Chapter 283: Seventh Level of the Transcendent Realm

Chapter 283: Seventh Level of the Transcendent Realm

Ning Xiaochuan spent a full six months comprehending the essence of formations from certain chapters of the Mystic Gate Arts. Through his own arrangements and practice, he eventually grasped the basics of formations. After another three months, he successfully set up his first formation—the Condensed Yuan Formation.

Ning Xiaochuan took out eight Low-Grade Profound Stones and placed them in eight spiritual nodes in the void, activating the formation according to the methods described in the Mystic Gate Arts.

The Martial Arts Profound Qi in the surrounding heaven and earth began converging toward the formation.

"Boom!"

Once the Profound Qi reached a certain density, the formation fully activated. The Profound Qi slowly transformed into Origin Qi.

Origin Qi was of a higher grade than Profound Qi and could only be cultivated within the body of a Martial Venerable. A single strand of Origin Qi could easily shatter a barrier of Profound Qi.

By using this formation to convert Profound Qi into Origin Qi, Ning Xiaochuan had achieved something many Daoist experts could only dream of.

This wasn’t because Ning Xiaochuan’s mastery of formations was particularly profound, but rather because the Mystic Gate Arts was incredibly profound. Even a minor formation derived from it would be considered an extraordinary high-level formation in the outside world.

With the formation successfully set up, Ning Xiaochuan felt exhilarated. "Now, I’ll inscribe the Condensed Yuan Formation into a pill."

He decided to refine a pill for practice—but which one?

Ah, yes.

The Jade Beauty Pill.

He had already gathered all the materials needed to refine it, but since this pill didn’t aid cultivation, he had never bothered to make it before.

Ning Xiaochuan chose the Jade Beauty Pill for two reasons: First, it was an Intermediate Elixir, meaning the success rate was higher. Second, once refined, he could gift it to Ning Xin'er and Yu Qianqian, knowing they would surely love it.

After all, what woman wouldn’t wish to preserve her youthful beauty forever?

Ning Xiaochuan laid out the five pill-refining ingredients in a row: a seventh-grade Jade Ganoderma, Flame Lotus, Ice Muscle Grass, Jade Essence, and Heart Nurturing Grass.

"Bang!"

He wrapped his palm in Martial Arts Profound Qi, crushing the Heart Nurturing Grass into powder and absorbing it into his body, directing it into the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron.

Though the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron was filled with Nine-Colored Profound Water, it didn’t hinder the pill-refining process. This was because the essence of the Nine-Colored Profound Water was Profound Qi—the very energy needed for pill refinement. In fact, refining pills within the Nine-Colored Profound Water would enhance their medicinal efficacy.

Ning Xiaochuan absorbed all five medicinal ingredients into the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron, where they began to condense, generating medicinal principles and giving birth to Pill Qi.

In the past, once Pill Qi emerged, Ning Xiaochuan would immediately control it to form a Pill Embryo, preparing for the final pill.

But this time, he deliberately prevented the Pill Qi from condensing too quickly. Instead, he used his Mental Energy to stretch the strands of Pill Qi, arranging them according to the pattern of the Condensed Yuan Formation, forming a Pill Qi Formation.

The Pill Qi Formation took shape and immediately began to frantically absorb the Nine-Colored Profound Water within the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron, converting the Profound Qi into Origin Qi, which was then absorbed by the formation and integrated into the pill.

"Boom!"

Just as Ning Xiaochuan thought the pill was about to be successfully refined, the formation suddenly collapsed, and all the Pill Qi dissipated.

Ning Xiaochuan hurriedly stopped the pill refinement to prevent other profound medicines from being wasted.

"Did the formation really collapse? Could it be that the principles of formations and pills are fundamentally different and cannot be fused together?"

He once again examined the text on the green jade stone, continuing to contemplate the laws and principles of the "Mystic Gate Arts." Then, with utmost caution, he controlled the Pill Qi and attempted to refine the second "Jade Beauty Pill."

"Boom!"

Another failure.

After each failure, he analyzed the reasons before continuing to refine the pill.

"Boom!"

The formation collapsed again, resulting in yet another failure.

Integrating a formation into a pill was originally a far-fetched idea—something even a Great Heart Nurturer with decades of medicinal research experience couldn’t accomplish. If Ning Xiaochuan hadn’t obtained the "Mystic Gate Arts," he would never have dared to attempt it.

After twelve consecutive failures, half of the profound medicines in the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron had already been consumed. If this continued, he might not even be able to refine a single Jade Beauty Pill.

The failures continued until the nineteenth attempt.

On the twentieth try, Ning Xiaochuan finally succeeded.

For the first time, he had integrated a formation into a pill. Though it was only a single Condensed Yuan Formation, this was already a monumental breakthrough—an event that would shake the entire Heart Nurturer world.

After refining the first Jade Beauty Pill, Ning Xiaochuan’s confidence soared, and he proceeded to refine three more in succession.

Finally, the profound medicines in the Heart Nurturing True Cauldron were completely exhausted.

A total of four Jade Beauty Pills flew out of the cauldron, each no larger than a soybean, emitting a refreshing fragrance. Wisps of jade-white radiance swirled around them, making them resemble four dazzling stars floating in the air.

Ning Xiaochuan channeled Profound Qi into his eyes, causing his pupils to glow with a profound light. He could see that within each of the four Jade Beauty Pills, a tiny formation was operating, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi into the pill and converting it into Origin Qi.

"In the past, once an Intermediate Elixir was refined, even if stored in a Spirit Wood Box, its medicinal properties and Profound Qi would slowly dissipate. If stored for too long, it might even turn into a useless pill or mere Pill Dregs."

"The Jade Beauty Pills I refined are also Intermediate Elixirs."

"But these pills not only do not lose Profound Qi—they actively absorb it, enhancing their own quality. The longer they are stored, the more concentrated their Profound Qi becomes."

Ning Xiaochuan naturally felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Though the Jade Beauty Pills he refined were still Intermediate Elixirs, their efficacy and value far surpassed those of ordinary Intermediate Elixirs.

A Jade Beauty Pill with an integrated formation was worth as much as three without.

After some rough calculations, Ning Xiaochuan realized that more than four years had already passed since he entered the White Cloud Cave Heaven.

"The fusion of formations and elixirs has reached a minor achievement. I can study it further later, integrating more formations into the Mystic Pill."

"Entering the White Cloud Cave Heaven for cultivation isn’t easy, so I mustn’t waste time. After the Master of the Martial Palace leaves, the Yulan Empire will surely undergo major upheavals. Only by striving to elevate my Martial Path cultivation by another level can I hope to survive in the coming chaos."

Ning Xiaochuan was well aware of priorities and decided to spend the remaining three-plus years striving to break through to the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm.

Ning Xiaochuan’s physique and Blood Qi far surpassed those of Martial Artists in the same cultivation realm. This meant that breaking through his realm would require far more resources than others.

After a full three years, having absorbed an entire bottle of Nine-Colored Profound Water, Ning Xiaochuan finally stepped into the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm.

"Boom!"

As his realm broke through, Ning Xiaochuan’s body shot into the sky. With a single punch, he shattered a patch of white clouds, dispersing them into mist.

The clouds within the White Cloud Cave Heaven were no ordinary clouds—their density was comparable to that of a mountain. In other words, the power of Ning Xiaochuan’s punch was enough to reduce an entire mountain to rubble.

Fearing detection by the powerful figures of the Emperor's Martial Palace, Ning Xiaochuan left Hanging Mountain immediately after his breakthrough and returned to the Heavenly Li Palace, pretending to be in secluded cultivation there.

Less than ten days remained before the eight-year cultivation period ended.

Ning Xiaochuan took out the white Bone Bead and activated the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi technique, attuning himself to the spiritual nodes between heaven and earth. Once again, he used his Mental Energy to examine the inscriptions on the white Bone Bead.

After reaching the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm, Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation had increased tenfold, and his Mental Energy had grown even stronger. He could now clearly see the inscriptions on the Bone Bead, but only a tiny fraction of the text was visible to him.

"Visible to Martial Artists who have cultivated the seventh level of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.' Dao Techniques encompass the Six Paths and Five Arts. The Six Paths are: Talisman Path, Formation Path, Ordinary Item Path, Martial Path, Elixir Path, and Mind Path. The Five Arts are: Curse Art, Spell Art, Five Elements Art, Mind Thought Art, and Divine Ability Art. Each Path can lead to the Great Dao, and each Art can become a Great Art..."

Only those who had cultivated the seventh level of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi' could barely glimpse this passage.

This text not only contained the general outline of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi' but also recorded the cultivation formula for the eighth level.

After memorizing the eighth-level formula by force, Ning Xiaochuan immediately stored the white Bone Bead away.

He exhaled deeply, feeling his Mental Energy severely depleted, his head splitting with pain.

Despite the agony, the gains filled him with immense joy. He had actually found the eighth-level cultivation formula of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi' on the Bone Bead. To Ning Xiaochuan, this was an even greater boon than breaking through to the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm.

Once he mastered the eighth level of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi,' he would possess a 128-fold absorption speed of Profound Qi, surpassing all divine manuals and treasured scriptures in the Yulan Empire.

With such an absorption speed, Ning Xiaochuan would have a far greater chance of reaching higher talent levels with limited resources.

"I have reached the Seventh Level of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi,' allowing me to see the cultivation method for the Eighth Level. If I successfully cultivate the Eighth Level of 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi,' I might even glimpse the method for the Ninth Level. Heavens, this white Bone Bead is truly a peerless treasure. If it contains the complete 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi,' its value might not be inferior to that of the green jade stone."

Ning Xiaochuan did not immediately begin cultivating 'Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.' Instead, he first recovered his consumed Mental Energy.

Every time he studied the inscriptions on the Bone Bead, it drained a significant amount of his Mental Energy. However, once he restored it, his Mental Energy would grow substantially stronger. Perhaps this was also an excellent method for refining his Mental Energy.

When a Martial Artist immerses themselves in cultivation, Time passes the fastest.

Soon, eight years of secluded cultivation came to an end. Ning Xiaochuan opened the palace gates and stepped out of the Heavenly Palace.

Standing outside the Heavenly Palace, Ning Xiaochuan stared at the towering statue before him, attempting to communicate with it using his Mental Energy. Yet, the statue remained deathly silent, devoid of any trace of life.

"The Martial Soul Avatar of the Master of the Martial Palace has already departed from the statue. It seems the venerable one has truly left. Without the Master's protection, can the vast Yulan Empire continue to prosper as before, with favorable winds and rains, peace and stability?"

If it withstands this storm, the Yulan Empire may endure for centuries, even millennia.

But if it fails, the Yulan Empire will likely turn to ashes, vanishing into the dust of history.

Standing atop the Heavenly Bridge, Ning Xiaochuan gazed down at the Emperor's City beneath his feet, as if already foreseeing the turbulent future of this chaotic era.