Chapter 340: Void-Refining Realm

Yaoguang was not familiar with the other members of the Penglai Immortal Sect.

However, the Penglai Dao Lord had helped him before, even if the Dao Lord had only done it to watch the fun and make an idle move on the chessboard.

Therefore, if he could, he would naturally help resolve the matter of the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King.

However, even if he was repaying the Dao Lord's assistance, which could barely be counted as a favor, it did not mean he had to risk his own life.

The matter of the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King would depend on Leng Qingqiu’s efficiency.

If she was efficient enough, perhaps this deputy sect master of the Penglai Immortal Sect would resolve it directly before he even needed to step in.

If she was slow, then after reaching the Void-Refining Realm, he would go out to hunt the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King.

No matter the outcome, he would not put himself in danger.

He believed that as time passed, the value represented by the Penglai Dao Lord’s casual act of assistance would only grow greater and greater.

***

After ten days, Lu Li finally delivered the materials that Yaoguang had spent one billion contribution points to exchange for.

As he handed over the materials, Lu Li still tried to persuade him once more. "Perfected Lord Yaoguang, you should consider it carefully. A Dao Artifact is worth taking a risk for. Besides, with your strength, I believe that as long as you stay fully alert, even if you encounter an ambush, you will have enough means to hold out for a few breaths."

Yaoguang did not answer. He only smiled and asked, "Has the bounty for the Heaven-Swallowing Demon King been issued?"

"It has." Lu Li nodded. "One billion contribution points, five hundred million because of its power, and an additional five hundred million on top of that because of the trouble he has caused. Among the other demon kings, the one skilled in concealment has a bounty of seven hundred million contribution points, the one skilled in scouting has a bounty of six hundred million, and the remaining demon kings have all reached five hundred million."

"The Heaven-Swallowing Demon King’s team has eight demon kings. In other words, they’re worth 4,800,000,000? That’s almost worth a Dao Artifact." Yaoguang smiled as he spoke.

"Indeed." Lu Li smiled faintly. "If I weren’t currently at the critical stage of planting my Dao Seed, even I would want to go to the outer sea and try my luck."

Yaoguang did not answer.

After the two exchanged a few polite words, Yaoguang piloted the warship and left the Biyou Immortal Market.

"Hall Master, what should we do next..." Qi Sha gave a fist-and-palm salute and asked for instructions.

"Many people received quite a few Pure Yang Grand Pills and need time to raise and stabilize their cultivation level. We'll operate around the inner sea and deep sea for now, hunting some demonic creatures and earning a bit of extra income. Once everyone has stabilized, we’ll decide on the next step," Yaoguang said.

Qi Sha nodded and quickly passed down the order.

Yaoguang himself returned to the lounge.

The cultivation environment on the warship naturally could not compare to the Nine Cauldrons Peak.

However, Yaoguang’s current issue was condensing the Dao Seed for the Void Flicker Dao Technique, so he did not need a particularly peaceful environment.

After he set up some basic arrays inside the lounge, he quickly focused his psychic mind inside his grotto-heaven.

My first choice had always been the Great Dao of void. This grotto-heaven was arranged to accommodate a Dao Seed related to the Great Dao of void. I only need a few small modifications to have the environment needed to plant a void Dao Seed.

He had already made his decision long ago, so he did not hesitate.

The various mysteries of the Void Flicker Dao Technique continued to circulate and flow through his mind.

When he used this Dao Technique, the compatibility between himself and the Great Dao of void, the way the power of his grotto-heaven stirred spatial ripples, the true spirit’s control over the power of the grotto-heaven, and every other change were all condensed together.

In the end, the entire grotto-heaven began to change, adjusting into the shape most suited for Void Flicker. At the same time, his true spirit, essence, qi, and psyche, as well as all the power of his grotto-heaven, condensed into a ball of light.

This was the Dao Seed of Void Flicker, which possessed nearly the highest authority over his true spirit, essence, qi, psyche, and the power of his grotto-heaven.

As a result, the casting speed of Void Flicker was reduced to a fraction of what it had been before.

While Yaoguang was planting his Dao, Qi Sha, as a Void-Piercing Realm powerhouse, faintly sensed something.

The power of the void around the warship seemed to have become unusually active. And the source of this activity was the direction where Yaoguang was cultivating in seclusion. This change...

Has he planted his Dao Seed? It should be the Dao of Void. This Void-Piercing Realm powerhouse understood something.

Immediately after, his pupils contracted slightly. Is it really this easy? Is it because of his special void-type constitution? Or has his comprehension of the Great Dao of void already reached a level where he can easily plant a void Dao Seed?

One had to know that planting a Dao Seed was not a task that could be completed easily.

To complete the process, a cultivator needed to first reshape their grotto-heaven. They had to transform the grotto-heaven into the form most suited for the chosen Great Dao to survive in.

Although Yaoguang had chosen the Great Dao of void, which had the lowest difficulty and the greatest number of cultivators choosing it, for many Void-Piercing powerhouses, the difficulty of this process was still second only to advancing to the Void-Piercing Realm.

Some Void-Piercing cultivators could even damage the structural balance of their grotto-heaven during the reshaping process, causing the grotto-heaven to collapse. Yet Yaoguang seemed to have completed the Dao planting process as easily as eating and drinking...

It was simply inconceivable.

"The Dao Seed has been planted. Next, he needs to properly balance the relationship between the Dao Seed and the grotto-heaven until the Dao Seed and the grotto-heaven completely fuse into one, becoming the foundation of the grotto-heaven and feeding back into it..." Qi Sha muttered to himself.

He and Lu Li were both currently at this step. This step placed extremely high demands on a cultivator’s comprehension of their Great Dao.

It was said that the standard was to practice a Dao Technique to the proficient stage. Only that level of comprehension would allow the Dao Seed to completely merge with the grotto-heaven and feed back into it.

Further upward...

"Once the Dao Seed feeds back, the grotto-heaven will receive the enhancement of the Great Dao’s power and become even sturdier. At that point, one can proceed to the next step, the Void-Refining Realm." Longing filled Qi Sha’s eyes. "Refining the void, strengthening the grotto-heaven, improving the matter, energy, and Dao resonance of the grotto-heaven, while also allowing the Dao Seed to absorb the power of the void and grow rapidly. The two will complement each other and advance together, until one day, both the grotto-heaven and the Dao Technique reach the mastery stage. Then, by using the power of the grotto-heaven to power the Dao Technique and shatter the void... That will be the true Void-Shattering Realm."

From the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm, then from the Void-Refining Realm to the Void-Shattering Realm, these two realm advancements were within reach for most cultivators who had reached the Void-Piercing Realm, as long as their talent was sufficient and they did not court death.

But it was like saying that as long as one studied properly, one could get into university. In reality, the probability of a child progressing from the start of schooling all the way into university was less than ten percent.[1]

All sorts of factors and accidents could prevent Void-Piercing cultivators from reaching the Void-Shattering Realm for their entire lives.

Yet setting aside accidents, for all Void-Piercing powerhouses, the Void-Piercing Realm was actually more troublesome than the Void-Refining Realm.

This was because the Void-Piercing Realm emphasized comprehension, strengthening one’s understanding of the Great Dao.

The Void-Refining Realm, on the other hand, was about improving the quality of the grotto-heaven and prompting the Dao Seed to grow rapidly.

Although it also had some requirements related to comprehending the Great Dao, progressing from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm required one’s Dao Technique to reach the beginner stage first, and then progress all the way to the proficient stage. By contrast, progressing from the Void-Refining Realm to the Void-Shattering Realm only required one’s Dao Technique to advance from the proficient stage to the mastery stage. The difficulty was effectively halved.

As for further increasing the quality of one's grotto-heaven, that was simply a matter of consuming resources.

And when it came to resources... Qi Sha looked toward Yaoguang inside the lounge.

Yaoguang had already displayed four Dao Artifacts.

Moreover, this time, the contribution points he had exchanged had not been spent on cultivation resources such as Void Dao Pills, high-grade stellar cores, or World Stones. Instead, he had exchanged them for materials used to refine Dao Artifacts...

For a moment, an astonishing hypothesis surfaced in Qi Sha’s mind.

Although he quickly suppressed it, if that guess was true... During the Void-Refining Realm, Yaoguang would never be lacking resources.

Without worries over resources, won't reaching the Void-Shattering Realm only be a matter of time?! At this thought, Qi Sha could not help but sway a little.

Impossible. He already has such talent in cultivation. It’s impossible for him to have mastered artifact refinement as well... His Dao Artifacts must have been obtained from some heaven-defying inheritance, allowing him to acquire several at once... Yet this thought had only just surfaced before his rationality rejected it.

Yaoguang’s Dao Artifacts matched the Dao Techniques he had mastered far too well. It would not be an exaggeration to say they had been tailor-made for him. In that case...

There is a top-tier figure behind him who can refine Dao Artifacts and is supporting him with all their strength. Qi Sha thought.

But a moment later, he smiled bitterly.

Was there any difference between having the full support of a top-tier figure capable of refining Dao Artifacts and being an artifact paragon himself?

At least in terms of obtaining resources during the Void-Refining Realm stage, he would not encounter any real difficulty.

In other words, the question regarding Yaoguang was no longer whether he could reach the Void-Refining Realm within a hundred years, but whether he could reach the Void-Shattering Realm a hundred years later.

"Phew!" Qi Sha exhaled somewhat powerlessly.

Reaching the Void-Shattering Realm in a hundred years! Such a prodigy actually exists in this world

He thought of his own circumstances...

I once considered myself a peerless genius. During my time as a true disciple, I performed outstandingly, but because I was proud and arrogant, confident that I could break through every hardship and ascend to the summit, the result was being dispatched to the battle hall, where I was stuck for several hundred years.

Now, I am over a thousand years old and still have not reached the Void-Refining Realm. This is the price I paid for my arrogance.

Does a so-called peerless genius like me really have the right to be proud before Yaoguang?

He can likely reach the Void-Shattering Realm within a hundred years! What right do I have to be proud?

At the Void-Piercing Realm, my talent still has some use, but at the Void-Refining Realm... Without status or power, where will the required cultivation resources come from?

In the future, can I still reach the Void-Shattering Realm, and look forward to standing among the Dao Lords who have merged with the Dao?

For a time, Qi Sha’s gaze once again fell on Yaoguang’s lounge.

Perhaps it's time to find a way out for myself.

***

Yaoguang did not know about Qi Sha’s psychological changes.

All of his time and energy were focused on allowing the void Dao Seed to harmonize with his grotto-heaven.

Time flowed quickly during his cultivation.

Relying on his comprehension, which had already reached the Void-Shattering Realm, the progress of harmonizing his Dao Seed with his grotto-heaven was extremely fast.

At every moment, the harmony between the Dao Seed and the grotto-heaven improved.

As the harmony between the two increased, the boundary between the power of the grotto-heaven and the power of the void gradually became blurred.

And when this boundary blurred to a certain degree, the barrier was suddenly broken.

Yaoguang abruptly stretched out his hand. The power of the grotto-heaven flowed over his palm and directly transformed into the power of the void.

Immediately after, he swept his left hand across the air. Spatial ripples flashed, and the power of the void had already been refined into the power of the grotto-heaven.

There was no longer any separation between the two. That was an indicator...

"I've reached the Void-Refining Realm," Yaoguang muttered.

1. Some numbers: According to data gathered in 2021, 15% of the Chinese population had a university degree. Worldwide, only 6.7% has one. 60% of Canada's population aged 25 or older has some sort of higher education (including associate or vocational degrees), while 52% of Ireland's 25+ population has at least a Bachelor's Degree. All this to say that the number the author came up with was completely random. ☜