Lin Mu had used the Spiral Flake Crystal from time to time ever since he had obtained it.
Senior Xukong had recommended him to use it so that he could enhance his Spatial perception. This would in turn allow him to further his understanding of space and improve his compatibility too.
While he had managed to make the Four Faceted Nebula Dao Embryo, it was still an enigma that Lin Mu had little understanding about.
It was a strange situation where a cultivator didn't know much about their Dao Embryo. This usually didn't happen, as they would only be able to form a Dao Embryo once they had gotten a good understanding about the Dao Traces.
But for Lin Mu, there was an exception due to the ring. Perhaps because he had been using Spatial skill for a few years and had also experienced the void several times, he had an understanding of it but not the same way others had developed it.
Not to mention, his Dao Embryo was entirely unique and was the first of its kind.
Xukong was stumped at it too, thus it was relatively normal for Lin Mu to not know about it either. But it was still his job to make an attempt at understanding it better. And that was exactly what he was doing now.
"Let's get started…" Lin Mu held the Spiral Flake Crystal in his palm and let his immortal sense enter it.
A sensation of boundlessness could be felt, but Lin Mu continued on. For most people, this would be highly uncomfortable as it was almost the same as getting dissociated from one's body. But for Lin Mu this was common.
After all, he had been using the Severing and Calming heart Sutra's which had normalized it for him.
'The emptiness… Like void… and yet not…' Lin Mu thought to himself.
The Spatial Characteristics of the Spiral Flake Crystal were that of 'expansiveness'.
There was a reason why they were used to make high quality Spatial Storage tools after all.
And Lin Mu hoped to use this same characteristic to further his understanding of space.
An hour passed without him learning much. There was just emptiness there and his Immortal Sense wandered without a direction. But he didn't falter and kept on exploring the boundless confines of the Spiral Flake Crystal.
Hour after hour passed like this with Lin Mu losing track of time.
His mind had reached a special state of trance where the boundlessness was affecting his consciousness. It wouldn't be unusual to say half of his being was currently 'within' the Spiral flake crystal.
The more his Immortal Sense explored, the deeper he went.
A couple of days passed like this, after which a thought appeared in Lin Mu's mind.
'Perhaps if I reach the boundary of this place, I might be able to figure out more…' Lin Mu thought to himself.
And that was exactly what he did.
His Immortal sense was like a lone boat in a windless ocean.
It wandered without a direction, trying to reach the end.
Two weeks passed like this, during which Lin Mu didn't move at all. He was fully immersed in the Spiral Flake Crystal and exploring it. By now thoughts about leaving were appearing in his mind.
'I can't do it this early… I need to continue…' Lin Mu thought to himself.
He simply chanted the Severing Heart Sutra and cut away the stray thoughts, immersing himself once more.
From time to time, he felt like there was something he was sensing within the boundlessness. But whenever he got close to it, it would disappear as if it were never there.
Lin Mu had thought that he was merely mistaken at first. Then he thought that it might be some kind of illusory phenomena that occurred in the Spiral Flake crystal. But when it happened for tens of times, he realized that there was certainly something there.
'Maybe that is what I need to seek out?' Lin Mu wondered.
With this in mind, Lin Mu got a new goal and went after it. Of course, there was still no exact direction where he could seek it out. He simply needed to wander, till the unknown would be sensed by him.
It had happened several times before, so Lin Mu didn't think it wouldn't happen again.
As more days went by, Lin Mu encountered the unknown phenomena a few more times. And each time he did, he felt like he could sense it better. Originally it could only be 'felt' by him but as he encountered it more and more, he could 'see' it as well.
Of course it was very hard to see, looking like a mere blur.
If one were to compare it, it was like watching a smoldering speck of ember through several layers of Linen. It was almost the same as not seeing it.
Even if it was 'dark' all around him, it was a darkness that didn't allow light to be 'seen' either.
Eventually though, Lin Mu stated to see the unknown phenomena more and more. It became clear and more apparent.
It would still run away, but Lin Mu was having an easier time catching up with it.
"Come on… Just a bit more." Lin Mu said to himself, as he encountered the unknown for the hundredth time.
This was the closest he had gotten to it, and he felt like it was just a hundred meters from him. But when he tried to get closer, the distance stayed the same. It was as if both he and the unknown were moving together.
Lin Mu sped up, but the unknown simply disappeared.
~Sigh~
"I guess I'll have to try again…" Lin Mu reckoned.
But just as he was about to start his search again, he was disturbed by something.
"What is that…" Lin Mu was forced to open his eyes in the real world.
His link with the Spiral Flake Crystal was broken as he heard something.
~SHUA~
But soon it wasn't just sound that he heard. He could also sense a wave of energy coming from outside. It was strong enough to have passed through the barrier and was pressuring too.
"It can't be…" Lin Mu took out the token and checked how long it was till the fight. "There's still a day left." He took a breath of relief.
'If it isn't that then, what is these energy?' Lin Mu wondered as he walked out.
~Creak~
The door of the bedroom opened up as Lin Mu gazed at the courtyard.
The figure of Saintess along with the beasts could be seen there. All of them were looking up at the sky that was swirling with millions of runes.
"What's happening?" Lin Mu's voice drifted over, prompting them to look at him.
"You've come at the right time." The Saintess spoke. "You'll want to see this for sure." She added.
"Huh? What is it?" Lin Mu asked. "It's from the Temple of the Four Guardians right?" he somewhat recognized the energy fluctuations.
"It is indeed." The Saintess replied. "They are setting the stage for the next part of the Tournament." She added.
"But that doesn't start till tomorrow." Lin Mu said in confusion.
"It is yes. But they still need to prepare for it." The Saintess said before waving her hand.
The air above them flickered and changed, before a thin layer of moisture appeared. It formed into a membrane of some kind before starting to expand.
With the expansion of the membrane, the view above them also got bigger, as if it had been zoomed in.
'She made a lens just like that?' Lin Mu was surprised at the application of the Cloud and Water Daos.
With the view becoming better, Lin Mu could now see the runes clearly. All of them were in the Dao Script and he could recognize a lot of them too. He started to observe them, trying to figure out what they were doing.
He could tell that there was a formation array being made but it was unknown to him what kind it was. The complexity was certainly one of the highest he had ever seen.
'This is almost on the level as the Grand Array of the Capital City isn't it?' Lin Mu realized after a few minutes.
The runes were only increasing in number, while hundred of formations were being made every minute. These formations would then join other sub-formations and link up, turning into different sections of the array.
Eventually though, Lin Mu started to make sense of it.
"Wait a second… those formations…" Lin Mu's eyes went wide. "Boundary Stabilizing Great formation… Void Penetrating Great Formation… Space Lightning Great Formation…" he recognized several of the formations that were of a terrifying level.
"That's correct." The Saintess confirmed his words. "Did you figure out what they are doing?" she asked.
"If it's all this then… aren't they… making a Spatial Storage treasure… no a Spatial plane!" Lin Mu answered.
