Chapter 356: Withered Wood Meets Spring, Half-Immortal Tree (Fourth Update, Seeking Subscription)
Reflecting on five hundred years of cultivating immortality, it's just a constant working life, continuous toil, and an unending history of exploitation.
Fortunately, finally reaching the Golden Core.
After reaching the Golden Core, no one would exploit a Golden Core Cultivator, nor would anyone oppress one.
Becoming a Golden Core Cultivator, I have gained control over part of the currency issuing rights. I transformed from the oppressed to the oppressor. Finally ending the arduous ninety-nine-seven life, I can leisurely drink tea, quietly appreciate the scenery outside, and joyfully dual cultivate with fellow female cultivators.
I can take a break anytime. Today I'm not in the mood to practice alchemy, so I won't.
Today I'm not in the mood, I want to dual cultivate with a female cultivator, so let's do it!
But Foundation Establishment Cultivators can't. If the elixirs aren't refined well today, they must work overtime tomorrow; if deadlines are missed, points are deducted.
"Finally, I can relax!"
Walking outside, breathing the air, Lu Xuanji felt a sense of comfort.
Spirit relaxing, Essence, Qi, and Spirit of the body relaxing, entering leisure, involuntarily closing his eyes, in a daze, wandering beyond the material, existing with the heaven and earth, and unknowingly entering into unity of heaven and man.
Feeling the earth's breath, the gentle push of the breeze, the river calmly flowing, insects chirping, sensing the stars faintly pulsating, resonating with the world's magnetic field, resonating with all things, seemingly becoming a part of everything in a daze.
In a trance, Lu Xuanji suddenly felt his spirit stirring, sensing a massive sphere in the endless void, immense and boundless, seemingly without end, its size unknown.
This sphere stood in the void, surrounded by space storms, with spatial tearing forces, like knife after knife flashing in the void, slicing through everything, destroying all.
At this moment, a trace of divine thought seemed to be attracted by the sphere, continuously ascending, getting closer to the sphere… nearing closer, with the proximity, the divine thought was trembling, like a candle in a fierce wind, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.
Continuously approaching, the distance getting nearer and nearer.
At this moment, the divine thought swayed violently, a trace of the divine soul shattered, vanishing into the void.
Pft!
Lu Xuanji opened his eyes, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Looking up at the sky again, above was a star twinkling, where was there a massive sphere?
"That massive sphere, could it be the Immortal Realm…"
Lu Xuanji fell into deep thought.
The Immortal Realm, at the center of all realms, is also the ultimate pursuit of cultivators,
Cultivators ceaselessly cultivate, ceaselessly comprehend the Great Dao, refine divine techniques, isn't it all for immortality?
Legend has it that, upon entering the Immortal Realm, cultivators can attain eternal life, gain a long lifespan, free from the danger of death, able to live to the world's end, until the cosmos itself is destroyed.
The Immortal Realm, in the endless void, is obscured by special laws, utterly invisible to the naked eye. Only upon reaching the Void Refining Realm, comprehending the Mysteries of Dao of Void, can one perceive the existence of the Immortal Realm in the endless void, lock onto its location, and draw a trace of Immortal Qi to strengthen the Primordial Spirit.
At the peak of Harmonization, one can tear open the Immortal Realm Gate, endure the Ninefold Immortal Tribulation unharmed, and directly ascend to the Immortal Realm, living freely and at ease.
"Under unity of heaven and man, one can perceive the Immortal Realm, but unfortunately my divine thought is too weak. If the divine thought were slightly stronger, perhaps it could ascend to the Immortal Realm directly, piercing through the entirety of the Immortal Realm at that time, directly breaking through the Golden Core Tenth Transformation's barrier!" Lu Xuanji said, feeling slightly regretful.
Ascending the Immortal Realm with the physical body is very difficult.
But just the divine thought, ascending to the Immortal Realm is quite easy.
It's like, if someone directly goes abroad, the expenses are enormous; but if they just make a call abroad, the cost is quite small.
...
After the regret, Lu Xuanji gathered his thoughts, began wandering casually around Chu Country.
On the road, he encountered Foundation Establishment bandits ambushing, each one domineering and ferocious;
In towns, he saw some second-generation cultivators, bullying men and dominating women, teasing girls in the street; they lacked no beautiful women, just enjoyed such indulgences;
In the towns, he saw some beggars, raggedly clothed, striving for a meal, handing out a few copper coins;
Also, in the brothels, listening to women sing to welcome guests, some brothel women lived lives above others', some below, even the brothels were fiercely competitive.
Also went to some Foundation Establishment trade fairs, watching a Foundation Establishment Cultivator hawking, arguing endlessly over a few Spirit Stones; there are also people in the markets specifically conning others; and some cultivators setting up Immortal Trips, entrapping some cultivators.
Once, Lu Xuanji fell into an Immortal Trip, suffering great losses.
Originally planned to slay them with a sword, but upon reflection, they too have it tough.
Forget it.
Won't kill you, just take your stuff and go.
Thus, wandering around Chu Country, understanding the life at the bottom, walking freely, observing the myriad human conditions.
Gradually, from being a bystander, bit by bit merging into it, becoming one among all beings.
The cultivation continued as always, just with less intentional striving and more natural flow.
During the journey, the speed of cultivation didn't stagnate, instead steadily improving.
In the tenth year of traveling, the Qi within started shifting, cultivation advanced once more, already stepping into the Golden Core Sixth Transformation.
Just in the thirteenth year of the journey, the Grotto World Pearl within buzzed intensely, Lu Xuanji was slightly surprised, a trace of divine thought ventured within.
Inside the Grotto World Pearl, the Tree of Time, which was about to wither and perish, emitted a crisp sound, crackling, peeling off layer upon layer of old bark, with new branches growing, rapidly developing, an exchange between the old and new.
The Tree of Time drew in Spiritual Qi, causing it to roar within the grotto like a storm.
Woo woo woo!
The Spiritual Qi raged, the underground Spirit Vein also shrank, the Seventh Grade Spirit Vein continuously diminished.
This kind of storm lasted a month before calming down.
In the center of the grotto, there stood a one meter tall Spirit Tree, the branches swaying, the body tender, like a newly sprouting sapling. Surrounding it were shattered pieces of bark, a fractured tree trunk, branches, devoid of Spiritual Qi, without a trace of vitality.
The one meter tall Spirit Tree brimming with vitality surged, its body glowing with iridescence.
Out of death, it sought life, the Spirit Tree finally broke through its shackles, stepping into the Eighth Grade.
The Eighth Grade Spirit Tree, also known as the Half-Immortal Tree.
The Half-Immortal Tree holds supreme creation, even Harmonization Cultivators covet it greatly.
"Father, finally reached the Eighth Grade!"
In the grotto, Lu Yaoling joyfully exclaimed, "Father, with the Spirit Tree reaching the Eighth Grade, leveraging it, you have a fifty percent chance of reaching the Golden Core Tenth Transformation."