Zhang Fan watched as Luo Xiaoxiao successfully entered the stone statue's interior. He then turned to the crowd in the great hall, who were all trying desperately. Only Liu Mu had managed to enter a stone statue so far.
"Truly worthy of being the most exceptional among those who can cultivate a golden Nascent Soul. I wonder which faction such a person hails from?" Zhang Fan murmured softly, then looked towards Lin Haotian and Wuchen Jianxian.
Lin Haotian had chosen a stone statue of an ancient giant spirit tribe, hundreds of feet tall. He was currently struggling to take steps closer, but a powerful repulsive force seemed to emanate from its surroundings. Even with Lin Haotian's minor accomplishment in his Holy Body, he found it difficult to resist. Every step was an arduous effort.
Finally, he felt the repulsive force reach the limit of his physical body. Blood began to ooze from every pore, dyeing his bronze skin crimson. He couldn't help but let out a furious roar, fully activating his minor Holy Body accomplishment and transforming into a giant over a hundred feet tall to confront it.
"The path of body refinement is not merely about incessantly tempering the physical body. You must also study the structure of the body, the composition of the blood. You need the confidence to shake the heavens and the earth, as well as meticulous patience. Discover and expand from the subtle details." Lin Haotian, who had been tense, gradually relaxed upon hearing this. He seemed to have gained some insight, and his posture gradually straightened.
If he only knew how to resist, with his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, how could he possibly withstand the methods left behind by a Soul Transformation cultivator?
Zhang Fan glanced over and then paid them no further mind. He walked behind Wuchen Jianxian and transmitted his voice, "The Dao cultivated in the Nascent Soul stage is vastly different from that cultivated in the Soul Transformation stage. Do not expect to comprehend it at your current stage. What you need to do is to sense his Dao, and find your own path forward."
With this single remark, Wuchen Jianxian felt as if he had been struck by a divine revelation. He looked at the stone statue again and found that what he saw was completely different from before. When he stopped being fixated on the details and instead followed Zhang Fan's guidance, he gradually found his direction.
With Zhang Fan's guidance, Lin Haotian, Wuchen Jianxian, and Tianhua Tianjun successively resonated with the Dao of the stone statues and successfully entered their interiors.
The successive success in resonating with the Dao naturally attracted the attention of many. They examined carefully and discovered that the four individuals who had achieved this resonance were all Zhang Fan's disciples and followers. Upon reflection, their hearts churned with astonishment, and their gaze towards Zhang Fan became somewhat fearful.
If he could only resonate with the Dao himself, it would merely indicate his exceptional talent. But he could guide others, and furthermore, the Dao cultivated by the three individuals was completely different from Zhang Fan's. What did this signify?
Zhang Fan merely shook his head and smiled lightly at the fearful gazes cast upon him. For him to do these things was as simple as asking a top university professor to solve elementary school math problems; it was not worth mentioning.
"Master, you guided them to resonate with the Dao one after another, yet you don't guide me. Do you not consider me a person?" Xue Mo Jiao, with his bulging belly, had circled the great hall more than half its circumference. He had examined every stone statue, but none felt suitable for him.
"After consuming the Transformation Immortal Grass, you truly consider yourself human?" Zhang Fan shook his head and said, "You contain the bloodline of the Blood Dragon. You are on the path of bloodline evolution. The inheritances in this hall are all Dao inheritances of human cultivators, not suitable for you."
"Then have I come here in vain?" Xue Mo Jiao's plump face was filled with disappointment as he sighed.
"Cultivate the Blood Dragon Body Refinement Technique I taught you well. It is stronger than any inheritance here," Zhang Fan said, and then turned to walk towards the stone statue at the end of the hall.
A Nascent Soul cultivator had tried countless times and still failed. Even with his Dao heart, he could not bear it and had fallen into despair.
However, when he saw Zhang Fan's figure, he suddenly thought of something and a glimmer of hope reignited in his heart.
He quickly walked up to Zhang Fan, knelt down decisively, and pleaded, "Senior Zhang Fan, please offer some guidance. I am willing to follow you for the rest of my life, serving you diligently."
Zhang Fan looked at him expressionlessly, his demeanor calm, and said nothing.
With the first, there were soon second and third. In a short while, over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators knelt before Zhang Fan, begging for guidance. Some even offered to become slaves, merely hoping for a single truthful word to break through their bottleneck.
Zhang Fan looked at the group of Nascent Soul cultivators before him. The weakest among them had reached the Five Tribulations realm, while the strongest had reached the Eight Tribulations realm. On the Boundary Heart Continent, they were top-tier experts, enjoying endless glory wherever they went.
If he were willing, he could establish a top-tier force comparable to the Six Kings' Mansion in a very short time. Given enough time, perhaps all but the Canghai Palace would be surpassed by Zhang Fan.
However, this was merely what Shen Feichen thought. The Wu Shan Star Domain was too small and limited their vision. A group of top Nascent Soul cultivators following him was not a trivial matter for a top-tier force, but Zhang Fan remained unperturbed. He said lightly, "The Dao cannot be easily imparted. As Nascent Soul cultivators, you all understand this principle."
"For each of you, there is hope of entering the stone statue, but that lies within yourselves. If you place this hope upon me, you will undoubtedly extinguish this last sliver of opportunity."
With that, Zhang Fan walked directly towards the stone statue at the end of the great hall, leaving a group of Nascent Soul cultivators looking at each other in dismay.
Zhang Fan's tone was gentle, but it plunged the Nascent Soul cultivators into despair. They had fought their way here, becoming among the fortunate few to survive and reach the second level of the Da Luo Hall.
If they had not reached this point, they could have maintained a more relaxed attitude. But with the Dao of Soul Transformation so close yet unreachable, this torment was enough to drive most Nascent Soul cultivators with unsteady Dao hearts to madness.
Most cultivators gave up, while only a very small number carefully pondered Zhang Fan's words and returned to the stone statues to continue their attempts.
...