Trials of the Abyss

Although the chieftain's son, Ah Man, survived and grew up, he never grew tall. Nor did he inherit his father's immense strength. The tribe often mocked him for being weak.

Wanting to make Ah Man a strong warrior like himself, Yanshan, the Chieftain, once again offered sacrifices to the Ice Demons. Following the Ice Demons' orders, he sought out human children with specific birth dates.

He found the Ice Demons' requested children in a fragmented land inhabited by humans, only to learn the children were destined to be offered to the Thunder Dragon.

Despite knowing how dangerous the Thunder Dragon was, he still desperately hoped for his son's robust growth.

Assuming the Thunder Dragon would not mind, he brought the boys and girls back to Ice Rock City, intending to sacrifice them to the Ice Demons at the altar.

Whoosh!

The scene shifted again.

A massive blue dragon appeared, spewing thunderballs the size of millstones, and obliterating Ice Rock City!

The offended Thunder Dragon destroyed the magnificent Ice Rock City, killed Chieftain Yan Shan, and tore apart the fragmented land of the one-eyed giants.

In a show of intimidation to other races in the Third World, the Thunder Dragon banished the surviving one-eyed giants to the Fifth World as punishment. From then on, one-eyed giants no longer lived in the Third World.

***

Pang Jian had no idea how much time had passed.

Chieftain Yan Shan, young Ah Man, and the Thunder Dragon.

Thoughts swirled through his mind as he awakened from what felt like a long dream.

Pang Jian opened his eyes to find himself still sitting on the altar. The ice on his body had melted, leaving him drenched in water. Sweat beaded his forehead and cheeks.

The Giant Stone Palace was no longer freezing. Ice Rock Island had lost its chilly atmosphere. The six stone pillars beside the altar had crumbled in the time he had been cultivating and the cracks in the altar he sat on had widened significantly.

Luo Hongyan looked at him with bright eyes and said teasingly, "Pang Jian, you're finally awake. Do you know how long you've been cultivating for?"

Pang Jian did not reply. As he sorted through the chaotic visions, he recalled Chieftain Yan Shan and his son Ah Man. He was uncertain if what he saw were past events or just a dream.

When Pang Jian did not reply, Luo Hongyan quietly added, "You've broken through."

Pang Jian's body trembled in shock, and he jumped to his feet. "Broken through?"

"Yes, you broke through two days ago and became one with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth," Luo Hongyan explained with a smile.

"Two days ago?!" Pang Jian was stunned. It felt like only a few hours had passed.

"Actually, five days have passed since you started cultivating." Luo Hongyan sighed. "In these five days, some Cloud Sails tried to land on Ice Rock Island, but I drove them away. The Formless Sailboat on Cloud Island left after learning what happened from the escaping rogue cultivators.

"If you did not wake up, I would have woken you up myself. The commotion on the Three Immortal Islands was too great. News spread with the surviving rogue cultivators, and it won't be long before the major sects in the Third World send people to investigate. They'll likely send people in the Spirit Condensation Realm."

Gao Yuan had long since sorted through the deceased rogue cultivators' belongings and had urged her to leave many times. Although she knew it was not wise to stay on Ice Rock Island for too long, she resolutely waited for Pang Jian to wake up from his breakthrough.

Pang Jian started to explain, "I—"

"Let's leave Ice Rock City and the Three Immortal Islands first. We can talk about everything else later," Luo Hongyan cut him off as she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Without waiting for Pang Jian's response, she grabbed his arm and flew him back to the surface.

Landing on the Cloud Sail anchored above the ruins, Luo Hongyan instructed, "Gao Yuan, set sail."

Gao Yuan had been waiting anxiously for several days and was eager to leave. The instant he saw the siblings, he started the Cloud Sail.

The Cloud Sail lifted off from Ice Rock Island.

"Ice Rock Island doesn't seem as cold anymore," Pang Jian muttered.

Luo Hongyan laughed lightly. "That's because of you."

She explained that his cultivation state and absorption of the cold energy from the altar had caused the external cold to dissipate. The reconstructed altar was now completely useless and beyond repair.

"You've reached the Innate Realm? So, you've broken through!" Gao Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "The spiritual qi on Ice Rock Island has thinned in the past few days. Was that because of your breakthrough?"

Pang Jian was stunned.

Luo Hongyan smiled and nodded.

"You've become one with the world!" Gao Yuan said excitedly.

As a cultivator in the Innate Realm, he knew firsthand there was a significant leap between the Marrow Cleansing Realm and the Innate Realm. Gao Yuan's own dantian and spiritual sea had expanded greatly when he advanced to the Innate Realm.

Gao Yuan had barely managed to break through to the Innate Realm even after constructing an array in a cave with five hundred spirit stones and over a dozen spirit jades.

However, highly gifted cultivators could break through to the Innate Realm through sudden enlightenment. Such breakthroughs involved frenzied absorption of nearby spiritual qi, which would naturally flow into and be refined in the cultivator's body.

This state was known as becoming one with the world and was a rare, mysterious occurrence in the cultivation world.

Even so, this mystical way of advancing came with advantages and disadvantages.

On one hand, the breakthrough was more aligned with the essence of cultivation due to its spontaneous nature.

On the other, the lack of forewarning meant the breakthrough would fail if the environment was hazardous or the surrounding spiritual qi was thin and impure. This could result in cultivation deviation, which was the cause of many cultivators' deaths.

Moreover, while becoming one with the world, the cultivator was unaware of their surroundings as they were only semi-conscious. Without a protector, the cultivator could easily fall prey to Vicious Beasts or enemies. Passing cultivators could detect abnormal spiritual qi fluctuations and take advantage of the opportunity to kill and rob the cultivator.

In short, breaking through while becoming one with the world came with rewards and risks. Though it offered many wonderful benefits, it also carried a high risk of death.

"What's becoming one with the world?" Pang Jian asked in confusion.

Luo Hongyan smiled. After explaining the profound nature of becoming one with the world, she added, "When core disciples of major sects reach the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm and feel like they're about to break through, the sect arranges for protectors to accompany them.

"I've been staying close to you lately because I sensed you would advance to the Innate Realm by becoming one with the world."

Glancing at Gao Yuan, she snorted. "Finding a cave, setting up arrays, and locking oneself in to forcefully breakthrough isn't the best method."

Gao Yuan laughed awkwardly. "I don't have a good sister or protector to accompany me. With my talent and abilities, becoming one with the world is nearly impossible. Instead of chasing that elusive state, it's better to take a steady approach and forcefully advance to the Innate Realm."

Many exceptionally talented cultivators wandered through famous mountains and rivers, wasting half their lives without ever becoming one with the world. When they finally accepted reality and forcefully broke through to the Innate Realm, they realized they had squandered decades of their life.

The peers of such cultivators often surpassed them, reaching higher cultivation realms like the Profound Abode or even the Spiritual Concentration Realm. Therefore, Gao Yuan believed his choice was correct.

Breaking through to the Innate Realm through a naturally occurring state is ideal, and forcing it through preparations without waiting for the right moment is less desirable, Pang Jian noted to himself.

The Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art did not include steps for forcefully breaking through to the Innate Realm.

Rather than practicing hard, it emphasized that after reaching the pinnacle of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, one should travel around and appreciate the beauty of nature, understand the complexities of human hearts, and marvel at the wonders of the seasons.

In doing so, one would naturally achieve becoming one with the world.

Based on this, Pang Jian concluded the Qi Nurturing Divine Cauldron Art was likely a profound cultivation method that followed the most orthodox and optimal path.

Luo Hongyan gently reminded, "Your advancement to the Innate Realm was different from other peoples' as you absorbed more than just the spiritual qi of heaven and earth."

She had witnessed Pang Jian's breakthrough and knew he had absorbed not only the spiritual qi of heaven and earth but also the cold energy from Ice Rock Island.

The cold energy was deeply embedded within the rocks far beneath Ice Rock Island, and people like Gao Yuan could only faintly detect it.

However, Luo Hongyan had stood vigil by Pang Jian's side, watching as he transformed into an ice sculpture, and seeing streams of cold energy enter his body. Thus, she was fully aware of what had happened.

"True," Pang Jian said, sitting on the Cloud Sail's deck. He then closed his eyes and silently examined the changes in his body.

He was shaken to his core!

His already vast spiritual sea had doubled in size!

His expansive spiritual sea was brimming with pure spiritual power and was ready to be utilized at any time.

As he attempted to draw upon the spiritual power within his spiritual sea, he distinctly felt that it circulated through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Principal Meridians several times faster than before!

His harmony with his spiritual power had become much more profound!

This meant that the Earth Blaze Technique, Primordial Sun Technique, Starflow Technique, Lunar Edge, and the three spear techniques of the Startling Slaughter Spear could now be unleashed several times faster than before!

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