The Last Saint

"The last... Saint?"

Luo Jun exclaimed in surprise, "Does that mean that Saint... have become extinct?"

Midnight nodded, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"Long, long ago, after the Gods fell silent, all people fell into despair. Everyone tried to listen to the voice of the Deity again, but slowly, people discovered that no matter how much they prayed, the Gods no longer responded."

"Thus, some people began to attempt to recreate miracles in the mortal realm. People were no longer confined to the cultivation of the Heart Refining Realm, but began to seek higher realms, wanting to fill those vacant divine positions. Finally, through people's continuous efforts, they finally broke through the Shackles of the Heart Refining Realm and obtained a higher level of power, which is called the power of immortals, or what you call the Ascension Realm."

"Wait a minute..." Luo Jun interrupted Midnight's story, "You mean, long ago, when mortals could still communicate with Deity, there was no Feather Transformation?"

Midnight nodded. "The method of cultivating primordial energy was taught to mortals by the Deity. It consists of three realms: strengthening the foundation, nurturing the essence, and Mind Condensation. Those who cultivate Three Great Realms to their extremes, which is what you now call the Peak, were the strongest Combat Power among mortals back then."

"The technique of Feather Transformation to immortality does not come from Deity, but from mortals who have been constantly trying to break through, and through countless years and generations, they have come to understand this new technology!"

This news gave Luo Jun a huge shock.

"But the power of Feather Transformation cannot compare to that of True God, can it..." Luo Jun asked tentatively.

Midnight nodded. "I haven't experienced the era of True God either, but according to my Senior, the difference between so-called Feather Transformation and True God is much greater than the difference between Mind Condensation and Feather Transformation."

"Many people even suspect that the so-called path of Feather Transformation was actually a wrong one from the start, and that it is merely an advanced form of the Peak. But others believe that Feather Transformation is the correct path, because there is indeed an insurmountable gap between Feather Transformation and the Peak. All indications suggest that the Peak is just an enhanced version of the Heart Refining Realm, and one is still just a mortal. But immortals are beings completely different from mortals."

"But regardless of which of the two opinions is right or wrong, one thing is certain: after ascending to Feather Transformation, no one has ever found a path to become stronger again."

"Just when everyone was delving into the path of Feather Transformation, the emergence of a special race revealed another possibility."

"A descendant of Saint?" Luo Jun recalled what Old Yuan had once said, "I heard that special race cannot release their internal energy, but can cultivate to the Body Refinement Realm without limit until they become Saint?"

"You know more than I thought," Midnight smiled slightly. "But you're only half right."

"That race does indeed have a congenital defect, preventing them from releasing their inner energy, thus hindering their cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm and Heart Refining Realm. However, they are naturally physically strong, far surpassing ordinary races, and possess extremely high tolerance for Qi, making them particularly adept at cultivating the Body Refinement Realm."

"However, no one can cultivate the Body Refinement Realm indefinitely. They are simply able to cultivate three more levels of the Foundation Body Refinement Realm than ordinary people due to their special physique and inheritance."

"Cultivate... three more levels?" Luo Jun asked in surprise, "That means..."

Midnight nodded. "Their Body Refinement Realm can be cultivated up to the tenth level, and each level represents a full 100% improvement. Those who can reach the Tenth Level Foundation Solidification Realm are Saint; although they only possess physical strength, they have Combat Power comparable to immortals!"

These words made Luo Jun's eyes light up.

The tenth level of the Body Refinement Realm does exist!

There's still room for me to go even further!

But then he shook his head. "Even if one could cultivate to the tenth level, relying solely on physical strength wouldn't be enough to rival Feather Transformation."

Luo Jun's Innate Potential is about eighty times that of an ordinary person. Even at the tenth level of the Body Refinement Realm, his Acquired Potential is only eighty thousand times that of an ordinary person.

However, he is currently at the Ninth Level Body Refinement Realm, with his Acquired Potential being over 40,000 times stronger than an ordinary person. Adding the ninth level of the Qi Foundation Establishment Realm further amplifies his abilities by hundreds of times, and he also has the aid of internal energy in battle. He is far more powerful than someone merely at the tenth level of the Body Refinement Realm. Even so, he still falls short when facing Feather Transformation Saint. How could someone at the tenth level of the Body Refinement Realm possibly become Saint capable of rivaling Feather Transformation Saint?

Unless it's that legendary race Innate Potential is a hundred thousand or a million times greater than that of ordinary people—if such a race truly existed, they would naturally become Superman monsters by adulthood, even without cultivation— Luo Jun didn't quite believe such a monstrous race existed.

Midnight shook his head. "It's different... The first nine levels of the Body Refinement Realm provide the same boost each time, but the tenth level is like breaking through from the Heart Refining Realm to Feather Transformation. It brings a qualitative leap. All the vital energy you've cultivated and grown so far will be integrated into your limbs and bones, strengthening your physical body to an incredible degree. After becoming Saint, there will be no more vital energy flowing through your meridians. You can rival Feather Transformation Immortal just by relying on your physical body!"

Is that true?

Luo Jun was stunned. So, his cultivation method after the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm was completely wrong? He shouldn't have tried compressing his Qi, but rather trying to integrate it into his limbs and bones, and should have used the methods of the Body Refinement Realm to break through?

Thinking of this, he immediately tried to mobilize his vital energy, recalling the feeling during his Body Refinement Realm stage, but no matter what he did, he couldn't find a way to integrate his vital energy into his body.

"You don't need to try." Midnight clearly sensed Luo Jun's unusual energy flow. "I can feel that your energy is different from others, and you should have broken through the seventh level of the barrier. But the Tenth Floor is not so easy to break through. Otherwise, that race wouldn't have only produced a handful of Saint in tens of thousands of years."

"Only a few Saint have emerged every tens of thousands of years?" Luo Jun exclaimed in surprise. "The efficiency of cultivation is too low! No wonder they eventually went extinct..."

Midnight shook his head and said, "That race's innate Root Bone is more than ten times that of ordinary people. Among them, those with exceptional talent can even reach a hundred times that of ordinary people. With this doubled amplification, even those at the sixth or seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm are stronger than those at the Martial Combat Faction Heart Condensation Realm of other races. If they cultivate to the ninth level, they can rival or even surpass the Peak of other races. Moreover, their Root Bone constitution is strong, their talents are special, the backlash after failing to break through to the Body Refinement Realm is small, and they recover quickly. The cost of trial and error is very low. In addition, they have a long lifespan, so as long as they cultivate seriously, most of them can reach the seventh level. It can be said that everyone is a powerful warrior."

Luo Jun nodded. On average, the first five levels of the Foundation Strengthening Body Refinement Realm require more than ten failures. Those with average talent can reach it in five to ten years. However, the sixth level requires an average of over a hundred attempts to succeed. This single level can take several decades, which is basically a lifetime for an ordinary person. Therefore, Cultivators in the Main World usually do not risk trying to break through once they reach the fifth level of the Body Refinement Realm.

However, for those of the Longevity race, breaking through to the sixth level is not difficult, and even if the Seventh Layer requires hundreds or thousands of years, they might be able to afford it. Moreover, this race has no other cultivation path and focuses solely on strengthening their foundation, so there are bound to be many who can eventually reach the seventh level or higher.

"Then how did they perish?" Luo Jun asked.

Midnight sighed deeply, "Destruction often comes alongside glory." "After countless generations of effort, this race finally welcomed an unparalleled genius. Within a mere hundred years, he broke through to the ninth level of the Body Refinement Realm, and at the age of three hundred, he successfully reached the Tenth Floor, becoming the youngest Saint in history."

"Three hundred years is the youngest?" Luo Jun, somewhat surprised.

"Back then, we didn't have as many cultivation aids as you do now." Midnight rolled her eyes at him. "He really did it; he relied on repeated failures and restarts to eventually reach his cultivation level. Breaking through to the tenth level in three hundred years is already a record-breaking speed."

"That's true, I took a shortcut, and it was a bit abrupt." Luo Jun quickly apologized, "Please continue."

"In short, after becoming Saint, he vaguely felt that Saint was not the end of cultivation. He was somewhat dissatisfied. Why was his clan destined to be unable to release their inner energy? Why did his meridians become empty after reaching the Saint realm, with no more flow of primordial energy? To find the answers, he traveled to many worlds, sparring with countless immortals, hoping to find the opportunity for a breakthrough."

"Finally, by fortuitous opportunity chance, he found a God Ruins... No one knows what he discovered inside, but after emerging, his strength increased by leaps and bounds. From then on, no immortal was his match! He became, as everyone acknowledges, the closest being to a god!"

Luo Jun recalled the description of the Saint Essence Concentrate, which mentioned someone who was just one step away from the highest realm...

"Is he the remains I faced during the trial of death?"

Midnight nodded.

"He was already so powerful, how did he die in the end?"

At this point, Zi Ye gritted her Midnight and slowly said, "He died of pride, of arrogance, of fear, of jealousy..."

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"He considered himself the strongest being below the Deity, looked down on everyone, and boasted everywhere that he was about to ascend to godhood, which ultimately brought about his own demise."

"Saint and immortals follow completely different paths of cultivation. As I mentioned before, because of years of stagnation, many immortals, including myself, have begun to doubt the correctness of the path of Feather Transformation. At this time, if a Saint suddenly appears who has made a breakthrough, what will everyone think?"

"The skepticism surrounding ascension to Feather Transformation reached unprecedented heights. At the time, almost everyone believed that Saint was the correct path to godhood!"

"If this path can be replicated, it could be considered a way out for the many immortals who have been lost for years. But the key is that the cultivation of Saint is fundamentally based on the unique talent of that High Antiquity race, which cannot be learned by others. If he really succeeds, then all the Ascended Immortal to godhood will lose all hope of becoming gods."

"This makes absolutely no sense!" Luo Jun complained. "Just because this path is passable doesn't mean other paths are blocked. Why are you so stubborn?"

Midnight paused slightly, then nodded and smiled, "You're right, but those immortals back then couldn't think rationally anymore. Many of them had the same thought: we can't let this Saint ascend to godhood!"

"That makes even less sense." Luo Jun was exasperated. "The right or wrong of the cultivation path is an objective fact. Even if they prevented that Saint from ascending to godhood, it doesn't prove that he was wrong."

Midnight shook his head and sighed, "The struggle over the path is essentially a struggle over beliefs. Countless people have worked tirelessly for countless years, and suddenly one day it is pointed out that it may be wrong, even if it is self-deception. People will try to destroy all the evidence, or destroy the person who presented the evidence!"

"Thus, a group of extreme Ascended Immortal formed an Alliance and launched an attack on that Saint..."

"But the Saint's strength was too great. Even though he was outnumbered, no one could stop him from leaving. In the end, after the sacrifice of seven immortals, the Saint still managed to escape."

"But that extremist Alliance was not satisfied. They amassed more men, found the homeland of that ethnic group, and began a massacre of the Saint's people!"

"Although several Saint have appeared in the clan's history, most of them perished over the long years for various reasons. At that time, apart from that genius, only the clan's Grand Elder remained alive. However, the Grand Elder's strength was far inferior to that genius's, and he was no match for the siege of multiple immortals. In the end, he died in battle, and the entire clan was slaughtered..."

"This act finally enraged that genius. He returned to his hometown in a rage, challenged the entire Ascension Alliance alone, and finally perished after killing twenty-eight Feather Transformation."

"Even after his death, the Alliance did not give up, using special Law Technique to destroy his remains to ensure he could not be resurrected..."

"Wait, that's not right..." Luo Jun suddenly said, "Then what was that one I defeated in the Trial of Death?"

"Those are just fragments of his remains," Midnight shook his head and said, "Your strength is far less than one ten-thousandth of what he was like in life. Otherwise, do you think you could defeat him even without his Spiritual Sense?"

Luo Jun chuckled somewhat awkwardly. Indeed, he had to be extremely careful even when fighting a single fragment, almost tripping over it. If it were his original body, a single finger could crush him... No wonder he was a formidable figure who had taken down dozens of Feather Transformation beings in a single battle...

"However, I still have a question." Luo Jun suddenly rolled his eyes.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Midnight seemed a little impatient.

"This is the last question..." Luo Jun hurriedly said, "You just said that people only began to study the realm of Feather Transformation after the True God disappeared, but that ancient race has been studying the cultivation methods of Saint for tens of thousands of years. Doesn't that mean that the Deity have been gone for at least tens of thousands of years?"

Midnight nodded. "Is there a problem?"

Luo Jun recalled his experience in Amgilla: "But as far as I know... there were traces of Deity even thousands of years ago!"

"What did you say?!" Midnight's eyes widened in surprise.

(End of this chapter)