Cultivating

The further the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art was cultivated, the greater its power became, and naturally, the more mana it required. Based on the inheritance and memories from his previous life, Yuan Tian concluded that cultivators' realms could be divided into: Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, True Immortal, Mysterious Immortal, Golden Immortal, Primordial Unity Heaven Immortal, Primordial Unity True Immortal, Primordial Unity Mysterious Immortal, Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, Zenith Heaven Loose Immortal, Zenith Heaven True Immortal, Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, Primordial Loose Immortal, Primordial True Immortal, Primordial Golden Immortal, and Sage.

At the first revolution of the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art, the physical body was comparable to a Low-Grade Acquired Spirit Treasure, while the Primordial Spirit cultivation was equivalent to the Mortal Immortal through Heavenly Immortal realms. At the second revolution, the physical body was comparable to a Top-Grade Acquired Spirit Treasure, while the Primordial Spirit cultivation was equivalent to the True Immortal through Golden Immortal realms. At the third revolution, the physical body was comparable to a Low-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, while the Primordial Spirit cultivation was equivalent to the Primordial Unity Realm, namely from Primordial Unity True Immortal to Primordial Unity Golden Immortal. At the fourth revolution, the physical body was comparable to a Mid-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, while the Primordial Spirit cultivation was equivalent to the Great Luo Realm, namely from Zenith Heaven Loose Immortal to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Yuan Tian had yet to create the fifth revolution, but he estimated that the physical body should be comparable to a Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, while the Primordial Spirit cultivation would be equivalent to Primordial Loose Immortal, Primordial True Immortal, and Primordial Golden Immortal. As for anything beyond that, Yuan Tian had no solution for now. He could only wait until his cultivation rose higher.

To cultivate the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art, one had to possess the bloodline of a Creation-Grade Innate Green Willow Spirit Root. Yuan Tian had learned this from the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique; to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, one had to possess Pangu's bloodline. Yuan Tian had no choice but to do this. After all, the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art was of too high a grade. It was impossible for everyone to learn it in the first place. Moreover, the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art required far too much mana. If too many people cultivated it, the Primordial Wilderness would inevitably collapse. Not only would the Heavenly Dao refuse to allow that, even the Great Dao would not permit it. If you could shatter the Heavenly Dao, who knew when you might shatter the Great Dao as well? Even the Great Dao was afraid. You couldn't play like that.

It could be said that, at present, Yuan Tian was the only one who could cultivate the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art. As for the future, who knew?

Enough idle talk. Yuan Tian began cultivating the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art. Completing its first revolution took him only one million years, but the second revolution took twelve million years. The time required for the two revolutions differed by a full twelvefold. In other words, Xuantian had spent thirteen million years cultivating the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art from the beginning until reaching the Golden Immortal realm. Though time was the least valuable thing in the immortal world, it still could not be squandered like this.

Normally, every realm had its own limit on mana. A Heavenly Immortal could possess at most one hui of mana, or 10,800 years' worth; a Golden Immortal could possess at most one yuan hui of mana, with one yuan being twelve hui, or 129,600 years; a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal could possess at most one hundred yuan hui of mana, or 12.96 million years; a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal could possess at most one thousand yuan hui of mana, or 129.6 million years; a Quasi-Sage could possess at most nearly one Primordial Chaos Calamity, or 6.4 billion years' worth of mana; and a Sage could possess at most ten Primordial Chaos Calamities, or 64.8 billion years' worth of mana.

Of course, the figures above were the maximum mana each realm could attain. Generally, no one could reach them. Reaching one-third of the maximum was already quite impressive, while most possessed only one-tenth of the maximum. After all, people cultivated the Dao and competed in Primordial Spirit realms; mana came second.

Was the reason Yuan Tian had spent thirteen million years because his aptitude was poor? Of course not. How could Yuan Tian's aptitude be poor? He was now a Creation-grade Innate Spirit Root, an existence comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure. How could it possibly be poor? How could it be poor at all?

The main reason Yuan Tian cultivated so slowly was that the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art required one hundred times the mana of other techniques at the same realm. But one hundred times the mana did not merely mean cultivation would be one hundred times slower. One hundred times the mana could mean absorbing more than one hundred times the spiritual energy—perhaps one hundred times, perhaps two hundred or three hundred times, or even more. That was why Yuan Tian's cultivation had become so slow.

Of course,

This was not without benefits. At the very least, Yuan Tian possessed one hundred times the mana of others at the same realm. At the same time, through long years of cultivation, his mana had become dozens or even hundreds of times purer than that of others. Naturally, nourished by spiritual energy over such a long time, his physical body had become even more formidable. At present, Yuan Tian's physical body possessed the hardness of a Top-Tier Acquired Spirit Treasure. Sigh, no matter how long it took, he still had to cultivate. He could not remain a tree forever. Who knew when someone might chop him down? Cultivate, then cultivate some more.

Thus, Yuan Tian once more immersed himself in cultivation, and time passed without him noticing.

Another thirty million years passed, and Yuan Tian finally advanced to the third layer of the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art—the Primordial Unity Realm. Though he was merely at the lowest level of the Primordial Unity Realm, the Primordial Unity True Immortal realm, it was still the Primordial Unity Realm. As the saying went, above Primordial Unity lay divine abilities. Cultivators of the Primordial Unity Realm could already cultivate divine abilities. In other words, Yuan Tian's Dao cultivation and mana were now sufficient for him to cultivate divine abilities.

In fact, the Ninefold Soul-Origin Mystic Art itself contained a chapter on divine abilities, including the famous 108 Transformations of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend. The Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend were not merely 108 transformations, but also 108 divine abilities, as well as a formation.

The thirty-six Heavenly Gang transformations were: Creation Manipulation, Yin-Yang Reversal, Star Shifting and Dipper Exchange, Heaven Restoration and Sun Return, Rain Summoning and Wind Calling, Mountain Shaking and Earth Quaking, Mist Riding and Cloud Soaring, River Cleaving into Land, Golden Light Ground Traversal, River Overturning and Sea Churning, Earth Pointing into Steel, Five-Elements Great Escape, Six Jia Arcane Gates, Foreknowledge of the Future, Mountain Whipping and Stone Moving, Resurrection from Death, Body Flight and Trace Support, Nine Breaths of Qi Consumption, Primordial Yang Extraction, Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming, Heaven Mending and Sun Bathing, Mountain Pushing and Sea Filling, Stone Pointing into Gold, Upright Shadowlessness, Womb Transformation and Shape Shifting, Size Alteration at Will, Instant Flower Blooming, Spirit Roaming and Qi Commanding, Seeing Through Walls, Wind Returning and Fire Reversing, Five Thunders in Hand, Abyss Diving and Ground Shrinking, Flying Sand and Moving Stones, Mountain Carrying and Sea Crossing, Bean Scattering into Soldiers, and Seven Arrows with Nail Heads. The seventy-two Earthly Fiend transformations were: Netherworld Passage, Spirit-Driving Technique, Mountain Bearing, Water Banning, Wind Borrowing, Mist Spreading, Clear Weather Praying, Rain Praying, Fire Sitting, Water Entry, Sun Concealment, Wind Riding, Stone Boiling, Flame Spitting, Blade Swallowing, Gourd Heaven, Divine Travel, Water Treading, Staff Dissolution, Body Division, Invisibility, Head Restoration, Body Fixing, Demon Slaying, Immortal Summoning, Soul Pursuit, Spirit Seizing, Cloud Summoning, Moon Fetching, Transportation, Dream Marriage, Dismemberment, Staff Sending, Stream Severing, Disaster Warding, Misfortune Relieving, Yellow and White, Swordsmanship, Shooting Recovery, Earth Walking, Star Calculation, Formation Setting, False Form, Transformation Spraying, Transformation Pointing, Corpse Liberation, Scene Shifting, Summoning, Near Departure, Beast Gathering, Bird Taming, Qi Restriction, Great Strength, Stone Piercing, Light Generation, Clothing Barrier, Guidance, Food Consumption, Wall Opening, Cliff Leaping, Head Sprouting, Ascending and Copying, Water Drinking, Snow Lying, Sun Exposure, Pellet Playing, Talisman Water, Medicine, Time Knowing, Land Recognizing, Grain Avoidance, and Nightmare Praying.

Every transformation was a divine ability. For example, after mastering the Five-Elements Great Escape among the Heavenly Gang, one could travel freely through the elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Another example was the Spirit-Driving Technique among the Earthly Fiend transformations. Once mastered, it allowed one to command deities. Why could Sun Wukong in Journey to the West casually summon the Earth God and Mountain God whenever he wished? Was it because his staff was heavy, or because his mana was high? Neither. It was because Sun Wukong used the Spirit-Driving Technique. The Earth God and Mountain God could not refuse to appear.

Though divine abilities could not overcome the ordained course of fate, they were still extremely useful. One absolutely could not do without divine abilities. After tens of millions of years, Yuan Tian could finally cultivate divine abilities. This way, he no longer had to focus single-mindedly on increasing his cultivation. When he had nothing else to do, he could practice divine abilities as well.

Speaking of divine abilities, Yuan Tian himself possessed several innate divine abilities. As an Innate Lifeform, some individuals possessed unique innate divine abilities of their own. Some innate divine abilities inflicted great harm upon their user, while others caused less harm. The overwhelming majority had only one innate divine ability, and only a very few had two. No one had ever been heard of possessing more than two innate divine abilities. Yet Yuan Tian possessed six: the Five-Elements Heaven-Seizing Hand, Stellar Vortex, Illusory-Extinguishing Star Eye, Star Devouring, Absolute Defense, and Absolute Spatial Domain. They were terrifying beyond measure, but they would not be discussed for now.