Chen Sheng had just broken through to the late-stage Nascent Soul, and the void domain around him hadn't fully retracted yet. Every slight movement of his fingers could stir the air into faint ripples.
His gaze fell on the white jade stele in the center of the hall, and a strong sensation surged in his heart.
After the breakthrough, it seemed as if an invisible bond had formed between him and the stele. From deep within the stele, which previously felt like a barrier of ten thousand mountains, gentle waves now emanated, like an invitation from an old friend, inviting him to explore deeper.
"Breaking through to the late-stage Nascent Soul, can it really resonate with the jade stele like this?"
Chen Sheng walked closer, raising his hand to gently press on the surface of the stele. The cool touch of jade carried an ancient desolation, and the void power within his body began to circulate naturally, flowing into the stele through the lines of his palm.
In an instant, the white luster on the surface of the stele suddenly brightened, like a dormant star suddenly awakening.
Countless intricate golden runes appeared on the originally smooth body of the stele. The runes moved swiftly like fish playing in water, resonating strongly with the void mark within his dantian, emitting a faint humming sound, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
This refinement was far smoother than he imagined.
The mana of the late-stage Nascent Soul, like a rushing river, continuously injected rich void power into the stele. The runes on the body of the stele grew brighter, and golden light overflowed from the stele, gradually weaving a semi-transparent golden veil around him.
Within the veil, countless pieces of information poured into his sea of consciousness like a flood—these were the most core secrets of the "Four Seas Profound Mansion."
"This Profound Mansion is actually the core of a Grotto Heaven? Within that indigo treasure bead, there's a complete Grotto Heaven hidden?"
When this piece of information exploded in his sea of consciousness, Chen Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
He had never thought that the indigo treasure bead he carried with him for a century, which he believed to be merely a guide to inheritance, was actually a container for a Grotto Heaven!
As the information continuously washed over his sea of consciousness, he gained a clearer understanding of the scale of the Four Seas Grotto Heaven:
Krijg op elke leeftijd een erectie met deze oude truc! Tweemaal daags innemenOpen
"It spans tens of millions of kilometers... even surpassing the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven!"
Chen Sheng closed his eyes, and the complete outline of the Grotto Heaven instantly appeared in his sea of consciousness.
An endless blue ocean unfolded, the sea surface sparkling, dotted with hundreds of islands of various sizes, like emeralds scattered on blue silk.
Beneath the sea, hundreds of Tier Five spiritual veins coiled like giant dragons, covered in runes, with spiritual mist rising from the vein eyes, eventually gathering at the ocean's deepest sea eye under the guidance of the runes.
There, four secret realms emitting different spirit lights floated in mid-air, vaguely visible with countless rare heavenly and earthly treasures growing within, their spiritual qi so dense it seemed almost tangible.
In the center of the four secret realms lies a folded space, which is precisely where the Four Seas Profound Mansion is located.
"The divine techniques of the Refining Void Great Power have actually reached such a degree..."
To refine a Grotto Heaven spanning tens of millions of kilometers into a treasure bead the size of a palm, such a means of changing heaven and earth was already beyond the comprehension of cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage.
Chen Sheng finally realized why the spiritual objects in the Profound Mansion's treasure vault were inexhaustible.
With an entire Grotto Heaven as its foundation and hundreds of Tier Five spiritual veins continuously nurturing spiritual qi, the growth of spirit herbs and ores occurred naturally, a foundation unmatched by any sect in the Great Wilderness.
At this moment, the golden runes on the jade stele gradually dimmed, like a star fire burning out, eventually becoming a golden mark the size of a thumbnail.
It resonated with the void mark on the brow of the sword-carrying Nascent Soul within Chen Sheng's dantian, emitting a light chime.
In an instant, he understood that he had completely controlled the core restriction of the first layer of the Profound Mansion.
Not only could he freely activate the high-level permissions of secret chambers like the Pill Room and Artifact Room to extract the Tier Four spiritual materials sealed within, but he could also mobilize the void power of the first layer to set up a defense array, even sensing every trace of spiritual qi fluctuations and movement within the Grotto Heaven through the jade stele.
"If I can control the restrictions, perhaps I can use this to leave the Grotto Heaven and return to the Great Wilderness?"
A trace of excitement flashed in Chen Sheng's eyes as he formed a spell, attempting to communicate with the treasure bead according to the restriction techniques transmitted by the jade stele.
But no matter how he urged his mana, the invisible barrier enveloping the Grotto Heaven remained motionless, and instead, a message entered his sea of consciousness:
"The Grotto Heaven is sealed, core restrictions must be mastered."
This phrase poured over him like a cold shower, instantly extinguishing the hope that had just ignited.
Chen Sheng's figure flashed, and he instantly left the Profound Mansion, appearing above the ocean of the Grotto Heaven. The salty sea breeze brushed against his cheeks, carrying dense spiritual qi, yet he felt melancholy, gazing at the boundless sea and sighing softly:
"To leave the Grotto Heaven, I must either ascend to the Divinity Transformation Realm or refine Tier Five elixirs and refine the core restrictions, but my lifespan..."
He raised his hand to his chest, clearly sensing his vitality. He now had only a century of lifespan remaining.
And how difficult is the Divinity Transformation Realm? Throughout history, countless late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators have exhausted their lifespan without taking that step.
He shook his head, suppressing disappointment and anxiety in his heart. The path of cultivation was always about contending with fate. Instead of blaming heaven and others, it was better to grasp the opportunities at hand.
"Fine, since I can't leave for now, I will focus on cultivating here first."
"The second layer of the Profound Mansion still contains Tier Six inheritance, and with so many spiritual vein secret realms within the Grotto Heaven, even if I can't achieve Divinity Transformation in a hundred years, I can still accumulate some foundation for the next life."
He no longer hesitated, his figure flashed back to the Profound Mansion hall, his gaze landing on the stone wall to the north, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
According to the information transmitted by the jade stele, the second layer of the Profound Mansion not only contained complete Tier Six inheritance, but also recorded techniques for controlling the Grotto Heaven.
Chen Sheng flicked his finger, and a pure golden spirit light shot out from his fingertip, crashing into the stone wall like a meteor.
The stone wall instantly rippled like water, countless runes spreading along the ripples, slowly cracking a gap about a yard wide in the formerly smooth surface.
A faint purple spirit light emanated from the gap, and a wave of spiritual qi many times denser than the first level of the Profound Mansion rushed forth, bringing with it a rich spatial fluctuation, as if stepping in would cleanse one's meridians.
Chen Sheng took a deep breath, feeling the surging mana within him and the stable void domain surrounding him, murmuring to himself:
"The second layer of the Profound Mansion, and the entire Four Seas Grotto Heaven..."
He gripped the Tingyu Flying Sword tightly, the sword resonating slightly with the void around it, emitting a faint sword hum. Then, he stepped into the passage behind the stone wall, his silhouette quickly disappearing into the purple spirit light.
At the end of the passage was an expansive platform, in the center of which stood a palace more majestic than the first level, with three ancient seal characters engraved above the palace gate, "Void Transformation Hall," exuding a faint void pressure.
Chen Sheng pushed open the door and entered. The interior was devoid of complex furnishings, only two jade tubes floating in mid-air, each emitting silver-blue and crimson-red spirit light respectively.
He reached out, and the two jade tubes instantly transformed into two streams of light, merging into his sea of consciousness, where countless mysterious texts and patterns unfolded.
They were two complete Tier Six inheritances. "Four Seas Void Transformation Atlas" and "Four Seas Pill Book."
The "Four Seas Void Transformation Atlas" detailed the void cultivation techniques from the late-stage Nascent Soul to the late-stage Void Refining.
It not only included more exquisite techniques for applying the void domain but also recorded many high-tier divine techniques.
The "Four Seas Pill Book" contained over a hundred pill formulas and refining methods, among which the records of "Longevity Pill" and "Divinity Transformation Pill" made Chen Sheng's eyes light up.
Yet the next moment, he shook his head helplessly:
Een lepel voor het slapengaan, en de wormen zullen binnen een dag uit het lichaam verdwijnenOpen
"The lowest are Tier Five elixirs, none of which I can currently refine."
He sat cross-legged, immersing himself in the ocean of inheritance, and the sword-carrying Nascent Soul within his dantian also began to operate the spell, making the void domain around him more condensed.
Three days later, Chen Sheng came back to his senses from the inheritance, stood up, and left the Void Transformation Hall, his figure flickering continuously in the void, flying towards the islands of the Grotto Heaven.
Half an hour later, he landed on the largest island—this was the core of this cultivation realm.
Spiritual qi was abundant on the island, with numerous ancient caves built along the mountain, runes of cultivation faintly visible carved outside the caves.
In the distant square, cultivators clad in uniform attire practiced swordplay, the flickering sword light triggering the flow of spiritual qi, evidently cultivators thriving here.
As Chen Sheng landed on the core island of the Four Seas Cultivation Realm, he slowly spread his divine sense.
The late-stage Nascent Soul's divine sense could already cover three thousand five hundred miles, now spreading like an invisible net with the sea breeze, sweeping across every inch of the island.
His divine sense, like the finest brush, vividly outlined the island's scenery in his sea of consciousness.
The island's western side featured a series of low mountains, their slopes sparsely covered with spirit grass, mostly below Tier Three, such as "Qi Condensing Grass" and "Body Tempering Flower," with occasionally a few Tier Three High Grade spirit grass, all cultivated with the full force of the Spirit Gathering Array.
Dozens of ancient caves lay scattered at the foot of the mountains, where his divine sense swept through inside, revealing cultivators sitting cross-legged, surrounded by sparse spiritual qi, the highest only at the late-stage Golden Core cultivation.
"The strongest cultivator here is only at the late-stage Golden Core realm."
Chen Sheng withdrew his divine sense, a knowing look flashing in his eyes:
"The laws within the Grotto Heaven are incomplete, a natural defect making it highly difficult to break through to the Nascent Soul!"
"Furthermore, these cultivators lack resources!"
Chen Sheng's gaze swept over the spirit fields and caves, his understanding deepening. He recalled the heaps of Tier Four spiritual materials and Tier Five ores in the Profound Mansion Treasure Vault and looked again at the impoverished cultivation resources of the island's cultivators, shaking his head involuntarily:
"Although the resources in the Four Seas Grotto Heaven are abundant, the high-tier resources are mostly amassed in the Profound Mansion by the Refining Void Great Power, while the cultivation resources here are even less than in Yue Country, just slightly better than Chu Country."
"The native cultivators in the Grotto Heaven, born with defects, have never been considered for the inheritors' succession by the Refining Void Great Power, who gathered all resources in the Profound Mansion, filtering out the true successors."
Time flowed slowly with the tide of the Four Seas Grotto Heaven, and in a blink, half a year had passed.
Chen Sheng did not rush back to the Profound Mansion for arduous cultivation, instead choosing to stay on the core island of the Four Seas Cultivation Realm, quickly integrating into this unfamiliar cultivation world.
He restrained the pressure of his late-stage Nascent Soul, suppressing his cultivation to Foundation Establishment, to avoid standing out, and swiftly learned the language of this cultivation realm.
...
On this morning, Chen Sheng, carrying a simple pack, bid farewell to the cultivators he had become acquainted with on the island and started his journey through the Grotto Heaven.
He walked slowly over the sea, with slight ripples appearing underfoot in the void, like stepping on an invisible floating bridge—this was his deliberately slowed speed, not exposing his Nascent Soul strength, yet allowing him to easily cross the sea between the islands.
The islands along his path each had their unique features. Some islands were covered in reefs, only growing salt-tolerant "Sea Heart Grass," while others were shrouded in dense spirit wood, with the occasional Tier One Demon Beast traversing the forest.
On some islands, there were only simple fishing villages, where cultivators and mortals coexisted, living a half-farming, half-cultivating lifestyle.
With the limited strength of the Grotto Heaven's cultivators, the strongest merely at the late-stage Golden Core, Chen Sheng had no need to worry about danger, following his heart wherever he went.
He would stay on some islands for a few days, helping local cultivators solve cultivation difficulties—recarving Spirit Gathering Arrays for caves with sparse spiritual qi, teaching Foundation Establishment cultivators more efficient Breathing Techniques, and even improving the soil of spirit fields.
Though the cultivators did not know his true identity, they all respected his profound cultivation and amiable nature, often offering him island specialties as gifts, or sharing tales and legends of the islands with him.
"The path of Divinity Transformation, transforming Nascent Soul into Primordial Spirit, requires Seeing Heart and Understanding Nature, which cannot be achieved through arduous cultivation alone."
On this evening, Chen Sheng sat on the rocks of a deserted island, gazing at the sunset dipping into the sea, muttering to himself as the sea breeze carried the waves splashing against the rocks, spraying fine water droplets.
He recalled the records of Divinity Transformation in the second layer inheritance of the Profound Mansion, then looked at the distant fishing village's billowing cooking smoke, his heart suddenly enlightened:
"This must be why one is allowed to leave the Profound Mansion after reaching the late-stage Nascent Soul—the Refining Void Great Power must have long foreseen that seclusion alone cannot achieve Divinity Transformation; only by experiencing the world and Seeing Heart and Understanding Nature can one take that crucial step."
From then on, his adventures became more leisurely, no longer deliberately seeking secret realms but following fate wherever it led him.
Until that day, his path brought him to an island named "Mist Concealment Island."
The island was shrouded in perpetual sea fog, with few cultivators, most living in caves nestled mid-mountain.
Following a faint bell sound, Chen Sheng ascended to the mountain's summit, where a simple stone temple stood amid the fog, with several cultivators burning incense in worship before it.
The voice of a young cultivator cut through the mist, reaching Chen Sheng's ears:
"I heard that Ancestor Qin Yuan of Nian Chen Sect on Sea Abyss Island once attained enlightenment here on Mist Concealment Island?"
Another older cultivator sighed, his tone full of reverence: "Indeed! The ancestor back then..."
"Nian Chen Sect—Ancestor Qin Yuan!"
These two names exploded in Chen Sheng's mind like a clap of thunder.