Yuan’s Ascension

Flying Sword! With a mere thought, a lifebound flying sword emerged from the amethyst cradle lake. Guided by Wu Yuan's Soul Force, it effortlessly soared out of the meditation chamber, slicing through the air for thousands of li, then ten thousand, and finally thirty thousand!

Wu Yuan marveled at the terrifying ability of a qi refiner. Where the Voidspace is reflected in reality, the flying sword artifact may reach.

In legends, when a sword immortal struck, they could slay enemies thousands of li away. However, some great qi refiners were said to be capable of killing foes hundreds of millions or even billions of light-years away in the blink of an eye.

Of course, the farther the artifact traveled, the weaker its power became. Once it exceeded the range of the Voidspace's reflection, it would lose its power completely.

An ordinary Amethyst Cradle cultivator with a sixth-degree immortal root should only have a Voidspace of about ten li. That's roughly a thousand li when reflected into the real world.

A thousand li was the typical attack range of an Amethyst Cradle cultivator's artifact.

Exceptionally powerful cultivators, like those with third-degree immortal roots, were capable of striking targets thousands of li away.

And Wu Yuan? His attack range was a staggering thirty thousand li. His lifebound flying swords could maintain their immense power, striking any enemy within tens of thousands of li!

It was safe to say that with this ability alone, Wu Yuan could be considered a formidable powerhouse among many second-degree immortal root cultivators.

Suddenly, Wu Yuan's attention was drawn to the space above the Voidspace. Within that vast and unfathomable River of Destiny, strands of white silk-like threads began to materialize. They reached directly into the Voidspace, subtly rendering it more stable. These strange threads of power, although individually weak, possessed remarkable strength when accumulated.

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yuan identified the phenomenon. This is... Faith!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Through the Destiny Voidscape, his consciousness faintly perceived countless figures praying devoutly - old women, children, adults... Some figures were incredibly vague, while others appeared comparatively distinct. There were billions of them!

No wonder I couldn't perceive this when I first reached the Shambhala phase. It turns out it was because my consciousness hadn't entered the Destiny Voidscape.

He quickly grasped that only by perceiving the Destiny Voidscape could one receive the power of Faith. Every Amethyst Cradle cultivator could do it, an ability inherent to qi refiners. Among body refiners, only a few could accomplish this feat.

The power of Faith is truly magical. Wu Yuan thought. It can accelerate my soul's growth and recovery, and my perception of the Dao seems clearer. He rapidly discerned various uses for this newfound power.

Though it seemed miraculous, Wu Yuan also recognized its drawbacks. This power of Faith is actually the collective will of countless beings, resonating with the River of Destiny, contributing their power to me. But this power ultimately belongs to them; it contains their wishes and prayers.

He understood that absorbing a little was fine, but overindulging could entangle one in countless threads of karma, tainting the purity of one's own soul.

It's a double-edged sword. Only when one is strong and resolute enough can they suppress the countless regrets and lingering thoughts that accompany the power of Faith.

As time ebbed away, Wu Yuan absorbed the power of Faith, tirelessly dispelling those thoughts. It was a slow and delicate process.

Suddenly, an unseen force swept over Wu Yuan's spirit and soul, rushing through the small gap between the Amethyst Cradle and the Voidspace, then sweeping through the entire Voidspace.

Whoosh~ The innumerable thoughts contained within the unrefined power of Faith instantly dispersed. The Faith was now incredibly pure, no longer imbued with any thoughts or wishes.

Wu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly, a touch of shock emerging. The Black Pagoda! Merely absorbing a bit of the blood mist has purified so much Faith?

One had to understand that his qi refiner self had scarcely any blood mist left in his upper dantian lobe. The blood mist consumed just now was even less than a hundredth of the remaining mist. And yet, it continued to process the power of Faith.

Wu Yuan's eyes sparkled. Even most ordinary immortal cultivators dare not absorb the power of Faith in large quantities, only taking it in slowly. But if I have enough blood mist, I can absorb it continuously.

Once assisted by the power of Faith, the progression speed of my qi refiner self will skyrocket. The Dao comprehension speed of my qi refiner self is much slower compared to my body refiner self. But if assisted by the power of Faith…

At the very least, my comprehension of the Longevity Dao will be accelerated several fold. My qi refiner self won't be left far behind. Wu Yuan thought, his heart pounding with excitement.

However, he recognized two prerequisites: First, there had to be sufficient blood mist! Second, there had to be ample Faith.

Currently, I am only at the Amethyst Cradle phase, and the speed at which I can assimilate the power of Faith is limited. The Faith I'm acquiring from the world residence, Summerpeak World, and my body refiner self is sufficient for the time being. The only concern is the blood mist. Wu Yuan pondered.

It didn't seem to consume much. However, the cumulative amount required for the continuous purification of Faith was still shocking.

That's fine as well. I had initially planned for my qi refiner self to venture out on expeditions. Now, I have an additional source of motivation. A cold glint shone in Wu Yuan's eyes.

First, I'll use the divine crystal elixir to propel my mana cultivation to the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase in one breath.

From the first-stage to the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase, the changes to the Voidspace were limited. After all, Wu Yuan's Voidspace was already terrifyingly large. However, the Amethyst Cradle would grow increasingly vast, accumulating power for the next expansion of the Voidspace.

…

Time flew.

Dragon Star, High Immortal Nan Yin's residence.

"Second-stage Amethyst Cradle phase? How long has it been?" High Immortal Nan Yin looked at Wu Yuan in utter disbelief.

It was too astonishing. Not even a month had passed since their last meeting, yet Wu Yuan had advanced from the ninth-stage Golden Core all the way to the second-stage Amethyst Cradle phase.

Such a rapid pace of mana progression was downright inconceivable.

"Did that person grant you a special treasure to assist your cultivation?" High Immortal Nan Yin couldn't help but ask.

"Mm," Wu Yuan nodded.

He was well aware that Master Nan Yin might not consider divine crystals precious, but divine crystal elixir? Extremely so. Ordinary Astral Lords and Archimmortals would be reluctant to give any to their disciples.

Only Master Kua Chi, an Eldritch Sovereign of the eldritch world, standing at the peak of the macrocosm, wouldn't think much of such a treasure.

"How much longer will it take for you to reach the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase? Three years? Five years?" High Immortal Nan Yin couldn't resist asking.

"Ten months," Wu Yuan replied calmly.

High Immortal Nan Yin: "..."

"It seems the legends are true," High Immortal Nan Yin shook his head and smiled. "A disciple under the mentorship of a Sovereign doesn't need to waste time accumulating mana in their early phases."

Wu Yuan couldn't help but smile in response.

"Haha, that’s fine. You're now standing on a higher stage and your progress is indeed beyond my expectations," High Immortal Nan Yin sighed. "If you were to take on the one-star tower now and go all out, what level do you think you can reach?"

"Between seventy-four and seventy-seven, I guess," Wu Yuan speculated.

He knew long ago that the guardian of level seventy of the one-star tower was at the first-level Law True Intent stage of an Intermediate Law.

"At least level seventy-four?" A glimmer passed through High Immortal Nan Yin's eyes. He knew all too well the difficulty of this level.

"Do you want to give it a try?" High Immortal Nan Yin asked.

"No need," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "The other one is already dazzling enough. I need to keep a low profile; there's no need to stand out."

High Immortal Nan Yin gave a slight nod, aware that ‘the other one’ Wu Yuan was referring to was the body refiner self.

"In another twenty years, I will attempt level seventy of the one-star tower and earn some Dao Temple points," Wu Yuan grinned.

"Mm," High Immortal Nan Yin nodded slightly, stating, "With your rate of progress, there's a chance that you might break Luo Gu's one-star tower record in the future."

"Let's take it one step at a time. Even if I truly possess such capability, there's no need to break the record..." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Level eighty of the one-star tower was no easy challenge. Even if one reached the third-level True Intent stage of an Intermediate Dao, there was still a high chance of failure. Thus, Wu Yuan was not very confident.

"Is there anything you need help with?" High Immortal Nan Yin inquired, sensing that his disciple's sudden visit meant business.

"I have the ability to clear level seventy of the one-star tower," Wu Yuan suddenly smiled. "According to the promise you made back then, I should be getting some gifts from you."

It was the promise High Immortal Nan Yin had made when they first met.

"You sly little thing, asking for rewards before you've even attempted it," High Immortal Nan Yin rolled his eyes, but saw that Wu Yuan remained unfazed, still grinning.

"Fine, fine. You leave me no choice," High Immortal Nan Yin shook his head and chuckled. "Alright then, since you've stepped into the Amethyst Cradle phase, I'll help you once."

"Sword Immortal Dong Yang gave you a withered branch previously. For now, I won't give you the reward I promised you back then. But I'll prepare another batch of treasures for you that will allow you to fully upgrade your lifebound flying swords into first-grade spirit equipment," High Immortal Nan Yin declared.

"Oh?" Wu Yuan's eyes lit up. His lifebound flying swords were currently at the third-grade spirit equipment level. Should he upgrade them all to first-grade spirit weapons via the most optimal pathway, the cost would be astronomical!

It could easily cost hundreds of billions of catties of ethercrystal, a sum that would make countless Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators green with envy, even leaving many Earth Immortals heartbroken.

If it were his body refiner self? Naturally, he wouldn't mind; a single divine crystal could easily be exchanged for hundreds of billions of catties of ethercrystal. But his qi refiner self? He didn't have that many treasures.

"As your master, I can only help you this much," stated High Immortal Nan Yin. "In addition, I will grant you a set of mid-grade spirion artifacts. It's not particularly expensive, only about ten billion catties of ethercrystal, but it is very suitable for you. This is my gift to you for stepping into the Amethyst Cradle phase."

"Thank you, master," Wu Yuan responded respectfully, gratitude swelling in his heart.

He knew very well that Master Nan Yin was not on par with Master Kua Chi. But emotionally, Wu Yuan felt closer to Nan Yin.

"Once you reach the ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle phase, what are your plans? Continue cultivating in seclusion?" High Immortal Nan Yin inquired.

"No. Master, I plan to venture into the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield," said Wu Yuan, "To experience life and death battles."

"The Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield?" High Immortal Nan Yin's brow furrowed. "Even if you wish to go on expeditions, there's no need to choose something so challenging right from the start. You can start with exploring some worldlets, realms, ancient ruins and the like."

A smile unexpectedly tugged at the corners of Wu Yuan's mouth.

On the immortal continent, the expeditions that immortal cultivators went on varied widely. Some might delve into newly discovered worldlets, where they might find precious treasures or even the world spirit.

Some realms were even more magical. Many were established and left behind by Archimmortals, Archeldritch, and Archdeities, with treasures galore.

Naturally created realms were equally fascinating. And some ancient ruins, like ruins of sects or battlefields between immortals and devils, might also hold treasures.

These exploration sites varied in danger levels. But Wu Yuan didn't really need treasures, or rather, the treasures he yearned for couldn't be found in ordinary regions. His goal was—blood mist! And the most convenient way to harvest blood mist was, of course, on battlefields.

"Throughout the entire macrocosm, many battlefields of immortals and devils have been established, such as the Blood Mountain Plane, which was a battlefield established to suppress the devil race," High Immortal Nan Yin persuaded. "The lower-level battlefields there are more suitable for you."

"No," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "It's the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield I want to join. Master, please rest assured, I won't be rash.

"The one I plan to go to is Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield 36. I won't be a genius from the eldritch world, just an unremarkable immortal cultivator from the Eternal Sun Immortal World. Not many people would care about me," Wu Yuan smiled faintly.