From Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment Realm, it is all about the evolution of the physical body and the sublimation of the mind to touch the tangible. These realms are the low-level of immortal cultivation.
It lies in the evolution of the soul. They begin to possess traces of the "Dao".
Purple Mansion Realm practices Dao Rhymes (Supernatural Seeds);
Golden Core Realm practices Dao Laws (Supernatural Powers);
Nascent Soul Realm practices Dharma Laws (Dharma Avatars).
These three realms are considered the middle-level of immortal cultivation.
What comes next is the transformation of Dharma Laws, the rules governing nature, into Divine Laws. It is also a part of the high-level of immortal cultivation…
And Shi Tian is facing one of them.
'Herrscher Authorities… One awakened Herrscher wouldn't suffice against her.'
He finally understood why it took so much to defeat Kevin who is far stronger than the Herrscher of the End in the Previous Era.
Mei's Authority of Origin linked every single Herrscher Authority onto Kiana, turning her into the Herrscher of Finality.
With the help of Finality's authority, she was able to call forth the power of the parallel universes. The energy converging from all of them broke Kevin's 'shield' down, thus spelling the trio's victory.
'Without Origin, we will definitely have a hard time.'
His thoughts raced to the extreme. In reality, not even a second has passed. Shi Tian brought Veliona down as he stared right into her eyes.
"You will have an opportunity in this fight. Do as you seem fit. I'll take care of the rest."
"...Alright."
She replied as her body disappeared under the dark blue light.
Divination has a lot of perks, though peering into the future can cause backlash. The more impact it has, the greater the backlash becomes. For Shi Tian, however, matters related to romantic affairs have weaker backlashes.
'I don't know whether to call it useless or not…'
He shook these thoughts off as he looked at the Herrscher.
'My opportunity in this fight…'
Like the battles with the dangerous demon beasts, the Herrscher's overwhelming danger stirred waves of excitement throughout his very being.
'I can't be too rash now, but…'
Sou-!
Shi Tian's body blurred as he reappeared a meter in front of the Herrscher.
"A strong body, but that is all."
Screech-!
A mix of sounds—scratching, tape being rewound, shattering—greeted his ears. His sight saw nothing unusual. The Herrscher's attack happened invisibly.
'Mental attack? No. Physical attack? Yes. But there's something else…''
Shi Tian did not have time to react. Scorch marks began to appear on his skin. His muscles burned. His tendons froze. His bones cracked under the surge of a 'fluid'. His blood spilled onto the ground as it got tainted with a black spot. He did not do anything and tanked the invisible attack head-on.
Hum-!
He remained unfazed as he launched the strike using his [Sword Light Refraction] and [True Form]'s ultimate attack. It turned intangible as it attempted to strike upon the Herrscher's mind.
For the third time, the Herrscher's attack faltered. It disappeared the moment the mental attack struck her.
Shi Tian's physical body swiftly regenerated itself. The Dao of Five Elements enhanced the Dao of Water's regenerative effects.
The traces of the attack remained at the level of Dao Laws. The inconsistency dumbfounded Shi Tian, but his mind was put onto something else.
'No wonder two died within five minutes.'
The Herrscher's unfathomable attack would've killed him instantly had they remained at the level of Divine Laws. The time stop from earlier is as such. Changing into a weaker version of her power felt confusing.
But then, the Flamechasers from back then wouldn't have lasted for five minutes if the Herrscher really did go all-out from the start.
'Her thirteen authorities stem from unawakened Herrschers. No. It feels like her attacks are gradually becoming stronger…''
The Herrscher did not give him time to think. Shi Tian swung his blade towards the Herrscher.
Shatter-!
A huge force separated the Herrscher's body into two halves. Her body let out specks of white light before it was covered with a blurry light. This reminded him of the power that froze time itself.
'Finality. That's the answer. She used power that matches my own. Is she embodying the honkai's proportionality law? If this is how she fought, the Flamechasers' fight becomes more reasonable.'
Crunch-!
He bit onto a fourth grade restorative pill as his blade got covered with a purple hue once again.
Sou-!
Cling-!
The moment the blurry light dissipated, Shi Tian's mental attack came once again.
Things did not go to plan. A hexagonal field appeared before the Herrscher. It lasted for a split second before it was broken.
Psshk-!
Shi Tian suffered from the inexplicable attack for the second time. He watched as the Herrscher got disabled for another three seconds.
'She's speeding up her attacks to the point it happens instantly..!'
A chill went down to his spine.
Although it could not cause considerable injuries to him, it still exhausts his spiritual qi reserves. His stockpile of pills happened to be there, lest he would have been fought to death by the Herrscher.
'The Previous Era… they did well.'
Five minutes with two casualties is nothing short of an excellent battle record. Su's team who bombarded the Herrscher with mental attacks and the rest who tanked the Herrscher's attacks did very well.
Shi Tian's heart was moved.
Heroism.
Tenacity.
Courage.
Bravery.
All to fight for the humankind behind them.
'To step onto the same stage as these amazing heroes…'
Shi Tian was never a hero. He is benevolent, but never a hero. He left that title to Kiana.
'Four years ago, would I have thought of this?'
He knew the answer.
'Never.'
Shi Tian never had his 'own' agenda. He was very clueless the moment he arrived in this world. Forcefully attaching himself to Kiana came from his urge to find a 'purpose' and his personal liking to her character. Even then, his search for his 'purpose' failed.
What he inherited was Kiana's ideals. Her will to fight for all that is beautiful was so captivating Shi Tian found himself drawn to it.
In a sense, he acted upon this world based on a borrowed ideal. He created his 'purpose' based on it. His tendency to be sincere towards others is but an addition from his original character. He never truly had a 'purpose' from the bottom of his heart.
It is different now.
'The word "I" does not merely stand for oneself, but for the world a person carries. It does not stem from selfishness, but from the sublimated will to change everything around them. Their wills and ideals blaze, causing untold changes to the worlds they reside on. We, cultivators, tangibly affect reality with our minds…'
Immortal cultivators must strive to surpass their prior state of mind, keeping what is the most essential while their perception of the world grows stronger.
An immortal cultivator with a strong heart can change the world around them as they will!
Shiing-!
The light from his sword became exceptionally brighter. The Herrscher's barriers did not last for a moment before it was shattered.
'To be a part of this world's brilliant story…'
The sword within him soon emitted a blinding light. Changes happened onto his very soul that was slumbering deep inside the Golden Core. His state of mind reached a new level, thereby pushing his cultivation heart to the next level.
{Qi: Late > Peak Golden Core}
{Sword Realm: Sword Light Refraction > Innate Sword Soul}
Seeing the brilliance of this world…
"I want to truly fight for its ideal ending."
…Shi Tian's ownresolve wanted to fight for all its beauty.
*****
Veliona hid herself within the Sea of Quanta of this Bubble World. The Sea rejects the Tree, turning it into the most perfect hiding spot. If it wasn't for most humans' inability to enter, it would have been humanity's safest shelter.
"My opportunity…"
She does not know what that "opportunity" was. Her mind was fixated on it, all to not waste Shi Tian's decision of bringing her over.
Just then, she heard a "sigh" that transcended dimensions. Veliona swiftly used her quantum entanglement to peek at the Bubble World.
That was when she saw it.
There lies a man so brilliant he literally blinded her momentarily. Veliona inadvertently recalled a vague sword. It can be lethal, but also gentle. It burns brightly and arouses one's will to cling onto what is worth fighting for.
For Veliona, there are two such people. She does not even need to think twice to know that Seele's answer would be the same.
Click.
She immediately felt a wave of changes.
In her connection lies someone else.
"...Seele?"