Chapter 573 - 566: Attempt
"And I... have found a clear and feasible path."
At Zhou Yuanjue’s words, Lei Yi’s pupils contracted sharply.
Saint Awakening. Even now, it remained a chasm nearly impossible to cross.
The reason was simple: breaking through to Saint Awakening involved the enigmatic workings of the brain. No one truly understood the correct path; they could only feel their way across the river, one stone at a time.
Just as Zhou Yuanjue had said, countless Martial Artists possessed resolute minds and powerful wills. Their understanding of the Martial Dao and of life itself had reached an extremely high level. One could say that at the peak of the Martial Artist ranks, the gap in individual strength was no longer distinct.
Yet some could leap across and break their shackles, while others might remain trapped for a lifetime. The only difference was a matter of chance.
But such chances were far too illusory and unpredictable, symbolizing that humanity had yet to truly grasp the path to this realm.
If what Zhou Yuanjue said was true—that he had found a clear path—then one could only imagine how many peak Martial Artists would benefit. How many more individuals who had broken the first shackle would appear across the globe?
This would be an epoch-making event for all of Human Society. Humanity’s very level of existence would be elevated, ushering in a truly new era.
As the first being on Earth, from ancient times to the present, to have broken the second life shackle, Zhou Yuanjue’s influence on the evolutionary path of the planet’s entire ecosphere was beginning to manifest.
Just like the countless great figures in history, the emergence of a single great individual would change the entire world.
"What is it?"
Lei Yi asked in a deep voice.
"I once mentioned in my Instinct Theory that the secret to achieving Saint Awakening is to exist, for a single instant, at the nexus of life and death. The brain enters a state of unconscious shutdown, but the Spirit remains lucid and active. Through this, the Spirit can temporarily suppress the body’s greatest bastion of instinct, dismantle the self-preservation of the body’s magnetic field, and thereby unleash its own power."
"To this day, I still believe this theory is entirely correct. The true difficulty lies in the fact that we have not found a practical method to induce a state of unconscious shutdown in the brain while keeping the Spirit active."
"But after experiencing the pull of the Three Rivers Return Path, a Natural Magnetic Field, I believe I’ve found a way to overcome this obstacle," Zhou Yuanjue said.
"You mean to have them connect their consciousness to the Three Rivers Return Path and be drawn into it, thereby achieving that special state between life and death?"
"That is indeed a promising direction. However, as you said, the pull that the Three Rivers Return Path’s Natural Magnetic Field exerts on a human’s conscious magnetic field is so powerful that even an expert like Beichuan Xuanxin would have immense difficulty escaping. It would be impossible for Martial Artists who haven’t even broken the first shackle."
Lei Yi said with a frown.
"You’re absolutely right. Back then, it took a considerable amount of my Power to escape from that immense Natural Magnetic Field. The Willpower Strength of a peak Martial Artist would be insufficient."
"Therefore, my plan isn’t to have them enter the Three Rivers Return Path. Instead, I want to simulate its pull on the will, temporarily drawing their will out of their bodies without them being completely swept into the path itself."
"This way, their conscious magnetic field won’t have to face that overwhelming pull directly. They will only need to hold fast to their core, maintain their sense of self, and ultimately return to their bodies while their conscious magnetic field is exposed to the vast Natural Magnetic Field. Though there are still considerable risks, this is a clear path worth attempting."
"This is precisely the subject I have been researching these past few days," Zhou Yuanjue nodded and said.
"You called me here. It seems your research has produced results?"
Lei Yi asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Of course. Before, I could never have had this level of understanding of the human body, the will, nature, or magnetic fields. But now, with a much higher perspective, many things have become remarkably simple."
"I’ve now basically mastered how to control the pull of the Three Rivers Return Path. However, without a suitable test subject, I can’t guarantee to what depth the will might be drawn into the path, which makes it difficult to make the right adjustments and maintain control."
"If I were to use ordinary Martial Artists as test subjects and misjudged the control, sending them too deep, it could be fatal. Your will, however, is exceptionally strong. Even if a mistake is made, there would still be a chance to pull you back. That’s why I asked you to come," Zhou Yuanjue said with a smile.
"So that’s it. You brat, you wanted me to be your guinea pig."
Lei Yi shook his head and chuckled.
"So? Are you willing? I’m fairly confident, but there are still significant risks," Zhou Yuanjue said.
"Of course, it’s no problem. Never mind that this is for the good of the world and all of humanity—a cause for which I’d gladly risk my life to help you—on a personal level, I’m incredibly curious about the magnetic field and the state you’ve described."
Lei Yi boomed with laughter, his face completely devoid of fear.
"No time to waste. Take a moment to prepare, and we’ll begin immediately," Zhou Yuanjue said.
"No need. Let’s start now," Lei Yi said.
"Very well. Let go of your will’s resistance. Place your complete trust in my magnetic field and power, and I’ll handle the rest," Zhou Yuanjue said.
Lei Yi nodded, sat cross-legged before Zhou Yuanjue, and slowly closed his eyes, focusing his Spirit completely.
VMMMM!!
Zhou Yuanjue’s Divine Soul Power slowly emanated from his body. Now that he had achieved the state of "ten thousand origins returning to one," his Divine Soul Power was also his Magnetic Field Power.
Using the immense Control Power over his Divine Soul Power granted by his True Self System, he began to make it vibrate ceaselessly. This caused the Magnetic Field Power within it to transform, as if resonating with some vast, unseen existence.
It was like a "key" capable of opening a portal in the void.
This method was, in fact, inspired by the King Level beings of the Spirit Guardian lineage.
They used Ancestral Power as a key to open a gate to Energy in the unseen void.
Now, he was forging a key from his own power, one with the same efficacy as the Ancestral Power. The gate he sought to contact, however, was that of the Three Rivers Return Path.
To all life on Earth, he was, at this moment, a being akin to an "Ancestor" or even a "Primordial Ancestor."
Gradually, the "key" he had condensed took form in the void. With a casual flick of his hand, the magnetic field plunged into Lei Yi’s body. As Lei Yi willingly accepted and absorbed it, the field guided his will upward, higher and higher, until it touched the portal in the void—the one belonging to the Three Rivers Return Path. Faintly, a sliver of an opening appeared.
An immense, overwhelming pull surged forth. Lei Yi felt his will blur for a moment before that power instantly seized him and devoured him whole.
RUSH RUSH RUSH!!
He forcefully stabilized his Spirit. Before him now stretched a pale red river. Black mountains lined both banks, where vibrant red spider lilies swayed in the breeze. Beneath his feet was a lone, simple boat.