“Fellow Daoist, this Reversal Sword of yours—what is the highest level of power it can reflect?” Feeling the rebounded attack nearly doubled in strength, Li Fan’s expression changed slightly. With a wave of his hand, he suppressed the Water Sword before turning to ask Shuo Feng.
Shuo Feng seemed to still be reflecting on the self-protective reaction of the wooden sword. After a long while, he finally returned to his senses.
“The Reversal Sword…” He shook his head. “I see it as the Sword of Pacification, the Sword of No Battle.”
Without further explanation, Shuo Feng continued, “Ordinary Nascent Soul cave-heaven power can be countered effortlessly. If it were a full-force strike from a Soul Transformation cultivator, it would be somewhat difficult. As for Dao Integration and beyond…”
“Fellow Daoist, you are only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you have already achieved such an astonishing feat. If you advance to the Soul Transformation stage, wouldn’t you be able to fight against Dao Integration cultivators?” Li Fan expressed his shock.
“It’s not that simple. Even among Dao Integration cultivators, there are vast differences. The Spirit of Heaven and Earth is divided into…”
Li Fan’s heart stirred, and he was about to concentrate and listen carefully. However, he suddenly noticed that Shuo Feng’s lips were moving, but no sound came out.
Shuo Feng quickly realized this himself and decisively fell silent.
Li Fan, deep in thought, tactfully refrained from pressing further.
“Moreover, although the Heavenly Wonder makes my Foundation Establishment extremely powerful, it also has its drawbacks. For instance, advancing in cultivation is much more difficult and slower compared to ordinary cultivators. Even with abundant resources and the aid of new cultivation methods, this remains true.”
This was the first time Li Fan had heard of such a thing, so he immediately asked, “Why is that?”
Shuo Feng answered straightforwardly, “The Heavenly Wonder is, in essence, the Law of Heaven. Once one establishes their foundation with it, it becomes nearly impossible to incorporate anything else.”
“Ordinary cultivators must observe the laws of heaven and earth, seize its essence, extract its marrow, and refine its spirit step by step to ascend. But a cultivator of the Heavenly Wonder is different. They use the Heavenly Wonder as their law, as their cave-heaven domain, as the transformation of heaven and earth, and as the very spirit of heaven and earth itself.”
“As long as they continuously comprehend their own Heavenly Wonder to the utmost, they can progress all the way to the Dao Integration stage without obstruction.”
Hearing this, Li Fan couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t that a good thing? Why do you say it makes cultivation more difficult?”
Shuo Feng countered with a question, “Fellow Daoist, don’t you think that compared to forcibly absorbing external elements, a cultivation method that relies solely on personal comprehension would be much slower?”
“Naturally, that…” Li Fan suddenly realized something and fell silent.
“Daoist Shuo, do you mean that cultivating with the Heavenly Wonder is more akin to practicing the ancient methods?” Li Fan unconsciously changed the way he addressed him and quickly asked.
“More precisely, it is practicing the ancient methods while bound in chains.” Shuo Feng sighed lightly. “This is both its advantage and its drawback. However, I have no regrets. Although the path is more arduous, the potential ceiling is much higher!”
Seemingly reminded of something, Li Fan suddenly asked, “If one reaches Dao Integration through the Heavenly Wonder, then the next step would be to reverse the principles of the Heavenly Wonder?”
A flicker of admiration flashed in Shuo Feng’s eyes. “Exactly! The difficulty of achieving Longevity Immortality lies in this—Heaven and Earth’s principles are intangible and abstract concepts, difficult for ordinary people to perceive. To reverse them is even harder.”
“One must search for the laws of Heaven and Earth, familiarize themselves with them, master them, and then finally overturn them…”
“All of these steps must be completed within the Dao Integration stage. While Dao Integration cultivators enjoy long lifespans, every step forward requires an immense price. Throughout history, how many peerless geniuses have fallen just before taking the final step?”
“But those who build their foundation with the Heavenly Wonder naturally bypass the first step. From the moment they begin cultivation, they are already practicing the second and third steps. It’s almost like skipping half the effort.”
Shuo Feng explained patiently in a way that was easy to understand.
And Li Fan gradually began to grasp the concept.
“Seeking, familiarizing, mastering, and reversing—it seems these correspond to the different sub-realms within Dao Integration.”
Li Fan suddenly recalled something. Back when Ji Hongdao was confronting Senior Sister Zhao, he had once said, “After a Heavenly Sovereign establishes their ‘Definitive Law,’ they should no longer meddle in worldly affairs.”
“A ‘Definitive Law’ means that one has already reversed the laws of Heaven and Earth, ultimately replacing them and transforming into a part of the universe itself. This is the true path to Longevity Immortality.”
“Before that, Dao Integration cultivators still have four major steps to complete.”
Shuo Feng saw Li Fan lost in contemplation and couldn’t help but caution him, “What I have shared today is merely in gratitude for your earlier guidance. Do not become too ambitious or lose yourself in these thoughts. If that happens, my goodwill would have led to harm.”
Li Fan snapped back to reality and smiled. “Daoist Shuo, you worry too much. I am not someone who fails to appreciate good advice. I used to believe that Longevity Immortality was just a few major realms away from us cultivators, and that I might one day reach it.”
“But now, I realize that the gap is not just a few realms, but rather multiple chasms—each one capable of making a person despair.”
“One must always have hope, though.” Shuo Feng nodded in agreement, before suddenly making an unexpected remark.
“By the way, I still don’t know your title. Given your character and talent, you must not be an unknown figure.” Shuo Feng looked at Li Fan with curiosity.
Li Fan cupped his hands and said, “I am Li Fan.”
Shuo Feng narrowed his eyes and examined Li Fan carefully.
“It’s just a common name. I have been mistaken for others many times in the past.” Li Fan explained.
Shuo Feng slowly nodded.
“I have a talent for sensing auras. Passing by this place, I noticed something unusual, so I descended to investigate. Who would have thought that before I could find anything, I was nearly killed by you, Fellow Daoist?” Li Fan actively explained the situation.
“In that case, I also feel something strange about this area.” Shuo Feng suddenly realized and looked off into the distance.
His gaze landed on a particular direction—the place where Han Yi’s stone statue stood.
However, he did not seem to notice the statue itself, only that something felt off about that location.
“Interesting…”
“Fellow Daoist, why don’t we go and investigate together?” Li Fan suggested.
“That was exactly my thought.” Shuo Feng, clearly someone unafraid of trouble, immediately agreed.
Just as the two were about to set off, the sky suddenly turned pink.
Shuo Feng’s expression changed drastically.
Scarlet snowflakes drifted down.
A melodic female voice suddenly echoed, “Feng’er, you’ve been away from home for long enough. It’s time to return.”
Shuo Feng’s face stiffened slightly.
Yet, he dared not resist his mother’s will. He only cast an apologetic glance at Li Fan.
“I understand, Mother.” He responded.
As he grasped a snowflake, the scarlet color melted in his palm.
Moments later, his figure blurred and gradually faded from sight.
Suddenly, a communication talisman fell from the sky and flew toward Li Fan.
“If Brother Li ever needs help, feel free to contact me.”
Shuo Feng’s voice lingered faintly in the air.