Leading directly to the Mahayana stage was merely theoretical.
In truth, the cultivation manual Vice Hall Master Youquan produced was only the chapter for the Core Formation stage.
Even so, the prospects she painted were enough to set Luo Chen's heart racing.
Reaching the Mahayana stage was far too distant a castle in the air to dwell on. If he could truly transform the agonizing crawl of five spiritual roots into the efficiency of a single spiritual root, combined with his alchemy, he stood an excellent chance of matching the legendary milestones of heavenly spiritual root cultivators—Foundation Establishment in ten years, Core Formation in a hundred, and Nascent Soul in two hundred!
Once achieved, his lifespan would surge to a full millennium, granting him ample time to foster his faction or push for the Soul Formation stage. In short, longevity was truly within reach!
With his head bowed, Luo Chen stared at the fiery feather in his grasp, looking overwhelmed by excitement. Yet from an angle unseen by the two women above him, a glint of absolute clarity flickered across his eyes.
*Why bestow such a divine manual upon me out of the blue?*
The moment he learned he was to meet Youquan, Luo Chen had discreetly activated his Grandmastery-level Mirror Flowers, Water Moon before coming up. He had not cast it outward; rather, he had woven it around himself. Thanks to the Hidden Action Array tattooed across his flesh, the illusion remained completely concealed, leaving her utterly unaware of any abnormality.
Even so, Youquan's bizarre soul aura constantly eroded anyone with lesser soul strength than her own, and Luo Chen had initially been drawn under her sway. It took him a while to slowly shake off the haze, which granted him that single spark of clarity. Leaning into that lucid awareness, he played along, feigning an uncontrollable surge of emotion.
"What virtue or capability do I possess to warrant Senior's generous gift of such a peerless divine art? Though my heart leaps with joy, I cannot help but feel deeply uneasy!"
Noticing nothing amiss, Youquan said dismissively, "No need to worry about what we want from you—there is nothing on you worth scheming over anyway. Take it and study it well. With higher cultivation, you can concoct a bit more Emperor's Flowing Syrup for us every day. Should Mount Cangwu, sacred ground of the avian clan, flourish in the future, a share of that merit will certainly belong to you."
*All this just because the daily supply of Emperor's Flowing Syrup is too small?*
Luo Chen breathed an inward sigh of relief, though he still probed cautiously: "Naturally, I yearn to learn such a divine art. However, many years ago, I settled upon a primary cultivation art and have already cultivated it to a respectable level. Switching to another manual now might exceed my abilities, and I fear I would only sorely disappoint Senior."
"You worry too much!"
Youquan let out a cackling laugh, boasting smugly, "This Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture is hailed as the ancestor of all fire arts under heaven! As for the Burning Wood True Art you cultivate, I obtained a complete copy from human cultivators. A brief study revealed that one can transition seamlessly from it into the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. In fact, the moment you grasp the basics, it will instantly lay an exceptionally solid foundation for you!"
Her words sent a jolt of shock through Luo Chen, and even Qingshuang beside her showed a hint of surprise.
Youquan chuckled slyly. "And that solid foundation means that as soon as you cross the first nirvana, you will immediately attain the cultivation speed of a heavenly spiritual root!"
Having heard this, Luo Chen had no room left to refuse. Besides, under the pressure of her soul presence, he could only probe so far without courting disaster by outright defiance.
Furthermore, the first nirvana! The ancestor of fire arts! The cultivation speed of a heavenly spiritual root! Every single phrase plucked at his heartstrings and stimulated his senses. For far too long, he had suffered from the torment of sluggish cultivation.
Since that was the case...
Clutching the fiery feather, Luo Chen bowed deeply. "This junior thanks Senior for the bestowed art!"
***
Beneath Duzhen Hall, inside the peak-grade Rank Three cave abode.
With Luo Chen's eyes closed, the fiery feather circled and hovered above his crown. As his spiritual sense and magic power seeped into it, dazzling crimson radiance cascaded downward. Amidst the shimmering haze, a screen of scarlet-gold light coalesced in the air.
Upon that light screen, characters resembling tadpoles and ancient seal script took shape, ultimately morphing into distinct silhouettes of leaping flames that burned softly around him.
*"In the land of Suiming grew a great tree named the Sui, its coiled boughs sprawling across myriad leagues, cloaked in curling mists.*
*A phoenix pecked upon the wood, striking brilliant sparks of flame. Suiren was awakened by the sight, drilling wood to kindle fire, thus grasping the primal art of fire born of Heaven and Earth.*
*Henceforth, Suiren and the Phoenix governed the fire of Heaven and Earth together, known as the Sui Phoenix. Yet mankind was prone to rewriting history, erasing the merit of the phoenix and adopting the reverent title of Sui Sovereign.*
*Heavenly Phoenix, Fire Ancestor, chariot borne on clouds and dragons. Wheeling the vital qi of vermilion brightness, embodying the pure essence of true Yang..."*
The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture truly lived up to its reputation as the miraculous ancestor of all fire arts under heaven. Even though Luo Chen could not read ancient demon script, channeling fire-attributed magic power into the feather allowed him to comprehend the meaning recorded within. As for whether its historical account regarding Suiren and the Phoenix was true, he cared very little. Such opening passages were no different from a book's preface, serving merely as a broad introduction without bearing on the actual contents.
His mind gradually sank into the cultivation mnemonics and qi circulation methods within.
*"Burn all things under heaven to serve as the nourishment of cultivation. When there remains nothing left to burn, incinerate the self to attain a state untainted and immaculate—this is known as ultimate nirvana."*
*What an extreme path of cultivation!*
*No wonder Youquan claimed even five spiritual roots could achieve the efficiency of a heavenly spiritual root.*
*In the past, during each session of cultivation, aside from wood and fire spiritual qi, I inevitably absorbed stray spiritual qi of other elements, leaving the qi in my body muddled and requiring constant purification and refinement.*
*Yet if I follow this method, I can completely disregard elemental purity, drawing in all spiritual qi corresponding to my roots and incinerating it with my own fire-attributed magic power into cultivation nourishment. That circumvents endless toil and drastically amplifies efficiency.*
Of course, according to the scripture, this extreme cultivation method could only be unlocked once one reached a certain level of attainment in the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. As for what level that was, it was precisely the First Nirvana Realm Youquan had mentioned.
The concept of "nirvana" signified the transformation between life and death. The scripture mentioned nine tribulations and three nirvanas, and while the nine tribulations were left unexplained, the three nirvanas were explicitly laid out: Magic Power Nirvana, Physical Body Nirvana, and Soul Nirvana.
These three nirvanas corresponded neatly to the three treasures of traditional cultivation—essence, qi, and spirit—and aligned with the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown during Nascent Soul formation. Completing all three nirvanas forged the foundation of immortality, flinging wide the gates to the Great Dao!
Prior to that, there was a concrete method of practice: utilizing one's natal true fire to temper muddled spiritual qi, purifying it into pristine fire-attributed magic power. If one possessed a refined source true fire, that was ideal!
After spending a full day and night poring over the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture without missing a single detail, Luo Chen felt immensely invigorated. This cultivation method seemed tailored specifically for him, vastly outstripping every esoteric art and secret technique he had encountered along his journey.
A source true fire? He already had one, and it was Rank Four!
Using a source true fire to refine muddled magic power was an operation he was thoroughly familiar with, closely resembling the method Qingdanzi had taught him for tempering magic treasures with true fire.
Lastly, there was the change in cultivation speed brought about by reaching the First Nirvana Realm. Why had Youquan asserted that reaching that realm would grant him the speed of a heavenly spiritual root? Precisely because he possessed five spiritual roots! Whenever he drew in worldly spiritual qi, he passively pulled every element into his body. With all elements balanced, refining them into nourishment would yield far greater efficiency than a cultivator with dual or triple roots switching to the scripture.
*From the worst aptitude and slowest crawl to the finest talent and swiftest progress... In the face of such a leap, even if they have ulterior motives, I will gladly pay the price.*
After studying it in depth, Luo Chen found himself utterly unable to resist the manual's allure. Besides, he had nothing else they could possibly covet. At most, it was his alchemy. Even without this scripture, he would still have to refine pills for them. What difference did it make? Since there was no difference, seizing the greatest possible benefits was the only sensible choice!
Having sorted this out, Luo Chen cast aside his lingering doubts and prepared to switch his primary cultivation art.
Yet time trickled away, and ten full days passed without him even crossing the threshold of initiation.
*Where did I go wrong?*
Luo Chen was thoroughly baffled, even considering heading up to Duzhen Hall to consult Youquan. However, even if he could not fathom the entry barrier on his own, he still had a cheat at his disposal. Calling up his attribute panel, his gaze dropped straight down to his achievement points.
*It is, after all, only the chapter corresponding to the Core Formation stage. It matches my current realm perfectly, requiring a mere ten achievement points—hardly an issue!*
With a thought, he chose to use achievement points to achieve initiation. This marked only the second time, after the Rank Four Dragon Slaying Art, that he had spent achievement points to initiate a technique.
A brilliant light flashed, and a wave of profound comprehension washed through his mind.
"So that's how it is!" he murmured, finally seeing the root of the problem.
The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture was, in the end, an art created for the phoenix race, not tailored to the physique of human cultivators. No matter how extraordinary his talent in spellcraft, such an innate racial barrier was something mere talent could not bridge. And the solution had actually been given to him by Youquan all along.
"This fiery feather!"
Luo Chen's gaze snapped toward the feather bearing the scripture. If his deduction was correct, this was a genuine phoenix feather carrying a wisp of phoenix bloodline. It was extraordinarily faint—nowhere near a natal true feather, likely just downy plumage. Yet that trace of bloodline was sufficient to grant him an affinity akin to the phoenix, allowing him to cultivate the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture as naturally as water flowing into a stream.
"In that case, the first step is to refine it."
*Sizzle!*
A wisp of azure flame sprang from Luo Chen's fingertip, descending onto the feather. A strange, heady fragrance drifted forth as the feather melted, stirring a restless heat within him. Moments later, the feather dissolved into a streak of radiance that surged into his body.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Chen circulated the technique. Three double-hours later, he snapped his eyes open. An entry sat cleanly upon his attribute panel:
*Cultivation Method: Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, Initiation (1/100)*
"I did it!" Luo Chen murmured.
***
"He succeeded!"
Inside Duzhen Hall, Youquan's expression shifted slightly as a scorched scent drifted from her plumage. Through that lingering connection, she sensed that Luo Chen had mastered the manual.
Flapping her wings to disperse the burnt odor, the black raven revealed a look of deep satisfaction. She had originally planned to find an opportunity to guide him, never expecting him to possess such extraordinary innate talent for cultivation arts and spells. To think he would unravel the crux of the matter so swiftly!
She could not have guessed that Luo Chen had simply relied on his cheat. Naturally, given enough time, his natural aptitude would have allowed him to grasp the secret on his own. But his current predicament left no room for slow contemplation, prompting him to break through decisively rather than waste precious time at the threshold.
Youquan rose and flew out of Duzhen Hall.
"The true intent of nirvana is omnipresent, embodying the essence of finding life through death. Burning a fiery feather to forge a bloodline is indeed nirvana, yet it remains far too shallow. To truly attain the First Nirvana Realm will demand vastly more effort!"
***
Having successfully transitioned to his new primary cultivation art, Luo Chen gradually set aside the Burning Wood True Art, which had already reached Grandmastery. His cultivation speed received a qualitative leap. By his estimation, under identical conditions, his current speed was no slower than that of a cultivator with triple spiritual roots—four to five times faster than before!
There was still a massive gulf between this and the scripture's promise of matching a heavenly spiritual root, but Luo Chen was already well satisfied. His external circumstances were superb. Even though the supply of Fanxing Pills was temporarily cut off, he occupied a peak-grade Rank Three spiritual vein. Based on the daily quantity of magic power he refined, he estimated he could reach the third layer of Core Formation in seven or eight years at most.
Such swiftness delighted him. Previously, he had calculated that even with a peak-grade Rank Three spirit ground, breaking through to the third layer would require at least a decade. Shaving off that much time proved just how vital a truly compatible primary cultivation art was for a cultivator.
*Still, how do I achieve the metamorphosis of magic power, step into the First Nirvana Realm, and attain the cultivation speed of a heavenly spiritual root? When Youquan spoke of true mastery, she surely meant the First Nirvana Realm.*
Out on the mountainside square, Luo Chen pondered these cultivation dilemmas while concocting Emperor's Flowing Syrup. At Heqingzi's insistence, he had slowed his concoction process so the gathered demon beasts and birds could observe every detail. With troubles piling up, Luo Chen could not care less—if they wanted to learn, let them try! Without talent, watching a thousand times would teach them nothing. It was hardly possible that every beast possessed a cheat like his.
This deliberate pacing worked to his advantage, affording him ample room to contemplate other matters.
When another cauldron of Emperor's Flowing Syrup emerged, the expected chorus of praise erupted.
"Every time I watch, the human art of alchemy never fails to amaze me."
"Those demon wolf carcasses are foul and rancid, yet they can be transformed into such rich, miraculous medicine."
"That is Grandmaster Luo Chen's skill at work."
"Speaking of which, Grandmaster Luo Chen's fire control has grown increasingly exquisite. Just now, when you lot jostled me closer, I didn't feel the slightest scorching heat from his source true fire."
"Why else would he be hailed as the most renowned alchemy grandmaster among humans?"
Before these inexperienced low-rank demon beasts, Luo Chen was praised to the heavens. He paid little heed to the flattering remarks, attributing the change to the qualitative leap in his alchemy as his proficiency in Emperor's Flowing Syrup approached the Great Circle.
Yet over the following days, the remark about his fire control growing increasingly exquisite echoed in his mind. Then, during a meditation session, he had an epiphany.
"I understand now! The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture is less a cultivation art and more an ultimate mastery over fire! With more time spent cultivating it, my command over my source true fire has naturally improved, yet it is still not enough!"
As for why it was not enough, the reason was blindingly obvious.
With a thought, Luo Chen held out his palms. Two streams of magic power surged forth, one crimson and one azure. The crimson required no explanation, while the azure was the wood-attributed magic power he had cultivated over the past century. Because this wood-attributed magic power remained, his fire-attributed magic power was not purely pristine, preventing his control over fire from reaching an absolute peak.
If he wished to achieve that ultimate state, he had to discard his original wood-attributed magic power. Yet doing so would cause the vast majority of his cultivation to vanish down the drain. After all, his second-layer Core Formation realm was largely anchored upon that wood-attributed magic power. Luo Chen could not bring himself to abandon it.
*If discarding it is out of the question, why not refine it and convert it entirely into fire-attributed magic power?*
Once the thought surfaced, Luo Chen turned it over repeatedly in his mind before finally resolving to put it into action. What was more, he possessed the requisite foundation for such a conversion: the Burning Wood True Art!
The art was inherently designed around the concept of wood fueling fire, enabling wood to transform into fire to enhance explosive bursts through dual-element cultivation. Having reached Grandmastery, Luo Chen had long internalized its every nuance. All he needed to do now was take a decisive step and sever the roots of his wood-attributed magic power entirely.
Naturally, doing so meant relinquishing a great deal. Many spells that relied on wood-attributed magic power—such as the Entanglement Art, the Healing Art, and Flower Fairy—would likely become uncastable. Furthermore, once the conversion was complete, fire would reign supreme within his body, brooking no other element. Most of the other Five Elements spells he had practiced, apart from fire arts, would be rendered unusable.
An ordinary cultivator would never bear to part with them. But Luo Chen had reached clarity: thousands of spells and myriad divine abilities were ultimately nothing more than means to protect the Dao. Cultivation realm alone was the fundamental root! In the face of absolute cultivation speed bringing an absolute realm, mastering a few arts to perfection far outweighed knowing many. Once his realm advanced, he could easily learn additional fire-attributed spells and divine arts to cover any shortcomings.
Having resolved his thoughts, Luo Chen did not rush blindly into the conversion. Instead, he finished concocting every batch of raw ingredients Heqingzi had prepared for Emperor's Flowing Syrup, requested a period of leave, and entered closed-door seclusion, determined to complete the transformation in a single push.
Inside the peak-grade Rank Three cave abode, the protective arrays and restrictions had already been laid down. Anticipation gleamed in Luo Chen's eyes.
*Perhaps this magic power conversion is the very key to stepping into the First Nirvana Realm!*
With a soft murmur, the magic power in his body surged into motion. This time, the circulation pathway shifted directly to the Grandmastery-level Burning Wood True Art.
Burn the wood! Burn the wood!
This time, the wood-attributed magic power within Luo Chen ignited completely. A brilliant emerald radiance burst from his form, growing steadily more vigorous and potent.
Time slipped past.
One day!
Two days!
Three days!
Given the profound depth of Luo Chen's foundation, his reserves of wood-attributed magic power were truly immense. Converting it entirely would inevitably demand an extensive period. Throughout the process, he had to take meticulous care not to damage his Golden Core or meridians, lest he injure the foundation of his Great Dao.
Then, amidst the conversion, Luo Chen instinctively began circulating the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture. Both cultivation methods operated in unison.
Within his sea of qi...
*Boom!*
The Wither-Bloom True Fire roared skyward, engulfing his Golden Core whole, as though intending to refine the core itself. At that very moment, Luo Chen found his conjecture confirmed.
*As expected, Magic Power Nirvana means allowing fire alone to reign supreme, free of any blemish or impurity.*
*So long as I weather this trial, I will undergo a nirvanic rebirth and claim a cultivation speed to rival a heavenly spiritual root!*
*Longevity is truly within reach!*
With his eyes shut, thoughts surged ceaselessly through his sea of consciousness. Meanwhile, his aura oscillated between vibrant vitality and desolate decay, manifesting an eerie harmony where withering and blooming coexisted as one.
Chapter 514