Star Odyssey

Chapter 2370 – Trying

Truthfully, Hen Xin’s words would not have had much of an impact on Lu Yin, if not for the fact that the Fifth Mainland’s true universe had been completely drained of all stellular energy. Given what had happened, Lu Yin found himself actually approving of Hen Xin's words.

Human beings should not need to rely on the outside world to cultivate and grow stronger. With battle force, even in extremely harsh environments, they could still cultivate and strive for the pinnacle.

Hen Xin himself cultivated battle force, and he was also confident in becoming a Progenitor. Even if he failed his breakthrough, the man would remain one of the Heavens Sect’s gatemasters of the Twelve Heavenly Gates. The man’s strength was not inferior to any of his peers, and in a place like the Fifth Mainland, where there was no stellular energy, Hen Xin’s advantage was simply monstrous.

"From what you’re telling me, Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi created something incredible that has benefited all of humanity throughout all of history," Lu Yin commented.

Hen Xin’s voice turned bitter. "I don't know why Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi betrayed mankind. However, while it’s true that the Dao Monarch wanted to find a cultivation path that any human being alive could follow, essentially a ‘perfect’ cultivation method, the path that he found proved too difficult. After my success, the Dao Monarch found hundreds of thousands of volunteers who also cultivated battle force, all with the goal of merging battle force with their physical bodies. However, every last volunteer failed. There was not one who was successful.”

"It’s possible that this path is actually blocked and is something that humans can’t access."

Lu Yin thought of a question. "From the Dao Monarch’s speculations, if a Sentinel who cultivates battle force manages to establish this fundamental merging of their body and their battle force, could they also reach the Wielder realm of battle force?"

"Yes," Hen Xin confirmed. "That is exactly what the Dao Monarch believed to be true."

"In that case, just how powerful would that Sentinel become?" Lu Yin continued.

Hen Xin replied, "According to the Dao Monarch's speculations, such a person would easily be able to defeat a Limiteer in combat. However, there’s one thing that’s undeniable: such a person would gain a body that’s capable of surviving in outer space. In essence, their body would become comparable to an Explorer’s. Thus, even a Sentinel would be able to freely travel through outer space due to how their body would be transformed."

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. "If even a Sentinel could freely travel through outer space and cross realms to defeat Limiteers, it would erase humanity’s fear of Aeternus, and we would truly become the masters of this universe. What a pity that this path seems to be too difficult to pursue."

Hen Xin said nothing. His entire explanation to Lu Yin had been to convey the idea that if not for the unbelievable difficulty in reaching the Wielder realm of battle force, all the members of Team Resolution would have already achieved such a thing. Even if Hen Xin hid something from everyone else in the universe, he would not hide it from the other members of Team Resolution.

Hen Xin had provided this explanation because he was worried that Lu Yin would not believe him. No one else would receive such a thorough explanation.

"Alright, you've already told me about the origin, development, and future of the Wielder realm of battle force. Now, it's time to tell me how to reach that level." Lu Yin rubbed his head as he spoke.

Hen Xin nodded. "You need to be mentally prepared, Dao Chosen, but reaching the Wielder realm depends entirely on luck. It’s no different from trying to find a needle in a haystack."

Lu Yin understood why Hen Xin was trying to be so cautious, but since someone else had already succeeded, it meant that Lu Yin was not entirely without hope. Even though there was only a slight chance that Hen Xin was lying, Lu Yin believed that he would be able to determine if that was the case.

"Aurelian force!" Hen Xin roared.

Lu Yin's eyes went still as he fully released his battle force. Aurelian force surged out in every direction. The void started burning wherever Lu Yin’s battle force touched; this was indeed aurelian force.

The moment Lu Yin released his aurelian force, many people nearby turned to look in the direction of the fourth array base’s headquarters as they sensed the oppressive and domineering power that had appeared. The invisible battle force created visible ripples as it spread out further and further. Eventually, it enveloped the entire fourth array base, but it still continued to spread.

All of the corpse kings that were within range of the aurelian force were instantly crushed to nothingness.

This was Lu Yin’s first time personally attacking the corpse kings attacking the fourth array base. There had even been an Envoy-level corpse king present that was  capable of a red eyes Corpse King Transformation, but it had also been instantly crushed by the aurelian force.

Yao Di and the other Semi-Progenitors all wondered why Lu Yin had suddenly taken action.

Inside the headquarters, Hen Xin was amazed at the strength of Lu Yin’s aurelian force. He surpassed both the range and power of every other member of Team Resolution. As of now, only Hen Xin remained Lu Yin’s better when it came to battle force. Seeing this, Hen Xin understood how Lu Yin had been able to face four Semi-Progenitors on his own even without relying on any Progenitor items.

What Hen Xin did not know was that Lu Yin's aurelian force had experienced a breakthrough after he had gathered all the forces of the Fifth Mainland. Lu Yin’s aurelian force had been much, much weaker when he had fought against the four Semi-Progenitors in Shenwu’s Sky.

"Bring it back. You don’t need to spread it out so far," Hen Xin said.

Lu Yin had just used his aurelian force to crush an entire wave of corpse kings, so he quickly retracted it to within the range of the fourth array base’s headquarters before he drew the attention of Aeternus’s Semi-Progenitors or even Progenitors.

Hen Xin raised a hand, and the purple-black substance appeared on his fingertips. It easily passed through Lu Yin’s aurelian force without any resistance as Hen Xin touched Lu Yin's wrist.

Shock blossomed in the depths of Lu Yin's eyes. This was Wielder - Indestructible, and it was able to completely ignore aurelian force. Against this power, aurelian force was like nothing but air. It was reasonable to call the Wielder realm of battle force the true path of human cultivation.

"This is the method that the Dao Monarch used to help us long ago, and it’s also the only method that I’m familiar with. The idea is to use a single point as a guide with which to transform a person’s aurelian force. If you can successfully transform your aurelian force and manifest the substance that you see, that indicates success," Hen Xin said. He then slowly backed away while staring at Lu Yin's wrist.

Lu Yin looked down and saw that a black spot had appeared on his wrist. It was the substance that was formed from Wielder - Indestructible. It looked like materialized battle force, which was not an incorrect way of thinking about it. Much like the difference between a stone and air, while both were made of matter, a stone could easily pass through air with little resistance. In the same manner, regardless of how powerful a person’s aurelian force was, it would be like nothing more than air to Wielder - Indestructible, which was more substantial, like a stone.

"How am I supposed to transform it?" Lu Yin asked.

Hen Xin replied, "Don't worry about that. That substance just needs to enter your body. Once that happens, you will know, as your aurelian force will start to automatically transform. In essence, once the process begins, you will understand the process. This is something that no one can help you with. If that were not the case, Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi and I would not be the only ones to have ever learned Wielder - Indestructible. This will be very difficult for you."

Lu Yin stared at his wrist, wondering if what Hen Xin was saying was true or not. At this point in time, Lu Yin had no idea how to go about transforming his aurelian force.

As soon as that thought occurred to him, an agonizing pain erupted from his wrist. It felt as though his wrist was being melted away. Lu Yin stared at it, but there was no visible damage to his wrist. The feeling was incredibly distinct and strong, and more than that, it felt as though the pain had been magnified ten times, or even a hundred times, as it was much more powerful than it should have been. The agony crept upwards, enveloping his entire arm, before moving onto his chest, torso, and finally, his head.

At that instance, Lu Yin felt as though his brain was going to be torn apart or melted.

Cultivators were accustomed to pain, and normally, pain would not affect a cultivator. For example, Lu Yin had literally died on several different occasions. He was able to endure the pain of having his body torn apart, but the pain caused by the substance on his wrist felt as though he had transformed back into a normal person who was suffering in hell. He felt as though his body was being melted and destroyed over and over, and the pain was magnitudes worse than anything else he had ever experienced.

Lu Yin let out a long breath as a tremor ran through his body. Suddenly, the pain vanished, and at the same time, the black spot disappeared from his wrist.

Hen Xin was not surprised by the outcome. "Failure."

Lu Yin stared at his wrist for a moment and then looked up at Hen Xin. "What just happened?"

Hen Xin had never made any attempt to attack Lu Yin. Furthermore, Hen Xin’s strength was such that, even if he could kill Lu Yin, the gatemaster could not force Lu Yin to suffer such excruciating pain. The agony had been too profound, and even after it disappeared, Lu Yin was still struggling to catch his breath. He still felt as though he had reverted back to being a normal human.

Hen Xin replied, "Regardless of how profound our cultivation becomes, as long as we possess a body, that pain will exist. Not even a Progenitor has absolute control over their body. If their body dies, then so will they. This is how Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi explained this matter to me. He said that the Wielder realm of battle force is the true path of human cultivation, and it is the only path that can allow a person to truly master their body.”

"Dao Chosen, you suffered a terrible amount of pain just now, correct? Given your level of cultivation, it should have been impossible for you to experience such agony, and yet you did. This is because you still possess a human body, and with this cultivation method, you can’t remove your sense of pain. What you experienced originated from the most fundamental senses of your body, and it’s an indication that we simply don't understand our bodies well enough."

Lu Yin frowned. "Speak clearly."

Hen Xin replied, "In the Dao Monarch's words, if a person can gain true control over themselves, they will never be able to be injured, as any wound would instantly heal. As long as even a chance to recover exists, such a person would be able to live forever and have control over every aspect of themselves. They would enjoy a life expectancy equal to that of the universe itself, which is something beyond the abilities of even Progenitors.”

"A human body has too many separate components, such as the individual cells. What the Dao Monarch meant was that, once a person can obtain complete and total control of their own body, then each individual cell will be the equivalent of an entire universe."

Lu Yin blinked. "Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi was certainly ambitious."

Hen Xin let out a breath. "Dao Chosen, you’ve already tried, but unfortunately, you failed. Do you still want to keep trying? Unfortunately, I can assure you that, regardless of how many times you try, the results will be the same. The only chance you stand is to simply be lucky and reach the moment where the materialized battle force merges with your body. If that can’t happen, then the transformation will never take place. However, the odds of success are similar to finding a needle in a haystack."

Lu Yin thought for a moment and then smiled. "I already have a domain, so it should be easy to find a needle in a haystack."

Hen Xin froze for a moment. Was that really how Lu Yin was interpreting things?

"Let’s keep going. I want to try again," Lu Yin said.

Hen Xin shook his head. It was clear that Lu Yin did not believe that success was impossible. "Your aurelian force."

As soon as the gatemaster spoke, Lu Yin released his aurelian force again. Hen Xin stretched out a finger, and the same black spot reappeared on Lu Yin's wrist. Everything repeated in the same manner as before; Lu Yin was enveloped by a terrible pain that struck his very soul and made him feel as though his body was being melted and torn apart at the same time. The pain would not matter if it filled him, as it lasted for no more than an instance, but the problem was that Lu Yin did not die. He was forced to endure the agony, for as long as he wanted to find a chance to reach Wielder - Indestructible.

Failed.

Again.

Failed.

Again.

… 

After repeating the process multiple times, Hen Xin was exhausted. Lu Yin's face had been pale for a long time, and he was suffering, but he refused to give up.

Hen Xin had already told Lu Yin that trying to break through in this manner was practically impossible. However, Lu Yin had only heard that the Wielder realm of battle force could open up the true path of human cultivation. He had latched onto the idea that a mere Sentinel could potentially survive in outer space, as their body would be transformed by the process. He had heard that each cell could become an individual universe.

All that Lu Yin had heard about Wielder - Indestructible had made him desire it more than ever.

As Lu Yin continued with Hen Xin’s method of reaching a breakthrough, Lu Yin was testing out his own ideas as well.

During the Heavens Sect era, Dao Monarch Gu Yizhi had only attempted a single method to awaken the Wielder realm of battle force. But with time, things had changed. Lu Yin knew of a proper response to deal with such extreme pain: Extremes Must Be Reversed.

If the pain was real, then Extremes Must Be Reversed could be used. After all, Progenitor Ku’s technique had even proven itself effective on something as ethereal as the power of time.

Lu Yin went through agony multiple times as he tried to find a way to use Extremes Must Be Reversed on the pain. He was certain that it was possible, so he experimented with the technique, testing things out. He was certain that Extremes Must Be Reversed was useful in this case.