Chapter 140: Breakthrough, True Xuan Realm
Under the sudden enlightenment, the originally elusive profound art that had been unclear in his heart was now clearly revealed, and this also meant that the initial stage of the "Great Dao Pagoda Art" had been perfectly completed. From now on, he could begin cultivation without any obstacles. At the same time, Yun Che's spirit and body felt completely relaxed. Previously, regarding the vast and boundless heavens and nature, Yun Che—and indeed almost all living beings in the world—subconsciously harbored a natural reverence. But now, within Yun Che, this reverence had vanished without a trace.
"Because I am my own Heavenly Dao! I do not depend on you, nor do I exist under your grace. In my world, I am the supreme ruler of everything. At least while I live, all things in existence exist because of me!"
The former reverence had turned into pride. Yun Che's fifty-four profound gates were fully opened, and even the pores all over his body were wide open, proudly facing all the elements of heaven and earth, greedily absorbing the profound energy and natural essence from the air.
Yun Che opened his eyes and found Mo Li staring at him without blinking. He smiled and said, "Mo Li, I have successfully entered the initial stage."
Mo Li slowly nodded and said, "I know. And you only took three days."
"Three days… What? Three days!?" Yun Che was stunned. At that moment, his stomach growled with hunger, and he finally believed that an entire three days had indeed passed. When immersed in the comprehension of the Great Dao, he had felt no passage of time; in his perception, only a few dozen breaths had gone by.
Mo Li said expressionlessly, "This time far exceeded my expectations. However, you have only stepped through the door. When you will be able to formally enter the first realm of the 'Great Dao Pagoda Art' depends on your comprehension and effort. If you are hungry, go eat something. Then, the formal cultivation of the 'Great Dao Pagoda Art' begins!"
Yun Che nodded, took out a small pile of previously prepared dry rations from the Heavenly Poison Pearl, wolfed them down, and soon ate his fill. Then he sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and quickly entered a meditative state.
"I am the Great Dao, the Pagoda in my heart…
All things in heaven and earth are my captives…"
On the surface of Yun Che's body, a layer of silver light flickered faintly, then gradually became clearer and denser, clinging to his skin without dispersing. The surrounding air also began to stir, and streams of pure natural essence flowed silently into Yun Che's body like trickling streams.
The first realm of the "Great Dao Pagoda Art" was to absorb the essence of heaven and earth for one's own use, allowing it to fill, temper, and transform the entire body—including skin, flesh, hair, blood, tendons, bones, internal organs, and marrow—making the body undergo a complete rebirth. Every subsequent advancement in cultivation would bring another complete transformation.
And each complete transformation meant one step further away from the mortal realm. Lifespan would multiply geometrically.
During this process, with the abundant profound energy of the Gathering Tower and Yun Che's fully opened fifty-four profound gates, the cultivation of his profound force was also progressing simultaneously.
In the silent profound chamber, only Yun Che's steady, even breathing and heartbeat could be heard. In the absolute stillness of the cultivation state, the practitioner could not perceive the passage of time. But Yun Che clearly sensed the changes in his body. He felt every cell in his body wrapped in a warm current, and within that warmth, undergoing transformation bit by bit.
Unknowingly, twenty days had passed. During these twenty days, Yun Che did not leave the profound chamber for a single step. Except when awakened by hunger, he spent all his time in cultivation. Even while sleeping, his profound gates and the pores of his body remained fully open, with dense profound energy and pure natural essence continuously flowing into his body.
Cultivation was timeless and dayless; Yun Che himself had no idea how long had passed. On this day, his tranquil mind was startled awake by a strange fluctuation from his profound veins. He initiated inner vision and discovered that his profound veins were pulsating gently, expanding and contracting like breathing.
After consuming the Evil God Fire Seed, his profound veins had turned crimson. Now, his crimson profound veins emitted a bright radiance, making them look like translucent, sparkling crystals.
A deep joy spread across Yun Che's face… because this was clearly a sign that his profound force was about to advance! And it was a breakthrough across realms!
Yun Che quickly calmed his mind, gathered his spirit, and guided all the profound force in his body back into his profound veins, then released it again to circulate throughout his body. The three drops of Phoenix Blood also seemed to sense the change in profound force attributes, burning excitedly within him. The noble aura of the ancient divine beast, with its supreme heritage, filtered the profound force circulating through his body, driving the impending qualitative transformation.
The profound force circulated through his body again and again, each time returning to his profound veins. With every cycle, the profound veins expanded noticeably.
In the silence, two hours passed quietly. Yun Che's profound force had circulated slowly through his body more than sixty times. When this cycle of profound force returned to his profound veins, the veins suddenly expanded drastically, then contracted even more sharply, shrinking back to their normal size before solidifying and ceasing all movement.
However, the crimson light released by the profound veins grew even more intense and brilliant, as if a layer of bright, dazzling red crystal had been set over the entire surface of the veins. This red light lasted for several dozen breaths before gradually dimming until it disappeared completely. Then, streams of profound energy surged out like floodwaters breaking through a dam, joyfully dispersing to every corner of his body. This profound force was far more abundant than before, far purer and stronger! The source of profound force within his veins had expanded from a stream to a river in this short time.
Yun Che's entire body felt an indescribable comfort, and he couldn't help letting out a pleasurable groan.
After twenty-three days in the Gathering Tower, his profound force had directly completed a major realm leap—from the Xuan Entry Realm to the first level of the True Xuan Realm!
This was even while he was simultaneously cultivating the "Great Dao Pagoda Art"; otherwise, the time would undoubtedly have been shorter.
"Hmph, you've finally reached the True Xuan Realm, a bit slower than I expected. Now that you're at the True Xuan Realm, you can easily control the 'Evil Soul' state. Even keeping the first realm gate open at all times is fine."
Yun Che opened his eyes, looked at Mo Li in front of him, and smiled sheepishly.
His clothes were already soaked with sweat, sticking unpleasantly to his skin. However, after these twenty-three days of secluded cultivation, the most noticeable change was in his appearance. At sixteen years old, his skin had still been somewhat delicate; now, his skin was fair and tender like a woman's—no, like a baby's. It was so pale and soft that water could almost be squeezed from it. His face was slightly thinner. The boost in profound force and the cultivation of the "Great Dao Pagoda Art" had not added any masculine ruggedness; instead, it made him appear more refined and delicate. His eyes had become clearer, like flawless gemstones soaked in water.
Looking at his current body, Yun Che felt no surprise. He clenched his fists, feeling the surging profound force and primordial energy throughout his body, and a confident smile appeared on his face. He took out an ordinary dagger from the Heavenly Poison Pearl and stabbed it straight into his palm.
The sharp dagger point touched the center of his left palm. Normally, with such force, the palm would have bled profusely or even been pierced through. But this time, Yun Che only felt a slight sting. When he removed the dagger, there was only a faint white mark on his palm, and the skin wasn't even broken.
"Now do you believe in the power of the 'Great Dao Pagoda Art'?" Mo Li said flatly.
Yun Che nodded. "No wonder it's a forbidden celestial scripture. It's only just entered the initial stage, and it already has such astonishing effects. At this rate, I believe I can formally enter the first realm in less than a month. By then, even if my profound force hasn't advanced further, I'll be confident enough to defeat Murong Yi!"
This was the feeling brought by the astonishing power that filled his entire body.
Mo Li nodded with the dignity of a little adult and said, "Let's stop the cultivation in the Gathering Tower for now. Your profound force has just broken through; you need some time to adapt."
When Yun Che learned from Mo Li that he had spent more than twenty days in the profound chamber, he was a bit surprised. He checked the Heavenly Poison Pearl and found that all the stored dry rations were gone. Patting his hungry stomach, he stood up, changed into clean clothes, and left the profound chamber—after all, he was only at the True Xuan Realm, still far from being able to go without food or drink for long periods with profound force alone.
However, now that he had reached the True Xuan Realm, he could finally start using the materials from the King Xuan Flame Dragon—for example, the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill made from a small amount of dragon blood. With his current profound force, he should be able to withstand it.
To refine the Dragon Blood Treasure Pill, besides dragon blood, four types of herbs and one precious crystal were needed. The four herbs could all be found in the treasure vault of the Xiao Sect's branch, but he was missing a piece of Azure Mysterious Crystal.
He should be able to buy that at the Black Moon Merchant Guild… Yun Che, the tycoon carrying fifty thousand Purple Mysterious Coins, thought confidently.
Leaving the Gathering Tower, he descended from the tenth floor to the first. Just as Yun Che was about to step out of the tower, a young man walked slowly toward him from the front.
The young man was dressed in black, about the same age as Yun Che and of similar stature. His expression was cold and stern, his thick black eyebrows like two slightly slanted swords. His gaze was as calm as a pool of dead water, utterly undisturbed.
Yun Che's eyes fell on him, and his eyelids twitched slightly.
This was a very proud person… Pride is usually shown in demeanor, eyes, movements, or speech. But from his appearance, one could not see a trace of arrogance, because his pride was etched deep into his bones.
He walked slowly past Yun Che without even glancing at him, not even moving the corner of his eye, as if Yun Che didn't exist. After they passed each other, Yun Che slowly turned around, looking at the young man's back, deep in thought…
At such an age, with his overwhelming profound force aura that suffocated without even being deliberately released, and the scorching flame power…
Without a doubt, this person was the number one on the Heavenly Xuan List, the son of the Fen Tian Gate's gate master—Fen Juechen!
Sikong Du had said he was an extremely proud man. It seemed that assessment was not at all exaggerated.