The cold wind howled, and the snow fell heavily.
Amidst the icy stone forest, Ming Qi had completely transformed into a snowman. The only difference was that the thick layer of snow on his body wasn't white, but a blinding black, making him look like he was clad in a crudely crafted suit of rotten iron armor.
The spiritual energy that had previously manifested had completely returned, and Ming Qi's surroundings now seemed unusually peaceful.
The crimson pearl vine had been refined to its final point, but Ming Qi's spiritual energy continued to flow, unwavering.
This was a demonic baptism!
More than once, Ming Qi wondered if he had died again, a horrific death.
But every time this thought crossed his mind, he would quickly come to his senses, reminding himself that he was still alive, that he was striving, persevering, and striving for hope!
The challenge of reaching the innate realm from the acquired realm is a significant one. While even a third-rate sect would likely boast a significant number of innate masters, making it seem like a simple task, the result becomes clear if one compares the number of acquired and innate cultivators within a sect.
Furthermore, this world seems to never lack individuals of exceptional talent.
However, Ming Qi was unfortunately not one of them. His talent was not great, and he understood this clearly, so he compensated with willpower.
Finally, after a lengthy refining process, the last traces of the Crimson Pearl Vine's medicinal power were completely absorbed. Ming Qi's black armor grew thicker, but he had no time to pay attention.
As soon as the Crimson Pearl Vine's refining was complete, Ming Qi immediately mobilized the spiritual energy that had already been integrated within his body, rapidly condensing it!
Spiritual energy condensed, condensing into essence!
Once the essence was successfully transformed, one would attain the innate realm!
The surging spiritual energy continuously washed through Ming Qi's blood vessels, and the shattered spirit within his soul began to reunite at this moment.
This was a process of destruction followed by reconstruction.
After undergoing a shattering process that felt like a devilish baptism, Ming Qi could finally embrace a new life!
A fresh start, a fresh departure!
Crack!
After a long period of condensing and transforming his essence, the first thing to change was the black armor that completely enveloped Ming Qi.
With a cracking sound, the thick, impure ice began to shatter, falling piece by piece, revealing Ming Qi within.
His clothes had completely reduced to ash, and he now had his eyes closed.
The ice shattered, and then, a soft, radiant glow began to emanate from Ming Qi's infant-like form.
The soft, mysterious glow quickly enveloped Ming Qi, then began to rapidly swirl, surging waves of unparalleled innate energy swirling around him.
The pale white innate energy seemed to leap for joy, like a spirit.
After bursting forth, the magical rays of light rapidly extended toward the sky, eventually forming almost rainbow streaks that soared into the heavens.
Boom!
At that moment, Ming Qi gently raised his hand, clenched his right fist, and slowly swung it out.
Though his eyes were closed, his punch aimed unerringly at a massive stone pillar in front of him.
The powerful innate energy collided with the pillar with a resounding thud, instantly shattering it into countless fragments that flew across the sky.
A powerful innate strike!
After delivering the punch, Ming Qi slowly opened his eyes.
It was the breaking moment of dawn. A flash of white on the horizon dispelled the endless darkness, ushering in the light of dawn. And precisely at that moment, Ming Qi successfully advanced, entering the innate realm!
The innate rays of light that surged toward the sky continued to radiate outward from Ming Qi, as if countless heavenly pathways connected Ming Qi to the boundless starry sky.
The innate rays of light are a unique phenomenon that occurs upon achieving the innate state. While not earth-shattering, the innate rays of light that spread across the vast starry sky symbolize the cultivator's ability to connect with the heavens and earth.
Opening his eyes, Ming Qi's gaze grew deeper, not calm and unruffled, but a pure, unfathomable depth, unfathomable, and filled with an unknown awe.
Once entering the innate state, Ming Qi's entire demeanor changed dramatically. Although he wasn't technically fifteen, his already near-perfect cultivator body made it impossible to imagine he was still a teenager!
But now, the winter snows had already fallen. At the end of the year, Ming Qi was very close to his coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen.
Ming Qi admitted he wasn't very talented, unable to compare with those gifted prodigies. However, if his progress and strength were tabulated, even a true genius would likely be outshined.
Scanning his eyes, he observed the still lingering rosy glow across the sky. He pulled a clean set of clothes from his ring, put them on, and began to familiarize himself with the true Xiantian realm.
First level of the Xiantian realm, the realm of supernatural powers!
Entering the Xiantian realm is a leap to heaven—that's what they say, but along the way, Ming Qi had come to understand clearly that reaching the Xiantian realm wasn't a one-step journey at all.
In his view, reaching the Xiantian realm marked the beginning of the gradual path to immortality, the true starting point of his training.
The Xiantian realm of supernatural powers allowed one to mobilize Xiantian energy and unleash supernatural powers.
However, Ming Qi had only just reached the Xiantian realm and had yet to cultivate any cultivation techniques. Although his Xiantian energy was abundant, he couldn't unleash any supernatural powers. But that didn't matter. Yuanli can be said to be the ultimate manifestation of strength. Its power is unparalleled, and possessing supernatural powers will inevitably unleash their profound potential.
Boom!
Boom!
Ming Qi's entire body was now brimming with Yuanli. A single beam of Yuanli from a single punch could completely shatter a massive stone pillar. His current strength had increased by more than tenfold compared to that of a post-natal cultivator. While he didn't know the strength of other innate masters, he believed that with his current strength, he could definitely hold his own among those who had just entered the innate realm.
After stretching his body, Ming Qi carefully observed his internal organs and meridians. He discovered that his bones, already branded with flame veins, had become even more translucent, appearing as radiant as gemstones, and his meridians were even more powerful.
Without the aid of the Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine, he would never have gained such a significant advantage during his advancement.
Upon thinking of this, Ming Qi immediately thought of Meng Ling. The Ten Thousand Year Crimson Pearl Vine was something Meng Ling had nearly risked her life to acquire. Furthermore, she had completely fallen out with the God-Slayer, with whom she had fought tens of thousands of years before. This had effectively forced her into a desperate situation.
Now that he had successfully entered the Xiantian realm, he would single-mindedly seek a method to help Meng Ling recover and suppress her demonic nature.
With a flash of his figure, Ming Qi strode forth.
As he flew away, a thought flashed through his mind, and his spiritual awareness instantly spread out. Almost instantly, his spiritual awareness field completely enveloped an area of nearly ten miles.
Through this aura, Ming Qi could sense any movement within a ten-mile radius.
Ice shards shattered, dead branches snapped, snowballs rolled, and so on...
And just as Ming Qi's spiritual awareness expanded, a strange pale yellow aura suddenly emerged from the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map in his mind. It merged with his spiritual awareness and then rapidly expanded along with the aura.
"This aura!"
As the mysterious pale yellow aura absorbed him, Ming Qi's face immediately lit up with astonishment.
He suddenly discovered that within the aura's radius, everything became clearer! He could even sense the movements of dormant beings, their faint breaths, the beating of their souls, even the rhythm of their absorption of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
Before he could even get excited, Ming Qi was shocked to discover that his innate energy was rapidly draining!
Faster observation revealed that the loss of his innate energy was being consumed by that mysterious pale yellow aura!
"What kind of aura is this? It can devour my innate energy so quickly!"
Ming Qi, feeling slightly nervous, tried to communicate with the mysterious aura while frantically circulating his energy to prevent it from being consumed.
However, in less than a quarter of an hour, Ming Qi was sweating profusely, and the surging energy in his body had been completely devoured, leaving little left. But there was one thing to be thankful for: although the mysterious aura was frantically devouring his energy, it didn't refuse his communication.
Endless, hollow, vast, profound!
This was Ming Qi's conclusion. The mysterious aura seemed to possess boundless power, and with his current strength, he couldn't possibly discern its origin!
"What exactly is its origin?"
Ming Qi shook his head, pressing his swollen temples. Over the past quarter hour, his energy consumption had been immense, and even with his newly entered Xiantian realm, it was quite a challenge. Fortunately, after refining the Crimson Pearl Vine, his spirit had become incredibly powerful. This instantaneous drain of energy wouldn't cause much harm; he simply needed rest to recover.
After meditating for half an hour, feeling his energy had recovered by half, Ming Qi continued on his way.
This time, however, he began to attempt to control the range of his aura. Although his full power could cover a ten-mile radius, he was currently only maintaining a radius of less than a mile. As a result, the mysterious aura reappeared, but its rate of absorbing Yuan Li had slowed considerably.
"That's right!"
After walking a distance, Ming Qi suddenly slapped his forehead, a sudden realization dawning on him.
The reason that force was so frantically consuming Yuan Li was because it was completely perceiving everything within the aura, leaving no trace. If he could master this, he wouldn't have to worry about wasting Yuan Li anymore.
Thinking of this, Ming Qi eagerly began experimenting.
He concentrated his mind, focusing his consciousness on a single point, locking onto a single object within the aura. He then attempted to observe everything about it, to see through it completely.
The first attempt, unsurprisingly, failed.
The second, the same thing happened.
Three, four, five times.
Ming Qi tried again and again, and finally, by nightfall, he had a rough outline of this mysterious technique in his mind. While not yet a master, he was close enough to master it.
Sweating profusely, Ming Qi sat down again, feeling relieved. His hard work had paid off. After constant depletion and recovery, he noticed that his energy recovery had increased slightly. It was only a small amount, but for a cultivator, it was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.
Night fell, and heavy snow fell again, coating the stone forest in a world of silver.