It takes Merin only ten years to reach the peak of the Nine Ring Celestial Master realm, and the next step before him is the Divine Soul rank.
To break through, he must merge his Blizzard Roc Spiritual Body with his physical body, and for seven days, he works to reshape the bird's form into his own youthful appearance.
The merging begins with his skin, and he feels as though a heavy shackle falls away when it transforms into spiritual skin, followed by the slow conversion of muscles, bones, organs, and every fibre of his being.
Relief floods through him as the burden of age recedes, his once middle-aged face turning back into that of a young man, a sight he has not seen since entering this world.
Across countless worlds, he always remained young, yet here, no matter how high his cultivation rose, his body clung to mortal decay—until now, when he finally escapes the mortal shackles.
He steps outside his room, and standing before him are Lin Zhu and Lin Mi, their eyes wide with wonder at his renewed appearance.
Lin Mi gazes at him longingly and says, "Brother, you've returned to the image of a young man… when will it be my turn to break through to the Divine Soul rank?"
Merin smiles faintly and replies, "First break through the Seven Ring Celestial Master rank."
Lin Zhu, suppressing his joy, says warmly, "We should arrange a feast for the whole city."
Merin nods, then bends down to lift Lin Zhu's son, who is cradled in Xiao Yixian's arms, and says with a soft smile, "How is my nephew?"
Together they slowly walk down the hallway, the air around them filled with quiet joy.
A week later, Merin begins practising martial arts once more, and three years later, deep within the Demon Sea, he breaks through to the Dao Casting Realm with the Winter Storm Law.
Twenty years pass, and he reaches the Fifth Turn Dao Casting Realm. For the second turn, he cultivates the Spring Storm Law, for the third turn the Summer Storm Law, for the fourth the Autumn Storm Law, and for the fifth turn he fuses them all into the Storm Law, the union of every season's tempest.
Having reached this point, he decides to leave the empire, for the deeper knowledge of arrays can only be obtained in the Central Continent.
He engraves arrays onto his very organs, allowing them to draw in elemental energy directly, and in his acupoints, he transforms each respective spiritual stone into real low-rank elemental spiritual stones.
Yet to advance further, these stones must be nurtured under the composition of higher-ranked stones, and that knowledge and material lie beyond the empire's borders.
By now, Lin Zhu has reached the Fifth Rank of the Blood Yang Realm, and Lin Mi has risen to become a top-ranked Celestial Master—both strong enough to protect themselves.
To pursue greater heights, they too must venture beyond the empire.
And so, with determination in his heart and confidence in his siblings' strength, Merin sets forth, leaving the empire behind to make a path for them.
He does not step into any city of the Wild Lands; instead, he soars above them, his aura released like a storm warning all who might seek trouble, until at last he crosses into the Central Continent.
The first city he encounters spreads wide beneath him, walls tall and streets bustling, yet instead of entering directly, he descends far away inside a forest, for he knows better than to attract attention before understanding how the Central Continent operates.
Here, unlike the empire, Saint-rank cultivators walk the land, and though his power is vast, he does not yet know how far his main body's strength can truly reach, especially when separated from it.
His main body strength is only at the first realm of Saint rank, and from what he has learned, there are five stages of Saint rank in this world—ranging from rank sixteen to rank twenty—so even if his main body were to appear in the Central Continent, it must remain low-key.
He himself is only at rank fifteen, and the step from rank fifteen to rank sixteen is considered a major breakthrough, a gap so wide that a Saint rank could easily kill him if he were careless.
Suppressing his aura down to the first turn of Dao Casting rank, he calmly makes his way toward the city.
Inside, the guards and civilians glance at him with respect and awe, for though there are other Dao Casting cultivators present, their numbers are few.
He notices no Saint rank cultivators, but quickly realises that if he can conceal his aura, then they surely can as well, meaning one could walk past him unnoticed.
After roaming the city, he enters an inn, rests for the night, and at dawn, he heads to the Array Association.
There, he inquires about the test for obtaining an Array Master certificate, only to learn that every official capable of overseeing the trial has gone to Fulin City, the association's main base.
Every four years, a grand competition is held in Fulin for both Array Experts and Array Masters, and the receptionist explains that if he participates as an Array Expert and passes the first three stages, he will be granted a certificate of Array Master.
If he manages to pass all five stages, he will earn a place as a core member of the association itself.
However, the receptionist warns him that the competition begins in two days, and no Dao Casting cultivator could possibly reach Fulin by normal means in such a short time.
Thus, he is directed to the space passage, where he learns the cost—ten intermediate spiritual stones, or one thousand low-rank stones, and that the gate will open in just a few hours.
When the time comes, he steps into the black-hole-like portal, and in the blink of an eye, his next step lands him in Fulin City.
The sudden shift makes his head spin, and he drops to one knee at the passage exit, finding that many others who travelled through are in the same disoriented state.
After steadying himself, he seeks out an inn to rest, and a few hours later, he emerges once more, heading straight to the Array Master Association.
There, he registers under the Array Expert rank, then returns to his inn to wait for the competition to begin.
During the wait, he turns his focus inward, comprehending the Law of Storm.
He knows storm is not merely the fusion of water, wind, and lightning—it is far broader, encompassing firestorms, sandstorms, pure windstorms, and countless other variations.
So he continues to refine his understanding, drawing the threads of every storm into the foundation of his Dao.
And then the day arrives. The competition begins with a written test, with over ten thousand participants filling the vast hall.
Merin passes with ease and returns quietly to his inn.
Two days later, the second round arrives, and candidates are tasked with repairing a top-ranked array base inside a grand arena, the stands filled with countless spectators.
Excitement brews as people place bets on which candidate will be the fastest to finish, yet not a single wager is cast on him.
Merin works calmly, finishing the repair only minutes before the allotted time ends, deliberately keeping a low profile.
On the stands, Xiao Yun watches the competition unfold, his gaze suddenly locking on Lin Ye.
"When did he come to the central continent?" Xiao Yun wonders, recognising him instantly. "So he finally arrived… and at just the right time. I am in desperate need of allies, and Lin Ye is my natural one."
Their bond ran deep: they had fought side by side in a life-and-death battle, and his sister was married to Lin Ye's younger brother.
Beside him, a man speaks. "Sun Jian, Du Gobo, and Fu Qian—these three have the best chance of winning."
Xiao Yun glances at another contestant who finishes second in the round. "Why didn't you mention him, Meng Ji?"
Meng Ji lowers his voice. "His mother is from the Huang family."
Xiao Yun's eyes narrow. "Then he cannot win the competition anyway."
Meng Ji asks cautiously, "Young Master Xiao, who do you want to contact?"
Xiao Yun's gaze sweeps across the arena once more. "Let's decide later. There may be lurking dragons we haven't noticed yet."
As the bell tolls to end the round, Xiao Yun rises without a word and leaves the stands.
Two days later, the third stage of the competition begins.
This time, candidates are tasked with arranging a defensive array capable of withstanding three strikes from a peak Refining Dao cultivator.
Here on the central continent, martial arts and celestial master cultivation are merged into one path, known as Refining Dao cultivation, and a peak Refining Dao cultivator stands at the level of a peak Divine Soul celestial master.
Merin could easily arrange an array of Array Master ranks, but instead, he sets up one balanced between a top-ranked Array Expert and a true Array Master, passing the test without drawing unnecessary attention.
His performance earns him ten intermediate spiritual stones and the official certificate of an Array Master.
The reward could not have come at a better time—he had been hesitating for days about exchanging his low-rank stones for intermediate ones.
Normally, the rate stood at one hundred low-rank stones for one intermediate, but in the market it had risen to one hundred and fifty.
Now, with his hesitation proving wise, he avoids a needless loss.
Returning to his inn, he begins to study the composition of spiritual energy within the intermediate stones, carefully dissecting their purity and density.