Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chen Mu traveled further into the desert, his sense of wonder at the universe's mysteries growing. Before he had comprehended the Qiankun Artistic Conception, his understanding had always been incomplete, like a blind man touching an elephant, only able to perceive a fraction of the world's changes. Now, no matter where he was, he could glimpse the whole picture.

For instance, here in the desert, the Separating Fire Artistic Conception was extremely vigorous during the daytime, and the Yang Attribute within the Qian Heaven also reached its peak. But as night fell, Yin prevailed while Yang declined, transitioning from Qian Yang to Kun Yin, causing the Separating Fire to diminish. The Kan Water, which had been completely suppressed during the day, even showed signs of revival, becoming slightly more vigorous than it had been in daylight.

The Qiankun Eight Phases were constantly changing and rotating, every second of every moment.

At this moment,

Chen Mu gained some insight into the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal technique, and no wonder it was called 'Cycle Mark,' embodying the notion of rotation. This was the essence of the universe's Qiankun: unchanging yet changing, taking action without action, still and unmoved.

The world unveiling before Chen Mu no longer seemed like a tangible night and desert but rather a painting composed of countless colors, these colors flowing on the canvas, constantly blending and transforming one another.

Whoosh.

Chen Mu summoned the system interface for a glance.

[Martial Art: Qiankun Artistic Conception (Step Two)]

[Experience: 377 Points]

"Very good,"

he said with a hint of a smile on his face.

Wandering the great desert and contemplating the world's changes, he gained a substantial amount of Experience Points. Even if he ended up with no Spiritual Objects, the accumulation of experience in the Qiankun Artistic Conception alone was certainly worth the trip.

And so, Chen Mu continued onward, not knowing how long he walked until dawn's light began to break. He found another area of flowing sand, and this time, his exploration yielded a pleasant surprise.

"Earthly Elemental Stone."

Chen Mu weighed a grey-brown piece of earth the size of a fingertip in his hand, his eyes flashing with a trace of light.

Earthly Elemental Stones belong to Yin, unlike the Earth Element Pearl, which is another type of Spiritual Object similar to Earthly Elemental Stones but often very small. It could be used as a Formation Base for an Earth Vein Formation. Although it wasn't the kind of Spiritual Object that could enhance Viscera Tempering, the value of the piece in his hand was not inferior to that of an Earth Element Pearl; at the Seven Profound Sect, it could be directly exchanged for something he needed.

Having explored for just a day and a night, he had already gained a find, plus the added bonus of a lot of Experience Points from his comprehension of the natural changes. His spirits lifted considerably, and he emerged once more onto the top of a sand dune.

Just in time for sunrise.

A glimmer of dawn rose from the edge of his vision, illuminating the entire desert.

In Chen Mu's perception, The Power of Heaven and Earth also rapidly changed and flowed with the rise of the sun – Yin Attributes receding, Yang Attributes swelling, Kan Water subsiding, Separating Fire brewing. Such natural, fluid change was beyond the reach of any meticulous crafting.

"I wonder what the edge of this world looks like,"

Chen Mu murmured to himself.

Da Xuan was vast.

With Ninety-Nine State spanning tens of thousands of miles each,

most people spent their lives without leaving their county or prefecture, and few could traverse an entire state, let alone the world of Ninety-Nine State.

Beyond Ninety-Nine State, according to the records, were wastelands inhabited by Barbaric Foreign Tribes.

Ice State, which bordered Yu State, was already considered the Extreme North. Beyond its borders laid a boundless icy wilderness, its end unknown to all. Perhaps some individuals at the Blood Exchange Realm, the pinnacle of Martial Arts, knew the end of that icy wilderness, but at least Chen Mu did not, nor had he seen any records about it.

Even the sandy wasteland beyond Sha Prefecture, next to Yu State, had no definite end. No one knew for sure where it ultimately led.

But Chen Mu was certain about one thing – the world was indeed flat.
Experience new tales on empire

This didn't require reaching the edge of Da Xuan to measure; it seemed that the land indeed followed the principle of "heaven round, earth square."

"If it truly is heaven round, earth square, then at the very edge of the world, heaven and earth should meet... However, beyond the border lies more Great Demons and Barbaric Foreign Tribes, places that I am not yet suited to explore,"

Chen Mu quickly gathered his thoughts and shook his head.

Being able to witness the edge of the world would undoubtedly be a massive accumulation of experience for him. However, based on his current knowledge, lands beyond the border were all dangerous and inhospitable, even Grandmasters of Marrow Cleansing would not wish to venture there lightly.

For Chen Mu at present, such a time was still far off.

He continued forward.

After walking some distance more, Chen Mu's eyes moved slightly as he sensed a surge of demonic power appearing off to the right.

"A Sixth Rank Great Demon?"

With a thought, he took a step and vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Soon after,

he crossed over a towering dune and found a moderately-sized sandstorm ahead, and the demon Qi was emanating from within it.

While sensing the situation inside the sandstorm, Chen Mu approached it. Upon arriving nearby and looking into the storm, he immediately saw an immensely large shadow standing deep within it.

"Sand Demon?"

Chen Mu recognized its identity from just a glimpse of its hazy silhouette.

In the desert, a Sixth Rank Great Demon usually corresponded to a Sand Demon, which, unlike the Sand Wraith, was another kind of demon not adept at manipulating sandstorms with its power or at long-range attacks. However, its body's toughness was nearly unmatched among Sixth Rank demons, almost the complete opposite of a Sand Wraith.