Translator: CinderTL
Outside the Cloud Surge Mountain Range, figures watched from afar.
Among them were Qian Feng of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild, Qingxi of the Celestial Qin Dynasty, and Zhuo Guang of the Taixu Sword Sect. The Profound Yellow Sect had even sent Yi Xuan, a Void Refinement Realm Great Power!
A Void Refining Great Power, patiently waiting outside the mountain range where a Primordial Spirit True Monarch had settled, appearing to sincerely seek an audience...
Such sincerity left Qian Feng, Qingxi, and Zhuo Guang in awe.
While it was understandable to go to great lengths to recruit the number one ranked cultivator on the Cosmic Light List, this level of importance still made these factions feel inferior.
Of course, having come this far, they couldn't simply turn around without meeting Li Chunjun and receiving a definitive response.
This was especially true for Zhuo Guang, the Vice Hall Master in charge of the Taixu Sword Sect's Branch Sect.
Originally, his position in the Branch Sect Management Hall was roughly equivalent to Zuo Cheng's in the Frigid Jade Fortress—a deputy to the Hall Master, wielding significant power.
However, due to his mishandling of the Li Chunjun matter, he had been repeatedly reprimanded by the Hall Master.
The Hall Master had even issued a death order: he would be dealt with unless he could bring Li Chunjun back.
Fortunately, fate had intervened.
When Li Chunjun returned to the Azure Star Minor Realm, he encountered a Starquake and vanished, presumed dead.
This failure to recruit Li Chunjun, caused by an unavoidable force majeure, naturally couldn't be blamed on Zhuo Guang.
In the end, after exhausting all his connections and paying a heavy price, and thanks to his Perfected Primordial Spirit, which gave him a sliver of hope of reaching the Void Refining realm, he managed to retain his position through a disciplinary demotion.
Just as he had finally stabilized his situation, Li Chunjun, who had supposedly perished in the Starquake, miraculously reappeared!
Moreover, he displayed even more astonishing feats, surging to the top of the Cosmic Light List in a single bound!
The Zhuo Guang people were stunned by this news, reeling from the blow for a long time.
As expected, the Hall Master's order soon arrived, once again tasking him with recruiting Li Chunjun.
With a heart as cold as ashes, Zhuo Guang had no choice but to travel to Cloud Surge Mountain.
Despite having been turned away repeatedly, he dared not harbor the slightest resentment.
Given the circumstances, he had prepared various contingency plans to demonstrate his efforts to his superiors, even steeling himself for a severe beating from Li Chunjun.
But...
He never saw Li Chunjun. Instead, he witnessed someone undergoing a tribulation on Cloud Surge Mountain.
A single tribulation wouldn't have been so remarkable; in the vast Profound Yellow Great World, countless Primordial Spirit True Monarchs underwent tribulations daily.
But this was a Triple Tribulation Transcendence!
At that moment, everyone realized what was happening.
"Triple Tribulation Transcendence! Only Li Chunjun, Heavenly Monarch Li, could treat Thunder Tribulations with such disdain!"
Someone immediately shouted, "It must be Heavenly Monarch Li! As far as I know, Heavenly Monarch Li was only at the Sixth Tribulation realm when he returned from the foreign lands! If a Sixth Tribulation True Monarch could reach the top of the Cosmic Light List, what level of power would he possess after undergoing three more Tribulations to reach the Ninth Tribulation perfected realm? Who on the Cosmic Light List could possibly challenge his ranking now?"
"The top-ranked cultivator on the Cosmic Light List receives an additional reward for every decade they maintain their position. And Heavenly Monarch Li is said to be incredibly young! If he stays on the Cosmic Light List for several centuries, how much wealth would he accumulate? With that wealth, even if he only reaches Void Refining in the future, gathering the resources needed for a Dharma Phase realm cultivation shouldn't be a problem!"
Heavenly Monarch!
Though these people addressed Li Chunjun as Heavenly Monarch, no one found it strange.
The world naturally refers to Primordial Spirit cultivators on the verge of Void Refining or whose strength surpasses the True Monarch realm as Heavenly Monarchs.
It's the same title as Void Refining.
As the top-ranked cultivator on the Star Glory, Solar Radiance, and Cosmic Light Lists, Li Chunjun's talent and strength clearly placed him above all Primordial Spirit True Monarchs.
The title of Heavenly Monarch was well-deserved.
"A Ninth Tribulation True Monarch, the undisputed number one on the Cosmic Light List. As long as he remains on the list and ensures his safety, he'll receive a massive influx of resources. With these resources, reaching Void Refining won't be a problem, and he'll likely be close to achieving the Dharma Phase realm..."
Zhuo Guang, Qingxi, and Qian Feng listened to the murmurs of the crowd, their hearts sinking.
Li Chunjun's wealth, derived from his position at the top of the Cosmic Light List, meant that any offer they made to sway him would likely reach astronomical figures.
Unlike the others, Yi Xuan of the Profound Yellow Sect remained calm.
Having wielded considerable influence within the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven, he was well aware of Li Chunjun's other identity beyond his Cosmic Light List ranking:
The direct disciple of the Supreme Sovereign!
The direct disciple of the Profound Yellow Supreme!
Though the Profound Yellow Supreme had not appeared in over ten million years, his Supreme title's influence in the Profound Yellow Great World had waned slightly. This allowed powers like the Wu Ji Sect and the Taixu Sword Sect to rise, overshadowing the Profound Yellow Sect's former dominance and becoming the new Overlords of the Profound Yellow Great World. Yet...
The Profound Yellow List, left behind by the Supreme Sovereign, still stood!
Moreover, it was guarded by an Artifact Spirit of near-Dao Unification Realm strength, making it virtually invincible in the entire Profound Yellow Great World as long as no Dao Unification cultivators intervened.
Therefore, the Sect Master had ordered Yi Xuan to spare no cost in recruiting Li Chunjun into the Profound Yellow Sect.
The minimum offer was the position of Vice Sect Master, while the maximum was to honor Li Chunjun as a Supreme Elder!
Of course, before he achieved Supreme Sagehood, he would only receive the treatment of a Supreme Elder.
However, with Li Chunjun's talent, while saying his chances of becoming a Supreme Sage were 100% might be an exaggeration, a 50-60% chance was definitely within reach.
Especially considering his position at the top of the Cosmic Light List, which would grant him access to numerous precious resources.
If they could recruit this direct disciple into the Profound Yellow Sect, not only would the sect gain a future Dharma Phase or Sage, but they could also use him to strengthen ties with the Artifact Spirit who controlled the Profound Yellow List.
Therefore, the Profound Yellow Sect's sincerity surpassed that of any other faction.
Unfortunately...
The Sect Master himself had personally visited Sword Prodigy Li in the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven, but had never managed to meet him.
As for Yi Xuan...
He wasn't sure if he could even meet Li Chunjun, either.
"Hmm!?"
Just as Yi Xuan was pondering how to persuade Li Chunjun, he seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up in shock.
The Void!
The Void ahead...
Was collapsing!
"No! It's not collapsing!"
As a Void Refining Heavenly Monarch, Yi Xuan immediately recognized what was happening.
This isn't a Void collapse!
"Someone is trying to replace the Void Law's operation with their own Mind Power, to bear the Void Law's power. This interruption of the Void Law's normal function is causing this phenomenon that resembles a Void collapse!"
He stared at the collapsing Void with a look of profound shock. "Someone is attempting to break through to Void Refining!"
While Heavenly Monarch Yi Xuan was still reeling in shock, the other True Monarchs nearby were jolted awake.
As Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, they might not dare to dream of achieving Void Refining in their lifetimes, but they were intimately familiar with every detail of the Void Refining Realm.
Therefore, they too immediately recognized that someone was attempting to break through to Void Refining!
Currently, the Cloud Surge Mountain Range was home to many Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, and even a few Nine Tribulation True Monarchs. But only one person had cultivated the Void Law Mysteries to 1024 variations, comprehended Mind Power, and possessed the qualifications to attempt Void Refining: the legendary Li Chunjun, the number one ranked cultivator on the Cosmic Light List.
In other words...
"It's Li Chunjun! Heavenly Monarch Li is attempting Void Refining!?"
"This... this is too much! He just completed the Triple Tribulation Transcendence to become a Nine Tribulation True Monarch, and now he's already attempting to break through to Void Refining!? Doesn't he even want to take a moment to settle down? This is the Void Refinement Realm we're talking about!"
Instantly, the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs erupted in an uproar.
"Reckless! Heavenly Monarch Li, this is far too reckless!"
Zhuo Guang, who harbored intense envy and resentment towards Li Chunjun, couldn't help but exclaim, "With his achievements as the top-ranked cultivator on the Star, Solar Radiance, and Cosmic Light Lists, we never doubted he could reach Void Refining! But to attempt it immediately after becoming a Nine Tribulation True Monarch... what does he think the Void Refinement Realm is!?"
His words even carried a hint of anger, though he knew he had personally sought out Li Chunjun, hoping to recruit him into the Taixu Sword Sect. Still, he couldn't control his surging emotions!
Void Refining!
It was a realm that only one in tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs could successfully break through to!
Li Chunjun, no matter how extraordinary his talent, how could he dare to be so reckless when attempting to reach Void Refining!?
"Just watch!"
The Vice Hall Master of the Taixu Sword Sect's Branch Sect Management Hall declared with conviction: "When someone loses reverence for breaking through realms, no matter how great their talent, there can only be one outcome: failure."
Buzz!
The collapsing Void suddenly halted.
A unique power emanated from above the Cloud Surge Mountain Range.
The Void seemed to have suddenly found its master.
Though it appeared unchanged from before, a peculiar ripple spread through it, as if proclaiming a fundamental shift in this realm.
"It's... it's..."
Zhuo Guang, who had been so confident moments ago, found his Divine Sense becoming sluggish, fragmented, and halting.
The information transmitted grew increasingly stagnant, gradually shifting from envy and jealousy to disbelief.
"It's... this is... he's succeeded!?"
A Law, as if possessing its own will, formed a domain-like existence.
This...
was the hallmark of a Void Refining Heavenly Monarch's power!
Void Refining: using Mind Power to bear the power of the Law, officially becoming the master of a Law's power!
This was the fundamental reason why Void Refining Heavenly Monarchs stood far above Primordial Spirit True Monarchs!
But now...
Before their very eyes, in a mere dozen breaths, a will had effortlessly manifested from nothing, seamlessly channeling and mastering a strand of Void Law Power. With the power of the Void Law, Li Chunjun had ascended to the Void Refinement Realm!
It was as natural and effortless as if he had merely mastered a common arcane art, not broken through to the Void Refinement Realm!
"How... could this be possible..."
Zhuo Guang stared fixedly at the Void.
A sense of unprecedented collapse washed over him. The Void Refinement Realm, which he had pursued with his life's efforts, seeing no glimmer of hope, had been casually broken through by Li Chunjun with no effort at all.
Moreover, Li Chunjun was now a Void Refining cultivator!
His hopes of joining the Taixu Sword Sect had been utterly crushed, reduced to near extinction!
The immense shock and disparity struck his mind and will like a thunderbolt, causing the Vice Hall Master, a Perfected Primordial Spirit cultivator who had cultivated Mind Power, to instantly regress in his mental state...
Plunging from the perfected realm.
(End of the Chapter)
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