"Hmm? Lin Fanâs soul is different," Wang Wei thought. Before his experience in the holy land, Wang Wei wouldnât easily boast that he was a master of Soul Dao. He would boldly claim he was knowledgeable, but never a master. But now, he had the confidence to utter these words. As such, it was easy for him to recognize the uniqueness of Lin Fanâs soul after using such a technique.
"This aura â itâs the same, unique to the people of this world who all have Three Apertures. But how is that possible? As a native of the Primordial Timeline, Lin Fan should be like me."
Wang Wei was not surprised that Wang Wei had also achieved the Soul Ancestor Realm. He wouldnât even be surprised if Lin Fan had created his version of the Artificial Three Apertures. After all, Grand Dao sent them here to acquire knowledge to perfect the [Immortal Stage] of cultivation. In Grand Daoâs eyes, Wang Wei was a wild card, meaning he was unreliable. So, it would make sense for her to have a backup in the more cooperative Lin Fan. However, Lin Fanâs aura and cultivation resembled a native of this world, with no signs of someone born without any of the apertures.
"Interesting," Wang Wei thought, deciding to observe more by secretly activating his True Dharma Eyes. The secret behind the apertureâs disappearance might be revealed by analyzing Lin Fanâs situation. More importantly, he wanted to know the difference between his artificial apertures and the true ones. In this world, innate things are usually better than acquired. Although Wang Wei didnât think his methods were inferior to those of all the natives of this world, maybe there is something unique about a Heaven Chosen like Lin Fan.
Lin Fanâs gaze changed; his eyes and expressions turned cold, indifferent, almost as if he were a machine with little to no emotions. Such an absolute state of calm and indifference was indeed the ideal state for controlling the law, not to mention a benefit against spiritual or soul attacks.
[Six Desire Seven Emotion Fist: The Greed Path]
Lin Fan rushed forward and released a punch; it was a simple punch, with no vision, lights, or noticeable effects. However, as soon as it approached Wang Wei, a sudden thought popped into his mind: Lin Fan was such a talented body refiner. Maybe I can refine him, as I did Ji Song, and elevate my talent to an ungodly level.
As soon as this thought manifested in his mind, Wang Wei couldnât get rid of it. The benefits of doing this were obvious, and an opportunity was right in front of him. So, what was he waiting for? With a high enough talent, opening his fourth and even fifth gates will be much easier. And he suspects that a personâs talent also reduces the amount of resources required to open the gate.
The thought of reaping such immense benefit almost overwhelmed Wang Wei. However, just as the fistâs power was about to achieve its objective, a cool wave from the depths of Wang Weiâs Sea of Consciousness immediately suppressed his emotion. As someone who knows his fatal flaw is his greed, how could he not be prepared? One of the key differences between Dao Lords and Overlords, compared to people as strategically minded as them, is their ability to control their emotions and their fatal flaw in most situations.
Boom!
Wang Wei calmly caught the attack. Despite looking lacking and being primarily a spiritual attack, the fist contained immense power. In fact, one of the reasons it looked so ordinary was that Lin Fan had achieved a state of near-ultimate control â similar to Wang Weiâs â by using his Heavenly Dao Soul.
"Going on the offensive?" Wang Wei asked with a sneer. "A bit presumptuous, arenât you?" He clenched his fist and responded.
[Dragon Zodiac Punch]
Dragons are a magnificent race. In all of heaven and myriad realms, they are symbols of luck, nobility, power, and overwhelming power. Wang Wei used the Dragon Zodiac to release a domineering, suppressive power; he wanted to compete with Lin Fan in his domain and suppress him, thus regaining the momentum of the battle.
Lin Fanâs eyes showed no emotion at this tactic. And it was not only because of his current state. One of the common tactics of Heaven Chosen is to use the enemyâs power or strength against them; itâs a form of humiliation to destroy the spirit or control the momentum of a battle. He understood this quite well; as such, he was not agitated by Wang Weiâs actions. Instead, he pushed the power of the [Primordial Chaos Tri-Cauldron] to the limit, trying to counter the dragonâs suppressive power.
Unfortunately for him, Wang Weiâs attack was too domineering. After achieving the Will Domination stage, he had awakened a more tyrannical nature, and it manifested in many ways, including this technique. Wang Wei did not find the dragonâs presence intimidating enough, so he used his own mind to replace the dragonâs spiritual essence, which drastically increased the Power of Suppression.
A slight dent appeared on the cauldron while its owner took more than ten steps backward, with each step leaving a terrifying crater as Lin Fan redistributed all the power of that punch to the ground. A look of horror flashed in the latterâs eyes as he sensed the broken radius and ulna.
"His control is even higher than before," Lin Fan thought with a serious expression. He thought he had caught up to Wang Wei, or at the very least, was capable of competing. But that punch destroyed this fantasy.
"Heâs on the verge of reaching the level of a Saint," Hundunxi warned.
"So, terrifying?"
"He has the strength of an Extreme Realm powerhouse."
"Extreme Realm?"
"It means his body, soul, Dao, and countless other things have reached the limit of [Immortality]," Hundunxi explained. "I never knew humans had so much potential. Back in my era, only a few of my brothers and sisters reached the Extreme Realm before ascending to the Saint Realm."
"I guess I have a new target," Lin Fan sighed. Although his body and soul have reached the Ancestral Realm, he wouldnât say he has reached the limit. There is also his Dao; he hasnât even mastered all six Grand Constructs.
"Can I ask you a question?" Wang Wei suddenly asked.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Why do you have natural Soul Apertures?"
"What do you mean?" Lin Fan asked, a bit confused.
"You donât even know?" Wang Wei asked. "Primordial Beings do not have Soul Apertures. To reach that realm, I had to create artificial ones."
Lin Fan frowned after hearing this; he had no idea such was the case. "Whatâs going on?"
"When you cultivate the first Saint Foundation â the Supreme Chaos Body â it grants you a [Perfect Innate Body], which I believe is similar to the earliest of humans in our timeline. In the process, it also changes your soul and condenses the apertures."
Lin Fan had to use a lot of strength not to change his expression. His soul was modified, and he had no clue whatsoever. "Why didnât you tell me?"
"I didnât think it was a big deal."
"What do you mean it wasnât a big deal?"
"Well, at first, I thought the people of this world were different, maybe more gifted in the soul area â which was ironic given the rules of this world. Then, after everything was fixed, I thought it was something similar to your missing Ascension Gate. I didnât think too deeply into it until this guy brought it up." As much as Hundunxi appreciates Lin Fanâs help, many of the latterâs affairs are not his concerns; thatâs especially true since he found many of humansâ characteristics odd.
"If you donât want to tell me, itâs fine," Wang Wei said.
"Thatâs not it," Lin Fan shook his head. "I didnât know about the situation, so I was thinking of a possible explanation."
"And?"
"The best I can give you is that itâs probably the result of a Saint Foundation."
"The disappearance of our peopleâs soul apertures might be a conspiracy or a secret involving why the Ji Clan Ancestor failed to become a True Transcendent. Are you sure there wasnât any secret or conspiracy at play in your case?" Wang Wei communicated, this time, using his divine sense for secrecy.
Lin Fan frowned, "Well?"
"Donât worry. Iâve been vigilant about any plots from the holy land. This time around, you were just lucky."
Lin Fan wanted to believe these words, but this ancient being could be careless unless it involved him. "Are you sure?"
"Our fate is intertwined, so as long as I need you, I wonât let anything happen to you."
"Iâll believe you for you," Lin Fan sighed before finally answering Wang Wei: "As far as I can tell, this was a pure coincidence."
Wang Wei was about to say something when he sensed something. "Danger?" he thought. Although it was faint, he sensed danger was approaching, and the source wasnât anywhere near this battle, but from outside.
"I need to speed up things."