Chapter 508: Theoretically, I Am Now in the Nascent Soul Stage

"Congratulations, congratulations! Finally, the late Golden Core stage." The Immortal Fairy clapped her hands with a bright, beaming smile.

"Not a bad speed of cultivation, only a touch slower than this celestial self. I reckon it matches the pace of the Ninefold Immortal, the Qilin Immortal, and their lot."

Whether one cultivated quickly or slowly was not the ultimate deciding factor in achieving immortality, but rather an outward manifestation that reflected whether one possessed the latent talent to ascend.

"Seeing you cultivate so diligently reminds this celestial self of how the Ninefold Immortal and the others used to cultivate all day long—impatient, anxious, seizing every single second as if their backsides were caught in a blazing fire. Truly diligent, they were."

Lu Yang nodded. The ancient era had been filled with fierce competition. To fall a single step behind meant falling behind at every subsequent turn; the bitter cultivation of the Ninefold Immortal and his peers was merely a reflection of that cutthroat age.

Looking at the present, though everyone claimed a grand era was dawning, where geniuses emerged in multitudes and the winds of antiquity blew once more, the drive for cultivation still fell short of ancient times. Those like Meng Jingzhou loitered about all day, idling away their time on missions, squandering the years and neglecting their cultivation—a thoroughly contemptible sight.

"A pity, really. No matter how diligent they were, their speed of cultivation still could not match mine. Every single time, I would defeat them in battles across boundaries."

"Then again, though they could never beat me, their speed at running away certainly improved with every encounter. There were a few times I nearly failed to catch them."

Lu Yang thought to himself that the reason the Ninefold Immortal and the others had seized every second to cultivate was likely in the hope that their cultivation would match hers, thereby sparing them a few beatings.

"At my current speed of cultivation, it will take half a year at most to reach the Nascent Soul stage." Ever since Lu Yang began his journey, he had never encountered a bottleneck. The cultivation of the Sword Spiritual Root emphasized breaking through barriers like a bamboo splitting before the blade, soaring straight into the heavens, capable of crushing any obstacle or bottleneck.

"Actually, you could already be considered in the Nascent Soul stage right now," the Immortal Fairy said with an air of profound composure.

"Why is that?"

"What is the hallmark of ascending to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Cultivating the primordial spirit within the dantian, manifesting a nascent infant." This was the definition of the Nascent Soul stage within the cultivation world, and Lu Yang had long since memorized it.

The Eldest Senior Sister possessed a belly full of Golden Cores. When she chose to shatter one of them to form a Nascent Soul, the rest remained in their Golden Core state. According to the hallmarks of the realms, the Eldest Senior Sister at that time belonged to the Nascent Soul stage, not the Golden Core stage.

"Exactly. This celestial self is currently in a state of primordial spirit. As long as I reside within your dantian, is that not a Nascent Soul stage?"

"Furthermore, once you step outside the Dao-Seeking Sect now, you can challenge opponents across boundaries. You possess the genuine combat power of the Nascent Soul stage."

"You have the hallmark of the Nascent Soul stage, and you have its combat power. If you are not in the Nascent Soul stage, then who is?"

Lu Yang: "..."

I do not have much of a problem with that, but I fear the actual Nascent Soul cultivators might disagree.

"Do not be skeptical. When the ancient ancestors were first exploring the realms of cultivation, this was precisely what the original Nascent Soul stage looked like."

"After the ancient ancestors explored up to the Golden Core stage, they could find no path forward. At that time, a person refined the primordial spirit of a demonic beast into their dantian, gaining unparalleled power sufficient to crush all Golden Core cultivators. Thus, the ancient ancestors named this realm the Nascent Soul stage."

"But this kind of Nascent Soul stage came with a price. One's lifespan was far too short, and because the primordial spirit of a demonic beast did not harmonize with a human body, sudden death was a frequent occurrence."

"Slowly, someone shattered their Golden Core and discovered a tiny figure emerging from within—a figure that was their own primordial spirit."

"Only then did the Nascent Soul stage as it is cultivated today come to be."

Just as the earliest Golden Core stage had used beast cores as substitutes, humanity had also relied on the power of the demon race when exploring the Nascent Soul stage.

The method of substituting a Golden Core with a beast core still existed today; in the cultivation world, such a Golden Core stage was referred to as the False Core stage.

"So that is how it was."

Realization dawned upon Lu Yang. The Fairy had finally recounted a piece of genuine ancient secret lore, even if it was entirely useless.

Suddenly, Lu Yang faintly heard the sound of fighting echoing from the distance.

"That direction... is the mountain gate?"

Lu Yang was startled. Why would there be sounds of fighting at the mountain gate? Was someone attempting to attack the Dao-Seeking Sect?

An attack so flagrant was something even the Grand Preceptor would not dare to pull off.

"Let us go take a look," the Immortal Fairy suggested with excitement, eager for a spectacle.

Lu Yang descended the mountain and crossed paths with Meng Jingzhou, who was also preparing to investigate the situation.

"What happened?"

"I have no idea. That is why I am heading over to see."

"Together, then."

"Alright."

The sounds of battle grew fierce. Not only the two of them, but many senior brothers and sisters were making their way toward the mountain gate, creating a bustling, dense crowd of people.

The closer they drew to the mountain gate, the more intense the sounds of fighting became.

Only upon reaching the gate did they discover that several Soul-Integration stage cultivators were engaged in a magical duel in midair. Their methods were ruthless, their strikes sharp and decisive without a shred of hesitation, fully displaying the grandeur of the Soul-Integration stage.

Lu Yang recognized one of the Soul-Integration cultivators; it was Daoist Buyu.

"Hey, hey, hey! What is the meaning of this? I am merely returning to my own sect. Is it really necessary to crouch at the gate just to ambush me?" Daoist Buyu cried out, executing flip after flip to evade the onslaught. Though he looked disheveled, his movement technique was agile and nimble, ensuring that not a single attack found its mark.

"Who has nothing better to do than to wait here for you? You threw yourself into the net!" The other Soul-Integration cultivators moved in perfect unison, their attacks relentless, refusing to give Daoist Buyu a single moment to catch his breath.

"Rise, Great Wind!"

A hurricane erupted fiercely, kicking up immeasurable sands and dust, sending even the massive boulders on the ground flying into the sky.

A roaring tornadic sandstorm swept forth, lunging toward Daoist Buyu.

With a sweep of his horsetail whisk, Daoist Buyu severed the sandstorm.

"Then what did you come to my Dao-Seeking Sect for?"

"Originally, we came to propose a marriage for your disciple, Lu Yang. But since we happened to spot you at the gate, this seat feels that proposing marriage is no longer important. We shall give you a beating first."

The other Soul-Integration cultivators nodded in agreement; they shared the exact same sentiment.

Lu Yang understood completely. His master had finally returned to the sect, only to run straight into the marriage proposal entourage. The moment the entourage laid eyes on Daoist Buyu, their anger flared, and they joined forces to attack him.

Truth be told, Lu Yang had absolutely no intention of helping his master.

The other senior brothers and sisters were also watching the battle, showing no signs of stepping in. Perhaps because a combat between Soul-Integration cultivators was a rare sight, everyone was entirely immersed in the learning atmosphere, leaving no leisure to intervene.

Tao Yaoye, in particular, was studying the fight with the utmost seriousness. This was a true Soul-Integration battle, and the strikes were far more vicious than ordinary duels, making it exceptionally suitable to be incorporated into her "Illusory Bubble."

Tao Yaoye had demonstrated the use of the Illusory Bubble during the celebration events, receiving a wealth of praise. After the celebration concluded, with the assistance of the sect, she was vigorously promoting the Illusory Bubble, which had already begun to achieve a significant scale.

The target demographic for the Illusory Bubble consisted of mortals and low-level cultivators. The ticket prices were not expensive, but when everything was tallied up, it was far more lucrative than Lu Yang's flying carriage patent fees.

Among the younger generation, Meng Jingzhou possessed the most spirit stones, followed closely by Tao Yaoye, leaving Lu Yang in a mere third place.

As the treasured darling of the Barbarian Race, Mangu had no shortage of pocket money, securing the fourth spot.

Ranking fifth was Li Haoran, though this was only temporary. Once he wed Su Yiren and their martial assets were combined, his wealth ranking would swiftly ascend to second place.

Ultimately, Daoist Buyu seized an opening in the assault, transforming into a streak of sword light to fly into the sect. Only then did the proposing Soul-Integration cultivators give up the chase, departing with a tinge of regret.

Covered in dust and looking thoroughly bedraggled, he worked hard to steady his breathing.

He had merely passed by the sect to drop in; who could have anticipated that enemies would be waiting right at the entrance?

"Master, what kind of grievance does the other party hold against you?" Lu Yang asked out of curiosity.

"Hard to say."

"Hard to say?"

"Too many enemies, I cannot remember clearly."

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.