Chapter 1923: Spirit Of Innovation
Chapter 1923: Spirit Of Innovation
Wu Hong meditated for an hour to enter the best state for cultivation before finally beginning. Her soul resonated with the Source Qi Space, creating a projection inside her Sea of Consciousness: the first step was completed. A sigh of relief escaped the empress' mouth. Although this was only the first step, it was not something anyone could do. Without a deep understanding of the Source Qi Space, it's impossible to do. And that "deep understanding" is based on this timeline's standard, not the Primordial Timeline.
After stabilizing the projection, Wu Hong proceeded with the next step. A myriad of colors—3800, to be precise—exited the projection, each a unique Qi created specifically for Wu Hong's seal. The 3800 Qis turned into an enormous spiritual cauldron with a golden phoenix engraved on the front and back.
Wu Hong's soul jumped into the cauldron without hesitation, and in a matter of seconds, it dissolved into a purple liquid. How does it feel to have the soul burned by more than three thousand raw and potent energies? The answer is not a pleasant experience, but the empress bore everything without uttering even a grunt.
Black impurities flew out of the purple liquid over an extended period while also injecting a tint of gold into the soul. In this state, time was irrelevant; well, that's not entirely true. Time was stretched out because of the pain, with each second feeling like an eternity. And when the last string of impurities exited the body, Wu Hong sighed in relief: the second step was completed.
The Source Qi Space trembled before releasing even more Qi into the cauldron; in total, they released 129,600 Qi — every one of them designed to suit Wu Hong's Soul perfectly. Finally, the projection fused with the cauldron to assist in rebuilding the [Perfect Soul Prototype]. The purple-gold liquid in the cauldron slowly and methodically turned into Wu Hong's shape, starting from her toes to her head.
Bang!
The Sea of Consciousness trembled: a glowing soul floated in the air, fully embodying strength and nobility. A terrifying aura emitted from Wu Hong's body for a moment before disappearing; the third step was completed. Wu Hong did not waste time. After recalling her previous Soul Protective Artifact and turning it into clothes, she immediately proceeded to the next step.
The Symbol Array Master had left plenty of Soul Essence for his inheritor, and more importantly, there were many techniques on how to use the Grand Dao Source to make more. Now that her soul had more potential, Wu Hong absorbed as much Soul Essence as possible, pushing her Paragon Soul beyond its accepted limit.
Crack!
The sound of something breaking spread through Wu Hong's psyche. However, nothing was wrong. She understood this was the sign that she had broken her limit and reached a new state of existence. Opening her eyes, Empress Wu immediately sensed the difference. The power coursing through her veins was enormous; she now could fight B-Class Primals and above even without using any of the Grand Constructs.
"This power is fascinating," Wu Hong thought. "But it raises another question: if the soul can reach such a state, the body should be able to do the same, right?" The three talents of all sentient beings are Essence, Spirit, and Qi; they are in harmony with one another, meaning what one of them can do, the others can as well.
Wu Hong put a reminder regarding this issue on the back of her mind before continuing with her cultivation. Now that she had a [Perfect Soul], the next step was to cultivate it to the peak; the process was simple and only needed time and resources, both of which she had in ample supply. So, 17 yuan epochs later, her soul finally reached saturation.
"Hmm, my soul has reached the peak, but the power is a bit scattered," Wu Hong analyzed. "I need some time to consolidate it. No, that would take too long. A decent battle might be able to speed things up." A sudden urge to capture a Destructo King rushed into her mind, but she controlled herself. Instead, she settled for a safer approach: the Dream Battle Technique. Although it was much slower than a life-and-death battle, it was also safer.
During the training session, Wu Hong used the [Force Control Skill] to swiftly adapt to her strength. In the process, she immediately noticed the rapid improvement as a result of her [Perfect Soul]. "Absolute control — there seems to be a hidden secret, a hidden power of the soul that I'm not aware of, but what is it?"
Wu Hong thought about it for a while, but couldn't figure it out. Realizing that this was the type of power that requires enlightenment, she switched her focus to something she understood — something she could control: the Dao Sea. The moment she learned about this concept, her first thought was how to achieve a Dao Body and a Dao Sea.
Using all the knowledge of this world, Wu Hong had a few ideas she wanted to try. The key to their success was the [Perfect Soul], which became her primary focus for a while. But now, it was time to allow the spirit of innovation to take control.
Wu Hong first refined a pill she had created for the first test. After swallowing it, she followed the step-by-step process of condensing the Dao Sea. Having already been living in the Source Qi Space and with her ability to draw energy and Qi from the Grand Dao Source, Wu Hong had plenty of resources to condense the lowest level of a Dao Sea. However, as the process was about to complete, the Dao Sea suddenly trembled before collapsing; Wu Hong vomited a small mouthful of blood, but the pill she had swallowed blocked most of the damage.
"As expected, the Dao Body and the Dao Sea contradict one another," Wu Hong thought. The first attempt was a test to gather data, so she expected this outcome. Regardless, she still tried a few more times until she was satisfied with her understanding of the issue. Then, it was time to try the second plan.
Wu Hong divided her soul into two connected wholes, applying the concept of Yin-Yang to its fullest. She assigned the Yang Soul to wield and control the Dao Body, while the Yin Soul was tasked with condensing the Dao Sea. Everything was aligned perfectly, and the plan was sound, only awaiting execution.
Spew!
Wu Hong spat a mouthful of blood, and even more of it ejected out of the orifices of her body. She hurriedly swallowed a few more pills. "The backlash was more intense than I predicted," she thought. "More importantly, why did it fail this time?" After gathering enough data, she calculated everything, and with enough control over her power, the execution was flawless.
"Let's try again," Wu Hong thought. After swallowing more pills and taking the time to return to her peak shape, she tried a second time. And this time around, she did not expect success. Instead, she searched for the reason behind the previous failure.
"My theory is based on Yin-Yang and the three talents of Spirit, Essence, and Qi, so there shouldn't be any issue, but why do I feel I'm still missing something?" Wu Hong thought as she recuperated from the second failure. The second attempt proceeded smoothly until the very end, when everything became unstable and collapsed.
"What is the missing link?" Wu Hong asked herself. She was a bit frustrated since the answer was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't figure it out. "Essence, spirit, Qi…Essence, spirit, Qi…Essence, spirit, Qi — that's right. The final evolution of Qi is the Law — the Grand Dao Source."
Wu Hong did not want to allow this epiphany to pass, so she immediately proceeded with the third trial. The Grand Dao Source was the last missing ingredient. But how to integrate it? The answer is actually from her previous enlightenment. Creating a Dao Quintessence requires forming a system, but Wu Hong realized there are two types of systems: macro and micro. Macro-systems are the types that Saints create, while Immortals create micro-systems. Wu Hong realized she could form a micro, or internal, system by combining the Dao Body, Dao Sea, Perfect Soul, and her Grand Dao Soul, allowing her to perfect her existence as an [Immortal].
Bang!
A terrifying aura emitted from her body, followed by a vast blue ocean manifested behind her. Upon its inception, the ocean immediately began to absorb power from everything it could access: Wu Hong's Grand Dao Source, the Source Qi Space, her Dao Body, and even her Perfect Soul. The energy it contained increased at an alarming rate while also purifying, which resulted in the color switching from light blue to dark blue, then purple, and finally, purple gold—just like the Perfect Soul.
Finally, the Dao Sea fused with Wu Hong's body, and a strange feeling spread throughout her very being. She didn't know how to describe it, but if she had to, the best answer would be "completion."
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