Chapter 1050: Under Semi-Saint, First Grandmaster

Inside the deep pit.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know how much time had passed. However, once he finally regained some mobility, he immediately used his spiritual essence to float up, while making sure his clothes maintained a friendly distance from his sensitive skin to prevent further friction. Only then did he have some free time to properly examine the effects of the Holy Relic Fruit.

“What realm am I in now?”

Because his body had been constantly bouncing between high altitudes and the ground after he consumed the Holy Relic Fruit, Xu Xiaoshou didn't even know when he had broken through. Logically, the insights into the Great Dao gained from a Grandmaster's breakthrough should be quite significant. Unfortunately, these insights were dwarfed by the pleasure brought by the Holy Relic Fruit and the "Breathing Technique."

“The Dao is formless by nature. If divided into yin and yang, it becomes right and wrong, giving birth to one and two, forming circles and squares, with rules and edges, shapes and angles…”“Thus, it distinguishes black and white, bears witness to heaven and earth, lays the foundation for past and future, and judges time and space…”“It is called water and fire, metal and wood, wind and thunder, light and darkness…”“It can also be called all contradictions in the world. This arises from the heart, yet heaven and earth define it eternally!”

The belated insights into the Great Dao were not entirely washed away by the pleasure; they simply settled deep within his mind. Now that Xu Xiaoshou re-examined these insights, he immediately understood that he had broken through to the Heavenly Manifestation realm and entered the Yin-Yang stage.

The Grandmaster Yin-Yang stage is based on the heart's perception, manifesting the Heavenly Dao to lay the foundation for one's future path. However, Xu Xiaoshou found similar insights largely within his "Sword Mastery" at the Sovereign level.

The Three Thousand Dao of Swordsmanship encompasses everything. This path was originally no weaker than the Spirit Refining Dao, and it was the mainstream of the previous era. Therefore, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he was simply revisiting knowledge of the Heavenly Dao, or rather, switching from the perspective of Swordsmanship observing the Heavenly Dao to that of Spirit Refining observing the Heavenly Dao. Reviewing the old to learn the new.

When he opened his eyes again, nothing seemed to be there. Yet, Xu Xiaoshou felt he could now perceive the rules of the Great Thousand World. They appeared as tangible lines, forming a network of Heavenly Dao rules, similar to the Heavenly Dao principles he could see in White Cave through Yu Zhiwen's Heavenly Secret ability.

“So if this ability further evolves, it would be similar to the state after Dao Severance, where one can reside within the Heavenly Dao and achieve unity between heaven and man?” Xu Xiaoshou mused.

He observed his Spiritual Sea with his mind.

At this moment, his Spiritual Sea had expanded significantly, like a vast ocean. The Heavenly Manifestation realm allowed his Spiritual Sea to encompass all phenomena of heaven and earth, capable of generating illusions like tides, storms, and tsunamis. While these had no substantial offensive power, they were an initial manifestation of the rudimentary form of a Dantian world. The Yin-Yang stage, however, enriched Xu Xiaoshou's Dantian world with the Heavenly Dao, rules, and the concepts of day, night, right, and wrong, making it even more vivid.

However, it still had no substantial practical effects. A Grandmaster, in essence, only lays the foundation, preparing the way for the Sovereign Dao Realm and the explosive power gained after Dao Severance. During this period, the stronger one's insights into the Great Dao, the greater the chance of comprehending Spirit Refining profoundness in the Sovereign Dao Realm, and the more terrifying their combat power after Dao Severance. But purely from a Grandmaster's perspective, the most tangible effect of each breakthrough is merely a significant change in the quality and quantity of spiritual essence. That was all.

“I've become stronger, but it doesn't feel like much stronger…”

Of course, this was in comparison to the Sovereign Dao Realm and Dao Severance. Observing his Spiritual Sea, which had expanded more than tenfold, Xu Xiaoshou clearly felt that his Spiritual Sea, at its current level, was no less impressive than that of the Sovereign Dao Realm, perhaps even holding its own against Dao Severance?

Previously, when using "Ascension in One Step," he had to consider its range and number of uses, as well as incorporate "Endless Vitality," "Full of Vigor," and "Transformation" into his calculations. Now, it seemed unnecessary?

Unless it was an exaggerated spatial teleportation spanning an entire prefecture or realm, his Spiritual Sea would very likely not deplete its spiritual essence. This was clearly more than the spiritual essence increase brought by merely the Grandmaster Yin-Yang stage.

“Only the Yin-Yang stage?” Xu Xiaoshou frowned.

The biggest disadvantage of breaking through with the Holy Relic Fruit was his inability to suppress his realm, and he didn't understand how many rounds of breakthroughs he had just experienced. He was already at the peak of the Heavenly Manifestation realm. If a single Holy Relic Fruit could only advance him to the Yin-Yang stage, Xu Xiaoshou pondered it carefully and found it hard to believe.

“Starlight…”

Upon careful observation, above his Spiritual Sea, not only were there the phenomena of heaven and earth and the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dao, but also faint, inconspicuous specks of starlight. Xu Xiaoshou finally realized. He searched his memory bank again and indeed found another Heavenly Dao insight that had been overwhelmed by pleasure… Damn it, hidden so deeply! Was it me breaking through, or someone else? How could I break through without even knowing it? He retrieved it and began to read it.

“The Nine Heavens' stars, divined as the unknown; worshipped with the heart, they illuminate the universe…”“Three Thousand Worlds, sought with the spirit; above and below, in all four directions, past and present…”“The Spiritual Sea is one realm, the stars are myriad realms; called Yu and Zhou (space and time), obtained by worshipping the stars…”

Profound Dao sounds flowed past his ears. After a brief pause, Xu Xiaoshou recovered from his enlightenment state.

“Star Worship Realm!”“So, I'm already in the Star Worship Realm…”

If the Dao comprehended in the Heavenly Manifestation and Yin-Yang stages takes the Dantian world as its prototype, cultivating an illusory divine kingdom, then Star Worship involves drawing upon the power of the Nine Heavens' stars.

Above and below, in all four directions, is Yu (space); past and present is Zhou (time). This can be interpreted as the Heart's Divine Kingdom World achieving its initial formation upon breaking through to the Star Worship Realm, laying the foundation for the future "Realm Domain" and "Grand Void World" two major domains. Meanwhile, the Spiritual Sea is one realm, while the stars represent myriad realms. This can be understood as the Heart's World being one, while the vast, unseen three thousand other worlds, represented by stars, are called the "Universe."

I cultivate one realm, yet the myriad star realms still exist. The power of the myriad realms is beyond human reach. Even if I alone cultivate one realm to completion, the myriad realms persist; a single perfected realm cannot contend with them, nor can one person's strength rival the power of countless others.

“The stars represent the unknown…”“Therefore, even if I cultivate my Spiritual Sea world into a Realm Domain and a Grand Void World, I would still only be treading one path among the roads to Sainthood: the Spirit Refining Dao.”“And those individual stars, representing the unknown, are other paths, leading to the cultivation of Half-Saints and Saint Emperors?”

The more Xu Xiaoshou pondered, the more he felt the Heavenly Dao's profoundness.

Based on the countless Spirit Refiners across the Sacred God Continent and at the cost of immeasurable time, people finally developed the Spirit Refining Dao during the previous era, when Swordsmanship declined. This path could lead to Sainthood and was more aligned with the trends of the era, thus becoming mainstream. However, this was merely one path; other paths that people hadn't discovered didn't mean they didn't exist. The myriad Great Daos would always remain there, waiting silently. Waiting for a genius of an era to unearth them and reveal them to the public.

“But it's too difficult.”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, sighing. Why else would they say the unknown is the greatest fear? Even more terrifying than this greatest fear is gaining a glimpse, barely stepping through the threshold, and seeing the boundless starry sea and endless vastness, then realizing one can never reach that realm in a lifetime, and becoming completely demoralized.

If one learns the Dao in the morning, one can die content in the evening. In a daze, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to understand why that saying existed.

As he looked at the starlight in his Spiritual Sea, realizing that these were Great Daos leading to Sainthood, no weaker than Swordsmanship or Spirit Refining, he truly felt his own insignificance. Like a mayfly flitting through the universe, a grain of sand in the vast ocean. Human strength is finite; geniuses like Bazun An, who could reach the pinnacle of Swordsmanship while cultivating the Spirit Refining Dao, were already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. To forge a new path, to create… no! To unearth another road to Sainthood—how could that be accomplished by the power of one person alone? Perhaps it could be achieved over the course of an entire era!

“My life is but a fleeting moment, the Yangtze River is endless; knowledge cannot be gained in an instant, its echoes carried by the mournful wind…” Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, lamenting, but was not swayed by "infinity" or "the future," quickly recollecting himself.

From three thousand measures of weak water, he would take only one ladle. Since both the Spirit Refining Dao and Swordsmanship could lead to Sainthood, he would simply focus on one of them. To master both would be the mark of a genius surpassing an entire era. He wasn't some academic who only focused on trivial details; why would he waste time on the meaningless "foolishness/feat" of unearthing another path for others?

Xu Xiaoshou admired such people. But he knew he couldn't be one of them. Therefore, his accurate self-assessment was to safely follow the paths left by his predecessors, and only if he achieved mastery, would he then forge his own new path.

“The Star Worship Realm, without even realizing it…”“Breakthroughs flow like water, occurring most unexpectedly…”

Collecting his thoughts, Xu Xiaoshou felt a slight surge of excitement. Leaping from the Grandmaster Heavenly Manifestation Realm to the Grandmaster Star Worship Realm, just one stage short of the Sovereign Dao Realm—this speed was undeniably fast. Of course, he couldn't compare himself to a prodigy like Lei Xier. Xu Xiaoshou was already quite satisfied with his current realm breakthrough.

But despite his satisfaction, he couldn't help but wonder…

“Something's not right. Even in ancient times, the Holy Relic Fruit was a treasure only those of the Grand Void Realm could enjoy.”“How could giving it to a mere Grandmaster only result in two minor realm breakthroughs?”“What's more, the Star Worship Realm isn't even complete; it's just barely begun?”

Xu Xiaoshou re-examined his Spiritual Sea. His Spiritual Sea surged and rippled constantly. It looked extraordinary, but it was merely a thin layer of water covering the expanded basin, still a long way from overflowing. This preliminary assessment suggested it was only the initial stage of the Star Worship Realm, a significant difference from the Star Worship Realm Grand Completion he had anticipated.

“Is my Spiritual Sea too vast for the Holy Relic Fruit to fill?”“That can't be it…”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. Even for the Sovereign Dao Realm, a holy medicine could bring a qualitative leap, let alone for minor Grandmaster stages?

“The Holy Relic Fruit must have had other powers, stolen by someone!”“It looks like a breakthrough from Heavenly Manifestation to Star Worship, but it's really just from peak Heavenly Manifestation to initial Star Worship. How could the Holy Relic Fruit's energy only fill up the Yin-Yang stage?”“Therefore… there's a thief inside my body!”

Xu Xiaoshou quickly identified the culprits, glaring fiercely at the several treasures above his Spiritual Sea. His Spiritual Sea had too many thieves: the Emberflame Origin Seed, Three-Day Frost Calamity, Azure Bloom of Calm Lake, his own sword intent, Uncle's sword intent, and the white light bead from the disheveled saint that had been moved to his Spiritual Sea… Stealing some of the holy medicine's power was all too normal! But while stealing was acceptable, they had to give him some feedback, or he'd slaughter them!

Xu Xiaoshou surveyed all these familiar treasures, and his attention was soon drawn to a sacred power.

“Saint Force!” His eyes widened, overjoyed. This faint wisp of Saint Force, brought by the Holy Relic Fruit, had indeed appeared in his Spiritual Sea.

“Alright, let's try you out first!” Xu Xiaoshou immediately disregarded everything else. Saint Force! This was what Twin Daze and Brother Hong Dang had always dreamed of! Once obtained, one could become the number one Grand Void beneath a Half-Saint. Xu Xiaoshou had long proclaimed himself the number one Grandmaster beneath a Half-Saint. He believed that at his current stage, perhaps only Bazun An, who was merely a Grandmaster decades ago, could contend with him. But with Saint Force, things were completely different. This was the true number one Grandmaster beneath a Half-Saint! Grandmaster-level Bazun An? A mere plaything!

With a thought, the Saint Force was drawn. Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes from his state of closed-eyed inner observation, a sharp glint flashing within them.

“Boom!”

Within the Yuan Mansion World, immense pressure descended from the sky with this awakening. In that instant, winds stirred across heaven and earth, spiritual herbs bent low, poisonous fish hid, and sand and stones trembled. Even Ah Bing and Ah Huo, far away in the adjacent space, sensed something and let out soft roars.

“Huo!”“Roar…”—A level of power that could suppress anyone and any creature below a Half-Saint merely by its rank.

Ah Bing and Ah Huo looked around, bewildered and alarmed, their gaze finally settling on Xu Xiaoshou in the Divine Farmer's Medicinal Garden.

“Huo huo huo?” Ah Huo strained to straighten its body, scratching its head in curiosity. Wasn't this the ability of that guy they killed earlier? The master has it too? And judging by this pressure, it seems even more formidable than that so-called assassin's?

“Can they even compare?” Sensing Ah Huo's thoughts, Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. He had fully consumed the Holy Relic Fruit, while Twin Daze had wasted ninety-nine percent of its power! The initial Saint Force energy they received was simply not on the same level!

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't specifically directed this pressure onto anyone; otherwise, even a colossal giant like Ah Huo would likely have to kneel slightly if caught off guard.

“It's quite strong, but for now, it can't compare to Saint Blood.” Clenching his fist and feeling this attribute-less Saint Force, Xu Xiaoshou reached a preliminary conclusion.

Saint Blood was pure power extracted from a mature Half-Saint. Typically, those who consumed it would likely also possess a Saint Avatar. However, the Saint Force accompanying the Holy Relic Fruit was merely from a minor holy medicine; inherently, it was more than a match weaker than a true Half-Saint. How could they be compared? Of course, it was inherently unfair to compare the Saint Force from the Holy Relic Fruit to the Saint Blood of a true Half-Saint. You couldn't become a Half-Saint even by taking a hundred Holy Relic Fruits, so how could you compare the Saint Force from just one of them to a Half-Saint's Saint Blood? That's just a joke! The Saint Force from the Holy Relic Fruit was inherently meant to be used below the Half-Saint realm to demonstrate superiority!

“Hehe, I'm really strong.” Xu Xiaoshou thought, chuckling cheerfully.

He didn't value the current strength of his Saint Force greatly; although it was Saint Force after all and not to be underestimated, what he truly valued was the growth potential of the Holy Relic Fruit's Saint Force…

“It's just as I thought! After becoming a part of my body, the Holy Relic Fruit's Saint Force can not only grow on its own but also be influenced by passive skills to accelerate its own cultivation!” He watched the Saint Force in his Spiritual Sea, which, thanks to "Transformation," continuously absorbed power from "Endless Vitality," "Full of Vigor," and his own qi and blood to accelerate its growth. Xu Xiaoshou felt that the Dao Severance and Grand Void cultivators on Void Island were doomed.

Why would it take months or years for it to grow to a level comparable to the peak power after consuming Saint Blood? With so many passive skills and "Transformation" as a medium, in just a few days, this Saint Force could grow, split, and increase exponentially to a terrifying level, couldn't it?

If that's still too slow… He could consciously consume holy medicines, maintaining his awareness even if it meant wasting some of the medicinal power, and then use "Transformation" to channel all that energy to the Saint Force.

“Hee-hee-hee-hee-ha…” Xu Xiaoshou laughed maniacally.

He was absolutely certain that if he did this, he could create the number one Grandmaster beneath a Half-Saint within just a few hours—one who was "constantly consuming Saint Blood, always in peak condition, and without side effects"! Xu Xiaoshou? No, no, no… I am Xu Fierce Beast!

Dao Severance cultivators? Grand Void cultivators? If you have Saint Blood, that's another matter. If you have a Saint Avatar, please take another path. But if you don't… I'm sorry, but if you encounter me later, please take a detour, alright? Otherwise… You'll all be mere playthings! In the end, you'll all die!

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and puffed out his chest proudly: “What I'm about is resource suppression!”

The next second, Xu Xiaoshou, having forgotten to maintain the distance between his clothes and sensitive skin due to his hubris, suddenly fell heavily from the air.

“Thud!”“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh…”“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I know I was wrong…”“So, are there any elixirs that can cure sensitive skin? Waiting online, very urgent! Extremely urgent!”