Chapter 296: Goodbye, Realm Master

Thank goodness my soul managed to hold on. If I’d fainted and failed to extract my qi sea, the fate of my immortal root degree would have been left to chance.

Wu Yuan heaved an internal sigh of relief.

I hope my third-degree immortal root remains unaffected. I already reacted as quickly as I could.

One had to understand that if the original body's qi sea failed to merge with the new body, a new qi sea would naturally form in the new body, though the resulting immortal root degree was uncertain.

The transformation of the Star Embryonic Body had to follow its natural course.

Black Pagoda.

Within the upper dantian lobe of his body refiner self, his weakened soul began to Visualize the black pagoda silently, stabilizing swiftly and beginning to recover gradually. Though the pace of recovery was not swift, it was enough to astound anyone if the news got out.

It appears that I have only lost a fifth, but it will take at least a year to restore my soul to its former strength.

Wu Yuan sighed quietly to himself.

Of course, Wu Yuan was well aware that many Shambhala cultivators struggled for centuries to mend their souls after the process of splitting them.

The stronger the soul, the more arduous the recovery process.

Nevertheless, it’s a sacrifice worth making.

Cultivating two true selves presented numerous advantages. They could each cultivate unhindered, grasping the intricacies of different paths without interference.

Most importantly, he had acquired an additional life!

Save for the karma and destiny of myth, no other attack can bridge the connection between true selves.

How inscrutable was karma and destiny? Even the legendary Archeldritches were helpless against their power. There was only a passing mention of the concepts in the immortal slips. Hence, Wu Yuan decided not to worry too much about it. It was a concern for another time.

My body refiner self can Visualize the black pagoda, allowing my soul to quickly recuperate. However, healing the soul of my qi refiner self won’t be easy, and I can only depend on my body to nourish it gradually.

As for specific techniques to cultivate the soul? Though Wu Yuan possessed some from his eldritch warrior inheritance memories, their efficacy paled in comparison to Visualizing the black pagoda.

As the part of Wu Yuan's soul that left his original body merged fully with the Star Embryonic Body, his qi refiner self’s upper dantian lobe was formed.

Hm?

Wu Yuan’s eyes abruptly widened in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.

Without warning, a majestic black pagoda suddenly materialized within the upper dantian lobe of the qi refiner self. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the black pagoda within Wu Yuan's body refiner self's upper dantian lobe.

The only disparity was that one was shrouded by a faint layer of blood-red mist, while the other was not.

This sight shook Wu Yuan to his core.

When he was a martial artist, he sensed the black pagoda the moment his soul perceived the upper dantian lobe. Thus, at that time, Wu Yuan remained unaware of when the black pagoda manifested.

But this time, Wu Yuan beheld the emergence of the black pagoda within his qi refiner self's upper dantian lobe with his own eyes.

What exactly is this black pagoda?

Wu Yuan was perplexed.

As he cultivated and grew stronger, Wu Yuan also became increasingly bewildered by the black pagoda. Even now, he didn’t have the faintest notion of what it was.

However, he smiled.

This is a good thing. With a black pagoda in my qi refiner self's upper dantian lobe, my soul cultivation will be enhanced tenfold at least.

Hum~

The feeble soul of his qi refiner self also began to Visualize the black pagoda. It grew steady, no longer on the verge of dispersal, and gradually recuperated.

And so, of Wu Yuan's two true selves, one sat in the lotus position within the main hall, slowly healing its soul and physical wounds. The other reclined within the white eggshell, recovering its soul and going through the process of transformation.

After more than ten days went by, a low hum filled the air, followed by a streak of light emerging from the inside of the circular platform.

It was a man with cropped hair. He stood at nearly 1.9 meters tall, his physique robust and powerful. Striding across the air unclothed, his sharp features and piercing gaze exuded a dangerously sharp aura, reminiscent of a divine weapon.

A black robe flew up, cloaking his body entirely. His eyes locked onto a figure in white robes seated in the lotus position.

Observing myself in this state is truly unnerving.

The black-robed Wu Yuan smiled awkwardly. The souls and memories of both selves were connected seamlessly, without birthing a new consciousness.

Soon, the white-robed Wu Yuan rose to his feet, extending his hand as the essentia and mana remaining in his body refiner self flowed into the black-robed Wu Yuan without obstruction.

Two true selves were originally a single entity, hence there were no obstructions during the transfer of mana.

Simultaneously, nine beams of light shot forth from the white-robed Wu Yuan’s fingertips. They were his nine lifebound flying swords. Though they had yet to produce artifact spirits, they exhibited a simple consciousness, circling around the black-robed Wu Yuan joyfully akin to playful children.

The foundation of the qi sea in the qi refiner self has sustained minor damage, but it remains a third-degree immortal root with no significant repercussions.

Wu Yuan assessed silently.

Such a result was already fantastic, considering how many Shambhala cultivators saw their immortal roots downgraded upon creating a qi refiner self.

Remarkably, my cultivation level has increased to the ninth-stage Qi Sea phase in one go.

Wu Yuan smiled with satisfaction.

In a brief span of time, his cultivation had risen by two stages, thanks in part to the abundant energy within the Star Embryonic Body. This energy not only transformed his physical form but also bolstered his cultivation significantly. In fact, such an increase was considered relatively small.

However, the combat power of my qi refiner true self has declined. This will be the case in the short term.

Wu Yuan shook his head.

While the mana of his qi refiner true self had grown, his soul had diminished to just one-fifth of its previous strength, resulting in a weakened ability to manipulate artifacts.

One cannot expect perfection in every aspect. In terms of qi refining, my strength has only waned by 20%.

Wu Yuan smiled faintly.

Yet my potential is now greater, and my strength will surely rebound in due time.

At the very least, I can attempt to upgrade my lifebound flying sword to sixth-grade spirit weapons.

For over a decade, the numerous powerhouses of the Middle Land Guard had scoured the vast expanse of the Middle Land, exploring the seas and tunneling underground, discovering numerous metal ore deposits. The resources obtained would be used to upgrade Wu Yuan's nine lifebound flying swords, which had progressed to seventh-grade spirit equipment.

His qi refiner self possessed a third-degree immortal root. Though it was currently at the ninth stage Qi Sea phase, its mana rivaled that of a first-stage Golden Core cultivator with a ninth-degree immortal root.

Consequently, given enough treasures, the lifebound flying swords could even be upgraded to sixth-grade spirit weapons.

However, I fear the treasury of the Middle Land Guard may not have adequate resources for that.

Wu Yuan sighed softly.

A lifebound flying sword couldn’t be upgraded by feeding it junk. To maintain the quality of the sword's foundation, one had to perform the process methodically. The higher the grade of the lifebound flying sword, the more stringent the requirements for metals and treasures.

Ultimately, the Middle Land was limited in its resources. Could it provide enough treasures to facilitate the upgrading of all nine lifebound flying swords? Uncertainty gnawed at Wu Yuan.

One step at a time.

The black-cloaked Wu Yuan waved his hand, and the nine flying swords transformed into sword pellets, returning to the Qi Sea to continue their nourishment.

By nurturing them with one’s essentia, lifebound flying swords could be upgraded gradually, albeit at a painstakingly slow pace. Upgrading a sword from seventh-grade spirit weapons to sixth-grade spirit weapons would take hundreds of years. And Wu Yuan possessed nine of them!

While musing inwardly on this, several beams of light flew from his body refiner self to his qi refiner self. These were spirit battle armor, storage artifacts, and various other items.

Unlike the soul chamber of the body refiner, the qi sea of a qi refiner existed in a state between reality and illusion. Apart from the lifebound artifact crafted by oneself, other artifacts and items could not enter the qi sea and had to be stored in storage artifacts.

Within the storage artifact for his qi refiner self lay the four sets of flying swords from Jin Quan, alongside a plethora of etherstone and ethercrystal.

At this juncture, it could be said that Wu Yuan's two true selves were now fully formed.

In the past, I refined both my qi and body within one body. My soul, meridians, and flesh had to be shared among two paths, causing interference.

Wu Yuan's two true selves exchanged a glance and chuckled.

Previously, one plus one was less than two, hindering one another. Now, one plus one was greater than two, advancing in harmony.

Swoosh!

A shrunken Little Black entered the grand hall of the Yanqing Hall and immediately spotted the two Wu Yuans. The one cloaked in black exuded a sharp aura, while the other in white seemed more restrained but still emitted a domineering air.

"Master, you’ve succeeded?" Little Black's excitement was palpable as it eagerly wrapped itself around the arm of the body refiner self. It was able to easily distinguish the differences between the two true selves, and was naturally closer to the body refiner self.

"Let’s go, Little Black," Wu Yuan said, swiftly leading the way out along the passage of the Yanqing Hall, leaving behind his qi refiner self in black robes.

In terms of power, my qi refiner self is no weaker than Little Black at the first-stage Spiritual Body phase.

The black-robed Wu Yuan broke into a slight smile.

From now on, my qi refiner self will guard the Yanqing Hall.

In truth, Wu Yuan had already gathered some ethercrystal over the years, making it relatively easy to activate the Yanqing Hall. Additionally, the soul chamber at the Spiritual Body phase could also store the Yanqing Hall. However, considering the presence of a teleportation array within the hall, Wu Yuan chose to proceed cautiously. Previously, it was Jin Quan’s lifeline, and now it was Wu Yuan’s.

This can wait until after my breakthrough to the Golden Core phase. For now, I’ll strengthen my soul and cultivate step by step.

The black-robed Wu Yuan decided as he returned to the meditation chamber to resume cultivating.

This was another advantage of having true selves; one could stand guard or embark on a risky expedition while the other focused on cultivation undisturbed.

Wu Yuan had long planned to keep the existence of his qi refiner self hidden unless absolutely necessary. Every step on the road to immortality was fraught with peril. With a variety of methods at his disposal, his chances of survival would increase.

...

Wu Yuan rode atop Little Black, the Teng Snake soaring through the air as they swiftly made their way towards the Chu Continent.

"Master, are we heading to Jiexian Mountain?" Little Black asked. Over the years, it had learned about the existence of the Fourth Eldritch Realm.

“Mm,” Wu Yuan confirmed with a nod. "The realm master mentioned a batch of resources awaiting me upon reaching the Spiritual Body phase or Shambhala phase. I achieved this milestone two years ago, but circumstances prevented me from making a trip there. Now that I’ve created a qi refiner self, I have settled one of my worries. It’s time to claim my reward.”

Little Black nodded and increased its speed, propelling them towards Jiexian Mountain far faster than Wu Yuan’s top speed. In less than seven minutes, Little Black crossed 20,000 li, bringing them to the edge of their destination.

“Realm Master.” Wu Yuan extended his Soul Force.

Hum~

An unseen power descended, transporting them into the Fourth Eldritch Realm. As usual, they arrived within the familiar confines of the temple.

Wu Yuan smiled, greeting the towering figure before him. "Realm Master."

"Wu Yuan, you’ve reached the Spiritual Body phase in just a little over ten years?" The realm master gasped in astonishment, then it turned into shock. "But where is your essentia? Was your qi sea destroyed by someone? Did you meet a powerful enemy?"

Wu Yuan shook his head, "It’s not that. Realm Master, I have created my qi refiner self."

The realm master fell into a pensive silence.