As Li Fan's body temperature increased, the image of the Chih Yan in his sea of consciousness became clear once again.
However...
Even though Li Fan pushed the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra to its limits, he ignored the faint taste of scorching emanating from his body.
At the moment when the Chih Yan's illusory spirit was about to take shape, for some unknown reason, Li Fan withdrew from the visualization state.
"Could it be because it's too hot, exceeding the body's endurance limit?"
Li Fan contemplated this and began searching in the Heavenly Profound Mirror for medicines that could resist heat.
Spending 10 contribution points, he purchased an Ice Heart Pill.
After consuming it, Li Fan attempted once again.
This time, as the fiery sensation brought about by visualizing the Chih Yan appeared, a cold breath emerged from his dantian at the same time.
This cold breath circulated throughout his body, suppressing the heat.
Without the need to distract himself to suppress bodily discomfort, Li Fan focused all his energy on condensing the illusory spirit resembling the Chih Yan.
However...
It didn't work!
The illusory spirit shattered just before it was about to take form.
It seemed like something deliberately obstructed within the depths, making it impossible for the illusory spirit to take form.
After several attempts, the effect of the Ice Heart Pill began to fade.
Li Fan stopped.
"The soul of Heaven and Earth is indeed extraordinary; even condensing an illusory spirit based on it is impossible..."
"There must be some unknown rules or restrictions within this."
Li Fan pondered for a moment and began searching for information about the soul of Heaven and Earth in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
As expected, the Heavenly Profound Mirror informed him that his permissions were insufficient to view it.
For a moment, Li Fan's idea of condensing the illusory spirit resembling the Chih Yan fell into a dilemma.
However, he didn't intend to give up.
The greater the restrictions, the greater the harvest once successful.
The might of the soul of Heaven and Earth was clear; even obtaining a thousandth of it would be extraordinary.
However, he needed to carefully consider how to proceed.
Thus, Li Fan maintained his auxiliary cultivation, in a state of enlightenment, quietly closing his eyes to contemplate.
One day, two days, three days...
Time passed day by day, and his contribution points gradually burned away.
Finally, after seven days, Li Fan opened his eyes.
The soul of Heaven and Earth was a manifestation of a certain law in the world.
If the flames of Chih Yan represented a law related to fire, what special significance did the red color of Chih Yan have?
Besides the flames of Chih Yan, were there any other flames?
Li Fan immediately began to experiment.
Still visualizing the soul of Heaven and Earth, the aura and appearance of the figure were exactly the same as the red Chih Yan he remembered.
The only difference was that the color of the figure changed from red to green.
This time, the illusory spirit formed successfully. However, it was extremely weak, seeming like an empty shell without any power to harm enemies.
He dispersed the nascent illusory spirit in his sea of consciousness.
Li Fan attempted once more.
This time, it changed from blue to black.
The black flames were similar to the red flames, and the illusory spirit couldn't take form. However, unlike when visualizing the red flames, there was no searing heat during the visualization of the black flames.
Li Fan tried another color.
...
Li Fan attempted all the colors he could think of.
He found that there were four scenarios.
The first was like the red flames, unable to take form, and during the visualization process, he would feel a roasting sensation.
The second was like the green flames. Although it could take form, it was empty and lacked any power.
The third was like the black flames, unable to take form, and during the visualization process, no peculiarities occurred.
The fourth was the most special.
In Li Fan's sea of consciousness, a virtual image almost identical to the red flames slowly condensed.
Except this time, it was blue.
As the illusory spirit of blue flames gradually appeared, the temperature around Li Fan began to drop significantly.
Layers of ice flowers began to spread from the ground where Li Fan stood, moving outward.
His hair and eyebrows were frosted, and his body gradually stiffened like ice.
Even the Xuanhuang Heart Refining Mantra, which had been operating silently, slowed down under its influence, as if it would stop at any moment.
Li Fan's heartbeat slowed down, and his breath rapidly diminished.
Yet, Li Fan's consciousness fell into a strange state.
It was like an out-of-body experience, observing the various changes in his own body as if he were an onlooker.
There were no emotional fluctuations.
Li Fan had a premonition. In this state, even if his body were destroyed, and he faced death in the next moment, he wouldn't feel any fear.
It was a state of absolute calm and rationality.
It was in this state that Li Fan silently watched as his body was completely encased in ice.
It was like being in absolute zero, plunged into absolute silence.
At the same time, in Li Fan's sea of consciousness, the illusory spirit of blue flames finally took shape.
The temperature didn't rise, but vitality rapidly emerged on Li Fan.
It was as if the absolute coldness could no longer affect him.
Li Fan's consciousness moved, and the blue flames in his sea of consciousness flickered. The extreme coldness on his body quickly disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, Li Fan returned to his original appearance, and he emerged from that state of absolute rationality.
The extreme coldness seemed like an illusion, leaving no trace.
"So, this is the power of blue flames?"
In his sea of consciousness, the young blue flames illusory spirit fell into a deep sleep.
But Li Fan knew that he could awaken it at any time and recreate that state he had just experienced.
"Encountering four different situations when visualizing flames of different colors should correspond to the condition of the soul of Heaven and Earth."
After some contemplation, Li Fan made his own conjecture.
The soul of Heaven and Earth was the embodiment of the laws of Heaven, and in this realm, practitioners could also refine the soul of Heaven and Earth to achieve the Dao Unity Realm.
So, in the previous visualization process, those illusory spirits that could form but lacked any power should represent a lack of this particular type of soul of Heaven and Earth.
As for those that couldn't take form, like the red flames, they should still belong to the system of Heaven and Earth's laws. Although Li Fan could invoke their power, he couldn't possess them. For those like the black flames, they should have already been refined by Dao Unity cultivators and were no longer within the system of this realm's laws.
Then, what did this blue flame represent?
"The law of what is yet to be born?"
"In other words, in the near future, in some part of the cultivation world, the true soul of Heaven and Earth, the blue flame, will descend?" Li Fan fell into deep thought.
After a long time, Li Fan took a deep breath and buried his various speculations about the soul of Heaven and Earth deep in his mind.
Regardless, although he hadn't condensed the illusory spirit of red flames, he accidentally visualized the illusory spirit of blue flames.
The two attributes were completely opposite, but the power of the blue flames seemed to be no less than that of the red flames.
Feeling delighted, Li Fan began to practice the "Illusory Spirit of Darkness" again.
He attempted to nurture and strengthen the illusory spirit of blue flames, aiming to use it for psychic attacks.
Time slowly passed as he practiced.
Not long after, Li Fan suddenly stopped the auxiliary cultivation mode.
It turned out that due to the prolonged practice, his contribution points were now just a little over a hundred.