Above the Golden Body

Chen Fan slowly finished his practice.

Within his body, the vast, Star Sea- like power was now as gentle as a stream, flowing quietly between his two hundred and six jade-like bones.

On every inch of bone, newly formed golden divine runes shone brightly, interlocking with each other to form a flawless cyclical system.

He had already reached the pinnacle of the Golden Body Realm.

But deep down, he could sense an invisible yet indestructible ceiling above him.

"Is the next step the sixth rank?"

"But I haven't heard of any realms beyond the sixth rank."

"Let's talk to the Old Gu!"

Chen Fan scratched his head, then walked out of the dormitory, intending to find Gu Ci to inquire about his future cultivation level.

Training Camp, Quiet Chamber.

Gu Ci was alone, lost in thought as he looked at a cup of tea.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

Half a month later, Chen Fan will set off for the Star River Martial Academy, a place where the most elite monsters of the Human Race gather, a true Dragon's Pool and Tiger's Den.

As a teacher, he felt both immense pride that his students were about to enter the world like dragons soaring into the sea, and an uncontrollable sense of worry.

Just then, a figure appeared silently opposite him.

Gu Ci's eyelids twitched, and he looked up. Seeing that it was Chen Fan, he breathed a sigh of relief, then chuckled, "You little rascal, why do you walk like a ghost?"

Chen Fan pulled out a chair and sat down, without wasting a single word, he asked directly, "Teacher, what realm comes after the Fifth Grade Golden Body Realm?"

"Puff!!"

Gu Ci had just picked up his teacup when he heard this and almost spat it out.

He paused for half a second, then put down his teacup with a wry smile, and earnestly advised, "Chen Fan, I know you are exceptionally talented, but in the path of Martial Dao, the worst thing is to be overly ambitious."

"You only just stabilized your Golden Body Realm mid-stage half a month ago. Your most urgent task is to calm down and hone every bit of your power to the extreme, thoroughly solidifying your foundation, rather than thinking about those illusory things..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Because Chen Fan, sitting opposite him, simply looked at him calmly with those eyes as still as a deep well, without refuting or arguing.

Then, a wisp of energy flowed out of Chen Fan's body unintentionally.

Just a tiny bit.

In an instant, the entire Quiet Chamber was dead.

Gu Ci's protective Sword Intent, which had always enveloped him and was incomparably sharp, was as fragile as thin ice in the face of this aura. It couldn't even withstand a single breath before it cracked and shattered into nothingness.

Gu Ci's smile froze completely.

He abruptly stood up from his chair, the celadon teacup in his hand slipping silently and shattering on the floor with a loud crash. The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent room.

He stared intently at Chen Fan, his usually composed face now contorted with uncontrollable muscle twitching, as if he were looking at an ancient beast cloaked in human skin.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, squeezing out a few syllables through his teeth.

"Golden Body... perfected?"

"This... how... is this possible..."

His brain completely shut down.

Half a month!

It only took half a month to go from the Golden Body Mid-Stage to the Perfected Golden Body!

What does this mean? It means that all the so-called Prodigies and geniuses in the history of the Federation are nothing but dust in front of this kid!

Seeing his flustered state, Chen Fan simply waved his hand casually.

The terrifying pressure that was enough to make ordinary Golden Body experts kneel down on the spot receded like the tide and vanished into thin air.

The air in the Quiet Chamber began to circulate again.

He ignored Gu Ci's distraught state, as if he had just done something as insignificant as swatting a mosquito, and calmly repeated his question.

"Now, can you tell me?"

Gu Ci stared intently at Chen Fan's youthful yet terrifyingly calm face for a good ten seconds.

Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, he exhaled a long breath, a breath mixed with shock and a trace of... ecstasy that even he himself was unaware of.

After a moment of silence, Gu Ci slowly spoke.

"The Golden Body Realm, the fifth rank, signifies an immortal physical body, but it is merely the starting point on the path to immortality."

Above the Golden Body lies the sixth rank, known as the Undying Realm.

Gu Ci's voice carried a hint of dreamlike etherealness.

"To enter this realm, one must condense all one's vital Qi and Blood and Origin Power into a first drop of Undying Golden Blood. As long as a single drop of golden blood remains, one can be reborn from the ashes, with an indestructible Divine Soul, making one extremely difficult to kill completely."

"After the sixth rank comes the Seventh Grade Immortal Realm. This realm is no longer about quantitative accumulation, but qualitative transformation. One must completely fuse one's Martial Dao will with the Undying Golden Blood to forge Immortal Dao Mark. Even if one is worn down to the most basic particles, one can still reunite and return by relying on a will imprinted between heaven and earth."

"Further up, there's the Eighth Grade Divine Ability Realm, the Ninth Grade Law Realm... those involve the mysteries of the Universe Origin, where one begins to wield true power over heaven and earth, capable of transforming galaxies with a single thought and severing reincarnation with a single word... and is only one step away from that legendary ultimate realm."

"The Martial God Realm!"

After listening to Gu Ci's description, Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers rhythmically tapping the table as he fell into deep thought.

Immortality, indestructibility, supernatural powers, laws...

So this is how you walk after Golden Body.

Just when Gu Ci thought he would be intimidated by the dangers ahead, Chen Fan suddenly stopped tapping on the table and touched his smooth chin.

He looked at Gu Ci, who had a serious expression on his face, and asked casually.

"How do we condense the first drop of Undying Golden Blood in the Undying Realm?"

Gu Ci had just recovered from the series of descriptions of realms and picked up the freshly poured hot tea on the table when he heard this, and his movements froze again.

He discovered that his student's thinking always defied common sense.

When ordinary Prodigies hear about the magnificent Martial Dao path after the Golden Body, which one wouldn't be deeply moved and need days or even months to digest the shock and settle their Dao Heart?

Gu Ci put down his teacup, both amused and exasperated, silently complaining to himself that he was becoming more and more like an encyclopedia responsible for answering questions.

He completely gave up trying to understand Chen Fan's thoughts using common sense, sighed, and his expression became serious again.

"Condensing the Undying Golden Blood is the first true leap in Martial Artist's life level, and the danger of this process far surpasses any breakthrough you have experienced before."

"You need to compress and refine your vast, boundless Qi and Blood and Origin Power to the extreme through specific methods, until an immortal Divine Fire ignites within your body, from Divine Fire Bone Refinement that one and only drop."

Gu Ci's voice lowered.

"This process is fraught with peril, with a slim chance of survival. The slightest mistake can result in the dissipation of vital Qi and Blood, a reversed flow of Origin Source, and a regression in cultivation; in severe cases, the Divine Fire may go out of control, causing the Origin Source to self-destruct, and even the Golden Body bones will be burned to ashes, leading to death and the dissipation of one's cultivation."

Therefore, a sufficiently powerful method of condensation becomes of paramount importance.