Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Chapter 390: Learning Universe in the Palm

“The way I see it, you have a remarkable aptitude for space techniques. Just think about it—So Close Yet Worlds Apart isn’t something your current Cultivation level should be able to learn, but you managed it anyway, didn’t you?” Everlasting Fairy, as the leader of The Five Ancient Immortals, highly regarded Lu Yang’s talent in space magic.

In ancient times, receiving praise from Everlasting Fairy was considered more valuable than ten thousand opportunities, capable of propelling someone to greatness.

However, Lu Yang didn’t have that sense of realization. To him, Everlasting Fairy only presented him with more challenges.

If this were the ancient times, people would have called him “ungrateful” for not recognizing such a blessing.

“Oh well, might as well give it a try,” Lu Yang said, deciding to take a break from his usual cultivation, seeing this as an opportunity to relax and expand his mind.

“I don’t expect you to fully master Universe in the Palm, but even learning the basic principles will greatly enhance your ability to perform other space techniques. It will improve your learning speed and your execution will be much faster!”

Everlasting Fairy knew that learning Universe in the Palm would be difficult for Lu Yang, but she wanted to teach him anyway.

And when she wanted to teach, no one could stop her.

Lu Yang leapt down from the sword-infused boulder, flipping three times in mid-air before landing gracefully.

Everlasting Fairy pulled Lu Yang into her spiritual space. With a thought, she changed her outfit to a traditional scholar’s robe, resembling an ancient teacher. The transformation made her appear more intelligent.

“Heh, now this feels right.”

“Before I teach you, I’ll give you a demonstration!” Everlasting Fairy said with a mischievous grin.

Before Lu Yang could react, the cozy spiritual space of four rooms and two halls transformed into an endless, dark void. Massive stars appeared in front of him, their light faint compared to distant, barely visible stars scattered throughout the vast expanse.

Everlasting Fairy stood in front of Lu Yang and raised her small hand, pressing it downward with great force.

Lu Yang squinted, trying to see through the darkness above him, but the void was too vast to comprehend. He felt a presence overhead.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, the stars above him vanished, as if something had blocked them from view.

A massive hand emerged from the darkness, filling his entire field of vision. He could see nothing but the hand, which dwarfed everything else.

The lines on the palm were vividly clear, and the intricate fingerprint patterns resembled the pathways of celestial bodies. The stars within the palm were like mere grains of sand.

Lu Yang had experienced mountains collapsing and the oppressive might of a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator, but compared to this hand, none of that mattered. Those past encounters felt insignificant, lacking any true power in comparison.

Oppression, suffocation, despair… These emotions surged in his heart uncontrollably, growing wildly like a plague.

“Watch closely. This is Universe in the Palm.”

The giant hand pressed down, and Lu Yang’s vision went black. His consciousness faded.

When he awoke, Everlasting Fairy was hovering over him, her upper body draped across him as her large eyes blinked curiously, studying him.

“Did I scare you?”

“No, you killed me,” Lu Yang muttered.

“Oh, right. So, how was it? Did you feel the power of Universe in the Palm?”

Lu Yang still felt a lingering fear. He decided it would be wise to be more polite to Everlasting Fairy from now on.

“Fairy, can you expand my spiritual space?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lu Yang recalled that Everlasting Fairy had previously complained that his spiritual space was too small, restricting her movements.

With hands on her hips, Everlasting Fairy proudly replied, “I can temporarily expand it. I couldn’t do it before, but lately, I’ve been sleeping a lot and regaining some of my strength.”

“As they say, ‘Within a flower holds a world, within a tree holds fleeting life; within a blade of grass holds the enlightenment, and within a leaf holds the Buddha. Within a grain of sand holds paradise, within a square of land holds the Pure Land, within a smile holds worldly connection, within a single thought holds peace and quiet.’”

(TL Note: This saying comes from a buddhist text explaining the Diamond Sutra, 《金刚经正解》and one explaining the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment,《圆觉经要解》. I really like the passage. Source is here btw https://baike.sogou.com/v170997.htm?fromTitle=%E4%B8%80%E8%8A%B1%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%EF%BC%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%8F%B6%E4%B8%80%E8%8F%A9%E6%8F%90)

“The concept of Universe in the Palm comes from this idea. Within the palm holds a world, and not just any world—a vast, boundless world!”

Lu Yang seemed to gain some insight from this explanation. He had heard that Buddhism excelled in space-related techniques, and perhaps this was the philosophy behind it.

“If you want to cultivate Universe in the Palm, the first step is visualization. Visualize yourself as a vast world.”

“At the same time, you need to visualize the real world—every detail of it appearing in your mind. In your mind, you must construct an entire, real world.”

“Combine the internal and external, invert space, grasp the concept of infinity—where the infinitely large and infinitely small coexist. If you can comprehend the meaning of these words, you’re nearly ready to perform Universe in the Palm.”

Everlasting Fairy explained the principles of Universe in the Palm in great detail. As the explanation became more profound, she broke it down into smaller, digestible parts, interpreting the knowledge from various angles, trying her best to help Lu Yang understand the technique now.

“Alright, that’s enough explaining. Go try it out!” Everlasting Fairy raised her foot and kicked Lu Yang out of the spiritual space.

Back in reality, Lu Yang gathered his thoughts and began recalling what Everlasting Fairy had taught him.

“Internal and external must be combined—this means I need to integrate what I visualize with the real world… Infinity is the core of space techniques—the idea of large and small transforming into each other…”

Lu Yang extended his hand, studying the lines on his palm. Could the lines of the palm really correspond to the trajectories of stars?

He infused his eyes with spiritual power to enhance his vision and saw the deeper layers of his skin, down to the epithelial cells.

Each structure made up of cells resembled the body—could they be seen as a type of life form? If there were countless cells in his hand, could it mean his hand held countless lives?

“So, when they say ‘within a flower holds a world,’ is that what it really means?”

Lu Yang furrowed his brows in contemplation, combining his previous knowledge with what Everlasting Fairy had taught him. He gradually began to grasp the Buddhist philosophy that served as the foundation of Universe in the Palm.

“Everlasting Fairy already showed me that “Universe” means a world. Universe in the Palm is about creating a world in your hand—a supreme space technique, perfect for both offense and defense.”

Lu Yang muttered to himself, turning his hand over repeatedly. His thoughts became clearer, like the first light of dawn breaking through the fog in his mind, unveiling the secrets behind this legendary ability.

“So, that’s how it works…”

Lu Yang stood up, dusting off his clothes, a confident smile spreading across his face.

“I’ve learned it.”

Everlasting Fairy reappeared, thinking Lu Yang had given up. She comforted him, “It’s okay. Even if you haven’t mastered it yet, once your Cultivation improves, you’ll be able to learn it.”

“Wait a minute, did you just say you learned it?” Everlasting Fairy stared at Lu Yang in astonishment.

“Universe in the Palm requires a massive amount of spiritual energy to support it. I don’t have enough energy to maintain it for long, but with my Invincible Core, my spiritual reserves are five to ten times greater than others at my level. I can manage it for an instant!”

Lu Yang closed his eyes, his body becoming a furnace as he began sketching the form of a world. This was something most people couldn’t do, but with his past life’s knowledge of the universe, combined with Everlasting Fairy’s demonstration and other factors, he could execute Universe in the Palm.

He spread out his hand, his palm flat, channeling his spiritual energy with great force, and called out.

“Universe in the Palm!”

Everlasting Fairy watched in curiosity, and to her surprise, a small space appeared in Lu Yang’s palm. Inside, stars were spinning, like a miniature universe!

“He really managed to learn it… Wait, why is the space in his palm so small? It’s only about one or two miles wide, and the stars are pitifully tiny.”

“How about it? Did I master it or what?” Lu Yang shot Everlasting Fairy a proud glance.

Everlasting Fairy’s expression turned strange.

If her technique was Universe in the Palm, then what Lu Yang had just performed could only be called… a village in the palm.