Cultivating in Seclusion

Gulanxiu's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Haha! Just as I thought!"

Gulanxiu could clearly feel that the Domain Lord-level Chaos True Spirit he had obtained from his recent hunt had been absorbed by the Green Lotus Seed. Although he couldn't sense any change in the seed, he knew that was because it had absorbed too little Chaos True Spirit. As long as he kept feeding it large amounts of Chaos True Spirit, the Green Lotus Seed was bound to change.

How could Gulanxiu not be excited? He had just experienced the benefits the Green Lotus Seed brought him, and naturally, he didn't want its boost to stop here!

The fact that the Green Lotus Seed had stopped absorbing Cosmic Level Chaos True Spirits had worried him, though. So even after his talent improved, he hadn't immediately started cultivating to see the results. Instead, he had wanted to figure out the seed's condition first.

Now his theory had been confirmed. The Green Lotus Seed hadn't stopped absorbing Chaos True Spirits because it had reached its limit; Cosmic Level Chaos True Spirits were simply too weak. As long as he kept hunting higher-level Chaos Beasts, he could continue improving the seed and, in turn, his cultivation talent. How could that not excite him?

As someone who had read the original story inside and out, who wouldn't want to grow stronger in this world, seeing all the wonders it had to offer?

But the Swallowed Star World was simply like that. If your talent wasn't good enough, no amount of hard work would help. It was true that many precious treasures could raise the limits of one's cultivation, but ultimately, the most important factor was the person themselves.

Just look at Luo Feng. After arriving on the Origin Continent, he barely even needed to fight. He could grow stronger and break through naturally just by looking at corpses in his spare time.

That was how important talent was. Luo Feng's talent was so exceptional that he could break through naturally, while those with poor talent could fight desperately with all their might and still fail to break free of their shackles.

Take Luo Feng's son, Luo Hai, for example. With a Lord-level father backing him, he was still only a Void God by the Snow Eagle Era. Sure, after Luo Feng rose to prominence, he cut back on the resources available to cultivators, but surely he wouldn't have treated his own son the same way as everyone else!

Without talent, your ceiling was fixed. Gulanxiu's talent had been pretty good, but becoming a Marquis Immortal would have been about the best he could hope for. Going any higher would have been nearly impossible.

But the Green Lotus Seed could raise his ceiling, giving him the chance to catch a glimpse of the peak. Naturally, that left him beside himself with excitement.

Of course, even so, Gulanxiu didn't lose his head and charge into the Domain Lord Chaos Beast region to hunt. In the Cosmic Level region, he was practically invincible, but in the Domain Lord region, he was a nobody.

He could only hunt the weakest Domain Lord Chaos Beasts. Against any stronger ones, he would inevitably be outmatched.

Besides, Chaos Beasts were mostly pack animals. Faced with a group of Domain Lord Chaos Beasts attacking him, Gulanxiu couldn't be sure he would survive!

Using a Laser Cannon against Domain Lord Chaos Beasts wouldn't work either. An E9-Class Laser Cannon could certainly kill them, but absorbing their Chaos True Spirits required Gulanxiu to make contact with them himself.

Once he left his spacecraft, he would still be in danger. He had been ambushed several times while absorbing Chaos True Spirits in the Cosmic Level region, but thanks to his strength, he had easily dealt with the Cosmic Level Chaos Beasts.

If a Domain Lord ambushed him, though, he wouldn't be able to handle it so easily.

After weighing his options, Gulanxiu decided that staying alive mattered most. Venturing into the Domain Lord region with Cosmic Level strength was simply too dangerous.

As a member of the Axe Fighting Arena's Core Layer, he still had one chance to enter Chaos City at the Domain Lord level and another at the Realm Lord level. He could hunt then.

That meant he wouldn't be as strong during the Cosmic Level, but Gulanxiu knew that the most important stage before becoming Immortal was the Realm Lord level. He only needed to maximize his talent while at the Realm Lord level. His cultivation speed at the Cosmic Level didn't matter at all.

In fact, if it weren't for the various cultivation missions at the Cosmic Level and the points awarded at the Domain Lord level, Gulanxiu wouldn't have planned to spend much time at either stage.

Of course, he was getting ahead of himself. Now that his talent had improved, the most important thing was to seize the time and cultivate as quickly as possible. He needed to clear the third layer of the Sky Bridge as soon as he could, then find a master from the Great Axe lineage!

With that thought, Gulanxiu piloted his spacecraft back to his residence in the city and began a long, monotonous retreat...

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. A scruffy, bearded young man sat cross-legged in Gulanxiu's residence. It was Gulanxiu himself.

Ever since he had gone to comprehend the Chaos Tablet five years ago, Gulanxiu had sat there without moving for five years.

Suddenly, Gulanxiu sprang to his feet, gripped his Great Axe, and swung it forward, shouting, "First Axe!"

As he swung, the Blood God Axe in his hand unleashed a sharp force of strangulation and a crushing force of immense weight. It felt as if the space ahead were about to tear apart.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Gulanxiu's mouth. He murmured, "So that's how it works! Haha! I've finally mastered the First Axe. Time to try the Sky Bridge."

As he spoke, he connected to the Virtual Universe and teleported to the Sky Bridge Plane.

The Sky Bridge Plane hadn't changed at all in the past ten years. As soon as Gulanxiu appeared, Bafen, the Guardian of the Sky Bridge, came over to greet him.

Smiling warmly, Bafen asked Gulanxiu, "Gulanxiu? Are you here to challenge the Sky Bridge?"

Gulanxiu nodded. "Yes, Lord Bafen! Is anyone on the Giant Axe Sky Bridge right now?"

Bafen smiled. "Wait a little, Gulanxiu. Barbarian Hammer King is challenging the Twentieth Layer. You'll be next once he's finished! Come to think of it, this is only your second time challenging the Sky Bridge, isn't it? How confident are you about clearing the second layer?"

Gulanxiu smiled. "Yes, Lord Bafen! This is indeed my second challenge. I think I should be able to clear the second layer!"

In truth, Gulanxiu was being modest. Fully comprehending the First Axe of the Giant Axe Chaos Tablet corresponded to the third layer of the Sky Bridge. In theory, his Law Comprehension should be enough to clear the third layer, though it would ultimately depend on his combat ability.

But Gulanxiu wasn't one to make boastful claims. He preferred to let the results speak for themselves. Besides, Bafen had been here for countless years and had seen all kinds of geniuses. Even clearing the third layer probably wouldn't impress him.

Just then, a man came down from the Giant Axe Sky Bridge. His hair was wild and unkempt, his upper body bare, and a beast hide was wrapped around his waist, making him look like a savage.

His appearance might have been unimpressive, but Gulanxiu didn't dare underestimate him. The space around the man was slightly distorted. Even though they were in the Virtual Universe, his presence was still imposing. He also held an Eight-Sided Plum Blossom Hammer in each hand and had just come down from the Sky Bridge. There was no need to guess: this was Barbarian Hammer King, the one Bafen had said was challenging the Twentieth Layer.