Chapter 501 - 302: Deducing the Eight Desolates Divine Fist, Fairy Ci Hang’s Fear, Suppressing the Karmic Fire

The moon was exceptionally bright that night, looking pure and immaculate.

After briefing the Cabinet on his subsequent plans, Lu Mingyuan returned to the main hall of his bedchamber. He sat cross-legged before the window, absorbing the Power of Heaven and Earth in the moonlight.

A miniature figure moved within his mind, ceaselessly practicing a Fist Technique, refining the Great Wilderness Mountain-Shaking Fist.

Since ascending to the Celestial Human Realm, a Martial Artist had reached the end of the Martial Dao.

The path of the Dao ahead was one he had to explore for himself, to become his own guide.

Following in the footsteps of those who came before would undoubtedly limit how far one could go.

As the miniature figure continued its practice, wisps of white light floated up from the world and seeped into Lu Mingyuan’s body.

A line of small text materialized in Lu Mingyuan’s Sea of Consciousness.

[By contemplating the bright moon, you have triggered "Observing the Micro." Your Fist Technique has greatly benefited, and you have grasped a sliver of the Profound Techniques of the Fist Dao.]

[Emperor’s Orange Life Chart—Innate Dao Fool: Refinement Level increased to 15%.]

Lu Mingyuan slowly opened his eyes, overjoyed.

’I thought comprehending the power of Profound Techniques would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. I never expected the Innate Dao Fool Fate Grid to have such a convenient effect.’

He clenched his fist and stood tall and straight as a pine tree. As he gazed at the dark mountains under the night sky, he felt the urge to shatter them with a single punch.

Now, a simple punch from him—without any moves or Divine Techniques, using only the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth—could unleash incomparable power.

Profound Techniques originated from the Heavenly Dao Origin. A user was essentially assimilated by the Celestial Dao, borrowing the Power of Heaven and Earth to execute all sorts of extraordinary Divine Techniques.

In Lu Mingyuan’s view, Profound Techniques were knowledge bestowed by the Celestial Dao—the rules that governed everything in the world.

Once you mastered the Heaven and Earth Rules, you could freely alter what was once thought impossible. For instance, you could summon Celestial Fire to incinerate the world or command the stars to fall to earth. At that point, there was no difference between you and the Divine Beings.

Take, for example, creating a World in the Palm within an artifact. This was done by using Profound Techniques to alter the rules of space.

How could a tiny Sea of Consciousness possibly nurture a world? How could a Storage Ring hold tens of thousands of pounds? Yet, for one who had mastered the Profound Techniques of space, it was as simple as eating and drinking.

In the Middle Ages, there was no shortage of Pocket Worlds created by Immortals, nor of Treasures left behind by fallen Immortals on Ancient Battlefields, all waiting for future generations to uncover.

’Since this technique has evolved, it deserves a new name. I’ll call it the Eight Desolates Divine Fist.’

Lu Mingyuan was quite pleased to have comprehended a sliver of Profound Techniques from refining his Fist Technique.

At least his past few days of cultivation hadn’t been fruitless.

His Cultivation had already climbed to the Late-Stage Celestial Human Peak, just one step away from reaching Celestial Human Realm Perfection.

But that single step was incredibly difficult to take.

It wasn’t a matter of insufficient talent.

Lu Mingyuan possessed the "Martial Saint" Fate Grid, so he had no bottlenecks in his Martial Dao.

Nor was it due to a lack of Destiny. He had absorbed the Destiny of the Six Nations’ Pride, and he was blessed not only by Celestial Destiny and Fortune but also nourished by the Great Yan Dragon Fortune. Across the entire Central Plains World, those whose Destiny surpassed his could be counted on one hand.

What he truly lacked at the moment was his foundation in the Martial Dao and the strength of his Flesh Body.

Advancing through Realms too quickly was a double-edged sword.

Lu Mingyuan’s greatest worry was that he would fail when attempting the breakthrough from Celestial Human Realm Perfection to Martial Saint.

The leap from the Middle Fifth Grade to the Upper Three Grades had stumped countless geniuses.

Even an eighty percent chance of success wasn’t enough for him.

He wanted to achieve absolute perfection.

According to the experiences from many lifetimes recorded in the Grand Thousand Canglan Map, breaking through to the Martial Saint Realm required satisfying three conditions.

First, one’s Destiny must be sufficient. Second, one must have the required number of Acupoints. Third, one’s foundation and Flesh Body must be able to withstand the Saint Tribulation.

He now met the first two requirements, but he lacked confidence in the third.

Unlike the Three Immortalities of Confucianism, or a Qi Cultivator who condensed the Three Flowers to face the Immortal Tribulation, a Martial Artist had to endure the baptism of the Saint Tribulation.

Their body would be tempered and refined until the Flesh Body itself achieved sainthood.

If successful, the strength of their Flesh Body would be comparable to an Immortal Artifact. Even a Sword Immortal or the Buddha’s Golden Body would struggle to break through a Martial Artist’s defenses.

They could be reborn from a single drop of blood; even a strand of their hair could serve as a Divine Weapon. A single drop of their Essence Blood would be as heavy as a star, capable of smashing a massive crater into the earth.

Lu Mingyuan was currently trying to find a way to increase the strength of his Flesh Body.

Unfortunately, most Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures were no longer of much use to him. He had already consumed vast quantities of Treasure Spiritual Objects, including the Essence Blood from the Flesh Bodies of the Demon Race and the vital energy and blood of various Demon Fiends. As a result, his Flesh Body had already reached its peak.

Unless he could find an Immortal Fruit or Divine Medicine, nothing else would have much effect. To strengthen his Flesh Body further, he would have to find another way.

Lu Mingyuan stroked his chin, thinking, ’Perhaps the Ascension Platform could help me increase the strength of my Flesh Body?’

From what he knew.

The Ascension Platform was originally a Divine Object from the Upper Realm.

Its purpose was to help a Cultivator form an Immortal Body and Divine Body, allowing someone from the Lower Realm to adapt to the environment of the Upper Realm.

This process was known as Ascension.

He exhaled.

Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath, his gaze profound.

’It seems the Ascension Platform has great use for me, too, beyond just reconstructing Qi Xingyan’s Flesh Body.’

’I have to get my hands on it personally.’

KNOCK KNOCK.

Just as Lu Mingyuan was lost in thought, a knock came from the door.

’Who would come looking for me this late?’

Lu Mingyuan found it strange.

After all, he was deep within the Great Yan Imperial Palace, a place teeming with experts. Ordinary people couldn’t get in. Only a Tributor serving as a Great Yan Imperial Palace Guardian could enter to deliver a report.

No ordinary person could have made it here.

He extended his Primordial Consciousness and discovered it was someone he knew.

So Lu Mingyuan went to open the door himself. Before him stood a woman with her hair in a Daoist topknot, a duster held firmly in her hand, and an exquisitely graceful figure. He offered her a faint smile: