Chapter 702: Mixed Hole Rules

"It's done." Meng Chuan felt a sense of joy and also a touch of emotion.

After reaching a bottleneck, many cultivators get stuck for a very long time, even tens of thousands of years, and it's common for them not to break through before their lifespan ends. Even Meng Chuan, after reaching this bottleneck, cultivated for over a thousand years! Despite having opportunities like the Clear Spring Island Grotto-heaven, the Eternal Secret Treasure Seal, and numerous classics from the White Bird Pavilion, and with his own comprehension, it still took a long time. This shows how difficult it is to break through a bottleneck.

"Many cultivators, after being stuck at a bottleneck for too long, lose their mental balance," Meng Chuan mused. "They become anxious and start trying all sorts of methods. The more anxious they are, the harder it becomes to break through." One can't blame those Six-Tribulation cultivators for that. Those who can master three Six-Tribulation realm rules and accumulate power to the limit might have already cultivated for fifty or sixty thousand years. Yet, the lifespan of a Six-Tribulation realm cultivator is generally less than one hundred thousand years. How can they not be anxious when they're stuck at a bottleneck for a long time, drawing ever closer to the end of their lifespan? This is why younger cultivators, like Meng Chuan, have a better mindset and more patience. Youth is an advantage.

Meng Chuan looked back at his cultivation path. He had cultivated since childhood in the medium-level life world of 'Cangyuan Realm', constantly under the threat of the demon race until he mastered 'Emperor-level Ultimate Arts'. Only after mastering these ultimate arts did he put an end to the demonic threat. As a genius who created his own Emperor-level Ultimate Arts, he smoothly became a Six-Tribulation cultivator.

"Seven thousand years of cultivation, and now I've mastered the Chaotic Hole Rule," Meng Chuan sighed. Looking at his contemporaries, only the White Bird Pavilion Master was slightly superior. The White Bird Pavilion Master became a Seven-Tribulation mighty figure after six thousand years of cultivation. Emperor Wanxing was also formidable, becoming a Seven-Tribulation mighty figure after eleven thousand years of cultivation. As for himself? He still needed to undergo tribulation to truly be considered a Seven-Tribulation mighty figure.

"This speed puts me on par with the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing," Meng Chuan chuckled. His pace had already far surpassed that of Ancestor Cangyuan. "Now, the first major obstacle before me is undergoing tribulation." Meng Chuan also felt a sense of urgency. His mental willpower was sufficient to bear the fundamental rules, so he estimated that the Seventh Soul Heavenly Tribulation would descend in about a hundred years.

"The Chaotic Hole Rule." Meng Chuan began to meticulously perceive the Chaotic Hole Rule. As a fundamental rule, it was truly vast. Meng Chuan had comprehended thirty-nine Chaotic Hole legacies in the White Bird Pavilion, understanding the rule from various angles, making him intimately familiar with it. His previous familiarity was like seeing through a misty veil, but now, he saw it with perfect clarity.

"My Soul World is also beginning to evolve." Meng Chuan could feel his Soul World evolving with the Chaotic Hole Rule as its core. Natural evolution was the simplest form of evolution. In the center of his entire illusory Soul World, a dark chaotic hole was forming. With the complete 'Chaotic Hole Rule' and powerful soul energy, the 'dark chaotic hole' within his Soul World gradually became real. In about half an hour, a dark chaotic hole core, roughly 'a foot in size', was nurtured. This 'chaotic hole core' within the foot-long radius was real, just like a true chaotic hole core in the outside world, only much smaller. After all, it was formed by the convergence of Meng Chuan's own power.

With the transformation of his Soul World, his soul energy also reached a new level. Wielding the Heaven-Opening Blade with such soul energy would make its power even more terrifying.

"Is this the strength of a Soul Seven-Tribulation realm cultivator? The Dark Star Sovereign should also be at this level," Meng Chuan thought, feeling the vast power contained within the 'chaotic hole' in his Soul World. With his current strength, he could easily crush his former 'peak Six-Tribulation realm' self! Mastering spatial rules only meant slightly stronger self-preservation abilities; he could perhaps endure a few moves before a Seven-Tribulation cultivator and have time to self-destruct his avatar, avoiding capture. "Last time, I was fortunate that the Demonic Eye Sovereign intervened; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to resist head-on and would have had to rely on the spatial-temporal anomaly to escape." After reaching the Seven-Tribulation realm, Meng Chuan felt the disparity even more acutely. In reality, he understood that his current strength already surpassed most half-step Seven-Tribulation cultivators.

"Whoosh." A thin man in a grey robe appeared out of thin air beside a bookshelf. His aura was contained and ordinary, and he smiled as he looked at Meng Chuan. "Dongning, congratulations." The White Bird Pavilion Master naturally sensed Meng Chuan's breakthrough and clearly understood that Meng Chuan's state was now equivalent to that of a true Seven-Tribulation mighty figure.

A physical body half-step Seven-Tribulation realm meant mastering Seven-Tribulation realm rules, but the physical body itself hadn't broken through. A soul half-step Seven-Tribulation realm meant mastering Seven-Tribulation realm rules, but the mental willpower was somewhat weak, and the Soul World couldn't bear the evolution of the 'Chaotic Hole Rule'. Meng Chuan's Soul World had already evolved, and his soul energy had also ascended to the Seven-Tribulation realm level. Other than not having undergone tribulation yet, he was indistinguishable from a Soul Seven-Tribulation realm cultivator.

"It's also thanks to the collection of books in the pavilion," Meng Chuan chuckled. "If I hadn't read so many ultimate arts and classics from previous masters, I'm afraid my breakthrough would have taken even longer."

"Ultimately, the foundation of cultivation relies on oneself," the White Bird Pavilion Master smiled. "Entities like high-level life worlds, or the Dragon and Phoenix races, are powerful factions with vast collections of classics and numerous opportunities. Yet, for many eras, no Seven-Tribulation cultivators were born among them. This shows that the birth of a Seven-Tribulation cultivator demands extremely high personal requirements."

Meng Chuan agreed. Even in the Cangyuan Realm, with the same resources, there were differences in achievements. His son, Meng An, and grandson, Meng Yu, had greater opportunities and treasures at comparable stages than Meng Chuan did, but their achievements were still far inferior. Looking across the entire River of Spacetime, powerful entities like the Dragon race and some high-level life worlds possess terrifying resources, and it's common for them to have Eternal Secret Treasures. Yet, how many can become Seven-Tribulation cultivators?

"Seven thousand years." The White Bird Pavilion Master looked at Meng Chuan, his heart growing with anticipation. Seven thousand years to reach the Seven-Tribulation realm. "Within thirty thousand years, he'll become a half-step Eight-Tribulation cultivator. Before his lifespan ends, he'll become an Eight-Tribulation cultivator," the White Bird Pavilion Master mused. "I must also control the flow of time." As long as he resided in a place with a slow flow of time, if Meng Chuan lived for two hundred thousand years, the White Bird Pavilion Master would only experience twenty thousand years! Naturally, he would be able to wait for Meng Chuan to become an Eight-Tribulation cultivator.

However, the higher the life level, the greater the cost of altering the time flow in one's immediate vicinity. For the White Bird Pavilion Master, a 'Seven-Tribulation lifeform', even a chaotic hole would bear a significant burden to twist the time flow in his area. Maintaining it for merely a moment would consume too much chaotic hole power, leading to its self-collapse. Secret realms created by Eight-Tribulation mighty figures were generally capable of sustaining 'time acceleration' long-term. The secret realms themselves could draw external power, allowing them to maintain acceleration for extended periods. But even for a Seven-Tribulation mighty figure, maintaining a tenfold acceleration or deceleration of time was nearly the limit.

The White Bird Pavilion Master and Meng Chuan went to one of the secluded rooms in the pavilion, sat opposite each other, and chatted while drinking.

"Dongning, with this breakthrough, your soul has also advanced, reaching the Soul Seven-Tribulation realm state," the White Bird Pavilion Master said. "Therefore, your Seventh Soul Heavenly Tribulation is approaching."

"Around a hundred years," Meng Chuan acknowledged, understanding this fact.

"You must prepare for the impending Heavenly Tribulation," the White Bird Pavilion Master instructed. One was either a half-step Seven-Tribulation realm or a true Seven-Tribulation realm. A state like Meng Chuan's could only be maintained for a short period before welcoming the Heavenly Tribulation!

"Although your mental willpower is quite good, the Soul Tribulation targets the mind," the White Bird Pavilion Master warned. "You cannot afford to be careless in the slightest." Meng Chuan nodded.

"In the Soul lineage, later stage cultivation requires creating soul cultivation methods," the White Bird Pavilion Master stated. "Now that you've mastered the fundamental rules, you can begin attempting to create one."

"Comprehending the soul and creating the most suitable soul cultivation method for oneself can strengthen both the soul and mental willpower." Meng Chuan smiled and nodded. He, of course, understood this; once one reached the stage of mastering fundamental rules, the pursuit became the wisdom to comprehend everything. Externally, comprehending all things. Internally, comprehending one's physical body and soul. Even at the Six-Tribulation realm stage, Meng Chuan had already conceptualized a rudimentary soul cultivation method.

"Within the White Bird Pavilion, there are quite a few soul cultivation methods," the White Bird Pavilion Master said. "Most are Seven-Tribulation realm level soul methods, not fully complete. There are also five Eight-Tribulation realm soul methods; some are from this universe, others are from outside. Two of them involve karmic ties; you can decide for yourself." Meng Chuan nodded slightly. Some soul cultivation methods were directly traded and involved no karmic ties, like 'The Path of Eternity'. For instance, by cultivating 'Soul Star', Meng Chuan incurred karmic ties with Senior Fei Yu, and if he were to become an Eight-Tribulation realm soul cultivator, he would need to repay that karma.

Eight-Tribulation realm soul cultivators were extremely rare, with only a handful ever born throughout the history of the River of Spacetime. Therefore, their legacies were considerably more valuable than those of physical Eight-Tribulation realm cultivators. The 'Soul Star' and 'Path of Eternity' that Meng Chuan obtained were, in fact, legacies from beyond this universe.