Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 437 - 432 Nascent Soul Completion! Enlightenment?_1
"Success!" Jia Ren exclaimed.
I wonder what the effect will be?!
He looked toward the ascending Qingyun Sword Spirit Treasure and pondered, Should I directly use the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art to devour it? Or should I send it to the Demon-Sealing Tower and devour it after it ascends further?
Without a doubt, the latter would bring about the greatest enhancement. However, to accurately understand the changes before and after ascension, cross-comparison experiments were required. For this, he could accept consuming a Spiritual Treasure.
"Spirit Devouring Treasure Art!"
Jia Ren didn’t hesitate and activated the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art once again. The Qingyun Sword had just ascended to become a Spiritual Treasure when two Demon’s Palms landed on it. The palms clung to the Spiritual Treasure like magnets, firmly adhering to it. Having just transformed from a monstrous spirit into the Qingyun Sword’s spirit, it sensed danger but was unable to escape the Demon’s Palms. The palms seemed to create two openings in the Spiritual Treasure, and its Spiritual Power and Spiritual Nature poured into his body like floodwaters breaking through a dam, vying to be the first. Compared to a Spiritual Treasure refined from a Demon Treasure, the Qingyun Sword had a richer Spiritual Nature and denser Spiritual Power.
The Spirit Devouring Treasure Art lasted for a total of ten days, after which the Qingyun Sword turned into debris and fell from his palm.
This is equivalent to two and a half refined Spiritual Treasures. For a normal Cultivator, that’s about one hundred and fifty years of hard cultivation. For me, it’s roughly ten years of cultivation time.
His Cultivation Level drew ever closer to the Nascent Soul Limit; devouring one more Spiritual Treasure of the Qingyun Sword’s quality would suffice. As he approached the Divinity Transformation Stage, there was no need to conserve Spiritual Treasures. Once his Cultivation Level reached the Divinity Transformation Stage, the Demon-Sealing Tower could also begin automated cultivation as quickly as possible. The stronger his power, the easier it became to obtain Spiritual Materials and refine Spiritual Treasures.
Jia Ren wasted no more time. He took out the Xuanjia Flying Shield and once again promoted the Soul Transformation Treasure into a Spiritual Treasure. The second Spiritual Treasure smoothly ascended. The Xuanjia Flying Shield then followed the Qingyun Sword into oblivion, turning into a large pile of debris. After devouring two Spiritual Treasures in succession, Jia Ren’s cultivation progress skyrocketed, reaching the Nascent Soul Limit.
Finally, Nascent Soul Completion! No wonder my senior brothers became penniless! While others consume Elixirs, the Ji Kong Lineage consumes Spiritual Treasures... Without a considerable family fortune, who can afford such things!
The Spirit Devouring Treasure Art increased the speed of cultivation advancement remarkably, but one couldn’t help but exclaim how incredibly costly it was. Even with vast resources, how many people could consume Spiritual Treasures like meals? In the Nascent Soul Stage, devouring a Spiritual Treasure had an immediate and significant effect on improvement. The cultivation advancement speed of the Spirit Devouring Treasure Art was far faster than ordinary cultivation, more than ten to a hundred times so. The only downside was that the Cultivation Level advanced too quickly; with such rapid progress, if the Realm wasn’t stable and solid, problems were likely to arise.
Having reached the Nascent Soul Limit, the next step was the Advancement to the Divine Ascension Period. An unstable foundation and fluctuating Spiritual Power were hidden dangers; even a slight error could lead to a deadly path. Jia Ren did not want to undergo the Advancement to the Divine Ascension Period only to end up with his body destroyed and Dao vanished due to an unstable foundation. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave the Cultivation Room, so he continued to meditate in seclusion to consolidate his Cultivation Level.
「Five years later」
Time flew swiftly, and five years passed in the blink of an eye. Jia Ren left the Refining Workshop, the light in his eyes now restrained, no longer as sharp and exposed as before, giving off an aura of stability. At this point, his Cultivation Level had reached completion, and he could consider the Advancement to the Divine Ascension Period.
In the Giant Forest Secret Realm, he had obtained a force-ripened Heavenly Earth Elixir: the Earth Vein Purple Lotus. This item had a miraculous effect in breaking through the major bottleneck of the God Transformation Level; after consuming it, there was nearly no chance of failure, and the breakthrough would be as natural as water flowing through a channel. If not for this, the Earth Vein Purple Lotus wouldn’t be regarded as such a precious treasure, a rare wonder of heaven and earth. This was the effect that a normally matured Heavenly Earth Elixir could achieve.
The force-ripened Earth Vein Purple Lotus is malnourished, not like a normal Heavenly Earth Elixir. It’s unclear if it possesses all the effects of a true Earth Vein Purple Lotus. Are there any side effects?
Even a small mishap could have serious consequences. Jia Ren didn’t want any accidents, so the best method was... to refine the Earth Vein Purple Lotus into an Elixir. After refining it into an Elixir, there would be an additional benefit. The Earth Vein Purple Lotus, if consumed directly, could only benefit him. Once made into an Elixir, if more than one pill was produced, it could assist both the Insect External Incarnation and the Xuan Beast Avatar in reaching the Fifth Rank.
As for... failure in Alchemy? My Alchemy proficiency and the number of Elixirs I can produce are even greater than my Artifact Refining skills. As long as no mistakes occur, failure in Artifact Refining isn’t an easy thing to achieve. With this in mind, it’s certainly worth taking a gamble. First, I’ll go to the Spirit Law Pavilion to look for information about the Earth Vein Purple Lotus; it would be even better if I could find a corresponding Alchemy Recipe.
Jia Ren left the Earth Fire Room and walked out of the Refining Palace. More than ten years had passed since he had first accepted the Artifact Refining task, and it was almost time to hand over the Heavenly Fire God Cover. High-quality Heavenly Fire God Covers were very rare; such treasures should not be cheaply given to outsiders but preferentially exchanged with friends.
Jia Ren first contacted Zhuo Chengdao, wanting to know if he had successfully broken through to the Divinity Transformation Stage. As long as Zhuo Chengdao was alive, the Heavenly Fire God Cover would be prioritized for him. Whether in the mundane world or the Cultivation World, relationships were important.
Cultivating alone, like a hermit focused solely on improving one’s own Cultivation Level, is feasible. But entering the Lingbao Sect is different. Now that I’ve joined the Lingbao Sect, it’s time to shift my mindset and establish the advantages of a Sect Disciple. I need to manage my own domain well and handle the relationships within the Sect properly. If I encounter trouble in the future, I can call on friends to stand together with me.
He took out a Talisman to contact Zhuo Chengdao.
If he has already completed his Advancement to the Divine Ascension Period and is participating in the Mahayana Secret Battlefield, I’ll have to find someone else.
Soon, the Sound Transmission Talisman received a response. "Junior Brother, I was just thinking of seeking you out. I knew you were secluding yourself for Artifact Refining and did not wish to disturb you. I have yet to congratulate you, Junior Brother, on becoming a Spirit-level Refiner."
Zhuo Chengdao arrived at the Refining Palace. It had been fourteen years since they last met. Fourteen years later, Zhuo Chengdao had successfully advanced and had become a Divine Transformation Cultivator. After breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Stage and stabilizing his Cultivation Level, he was in the process of customizing a Spiritual Treasure, preparing to enter the Mahayana Secret Battlefield. Without a protective treasure, entering the God Transformation Level Secret Realm Battlefield at the Nascent Soul Early Stage was exceedingly dangerous; the slightest mistake could lead to death and the obliteration of one’s Dao.
"Congratulations to Elder Brother on your Advancement to the Divine Ascension Period; the Great Dao is within sight," Jia Ren said. "Has Elder Brother already used his Refining Treasures quota?"
Upon emerging from the Heiyuan Secret Battlefield, they had each received one Refining Treasures quota. Jia Ren’s Refining Treasures quota had not yet been used. With a high Proficiency Level in crafting the Heavenly Fire God Cover, he crafted one for personal use, justifiably possessing a Spiritual Treasure of his own.
"Junior Brother," Zhuo Chengdao confided, "our lineage does not have a good reputation with the Refining Palace. I had intended to commission a Refining Master to craft a high-quality Spiritual Treasure for me, but the other party declined."
The opportunity to custom-make a Spiritual Treasure was rare, and if managed well, obtaining a high-quality one should not have been a problem. Unfortunately, Ancestor Ji Kong’s lineage was not well-received, and Spirit Treasure Refiners were unwilling to engage with them. Picking through the ’trash’ leftovers in the Lingbao Vault that others had discarded left him feeling dissatisfied.
"Elder Brother, I have just finished refining a Defensive Lingbao. Would you take a look and see if it meets your satisfaction?" Jia Ren offered, casually handing the Heavenly Fire God Cover to Zhuo Chengdao.
"The Heavenly Fire God Cover?"
This Spiritual Treasure was quite famous within the Lingbao Sect, versatile for both offense and defense, and possessing formidable power. With this treasure in hand, flames posed little threat. This was precisely the kind of protective Spiritual Treasure Zhuo Chengdao was lacking.
The only concern is... I hope the Spiritual Treasure’s quality isn’t too poor. Having just become a Spirit-level Refiner, Jia Ren’s rapid production of the Heavenly Fire God Cover highlights his astonishing talent for Artifact Refining. However, I can’t have too high expectations for the Spiritual Treasure’s quality... Since Junior Brother made the offer, I can only accept.
As soon as the Heavenly Fire God Cover was in his hand, Zhuo Chengdao knew he was mistaken; the quality of this Spiritual Treasure was much higher than he had anticipated. The Flame Dragon Soul within the Heavenly Fire God Cover was lifelike and full of Spiritual Nature, not at all like a newly forged Spiritual Treasure.
"This is a high-quality Spiritual Treasure!" Zhuo Chengdao’s eyes shone with admiration, and he looked at it, extremely reluctant to put it down.
Jia Ren had filled in many gaps in his Artifact Refining foundation, which had greatly improved his Refining Level.
After refining a few more Spiritual Treasures, I’m confident I can produce an even more top-tier Heavenly Fire God Cover. A high-quality one is the limit I can show publicly; anything better could attract trouble.
"Junior Brother Jia? Is this your masterpiece?" Zhuo Chengdao looked at Jia Ren incredulously.
For Jia Ren to become a Spirit-level Refiner, he should have exhausted all his efforts just to barely reach the threshold. Fourteen years is enough time to refine at most two Spiritual Treasures; it’s impossible to reach this Refining Level so quickly.
Revealing such ’Artifact Refining talent’ is too astonishing and could easily attract trouble. However, I’ve already prepared countermeasures.
"While refining, I unexpectedly had an insight and was somehow able to produce this Heavenly Fire God Cover," Jia Ren explained.
"Enlightenment?! Junior Brother Jia is truly fortunate!" Zhuo Chengdao looked envious. Enlightenment was a state every Cultivator yearned for. Its duration was unpredictable, but it always yielded significant gains. Even a dramatic advancement in Cultivation Level, breaking through a Realm, would not be surprising. There were even legends of a hundred days of Enlightenment leading to worldwide Ascension. The modest advance Jia Ren had achieved indicated a brief period of Enlightenment. Even so, this made Zhuo Chengdao envious, as 99.99% of Cultivators never experience the state of Enlightenment in their entire lives.
"It was just a stroke of luck!" Jia Ren replied humbly. "Our lineage is not well-received by the Refining Palace, and I do not wish to attract trouble or make enemies. The saying goes, ’secrets are not for many ears,’ so I hope you, Elder Brother Zhuo, will keep this a secret for me," Jia Ren emphasized before continuing.
Zhuo Chengdao laughed and patted Jia Ren on the shoulder. "You thought of your elder brother when you had something good; how could I possibly harm you? I should be the one thanking you. Going forward, in gathering Spiritual Materials, I will have to rely on you, Junior Brother, to take action."
The two entered the Hall of Artifice, where Jia Ren used Zhuo Chengdao’s quota for customizing a Spiritual Treasure, and everything proceeded smoothly. After the Sect’s records were updated, the newly refined Heavenly Fire God Cover naturally fell into Zhuo Chengdao’s hands. This saved him the time and wait for Refining Treasures and also spared him the risk of having a high-quality Spiritual Treasure snatched up by someone else.
The contribution from refining the Heavenly Fire God Cover was received, totaling 200,000 contribution points to the Refining Palace. This amount was not low; in the past, it would have been at most half. The contributions of a Spirit-level Refiner to the Refining Palace were extremely precious. They could not be traded privately but could be used to exchange for Spiritual Materials and Spiritual Treasures. The exchange rate for Spiritual Materials and Spiritual Treasures varied based on their value, ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000 contribution points within the Lingbao Sect for Spiritual Materials. The fluctuation was even greater for Spiritual Treasures, and their exchange price was higher.
Jia Ren had no intention of exchanging for Spiritual Materials. Instead, he turned to Zhuo Chengdao with an inquiry, "Elder Brother Zhuo, are there any tricks or difficulties in advancing to the God Transformation Level? Could you possibly share some guidance in place of my master?"
