ushernet Chapter 95: Innate Realm, Breakthrough to Ninth Level Profound Mind Stage!
Chapter 95: Innate Realm, Breakthrough to Ninth Level Profound Mind Stage!
Chapter 95: Innate Realm, Breakthrough to Ninth Level Profound Mind Stage!
Inside a dim cave, the flickering firelight illuminated Li Ya, seated on a stone with his upper body bare. He was wrapping blood-soaked bandages over his wounds, fresh blood seeping through, painting a gruesome picture. Yet, his expression remained stoic.
Floating beside him was a soul projection of a tall elder, stroking his beard as he observed Li Ya.
“Withstanding the poison of the Thousand-Hand Demon Vine, your physique has grown even stronger,” the elder praised.
“It’s still not enough,” Li Ya replied calmly. “Compared to Lü Xian and Ji Xuanyu, I’m far from their level. And now there’s even An Hao in the sect—rumor has it his talent surpasses even Lü Xian and Ji Xuanyu.”
The elder chuckled. “They are born prodigies, but you’re different. You’re a hard-working genius. That kind of determination might one day allow you to surpass them. Natural talent isn’t the most important thing—it’s an unyielding Dao heart and the will to fight on.”
Li Ya nodded, about to reply, when the flames in the fire pit began to tremble violently. His expression shifted.
“Spiritual energy descending?” he muttered with a frown.
The elder’s face grew serious as well.
“Could this be a natural disaster rather than something man-made? What could it mean?” He attempted to divine the cause, but his efforts yielded nothing.
As the spiritual energy in the Northern Sea Mountain Range began to sink, the air filled with the howls of demonic beasts. Cultivators hidden in their cave dwellings rushed out in alarm, and even those engaged in battles were forced to stop.
Beneath a tree, Gu An sat cross-legged, surrounded by a radiant glow of five colors. At a glance, he resembled an egg of pure light, sitting motionless amidst the chaos.
The distant howls didn’t faze him; he was already accustomed to such disturbances. This was only the beginning. He had finished refining his spiritual root—now it was time to enhance his techniques before focusing on his cultivation base.
The spiritual energy in the Northern Sea Mountain Range was extraordinarily dense, far surpassing that near Xuan Valley. Even with the ongoing descent of energy, it barely impacted the area’s richness.
As time passed, Gu An shifted his attention to the lifespan cost of his Lifespan Barrier, wary of underestimating its drain. He had no intention of meeting an untimely end due to carelessness.
Half an hour later, Gu An completed his transformation into the Five Elemental Treasure Body. The changes in his body were profound—his vitality surged, his strength increased, his ability to generate spiritual energy accelerated, and his sensory perception underwent a complete overhaul.
He could feel the surrounding five elemental energies blending seamlessly with his body, a sensation so wonderful it was almost intoxicating.
Suppressing his joy, Gu An resolved to explore the mysteries of his new form later. For now, it was time to invest more lifespan!
Next, he focused on the Yellow Dragon Qi Technique, a skill crucial for concealing his cultivation and aura—an absolute priority.
“Ten thousand years—invest!”
Lines of notifications bombarded his vision:
[Your Yellow Dragon Qi Technique has advanced to Earth Boundary Divine Qi Technique.] [Your Earth Boundary Divine Qi Technique has advanced to Innate Wishful Qi Technique.]
Two advancements! Not bad.
A surge of new memories regarding the Innate Wishful Qi Technique flooded his mind. The technique not only amplified his ability to conceal his aura and cultivation but also awakened a divine ability: Size Manipulation. By enveloping objects in spiritual energy, he could enlarge or shrink them at will—even living beings, including himself.
This divine ability gave Gu An a glimpse into the profound wonders of immortality. Lost in enlightenment, he forgot the world around him.
Elsewhere, Li Xuandao, meditating atop his ritual platform, retrieved a compass and began a divination. The compass’s needles spun erratically, and his expression turned grim.
After a while, the needles slowed their frantic motion, trembling faintly as the divination revealed its results.
[Your Yang Wood Primordial Art has advanced to Innate Celestial Art of the Earth and Heaven.]
If they did trespass, he would have no choice but to deal with them decisively. Reaching the Integration Stage was no small feat—he could only hope they would show restraint.
Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate as Gu An had feared. After some pursuit and skirmishing, the two combatants eventually vanished into the distance.
Time to start!
“Let’s put in 100,000 years to calm the nerves. That should be enough for success!”
[You have invested 100,000 years of lifespan to evolve your cultivation base.] [You cultivated for 500 years, attempting to break through to the Profound Mind Stage with the grand mastery of Innate Celestial Art of the Earth and Heaven. You initiated the Five Spirit Heavenly Tribulation but failed to endure it.] [You cultivated for 1,500 years, attempting to break through to the Profound Mind Stage. You initiated the Five Spirit Heavenly Tribulation but failed again.]
...
The pattern of tribulation attempts every thousand years gave Gu An some relief—it meant his margin for error was relatively high.
Surely, I’ll succeed after 100 tries. I did enhance two of my techniques, after all!
However, the failures began piling up:
Failure! Failure! Failure!
Initially, Gu An could tolerate the setbacks, especially before burning through 50,000 years of lifespan. But by the time his lifespan expenditure reached 67,500 years, he began clenching his teeth.
“Sixty-eight failures?! Who can endure this?!”
[You cultivated for 81,500 years. You initiated the Five Spirit Heavenly Tribulation and failed.] [You cultivated for 82,500 years. You endured the Five Spirit Heavenly Tribulation successfully. Your cultivation advanced to the first level of the Profound Mind Stage.]
Finally, success!
With the barrier broken, Gu An’s cultivation surged:
[You cultivated for 83,000 years. Your cultivation advanced to the second level of the Profound Mind Stage.] [You cultivated for 84,000 years. Your cultivation advanced to the third level of the Profound Mind Stage.]
...
[You cultivated for 99,000 years. You attempted to break through to the Grand Ascension Stage, initiating the Five God Heavenly Tribulation, but failed.] [You cultivated for 100,000 years. You continue preparing for your next tribulation.]
When the last notification appeared, Gu An let out a long breath of relief.
Ninth Level Profound Mind Stage.
The next major stage would be the Grand Ascension Stage.
“Breaking through smaller levels isn’t hard—it’s these tribulations that are ridiculous! Hopefully, I won’t have to face hundreds or even thousands of failures in the future...” Gu An muttered, shaking his head.
Once more, the surrounding spiritual energy surged toward him, though the movement wasn’t as dramatic as before—consistent with the standard cost of a 100,000-year investment.
Opening his stats panel, Gu An noted his remaining lifespan: 580,000 years.
Now faced with a dilemma, he hesitated. Should he aim for another major breakthrough or enhance his divine abilities?
The Infinite Trace Celestial Step and Grand Yin-Yang Transformation were must-haves for their utility in evasion and concealment. Beyond that, he also needed to improve two offensive techniques.
Why does it feel like lifespan is never enough?
Perhaps he could skimp on attack techniques. After all, he wasn’t in the habit of challenging opponents beyond his realm. The spells and ultimate techniques he already possessed were more than formidable in the Nine Dynasties’ cultivation world.
Caught in indecision, Gu An began channeling energy to strengthen his cultivation further.
Spiritual energy poured into his body like an unrelenting tide, causing his cultivation to climb steadily. His robes billowed violently, threatening to tear apart under the growing force.