Chapter 162: The Art of the World Within a Pot
Yu Xian idly sat there for a while. When he realized that the other three would probably not make it over anytime soon, he turned back to Li Zhangzong. Craning his neck for a furtive look, he saw Li Zhangzong holding a calligraphy brush, writing on a black stone stele.
The heart is the vessel of the Dao, the spirit is the foundation of divinity.
When body and spirit become one, one may seize the workings of heaven and earth, refine the essence of yin and yang, and manifest the transformations of heaven and earth.
Contain Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed, hide the sun and moon within a pot, gather the river of stars within a square inch, and behold past and present in a single instant.
Every character Li Zhangzong wrote carried a tranquil rhythm. Yu Xian watched him in silence. His restless heart gradually calmed, and that wondrous cadence soothed away all his scattered thoughts.
Li Zhangzong clearly did not mind him peeking. After filling one stone stele, he took out another and continued writing.
So vast that nothing lies beyond it, yet so small that nothing lies within it.
Neither outside nor inside, neither lost nor destroyed.
United with the void, neither lacking nor overflowing, blending all until they merge into one...
Li Zhangzong wrote at an unhurried pace, and Yu Xian was in no rush either. One quietly wrote, while the other quietly watched.
About two hours later, Mystic Light and Scarlet Kite finally arrived one after the other. Li Zhangzong lightly waved his hand, and two meditation cushions landed before the two newcomers. The two of them glanced at Yu Xian, then each took a seat.
Soon, they noticed that Yu Xian was watching Li Zhangzong write and began sneaking glances as well. However, after watching for more than ten minutes, they grew bored. Although Li Zhangzong's calligraphy was excellent, they felt that he was merely writing grand yet empty platitudes.
Instead, they looked at the young man from Azure Dragon for a while. All he did was run around like a headless fly. Not interested in watching him anymore, they took out their phones and occupied themselves with them.
Another hour passed before Li Zhangzong finally put away his brush. After watching him finish the final character, Yu Xian slowly closed his eyes. His Super Brain operated at full speed, while the mutated Blood Energy within his dantian churned as though it were boiling. Suddenly, the surrounding space became somewhat unstable. The vast area, equivalent to more than a dozen football fields, contracted slightly.
This immediately caught Li Zhangzong's attention. He turned to look at Yu Xian, first in surprise, then in delight, before bursting into laughter.
Mystic Light and Scarlet Kite stared at this scene in shock. They vaguely sensed that they had missed some great opportunity, yet they also felt a deep sense of defeat. Even if they had not missed it, they likely would not have been capable of grasping it.
***
What Li Zhangzong had inscribed on the stone stele was the Art of the World Within a Pot, a supreme spatial ability of creating a pocket dimension capable of rivaling the legendary Cosmos Within the Sleeve. The writing on the stele detailed how to open a pocket dimension, how to use it, how to strengthen it, and how to wield it against enemies.
Yu Xian had learned all of it. His spatial affinity had always been exceptionally strong, and he faced virtually no barriers when learning spatial arts. Coupled with Li Zhangzong's "guidance," he had now mastered the Art of the World Within a Pot in its entirety.
He immediately tried using it. The Art of Vast Within, Small Without.
As he opened his eyes, a potworld bubble the size of a marble appeared at the tip of his right index finger, yet he could insert his entire left hand into that marble-sized bubble.
The Art of Small Within, Vast Without.
When he cast this ability, the marble-sized bubble became denser and more opaque, resembling a glass bead.
Yu Xian withdrew his left hand, only to find that it had shrunk to an impossibly small size. The transition between his normal-sized arm and shrunken hand looked like a physical deformity, but no matter how much he moved it, that minuscule joint never snapped.
The Art of the World Within a Pot was a supreme ability composed of eight divine abilities and nine spells. The eight divine abilities were Establish the Foundation, Steal Heaven's Workings, Refine Yin and Yang, Transform Heaven and Earth, Contain Mount Sumeru, Conceal the Sun and Moon, Gather the River of Stars, and Observe Past and Present.
The nine spells were the Art of Vast Within, Small Without; the Art of Small Within, Vast Without; the Art of So Vast That Nothing Lies Beyond; the Art of So Small That Nothing Lies Within; the Art of Neither Outside nor Inside; the Art of Neither Lost nor Destroyed; the Art of Mending the Void; the Art of Neither Excessiveness nor Deficiency; and the Art of Blending All.
Anyone who mastered these eight divine abilities and nine spells could create a pocket dimension, steal spatial energy from other worlds, and even nurture a miniature world of their own.
The space the four of them were currently in was Li Zhangzong's pocket dimension. Just moments ago, Yu Xian had used Steal Heaven's Workings to siphon away a portion of its spatial energy. Using his mutated Blood Energy as the foundation, he had then created an extremely tiny pocket dimension of his own.
Only now did Yu Xian's brain stop operating at such a frantic pace. He exhaled a breath of hot air, then bowed to Li Zhangzong. "Thank you for the teachings, Elder Li!"
Li Zhangzong chuckled warmly, his gaze filled with admiration. "This was an opportunity born of your own fortune. There is no need for such formalities."
Whenever the country sent over a promising young talent, Li Zhangzong would attempt to teach them the Art of the World Within a Pot. Yet, in several centuries, Yu Xian was the only person who had ever succeeded in learning it.
Li Zhangzong's expression grew solemn. "However, this old man must give you a warning. Never steal more of heaven's workings than you can bear. Otherwise, the backlash will condemn you beyond all hope of recovery."
Yu Xian nodded. "Senior, I will remember it."
At present, only a tiny amount of spatial energy remained inside him. By combining it with his mutated Blood Energy, he could create potworld bubbles, which could also be called pocket dimension bubbles.
The spatial energy contained within these bubbles was now fundamentally different from that in his previous spatial bubbles. Although the space inside his old spatial bubbles was self-contained, it still belonged to the original world. It was roughly like water taken from the same river. When the bubbles burst, the water inside and outside would not repel each other.
The spatial energy inside Yu Xian's potworld bubbles, however, was more like magma. If one of them burst within the river, the magma and water would immediately clash. Since there was far less magma, it would naturally cool down and solidify.
By containing this spatial energy within his body, Yu Xian effectively wedged himself between two different forms of spatial energy. For now, the spatial energy inside him was still weak, so he could withstand the pressure. But as it continued to grow, the pressure generated between the two would grow increasingly immense as well.
It was like two planets on the verge of colliding. Caught between them, Yu Xian would be crushed flat in an instant.
Of course, this problem was not impossible to solve. First and foremost, he needed a sufficiently powerful foundation. Only a strong enough foundation could withstand greater spatial energy.
Yu Xian did not know what Elder Li had used as his foundation, but he himself had chosen the mutated Blood Energy within his body. As long as he continued strengthening it, the amount of spatial energy he could contain would also keep increasing.
The greatest advantage of using mutated Blood Energy as his foundation was that he did not have to worry about it being destroyed. A foundation was essentially akin to a bonded weapon. If an enemy destroyed it, its owner would suffer an unimaginably severe backlash. Blood Energy could not be destroyed at all, and it could indeed support the Art of the World Within a Pot. To Yu Xian, using mutated Blood Energy as his foundation was simply perfect.
Li Zhangzong had recognized this as well. That was why he thought so highly of Yu Xian and believed that Yu Xian could go farther than he ever had with the Art of the World Within a Pot.
After confirming that Yu Xian had truly mastered the technique, Li Zhangzong looked toward the young man from Azure Dragon, who was still wandering around in circles, and sighed helplessly. How can the gap between two people possibly be this vast?