Jing Qian's avatar descended into the Destiny Stele Space. Without the slightest pause, he immediately fell into his own unique rhythm of cultivation.
The two cultivators opposite him had both been at the ninth rank of the Determining Destiny Realm when they were alive, and each possessed more than seven White Fang Destiny Essences.
If they had possessed a suitable Destiny Constitution Refinement Method, they would likely have already gathered enough destiny essence to advance to the Eighth Rank Dragon Elephant Realm.
Although single-digit quantities of White Fang Destiny Essence appeared scarce, they were actually enough to grant the two cultivators life essences several times greater than those of ordinary people!
Combined with their miraculous destinies, the battle prowess the two could unleash was nothing short of terrifying!
As a minor nobody who had yet to enter the path, Jing Qian could not contend with them through his own strength alone. He could only rely on the Safe Zone's defenses to wear them down bit by bit.
Fortunately, even a little residue or cold scraps that fell from these two cultivators were enough for Jing Qian to digest thoroughly!
"0.69!"
"0.75!"
"0.83!"
He was getting closer and closer to condensing the first White Fang Destiny Essence of his life!
For Jing Qian at this moment, this was a fundamental qualitative transformation from nothing to something!
The feeling of slowly accumulating strength and advancing from a frail mortal to someone with a trace of Magic Power was quite wondrous.
In essence, a single White Fang Destiny Essence represented the entirety of a grown adult's life origin.
To condense one destiny essence meant forcibly extracting an additional adult's worth of life origin from one's own soul and body, then refining it into shape.
Without sufficient foundations or with an improper method, this would be an extremely difficult and extremely lengthy process!
The hardships of cultivation were vividly apparent from this very first step of nurturing one's essence.
This most basic hurdle alone was enough to trap ninety-nine percent of ordinary mortals!
Yet Jing Qian possessed an advantage granted by heaven itself: he could devour other people's destiny essence and turn it to his own use.
The difference in efficiency was beyond his imagination!
Jing Qian immersed himself in cultivation within the Destiny Stele Space. To him, the traces of Magic Power left behind by the two ninth-rank Determining Destiny Realm cultivators were like Sweet Dew, nourishing him.
Every thread and wisp was absorbed with utmost care and transformed into nourishment for his cultivation.
"0.92!"
The count in Jing Qian's heart continued to rise. He could clearly feel that White Fang Destiny Essence slowly taking shape in his dantian, like a crystalline seed taking root in fertile soil, sprouting, and growing vigorously.
"0.97!"
After another violent collision, a large mass of clear white smoke wafted out from each of the two people opposite him and rolled toward Jing Qian.
He let out a long breath, stopped moving, and instead sat cross-legged in the Safe Zone, patiently waiting for the smoke to arrive.
He only needed to digest these two streams of smoke, and he would have completed the process, fully condensing that destiny essence.
Along with the two streams of smoke came two masses of memories.
Jing Qian accepted everything without refusal. In the blink of an eye, he digested the memories.
To his surprise, the two memories were eighty to ninety percent similar—and incredibly vivid!
Inside a vast temple, ten young men with sturdy Root Bones stood side by side, each staring straight ahead with solemn expressions.
Opposite them stood a great monk with a bluish complexion and dressed in white robes.
The great monk spoke:
"You have willingly signed the magical contract, pledging thirty years of freedom in exchange for the destiny fire bestowed by our Shedi Zang Temple, burning your bodies and establishing your destinies in pursuit of entering the path."
"Fortunately, the abbot is benevolent and generous. Taking pity on your exceptional talents, he is willing to grant you one opportunity to defy heaven and change your destinies."
"Inside the side rooms behind me, there are three Determining Destiny Incenses in each, connected to the destiny furnace of our Shedi Zang Temple."
"You may each choose a side room, light the Determining Destiny Incense, and attempt to establish your destiny and advance."
"Our Shedi Zang Temple is responsible only for providing the opportunity of destiny fire. As for the outcome, it depends entirely on your own karmic fortune. Life and death are disregarded, and you must tend to your own injuries and illnesses. Go!"
The great monk waved his hand, and the ten young men who had made every preparation entered the side rooms behind him.
The memory diverged at this point. The tall and short cultivators were both among those ten young men. Each found a side room of his own and began the process of establishing his destiny.
Inside the rooms, the two men each prepared three introductory magical materials and placed them before the three Determining Destiny Incenses.
Then they sat before the incense tables and began using the "Three Sacrifices Establishing Fate Method," connecting their painstakingly condensed White Fang Destiny Essence to the Determining Destiny Incenses before them.
The three thick incense sticks suddenly ignited without fire!
The incense smoke rose in curling wisps and formed a wondrous connection with a strange flame deep within the great temple. In the blink of an eye, blazing white flames surged throughout the entire side room.
The white flames did no harm whatsoever to the wooden furnishings inside the room. Instead, they poured all their power into the two people before them.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Even though it was only within a virtual memory, the agony of having both flesh and soul burned was so real and undeniable that Jing Qian felt as though he had been transported there himself, experiencing the pain of establishing his destiny ahead of time!
Jing Qian slowly awakened from meditation and struggled to adjust his condition.
On the Destiny Stele, the number for his destiny essence was glaringly clear:
"Destiny Essence: 1.01 (White Fang)!"
That final bit of increase in destiny essence had truly been hard-won!
Within the memory, he had fully experienced the process of Destiny Fire Burns the Body and entering the path by establishing one's destiny twice, suffering until he had nearly died.
Even after waking up, he still felt as though his entire body were covered in wounds, his soul scattered and his blood wilted.
However, while enduring that pain, he had gained the precious experience of successfully establishing his destiny twice. For Jing Qian at this moment, that was undoubtedly the most valuable thing of all.
He immediately left the Destiny Stele Space and returned to reality.
He was fully prepared!
"Azure Pearl, help me establish my destiny and enter the path!"
The instant he finished speaking, the Soul Weaving Demon Spider beneath his feet sprang into action!
A deep-blue spider thread descended from the sky and wrapped around Jing Qian's ankle, hanging him upside down.
Then the spider thread wound around him layer after layer, binding him tightly from head to toe without even sparing his brows, eyes, or other features!
His entire body looked like a blue silkworm chrysalis, leaving him no room to exert any strength.
With his head pointing downward and the spider threads adding further constriction and pressure, blood rushed into his skull, turning his face red and hot.
Immediately afterward, three more spider threads extended from directly beneath his head and stabbed straight toward his brow.
Blood flowed down the spider threads, staining all three of them red.
Then, with a surge of Azure Pearl's Magic Power, the three spider threads began burning fiercely, like red candles.
The three red candles were pressed far too close. Their outer flames nearly touched Jing Qian's scalp!
The raging candle flames gathered their heat before his brow and forehead, like a red-hot iron skewer grinding against his sensitive nerve endings.
Jing Qian was struck by sudden insight. He immediately cast the well-practiced "Three Sacrifices Establishing Fate Method."
Before you continue