"The Master's instructions before entering seclusion were clear: this seclusion could last from half a year to several years. There is no need for us to wait any longer," Nan Zun stated.
"Fellow Daoist Nan Zun, does Senior Shijue truly intend to break through to the Nascent Soul stage with this seclusion?" a cultivator in the Nascent Soul realm asked curiously.
"What's so strange about that?" Xue Mo Jiao chimed in, his chubby face filled with pride. "My master's talent is extraordinary. The Nascent Soul realm, which is as difficult as climbing a mountain for you, is like a level plain with no obstacles before my master."
"This seclusion will undoubtedly allow him to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in one go!"
Upon hearing Xue Mo Jiao's words, the eyes of the team members were filled with admiration, and they also agreed with his statement.
For cultivators in the Spirit Refining realm, two conditions must be met to ascend to the Nascent Soul realm.
The first is to completely merge one's Nascent Soul into the physical body, suffusing every part of the body with the power of the Nascent Soul, which is known as spirit refining.
This step is relatively simpler for Spirit Refining realm cultivators, but it still bars many from the Nascent Soul realm.
The second condition is much more difficult, and over ninety-nine percent of peak Spirit Refining realm cultivators are stuck at this stage: comprehending the true meaning of the Great Dao.
Although sensing the Great Dao becomes much easier after the Nascent Soul and physical body are fully integrated, only one in a hundred manages to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
This is also why Zhang Fan is so highly regarded by True Immortal Zhen Cang. At his mid-Spirit Refining realm stage, he had already comprehended the true meaning of the Great Dao, indicating his monstrous talent in understanding the Dao.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mo, after Senior Shijue emerges from seclusion, could you introduce us? We would like to prepare a generous gift to congratulate him on his breakthrough."
"Indeed, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm is no small matter. Senior Shijue was the former captain of our small team. Regardless, we should go and congratulate him."
The team members surrounded Xue Mo Jiao, their faces full of enthusiasm. Many joined this team not only because of True Immortal Pu Ji's powerful strength but also because of Zhang Fan's existence.
"Alright."
True Immortal Pu Ji shook his head helplessly and said, "Everyone, rest today. Tomorrow, we depart for the Star River Battlefield and head to the Water Element World of the Seven Star Pagoda."
Just as everyone was about to disperse, nebulae gathered above the war base, and thunder roared, alarming many cultivators within the base.
"Who is undergoing tribulation?"
Everyone was puzzled. This war base was a battlefield for cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage, and after entering this realm, there would be no Heavenly Tribulation for a long period in the later stages of cultivation.
*Swish!*
Spiritual pills emitting multicolored divine light flew out from a secret chamber, hovering above the war base, releasing dense Immortal Spiritual Energy. The aroma of the pills permeated the entire war base, attracting cultivators who were in seclusion.
"So many Immortal-grade spiritual pills?"
Xue Mo Jiao couldn't help but swallow as he looked at the dense spiritual pills in the starry sky, his eyes filled with excitement.
"No wonder Master remained silent for over half a year in seclusion. He spent all his time refining pills, crafting over three thousand Immortal-grade spiritual pills at once. It's terrifying that only Master could do something like this," Nan Zun said, his eyes also blazing with fervor. He could feel immense power from each Immortal-grade spiritual pill. Although he couldn't identify them, they were definitely of a higher grade than any Immortal-grade spiritual pills he had consumed before.
"I never expected fellow Daoist Shijue to not only have extraordinary cultivation talent but also such profound attainments in alchemy. Truly a monstrous talent," True Immortal Pu Ji said, still lost in thought as he gazed at the thousands of Immortal-grade spiritual pills in the sky, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Tens of thousands of Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the war base emerged from their chambers, wanting to see who was causing such a commotion.
Above the starry sky, dark clouds gathered, and beneath these clouds, purple lightning flickered, resembling swimming dragons, exuding a power that made even Nascent Soul stage cultivators tremble.
*Rumble!*
Countless destructive lightning bolts descended simultaneously, like a surging sea of thunder, flashing with bright purple light that illuminated the entire starry sky.
With the first round of Heavenly Tribulation, dozens of spiritual pills exploded, turning into dust and dissipating in the tribulation.
Everyone remained calm. When refining thousands of pills at once, no one could guarantee that all of them would survive the Heavenly Tribulation.
As the thunder rolled, the spiritual pills bathed in the sea of lightning grew brighter, like suspended pearls emitting an alluring medicinal fragrance.
"These are actually Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills! The military depot used to have these pills for exchange, but the price was outrageously high, almost two hundred military merits for one, and they were often out of stock, making them difficult to buy." After being cleansed by the Heavenly Tribulation, the Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills gradually took shape, and many cultivators recognized them.
"Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills are high-grade Immortal pills, greatly beneficial for the cultivation of Nascent Soul stage powerhouses. Such a price is indeed reasonable," True Immortal Pu Ji said, while contemplating whether he should seek out Zhang Fan to trade for some, as he had now reached the peak of the Spirit Refining realm, and Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills would be of great use to him.
With each round of lightning tribulation, dozens of spiritual pills were annihilated. By the time the tribulation dissipated, out of the original more than three thousand pills, only about half remained.
Zhang Fan also seized the moment. The instant the lightning tribulation subsided, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged into the starry sky, unleashing his Lightning Sword Domain to envelop over a thousand Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills.
Powerful forces erupted from the spiritual pills, shaking the starry sky and attempting to break through space and escape their confinement.
"Such immense power. Fortunately, these pills have only just begun to develop sentience and are still in their nascent stage. All their actions are merely instinctual. Otherwise, if this power were to unite, even a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse would likely be troubled," True Immortal Qiong Yu observed from afar, feeling a sense of awe.
After surviving the Heavenly Tribulation, each Nascent Soul Cultivation Pill had gained sentience and possessed power no less than that of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. However, thankfully, they did not understand profound principles and possessed brute force without wisdom. Otherwise, even Zhang Fan would not be confident in suppressing over a thousand Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills simultaneously.
"Collect!"
Zhang Fan took out a spatial jade bottle and channeled his immense magical power to collect the pills one by one.
After a while, the starry sky returned to tranquility. The cultivators below quickly flew into the starry sky and rushed to congratulate Zhang Fan.