Chapter 136: Virtual Realm Late Stage

That drop of soul origin transformed into an extremely pure soul qi, continuously surging into Zhou Yuan's soul. At the same time, the black-red qi formed by the Underworld Soul Fruit and Crimson Blood Grass also surged in, intertwining with the pure soul qi.

As they intertwined, a change immediately occurred. The already pure soul qi seemed to be refined once more, faintly emitting a crystal-like luster. Strands of crystal qi dispersed into his soul, which greedily absorbed them. His somewhat ethereal figure began to gradually solidify.

Feeling his soul continuously ascending, Zhou Yuan activated the "Chaos God Mill Visualization Technique." In the void, an immense, mottled divine mill slowly rotated, seemingly capable of grinding everything thrown into it into oblivion. However, now that Zhou Yuan faced the Chaos God Mill again, his fear had receded. His soul floated out and unhesitatingly plunged into it.

Rumbling! The divine mill began to rotate, crushing his soul. Terrifying pressure enveloped him once more, causing Zhou Yuan's soul to tremble continuously. However, he gritted his teeth and held on steadfastly. At the same time, the pure soul qi formed from the soul origin continuously provided him with support. Thus, as the divine mill rotated, Zhou Yuan's soul struggled to endure.

On the mottled divine mill, the dark golden markings slowly shifted. It felt as if a long time had passed. Zhou Yuan's soul, under the mill's rotation, began to crack, reaching the very brink of its limits. However, even though the crushing pain filled his soul, Zhou Yuan still had no intention of giving up.

Meeting Wu Huang today indeed put some pressure on him. After all, Wu Huang was among the top tier of the younger generation on the Cangxuan Continent, and his strength was far superior to Zhou Yuan's current level. Therefore, Zhou Yuan wanted to narrow this gap. He had to succeed in this soul enhancement!

"If I can't even overcome this minor difficulty, how can I talk about returning to the path of the Sacred Dragon?!" A roar seemed to echo in Zhou Yuan's heart.

As if sensing Zhou Yuan's determination, his soul, which had reached its limit, suddenly erupted with powerful fluctuations. The cracks that had appeared on his soul were rapidly repaired at this moment. Faintly, a subtle sound rang out. It was the sound of the two dark-golden vertical marks on the mottled divine mill realigning.

The Chaos God Mill Visualization Technique, the second rotation, was finally endured by Zhou Yuan! Each rotation represents a monumental leap!

As that sound reached Zhou Yuan's ears, his heart finally relaxed. His soul was crushed by the continuously rotating mottled divine mill, but after a few breaths, it reformed outside the mill. However, the soul that manifested this time was undoubtedly several times more condensed than before. Faintly, there were even signs of it beginning to materialize.

Late Ethereal Stage!

Uncontainable joy surged in Zhou Yuan's heart. After countless efforts and hardships, he had finally advanced his soul to the Late Ethereal Stage! With his soul reaching the Late Ethereal Stage, he now had the ability to cultivate third-grade Origin Runes.

Although his Origin Qi cultivation was still only at the Late Qi Nourishing Stage, by relying on the formidable might of the Profound Python Qi and the tempering and amplification from his crimson qi mansion, even if he only fought with Origin Qi, Zhou Yuan's combat strength would not be inferior to someone in the Mid Heavenly Pass Stage. And now, having successfully cultivated third-grade Origin Runes, opponents in the Late Heavenly Pass Stage would be no match for Zhou Yuan.

However, what left Zhou Yuan slightly regretful was that his Late Heavenly Pass Stage comparison didn't include top prodigies like Wu Huang. These individuals were already at the peak of the Late Heavenly Pass Stage and also possessed the qualification to fight above their level. Therefore, if Zhou Yuan truly wanted to directly confront Wu Huang, his Origin Qi cultivation would at least need to reach the Heavenly Pass Stage. But Zhou Yuan was not discouraged, because the gap between them was rapidly shrinking.

Inside the room, Zhou Yuan slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. The light flickering between his brows gradually faded. He looked up and gazed out the window. The night was slowly receding, and the first ray of morning light broke through the thick clouds, illuminating the majestic Saint Remains City. He gazed out the window and slowly clenched his fist.

"Wu Huang, in the Saint Remains Domain this time, let's definitively settle our grievances."

After breaking through to the Late Ethereal Stage, Zhou Yuan immediately went to find Yaoyao.

"You've broken through?" Yaoyao glanced at him and asked. After seeing Zhou Yuan nod, she gently nodded and smiled, "Embracing shame to then strive for courage. Not bad." What she said clearly implied she believed that meeting Wu Huang yesterday had transformed Zhou Yuan's pressure into motivation for his breakthrough.

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Can you teach me third-grade Origin Runes today?" The Saint Remains Domain was about to open, so he also wanted to seize the opportunity to learn some third-grade Origin Runes to ensure his safety once inside.

"Alright, lest those two keep dragging me out to shop." Yaoyao stretched. She was a bit helpless; Lü Luo was too lively, and now there was Zuoqiu Qingyu, who looked at her with odd eyes. Yaoyao, who preferred peace and quiet, was clearly being tormented by the two of them.

So, the two found a quiet room and began teaching and learning third-grade Origin Runes. And this teaching session lasted from early morning until sunset.

"You've basically grasped these few third-grade Origin Runes. However, to successfully engrave them, you'll need a lot of practice," Yaoyao said to Zhou Yuan, stroking Tun Tun, who was lying beside her.

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "I will master them completely as soon as possible."

Yaoyao's bright eyes looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "It seems Wu Huang really did put a lot of pressure on you."

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded, not denying it. "He is indeed stronger than I am now. I must improve my strength."

Yaoyao rested her jade hand on her fragrant cheek. Her slender jade finger lightly tapped the table. She said, "That Wu Huang is indeed a rare talent." Having met him yesterday, even in Yaoyao's eyes, Wu Huang could be considered an outstanding talent among the younger generation. Although arrogant, he had the capabilities to back up his arrogance.

"However..." Yaoyao's voice suddenly paused. She stared at Zhou Yuan and said, "He has had a smooth sailing and rapid advancement since childhood, so he is naturally proud. But in my opinion, compared to him, you, who broke out of desperate situations yet never felt inferior and diligently pressed forward, are far more rare and outstanding than he is."

Zhou Yuan was startled. He couldn't help but laugh, "Are you praising me?" This was truly rare. With Yaoyao's discerning eye, Zhou Yuan had never heard her offer praise in such a tone.

Yaoyao's red lips curved slightly. She said, "You could say so."

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "Thank you." A burning battle intent ignited in his eyes. Just as Yaoyao had said, Wu Huang's strength was merely due to King Wu having prepared a smooth and rapidly advancing path for him. As for him, he had faced desperate situations since childhood. His eight meridians were obscured, and he couldn't even cultivate. But he had eventually, step by step, overcome these desperate situations, never giving up, and carved out his own path. He never believed that he was inferior compared to Wu Huang.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, calming his emotions. However, the next moment, both he and Yaoyao's expressions subtly changed. They stood up and looked out the window towards the sky beyond Saint Remains City. At that moment, in the sky, six streaks of light, like meteors, streaked across the heavens. Finally, carrying an indescribable pressure, they grandly filled the sky and earth, enveloping the entire city.

The Origin Rune barrier above Saint Remains City also activated at this moment. A resounding voice echoed throughout the entire city.

"Xiao Tianluo of Saint Remains City respectfully welcomes the envoys of the Six Sacred Sects!"