The sun rose in the east, casting the radiant light of the Great Dao.
Far away in the Martial King's Manor, Shi Yi was unaware of the three cunning beasts plotting against him in the Great Wilderness, scheming to lure him out with the promise of a so-called mountain treasure.
At this moment, he sat cross-legged beneath a large tree, bathed in warm, golden sunlight filtering through the leaves, his face glowing with serene harmony.
Shi Yi was immersed in cultivation. Every day, he dedicated three hours to practice, never missing a single session. He wasn't obsessive, but nor was he lazy—diligent and steadfast in his efforts.
For years, this had been his routine. He'd grown accustomed to this tranquil life, and the feeling of growing stronger, bit by bit, was utterly captivating.
It was a sensation most people could never experience: the certainty that effort in cultivation would always yield rewards.
It was akin to playing a game, logging in daily to level up, with strength visibly improving over time.
But reality wasn't a game.
Limited by talent, foundation, and opportunities, not everyone saw returns from their cultivation. Many toiled their entire lives, only to remain stuck in the same realm.
Shi Yi was different.
As long as he cultivated, progress was guaranteed. Even if he sat there cultivating for ten thousand years, he could forcibly reach the pinnacle of the mortal dao.
This was due to three factors: his innate talent and foundation, his Double Pupils, and the unparalleled base forged by his ten heavenly passages.
As he was now, Shi Yi's lower limit was high, and his upper limit was boundless.
Barring unforeseen issues, he had no worries before achieving immortality. Whether it was cultivation techniques, treasure techniques, or a protector, he already possessed everything he needed.
Though he currently held only the first part of the Original True Solution, the Divine Guidance Chapter, it was sufficient to guide him to the pinnacle of the mortal dao, making him the foremost being below a True Immortal.
What was the pinnacle of the mortal dao?
It referred to the Supreme Being Realm, standing at the apex of mortal cultivation, a mere step away from immortality.
Such a being's mere presence could overwhelm lower-realm cultivators, and with the sustenance of long-life substances, they could live for millions of years or more.
"I've already achieved ten heavenly passages and can now advance to the Spirit Transformation Realm," Shi Yi mused.
He wasn't clueless about the Spirit Transformation Realm. With the Original True Solution in hand, he never lacked direction in his cultivation. His only concern was about his own transformation process.
The Spirit Transformation Realm, as its name implied, was about transformation—evolution, reshaping, and recreation. It was a pivotal realm on the path of cultivation.
All things possessed spirit: every blade of grass, every tree, every speck of dust or grain of sand. How much more so for living beings?
The Spirit Transformation Realm involved harnessing various spiritual essences, forging a true spirit, and recreating the true self, leading to a profound metamorphosis.
If the Heavenly Passage Realm was about laying an unshakable foundation for one's future, the Spirit Transformation Realm was about building upon that foundation, creating and evolving, granting wings for future ascension.
By forging a true spirit and recreating the self, one could embody the spiritual essence of the heavens and earth. Not only would the physical body transform, but with deep comprehension, the soul could ascend alongside it, turning the acquired into the innate, undergoing a nirvanic rebirth as a divine embryo.
It sounded wondrous.
And indeed, it was.
Once Shi Yi advanced to the Spirit Transformation Realm, with the foundation of his ten heavenly passages, he could reverse the acquired into the innate, undergoing a transformation in his life's essence. His physical body would become a divine innate embryo.
At that point, Shi Yi would no longer be a turbid acquired being but a pure, radiant innate being.
Notably, not every Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator could achieve this reversal from acquired to innate, nor could all undergo nirvanic rebirth into a divine embryo. Only those who had reached the extreme limits in both the Blood Transformation and Heavenly Passage Realms had even a sliver of a chance.
For most Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators, their foundations in the Blood Transformation and Heavenly Passage Realms were insufficient.
Forget reversing to the innate—being able to rejuvenate a few years was already cause for celebration.
"Blood Transformation Realm: 100,000 jin at the extreme, perfect. Heavenly Passage Realm: ten passages at the extreme, and my ten passages even allow my true body to enter—a perfection beyond perfection. But reaching the extreme in the Spirit Transformation Realm? That's a bit tricky!" Shi Yi pondered.
The Blood Transformation, Heavenly Passage, and Spirit Transformation Realms were the foundational three realms. Subsequent realms typically involved incorporating external elements to elevate one's cultivation.
Thus, these three were collectively known as the Foundation Realms.
Achievements in these realms determined one's future.
The Blood Transformation Realm tempered the body, forging a furnace of flesh and blood, using one's vitality to shake the heavens and open heavenly passages.
The Heavenly Passage Realm built the foundation, establishing an unshakable base. Each passage was a step, with ten passages forming a supreme foundation.
The Spirit Transformation Realm was about creation, forging the true spirit and self, harnessing the spiritual essence of the passages to transform and elevate both body and soul.
Failing to reach the extreme in the Blood Transformation Realm made opening ten heavenly passages nearly impossible. Without the foundation of ten passages, nirvanic rebirth and reversing to the innate in the Spirit Transformation Realm were mere fantasies.
Each realm built upon the last.
None could be skipped.
Shi Yi had already reached the pinnacle of the Heavenly Passage Realm, even forging a unique path with his ten passages imbued with earth, water, fire, wind, yin-yang, chaos, and the five elements.
But advancing to the Spirit Transformation Realm wasn't so simple. Without someone to suppress the elemental forces and balance yin-yang and chaos powers, he risked being trapped in the Heavenly Passage Realm forever.
Fortunately, Liu Shen had entered his tenth heavenly passage, suppressing the elemental forces and harmonizing yin-yang and chaos. The balancing of the five elements and eight trigrams had cleared the obstacles to his breakthrough.
Shi Yi was now fully capable of breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. The challenge, however, was reaching the extreme limit in this realm.
For most, the Spirit Transformation Realm involved using their heavenly passages and cultivated treasure techniques to transform, evolving their body and soul.
Normally, as long as one didn't court death, this posed no major issues, and both body and soul would transform to some degree.
But Shi Yi had a touch of perfectionism. He couldn't tolerate any asymmetry or imperfection.
Since he had reached the extreme in both the Blood Transformation and Heavenly Passage Realms, achieving perfection in both, failing to do the same in the Spirit Transformation Realm—the third of the Foundation Realms—would drive him mad.
He had to undergo nirvanic rebirth!
He had to reverse the acquired to the innate!
With this in mind, Shi Yi glanced at the now-calmed forces within his heavenly passages—earth, water, fire, wind, yin-yang, chaos, and the five elements—and shuddered.
Earth, water, fire, wind, yin-yang, chaos, and the five elements… Aren't the forces in my passages a bit too advanced?
If I'm not careful, I might transform myself into oblivion.
___
Three hours later, Shi Yi's daily cultivation session concluded. Instead of attempting to transform his passages, he entered his tenth heavenly passage.
Yes, entered.
This was significant.
In theory, heavenly passages could store objects and even house living beings. But Shi Yi was unique—the only one who could freely enter and exit his own passages.
The reason was simple: for others, heavenly passages depended on their existence, like how even the strongest person couldn't lift themselves off the ground.
Shi Yi's ten heavenly passages, however, were different. They were no longer ordinary passages but a small world, a microcosm brimming with earth, water, fire, and wind.
"Teacher, I wanted to ask—"
Shi Yi began, but before he could finish, Liu Shen interrupted.
"Recite the scriptures first! It's your daily task. No slacking."
Liu Shen knew what Shi Yi wanted to ask, but first, she needed to verify something: whether Shi Yi's devout recitation of the Scripture of Salvation had any effect on her.
_
If you want to support me and read advanced 100+ chapters and also other stories: patreon.com/Caluem