Crossing Over: The Strongest Mage

"Is the cultivation method really as the book describes, or is it just the delusions of the person who wrote it?" Yanhuo lay in the bath, now on his back, holding the remains of the book high above his head. "If it is true, then why is there no record of it in any other books? Why is it not mentioned in any Daoist texts?"

While Yanhuo was deep in thought, the door creaked open, and a figure entered the room. "Young master, is the water temperature okay?"

"It's her! Xiu Ning Jie!" Yanhuo was immediately startled, his heart racing. His hands trembled, and the book slipped from his grip, falling into the water.

Xiu Ning walked toward the screen behind him, and Yanhuo, in a panic, quickly responded, "Yes… yes, Xiu Ning Jie, the water temperature is just right."

"Really?" Xiu Ning stretched out her hand and tested the water temperature. After a moment, she nodded, "It's just right. I'll leave now. If the water gets too cold, call me to add more, but don't soak for too long. It's not good for the skin."

"Understood, you… you can go out now!" Yanhuo hurriedly instructed.

"Ha ha!" Xiu Ning thought Yanhuo was just embarrassed, and with a smile, she left the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Yanhuo quickly scrambled to retrieve the book from the water. "My book! Although it's a damaged book, it was a gift from Zhang Feng Ge. How can I let it be ruined like this?"

When Yanhuo pulled the book from the water, it was no longer recognizable. The paper had disintegrated, the edges crumbling as he held it. The book, already ancient and fragile, fell apart with the water's touch. Yanhuo could only hold the broken remnants of the text, the words now illegible and smudged.

Just as despair settled in, a few pieces of yellow paper emerged from the water, seemingly unaffected by the liquid. The characters and drawings on the paper were still clear and visible. Yanhuo was intrigued and quickly pulled the yellow papers out of the water. They were thin, delicate pieces of paper—almost like parchment but with an unidentifiable texture. They had been folded into squares, about the size of a palm, and were hidden within the layers of the ruined book.

"These papers must have been hidden in the book's folds. Could they contain something secret?" Yanhuo unfolded the papers carefully, and as he looked at the first page, the words on it immediately caught his attention:

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**"To the fated one, I am Chongyangzi of the Immortal Dwelling of the Nine Continents. Thousands of years ago, I was enlightened by my predecessors and left my homeland to pursue immortality. Now, returning to my homeland, I see that the number of immortal cultivators here is still few. Thus, I have left behind four pages of immortal cultivation methods as a seed for my sect, the Immortal Dwelling.**

**Whoever comes across this book and successfully cultivates the method is welcome to come to the Immortal Dwelling of the Nine Continents, ten thousand miles away, and continue to cultivate our sect's teachings. The four pages of the Immortal Cultivation method are for future generations. Beware!"**

The words on the page immediately struck Yanhuo. This was an extraordinary revelation. The text mentioned the Immortal Dwelling of the Nine Continents, a faraway land, and a method of cultivation that seemed far beyond what he had read about in his Daoist books.

The remaining pages detailed various techniques, and Yanhuo quickly scanned the next pages:

- **Page Two**: The method for constructing and using the *"Escape Heaven Five Yuan Formation,"* which was the same formation that Qing Mountain Daoist had studied but never mastered. This formation was a powerful spiritual array used to protect oneself and control the flow of energy in one's environment.

- **Page Three**: The process for forging and controlling a flying sword, a weapon of immense power in the cultivation world, capable of cutting through enemies and controlling the forces of the elements.

- **Page Four**: The "Immortal Heart Method" of the Immortal Dwelling, which seemed to be the heart of this mysterious cultivation path. This method described how one could absorb the spiritual energy of the world, gradually refining their body and soul to reach the state of true immortality. According to the text, this method was divided into several stages, each more difficult than the last, but also more rewarding.

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"Could this really be the key to immortality?" Yanhuo's mind raced as he absorbed the information. "This 'Immortal Heart Method'… it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I must study it carefully. If I can master this, I might truly be able to cultivate as the ancient immortals did!"

The discovery of these secret techniques was a turning point for Yanhuo. The path to cultivation he had known so far had always been limited to the traditional Daoist practices—refining the body, training the mind, and following the natural laws. But the "Immortal Heart Method" opened up a whole new realm of possibilities, one that spoke of absorbing the very spiritual energy of the world itself to transcend mortality.

As Yanhuo looked at the last page, a thought crossed his mind: *"If this method is real, then what is the price of immortality? What must one sacrifice to reach the highest state of cultivation?"*

His heart was filled with both excitement and trepidation. He knew he had to be cautious. The cultivation world was vast and full of dangers. Many who sought immortality had fallen into darkness, consumed by greed or ambition. But Yanhuo could not ignore the temptation of the path before him. This was his chance to discover something greater than anything he had ever imagined.

Yanhuo carefully studied the fourth page of the book, and his eyes widened when he saw a map. The map depicted two continents—one tiny in comparison to the other. The first continent was marked as **Xianghai Continent**, where Yanhuo currently lived, and was barely the size of a fingernail. The other, much larger continent was **Jiuzhou Continent**, shown to be at least ten times the size of Xianghai.

Yanhuo chuckled softly to himself, thinking about how the people of his continent thought their kingdom, the **Chen Dynasty**, was the whole world. "It seems the people here are like frogs in a well," he muttered. "They think the Chen Dynasty is the entire world, but Jiuzhou Continent is ten times larger, at least!"

He paused for a moment, letting the realization settle in. "The world is so much bigger than I imagined… I have to see more of it."

Yanhuo's mind refocused. "Well, forget about Jiuzhou for now. Let's try out this cultivation method and see if it really works!" He laughed, filled with excitement. "If this method really works, I won't be confined to this mountain and this valley anymore. I'll have the power to discover everything I want to know. Father, just wait! Ha ha!"

But as he continued reading the text, his excitement began to dim. The book warned that the entry-level cultivation stage, the **Dao Foundation Stage**, was the basic foundation of cultivation, but it was also extremely difficult. "Some people may need decades to reach this stage," it said.

Yanhuo frowned in disappointment. "What? It'll take decades just to enter the Dao Foundation stage? This is just the beginning?!"

He continued reading, and beneath the description of the Dao Foundation stage were four diagrams showing different stages of cultivation: **Dao Foundation**, **Dao Solidification**, **Elixir Formation**, and **Golden Core**.

"How long will it take to reach the Golden Core stage?" Yanhuo muttered, staring at the diagrams. "If each stage takes twenty years, by the time I reach the Golden Core stage, I'll be an old man!"

His thoughts continued to spiral. "But wait... the author said he left home thousands of years ago... So, if he's been cultivating for so long, wouldn't that mean he's thousands of years old? Could cultivation really grant immortality?"

Yanhuo slapped his head. "Never mind! I'll just start practicing and worry about the future later."

With that thought, he decided to stop overthinking it. He sat down on the bed, crossed his legs, and began to follow the instructions on the first diagram, entering a meditative state.

"Focus... breathe evenly... keep the mind clear... direct the will to the **dantian**... feel the spiritual energy of the world and absorb it into the body... let the qi move with the mind, circulate within the dantian…" Yanhuo began to follow the steps as instructed. At first, he wasn't sure where to start, but he had grown up in the mountains and was deeply connected to nature, so he started by focusing on the trees, the wind, the earth—anything he could feel.

An hour passed. Gradually, he began to feel something. "So this is what spiritual energy feels like..." Yanhuo's eyes were still closed, but he could feel the presence of countless wisps of white energy swirling around him, drawing closer to his body, continuously flowing inward.

"This mountain is full of spiritual energy…" Yanhuo thought, surprised. Normally, a beginner in cultivation could only feel spiritual energy within a small radius, perhaps a hundred meters. However, Yanhuo was no ordinary cultivator—he was born with a unique body, the **Dragon Phoenix Body**, and his own spiritual aura was immense.

Unknowingly, as he felt the spiritual energy entering his body, two golden marks on his abdomen flickered. The **Nine Five Qi** within him stirred and spread outward, causing spiritual energy from a ten-mile radius to converge around him. Yanhuo had no idea what was happening; he was simply astonished by the overwhelming scene in front of him.

"What's going on?" He thought, his heart pounding in his chest. "Why is the spiritual energy gathering so quickly?" He opened his eyes to find the surroundings glowing with white spiritual energy, swirling around him like a vortex. He instinctively realized that something extraordinary was happening, but the intensity of the gathering energy left him feeling both awe-struck and overwhelmed.

The next moment, Yanhuo felt a sudden pressure building up inside him, his body vibrating with the influx of energy. His dantian seemed to pulse as the spiritual energy converged, and he instinctively began to circulate it within his body, trying to control the overwhelming flow.

"Calm down... focus..." he thought to himself, but his mind was racing with questions. How could this much spiritual energy be drawn to him so easily? Was it his natural constitution? And what would happen if he couldn't control it?

In the middle of the gathering energy, Yanhuo realized something critical. His body wasn't just absorbing spiritual energy—it was absorbing it at an extraordinary rate. This rapid absorption was beyond the normal capacity of a cultivator, and he began to worry about what would happen if the energy overwhelmed him.

He tried to regulate his breathing and calm his mind. Slowly, the energy settled into his body, and the intense pressure lifted. Yanhuo opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. The air was still, the spiritual energy having settled back into its natural flow, but he could still feel the lingering power within him.

"What was that?" he thought, still stunned. "Did I just experience a breakthrough? Could it be that the cultivation method really works?" His excitement grew again, but this time it was tempered with caution. The rapid absorption of spiritual energy had left him with more questions than answers.

"Looks like I have a long way to go," Yanhuo said to himself, though his determination was unwavering. "But now, I know this path is real... and I'll master it, no matter what."