Paragon of Sin

The events below and their resulting end allowed Wei Wuyin to grasp a higher degree of understanding of the complex net of the Myriad Monarch Sect, including a faint glimpse of the Alchemist Association. 

With these things left to ponder, he returned back to his sky palace located above the sky layer. Upon returning, he received a message delivered personally by an elder that his Sky Palace within the eighth level needed time to be constructed before his relocation.

As a Heavenly King, it was his right to live above, and he didn't have any objection to this treatment. Not only would it afford him a greater sense of privacy, but the astral essence above was of a higher quality. Until it was finished, he'd have to settle for his current sky palace.

Within this sky palace, he rested in the lounge, sitting comfortably upon a rather comfortably burgundy couch. There were etchings on it that originate from spiritual formations that seemed to release a relaxing aura into the pores, like the feeling one received when they consume soup while sick or massaged after a long day.

He found that this piece of furniture had to be his favorite place in this entire sky palace that had thirty-six rooms, three floors, a garden, an indoor and outdoor pool, and various other accommodations. He even found a sauna.

There were so much, and he doubted whether they were designed for a single person or an ensemble of guests. Could the previous owner have had a harem and countless servants? If so, he was rather enviable. 

If Wei Wuyin knew that he was correct, but the previous owner was a female, his thoughts might not carry much envy.

Resting on the couch, he lifted a journal that had various writings of his on it. Within each page of this journal was word from word details about the Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity. He avoided adding the Records of Fuxi. There was something about that symbol and words that seemed to resonate with him. Whether it was due to his Bloodline of Sin, his Karmic Luck, or something else entirely, he had no desire to explore it at the moment.

'The Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity...this technique seems to be filled with flaws.' This was Wei Wuyin's first thoughts when he read the Cultivation Method; it reminded him of the Haven Heart Qi Method. However, these flaws weren't in the technique itself, but the difficulty and dangers within it.

Firstly, to cultivate the Celestial Eyes, one needed an absurd amount of spiritual energies. This wasn't quantity-based, but quality. Spiritual energies originate from the spirit, which is a combination of one's physical and mental energies including the world's ambient essence refined by your meridians and a piece of the soul. To start cultivation, one needed to create this spirit.

With this spirit, its unique energies, it combines with the already present physical, mental energies, and essence produce a unique source of energy called Metaphysical Qi. This Metaphysical Qi is under the tight control of the spirit and manipulated by your will, communicated to the spirit.

This was the basis of cultivation.

But for one's base spiritual energies, they hardly change throughout cultivation. The spirit was a combination of four components, so to expand it, it needed all four in greater quantity. Cultivation merely enhances quality, but quantity remains constant throughout. The only event that he experienced a change in quantity was when he cultivated the 'Divine' Method for his spirits.

Therefore, normally, it was impossible to expand one's spiritual energy reserves. 'But the Dao of Alchemy goes against the convention of cultivation, and had a few products that can achieve just that.'

The Dao of Alchemy broke cultivation limitations by using the very thing that cultivation required, heavenly resources. Perhaps this was one of the reasons the Heavenly Daos couldn't limit or reject it. Anyhow, there were products that can do so, but the amount of energy was still limited in the end, because physical and mental energies were also a part of the four components.

Few cultivators actively refine their physical energies, and that wasn't even a normal path of cultivation. Throughout his cultivation, his body had only been refined by the energies he'd refined and stored within his body. 

'To enhance mental, physical, increase the soul component is quite a difficult feat indeed.' He sighed. If it was just this, the Dao of Alchemy might be able to overcome this, but there were two more difficulties.

The eyes. Yes. The eyes must be capable of withstanding an immense amount of raw, unrefined energies and then be refined by a unique source of power. It didn't describe the name of this power, but it said it was called down by a unique formation inscribed directly into the pupils of the eyes.

Yes! Inscribed directly INTO the pupils.

Not only did it sound immensely painful, but the eyes were quite fragile and naturally precious. If one was blinded, even his current achievements in the Dao of Alchemy couldn't remedy such a state. The chance of going blind from this act was incredibly, insidiously high, but that didn't even factor the need for the eyes to withstand a strand of foreign power called out from the world.

Was it mana? He wasn't sure.

Then the last bit. The possibility of insanity. Not only did one have to inscribe this formation into their pupils, but they had to 'simultaneously' inscribe it to a perfect match in their sea of consciousness and mind's eye. The sea of consciousness contained all the mental energies, memories, emotions, and thoughts of a person, while the mind's eyes contained their awareness, control of their memories, emotions, and thoughts. It was said the mind's eye was the doorway to the soul, and considering this was the method cultivators used to extract a portion of their souls, this was definitely the case.

To interact with it in such a violent way seemed highly inadvisable.

To first require spiritual energies that exceed the standard spirit's capacity by several times, then to simultaneously inscribe three markings on one's eyes, mind's eye, and sea of consciousness is far too dangerous, and there couldn't be a single flaw performed throughout. At first, he felt it was a little doable if one was extremely talented, courageous, and willing to take the risk, but then he saw the mark.

Well, fuck.

It incredibly complex, so complex that word 'complex' can't begin to describe it. There had to be three thousand independent lines that all interconnected and interlaced yet remained independent in the end. It formed a perfect circle and within this circle was lines that went every which way like some type of magic inscription. 

His thoughts of cultivating this technique went through the window after he saw this. Regardless of what this technique was capable of, he had no intention of taking such risk.

Just as he was about to burn the book with elemental fire qi, he halted at the end pages of the book. There was a particular sentence that made him hesitate.

It read: "Magi."

Yes. It wasn't a sentence but a word, but this word wasn't just normal, and each letter had etchings on it that resembled his Inheritor of Sin tattoo, but there were some minor differences. He knew it detailed a sentence, but he couldn't grasp it.

The Inheritor of Sin tattoo was also something he couldn't read, but he 'knew' what it meant. This was likely due to a soul connection, but he didn't have one with these words.

But his heart couldn't help but frantically race at the word: "Magi". 

After a long period of time, he gave a wry smile. "...You're going to do it aren't you? Hahaha, how ridiculous is this? Wei Wuyin, you know you can go blind, lose your mind, damage the pathway to your soul? You can take this risk and it all ends with nothing in the end, but failure.

"Fucking hell! You're serious!" Wei Wuyin gritted his teeth slightly as he realized that this technique wasn't one he could avoid. Whether it was its dangers, the risk involved, he had to do it. And it wasn't because of his possible clock on his life, but purely because of that single word. 

How ridiculous was that?

This was so unlike him.

But a trace of desire to know entered his heart, a curiosity to seek answers, and merely to challenge himself. This might not help him with the future Calamities of Hell, this might not help him reach the Realm of Sages, or achieve any of his goals in the future, but he needed to know. 

Know what? Shockingly, even he didn't know.

"Is this intuition?" As he thought this, he calmed his heart. He thought it through, "My mind's eye is far stronger than a hundred people, especially after devouring those nascent forms of 'me' and the Tree of Eden. The sea of consciousness as the support of my Natal Souls and the Eden Qi, a power originating from the Mind Dao. As for spiritual energies, I have two 'Divine' Natal Souls and two other ones.

"My eyes have been refined by my bloodline of a dragon, and it can no longer be considered containing human-type physical energies, but dragon-type physical energies. It should be enough." While others might struggle to reach the requirement of this technique, Wei Wuyin was confident in meeting them.

The only issue was the risk involved. His personality had never been one to take such risks that were permanent. He always enjoyed leisurely planning things out carefully, and acting accordingly. It was this way of living that allowed him to survive thus far.

"One chance. No mistakes. Tch." His silver eyes lifted to the ceiling, recalling the old man's words. Silver eyes…

'The old man implied that my eyes were a reason he recommended this technique. These eyes are unique features of myself and my mother…even my brother didn't have them. I wonder if this is indicative of something? Unfortunately, I can't ask them...' As the past flashed through his mind, he recalled the face of a violet-skinned girl, but her features weren't very clear.

"Would...it have…" His words were uttered so softly that even ghosts might not be able to hear him. 

After a long moment of somber silence, he slowly closed his eyes and started to make mental preparations. This art didn't allow a single mistake, so he had to ensure that his mind was ready to its utmost.