Yuan’s Ascension

Is this a further evolution of the amethyst cradle, or have I truly upgraded it to a first-degree immortal root? Wu Yuan pondered, his thoughts swirling with uncertainty and excitement.

Wu Yuan understood that seemingly equivalent immortal roots could possess subtle differences. While he was confident in the strength of his Voidspace, he dared not claim to have reached the limit of a second-degree immortal root.

Soon, however, the changes in his amethyst cradle space left Wu Yuan with no doubt.

Rumble~ Initially, just a few strands of purified mana emerged from the center of the amethyst cradle lake, but as streams of purple energy from the expanded Voidspace seeped into the amethyst cradle space, it rapidly underwent a dramatic transformation.

The Voidspace is evolving, nourishing the amethyst cradle and transforming the immortal root. Wu Yuan realized, both awed and overwhelmed.

He had envisioned his breakthrough to a first-degree immortal root many times, aware of the numerous challenges involved. Even Master Kua Chi would find it difficult to provide direct assistance.

A first-degree immortal root represented a pinnacle of life's evolution, an incredibly difficult threshold to cross.

From what Wu Yuan knew, most of his senior brothers and sisters only achieved this breakthrough at the Earth Immortal or Earth Eldritch phase.

In fact, a few senior brothers and sisters hadn’t managed to break through even when facing their Immortal Tribulations, attempting them with only a second-degree immortal root.

The earlier one broke through, the greater the benefits.

I wonder if any of Master's disciples upgraded their immortal roots to the first degree at the Amethyst Cradle phase. Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

He couldn’t be entirely certain, given that over the long ages, the Cang Feng Eldritch World had seen cultivators with innate first-degree immortal roots.

Upgrading to a first-degree immortal root at the Amethyst Cradle phase? It was undoubtedly rare, but perhaps not unheard of.

Regardless, at least in this aspect, I'm among the forerunners of my thousand-plus senior brothers and sisters. Wu Yuan allowed himself a small smile.

In the decades since coming under his Master's tutelage, Wu Yuan had never dared to slacken his efforts, even with tremendous progress in the Longevity Dao and Celestial Body Dao.

While he might be considered top-tier among the current generation of prodigies, too many monstrous prodigies had emerged throughout history.

Only now did Wu Yuan dare to think that, in terms of upgrading his immortal root to the first degree, he was among the fastest in the long river of the macrocosm's history.

However, what Wu Yuan didn't know was that the most astounding aspect wasn’t the first-degree immortal root. It was the evolution of the Yuan Soul.

The immortal root? It was merely a byproduct of the Voidspace's evolution.

Hum~ Mysterious energies began spontaneously remodeling Wu Yuan's amethyst cradle space, deepening and expanding the amethyst cradle lake. The Amethyst Cradle mana grew increasingly powerful.

This feels wonderful. Wu Yuan genuinely felt waves of comfort wash over him as his entire amethyst cradle space rapidly expanded to its limit.

The lake formed by Amethyst Cradle mana also reached its limit—550 li in diameter.

Wu Yuan vaguely understood that the amethyst cradle lake he controlled had reached its current maximum size.

It was just as how a Soul Will range of 550,000 li was a kind of limit under the operation of heaven and earth's rules, difficult to surpass.

Indeed, as the legends say, the size of the Voidspace determines the size of the amethyst cradle lake it can project. Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

The larger the amethyst cradle lake, the more mana it could accumulate.

The higher the degree of immortal root, the purer and more abundant the mana, leading to an increase in both quality and quantity.

Now, in terms of mana capacity alone, the gap between me and an ordinary first-stage Void Refiner cultivator is small, just a difference of one or two stages. Wu Yuan smiled.

To fight above one's cultivation level, a strong immortal root was essential. Otherwise, the disparity in mana could be tens or hundreds of times greater. Even with superior Dao comprehension, victory would be difficult.

Earth Immortals, with their powerful and abundant mana, could casually unleash an arcane art that engulfed everything in 100,000 li without requiring profound Dao comprehension.

How terrifying was that? No matter how formidable an Amethyst Cradle cultivator might be, faced with a thousandfold mana difference, they would be instantly reduced to ash.

My immortal root has reached perfection. Wu Yuan's soul essence, residing in his upper dantian lobe, could feel the nourishing power from the amethyst cradle lake.

His spirit grew increasingly at ease, and even his soul seemed to grow stronger as the Amethyst Cradle mana surged into his meridians throughout his body.

Rumble~ As Wu Yuan acclimated to his first-degree immortal root, streams of heaven and earth's power suddenly manifested around his body, initiating a direct transformation of his physical form.

A mysterious aura instantly enveloped Wu Yuan.

What's this? Wu Yuan swiftly noticed countless mysterious Dao patterns forming on his flesh at the particle level.

Starting from the flesh in his limbs, it rapidly reached his waist and abdomen, then extended directly to his head and brain. The entire transformation seemed gradual, but in reality, it progressed very quickly, completing the transformation of Wu Yuan's entire body in just over ten breaths.

Wu Yuan was powerless to stop this change.

This transformation didn’t simply strengthen his body, but seemed like a bestowal from the heavens, a gift from the essence of the Dao. A kind of favor granted to the newly born first-degree immortal root.

My perception of Wood's Essence has become much clearer. Wu Yuan had experienced similar changes before, thus he realized it in just a few breaths.

His heart filled with excitement. The core change is in the Wood Origin Dao!

My body can now be called a Wood Origin Dao Body.

The Longevity Dao encompassed three Lesser Laws—Eternal Spring, Spiritual Evolution, and Wood Origin.

The Wood Origin Dao Body was a Lesser Dao Body.

According to the information I've gathered, even if one upgrades their immortal root to the first degree later in life, it's impossible to nurture a Dao Body if there are innate deficiencies. Yet I've cultivated a Wood Origin Dao Body. Wu Yuan's eyes flashed with confusion. Could it be... because I upgraded it at the Amethyst Cradle phase?

While a Lesser Dao Body couldn’t compare to an Intermediate Dao Body, it was still incredibly rare. Any Dao Body represented immense potential.

Wu Yuan pondered deeply on Master Kua Chi's words – the earlier the breakthrough, the greater the benefits.

No matter. Whatever the reason, being able to break through is a great benefit. Wu Yuan's eyes held a hint of anticipation. In terms of Dao Body potential, my qi refiner self indeed can't compare to my body refiner self. My body refiner self has already comprehended the second-level True Intent stage of the Celestial Body Dao.

Indeed, over the decade, his body refiner self had broken through to the second-level True Intent stage of the Celestial Body Dao while in secluded cultivation.

This rate of progress was incredibly terrifying.

In the Fourth Origin Eldritch Field, even the top dozen or so Amethyst Cradle prodigies were mostly stuck at the third-level Dao Field stage of a Lesser Law after cultivating for three to four hundred years.

Of course, this was inseparable from Wu Yuan's qi refiner self constantly tempering himself through battles.

The consciousness of his two true selves was linked. When his qi refiner self applied the Celestial Body Dao in battle, it was equivalent to his body refiner self tempering himself.

Now, with Wood Origin Dao as the core, and my soul and the power of Faith as support, even if the Dao Body's potential is somewhat inferior, my comprehension of the Longevity Dao won't be much slower than that of the Celestial Body Dao.

Wu Yuan was full of confidence.

Wu Yuan gently closed his eyes, spreading out his powerful Yuan Soul. Of course, he maintained it within a 100,000 li range.

My Yuan Soul might not compare to High Immortals, but it's far stronger than ordinary Earth Immortals. Wu Yuan felt he could thoroughly comprehend all the profundities within the Material Spatial Layer in a range of 100,000 li.

He perceived the various powers of heaven and earth, alongside a multitude of Dao fluctuations formed by the workings of heaven and earth, converging into different insights.

No wonder they say that once a cultivator reaches the Yuan Soul level, comprehending the various Daos of heaven and earth becomes increasingly easy. Wu Yuan marveled inwardly.

Perceiving the profundities of heaven and earth with a Yuan Soul was countless times clearer than with a Yang Soul or Soul Will; they simply weren’t on the same level.

Now, even if I were to comprehend some of the Lesser Laws under the Fire Dao, Metal Dao, Thunder Dao, and others, I could probably grasp their basic profundities quickly. Wu Yuan pondered.

He now understood why Earth Immortals and Earth Eldritches could step into the threshold of Intermediate Laws relatively easily.

With a strong enough Yuan Soul, the difficulty of perceiving and deducing the profundities of heaven and earth drastically decreased.

What's lacking in one aspect is made up for in another; crossing the initiate threshold is easy, but reaching profound levels is extremely difficult. Wu Yuan marveled at these various Daos, but wouldn’t pursue them.

For his qi refiner self, comprehending the Longevity Dao was the right path.

With a thought, the power of his Yuan Soul grew within the 100,000 li range, quickly sensing the surging power concealed behind the Material Spatial Layer—the Fragmentary Spatial Layer.

With a soft hiss, Wu Yuan's Yuan Soul penetrated the higher spatial dimension on his first attempt.

The stability of the Material Spatial Layer was replaced by the chaotic turmoil of the Fragmentary Spatial Layer, where countless spatial fragments clashed, dispersing infinite forces like a tempestuous river in perpetual motion.

His Yuan Soul could only cling to the surface of this dimension, unable to venture deeper.

Wu Yuan knew that if he dared to dive deeper into the higher spatial dimension, the immense force generated by the collision of spatial fragments would easily tear his Yuan Soul apart.

The power of the Yuan Soul is ultimately ‘virtual’, easily permeating the Destiny Voidscape, but penetrating into higher spatial dimensions? It’s difficult. Wu Yuan mused inwardly.

To truly explore these higher dimensions, it would be more reliable to rely on one’s mana and physical form—things constituted by matter, grounded in ‘reality’.

Still, the extraordinary sensation of merely brushing against the surface of this spatial dimension is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

The clarity of spatial fluctuations here was a hundred times greater than in the Material Spatial Layer.

No wonder they say that only Earth Immortals have a chance of comprehending the profundities of Space. Wu Yuan reflected.

It was like trying to swim; even with perfect talent, physique, and lung capacity, if one couldn't touch water, it would be impossible to learn.

Only by cultivating a Yuan Soul did one even qualify to attempt this.

My aptitude for the Space Dao may not be the strongest. Wu Yuan thought, feeling a spark of excitement. But with my powerful Yuan Soul, my perception of Space’s essence is already quite clear. I now have the qualification to comprehend the Law of Space.

He knew progress might be slow, but the fact that he had gained this qualification was a significant step forward.

From now on, I'll use eighty percent of my energy to continue deducing the Longevity Dao, and twenty percent to comprehend the Law of Space, starting from the aspect of True Spatial Domain. Wu Yuan analyzed.

The complete Space Dao was a Greater Law, immensely powerful and slightly stronger than even Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and the rest. And it, too, was divided into numerous Intermediate Laws and Lesser Laws.

Wu Yuan did not expect to master the Space Dao in a short time; that was too unrealistic. However, he remembered the True Spatial Domain Tome that he handed to his Master for safekeeping. If he were to receive that inheritance in the future, comprehending the True Spatial Domain Dao would naturally be much easier.

I’ll give it a try for now. He resolved. Once I've gained some insights into the Space Dao, I'll then attempt to decipher the cryptic patterns on the silver sphere. Wu Yuan kept his original intention firmly in mind.

His ultimate goal in comprehending the Space Dao was to decipher the cryptic patterns on the silver sphere’s surface and then pass his Master's test.