Nine-Turn Origin Art

After returning to Kunlun Mountain.

The Three Pure Ones returned to their palace to digest their insights, while Lu Chen and Duobao went to Duobao's cave abode.

"Big Brother, so many years have passed. I see the spirit herbs atop Kunlun Mountain have grown back. Should we..."

Duobao sat cross-legged, gazing at the immortal grass that had newly sprouted on the mountaintop, and licked his lips.

"First enter seclusion and digest the insights from the lecture. The spirit herbs are right atop Kunlun Mountain; they won't run away."

"Understood, Big Brother."

Duobao nodded, closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and spiritual energy rose around him.

Seeing Duobao enter a state of cultivation, Lu Chen opened his mouth and spat out the Gourd Vine and Innate Self-Growing Soil. He then brought out the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, stuffed the Gourd Vine, Innate Self-Growing Soil, and Purple-Black Treasure Gourd into it, and held the vase in both hands. His mind sank into the treasure vase as he refined the restrictions contained within it.

Every magical treasure contained restrictions. The more restrictions one refined, the greater one's control over the treasure became, and the more effortlessly it could be wielded.

Among the magical treasures of the Primordial World, fifty signified completion, one escaped, and forty-nine was the limit. Innate supreme treasures stood at the pinnacle of innate spiritual treasures and contained forty-nine restrictions. Only a scant few treasures in the Primordial World reached that level. The Pangu Banner, Taiji Diagram, and Chaos Bell, all evolved from the Heaven-Opening Axe, were innate supreme treasures.

Top-grade innate treasures contained forty-eight restrictions. They were likewise rarely seen in the Primordial World.

Upper-grade innate treasures contained thirty-six.

Middle-grade ones contained twenty-four.

Lower-grade ones had only twelve.

The higher a treasure's grade, the greater its power—and the harder it was to master.

The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase in Lu Chen's arms was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure containing forty-eight restrictions. As it was his companion treasure, refining it was somewhat easier for him, but he had only barely refined twelve restrictions so far.

He could only use its devouring-refinement and storage functions. Its other wondrous uses would have to be further developed as he refined more restrictions.

Several hundred years passed. Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes, held the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, and took a great gulp of the spiritual liquid refined last time.

He put away the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase and began cultivating.

The spiritual liquid melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into pure spiritual energy that traveled down Lu Chen's throat and into his dantian.

"Refine for me, Nine-Turn Origin Art!"

Lu Chen gave a low shout and followed the Nine-Turn Origin Art Tongtian had passed on to him, compressing and tempering the spiritual energy within his body.

Cultivating the Nine-Turn Origin Art was a decision Lu Chen had made after deep consideration. The Devouring Art he had inherited from the Devouring Demon God was utterly ordinary in every other regard, but it had one advantage: speed. It devoured the spiritual energy around him and absorbed it into himself, making the rate at which his cultivation advanced plain to see.

After learning about the Nine-Turn Origin Art, Lu Chen felt that aside from its slow cultivation speed, it was nothing but advantages.

Yet the Nine-Turn Origin Art was slow not because it absorbed spiritual energy slowly, but because the energy drawn into the body had to undergo a thousand hammerings and ten thousand tempers before it could enter the dantian and become a thread of cultivation.

Spiritual energy tempered by this method became incomparably robust. Within the same realm, none could contend against it, and fighting across realms was no difficult feat.

"The Three Pure Ones were formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and inherited Pangu's qi-refining cultivation method. The Twelve Ancestral Witches were likewise formed from Pangu's blood essence. Their inheritance could not possibly be inferior to that of the Three Pure Ones; they must have inherited the body-tempering art Pangu cultivated.

"If the qi-refining art was so profound, the body-tempering art must be just as extraordinary. No wonder Pangu had been able to slaughter the remaining 2,999 Chaos Demon Gods by his own strength back then. Even with the Heaven-Opening Axe and the Thirty-Six-Petaled Chaos Green Lotus, his cultivation inheritance still stood above all Chaos."

Though he did not possess Pangu's heaven-favored destiny or his heaven-defying foundation and talent, neither did he delude himself into thinking he could reach Pangu's height with a single incomplete cultivation method.

He only wanted to grow stronger. He had no system that would give him heaven-defying rewards for completing some task. All he could rely on was this sliver of foreknowledge—and himself.

"Condense!"

As the Nine-Turn Origin Art circulated, the spiritual energy in Lu Chen's body was compressed. Yet it was not only the spiritual energy within him that was being compressed, but his cultivation as well.

Middle Primordial Unity Stage...

Early Primordial Unity Stage...

When his Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm teetered on the brink of collapse and was about to fall into the Golden Immortal realm, Lu Chen drew out every last drop of spiritual liquid from the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase and swallowed it.

At the same time, Lu Chen activated his devouring divine ability. The Devouring Art, like a bandit, seized the surrounding spiritual energy and dragged it into his body. The energy washed through his limbs and bones, then traveled along his meridians into his dantian. Once there, it was hammered by the Nine-Turn Origin Art and transformed into Lu Chen's cultivation.

The cycle repeated without end.

As Lu Chen unleashed the Devouring Art and his divine ability with all his strength, the spiritual energy suffusing Kunlun Mountain's summit grew restless and gathered around him, faintly forming a vortex with Lu Chen at its center.

The tumult of spiritual energy awakened Duobao, who had been cultivating beside Lu Chen.

"Big Brother, he...!"

Duobao rubbed his little eyes and stared at Lu Chen, who was wrapped in spiritual energy, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

It was the first time he had seen Lu Chen's cultivation create such a tremendous disturbance.

Ever since his birth, his big brother had adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile, and he had taught Duobao the same. But today's spectacle had nothing to do with keeping a low profile, no matter how he looked at it.

"Lu Chen is cultivating the Nine-Turn Origin Art!"

"To be able to absorb such terrifying amounts of spiritual energy, Lu Chen's physical body is fearsome among those of the same realm."

The Three Pure Ones appeared beside Duobao. With a single glance at Lu Chen, seated at the heart of the gathered spiritual energy with his eyes closed, they recognized the method he cultivated and exclaimed in admiration.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I ask that you join me in acting to draw over the surrounding spiritual energy."

Tongtian glanced at Lu Chen, then turned to Yuanshi and Laozi with his request.

"Agreed."

"Good."

Laozi and Yuanshi nodded. Then, together with Tongtian, they acted to gather all the spiritual energy from Kunlun Mountain and the surrounding region onto the mountaintop.

"Duobao, such dense spiritual energy will likewise greatly benefit your cultivation."

Hearing Tongtian's guidance, Duobao, who had been stunned by the methods of his master and martial uncles, hurriedly came back to his senses. He sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

Lu Chen was like a bottomless pit, ceaselessly devouring the spiritual energy the Three Pure Ones had gathered through their methods. After his Primordial Unity Golden Immortal cultivation had stabilized, his aura began to rise step by step.

His aura slowly rose to the peak of the early stage, then returned to the Middle Primordial Unity Stage. Yet his aura did not stabilize; instead, it continued climbing.

As the final thread of spiritual energy entered Lu Chen's body.

Lu Chen's cultivation suddenly surged, entering a new realm.

Late Primordial Unity Stage!

Feeling the mana within his body, countless times more abundant than before, Lu Chen's lips curved slightly. He opened his eyes and saw the Three Pure Ones. There was no surprise in his gaze as he gave a small bow.

"Thank you, Martial Uncles and Master, for protecting me while I cultivated."

The moment he decided to activate the Devouring Art and his divine ability, he had anticipated this scene. Though it was his first time operating the Devouring Art and Devouring at full power, he could foresee that the commotion would be no small matter and would surely alert the Three Pure Ones.

"No matter. Disciple, to which turn have you cultivated this Nine-Turn Origin Art?"