Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 984 The True Body Transforms into a God, the Realm of Life!
Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past five years, Zhou Xun's avatar has remained deep within the Thunderclap Sect's secret realm.
Day after day, he sat motionless before the metal fragment containing a trace of the laws of thunder, immersing himself in comprehending the "Tribulation Thunder Intent".

However, the path to artistic conception is profound and mysterious, becoming increasingly difficult as one progresses.

Although he has now comprehended the first level of the realm of intent, which is already astonishing among Nascent Soul cultivators and enough to make him stand out from his peers,
But trying to comprehend the second level feels like being separated by an insurmountable chasm.

It should be noted that the second level of artistic conception is a realm that is usually only explored by powerful beings in the late stage of Void Refinement or even the Integration stage.

It involves the deeper evolution and integration of laws.

With his cultivation level and knowledge at the Nascent Soul stage, his progress was naturally extremely slow. He would often sit in meditation for months without making any progress.

But he was determined and knew that this path was related to the upper limit of his future path, so he patiently accumulated and pondered it little by little.

Meanwhile, in the human realm, at the Wangchuan Lake, on the island in the middle of the lake.

On this day, the sky was clear and the wind was gentle.

Inside the Tranquil Pavilion, Zhou Xun, in a rare moment of leisure, sat around a stone table with his Daoist partners, Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing.

Several exquisite spiritual fruits and pastries were laid out on the table, and a pot of freshly brewed spiritual tea was steaming hot.

The three of them chatted quietly, all with relaxed and contented smiles on their faces.

Now, with the help of the insights Zhou Xun brought back from the Immortal Realm, Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing have both entered the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

At their level, a single period of seclusion can easily last for years or even decades, even though they live on the same island.
But moments like today, where the three of us gather together to leisurely enjoy tea, are truly precious.

"Come to think of it, it seems like it's been a long time since the three of us sat down and talked like this,"

Lin Xueying poured tea with her delicate hands, her voice gentle and tinged with a hint of emotion.
"Normally, either you're in seclusion to comprehend the Great Dao, or I'm handling alliance affairs, or Yiqing needs to cultivate, so we can never get together."

Upon hearing this, Song Yiqing smiled sweetly, glancing at Zhou Xun with a fleeting glance:
"Yes, especially for the young master, who is now the leader of the alliance and a pillar of the human realm, he is extremely busy. It is truly rare for him to be able to steal half a day of leisure today."

Hearing the slightly reproachful words of the two Daoist partners, Zhou Xun felt a warmth and apology rise in his heart, and smiled:
"It was my oversight. I will definitely spend more time with you in the future."

His gaze swept over the two Daoist partners, whose appearances remained unchanged but whose charm had only grown with the passage of time, and a sense of peace settled in his heart.

These warm and peaceful days were an indispensable comfort on his spiritual journey.

Three years ago, in order to break through the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage, his main body secretly returned to the Immortal Realm.
With the help of the richer spiritual energy of the celestial realm and the many spiritual items prepared,

He finally succeeded and smoothly entered the realm of the Divine Transformation.

However, at the very moment he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and his mind and spirit merged most closely with the laws of heaven and earth, a sudden change occurred!
Deep within his dantian, the mysterious blue lotus that had accompanied him since the Foundation Establishment stage suddenly began to tremble violently without warning!
The green lotus, which originally had only three solid lotus leaves, shone brightly, and an indescribable ancient, vast, and infinitely vibrant and creative aura burst forth from the lotus heart!

Under Zhou Xun's horrified gaze upon his inner vision,
The roots of the blue lotus seemed to be connected to a mysterious source of life, frantically absorbing the spiritual energy and fragments of laws that Zhou Xun had triggered during his breakthrough.

Immediately afterwards, next to the third lotus leaf, two soft yet vibrant green lights quickly coalesced and extended.
In just a few breaths, it transformed into a fourth and a fifth lifelike lotus leaf!
The five lotus leaves, each with a unique shape and naturally formed Dao patterns, slowly rotate around the lotus platform, exuding a sense of perfection and harmony.

Just as the fifth lotus leaf was fully formed,

A surge of pure and powerful spiritual energy, far surpassing Zhou Xun's own early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, flowed forth from the Azure Lotus like a burst dam, instantly filling his limbs, meridians, and dantian!
Driven by this force, his newly stabilized early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation began to rise uncontrollably!
Peak of the early stage of Nascent Soul... Mid-stage of Nascent Soul... In the end, he advanced with unstoppable momentum and stopped at the peak of the mid-stage of Nascent Soul!
He's only one step away from the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
In comparison, Zhou Xun's avatar's cultivation level was actually inferior.

This sudden surge in cultivation did not make Zhou Xun feel weak; on the contrary, he felt his foundation was incredibly solid, as if this was the power he was meant to have.

But this is far from over!
The changes that shocked him even more occurred at the level of his perception.

At the very moment his cultivation stabilized, his five senses seemed to be freed from the constraints of his physical body, and were elevated to an unprecedented level of sharpness.

In his "eyes," everything in the world presents the most subtle laws and patterns; the sound of the wind, the sound of the water, and even the breathing of plants all contain the rhythm of the Great Dao.

Immediately afterwards, his mind was suddenly pulled into a strange world by an invisible force.

This is not a real space-time, but an illusion manifested by the endless laws of life.

Looking out, countless tiny green lights shone like stars in the void.

Each green shoot is a seed, a germ containing the earliest secrets of life.

Under his "gaze",

These green shoots began to slowly unfurl, sprouting roots and tender buds, transforming into seedlings of various shapes and sizes.

Some are as resilient as grass, some as winding as vines, and most are the ethereal images of budding blue lotuses.

The seedlings grew vigorously, their leaves unfurling and their stems upright.

Gradually, it became lush and vigorous, blooming with beautiful flowers and exuding vitality.

This is the ultimate expression of "life," the most glorious movement of the life force.

However, what reaches its peak will eventually decline.

Once vitality reaches its peak, signs of decline begin to appear.

The leaves gradually turn yellow and wither, the flowers fade, and the stems lose moisture, becoming shriveled and fragile.

Finally, in an invisible wind, these once vibrant plants turned to ashes and vanished without a trace.

This is the inevitable fate of "extinction," the end of the cycle of life.

But miraculously, where these plants have vanished, new green shoots quietly emerge, beginning a new cycle of growth, blooming, withering, and fading away...

Zhou Xun's mind was immersed in this endless cycle of birth and death, as if he had personally experienced the beginning and end of billions of lives.

He witnessed life emerging from nothing, the resilience in the struggle for survival, the brilliance of its blossoming, and the tranquility of its peaceful decay.

In this extreme dynamic equilibrium, he felt a grandeur and eternity that transcended individual life and death.

Destruction is not the end, but the soil for new life.
Life is not eternal, but it always reignites from the ashes.

I don't know how much time passed; it felt like a moment, yet also like ten thousand years.

Zhou Xun's mind slowly withdrew from that illusory realm of birth and death, returning to his original form.

He opened his eyes, and a vibrant green light flashed and disappeared deep within them.

He opened his palm, and with a slight thought, a wisp of emerald green spiritual energy containing the true meaning of "life" leaped from his fingertips, lively and dynamic, as if it possessed its own life.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his face revealing a mixture of understanding and joy.

"So that's how it is... to be born from death, to live towards death... this is the essence of 'life'."

Driven by the mutation of the Azure Lotus, and after experiencing the grand baptism of the life illusion, he actually broke through to the Nascent Soul stage not long after.

He then grasped the “Life Conception”, which was completely opposite to, yet complementary to, the “Tribulation Lightning Conception”!
"Young Master, what's wrong?" Song Yiqing noticed Zhou Xun's momentary lapse in concentration and asked curiously when she saw his distant gaze. Her voice pulled Zhou Xun back to reality.

Zhou Xun chuckled and shook his head, saying:

"It's alright, I was just recalling some insights I gained when I broke through that day."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip of the warm spiritual tea, and casually glanced outside the pavilion.

The Tranquil Pavilion is located at the highest point of the island in the lake, with excellent surrounding scenery.

The lake water was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and lush vegetation on the island.
A gentle breeze ripples across the water, bringing with it moisture and the refreshing fragrance of flowers and herbs.

The fifth-order spiritual veins make the spiritual energy on the island so dense that it almost turns into a tangible mist, swirling around the forest pavilions, making one feel refreshed and relaxed with every breath.

His gaze drifted to the distance of the pavilion, to a tender green weed growing in the cracks of the bluestone slabs.

From the outside, it looks no different from ordinary roadside weeds.

However, if one carefully perceives it with divine sense, one can discover that it contains pure wood-attribute spiritual energy.

It is in no way inferior to those first-grade high-quality spiritual herbs.

This is the benefit of a fifth-order spiritual vein.

Even a randomly growing blade of grass is a spiritual plant rich in spiritual energy.

If placed in the outside cultivation world, it would be enough to make many low-level cultivators fight over it.

Zhou Xun's heart stirred slightly.

He then flicked his finger, and a beam of emerald light shot out from his fingertip, striking the 'weed' precisely.

The light penetrated the grass stem, like a long-awaited rain after a drought, or like awakening the dormant, powerful life force within it.

What happened next left Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing speechless with astonishment.

The weed seemed to be receiving some kind of invisible force, and it grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The grass stems became thicker, and the leaves quickly unfurled and grew larger.

The color also changed from light green to deep turquoise, exuding a richer vitality.

The growth process was faster than normal. In just a few breaths, an inconspicuous little grass had grown to be more than half a person tall, with lush branches and leaves, like a small shrub.

Even more surprisingly, at its tip, a tender bud rapidly swells, forming a flower bud about to bloom, its color bluish-white, with a faint shimmering glow.

"This..." Lin Xueying gasped softly, covering her mouth.

Song Yiqing also looked incredulous.

Although they knew that Zhou Xun's cultivation had greatly improved and that he had grasped a new realm of meaning, they did not expect the effect to be so direct and miraculous.

Song Yiqing, with her lively personality, couldn't contain her surprise and pointed to the "Ye Cao" that had changed so much, her voice filled with excitement:
"Young master, is this the 'state of life' you mentioned before? It can make plants grow to this extent in an instant!"

Zhou Xun smiled slightly as he looked at the two women's surprised expressions:
"Indeed, this is a rudimentary application of the concept of 'life,' which stimulates vitality and accelerates growth."

His gaze fell on the bluish-white flower bud, and his tone carried a hint of sigh, "Unfortunately, my understanding of this artistic conception is still at the first level."

"Therefore, even if it only stimulates the growth of this first-tier spiritual herb, it can only advance its life cycle to the bud stage,"

"To make it bloom, it probably needs to reach the level of the second heaven. If it can reach the level of the third heaven, it may be able to evolve a complete life cycle, allowing it to bloom and wither, and eventually bear fruit."

“Of course,” Zhou Xun added in his mind.
"This is also related to the target's own level of life. After all, this one is already considered a first-tier spiritual herb, containing a trace of spirituality,"

"If it were an ordinary, soulless plant in the mortal world, with its simple and fragile life structure, relying on the 'life essence' of a first-level heaven,"

"Enough to evolve its entire life cycle from budding to flourishing, and then to withering and decay."

The aroma of tea wafts through the Jingxin Pavilion.

Zhou Xun briefly recounted to Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing the profound process by which he had previously comprehended several artistic conceptions.

Although he tried his best to explain it in simple terms, the insights into the origins of the laws were still like listening to a celestial book for the two who had not yet reached that level.

The two women's beautiful eyes widened as they listened, their faces filled with bewilderment and disbelief.

Rules? Artistic conception? Lotus leaves sprouting?

These concepts were far beyond their current understanding, and they seemed mysterious and difficult to comprehend.

Zhou Xun observed their reactions, simply smiled gently, and did not offer any further explanation.

He knew that the way of artistic conception was profound and extraordinary, and could not be reached by anyone without great opportunity and great enlightenment.

With Lin Xueying and Song Yiqing's qualifications,
Even if he were to follow him to the more spiritually rich Immortal Realm in the future, without special encounters, he would probably never truly gain entry into the inner sanctum of the realm.

He stopped talking about that topic and instead chatted about some interesting anecdotes from the cultivation world, trivial matters of the alliance, and the progress of his disciples. The atmosphere in the pavilion became relaxed and warm again.

……

Time flows like water, and another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, deep within the secret realm of the Thunderclap Sect...
In the dimly lit hall, only the dark purple metal fragment in the center emitted a faint glow.

Zhou Xun's avatar sat upright before the fragments, like a stone sculpture.

His mind was completely immersed in comprehending the fluctuations of the thunderous laws emanating from it.
In an attempt to capture more of the mysteries of the "tribulation lightning conception" from that extreme destructive pulse.

Sudden--

A distinct throbbing sensation emanated from an object hanging at his waist, interrupting his deep meditative state.

Zhou Xun frowned slightly, startled from his profound comprehension.

He subconsciously looked down and his gaze fell on the seemingly inconspicuous black banner at his waist, which was the Soul-Nourishing Ghost Banner that contained the soul-devouring beast "Xiao Qing"!

At this moment, the usually silent ghost banner was trembling slightly, its surface moving without wind, and shimmering with a dark, eerie light.

A faint, restless spiritual fluctuation emanated from within.

Looking at him closely, Zhou Xun felt a sense of unease, as if his soul was being sucked away!
"Ok?"

Zhou Xun's heart stirred, and he immediately probed the banner with his divine sense.

"This is... Xiao Qing is about to advance to the fifth rank!"

(End of this chapter)