Immortal Refiner

Translator: AnubisTL

Inside the city lord’s manor, Li Qing sat on a cushion. The moment he settled down, he felt his spirit clear, all distracting thoughts fading away.

In this state, he could greatly enhance his comprehension of daoist arts, even potentially entering a state of sudden enlightenment.

Noticing Li Qing’s slightly surprised expression, the city lord chuckled. "This cushion is woven from the branches and leaves of the Jade Purity Spirit Tree. It was crafted by a female cultivator in the divine transformation realm who specializes in the dao of divine soul music. If you wish, you may take it with you."

Li Qing was taken aback. Without a word of introduction, the city lord was already offering him such a generous gift. He felt both flattered and overwhelmed.

Nevertheless, he declined the offer.

"I cannot accept such a reward without merit. I appreciate your kindness, Senior!"

City Lord Lingxu of Profound Ancient City chuckled. "This is hardly a grand gift. I, Lingxu, have lived for nearly eight thousand years. I have more than enough resources to spare."

Still, Li Qing refused.

While the Enlightenment Cushion possessed some mystical properties—clearing the mind and calming the spirit—it wasn’t something truly essential to him.

Even if he truly wanted it, he could refine it himself later. There was no need to owe someone a favor for such a trivial item.

Seeing this, City Lord Lingxu didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "Little friend, having just ascended to the spirit realm, you must still have many things you don’t understand, correct?"

Li Qing immediately nodded. "Please enlighten me, Senior Lingxu."

He held great respect for this eight-thousand-year-old master of the void refinement realm. Even what seemed like common knowledge to him was invaluable to Li Qing.

"Generally speaking, the first thing cultivators from the lower realm should do upon ascending to the spirit realm is take a Dustfall Pill. This washes away the lower realm’s aura, allowing them to quickly harmonize with the spirit realm’s heaven and earth."

"Do you know why this is?"

Li Qing had never heard of this before. Although he had sensed a slight disharmony between himself and the spirit realm’s environment, it hadn’t significantly affected his cultivation, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

He had assumed this feeling of incompatibility would naturally fade with time. He never imagined there was a specific reason behind it.

"This all begins with the heavenly tribulation," City Lord Lingxu said. "Little friend, having cultivated to the divine transformation realm, you must have experienced heavenly tribulations in the lower realm, correct?"

"Naturally, more than once," Li Qing replied, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Does the spirit realm have heavenly tribulations beyond those encountered during realm breakthroughs?"

City Lord Lingxu smiled mysteriously. "Since arriving in the spirit realm, you must have noticed that your lifespan is draining at an extraordinarily slow rate, correct?"

"Once you reach the void refinement realm, you’ll no longer need to fear the day your lifespan runs out. You’ll truly achieve immortality!"

Li Qing’s eyes widened in astonishment. Though he had long since attained the fruit of immortality, he was still deeply surprised by this revelation.

immortality in the mortal realm achieved at the void refinement realm? Is it really that simple?

"Of course, there are limitations," City Lord Lingxu continued. "Otherwise, high-ranked cultivators would be swarming the spirit realm like ants."

"Upon reaching the divine transformation realm, you must face a minor heavenly tribulation every three hundred years. After advancing to the void refinement realm, you’ll face a great heavenly tribulation every three thousand years!"

"Each heavenly tribulation grows more violent than the last. If you fail to advance to the next major realm after enduring three or four such trials, you will likely perish within the tribulation."

Just as I suspected!

Li Qing felt a sudden clarity. He had always known that achieving immortality wouldn’t be simple; there must be significant limitations.

"Little friend, your ascension was interrupted, causing your mana to plummet to the nascent soul realm. This spared you from triggering a heavenly tribulation, which is fortunate."

"Normally, cultivators like you who haven’t taken sufficient Dustfall Pills to cleanse themselves of lower realm energies would face tribulations several times more intense and far longer in duration."

"Once your injuries heal, you should face your first heavenly tribulation."

City Lord Lingxu spoke earnestly to Li Qing.

"In that case, the mishap during my ascension was truly a blessing in disguise."

"May I ask, Senior, how does one obtain these Dustfall Pills? Are there pill refiners in the city who can refine them?"

Li Qing immediately inquired sincerely. He had no intention of facing a heavenly tribulation far beyond his capabilities once his mana recovered.

City Lord Lingxu didn’t keep Li Qing in suspense. He immediately revealed, "Hahaha, the Dustfall Pill formula is no secret in the spirit realm. Many pill refiners know how to refine it."

"There happens to be a fifth-tier alchemist in the city named Old Man Jian. You can visit him later. He has a relatively mild temperament and is easy to talk to."

This was truly crucial information. Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Lingxu!"

"Speaking of which, the war in the city has just ended, and our human race has earned significant battle merits. We should receive rewards from the Giant Spirit Race soon."

"There’s a chance they might exceptionally grant our human race a few slots to enter the Heavenlight Secret Realm. If you recover from your injuries and fully restore your mana by then, I’ll give you one of those slots."

Heavenlight Secret Realm? Li Qing was about to ask what kind of place it was when City Lord Lingxu began explaining.

"It’s a secret realm accessible only to the four great clans of Tonggu Continent. Each time it opens, each clan sends members with nascent soul and divine transformation realm cultivation into it."

"Within the Heavenlight Secret Realm lie numerous ruins dating back to remote antiquity and even the primordial era. These sites hold countless opportunities, including the remains of an Azure Phoenix nest—a truly astonishing discovery, even in its abandoned state."

"Moreover, the Heavenlight Secret Realm contains the Condensed Light Lake, a body of water that channels the essence of the sun, moon, and starlight. Immersing oneself in this lake can alter one’s innate aptitude, strengthen one’s physique, and even enhance one’s potential for cultivating the Dao."

"Even without obtaining any other treasures, simply bathing in the Condensed Light Lake once would yield immense benefits, providing a slight boost toward advancing to the void refinement realm in the future."

Hearing about these advantages, Li Qing’s eyes lit up slightly. He stroked his chin thoughtfully before asking, "May I inquire, Senior Lingxu, about the casualty rates among those who have entered the Heavenlight Secret Realm in the past?"

City Lord Lingxu hadn’t expected Li Qing to ask about this. This cautious attitude shattered some of his preconceived notions about ascended cultivators.

Legend had it that most cultivators who ascended from the lower realms were exceptionally brilliant, true heavenly prodigies whose ambition and prowess were said to rival that of a tiger devouring vast territories.

Even though Lingxu City was separated from the human race’s main continent by an immeasurable distance, City Lord Lingxu knew many stories of ascended beings, all of them dazzling and glorious.

(End of the Chapter)

---------------------------

📖 You are reading [567] Chapters behind with [110] Free Chapters available on site.

🔥 Read up to Chapter [1499] now, only on ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀᴛʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ.

📚 Read upto [13,800+] Chapters on Site with [10,900+] Free Chapters!

---------------------------