[Year 596: You are 613 years old.]
[You learned that a Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator from the Heavenly Talisman Sect was about to attempt a breakthrough to the Deity Transformation stage.]
[Just like breaking through from Core Formation to Nascent Soul, advancing from Nascent Soul to Deity Transformation required facing a heavenly tribulation.]
[The latter was also known as the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, a truly terrifying ordeal.]
[As a first-tier guest elder of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you naturally gained the opportunity to observe your sect's Great Cultivator attempting the Deity Transformation breakthrough.]
[Rolling heavenly lightning fell like rain, accompanied by a Heart Demon Tribulation suffused with an aura of disaster. Ultimately, the Heavenly Talisman Sect's Late Stage Great Cultivator failed his Deity Transformation breakthrough.]
[Having watched the entire Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation, you concluded that with your current strength, you couldn't withstand even the first three bolts of heavenly lightning.]
['My strength...']
[You sighed inwardly. With the accumulation of several simulations, combined with the opportunities from the Ghost Realm Trial Field, your Nascent Soul spirit body was impervious to all magic. In the Mid Nascent Soul stage, you were absolutely in a league of your own. Paired with your physical physique, you could easily be considered among the strongest below the level of a Great Cultivator.]
['If I step into the Late Nascent Soul stage, will I be able to withstand the Deity Transformation lightning tribulation?']
[You examined yourself and eventually gave a slight shake of your head. The transition from the Mid Nascent Soul stage to the Late Stage was a qualitative leap. Yet, facing the Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation—even just the initial lightning bolts—you still had no confidence.]
['Take it slowly.']
[You adjusted your mindset. Unlike other Great Cultivators, you possessed near-infinite opportunities to start over.]
[If this time didn't work out, there was always the next, or the one after.]
[The failure of their Great Cultivator to reach Deity Transformation had widespread repercussions for the many disciples of the Heavenly Talisman Sect.]
[Setting everything else aside, merely losing a Great Cultivator overseeing the sect constituted a massive blow to their strength.]
[When a Late Nascent Soul stage Great Cultivator failed the Deity Transformation breakthrough, even if they survived, their vitality would be severely damaged.]
[For a Great Cultivator with few years of lifespan remaining, it was entirely possible to pass away in meditation on the spot.]
[Unfortunately, that Great Cultivator of the Heavenly Talisman Sect did not survive. He perished beneath the Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation.]
[However, since the Heavenly Monarch's fall, the Heavenly Talisman Sect's Great Cultivator wasn't the only Late Stage Great Cultivator to attempt the Deity Transformation breakthrough and perish.]
[The other top-tier factions were in essentially the same situation.]
[Since they all lost the Great Cultivators overseeing them, it was equivalent to none of them being weakened at all.]
[Year 606: You are 623 years old.]
[The Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivator of Heavenly Sword Peak failed to break through to the Deity Transformation stage. His monstrous sword intent dissipated, and nearly half of the Central Continent felt the collapse of that all-severing sword intent.]
['Heavenly Sword Peak...']
[Sitting cross-legged in your Heavenly Talisman Sect immortal cave, you couldn't help but sigh.]
[The Great Cultivators of Heavenly Sword Peak were all sword cultivators whose legacies came from the Sword Lord of the ancient era. Their combat prowess exceeded that of other Great Cultivators at the same level.]
[On the list of the ten great bandit cultivators, Purple-Eyed True Monarch, True Monarch Huanye, and True Monarch Wugan had struck multiple times to fight for opportunities in the grotto-heavens and blessed lands, yet they rarely targeted the ones controlled by Heavenly Sword Peak.]
[The phrase "one sword breaks ten thousand dharmas" was no joke.]
['Deity Transformation stage...']
[You fell silent. If even the sword-cultivating Great Cultivator from Heavenly Sword Peak failed, who exactly could ascend to become a Heavenly Monarch?]
[One thing was certain: this generation of Heavenly Sword Peak still had a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch overseeing it.]
[Year 616: You are 633 years old.]
[While keeping an eye on the news of various Great Cultivators attempting Deity Transformation in the outside world, you focused on your own cultivation and comprehended the arts of the alchemical Dao.]
[Your alchemical skills finally reached the Rank 4 Middle Grade Peak.]
[Year 626: You are 643 years old.]
[On this day, while you were in secluded cultivation, you suddenly sensed the profound qi dynamics of heaven and earth shifting once more.]
[It felt as though some colossal entity had reached the summit, triggering a deep resonance throughout the heaven and earth of the Human Realm.]
['This is... a new Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch has been born...']
[Your heart shuddered. You had only ever felt this kind of shift in worldly qi when Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passed away in meditation.]
['A new Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch... Who could it be? Is it from the Central Continent's One Peak, Two Physiques, Three Dharmas, Four Societies, and five unorthodox sects, or is it from the ruling factions of the other four great domains?']
[You stepped out of your immortal cave, guessing silently.]
[Half a month later, True Monarch Wen sought you out in a hurry.]
["Fellow Daoist Zhou, guess who the new Heavenly Monarch is?"]
[True Monarch Wen said immediately, his tone full of shock.]
["Who is it?"]
[You asked. During this period, it hadn't been convenient for you to directly inquire about the new Heavenly Monarch.]
[After all, the worldly qi fluctuations from a new Heavenly Monarch's birth could only be detected by Late Stage Great Cultivators and divination Grandmasters.]
["It is Grand Cultivator Powang from the Great Snow Mountain of the Northern Plains..."]
[True Monarch Wen composed himself and spoke.]
["The Northern Plains? Great Snow Mountain?"]
[You were quite surprised.]
[Great Snow Mountain was a hegemon-level faction of the Northern Plains, similar to the Zhou Immortal Dynasty in the Eastern Wilderness Domain.]
[It was quite rare for a new Heavenly Monarch to hail from outside the Central Continent.]
[This was especially true for the Northern Plains Domain, which was considered the weakest of the major domains in the Human Realm, ranking below the Eastern Wilderness Domain and the Western Desert Domain.]
[Ranked from strongest to weakest, the five major domains of the Human Realm continent were the Central Continent, Southern Sea, Eastern Wilderness, Western Desert, and Northern Plains.]
["Grand Cultivator Powang stepping into the Deity Transformation stage isn't even the main point..." True Monarch Wen composed himself, looking at you with an odd expression. "Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you know this Grand Cultivator Powang's true identity?"]
[Hearing this, you immediately knew there was a hidden story.]
["This Grand Cultivator Powang's true identity is Purple-Eyed True Monarch, the Great Cultivator who ranks first on the list of the ten great bandit cultivators..."]
[True Monarch Wen's tone was strange. "When Grand Cultivator Powang was enduring the Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation, he was spied upon by a Great Cultivator of the same tier. It was discovered that to fend off the tribulation, he utilized a certain technique that materialized a massive purple eye behind him..."]
[Materializing the phantom of a purple eye was the signature phenomenon whenever Purple-Eyed True Monarch struck. Since Grand Cultivator Powang possessed this very same technique, it was virtually guaranteed that he was Purple-Eyed True Monarch.]
[There were only so many Great Cultivators in the entire Human Realm. Other than Purple-Eyed True Monarch himself, who else could employ such a similar technique?]
[Furthermore, when facing the Deity Transformation heavenly tribulation, even top-tier Great Cultivators had to go all out and exhaust every trick in their arsenal. This was one of the reasons Grand Cultivator Powang's identity was exposed.]
["So it was him..."]
[You found it quite bizarre yourself. To think that Purple-Eyed True Monarch—a thorn in the side of the Central Continent's Two Physiques and Three Dharmas—wasn't a Great Cultivator from a top-tier Central Continent faction at all, but rather hailed from the Northern Plains.]
["The five major factions of the Two Physiques and Three Dharmas... I imagine they've got massive headaches right now..."]
[True Monarch Wen couldn't help but add.]
[If Grand Cultivator Powang had never stepped into the Deity Transformation stage, exposing his identity as Purple-Eyed True Monarch would likely have drawn severe suppression from the five top-tier factions of the Two Physiques and Three Dharmas.]
[But now, Grand Cultivator Powang had already ascended to the rank of Heavenly Monarch. While those five top-tier factions didn't necessarily fear a Heavenly Monarch, they certainly weren't foolish enough to go looking for trouble with one either.]
["In the cultivation world, strength is paramount..."]
[You nodded slightly. No matter how much trouble someone stirred up, as long as they had the strength, it wasn't a problem.]
[Year 630: You are 647 years old.]
[The Great Snow Mountain of the Northern Plains held a Deity Transformation grand ceremony. You followed the Heavenly Talisman Sect's congratulatory delegation to the Great Snow Mountain.]
[You did not get to see Heavenly Monarch Powang. The newly advanced Heavenly Monarch didn't show his face during the entire ceremony, leaving the current mountain lord of Great Snow Mountain to manage the proceedings.]
[Year 640: You are 657 years old.]
[As time passed, the impact of the new Heavenly Monarch's birth quickly diminished.]
[You conducted a detailed study of Grand Cultivator Powang's life, planning to replicate his path in your next simulation to see if it could increase your hopes of reaching the Deity Transformation stage.]
[Year 650: You are 667 years old.]
[After a century of winds rise and clouds surge where people vied for the Heavenly Monarch position, the number of Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators in the Human Realm plummeted. As a result, the status of Mid Nascent Soul true lords elevated to a certain extent.]
[Although a new Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch had been born, restricted by the suppression of the Human Realm, Heavenly Monarchs almost never took action. They lived in seclusion or simply wandered the Human Realm.]
[Year 660: You are 677 years old.]
[Inside your immortal cave, you leaned against a massive boulder as an ethereal zither melody drifted into your ears.]
[Li Yan sat not far away, her hands lightly strumming the zither.]
[Not long after joining the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you secretly brought Li Yan inside.]
[Not too long ago, Li Yan's musical arts had finally broken into the Rank 4 Middle Grade, making her a Rank 4 Middle Grade musical Grandmaster.]
[With this profound level of musical skill, Li Yan's zither melodies could now visibly soothe your state of mind.]
[['Yan'er's musical arts have refined quite a bit once again...'] You listened peacefully as Li Yan finished playing a score, then gave a slight nod.]
[Rank 4 Middle Grade musical arts could already bring you obvious benefits. Over an extended timeline, this benefit would only grow larger.]
["But as for the next step, the Fourth Tier High Grade musical arts... Yan'er doesn't have the slightest clue..."]
[Hearing your praise, a delighted smile bloomed on Li Yan's face, but she quickly became troubled.]
[With her musical arts reaching Rank 4 Middle Grade, the number of musical Grandmasters in the entire Human Realm who could surpass her can be counted on one hand.]
[Taking it a step further would be scarcely easier than advancing from the Mid Nascent Soul stage to the Late Nascent Soul stage.]
[Musical arts were a niche and obscure discipline with very little past experience to draw upon. The number of Fourth Tier High Grade musical Grandmasters was undoubtedly fewer than the number of Late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators.]
["No matter, just take it slowly."]
[You offered her some comfort, while thinking to yourself: 'If it doesn't work out this time, we can just try again in the next simulation.']
[Though Li Yan couldn't perfectly inherit everything from each simulation like you could, critical experience and guidance could still be carried over into the next run.]
[Under such circumstances, it was equivalent to her future self teaching her—which was far more targeted and effective than the guidance of higher-level musical Grandmasters.]
["Right, Yan'er. Remember to record in detail all the difficulties you encounter during your cultivation and comprehension of the musical arts, as well as how you resolve and overcome them."]
[You spoke up to remind her, laying the groundwork for the next simulation.]
[Year 670: You are 687 years old.]
[Your alchemical skills hit a bottleneck, stuck at the Rank 4 Middle Grade Peak, unable to advance a single inch.]
[You pondered for a moment and decided to head to Pill King Mountain to seek enlightenment.]
[Pill King Mountain was one of the five unorthodox sects of the Central Continent and the source of the alchemical Dao in the Human Realm. Although it couldn't directly elevate your alchemy skills to the Fourth Tier High Grade,]
[Communicating with their numerous alchemical Grandmasters might just spark a flash of inspiration.]
[Naturally, you wouldn't use your true identity when heading to Pill King Mountain.]
[A Mid Nascent Soul true lord was far too conspicuous, and since you came from the Heavenly Talisman Sect, revealing your identity would only make Pill King Mountain guard against you.]
[Coupled with the fact that Great Cultivator Fulong was still alive, you naturally had to exercise caution.]
[You staked out outside Pill King Mountain for several months until you finally caught a core Core Formation true person coming out.]
[You struck from the shadows, knocking him unconscious.]
[Then, using the Spirit Attachment Art, you split off a sliver of divine sense and possessed this Core Formation disciple.]
[At your current tier, the so-called Spirit Attachment Art had long since transcended its original limitation of only being able to possess puppets.]
[With your divine soul strength having half a foot in the Late Nascent Soul stage, attaching your spirit to a Core Formation true person wouldn't pose any issues unless subjected to a meticulous inspection by a Great Cultivator.]
[Even if you were discovered, at worst you could simply actively extinguish this sliver of divine sense. Pill King Mountain still wouldn't be able to lock onto you.]
[Over the next several months, using the identity of this core Core Formation disciple, you wandered between the various Dao-preaching sessions held by Pill King Mountain's alchemical Grandmasters.]
["The so-called art of alchemy is, at its core, the refinement of the essence of heaven and earth..."]
[A certain Rank 4 Middle Grade Peak alchemical Grandmaster of Pill King Mountain was delivering a sermon.]
[This alchemical Grandmaster was surnamed Fu, also known as True Monarch Fu. With a Mid Nascent Soul cultivation base, he was a renowned alchemy fanatic within Pill King Mountain, devoting his entire heart and soul to pill refinement.]
[After finishing his lecture on the alchemical Dao, True Monarch Fu was preparing to return to his immortal cave, only to find one of the Core Formation disciples who had just been listening to his sermon walking up to him.]
["Do you still have questions?"]
[True Monarch Fu swept his gaze over him, immediately understanding the situation.]
[This was likely a disciple who hadn't fully grasped the concepts during his lecture.]
[Such situations happened frequently, and True Monarch Fu was more than happy to resolve doubts for disciples like this.]
["Grandmaster Fu, I feel that..."]
[You promptly voiced the questions weighing on your mind.]
[Initially, True Monarch Fu didn't pay it much mind. How difficult could a Core Formation disciple's question really be? However, as you continued asking, True Monarch Fu's expression grew increasingly solemn.]
[He found your questions to be obscure at times, and elementary at others.]
[At first, True Monarch Fu was able to provide answers, but as the questions delved deeper, he required more and more time to think.]
[In the end, he actually dropped his elder persona and began debating with you as an equal.]
['When did my Pill King Mountain produce such a breathtakingly brilliant disciple?']
[While conversing with you, this thought occasionally flashed through True Monarch Fu's mind.]
[Your eloquence and understanding of the alchemical Dao were completely unreachable for anyone short of an alchemical Grandmaster.]
[True Monarch Fu even felt that some of your insights surpassed his own as an alchemical Grandmaster of Pill King Mountain.]
[However, this sliver of doubt was completely swept away by True Monarch Fu's fervor for the alchemical Dao.]
[In that moment, his mind was solely focused on discussing the essence of the alchemical Dao with you. As for anything else? It was all pushed to the backburner.]
[He engaged in discussions and debates with you for several days. It wasn't until you requested to take your leave that True Monarch Fu looked at you, still yearning for more.]
["Fellow Daoist, which lineage's disciple are you within my Pill King Mountain? Such talent in alchemy..."]
[True Monarch Fu finally asked.]
["Reporting to the True Monarch..."]
[You provided the identity of the disciple you were possessing.]
[Then, you stood up and departed.]
[Watching you leave, it took True Monarch Fu quite a while to return to his senses.]
[Only now did True Monarch Fu have the time to check his transmission talismans.]
[He discovered that the transmission talisman was flashing, evidently having received quite a few messages.]
[Opening the transmission talisman, True Monarch Fu paused in surprise.]
["Recently, an external alchemical Grandmaster has used the Spirit Attachment Art to possess a disciple within the mountain. We ask all alchemical Grandmasters to..." Reading the contents of the transmission talisman, True Monarch Fu blinked. Only then did he realize that the Core Formation junior he had just been conversing with was highly likely the external alchemical Grandmaster mentioned in the talisman.]
[Year 680: You are 697 years old.]
[You realized that your act of possession had already been discovered by the higher-ups of Pill King Mountain, who had then notified all the alchemical Grandmasters on the mountain.]
[However, that was the extent of it. You hadn't caused any negative impact on Pill King Mountain, nor had the possessed Core Formation disciple suffered any harm. Coupled with the fact that you shared the status of an alchemical Grandmaster, Pill King Mountain did not issue any warrants for your arrest.]
[Mainly, certain alchemical Grandmasters within Pill King Mountain vehemently opposed it, feeling you had done nothing wrong. These alchemical Grandmasters had thoroughly enjoyed their interactions with you. They didn't care about your true identity and were even looking forward to you returning for another Dao debate in the future.]
['The alchemical Dao...']
[This possession and subsequent exchange had a profound impact on you.]
[Two years later, you successfully refined your first batch of Fourth Tier High Grade medicinal pills.]
[You had officially stepped into the ranks of High-Grade Alchemists.]
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