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 grasses that had newly sprouted on the mountaintop as he licked his lips.

"First enter seclusion and digest the insights from the lecture. The spirit herbs are right there on Kunlun Mountain's summit—they won't run away."

"Understood, Big Brother."

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

Seeing Duobao enter a cultivation state, Lu Chen opened his mouth and spat out the Gourd Vine and Innate Self-Growing Soil. He then summoned the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, stuffed the Gourd Vine, Innate Self-Growing Soil, and Purple-Black Treasure Gourd into it, and cradled the vase in his 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 smoothly one could wield it.

Among the treasures of the Primordial World, fifty marked perfection, one escaped, and forty-nine was the limit. Primordial Supreme Treasures stood at the pinnacle of Primordial spiritual treasures, containing forty-nine restrictions. There were exceedingly few treasures of this grade in the Primordial World. The Pangu Banner, Taiji Diagram, and Chaos Bell, all three evolved from the Heaven-Opening Axe, were Primordial Supreme Treasures.

Top-grade Primordial treasures contained forty-eight restrictions. They were equally rare within the Primordial World.

Upper-grade Primordial treasures contained thirty-six restrictions.

Mid-grade ones contained twenty-four.

Lower-grade ones contained only twelve.

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

The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase in Lu Chen's arms was a top-grade Primordial spiritual treasure containing forty-eight restrictions. Since it was his accompanying treasure, it was somewhat easier for him to refine, but even now, he had only barely refined twelve restrictions.

He could only use its devouring refinement and storage functions. Its other wondrous uses would require him to refine more restrictions before he could further develop them.

Several hundred years passed.

Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes and took a huge gulp of the Spirit Liquid refined last time from the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase.

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

The Spirit Liquid melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into pure spiritual energy that flowed through Lu Chen's throat and into his dantian.

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

Lu Chen shouted softly, following the Nine-Turn Origin Art Tongtian had imparted to him to compress and condense the spiritual energy within his body.

Choosing to cultivate the Nine-Turn Origin Art had been a decision Lu Chen made after deep consideration. The Devouring Art he inherited from the Devouring Demon God was utterly unremarkable in every other respect, save for one advantage—it was fast. It devoured the spiritual energy around him and absorbed it into himself, making the speed at which his cultivation rose plain for all to see.

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

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

The spiritual energy tempered by this method became incomparably vast and vigorous. None within the same realm could contend against it, and fighting across realms was no difficult task.

"The Three Pure Ones were transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and inherited Pangu's qi-refining cultivation method. The Twelve Ancestral Witches were likewise transformed from Pangu's essence blood, so their inheritance could not possibly be inferior to that of the Three Pure Ones. They must have inherited the body-tempering cultivation method Pangu practiced.

"If his qi-refining method was so profound, then his body-tempering method must have been equally extraordinary. No wonder Pangu could 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 method inheritance still stood above all of Chaos."

Though he did not possess the Fortune favored by the Great Dao, nor Pangu's heaven-defying innate foundation and talent, he had never deluded himself into thinking that an incomplete cultivation method could bring him to Pangu's height.

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

"Condense for me!"

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

Middle Primordial Unity Stage...

Early Primordial Unity Stage...

When his Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm wavered precariously and was about to fall into the Golden Immortal realm, Lu Chen took out all the Spirit Liquid within the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase and swallowed it.

At the same time, Lu Chen activated his Devouring Divine Ability and Devouring Art, greedily drawing the surrounding spiritual energy into his body like a bandit. The spiritual energy washed through his limbs and bones before flowing along his meridians into his dantian. After the spiritual energy entered his dantian, it was hammered by the Nine-Turn Origin Art and transformed into Lu Chen's cultivation.

Again and again, in an endless cycle.

As Lu Chen unleashed the Devouring Art and his Divine Ability at full force, the spiritual energy permeating Kunlun Mountain's summit suddenly stirred. It gathered around Lu Chen, faintly forming a vortex, with Lu Chen at its very center.

The upheaval of spiritual energy woke Duobao, who had been cultivating beside Lu Chen.

"Big Brother, this is...!"

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

This was the first time he had seen Lu Chen create such a tremendous commotion while cultivating.

From the moment his Big Brother was born, he had adhered to the principle of keeping a low profile, and he had taught Duobao the same. But the sight before him had nothing to do with keeping a low profile.

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

"To be able to absorb such terrifying quantities of spiritual energy, Lu Chen's physical body must be terrifyingly strong among those of the same realm."

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

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

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

"Agreed."

"Very well."

Laozi and Yuanshi nodded. They then joined Tongtian in taking action, gathering all the spiritual energy of Kunlun Mountain and its surrounding lands onto the mountaintop.

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

Hearing Tongtian's guidance, Duobao, who had been astonished by the methods of his masters and Martial Uncle Tongtian, hurriedly came back to his senses. He sat cross-legged and began cultivating.

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

His aura slowly rose to the peak of the Early Primordial Unity Stage before returning to the Middle Primordial Unity Stage. It did not stabilize, but continued rising without end.

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

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

Late Primordial Unity Stage!

Feeling the mana within his body, many times more abundant than before, Lu Chen's lips curled slightly. When he opened his eyes and saw the Three Pure Ones, he showed no surprise and gave a slight bow.

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

When 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 Divine Ability at full power, he could foresee that the commotion would be no small matter and would certainly alert the Three Pure Ones.

"It is nothing. Disciple, to which turn have you cultivated your Nine-Turn Origin Art?"