Chapter 455 - 374: Tempering
...
When the door of the twelfth layer of the Star Tower dimmed, the Water Mirrors throughout the Daoist Palace, responsible for reporting tower-challenging achievements, lit up simultaneously.
In the Martial Arts Arena, dozens of Named Disciples gathered around a Water Mirror, discussing. When they saw the words "Daoist Life-Annihilating, stopped at the twelfth layer," only a few sparse exclamations arose among the crowd before they returned to calm.
"The twelfth layer... in the past, I’d definitely jump up. Now, it seems only natural."
Several disciples nearby nodded in agreement; even the best among them barely touched the threshold of the fourth layer of the Star Tower.
To them, Chen Sheng’s achievements were already a distant legend, the gap truly insurmountable!
On Phecda Star, among the Inner Sect Cultivators in various Secret Realms, the situation was not much better.
An Inner Sect Disciple, who was in the process of refining a Magical Artifact, merely glanced at the Water Mirror outside the Alchemy Room and then resumed focusing on the Furnace.
Fairy Qinglan, who was in Enlightenment, sighed lightly upon receiving the news, having no heart for comparison!
...
In the Embracing Moon Secret Realm, the three top Great Powers of the Inner Sect—Mirror Master Ti Lan, Heavenly Sovereign Baoguang, and the Recluse Xuan Shui—were sitting together, drinking tea.
The tea brewing in the pot was Enlightenment Tea, matured over nine thousand years, its fragrant aroma carrying a faint Dao Rhyme.
The light and shadow from the Water Mirror cast upon the stone table. Heavenly Sovereign Baoguang slightly paused his hand while holding a cup, then took a sip and sighed:
"No wonder he’s taken by the master into the True Inheritor sequence. If such a genius can’t be promoted to True Inheritor, I would be puzzled."
"Back then, when we reached the twelfth layer, didn’t each of us take tens of thousands of years?"
Mirror Master Ti Lan nodded gently, a complex expression flitting through his eyes:
"In a few thousand years, he would have surpassed you and me. At this rate, I’m afraid our Daoist Palace might truly add another undefeatable existence in the Refining Void."
The Recluse Xuan Shui, setting down the tea cup, also nodded, his tone filled with admiration:
"Indeed, though it becomes increasingly challenging as one advances in the Void Refining Realm, such a heaven’s favored child cannot be judged by ordinary standards. Perhaps in ten thousand years, he may even break through the seventeenth layer."
"When I was harvesting the Power of Origin from a Small Thousand World back then, even I wasn’t as swift in cultivation as Brother Miesheng."
...
When the news reached the ears of the three True Inheritor senior brothers, Taiyuan Daoist was sitting at Enlightenment Cliff, his body surrounded by a faint spatiotemporal Dao Rhyme.
Upon receiving the Communication Jade Talisman, he opened his eyes, glanced at it, and a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips. He casually tossed the Jade Talisman into the nearby Cloud Sea:
"The twelfth layer, not bad, much faster than I was back then."
He had already passed the seventeenth layer, only a step away from the Integration Realm.
Although Chen Sheng’s progress did not evoke any sense of urgency in him, it was more of a senior brother’s satisfaction towards a junior.
Unlike Taiyuan Daoist’s calm demeanor, the situation in the abodes of Starfall and Cold Monarch was quite different.
Both had passed the fifteenth layer and were now stuck at the sixteenth. Upon hearing the news, while offering congratulations, they couldn’t help but feel a slight urgency.
If this trend continued, they feared that after retreating for several thousand years, they would emerge only to find their little junior brother had surpassed them.
"I must go into retreat, lest I’m overtaken by my junior brother and lose face!"
Immediately, Cold Monarch stood up, entrusted the affairs of the Ice Palace to disciples, and stepped into the depths of the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Cave.
...
In the blink of a few months,
Chen Sheng was cultivating when the "Silent" character mark on his forehead suddenly warmed slightly.
It was the summoning order from Dharma Master Hong Jue.
Chen Sheng felt a stir in his heart as the starlight circulating around him abruptly gathered. With a wave of his sleeve, he drew a pale golden Star Track Rune with his fingertips.
"Go!"
At the moment the rune touched the ground, ripples appeared in the void at the center of his seclusion hall, forming a light bridge woven from countless star trajectories.
On both sides of the light bridge flowed countless spatiotemporal light shadows, with indistinct glimpses of mountains, rivers, seas, and starscapes.
Chen Sheng stepped onto the light bridge, his form instantly enveloped by light and shadow, surrounded not by the roar of time travel but only the subtle hum of star rotation.
In just a few breaths, the surrounding light and shadows vanished abruptly, and he found himself in the Star Hub Hall suspended in Chongli Heaven.
The hall was vast as the universe, with thirty-six ancient star cores slowly rotating at the ceiling. Dharma Master Hong Jue sat cross-legged on the central Dao Platform.
Chen Sheng bowed deeply in disciple’s salute: "Greetings, Master."
Dharma Master Hong Jue slowly opened his eyes, in which stars seemed to birth and die, and nodded slightly, his voice carrying a power that penetrated the Divine Soul:
"I intend to send you to Chongli Heaven for some experience."
"Chongli Heaven?"
Chen Sheng looked up, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Since joining the Daoist Palace, he had read numerous classics but had never heard of this name.
Dharma Master Hong Jue chuckled lightly:
"It’s not surprising you haven’t heard of it. This place isn’t on the Star Map of the Three Extremes Domain but at the edge of the Spirit Realm’s Imperial Heaven Domain."
"It is the convergence of the Spirit Realm and another Grand Thousand World, where the laws of the two realms collide to form such a special region."
"Another Grand Thousand World?"
Chen Sheng’s heart was shocked; no wonder he had never heard of it.
Dharma Master Hong Jue did not elaborate further, lightly flicking his right sleeve. A condensed golden light shot towards Chen Sheng’s forehead like a meteor.
As the golden light entered his body, Chen Sheng felt an immense amount of information flooding his mind.
Chongli Heaven resembled two burning suns, with the core region being a chaotic area where the laws of the two realms intertwined, and countless floating Secret Realm islands distributed around its perimeter.
Due to nourishment from both Grand Thousand Worlds, this place birthed numerous treasures containing the Power of Origin.
Comparable to Small Thousand Origin, greatly beneficial for the cultivation of Void Refining Cultivators, with some supreme treasures even aiding in advancing to the Integration Realm.
More crucially, this space had an innate restriction allowing only cultivators below the Integration Realm to enter, making it an excellent place for Refining Void Great Powers to experience and seize treasures.
Digesting the information, a hint of curiosity and caution flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes:
"Master, between this realm and our Spirit Realm, which is stronger?"
Dharma Master Hong Jue’s mouth curled into a faint smile:
"Your concern is prudent, but I can tell you, all Grand Thousand Worlds are protected by the Heavenly Dao. Even if a True Immortal descends, they cannot forcibly invade."
"At most, cultivators from both realms contest treasures in places like Chongli Heaven, but they would never ignite a war to engulf a Grand Thousand World. Otherwise, the Heavenly Dao itself would obliterate them."
Hearing this, Chen Sheng was enlightened, bowing deeply: "Disciple understands."
He had only known the vastness of the Spirit Realm, but today he realized that the world beyond was grander than he had imagined.
Dharma Master Hong Jue nodded, his left sleeve waving again, and a Daoist Robe shimmering with starlight slowly hovered in the void.
The robe was woven from a myriad of Star Silk, embedded with 3,600 miniature stars, each emitting pure Primordial Magnetic Power, causing starlight to flow with a slight movement, as if draping a miniature starlit sky over oneself.
"Though your cultivation has reached the sixth tribulation of Void Refining, it’s still somewhat weak. I bestow upon you this Celestial Garment of Primordial Magnetism, which I wore during my early tribulation crossing."
He pointed, and the Celestial Garment floated to Chen Sheng’s front.
"This garment can autonomously transform into a ’Starry Magnetic Celestial Shield.’ With your cultivation, it’s sufficient for life-preservation below the tenth tribulation of Void Refining."
"Moreover, the hem conceals three Star Track Secret Techniques left by me, enough for you to withdraw unharmed below the Integration Realm."
Holding the Celestial Garment with both hands, Chen Sheng felt it as light as nothing in his hands yet containing the weight of a power capable of suppressing the universe, its stars subtly resonating with the mark on his forehead.
He bowed deeply, his voice filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Master, for the treasure. Your disciple will not fail your expectations."
Dharma Master Hong Jue waved it off, not forgetting to remind some matters, and finally said, "On this journey, be cautious and prioritize self-preservation."
Chen Sheng nodded: "Disciple understands!"