Chapter 1749 : The Path Beyond the Root

Of course, those who cultivate the Martial Path Foundation Establishment must refine their own flesh and blood into True Essence day and night, a process demanding immense willpower. It stands to reason that such individuals would likely not fear this Fiendish Energy [a malevolent and corrupting form of spiritual energy].

Regardless, Eldrin Chen's method of using the Foundation of the Path [a unique cultivation foundation] to substitute for a Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual organ that allows one to cultivate], thereby enabling mortals without one to embark on the path of cultivation, is undoubtedly a stroke of astonishing genius.

Even many Great Encompassing Golden Immortal [a supreme realm of immortal cultivation] within the Immortal Domain would marvel at his peerless talent upon witnessing this.

"After the third realm of the Foundation of the Path, how should one proceed to the fourth?"

Eldrin Chen murmured softly, a slight frown creasing his brow as he sank into deep contemplation.

In truth, after achieving the Foundation of the Path, a cultivator could theoretically reopen their Violet Sanctum [the dantian or core energy center] and return to the orthodox path of immortal cultivation.

However, this path ultimately does not grant a true Spiritual Root. Without one, relying solely on a Primordial Spirit's [the spiritual core of a cultivator] comprehension of the Dao to grasp Path Principles [the fundamental laws and truths of cultivation] would be nearly impossible.

Furthermore, the Foundation of the Path is forged from external materials, not a cultivator's innate Spiritual Root. It is analogous to the External Elixir [an external, artificially formed core] method used by Golden Core Cultivator.

Ascending via this method leaves the foundation inherently flawed. At most, one could cultivate to the Primordial Spirit Realm before reaching a dead end, with no possibility of advancing further.

This has been the greatest obstacle encountered by nearly all creators of new cultivation methods throughout countless ages. Support the author by reading on audio-novel-dot-com.

Since the Immeasurable Kalpa Tribulation [a cosmic catastrophe of unimaginable scale and duration], many Great Encompassing Golden Immortals [supreme beings who have attained the pinnacle of immortal cultivation] have taken action. Numerous individuals have attempted to deduce cultivation methods for mortals, pushing them all the way to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm where one's spiritual essence condenses into an independent, immortal core]. Yet, they all discovered they could not shatter the curse that mortals cannot become immortals.

Without a Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation that determines one's capacity to cultivate and absorb spiritual energy], one's foundation is ultimately flawed. Unless one abandons their physical body to reincarnate and cultivate anew, it is ultimately impossible to ascend the Great Path [the supreme Dao of cultivation leading to immortality].

With the power of an Immortal [a being who has transcended mortality and attained eternal life], even if those around them lack a Spiritual Root, they can directly use supreme methods to perform Heaven-Defying Fate Alteration [a divine ability that overturns the mandates of heaven to change one's destiny] and Foundation Reforging [a divine ability to completely rebuild one's spiritual foundation] for others, artificially creating a Spiritual Root.

On one side lies a dead-end path where immortality is impossible; on the other, the effortless ability to simply raise a hand and mold a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of spiritual root, granting peerless talent]. As time passed, no one bothered to deduce cultivation methods for mortals anymore.

Eldrin Chen's resolve was firm in this moment, not a shred of thought to abandon his path due to its difficulty.

In this instant, a profound realization dawned upon him. If he could forge another path to immortality, offering countless mortals the hope of ascension, he would become a Path Ancestor [a progenitor who establishes a new, fundamental Dao or cultivation system] whose brilliance would illuminate the Boundless Chaos [the primordial, formless expanse from which all realms are born].

Should the day come when innumerable mortals tread the path of cultivation he forged, he, as the Ancestor of a Great Path, would ascend to become a true Chaos Path Ancestor [a Path Ancestor whose influence and Dao permeate the primordial Chaos itself].

At that time, he would become the very source of a Great Path, and only thus might he attain an existence akin to the Primordial Genesis Path Ancestor [the legendary progenitor who established the very first Dao at the dawn of creation].

"This path is arduous," he murmured.

"For a mortal frame to walk the Immortal Path is, in the end, but a reflection in the moonlit water, an empty dream."

"It seems I must forge a new path, and create a unique method to ascend to immortality [achieve the state of an immortal being],"

Eldrin Chen spoke softly, a glimmer of understanding already blooming in his heart.

The path of the Martial Path [a cultivation system focused on physical prowess and combat arts] required a route to immortality [the state of an immortal being] fundamentally different from the Immortal Path [the orthodox cultivation system focused on spiritual refinement and longevity].

"Very well. If I can pioneer a new ascension method, it can serve as a mutual reference point with the Immortal Path, allowing me to better carve out my own Path to Heaven [a cultivator's unique and ultimate journey towards the heavens and immortality],"

With his resolve firm, Eldrin Chen immediately began deducing the myriad possibilities for the fourth realm of Martial Path cultivation.

Thus, a millennium [one thousand years] passed in the blink of an eye. One day, Eldrin Chen opened his eyes, a trace of a smile gracing his features.

"The fourth realm of the Martial Path—the Divine Treasury [Divine Vault; a cultivation realm where the body itself becomes a repository of divine power]!"

Eldrin Chen murmured quietly, ripples of profound insight shimmering in the depths of his gaze.

Over those thousand years, he had deduced one hundred and eight thousand possible methods for the Martial Path's fourth realm. In the end, he chose this Divine Treasury method.

This Divine Treasury method was not the most powerful among all possibilities—its combat prowess ranked ninth—but it possessed the greatest latent potential of them all.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Perfection Stage, one can then open the Divine Treasury [a profound internal reservoir for storing and refining one's spiritual essence] within their body.

Within the Divine Treasury Realm [the cultivation stage focused on developing these internal reservoirs], a cultivator can open up to the Ten Great Divine Treasuries [the ten supreme internal reservoirs], which are respectively: Origin, Vitality [the essence of life force], Force Extreme [the pinnacle of physical strength], Primordial Energy, Soul, Dao Heart, Longevity, Celestial Mechanism [the workings of heavenly fate and destiny], Path Principles [the fundamental laws of the Great Dao], and finally, the ultimate Divine Treasury known as the Great Encompassing [the all-encompassing treasury that unifies all others].

With the opening of each Divine Treasury, the cultivator must nurture it by fusing a strand of their divine sense [a cultivator's spiritual awareness and will] into it.

The cultivation of the Divine Treasury Realm involves drawing upon various Creation substances [the primordial energies and materials that constitute all existence] from heaven and earth to nourish the divine sense within the Divine Treasury, allowing it to transform into a Primordial Spirit Soul [the foundational spiritual core of a cultivator].

Once the cultivation of the Ten Great Divine Treasuries reaches a state of flawless perfection, one can utilize the Creation Energy [refined energy of creation] and the Primordial Spirit Soul within the Divine Treasury to directly bypass the step of condensing a Golden Core [the solidified core of spiritual energy], instead cultivating a Path Embryo [the embryonic form of one's destined cultivation path] within the body.

The Path Embryo represents the fifth major realm of cultivation, equivalent to an Immortal's Infant Soul [the nascent spiritual form cultivated after the Golden Core stage], yet it is fundamentally different in nature. Find this and other novels at audio novel.com.

The Infant Soul is formed from the spiritual soul, a power of utmost purity and clarity. In contrast, the Path Embryo contains vast and mighty Creation substances, making it an aggregate entity that exists between illusion and reality.

Strictly speaking, the Path Embryo possesses flesh and blood, resembling more a nascent embryo, marking a qualitative distinction from the Infant Soul.

According to Eldrin Chen's estimation, successfully cultivating all ten Divine Treasury is an immense challenge, likely achievable only by a once-in-a-million-years prodigy. For ordinary individuals, managing to cultivate eight or nine Divine Treasury would already be a feat rarely seen across the ages.

Fortunately, Eldrin Chen has deduced that opening just three Divine Treasury grants a one-in-ten chance of breaking through to the Path Embryo stage. If one manages to cultivate five or six Divine Treasury, the likelihood of achieving the Path Embryo becomes virtually assured.

Therefore, this path is not a dead end. As long as one opens more than five Divine Treasury [the fifth major realm in the Martial Path cultivation system], the breakthrough is actually easier than advancing from Golden Core to Infant Soul.

If one can open seven Divine Treasury, their foundational power and combat strength would be comparable to a Heavenly Path Infant Soul [an Infant Soul cultivator who used a Heavenly Path Energy to break through], and it wouldn't require an external treasure like Heavenly Path Energy [a supreme treasure containing a trace of heavenly law, used for a perfect breakthrough].

The fifth realm, the Path Embryo Realm, is essentially about nurturing a Path Embryo [the nascent form of one's personal cultivation path] and continuously strengthening the foundational essence of the Divine Treasury. Eldrin Chen quickly deduced and completed the framework for this stage.

After successfully mapping out the fifth realm, Eldrin Chen proceeded to deduce the sixth—Indestructibility [a state of near-perfect physical and spiritual resilience].

The so-called sixth realm, Indestructibility, involves forging a Martial Path Indestructibility Body [a peerless physique achieved through the Martial Path] during the process of cultivating the Path Embryo.

Cultivation at this level requires drawing upon the foundational essence of the Divine Treasury and the nourishing feedback from the Path Embryo to temper the physical body. One must then ingest the quintessential energies of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, along with vast quantities of rare and wondrous treasures from the world, ultimately forging a peerless Treasure Body [a physique as resilient and precious as a divine artifact].

The Martial Path Treasure Body possesses Immortality [the divine ability of extreme longevity and resistance to decay] and achieves Indestructibility, reaching the absolute pinnacle of the Mortal Realm [the plane of existence inhabited by mortals and lower-level cultivators]. It reaches a state where one can Rebirth [the divine ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood or a fragment of soul] from a single drop of blood.

"Body Forging, Vital Essence Refinement, Foundation of the Path, Divine Treasury, Path Embryo, Indestructibility."

Eldrin Chen murmured softly to himself, reviewing once more the Six Realms of Martial Path he had created, and could not help but draw in a slow, deep breath.

From a mere mortal practicing body tempering to this point, one could reach the very limits of the Mortal Realm.

Such an existence would possess the supreme Path Embryo [the nascent form of one's personal cultivation path], a Divine Treasury [a dantian-like energy reservoir within a cultivator's body] capable of storing spiritual power equivalent to ten Elixir Field [the foundational energy center in a cultivator's lower abdomen], and the peerless Treasure Body [a physique as resilient as a divine artifact] born of Immortality [the state of eternal life] and Indestructibility [the quality of being unbreakable]. Their combat prowess would truly have reached a pinnacle where no further advancement is possible.

Eldrin Chen estimated that if one could cultivate the Ten Great Divine Treasuries [the ultimate state of the Divine Treasury realm] and forge the supreme Martial Path Divine Body [a divine physique achieved through martial cultivation], they might possess the ability to challenge and slay an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality].

To slay an Immortal without having ascended to immortality oneself—this represents an indescribable, ultimate feat of power. In the past, even Eldrin Chen, before he had laid the foundation of his Immortal Path [a supreme cultivation method leading to immortality], had only barely managed such a thing.

Yet, even such a dazzlingly brilliant existence, having reached this point, could advance no further.

For their Innate Foundation [the innate spiritual root talent determining cultivation potential] was flawed, making it impossible to break through to the Immortal Ascension Realm [the realm of transcending mortality to become an immortal]. This was an insurmountable chasm for mortals.

"But... is it truly insurmountable?"

Eldrin Chen murmured calmly, and finally wrote a single, grand line of characters on the paper before him.

"The Seventh Realm of the Martial Path—Sacrificial Self." Official source: audio-novel-dot-com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.