On the Northern Ice Plains.
Relying on the tyrannical effect of his divine ability "Dark Devour," Zhang Fan took only five days to successfully shatter his Golden Core and break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
After breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, Zhang Fan did not pause. Without any accumulation, he directly triggered the first Nascent Soul tribulation.
The first three tribulations of the Nascent Soul tribulation were wind tribulations, also known as 'Heavenly Immortal Wind,' a peculiar power specifically targeting the Nascent Soul.
Generally speaking, Nascent Souls of newly ascended cultivators were very fragile. Even monstrous geniuses who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage after forming a top-grade Golden Core would need time to accumulate strength, and only when their Nascent Soul was sufficiently powerful would they dare to face the tribulation.
But Zhang Fan knew that the Nascent Soul he had condensed was not ordinary…
As he had expected, facing the blast of the Heavenly Immortal Wind, his Nascent Soul remained unmoved, and he easily passed the first Nascent Soul tribulation.
Upon exiting seclusion this time, he was a genuine one-tribulation Nascent Soul cultivator.
As for Liu Mu, he had also successfully passed his first Nascent Soul tribulation during this seclusion, practicing his sword techniques on the vast ice plains.
Ethereal sword intent swept across the ice plains. Each sword light could easily kill a two-tribulation Nascent Soul cultivator, displaying terrifying might.
Seeing Zhang Fan emerge from seclusion, Liu Mu finally sheathed his sword, Qingfeng, with a retraction of his sword momentum.
"You've broken through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
"En, and I also passed the first Nascent Soul tribulation."
Liu Mu was slightly stunned. Looking at Zhang Fan's calm expression, he inwardly cursed him as a freak.
For Nascent Soul cultivators, the nine tribulations of the Nascent Soul were extremely perilous, with each crossing being a life-or-death ordeal. Even he had to accumulate strength for a period after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage before successfully passing his first tribulation today.
Yet, Zhang Fan, after cultivating his Nascent Soul, had immediately passed the first tribulation without any preparation.
The Nascent Soul tribulation targeted the cultivator's Nascent Soul. Even though Zhang Fan was powerful, capable of rivaling peak three-tribulation Nascent Soul cultivators before breaking through, his Nascent Soul might not be that strong right after ascension.
"How is your strength now?" Liu Mu asked curiously.
"I'm not too sure myself. Why don't you try me?" Zhang Fan said with a smile, looking at Liu Mu.
"Fine, let's try!"
As a genius who had condensed a top-grade Golden Core, Liu Mu possessed his own pride. Moreover, he had now passed his first Nascent Soul tribulation, with significant improvements in his sword intent and divine abilities. He didn't believe he would be much weaker than Zhang Fan.
"Haha."
Hearing Liu Mu's words, Zhang Fan laughed heartily.
However, Liu Mu discovered that as his laughter echoed, the glaciers behind Zhang Fan began to crack…
Ice flowers scattered, and then hundreds of crystal-clear ice cones shot out from the glaciers, heading straight for Liu Mu.
Liu Mu had prepared himself mentally, so before the ice cones were launched, he lightly tapped his feet, instantly retreating several kilometers.
The power of the ice cones was immense. Each one could easily pierce through an ordinary two-tribulation Nascent Soul cultivator. With Zhang Fan's current strength, he couldn't unleash such great power by controlling them with his divine sense.
"Mind power?"
Liu Mu's heart trembled, but his expression gradually became strange.
"This is interesting, let me try!"
A voice, like one from the deepest abyss, echoed in Liu Mu's mind, and his demeanor instantly changed.
The hundreds of sharp ice cones moved with incredible speed, instantly arriving before Liu Mu. However, to Zhang Fan's astonishment, Liu Mu didn't resist at all. His eyes became incredibly cold as he stared at Zhang Fan, sending shivers down one's spine.
Zhang Fan didn't understand what had happened to Liu Mu. He quickly used his mind power to forcibly stop the hundreds of ice cones.
Just as Zhang Fan was about to transmit a message to inquire, he saw Liu Mu grin at him, a hint of chilling malevolence at the corner of his mouth. Then, the hundreds of ice cones reversed their trajectory at even greater speed, piercing towards Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan's heart churned. He hadn't expected Liu Mu to also cultivate mind power, and not be weaker than his own.
"Sword without a shadow, mind without a trace!"
Zhang Fan made a grasping motion in the void, and an invisible, shadowless long sword appeared in his hand. As he swung his arm, hundreds of invisible sword shadows shot out, intercepting all the ice cones. Ice flowers splashed everywhere, and under the sunlight, they looked as beautiful as a painting.
"Formless Sword!"
Liu Mu flew out, his speed not particularly fast, but his entire body gradually blurred. At the same time, he unleashed a sword strike like a soaring dragon, carving a trench tens of meters deep in the ice plains.
Liu Mu's previous change had already surprised Zhang Fan and made him suspicious. Now, seeing Liu Mu unleash his full power with his movement technique, Zhang Fan became even more convinced of his guess and his interest surged instantly.
"Excellent!"
Facing the fierce sword light like a soaring dragon's attack, Zhang Fan clenched his fists, mobilized the power of his divine body, and threw a punch!
Thirty-six Forms of the War Emperor: Myriad Dao Fist!
After entering the Nascent Soul stage and passing the first Nascent Soul tribulation, the Sword Dao intent within Zhang Fan had completely transformed into Dao rules. With the integration of Dao rules, the Myriad Dao Fist could unleash its true power.
The two attacks collided, exploding on the ice surface. Invisible shockwaves spread outwards. The smooth ice plains rapidly cracked, the fissures extending for several kilometers before stopping.
"Enough!"
Just as Zhang Fan was about to make another move, he heard Liu Mu shout. The malevolence in his deep eyes slowly receded, and they gradually became brighter.
"What was that just now..."
Before Zhang Fan could finish speaking, Liu Mu interrupted him, "It's fine now. Let's go. Where are you planning to go next?"
Everyone had their secrets. Since Liu Mu didn't want to mention it, Zhang Fan naturally wouldn't pry. He then said, "Realm Heart Continent!"
"That's my destination as well. Let's go together."
Zhang Fan nodded, not finding this surprising.
In the vast star sea of the Myriad Realms, almost every star domain had an immensely vast continent at its center. That was the heart of the star domain, where spiritual energy was most abundant and where strong cultivators and dominant forces gathered.
However, Great Rock Star was extremely far from Realm Heart Continent, separated by over a million light-years. The only way for them to reach Realm Heart Continent was to rely on the space teleportation array on Great Rock Star.
Before leaving Great Rock Star, Zhang Fan and Liu Mu decided to first visit Fuliu City to bid farewell to Fufeng, as they would likely never see him again after leaving Great Rock Star this time.
With their decision made, the two turned into two streaks of light and swiftly flew towards Fuliu City.
"That fist technique you used just now seemed very powerful. How many Sword Dao rules have you cultivated?" they communicated via divine sense while traveling.
"A few hundred," Zhang Fan replied calmly.
If only considering Sword Dao rules, he had indeed cultivated a few hundred. However, he had also cultivated the rules of the Thunder Dao.
"Truly a freak!" Liu Mu muttered. Although he had also cultivated a considerable number of Sword Dao rules, he had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage long ago and had spent several years cultivating.
Yet, Zhang Fan had only been in the Nascent Soul stage for a few days, and the number of Dao rules he had cultivated was not much less than Liu Mu's. Such talent truly made Liu Mu feel a bit envious!
…