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As soon as Shawn Young entered the cave, he was stunned by what he saw. Memories from the special notes in the Codex of Ascension flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but shout, "Wow! Five-colored earth, Dragon Spirit Grass! Yin-Yang Taiji Aura! This is a True Dragon's Nexus!"
He saw a strange pit in the shape of a navel, about three meters wide, surrounded by mounds of 'five-colored earth' that encircled the pit like stars around the moon. The entire area glowed with a mysterious, multicolored light, and inside the pit, dazzling rings of light shimmered outward.
At the edge of the pit grew a patch of green plants, about ten centimeters tall, with triangular stems and leaves. On them were small, crystal-clear berries resembling purple grapes, emitting a rich, fragrant aroma. The scent filling the air was exactly from this 'Dragon Spirit Grass'!
The so-called five-colored earth refers to soil of five colors—blue, red, white, black, and yellow. In nature, these represent the five elements: white for metal, blue for wood, black for water, red for fire, and yellow for earth. If 'five-colored earth' appears in one place, according to feng shui lore, it marks a True Dragon's Nexus, where this rare earth naturally forms. Within the Taiji Aura, the soil even nurtures five-colored earth eggs, also called 'Taiji Earth Eggs,' hollow inside and filled with the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
According to feng shui, mountains and rivers carry spiritual energy, flowing through the land like blood in veins. This 'dragon vein energy' twists and turns along the terrain, and where the mountain ends or the river bends, the energy forms a 'nexus.' These spots often resemble mouths, noses, breasts, or navels, and the energy within far surpasses other so-called feng shui treasures. The rare Yin-Yang Taiji Aura, which gathers both yin and yang energies, is the ultimate auspicious nexus—only those blessed by fate can encounter it.
Shawn never imagined that in the desolate wilds of Afghanistan, such a bizarre 'borderless yin-yang realm' would hide a legendary Yin-Yang Taiji Aura, the world's greatest auspicious nexus! If it weren't for the Americans dropping that insanely powerful BLU-2 vacuum bomb, causing an earthquake and collapse, and Shawn ending up here by sheer chance, he would've never experienced this. It felt like an invisible hand of fate had guided him to the mystical Yin-Yang Taiji Aura that feng shui masters had dreamed of for centuries!
Shawn's heart raced with excitement. He blinked and took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then slowly approached the Yin-Yang Taiji Aura. The closer he got, the more intense his emotions became—he could even hear his heartbeat pounding, "thump—thump—thump—." He felt something strange: as soon as he neared the Yin-Yang Taiji Aura, its powerful spiritual energy triggered a chain reaction in his mind, stirring up waves deep in his sea of consciousness.
Suddenly, Shawn heard a strange buzzing sound in his mind. His consciousness blurred, and soon he saw an ancient jade vessel radiating a soft blue light. The vessel was shaped like a drop of water, towering deep in his sea of consciousness like a majestic building, surrounded by swirling purple mist and dazzling light, as if in a fairyland.
"Huh—this blue jade vessel looks familiar—wait! It's the missing 'Ascendant Vessel'! Why is it so huge!?" Shawn finally remembered: this blue jade vessel was the very same 'Ascendant Vessel' that vanished into his sea of consciousness along with the Codex of Ascension!
Just as Shawn's consciousness stirred, a dazzling blue light burst from the mouth of the Ascendant Vessel, grabbing his awareness and quickly pulling it inside, swirling and swirling—
Soon, Shawn felt himself enter a strange space, surrounded by a white mist with neither sky above nor ground below. Instinctively, he reached down and touched something underfoot—he could feel it, but couldn't see what it was. The sensation was bizarre, but he could clearly sense that the area was overflowing with spiritual energy. For anything that grows—or for cultivators—this place was an unparalleled paradise!
But this endless white space was so monotonous, it made Shawn feel incredibly lonely. He thought to himself, "If only the ground beneath me could nurture life, that would be perfect!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he had that thought, he felt something change under his feet—a patch of yellow earth appeared in the space. Shawn squatted down and grabbed a handful; it was fragrant, living soil! However, the patch wasn't large, covering only about a hectare.
Shawn suddenly realized, "Originally there was nothing, but with a thought, things are born. It seems that everything here depends on my will! This must be the secret realm inside the Ascendant Vessel! Incredible! So the Ascendant Vessel really is a legendary Daoist treasure, able to create its own space, and the space changes with my thoughts—hehe."
To test his theory, Shawn kept focusing his thoughts. Soon, the patch of land beneath him was covered in Dragon Spirit Grass nurtured by five-colored earth, with a pool of clear water in the middle, blue skies and white clouds, sun and moon alternating—all packed into that single hectare of land. In the distance, he saw a fiery red dragon soaring and circling around an ancient alchemical cauldron, breathing dazzling flames into it.
"That's the legendary Alchemy Cauldron!" Shawn quickly realized, and with a thought, he appeared beside it. The fire dragon circling the cauldron spoke in an ancient, majestic voice: "Master, I am the True Dragon from the Yin-Yang Taiji Aura's nexus, drawn into here by your Ascendant Vessel. From now on, this place will be my home! I possess the true fire of yin-yang and the five elements, perfect for alchemy. Whenever you wish to refine pills, you can summon me!"
"Hmm—refining pills is great, but how am I supposed to do it without ingredients?" Shawn asked, a bit frustrated.
"Hehe—the Ascendant Vessel has now been activated and has absorbed all the spiritual energy from the Yin-Yang Taiji Aura, forming its own space. You, Master, can control everything here with your mind. Any medicinal herbs you want can quickly grow in this realm, especially Dragon Spirit Grass, which is the key to all pills. With it as the main ingredient, any pill you make will achieve maximum potency!" the fire dragon explained, circling.
"Oh! So you're saying I can grow any herbs I need for alchemy in this secret realm, use Dragon Spirit Grass as the main ingredient, and refine all sorts of powerful pills!?" Shawn asked in delight.
"That's right! But Master, you must carefully choose which herbs to plant in the Ascendant Secret Realm. Expanding the realm's space depends on your cultivation power, and right now your strength is still limited, so the area you can open up is small. As your power grows, you'll be able to expand the realm further! For now, the space you've unlocked is precious, so I suggest you start with Dragon Spirit Grass!" the fire dragon advised.
"Alright, I'll listen to you! From now on, you'll be in charge of the Ascendant Secret Realm!" Shawn knew the fire dragon was now fused with his Daoist treasure, the Ascendant Vessel, making it his loyal subordinate.
"Understood, Master!" The fire dragon let out a crisp roar, spun in the air, and landed on the alchemy cauldron, remaining still.
Shawn was thrilled, but then remembered he had important things to do. With a thought, he felt his consciousness wrapped in white light, spinning and dragging him away. Suddenly, he heard a sharp "whoosh" by his ear.
Shawn realized his spirit had returned to his body. He quickly opened his eyes and saw that the Yin-Yang Taiji Aura was now completely dim, and the Dragon Spirit Grass and five-colored earth had all been absorbed into his Ascendant Secret Realm. The five Taiji Earth Eggs had released their spiritual energy, nourishing the realm within!
At last, Shawn understood—the Ascendant Vessel in his sea of consciousness was a primordial Daoist treasure, and only with enough spiritual energy could its secret realm be unlocked, just like a key fits a lock! From now on, he would own his very own primordial secret realm. He hadn't yet figured out all its mysteries, but just being able to grow herbs and refine pills was enough to make him ecstatic!