain around her neck reflected a warm and lustrous green jade, which further accentuated her clear and bright eyes.

She wore a pink satin ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a matching wide-sleeved blouse embroidered on it. The blouse was decorated with pink and white flowers and green branches and leaves. The soft satin surface shimmered with a subtle light. As she walked, it was as if a spring breeze was blowing, and flowers bloomed with every step. She exuded a gentle and graceful aura with a touch of otherworldly charm.

Li Feiyu was actually quite attracted to her looks, but this woman was a bit difficult to handle. It wasn't that he couldn't, but he didn't want to put in the effort. His ideal home front was as stable as Han Yunshu's and Xin Ruyin's.

Yan Ruyan is a woman who is good at hiding herself and has a deep mind. It is difficult to open up to her and even more difficult to trust her.

"Wow, grilled squid, I love it." Li Feiyu felt instantly refreshed.

In fact, although their cultivation method progressed slowly, after more than ten years they had already entered the Foundation Establishment stage again and were able to abstain from grains.

But once the habit was formed, even Yan Ruyan still maintains the habit of eating only one meal a day.

In Li Feiyu's words, there aren't many things in this world that can bring joy and happiness, and eating is definitely one of them. Since cultivating immortality is a dead end anyway, there's no need to be harsh on oneself when it comes to pleasure.

Although it was unpleasant to hear, Yan Ruyan didn't dare to argue, so she could only accept it silently.

The two ate with their mouths greasy, completely losing their composure.

However, barbecue with rice wine is indeed a delightful combination of eating and drinking.

At times like these, even someone as complex as Yan Ruyan can feel a moment of peace, as if all burdens have been lifted.

Unfortunately, this relaxation was short-lived.

After dinner, the two lay on the beach gazing at the starry sky, and Yan Ruyan finally asked the question that had been hidden in her heart for more than ten years.

"Young master, there's no backup from Yuhua Kingdom, is there?"

"Yes... you guessed it a long time ago, why are you only asking now?" Li Feiyu asked with some curiosity.

Looking at the starry sky, Yan Ruyan said, "Because I am powerless to change anything, and I can't control anything. Just like when the Yan Family Fortress sided with the demonic path, I could only follow orders and accept all the arrangements made by the family."

Are you trying to claim you're innocent?

"Young master is joking. There are no innocent cultivators. It's just a matter of who deserves to die more." Yan Ruyan's tone was slightly somber.

Li Feiyu was somewhat surprised. Did she really think that way?

"So now that you've asked, do you think you have the ability to change something?" Li Feiyu asked curiously.

Yan Ruyan sighed: "Of course not, I just suddenly feel that family is no longer important."

"When did this happen?"

"I don't know, it's like suddenly, I felt like my family wasn't important anymore... I can't really explain that feeling."

Yan Ruyan was silent for a moment, her voice calm in the sea breeze, yet carrying a hint of lightness and uncertainty as if a heavy burden had been lifted:

"Perhaps... it was after arriving here. Looking at this boundless, unfamiliar sea, with no end in sight, everything from the past—Yan Family Fortress, Ghost Spirit Sect, the marriage alliance—seems as distant as a dream from another world. When the family needed me, I was a 'treasure' of the Heavenly Spirit Root; when the family was in danger, I was a 'bargaining chip' to save their lives; even now, I am nothing more than a 'tool' to help you cultivate."

She paused slightly, her tone shifting to a calm, almost self-deprecating tone:

"For the past twenty years, I've lived like an exquisite puppet. Every step I took was preordained, and even 'hatred' or 'resentment' seemed superfluous. Now, I have no way of knowing whether my family will survive or perish, nor can I change it. Rather than torturing myself with a vague notion of the 'Flower Rain Kingdom,' I should... face reality."

Her voice gradually lowered, carrying a hint of confusion and hesitation:

"Young Master once said that cultivators should plan their own 'path'. I am foolish and still do not know where my 'path' lies. But at least now... I no longer have to live for my family. If this body and this heavenly spiritual root are of any use to your cultivation, then please... give me a path to walk. Even if this path was originally drawn by someone else's scheme."

Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu flipped over and pinned her down, looking into her eyes and asking, "Are you sure?"

Yan Ruyan's heart pounded like a drum, her breath hitched, and her body instinctively stiffened for a moment before she forced herself to relax.

"Young master... there's no need to ask any further. Ruyan's life and fate were no longer her own more than ten years ago. What lies ahead is entirely up to you."

Li Feiyu simply looked at her, without taking any further action. He knew that Yan Ruyan was seeking the Dharma, specifically the follow-up techniques of the "True Yang Transformation into Yin Technique".

She must have compared her current cultivation method with the "Blood Spirit Great Art" and was quite satisfied with her current foundation, which is why she wanted to continue down this path.

After Li Feiyu got up, he pulled her up and said, "Not bad, not bad. You can now plan for your own path, which is a huge improvement. Although cultivating immortality is a dead end, if you don't die, whether you become the founder of the Yan family or the patriarch of the Yan sect in the future, it's all up to you. I know what you want, and I can give it to you, but you need a good reason."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruyan took a few steps back, bowed deeply, and then returned to her cave.

As Li Feiyu watched the graceful figure disappear into the distance, she was thinking about something else entirely.

That is... what is orthodox and unorthodox?

Now his path is clear. Heaven and earth, yin and yang, birth and death each have a clear position and representation. He can proceed step by step to complete the process and allow the inner world to undergo a complete transformation.

However, the concepts of "orthodox" and "unorthodox" that represent the ultimate method remain somewhat vague.

When he first grasped the concept, he believed that the orthodox and the unorthodox were the "methods," and that this final step required seclusion and contemplation.

But now, after more than ten years of cultivation, he has a new perspective on this.

This "law" may not be something that can be understood through enlightenment; in essence, this world doesn't value enlightenment at all.

"Therefore, this path of orthodoxy and unorthodoxy should be a law that can move heaven and earth, which is chaos! The Heavenly Dao of this world hides its laws and principles, and its order is as solid as an iron plate. All cultivation follows the rules within its pre-set 'sandbox'. Ordinary struggles, killings, and even the devastation of life may seem chaotic, but in reality, they still operate within its default order of 'survival of the fittest and resource recycling,' and cannot be considered true 'chaos.'"

"The real 'disruption of the law' is to disrupt the 'natural order' itself, which is 'hidden and unseen' and 'rock-solid.' It is to make those rules that it tries to hide, simplify, or regard as taboos be disturbed by certain 'anomalies' and forced to reveal a trace of their true nature."

"Just like when I used the 'Myriad Paths of the Forest' to perform the act of 'devouring the Dao,' forcibly devouring and refining the laws of birth and death, the inner world clashed violently. Two external rules ruthlessly cleansed the old framework, and I was able to glimpse a trace of the true outline of the underlying laws of this world in that 'chaotic phenomenon of rules' of destruction and rebirth."

"So, by that logic... any action that can break the normal operating logic of this world and cause 'abnormalities at the rule level' could perhaps become a 'miracle method' to pry open a crack in the Heavenly Dao?"

"Therefore, I need to create some chaotic events. This way, I can glimpse more hidden 'laws' and 'principles' from these 'cracks.' When the Six Paths are perfected and the inner world is fully transformed, I can further integrate the inner and outer realms, condense my Dharma form, and create the outer realm!"

Having considered this point, Li Feiyu had already developed a general plan for what would happen next.

After more than ten years of seclusion, although his cultivation progress was slower than before, his magical power was much stronger than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator due to his practice of the supreme Yang technique. In addition, the magical power generated by the entanglement of the life and death forces within his inner world was also a factor. By the time he reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, the total amount of magical power in his body would probably be close to that of a cultivator in the early Core Formation stage.

……

Two years later, Wanlifu sent another message.

Xin Ruyin has completed the creation of a brand new set of the Inverted Five Elements Array. In addition, over the past ten years, she has finally opened four of her acupoints and mastered the Mingyu Gong to the sixth level. She will now need to go into seclusion for a long period of time to cultivate.

It's quite difficult for a sect to cultivate a Nascent Soul cultivator, but cultivating a Core Formation cultivator isn't too difficult; it's just that almost no sect does it that way.

After all, the cultivation world adheres to the concept of natural selection and believes that Core Formation achieved in this way is a waste of resources with no future.

Xin Ruyin is different. She doesn't need combat power. Her purpose is to live and have the cultivation level to support her research on high-level formations.

To be honest, Li Feiyu had similar ideas in mind when he asked Han Yunshu and Xin Ruyin to stay in Tiannan.

The situation in the Chaotic Star Sea is quite unstable and not suitable for Xin Ruyin. Unlike ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, her lifespan has been halved by the Dragon Roar Body, so even if she were to reach Foundation Establishment, she would only live for a short hundred years.

However, the fact that Luo Yun Sect was willing to invest in her so much and forcefully promote her to the Core Formation stage was still far beyond Li Feiyu's expectations. Originally, they wanted to use Han Yunshu's status as a disciple with a Heavenly Spiritual Root to provide Xin Ruyin with some convenience and resources. It can only be said that it is indeed the sect with the best atmosphere that Han Yunshu approves of.

The Wanli Talisman Communication feels like quantum entanglement; by "writing" on the surface of the jade talisman with divine sense or spiritual power, the text will immediately appear on the paired jade talisman.

Li Feiyu rarely chats with Han Yunshu online. This kind of thing is quite rare, and it would be difficult for her to explain if it were discovered.

However, sometimes they would still chat for a long time, and Li Feiyu would use his limited words to tell interesting stories about the Chaotic Star Sea.

Of course, as someone who lives in Taiwan, the interesting stories he shared all came from novels; he didn't have much actual travel experience.