Those usually obscure and difficult-to-understand barriers, those abstract descriptions about “the softness of water” and “the resilience of water,” were now like being stripped of their outer garments, revealing their most fundamental textures.

“Water is not formless, but possesses ten thousand forms.”

Su Ming subconsciously raised his hand, his fingertips tracing patterns in the empty air.

The surrounding water vapor, guided by his will, no longer simply coalesced into a sphere but transformed into a thin, cicada-wing-like water film.

This water film shimmered with a rainbow halo under the moonlight, appearing incredibly fragile. Yet when Su Ming tried to strike it with a burst of spiritual energy, the film simply dented, swirled, dispersed the force, and then bounced back completely intact.

“Using softness to overcome hardness, borrowing force to counter force.”

A flash of enlightenment dawned in Su Ming’s eyes.

This was the true defensive method of the Like Water Art.

It wasn’t about stubbornly resisting like an earthen wall, but rather, like the surface of water, it embraced, dissolved, and reflected force back.

Just as Su Ming was immersed in the euphoria of this sudden insight, a vast and powerful divine sense, without any warning, swept through his Consciousness Sea.

The feeling was like being glanced upon by a higher-dimensional being.

There was no privacy to speak of.

“Who?!” Lin Yu inside the ring instantly bristled, his Soul Body shrinking into a tight ball. “Holy crap, this divine sense…”

However, that divine sense did not linger, nor did it attack.

It merely confirmed Su Ming’s identity and the aura of that token, then withdrew.

And it left Su Ming with a message:

“The soul cultivation method you practice belongs to the defensive path of the spirit races. However, the method is incomplete. Proceed cautiously along this path, do not become fixated or stubborn.”

Su Ming’s entire body stiffened, cold sweat instantly soaking through his back. He relayed this message to Lin Yu.

“Master, the key point is that sentence,” Su Ming said with a grave expression. “The defensive path of the spirit races. The method is incomplete.”

Inside the ring, Lin Yu’s expression became unprecedentedly serious.

He closed his eyes, carefully savoring the lingering resonance left by that divine sense.

After a long while, Lin Yu suddenly opened his eyes, a brilliant light bursting forth from them.

“I understand!”

“I finally understand why those nonsensical logics in the Spirit Nourishing True Explanation existed!”

“Spirit races… defensive path… method incomplete…”

Lin Yu’s voice rang in Su Ming’s mind, filled with the wild joy of clouds parting to reveal the sun, and a deeply hidden trace of lingering fear. “This teacher always felt this cultivation method operated with abnormal sluggishness, soul power was like a wild horse difficult to tame, and many crucial points defied common sense! So it wasn’t that the method was flawed, but that we… were walking the wrong path!”

His ethereal form floated excitedly within the ring’s space, his soul light flickering unsteadily.

“Disciple, you must understand. For human cultivation, whether it’s the Dao, Demonic, Buddhist, or Demonic Beast paths, they all use the physical body as the foundational cauldron, the meridians and acupoints as the pathways, emphasizing condensation, purification, and control. But this Spirit Nourishing True Explanation, its fundamental essence lies in ‘dispersion rather than gathering,’ ‘fusion rather than solidification,’ ‘defense rather than offense’! This is more like a method tailor-made for those spirit races born of heaven and earth, formless and immaterial, resonating with the world!”

“I was previously using a human soul to forcibly harness a spirit race method. It was like making a land beast practice the swimming techniques of deep-sea fish. How could it not be constrained at every turn, fraught with dangers?”

Su Ming asked with concern, “Then Master, your current condition…”

“Haha, it’s fine! Now that we know the root of the problem, there is a solution!”

Lin Yu let out a hearty laugh, the fluctuations of his Soul Body exuding a confident, enlightened aura. “What the Pagoda Spirit said about the ‘defensive path’ is the key! It clarified that the core of this method is not about advancing and conquering, but about strengthening the foundation and cultivating the source, about constructing an indestructible soul barrier!”

As he spoke, the originally somewhat restless, outward-pulsing soul power fluctuations within the Xuantian ring suddenly changed. They rapidly converged and retracted like a receding tide.

Lin Yu no longer forcibly compressed and condensed his soul power. Instead, he followed the guidance of those obscure scriptures within the Spirit Nourishing True Explanation, letting his soul power naturally “disperse,” transforming into a gentle yet resilient mist of light that slowly fused with the internal spatial structure of the ring.

*Hum—*

The ring no longer felt hot. Instead, it began to emit an aura as smooth and round as warm jade, as deep and serene as a deep pool.

Lin Yu’s Soul Body did not weaken because of this “dispersion.” On the contrary, it seemed to have found its rightful place, establishing an unprecedented, intimate connection with this mysterious ancient ring.

“Marvelous!”

Lin Yu let out a sigh of contentment. “The soul returns to its position, the spirit bonds with its vessel! Disciple, this teacher now feels that my relationship with this ring is no longer one of mere residence, but… a soul-deep connection, as if I am its spirit!”

“Not only that,” Lin Yu’s voice carried a hint of exploration, “the compatibility between my soul and this ring has greatly increased. I seem… able to perceive some secrets that were previously beyond my reach.”

Su Ming’s heart stirred. “Master, are you referring to that core ancient formation?”

“Precisely. In the past, observing that formation was like reading a celestial script, a chaotic blur. Now, although it remains profoundly difficult to decipher, I can already discern some of its general structure and flow.” Lin Yu’s soul power pointed towards a previously dim and unlit rune node in a corner of the ring’s space. “See there? That seems to be an ‘Eye of the Spiritual Pivot,’ one of the key nodes for this ring to intake and release external spiritual energy. Previously, we could only passively absorb some scattered spiritual energy, which was inefficient. If we could activate this pivot…”

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yu, manipulating the soul power now in harmony with the new method, transformed it into an invisible trickle and carefully probed towards that node.

It was like a key sliding into a lock. A nearly inaudible, faint chime sounded.

In the next instant, Su Ming clearly felt that the spiritual energy within the meditation room, and even in the surrounding courtyard, began to actively and continuously converge towards the Xuantian ring like countless rivers flowing into the sea!

The absorption speed was many times faster than before!

Moreover, after being transformed by that “Eye of the Spiritual Pivot,” this spiritual energy became exceptionally pure and gentle, directly nourishing Lin Yu’s Soul Body. A trace even flowed back, moistening the finger on which Su Ming wore the ring.

“The Spiritual Pivot is open! From now on, the efficiency of spiritual energy absorption will be greatly increased!” Lin Yu’s tone held satisfaction. “At this rate, this teacher’s soul power recovery will far exceed previous levels. When necessary, I may even be able to help you purify your spiritual energy faster and assist your cultivation.”

Su Ming looked at the ring on his finger, which now seemed alive, unable to hide the shock in his eyes. Not only had Master resolved the hidden danger of his own cultivation method, but he had also managed to elevate the ring’s functionality by another level!

“However, disciple, don’t celebrate too soon,” Lin Yu’s tone shifted again, returning to gravity. “The Pagoda Spirit said ‘the method is incomplete.’ This means the inheritance this teacher received might only be a fragment, especially lacking offensive variations and higher-level evolution techniques. In other words…”

“The road ahead still requires caution. Keeping a low profile and biding our time remains fundamental,” Su Ming immediately grasped the implication.

“Exactly!” Lin Yu praised. “The defensive path prioritizes a solid foundation, immovable as a mountain. From now on, you must continue to maintain your social connections, accumulate resources, and develop discreetly on the outside. This teacher will focus all efforts on consolidating my soul foundation internally, turning this Xuantian ring into our ultimate stronghold. Survival is always the first priority.”

Su Ming nodded solemnly.

This was the principle Master repeatedly emphasized, and he had it engraved in his heart.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep