Tier Five to Godhood! Supreme Paragon Rating Once More!

A true spirit! That was a true spirit! Perhaps ordinary cultivators had never even heard of such a thing, but the seven Dao Ancestors happened to know. During their travels through the chaos, the rumors and information they sought out most were about chaos lifeforms. And chaos lifeforms possessed one defining hallmark—a true spirit! To become a chaos lifeform, one had to condense a true spirit. Why was it so exceedingly difficult for countless peak powerhouses of the Nine Tiers to Godhood to advance to a chaos lifeform? Why did many spend their entire lives unable to make that leap? The reason was quite simple: they were unable to condense a true spirit. Of course, it was possible to transform into a chaos lifeform without a true spirit, but most who did so were special lifeforms relying on hereditary bloodline legacies. By following the heritage ingrained in their bloodlines, they could naturally undergo metamorphosis into chaos lifeforms. However, if an ordinary lifeform—an ordinary cultivator—wished to become a chaos lifeform, they had to condense a true spirit. Otherwise, relying on luck alone, transforming into a chaos lifeform was an utter impossibility. The immense significance of a true spirit was obvious. Yet, wasn't condensing a true spirit something only powerhouses at the Nine Tiers to Godhood would even begin to consider? And even then, it was fraught with endless tribulations. Now, Lu Changsheng had already condensed a true spirit? The seven Dao Ancestors were naturally shaken to their cores. With a thought, Lu Changsheng brought up his status panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension World Master: 0 (Embryonic) Flesh Particles: 2% Thirteen Layers of True Self Method: True Spirit Avatar Fusion Physical Method: 10,130,000 avatars On the status panel, the Thirteen Layers of True Self Method was now followed by "True Spirit." It turned out that visualizing the "true self" in the Thirteen Layers of True Self Method was actually meant to condense a true spirit. Of course, that had only been a theoretical deduction by the cultivator who created the technique—a purely theoretical realm. Never in their wildest dreams could anyone have imagined that Lu Changsheng, relying solely on a method derived in theory, would truly condense a true spirit. "Hahaha! A true spirit! A chaos lifeform is practically within reach for Immortal Venerable Changsheng!" Pan Ancestor threw his head back and laughed heartily. He had previously heard of "Supreme Paragons," who were practically guaranteed to become chaos lifeforms so long as they did not perish. But in the end, that was merely potential. He had seen far too many dazzling prodigies who ultimately died with lingering regrets at the peak of the Nine Tiers to Godhood, forever unable to cross the threshold into chaos lifeforms. Now, however, was different. He had seen with his own eyes that Lu Changsheng had condensed a true spirit. That was essentially taking the most crucial step toward becoming a chaos lifeform—half a foot was already across the threshold. Now, all Lu Changsheng needed to do was raise his cultivation to the peak of the Nine Tiers to Godhood, and he would smoothly ascend to a chaos lifeform. "Splendid!" "Condensing a true spirit means half a foot into the realm of chaos lifeforms. Immortal Venerable Changsheng is not far from becoming one." "Is our immortal race truly about to give birth to a chaos lifeform?" The other Dao Ancestors were equally thrilled. That was a chaos lifeform—a realm dreamed of by countless cultivators across the vast chaos. At this moment, Pan Ancestor calmed down slightly. "Immortal Venerable Changsheng, now that you have condensed a true spirit, you must settle on your cultivation path as soon as possible," Pan Ancestor said in a deep voice. "Although our Heaven Realm's cultivation system possesses certain unique merits, it simply will not suffice if you wish to become a chaos lifeform. In the boundless chaos, the mainstream path remains physical body tempering. You must switch your cultivation as soon as possible." The Heaven Realm's cultivation system had actually been pioneered by Pan Ancestor himself. Since he said so himself, he clearly understood the flaws inherent in the system. Lu Changsheng nodded. "Pan Ancestor, I will give it careful thought. In the Heavenly Light Holy Sect, there is no shortage of cultivation techniques." There was no need to worry about that. "Very well. You should return and rest first. Condensing a true spirit surely consumed a great deal of mental energy." With that, Lu Changsheng departed from the Dao Ancestor Hall and returned to his cave dwelling. Even though more than nine hundred years had passed, his cave dwelling remained pristine. Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged in the quiet meditation chamber. Though he had spoken with ease in the Dao Ancestor Hall, switching paths was no simple task. The Heaven Realm's cultivation system focused on the mind, on comprehension, and on one's connection to the Heaven Realm. In reality, across the vast chaos, there was only one path to ascending into a chaos lifeform: the physical body. This was the dominant path among the cultivation systems of the chaos. Tempering the flesh carried one major advantage: not only could one become a chaos lifeform, but one could also eventually become a source lifeform. Refining the physical body could never be the wrong choice. As for the World Master path? That path had nothing to do with becoming a chaos lifeform. For instance, Lu Changsheng's Illusory Realm had already shifted from illusory to real, yet its progress remained at "0." To advance, it required chaos origin. As long as he obtained chaos origin and the progress reached 1%, his level would rival that of a chaos lifeform. If the world was not destroyed, the World Master would not perish. In terms of survival ability, a World Master was not in the least inferior to a chaos lifeform, and was far more versatile. In fact, if one walked the World Master path and acquired chaos origin, whether one possessed a physical body hardly mattered at all. After all, a World Master's consciousness would integrate directly into the world. The world was the master, and the master was the world. What difference did having a fleshly shell make? These were two entirely different paths. A World Master abandoned the flesh to perfect their world, while a chaos lifeform focused entirely on the physical vessel, endlessly strengthening the body. Yet, all roads led to the same destination; whether World Master or chaos lifeform, the ultimate goal was transcendence beyond the chaos. However, chaos origin was exceedingly difficult to obtain. Lu Changsheng currently had no clues at all. Even if he remained stuck at this bottleneck for eons, he would not find it strange. What was absent was simply absent. No matter how extraordinary his comprehension, one could not make bricks without straw. Therefore, Lu Changsheng would not stubbornly walk a single path into a dead end. He would not pin all his hopes on the World Master path. Tempering the physical body to become a chaos lifeform was a very practical alternative. Speaking of tempering the body, Lu Changsheng was already in the process of doing so. His flesh particles had reached 2%—was that not cultivating the body? Still, 2% of flesh particles was a far cry from completion. To become a chaos lifeform, the physical foundation had to be rock-solid. He could not rely on rapidly absorbing the flesh and blood of other powerful lifeforms into his own, as he did with his flesh avatars. As long as it was the flesh of other powerful beings, even if they were dead and even after being refined, it would inevitably retain a trace of their distinct will—a deeply etched imprint. For ordinary cultivation, or even up to the peak of the Nine Tiers to Godhood, that did not matter. But to metamorphose into a chaos lifeform, it would pose a tremendous obstacle. To transform into a chaos lifeform, the physical body had to be painstakingly forged step by step through one's own bitter cultivation. Take Lu Changsheng's flesh particles, for example: they had been nurtured bit by bit using his own immortal dharmic power. Yet, that took an excruciatingly long time; the nurturing efficiency was simply too low. Lu Changsheng had browsed several physical cultivation techniques. Anyone who wished to transform into a chaos lifeform faced the same reality: they had to slowly temper and strengthen their flesh particle by particle. There were no shortcuts to becoming a chaos lifeform. The reason special lifeforms achieved this more easily was that their innate bloodlines were inherently powerful. Without relying on external aids, their physical bodies would naturally reach the peak of the Nine Tiers to Godhood under the influence of their bloodlines given sufficient time, giving them an exceptionally firm foundation. Ordinary cultivators were different. They needed to survive, and they needed to fight. Inevitably, many sought shortcuts to rapidly strengthen their bodies. As a result, while their physical strength rose quickly, transforming into a chaos lifeform in the end became nearly impossible. It was not that they could never succeed—some did. But that was only achieved after reaching the peak of the Nine Tiers to Godhood and enduring immense hardships along with monumental fortuitous opportunities. Ninety-nine percent of cultivators lacked such fortune, leaving them to live out their days in bitter regret. Lu Changsheng, however, was fundamentally different, because he had condensed a true spirit. A true spirit could illuminate all things, and it could likewise illuminate his flesh particles. Under its illumination, Lu Changsheng could see with absolute clarity precisely how each flesh particle grew stronger. He experimented with some foreign flesh and blood, even testing his own flesh avatars by attempting to refine them into his flesh particles while using his true spirit to observe whether any flaws arose. The result was clear: under the illumination of the true spirit, Lu Changsheng discovered that fusing his flesh avatars into his flesh particles brought hundreds of harms and not a single benefit. Even the true spirit's filtering was of no avail. Refining other bodies to enhance his flesh particles was out of the question. What about natural treasures, then? Lu Changsheng still carried many natural treasures capable of strengthening the body. Under the reflection of the true spirit, anything detrimental to his flesh particles would be immediately perceived by him, so there was no need to worry on that front. He tested several natural treasures. "Huh? It works! The energy within these natural treasures can indeed strengthen the flesh particles, though the efficiency is rather low..." Lu Changsheng was delighted. As long as it worked, that was enough. Low efficiency was only natural; if physical cultivation were easy, peak powerhouses of the Nine Tiers to Godhood would be everywhere in the chaos. Promptly, Lu Changsheng began targeted optimizations. With the true spirit illuminating everything, combined with his terrifying analytical capabilities and comprehension, optimizing the body's absorption efficiency for natural treasures came naturally. Day after day passed as Lu Changsheng continuously cultivated using natural treasures. Soon, natural treasures from across the entire Heaven Realm were steadily delivered to his cave dwelling. This, of course, was by order of the seven Dao Ancestors. Lu Changsheng was now the supreme figure of the Heaven Realm, endowed with the authority to mobilize all of its resources. One year, three years, five years, eight years, ten years... In the blink of an eye, a decade slipped by. On this day, Lu Changsheng stopped. The natural treasures before him were gone, completely refined over the course of these ten years. He immediately brought up his status panel to check his progress. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension World Master: 0 (Embryonic) Flesh Particles: 5% Thirteen Layers of True Self Method: True Spirit Avatar Fusion Physical Method: 10,130,000 avatars In ten years, his flesh particles had reached 5%, an increase of 3%. In truth, 3% was already extraordinary. At this rate, 3% every ten years meant 30% in a century, meaning he could reach 100% completion in just over three hundred years! Once his flesh particles were fully perfected, he could attempt the transformation into a chaos lifeform. This was a tremendous improvement! However, Lu Changsheng could no longer remain in the Heaven Realm to cultivate. He had practically drained the realm of its cultivation resources. If he continued like this, what would the other cultivators of the Heaven Realm do? Still, this trial allowed Lu Changsheng to understand his current capabilities. With the true spirit illuminating all things, paired with his formidable analytical ability and monstrous comprehension, the efficiency of his physical tempering was greatly accelerated. All he lacked was resources. Natural treasures? If one Heaven Realm was not enough, what about the entire Hundred Flowers Domain? Lu Changsheng prepared to return to the Heavenly Light Holy Sect. By utilizing his contribution points there, he could exchange for vast quantities of resources—certainly enough to support the cultivation of his flesh particles. He remained in the Heaven Realm for a brief period longer. Only after negotiations with the Qian family were fully finalized, and a powerhouse of the Nine Tiers to Godhood was firmly stationed to safeguard the Heaven Realm, did Lu Changsheng finally decide to depart. "If anything arises, you may find me in the Heavenly Light Holy Realm," Lu Changsheng told the Dao Ancestors. Stepping into his flying boat, his figure quickly vanished into the depths of the chaos. Along the way, Lu Changsheng encountered no setbacks and smoothly returned to the Heavenly Light Holy Realm. Checking his balance, he found he still had over eight hundred thousand contribution points—a colossal sum. After a moment's thought, he set about exchanging them. "Hm? My authority changed? I'm no longer a Supreme Paragon?" Lu Changsheng paused in surprise. His authority had shifted, and he was no longer marked as a Supreme Paragon. Upon reflection, however, he realized the reason: he was now a Daluo Golden Immortal, which corresponded to Tier Five to Godhood. Naturally, his previous authority had been reset. Competition in the Heavenly Light Holy Realm was fierce. A cultivator might be hailed as a Prodigy at a certain tier, but once they broke through, that status was revoked and their privileges stripped away. Only by passing the assessment again could they reclaim the title. Liu Qing was a prime example. She had once been a Prodigy, but after breaking through to the Nine Tiers to Godhood, she had only managed a Peerless rating, simply because she could not pass the Prodigy assessment at the Tier Nine level. Without the privileges of a Supreme Paragon, exchanging contribution points for cultivation resources was exceedingly inconvenient for Lu Changsheng. The reason was simple: without sufficient authority, many precious cultivation materials were locked from exchange. With this in mind, Lu Changsheng decided to raise his rating first—to at least reach Prodigy. As for whether he could become a Supreme Paragon once more, even he was uncertain. After all, he had never challenged the fifth passage before. Earning a Supreme Paragon rating was bound to become increasingly difficult, as only a complete clearance would suffice. He had never expected to maintain Supreme Paragon status across every single tier. Lu Changsheng rose and headed toward the Rating Square. Above the square hung nine assessment passages. The moment Lu Changsheng appeared, he caused an immediate stir. "It's Supreme Lu!" "Supreme Paragon Lu Changsheng! He is already a Supreme Paragon; his authority cannot rise any higher. Why has he come to the Rating Square?" "He is the only Supreme Paragon in the Heavenly Light Holy Sect right now." "Wait, Supreme Lu is joining the queue? Is that... the fifth passage? Has he broken through to Tier Five to Godhood?" "His aura... it really is Tier Five to Godhood! Once someone advances to Tier Five to Godhood, all their previous Supreme privileges are revoked!" In an instant, an uproar rippled through the gathered disciples of the Heavenly Light Holy Sect. That was Supreme Paragon authority! How could he let it slip away so quickly? Had it been anyone else, they would have lingered in the Supreme Paragon rank as long as possible to reap every conceivable benefit before even considering a breakthrough. Why rush to Tier Five to Godhood so hastily, only to lose those supreme privileges? Under the sect's rules, once lost, regaining such high authority was extraordinarily difficult. Countless cultivators who had once been Prodigies could never reclaim the title after breaking through. Perhaps Lu Changsheng would suffer the same fate, never again attaining the Supreme Paragon rating. Many let out collective sighs of regret. Lu Changsheng, however, remained completely unperturbed and quietly waited in line. Without his prior privileges, he no longer had the right to skip ahead and had to queue obediently like everyone else. It had to be said that lacking authority was indeed troublesome. Waiting in line took several months. During that time, news of his lost Supreme Paragon status spread throughout the Heavenly Light Holy Sect, prompting many disciples to come specifically to watch. Naturally, most were curious to see whether Lu Changsheng could attain the Supreme Paragon rating once again at Tier Five to Godhood. Although the odds were minuscule—almost nonexistent—what if? After all, a former Supreme Paragon was inherently different from ordinary cultivators. Day after day went by. Four months later, it was finally Lu Changsheng's turn. *Whoosh.* Countless gazes locked onto him, accompanied by quiet murmurs from the crowd. Unmoved, Lu Changsheng took a step forward and flew straight into the fifth assessment passage. "Can Supreme Lu become a Supreme Paragon again?" "A Supreme Paragon might be a stretch, but he will most likely secure a Prodigy rating. After all, his strength back at Tier Four to Godhood was already formidable." "Indeed. While the fifth passage is undeniably difficult, Supreme Lu has a very good chance of becoming a Prodigy." "Let's wait and see. Fully clearing the fifth passage is no simple feat..." The disciples of the sect had some understanding of his capabilities, but once Lu Changsheng stepped inside the fifth passage, he noticed a difference. "The fifth passage only has thirty-nine layers?" Lu Changsheng was slightly surprised. This differed from the fourth passage, which had featured forty-nine layers. Back then, clearing all forty-nine layers required combat strength close to the limit of Tier Seven. Regardless, he was already inside. What else could he do? Clear it, of course! Lu Changsheng began carving his way through layer after layer. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth... Soon, he cleared the ninth layer. 'The ninth layer roughly requires peak Tier Five combat strength,' Lu Changsheng estimated. Next came the nineteenth layer. By his assessment, the trial there demanded strength near the peak of Tier Six. Lu Changsheng swept through the trials effortlessly. To him, the challenges inside each layer were remarkably simple. He did not even need to deploy his avatars; the Illusory Realm alone was more than enough to conquer the fifth passage. At this point, any lingering doubts vanished. The twenty-ninth layer, just as Lu Changsheng anticipated, required combat power roughly at the peak of Tier Seven. Then came the thirty-ninth layer—the final layer of the fifth passage—which demanded strength comparable to Tier Eight. For Lu Changsheng, achieving a full clearance of the fifth passage was practically effortless. He swept through in an overwhelming display, encountering no real resistance. *Boom!* The fifth passage shook violently, then erupted in radiant light. A voice boomed across the entire square: "Lu Changsheng has cleared the fifth passage; rated Supreme Paragon!" Not only did the voice echo across the Rating Square, but the identity tokens of every cultivator in the Heavenly Light Holy Sect vibrated simultaneously, announcing the news of Lu Changsheng reclaiming his Supreme Paragon title. In an instant, the entire Heavenly Light Holy Sect was shaken once more. The cultivators gathered in the Rating Square bordered on frenzy. "Supreme Lu cleared it again and became a Supreme Paragon?" "This is his second time—two consecutive Supreme Paragon ratings!" "Incredible! This is the passage for Tier Five to Godhood. His true strength is unfathomable!" "Once is impressive, twice is miraculous... will there be a third?" "Just how did he pull it off?" Many disciples were utterly dumbfounded. A Supreme Paragon again! Why did becoming a Supreme Paragon seem so effortless for Lu Changsheng? In all these years, he remained the only Supreme Paragon in the sect, proving that achieving it was anything but easy. "Done!" A faint smile graced Lu Changsheng's face. With his authority restored to "Supreme Paragon," he was also rewarded with 3,900 contribution points. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng teleported out of the passage and reappeared on the Rating Square. Every eye was fixed on him, filled with awe, respect, and envy. "Congratulations to Supreme Lu on reclaiming the Supreme Paragon title!" Many stepped forward to offer their congratulations. Attaining the Supreme Paragon rating a second time was an extraordinary feat. Lu Changsheng nodded politely in acknowledgment before heading straight back to his cave dwelling. Upon his return, he immediately began searching for natural treasures. With his Supreme Paragon privileges, virtually every natural treasure in the sect was open for exchange. Excessively rare or expensive items were unnecessary; so long as a treasure could strengthen the body, Lu Changsheng could maximize its efficacy through his true spirit, analytical ability, and comprehension, achieving remarkable absorption efficiency. Soon, batches of natural treasures were delivered to his cave dwelling. Lu Changsheng exchanged roughly eight hundred thousand contribution points all at once, converting almost his entire balance into materials and keeping only forty-odd thousand points for contingencies. "Time for seclusion!" Lu Changsheng went into closed-door cultivation immediately. Nurturing flesh particles was neither quick nor easy, and it could not be rushed. One had to proceed steadily, forging an unbreakable foundation. That was precisely what he did. Relying on his true spirit, he patiently and methodically tempered each flesh particle. Ten years, twenty years, thirty years, forty years, fifty years... In the blink of an eye, a hundred and fifty years rolled by. *Swish.* Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and looked around his chamber. The cultivation materials worth eight hundred thousand contribution points had been thoroughly exhausted over the past hundred and fifty years. His supplies were entirely spent. As for the gains... Lu Changsheng summoned his status panel. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: Top-tier comprehension World Master: 0 (Embryonic) Flesh Particles: 50% Thirteen Layers of True Self Method: True Spirit Avatar Fusion Physical Method: 10,130,000 avatars His flesh particles had soared from 5% to 50%. In other words, across these hundred and fifty years, his progress had advanced by 45%. That worked out to roughly 3% every ten years—his standard pace. Back in the Heaven Realm, his flesh particles had progressed at that exact same rate. Of course, the prerequisite was an abundant supply of resources. 'A 50% progress in flesh particles corresponds to Tier Five to Godhood—roughly 10% per tier.' By now, Lu Changsheng had effectively set aside the Heaven Realm's cultivation system. After condensing a true spirit, cultivating flesh particles meant walking the mainstream path of physical body tempering found throughout the chaos. A progress of 50% was equivalent to Tier Five to Godhood, aligning with his realm under the Heaven Realm system. As for the combat strength of his physical vessel, that was a different matter entirely. In the past, Lu Changsheng had always relied on the Illusory Realm or his flesh avatars, leaving his true physical body seemingly "forgotten." In reality, it was not that he had neglected it, but that his body's independent strength had been too weak to be of much use. Even so, his physical vessel had always been extraordinarily formidable compared to peers of the same tier. Furthermore, by using his true spirit to illuminate every flesh particle, Lu Changsheng pushed each particle to its absolute limit before progressing further. Such a foundation was firmer than anyone else's. After all, rarely could anyone condense a true spirit while their physical vessel was still so weak—it was practically unimaginable. Thus, although his flesh particle progress stood at 50%—equivalent in cultivation realm to Tier Five to Godhood—the actual combat strength of his body was likely on par with the peak of Tier Six. One more step, and it would reach Tier Seven. If his progress reached 51%, he could probably step into Tier Seven combat strength relying on physical power alone. Lu Changsheng could not help but marvel at the realization. In truth, his physical body possessed no innate peculiarities; he was merely an ordinary lifeform, not a special one. Yet, his physical combat strength was already terrifying enough to fight far above his level, all thanks to his steady, methodical foundation. By leveraging his true spirit, he had honed every single step to the absolute limit. As a result, his current body represented the most idealized, pinnacle state an ordinary lifeform could possibly achieve. An ordinary body, an ordinary lifeform, yet by pushing every foundational step to perfection through the true spirit, it could erupt with frightening combat power rivaling—or even surpassing—that of special lifeforms! "A true spirit... it truly turns the mundane into the miraculous..." Lu Changsheng murmured in admiration. It truly lived up to its reputation as the hallmark of a chaos lifeform. While a true spirit did not directly increase physical strength, its auxiliary role in tempering the body was monumental. "The resources are gone, and so are the contribution points. Time to find a way to earn more." Just as Lu Changsheng prepared to rise and leave his cave dwelling, his identity token vibrated violently. A message flashed across it, causing his eyes to narrow sharply. "Liu Qing failed her breakthrough into a chaos lifeform..." Lu Changsheng's heart gave a sudden jolt.