Yuan’s Ascension

In the past, Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi often spoke of the interweaving nature of the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, their boundaries blurred and indistinct.

At the time, Wu Yuan struggled to grasp the full meaning of those words. But now, understanding blossomed within him. He realized that even the combination of Intermediate Laws from seemingly disparate sources could yield wondrous and unexpected results.

Master Kua Chi has fully comprehended the Life Dao? Wu Yuan marveled silently, awe filling his heart.

He knew that comprehending a Greater Law in its entirety was an immense challenge. It was no wonder that in the vast expanse of the macrocosm, only a handful of Sovereign-level beings existed. Each Sovereign was a true hegemon.

"Master, the cryptic patterns on the surface of the silver sphere you gave me—do they include the profundities of the Life Dao?" Wu Yuan asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"Indeed," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi nodded. "Should you manage to decipher those cryptic patterns, it would signify that you’ve attained the True Intent stage of the Life Dao.”

“In terms of power, the first-level True Intent stage of the Life Dao alone is comparable to a fully comprehended Lesser Law," he added.

Wu Yuan's eyes widened at this revelation. The might of a Greater Law was truly staggering—even at the True Intent stage of comprehension, it rivaled the comprehension of an Archimmortal.

Upon reflection, it made perfect sense. The progression from Lesser to Intermediate to Greater Laws represented fundamental shifts in understanding, each a quantum leap beyond the last.

"My disciple," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi continued, "countless beings across heaven and earth recognize the immense power of Greater Laws. Yet, have you ever wondered why so few immortal cultivators choose to walk this path?"

Wu Yuan shook his head. "Please enlighten me, Master."

"Consider your body refiner self," Kua Chi said with a smile. "Have you noticed how, as your comprehension of the Celestial Body Dao deepens, it becomes increasingly challenging to grasp other Laws?"

Wu Yuan nodded, realization dawning. "Yes, and my qi refiner self experienced something similar after grasping the True Intent of Longevity. Even with enhanced perception, progress in other Daos seemed to slow dramatically."

This phenomenon persisted even as Wu Yuan's Yuan Soul grew more powerful.

"This process is known as Dao Assimilation," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi explained. "As we comprehend the Daos, are we not also being shaped by the essence of the Daos of heaven and earth? The deeper one delves into any particular Dao, the more deeply it influences us. Our very souls are subtly transformed, often without our awareness."

"This effect becomes exponentially more pronounced once a Dao is fully comprehended," he continued, his tone measured. "At that point, one's Yuan Soul imprint becomes eternally branded onto the essence of that Dao, magnifying the impact of Dao Assimilation a thousandfold."

Wu Yuan listened in stunned silence. It was akin to a pristine white sheet of paper—the more it was stained, the less room there was for subsequent changes.

"Imagine focusing solely on a Lesser Law, pursuing it to its ultimate conclusion and reaching the Archimmortal phase," Kua Chi elaborated. "At that point, attempting to integrate other Lesser Laws to form an Intermediate Law becomes a Herculean task—perhaps a thousand times more difficult than if one had cultivated multiple Lesser Laws in parallel from the beginning."

Wu Yuan's heart pounded as the implications sank in. No wonder!

This was why the most brilliant geniuses in history often crossed the threshold of Intermediate Laws early in their journeys. By fusing Lesser Laws from the outset, they minimized the effect of Dao Assimilation. This was a much smoother path compared to fully comprehending a single Lesser Law and then integrating it with other Lesser Laws in the future.

"Remember this well," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi cautioned. "For each of the Lesser Laws you are comprehending, do not progress too far beyond their corresponding Intermediate Laws. For instance, now that you've reached the second-level True Intent stage in the Celestial Body Dao, ensure that your progress in the corresponding Lesser Laws doesn't exceed the ninth-level True Intent stage."

Wu Yuan committed his master's words to memory.

"For you, Wu Yuan, comprehending individual Lesser Laws to completion is merely a matter of time," Kua Chi continued. "The true challenge lies in their fusion. The more powerful the Dao, the more difficult the integration becomes."

"I understand, Master," Wu Yuan replied solemnly, nodding his head in acknowledgment.

"Just as Archimmortals struggle to become Astral Monarchs," Kua Chi went on, "an Astral Monarch who fully comprehends a single Intermediate Law early on will face immense difficulties should they attempt to fuse other Intermediate Laws into a Greater Law. Your many senior brothers and sisters, each a peerless genius in their own right, all find themselves stymied by this final hurdle."

As Wu Yuan listened intently, the full scope of his master's message became clear: to achieve the swiftest, most stable comprehension of a Greater Law—to pave the way to the Sovereign level—one must cross the threshold of Greater Laws as early as possible.

Yet even contemplating such a path was enough to make Wu Yuan's head spin. If fusing three Lesser Laws into an Intermediate Law was already a formidable challenge, combining multiple Intermediate Laws into a cohesive whole seemed nigh impossible. The difficulty would increase by orders of magnitude, perhaps ten thousandfold or more.

Indeed, among his thousand-plus senior brothers and sisters, it seemed that not a single one had yet succeeded in fully grasping a Greater Law.

"Everyone knows that early comprehension of Greater Laws is the ideal path," Kua Chi said. "Yet those who succeed are vanishingly rare.”

“Among your senior brothers and sisters, only two—one at the Elysian Field phase and one at the Dharma Body phase—have managed to grasp the True Intent of the Life Dao," he continued, fixing Wu Yuan with an intense gaze.

"However, neither was able to fully comprehend the Life Dao before reaching the million-year limit of their lifespans. In the end, they had no choice but to break through and become Astral Monarchs."

"A million years?" Wu Yuan echoed, surprise coloring his voice.

He knew that High Immortals and High Eldritches could live for a million years—the absolute limit for ordinary beings under the laws of heaven and earth.

"To become an Archimmortal, one must fully comprehend a Lesser Law. To become an Astral Monarch, one must fully comprehend an Intermediate Law," Kua Chi explained patiently.

"Even if one's Dao comprehension reaches the sixth or seventh-level Dao Field stage of the Life Dao, far surpassing ordinary Astral Monarchs, ascension to the Archimmortal level remains impossible without complete comprehension."

Wu Yuan nodded slowly, piecing together the implications of his master's words.

Only by fully grasping a complete Dao could one's Yuan Soul leave its imprint upon the fundamental essence of that Dao, gaining the acknowledgment of heaven and earth and achieving true immortality.

Yet the moment a Dao was fully comprehended, the effects of Dao Assimilation would descend in full force, an ever-present shadow. From that point onward, integrating other Daos would become exponentially more challenging, making it nearly impossible to break through that final bottleneck.

"Therefore, the optimal path," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi declared, his tone solemn, "is to cultivate all the Lesser Laws associated with a Greater Law to the ninth-level Dao Field stage within a million years, without fully comprehending any of them. Then, fuse them to form three Intermediate Laws, again cultivated to the utmost limit without achieving complete mastery.

Finally, when that crucial moment of inspiration strikes, one can comprehend everything in a single, magnificent breakthrough, directly grasping the entirety of the Greater Law.

And then!" Kua Chi's voice rose, "once the Greater Law is fully comprehended, after weathering nine Immortal Tribulations, one can ascend directly from High Immortal or High Eldritch to the Sovereign level, bypassing the Archimmortal and Astral Monarch levels entirely."

Wu Yuan listened in awe, his heart racing with a mixture of trepidation and longing.

A million years, nine Tribulations, then immediately leaping to the pinnacle of the macrocosm as a Sovereign? What peerless genius wouldn't yearn for such a future?

"To comprehend a Greater Law within a million years," Kua Chi continued, his voice low, "this path is known throughout the river of space and time as the path of the Supreme Genius."

"Those who succeed," he said, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Wu Yuan, "are forever counted among the ranks of the greatest geniuses across all of spacetime."

Wu Yuan held his breath. The path of the Supreme Genius? Throughout all of spacetime?

"Master, has anyone in the history of our Greenridge Macrocosm ever succeeded in this endeavor?" Wu Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"No," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi replied simply.

Wu Yuan was taken aback.

"Neither I nor any of the other Sovereigns in our macrocosm achieved this feat," Kua Chi admitted, shaking his head. "We all became Astral Monarchs first, then advanced step by step. In my case, after a million years, I only reached the third-level Dao Field stage of the Life Dao Field before facing my ninth Immortal Tribulation."

Wu Yuan nodded slowly, processing this information.

The third-level Dao Field stage of the Life Dao? That surpassed the accomplishments of geniuses who had mastered an entire Intermediate Law. Clearly, his master had been one of the most dazzling talents of his era.

It was often said that the higher one climbed, the more difficult it became to defeat opponents from higher levels. Every supreme expert had once been a world-shaking genius in their youth, after all.

"I don't expect you to fully comprehend the Life Dao within a million years," Kua Chi said. "However, I do hope you can surpass your Senior Brother Jiang Huan and perhaps match the achievements of your Third and Ninth Senior Brothers in their time."

Wu Yuan listened in silence, his mind churning with thoughts. He couldn't argue with such expectations, given that no one in the entire history of their macrocosm had ever accomplished such a feat.

Yet, despite the impossibility of it all, his heart still burned with desire. The path of the Supreme Genius? Even if there were no precedents in their macrocosm's history, why couldn't he strive to become the first? A man could dream, after all. By aiming for the heavens, one might at least reach the mountaintops.

Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi, with his unfathomable cultivation, could easily perceive the thoughts of his disciple, even within the voidrealm. Yet, he did not rebuke Wu Yuan; instead, a small smile flitted across his face.

All true geniuses possessed ambition, and it was that grand ambition and burning desire that fueled their limitless drive.

"You share a significant advantage with your Third and Ninth Senior Brothers," Kua Chi said thoughtfully. "Unlike your other senior brothers and sisters, you possess two true selves, both with exceptional talent."

"If one tries to comprehend different Intermediate Laws with only one true self, one would have to battle the effects of Dao Assimilation. Similarly, if another true self possesses weaker aptitude, it will slow down overall progress."

"However, with separate true selves and separate souls, linked only by consciousness, the impact becomes negligible. Coupled with supreme talent across the board, this presents the greatest advantage," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi explained.

Wu Yuan listened intently, a sudden clarity washing over him. He finally understood why his master had spoken of giving him an opportunity when he claimed the heaven-tier title in the Fifth Origin Eldritch Field.

It was likely due to Wu Yuan's two true selves each excelling in different areas, with his qi refiner self being reasonably strong as well.

"Even so, you will still face a difficult challenge—the Space Dao," Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi’s voice grew solemn, resonating with an underlying gravity.

"Space and Time are two very special Greater Laws. They form the foundation of all things and are thus least affected by the Dao Assimilation influence of other Daos."

"But the influence, however small, still exists. With only two true selves, as you delve deeper into the Longevity and Celestial Body Daos, comprehending the Space Dao will become increasingly difficult for you."

Wu Yuan absorbed these words, pondering deeply. The Space Dao was difficult to comprehend? At the very least, with his powerful Yuan Soul, he should find it easier than other cultivators of the same level.

Eldritch Sovereign Kua Chi's voice cut through Wu Yuan's thoughts, "My expectations for you are threefold.

First, comprehend the silver sphere’s cryptic patterns before you reach 300 years of age, crossing the threshold of the Life Dao.

Second, grasp the True Intent of the Life Dao within 3,000 years.

Third, reach the Dao Field stage of the Life Dao within 300,000 years.”

Three requirements, each more demanding than the last.

"I will do my utmost, Master," Wu Yuan replied solemnly.