Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 926 Changes in Strength, Heavenly Lord Pays a Visit!
The clouds of calamity dispersed, and the light of day returned.

Zhou Xun stood in mid-air, his lightning armor slowly receding, transforming into fine lightning patterns that disappeared beneath his skin. He took a deep breath, feeling the surging power of the Nascent Soul stage within him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Nascent Soul stage, achieved!"

Then, his figure slowly descended and returned to the cave.

Zhou Xun waved his hand and took out a bottle of 'Profound Origin Spirit-Nourishing Pills', which were his spoils from the grand ceremony of descending to the Thousands of Mountains.
This is a fifth-grade spiritual pill, one of the pills used by Nascent Soul cultivators to strengthen their foundation and cultivate their vital energy; it is extremely precious.

After all, as one's cultivation level increases, the required elixirs become increasingly higher quality.

Higher-grade elixirs naturally require increasingly rarer materials, and are perhaps more commonly found in blessed lands and grotto-heavens.
But given Zhou Xun's current status and position, how could he possibly have access to such a person?

Therefore, these high-grade spiritual materials are extremely difficult to obtain, and these pills are not as easy to obtain as they were before when one was building a foundation or forming a core.

As Zhou Xun took out the bottle of "Mysterious Origin Spirit-Nourishing Pills," the moment he pulled out the jade stopper, a rich fragrance of the pills surged out like a wave.

The spiritual energy in the quiet room spontaneously condensed into a pale blue mist.

He took a deep sniff and immediately felt the spiritual energy circulating throughout his body much faster.

"As expected of a fifth-grade pill!" Zhou Xun's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he tilted the bottle.

Pour out a pill the size of a longan.

The pill is amber in color, with three naturally formed cloud patterns on its surface. Inside the pill, it seems as if there is a galaxy flowing, and each slight shaking will bring up fine golden glitter.

Even more remarkably, seven rainbow-like halos of spiritual energy constantly surrounded the elixir within three inches of its surface.

Without hesitation, he put the pill into his mouth.

The moment the pill touched the tongue, it transformed into thousands of cool streams of air that slid down the throat and into the abdomen.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of warm sunlight exploded in his dantian, and the powerful medicinal energy seeped into his meridians like a spring breeze and rain.

Zhou Xun's pores opened up, each one emitting a pale golden glow, making him appear as if he were sitting inside a cocoon of light.

He continuously refined this primordial energy of heaven and earth, and then integrated it into his nascent soul.

The nascent soul, which had been somewhat weak due to its recent breakthrough, became solid.
This process continued for more than half a month until the pill was finally refined.

That morning, Zhou Xun suddenly opened his eyes, and a fleeting reflection of the Milky Way flashed in his pupils.

He opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of grayish, stale air.
"The foundation is finally solid."

Sensing the extremely solid nascent soul within his body, Zhou Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

He then stood up and moved his wrists, revealing faint lightning patterns flowing beneath his skin.

With a slight thought, a three-inch-tall, crystalline nascent soul suddenly leaped out from the top of his head.

The little man looked exactly like him, and his body was wrapped in streaks of dragon-shaped purple lightning. He was able to fly freely in the quiet room.

"Nascent Soul is leaving the body!"

In the past, when the nascent soul left the body, there was always a feeling of emptiness, like being in a castle in the air, and a sense of nothingness.
At the same time, the nascent soul is also tainted by worldly affairs, and over time, it will become lost and may even dissipate into the world.

But now, nothing has changed; it's as if it hasn't left its body.
This is also a divine power of the Nascent Soul stage.
The nascent soul can remain outside the body for a long time, even for a hundred years without returning to the physical body!
Just then, Zhou Xun had a thought, and suddenly the nascent soul swelled to the size of an ordinary person, with even the folds of its robes being exactly the same as the original body.

Curious, Zhou Xun controlled his nascent soul to pick up the jade slip on the table, and the tactile feedback was no different from that of his physical body.

"This is the true mystery of the Nascent Soul stage."

The nascent soul suddenly transformed into a stream of light, piercing through the wall and arriving at the herb garden outside the cave in an instant.

The boy who was watering the spiritual plants was completely unaware, but the Nascent Soul could see the growth status of each spiritual herb.

Most remarkably, he was able to directly absorb the power of the moon to replenish his energy, completely freeing himself from the dependence on his physical body that he had during the Nascent Soul stage.

After the nascent soul returned to its proper place, Zhou Xun began to experiment with changes in his divine sense.

"Wow—"

Divine consciousness swept across the mountains like a tide.

Zhou Xun suddenly "saw" a jade cave thirty miles away, where a faint purple mist was rising.

That was the unique spiritual energy of the fourth-tier "Cloud and Mist Grass" when it matured; the dew that condensed on the edge of the leaves fell to the ground with a sound like the clear chime of a chime bell.

His divine sense traveled along the gaps in the restriction, and he could even clearly discern the subtle tremors of the spiritual plant's roots absorbing the spiritual soil.

Even the flow of spiritual energy within the medicinal herb can be clearly seen.
Eighty miles to the southeast, a group of "Spirit-Devouring Insects" are gnawing on black iron ore.

As the divine sense swept across, the frequency of each spirit insect's mouthparts opening and closing, and the trajectory of the metal fragments flowing through its digestive tract, all transformed into a three-dimensional image unfolding in the sea of ​​consciousness.

What surprised him most was that he was able to sense the special mental fluctuations emitted when the swarm transmitted information.

Suddenly, the sound of water entered his consciousness.

Two hundred miles to the northwest, in a hot spring cave, a snow-white body is faintly visible amidst the rising steam.

The woman's black hair cascaded down to her waist as she scooped up a handful of spring water and poured it over her shoulder.

As the water droplets rolled down his collarbone, Zhou Xun could even "see" the shimmering light reflected from each drop.
Just then, the woman bathing suddenly pressed her hand to her chest and looked around suspiciously.

"Strange. Why do I have a feeling of being spied on?" The woman waved her hand lightly, and forty-nine array flags inside the cave lit up at the same time.

She was born with keen senses, which allowed her to escape the pursuit of Nascent Soul cultivators when she was young.

Although nothing unusual was found at the moment, he still made a hand seal to summon his natal magic weapon "Illusory Moon Silk" to surround his body. The splashing water was transformed into thousands of moonlight under the reflection of the magic weapon.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
"It was an accident, it was all an accident," he said, "I didn't peek on purpose!"

Zhou Xun hurriedly withdrew his divine sense, but unexpectedly found that the detection range was still expanding.

Three hundred miles, five hundred miles... When the coverage extends to a thousand miles, a three-dimensional image of the entire mountain range emerges in the mind's eye.

He "saw" the guardian beast sleeping in the core forbidden area snoring, its scales opening and closing with its breath.

"Is this the perspective of a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

Even a fourth-order formation could not stop his invasion.

Zhou Xun withdrew his divine sense, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

The transformation of divine sense has been tested; next, it is time to examine the power of a Nascent Soul cultivator in wielding a spiritual treasure!
He flashed away, and an hour later, he appeared hundreds of thousands of miles away from Tian Shu City.
With a thought, a flash of purple light appeared in his palm, and a long spear with a crystal-clear body emerged—it was his natal spiritual treasure, the Purple Jade Thunder Spear!

This spear is about seven feet long, its shaft carved like purple jade, with fine, flowing thunder patterns all over it.
A wisp of dark golden lightning condensed at the tip of the spear, and its slight tremor caused ripples to spread in the surrounding void.

Nine slender, illusory lightning dragons coiled around the spear shaft, each dragon holding a pearl in its mouth, the pearl containing a trace of tribulation lightning power.
Just holding it in your hand, you can feel a domineering thunderous will rushing towards you, as if you are not holding a gun, but a divine punishment!
Zhou Xun clenched his fists, channeling his spiritual power into the lightning spear—

"Buzz!"

The gun suddenly trembled, and nine phantom lightning dragons instantly solidified, coiling around the gun and emitting deep dragon roars.

The dark golden lightning at the tip of the spear surged several inches, transforming into an unpredictable arc of lightning. Wherever it passed, the air was silently torn apart, leaving behind a thin, dark line that lingered for a long time!
"What powerful thunderous might!" Zhou Xun's eyes burned with excitement, his heart filled with secret joy.

Previously, activating this spear required a great deal of spiritual energy, and its full power was difficult to unleash. But now, with just a thought, his spiritual energy surged like a river, flowing effortlessly into the spear. He could even clearly sense the rhythm of every lightning pattern within the spear, as if the spear was already in harmony with his own will!
He waved it lightly—

"Hey!"

A streak of purple-gold lightning ripped through the sky, like a divine punishment descending upon the world, instantly splitting open a thousand-foot layer of clouds!

Wherever the lightning passed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was instantly drained, turning into a vacuum zone that could not be filled for a long time!

"This power... is more than ten times stronger than when I was in the Nascent Soul stage!" Zhou Xun was shocked.

If he were to face the Nascent Soul Tribulation Lightning again now, he wouldn't even need to withstand it head-on. He could simply thrust out his spear and shatter the tribulation lightning!

With another thought, the Purple Jade Thunder Spear suddenly shrank, transforming into a bolt of purple lightning that entered his palm and coursed through his meridians. Wherever the spear passed, the spiritual energy was tempered by the lightning, becoming even purer!
"Sure enough, after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one can use spiritual treasures as easily as one's own limbs, and even integrate them into the body for nurturing!" Zhou Xun's eyes gleamed.

He suddenly thought of something, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Since that's the case... then let's try the real 'Thunder Spear Transformation into a Dragon'!"

He suddenly raised his hand, and the Purple Jade Thunder Spear reappeared. But this time, all the thunder patterns on the spear body lit up, and nine phantom thunder dragons detached from the spear body, circling and dancing around him, their roars shaking the heavens!
"go with!"

With a low shout, Zhou Xun released the Thunder Spear, and the nine thunder dragons instantly merged into one, transforming into a hundred-foot-long purple-gold thunder dragon that roared and charged toward the sky!

"boom--!!!"

A single shot pierced through the clouds, and wherever the thunder dragon passed, space distorted and the world lost its color!
The power of this spear is comparable to the full-force strike of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
Zhou Xun raised his hand and the Thunder Spear returned instantly, its lightning patterns even more dazzling, as if it had drunk its fill of the power of heaven and earth.

"With this spear in hand, who in the Nascent Soul realm can rival me?" he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

Keep in mind, this is before he activated the Heavenly Origin Spirit Armor.
If he were to be further enhanced by the Heavenly Origin Spirit Armor, he would likely be able to fight even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Oh right, and my fifth-tier physique!" He had also broken through to the fifth tier in body refinement recently, so he could test it out at the same time.
With a wave of his hand, he took out the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword.
This sword is a top-grade magic weapon. After being nurtured, it even shows signs of developing a spirit, indicating it may be advancing to a semi-spiritual weapon.
Perfect for testing physical strength.

Zhou Xun gently stroked the sword with his fingertips, and the Xuan Ting Lei Sword immediately emitted a clear and melodious sword sound.

Infuse with magic power

"Om-"

The Xuan Ting Thunder Sword floated up, emitting streaks of sword light.
Zhou Xun gripped the sword hilt tightly.
Then, with a flick of the wrist, the sword swung fiercely towards the left arm.
"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and dazzling sparks flew where the sword blade touched the arm.

The lightning sword, powerful enough to cleave the Demon Emperor, left only a white mark on the skin, which was instantly repaired by the flowing lightning patterns.

"Come again!"

Zhou Xun's eyes lit up as he took the Purple Jade Thunder Spear in his hand. He decided to use this treasure to test it out.

The Purple Jade Thunder Spear hummed and trembled in Zhou Xun's palm, and the lightning emitted from the spear tip ionized the air within a radius of ten feet into a pale purple mist.

He took a deep breath, and the lightning patterns beneath his skin suddenly shone brightly, weaving together on his body to form an armor-like shape—the unique spirit armor of a fifth-tier lightning spirit body.

"Come!"

Zhou Xun let out a low shout and thrust the gun in his right hand towards his left palm.

The moment the spear tip touched his palm, Lei Kai's armor flashed.
A blinding flash of lightning erupted, and the violent energy surge instantly vaporized the surrounding rocks.

He himself, however, was completely unharmed.
"What a magnificent fifth-order spirit body!" Zhou Xun couldn't help but exclaim.

He could clearly sense that the power of that shot, if it had hit an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, would have been enough to severely injure them.
Even if the physical body is damaged,
But for me, it was easily resisted.
"It seems that after advancing to the fifth level of body refinement, one is even stronger than I imagined," but it is extremely rare to be able to advance to the fifth level based on one's physique.

His gaze then fell upon a deserted island in the distance, an island that stretched for dozens of miles.

Zhou Xun's gaze was like lightning.

The island is shaped like a reclining ox, with jagged rocks and a few withered trees swaying in the wind.

He took a deep breath, and the power of his fifth-order Thunder Spirit Body began to surge. The lightning patterns under his skin moved like living things, weaving together on his body to form a complete set of thunder armor.

"I'll use you as an example."

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Xun's figure shot out like lightning.

He didn't use any spiritual power; he walked on air purely relying on his physical strength.

The speed increased rapidly, leaving a long sonic boom cloud in its wake, and the shockwave generated by the extreme compression of the air carved a deep trench in the sea.

"boom!"

Zhou Xun's fist slammed heavily into the center of the island.

The moment they made contact, the entire island lit up with spiderweb-like purple-gold patterns from the inside out, and then disintegrated amidst a deafening roar.

Even more terrifying, before the flying debris even hit the sea, it was transformed into a shimmering rain of crystal-clear glass by the lightning and fire carried by the fist's force.

When the smoke cleared, only the sea remained in the original spot.

The island has vanished!
At that very moment, three streaks of light pierced through the air and arrived.

The leader was an old man in purple robes with a bronze compass hanging from his waist. Behind him were a male and a female cultivator, all three of whom were at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

"Who are you, fellow Daoist, destroying this island?" the purple-robed elder demanded in a deep voice, his gaze warily sweeping over the shards of glass floating on the sea.

"This sea area is under the jurisdiction of my Xuanji Sect, Your Excellency."

Before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.

Zhou Xun slowly turned around, deliberately releasing a trace of his Nascent Soul stage aura.

In an instant, the seawater within a radius of a hundred miles suddenly sank, and the clouds in the sky were torn to pieces by an invisible force.

The purple-robed elder was struck as if by lightning; his protective aura shattered instantly, and the spirit pendant at his waist cracked in two.

"Transformation God Heavenly Lord!"

The three people's faces changed drastically.

The purple-robed elder suppressed his trembling and hurriedly bowed, saying, "This junior was blind to your greatness and disturbed the Heavenly Lord's peaceful cultivation. I deserve to die!"

Zhou Xun stood with his hands behind his back, and lightning patterns were faintly visible on his body.

He didn't speak, but his gaze swept over the three of them. With just that casual glance, the three of them felt as if their flesh and bones had been seen through, and even their dantian and nascent soul had nowhere to hide.

He spoke softly.
"roll."

A single, simple word, yet it resonated like a thunderclap.

The three felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They didn't even have time to gather their protective spiritual light before they fled in their escape light.

As the three figures disappeared into the horizon, Zhou Xun suddenly felt something.

He turned his head and looked southwest, where a bronze chariot was hurtling through the air from a thousand miles away. Standing on the chariot's shaft was an old man in red robes, none other than the Red-Robed Heavenly Lord who had witnessed the calamity that day.

(End of this chapter)