Judging by the technique descriptions, the Great Ruins distinguished between "essence refinement" and "spirit refinement."
Yet essence, qi, and spirit were generally inseparable.
Perhaps there were also "qi-refining methods," but Wu Yu had yet to encounter them.
"Either one works. Whatever!"
After a moment's thought, Wu Yu picked up the Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram.
He had obtained it from the Golden Treasure Chest and had been eager to use it for a long time.
But he had been out in the wilderness when he first obtained the [Mountain Lord Soul], and he had not dared to use it recklessly.
He gave the card a light pinch, and a panel popped up.
"Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram" Type: technique. Quality: red. Description: myth descends, and a divine ability is born. Upon use, immediately open the transcendent gate and become a transcendent lifeform on the spirit refinement path. Your soul will transform, and a unique divine ability will be born.
"Notice: beginning this technique requires the material [Mountain Lord Soul]! [Yes]/[No]."
The red-quality Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram had undergone a transformation. Before, it required him to refine his spirit step by step. Now, merely beginning it would make him transcendent, far surpassing its gold-quality version!
"What a huge difference!"
Wu Yu was thrilled.
As before, the panel did not blindly proceed with the breakthrough, but gave him a choice.
Naturally, he did not hesitate. With a thought, the card shattered and turned into an illusory book.
At the same instant, the [Mountain Lord Soul] flew out of his inventory and shattered, allowing an illusory Mountain Lord to pad out from within.
This Mountain Lord was incredibly lifelike. Every hair and every expression seemed even more imposing than those of the one he had seen before.
Bang!
Suddenly, the book disintegrated into countless motes of light that surged into Wu Yu's head.
The illusory Mountain Lord immediately threw back its head and roared, "Roar!"
In an instant, Wu Yu's mind shuddered. It was as though heavenly thunder had crashed through his mind, shattering some unseen shackle.
The next moment, the Mountain Lord leaped toward him, turning into a streak of light that rushed into his mind.
Wu Yu slipped into a daze. A [Tiger Roar Mountain Forest Painting] appeared in his mind, depicting a Mountain Lord roaring across a mountain forest.
The streak of light flowed into it. The Mountain Lord within seemed to come alive, prowling imperiously through the visualization painting.
The years rushed by, and time slipped away.
Who knew how many years passed?
Wu Yu contemplated the [Tiger Roar Mountain Forest Painting] day and night. His soul gradually transformed, reaching the limits of a mortal.
Finally, a roar rang out, as though it had come from the ancient age of myth.
Chaos shattered, and his soul ascended!
A moment later, Wu Yu came to his senses. He felt as though the world had changed and he had glimpsed his true self.
"Only today do I truly know who I am!"
He murmured those words. The strength of his soul surpassed that of his body, transcending mortality and driving a transformation in his level of existence.
He could clearly see his own soul, as well as the Bronze Tripod deep within it.
He could see an illusory copper coin and an illusory tiger circling the [Tiger Roar Mountain Forest Painting] in his mind.
He could see his internal organs, his powerfully beating heart, and his concentrated blood. Every inch of skin and every muscle was visible in perfect detail.
Without opening his eyes, he could clearly perceive everything within ten meters of him.
Dust drifted above the sofa.
Beneath it, tiny insects crawled, hiding in the shadows.
By a nearby window, flying insects sought shelter from the rain, fluttering into the room and heading toward the light.
Every beat of their wings and every movement of their limbs appeared as clearly as if played in slow motion.
"This feeling..."
"It's like being born anew."
Wu Yu was beyond excited. Yet with his divine sense revealing every minute detail of the insects in the room, he instead began to feel disgusted.
His brows drew together slightly, and a trace of malice arose in his mind.
It was human instinct: revulsion toward disgusting bugs.
But once his level of existence had transformed and his soul had ascended, his mental power was enough to affect reality!
In an instant, the insects beneath the sofa, the flying insects heading toward the light...
All those insects were crushed in that single moment!
"Huh?!"
Startled, Wu Yu looked down at his palm.
"No, this is divine sense!"
"The divine sense that only Foundation Establishment masters develop!"
After the Great Cataclysm, people had excavated cultivation legacies from ancient ruins, classifying cultivators into the Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, and so on.
Everyone knew that Qi Refining Stage cultivators possessed mental power and could project it outward.
Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, that mental power would transform into divine sense, which could affect reality and wield all manner of incredible powers.
With a thought, flowers bloomed. With a thought, flowers fell.
Words became law, calling forth wind and rain!
These phrases, which he had only ever read in books, had actually become real-powers now within Wu Yu's grasp!
"Is this really happening?"
He came to his senses, feeling as though he were in a dream.
Breaking through the transcendent gate, glimpsing his true self. His soul had transformed, giving birth to divine sense!
"It absolutely is!"
Wu Yu smiled, his gaze shifting.
A glass on the table slowly rose into the air, moving faster and faster.
Whoosh!
The glass whirled wildly around Wu Yu like a drone.
After a while, he set it down and looked at the nearby sofa.
The sofa also rose slowly, turning once in midair.
Its speed, however, fell far short of the glass's!
"It really is divine sense. It has all the basic abilities."
"Only, compared to a Foundation Establishment master, I don't have spiritual power..."
"With this ability, Heaven-and-Earth Toss and Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers will be even stronger. I can break past their previous limits!"
After playing around for a long time, Wu Yu slowly calmed down.
"Even though I've only just begun the Tiger Roar Soul-Refining Diagram, it made me transcendent right from the start and gave me a unique divine ability!"
"Where's my divine ability?"
As soon as the thought arose, the [Tiger Roar Mountain Forest Painting] in his mind responded. The Mountain Lord within roared, seeming on the verge of descending into reality.
Through some unseen connection, Wu Yu seemed to communicate with the Mountain Lord and give his permission!
The next instant,
An enormous white Mountain Lord appeared in the room!
Its head alone was larger than Wu Yu's entire body. Its massive frame could only curl up inside the room, unable to stretch out.
Every hair on its body contained transcendent power, shimmering brilliantly.
Bang!
It crushed the sofa, table, and chairs beneath its weight. A tilt of its head smashed the light.
Having descended into reality, the Mountain Lord immediately opened its mouth to roar, ready to announce its arrival to the world.
But before it could make a sound, anger flared in Wu Yu's heart.
The Mountain Lord sensed it instantly. It shrank back its head, its majestic eyes immediately widening into innocent circles as it looked at Wu Yu.
"Rrrr...!"
The Mountain Lord gave a low rumble and obediently closed its mouth.
"You!"
Wu Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry, but he also felt relieved.
If this enormous white cat had roared, the entire residential complex would probably have been thrown into an uproar!
"So this is my unique divine ability? Summoning a Mountain Lord?"
"Manifesting in reality... does it consume my mental power?"
Wu Yu examined it with his senses.
Soon, understanding dawned on his face.
This unique divine ability could summon the huge white tiger from the [Tiger Roar Mountain Forest Painting]. It was divine sense given form.
Under normal circumstances, it consumed very little mental power. Only intense combat would drain it heavily.
"Divine sense affecting reality, turning a mythical Mountain Lord into a real transcendent creature. It truly deserves to be called a divine ability."
Wu Yu murmured to himself and reached out.
The enormous white cat obediently lowered its head, letting him stroke its forehead...
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