But how do you take something out from a temple that only existed in your heart? He’d tried entering the subsidiary temples multiple times on the way up . But any time he came in contact while running Void Zone] , the temple disappeared . Entering a meditative state from within the temple grounds hadn’t worked either . It simply didn’t appear around him .
Or had those rules perhaps changed?
Zac thought it over and released his Void State before making his way toward the temple on the other side . He stopped roughly at the midway point and entered his ethereal state again . However , the scene was so surprising he immediately lost it . It was gone .
The cloud of providence surrounding the temple , the swirls of Fate . They were both gone , leaving the temple looking just like before Zac summoned his manor . Zac tried activating his Void Zone] instead , but the result was the same . Worried he’d missed out on a huge opportunity , Zac ran back to his manor . Calming his heart , Zac breathed out in relief . It was back .
A few minutes and experiments later , Zac confirmed a few things . The halo of providence only existed when he entered a Void State from within his mansion . At any other time , the sense of mystery and surging fate simply wasn’t there . The cloud would remain as long as he walked out of his manor while maintaining his state .
However , the whole peak transformed when approaching the temple this way . The Samsara Energy surged , and new additions appeared around him . A drum on a platform to the left , a bell tower with a golden bell to the right . Statues of Bodhisattvas and Devas guarding the entrances to the side temples . Anything he approached was elevated .
Furthermore , with every step he took toward the treasure on the other side , the more powerful the Dharmic pressure grew . It almost felt like the simple ghost temple contained a portal to the mysterious lotus flower he’d seen in the vision , and Zac was exposed to higher and higher Dharmic truths as he got closer .
By the time he reached the halfway point across the peak , Zac couldn’t maintain his Void Zone] . It was like the monastery understood he was - cheating - when using his Bloodline Talent and multiplied the pressure in response . His Void Energy was rapidly drained , and he felt his consciousness pulled into the Boundless Dharma .
His vision swam , and Zac could barely hear himself think over the roar of the Dao of Samsara . He felt that if he took another step , he’d enter the cycle of reincarnation . Zachary Atwood would cease to exist , even if his body remained . His survival instincts trumped his greed , forcing him to back down even if his mind was hazy .
Using his Void State went better . Since evolving his heart , it wasn’t hard for Zac to maintain a Void State while walking around , so he didn’t actually need to use Void Zone] to move . Unfortunately , Zac still didn’t get much farther than the halfway point before he was unable to continue . The barrier between the self and the cosmos was fraying at that point .
Zac reluctantly looked at the inviting temple door just a few hundred meters away . His instincts told him that he could take the treasure as long as he could walk across the peak without succumbing . This was just like the Sangha . They didn’t need to coerce or trick anyone into joining . They openly invited everyone to visit their holy sites , and people would succumb to their desires and grasp for too much .
He was greedy , but he did not need to go all-out for that thing right away . He’d just broken through to Void Self , and Zac could somewhat sense it was possible to improve the stability of the self even further . There were also protective treasures and talismans that were worth looking into . Anything that could give him an edge and allow him to take those next steps .
Since taking out the treasure immediately was impossible , Zac returned to his manor and started exploring other parts of his home . There was a small scripture hall where thousands of scrolls were placed into cubbies . They didn’t contain any cultivation methods , but Zac still found them interesting .
The scrolls mostly held historical accounts , describing the origin and history of the many zones in the Perennial Vastness . More than half of the environments in this realm had been absorbed from the outside , while the others had been born through various events . The information could shed some light on the various dangers of these regions , but that wasn’t why Zac spent almost an hour reading a random scroll .
There was a sense of mystery within the descriptions . They contained a unique charm that hinted at something grand . But unlike with the Book of Duality] , Zac couldn’t figure out what . For now .
He could tell there was something hidden within the flowing prose , and he had a lot of experience deciphering this type of text . Zac didn’t know if it was related to Dao or something else , but he really wanted to get to the bottom of it before he left .
Zac continued into the main meditation chamber and was met by his blueprint floating in the middle of his room . However , this projection was far more detailed than the ones that appeared on top of his head when looking for fights . There were depictions of energy flows , Dao interactions , and even individual patterns .
He’d heard some of it from Catheya over the past days , and he pointed at a certain section as he walked over . The complete blueprint was replaced with a small piece , and Zac got a far-better look at that part . He played around with the array a bit more and found it far more incisive than he’d anticipated . Zac even found some spots that were candidates for improvement , using his most recent insights into Kalpataru and Pale Seal .
That wasn’t the only thing the array could do . Zac activated another feature of the projection , and raging waves of flames assaulted the pathways . Being under assault by the Dao of Fire put the blueprint under pressure , and the energy circulation sped up . Zac looked on with interest as large amounts of energy were dragged into the output channels , clearly simulating skills being activated .
This feature was one of the biggest expenditures for most guests . The Perennial Vastness was an ancient realm with a direct connection to the System . There was almost no Dao or path it couldn’t simulate , allowing cultivators to test their path and blueprint against any challenge .
Few could say they had a path that no Dao could restrain or was without glaring weaknesses in certain situations . In that sense , perfection could be considered an illusion , where you did what you could to improve your foundations . With the array running simulations days out and days in for years , you were bound to stumble upon some improvements while deepening the understanding of your path .
Of course , duels were far cheaper in comparison . Still , it was a matter of luck and chance to stumble upon someone who not only had a set of Daos that could provoke a weakness in your path but also had the skill and discernment to spot it .
Zac chose to activate the premium simulation at 25 Mana a day . He’d let it run for the next month as an experiment . Having visited the Keys of Ascension , Zac no longer felt the truth of Ultom omnipotent . It imparted theories far beyond the level of the E-grade with unmatched clarity , but it was completely separated from the Dao .
Who knew? Some of his so-called fake weaknesses might be real loopholes created by his imperfect understanding of Duality and his Daos . To spend 750 Mana over the next month , letting the array try out tens of thousands of scenarios , was a small price to pay . Suppose the blueprint proved as impervious as he believed it to be , then great . He’d paid a small fee to put aside his final worries . If not , Zac would know he’d have to adjust his plans .
After an hour of looking through everything , Zac was ready to leave . He hesitated but eventually teleported to one of the cheaper Green Zones . An hour later , after having rested and performing a few experiments with his improved Heart Cultivation , Zac teleported to Vastness City .