Chapter 448: Sixth Floor, Nascent Soul Fourth Layer Realm

As cultivators entered the Heavenly Star Pagoda one after another, the surroundings were completely empty in less than an hour. Cautious rogue cultivators occasionally came to this place along the path opened through the palace city.

They also tried their luck with the opportunities in the Heavenly Star Pagoda. For them, extreme caution was necessary, and they either had to delay their exit as long as possible or leave very early. Otherwise, a direct encounter with the old devils would at least result in a search of their storage artifacts. If they met someone particularly vicious, it was not impossible to be killed on the spot.

As time passed, only the Heavenly Star Stele glowed steadily.

Half a month later, names began to appear at the bottom of the Heavenly Star Rankings. These were not the well-known grand cultivators like Fiend Lord Blazing Sun or Nether Son. Instead, they were Core Formation direct disciples!

Cultivators at this realm can master divine abilities. If cultivated to a profound level, they can fight opponents above their realm. Wang Yu, in fact, was able to face Nascent Soul attacks head-on and survive. Low cultivation and young age indeed give a significant advantage in these talent selection trials.

The first person to reach the bottom of the Heavenly Star Rankings was Tong Du, a direct disciple from Five Yin Peak of the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect. He had achieved the peak of Core Formation long ago, and traditionally, as long as he joined any of the three clans, he would receive Nascent Soul condensing spiritual materials produced from their clan's territory.

The Tong clan, in terms of scale, was not a major clan; it was merely a top-tier Golden Core family. His ability to become a direct disciple of the Five Yin Mountain Lord was due to two reasons. Firstly, he possessed a mutated version of a high-grade Yin Spirit Root. He was born with Yin Eyes, capable of controlling ghostly entities. Secondly, his mother gifted the Mountain Lord a third-tier ancient ghost (an ancestral soul) that the Tong clan had nurtured for a thousand years. There was a high probability it could advance to the fourth tier in the Mountain Lord's hands. Thus, Tong Du was essentially a product of a transaction. It's rumored that his mother also secretly became involved with the Nine Nether Demon Lord of Five Yin Peak. Those who understand, know the methods used. If a mature woman is willing to cultivate some chamber arts, the disciples of the Joyful Union Dao know the various pleasures best. For her son's future, she truly spared no effort.

Theoretically, it would be best for Tong Du to join the Zhuo clan. After all, the Ghost Curse Demonic Stones produced from their clan's territory were very suitable for Yin Spirit Root cultivators to condense Nascent Souls.

Although the strong cultivators from the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect and the Yellow Spring Temple had all entered the Heavenly Star Pagoda, Core Formation elders still remained outside to monitor the situation and record changes in the Heavenly Star Rankings. As the first to achieve this success, Tong Du's importance increased exponentially. Soon after, other prodigies from the Yellow Spring Temple also appeared on the rankings, but most remained within the last hundred spots. It was difficult for them to even break into the top 1400.

This shows the true value of the Heavenly Star Pagoda. Primarily, Dongji Capital was not the capital of an ancient immortal dynasty; it was merely a gathering place for prodigies from a corner of the dynasty's eastern region, far from representing the peak standard of the immortal dynasty. However, advancing higher on the list was extremely difficult. After all, the top regional talents were by no means mediocre. The ancient era was a very prosperous period for the cultivation world, and even Wang Yu wasn't confident he could reach the very top. He felt that getting into the top 1000 of the Heavenly Star Rankings would be a success. His cultivation level in the Nascent Soul stage hadn't advanced very far, which was an undeniable disadvantage.

Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Star Pagoda.

In half a month, Wang Yu had not rested for a single day, almost fully dedicated to ascending the pagoda's floors. In a blink of an eye, he had reached the sixtieth floor. His youthful face showed slight fatigue.

"This is the last floor of this segment."

Every ten floors granted him three hundred drops of demonic essence infusion, bringing his total to one thousand eight hundred drops. Passing this level would push him to another limit: the limit of twelve thousand drops of demonic essence for a third-level Nascent Soul! Although it made his Sea of Qi slightly unstable, if he could break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, his combat power would increase significantly. He might even be able to contend with grand cultivators. His previous battle with Demon Lord Azure Water was not typical. Eighty percent of the credit had to go to the Ancestral Water Token. If it had been a cultivator specializing in another attribute, they wouldn't have achieved such a feat.

The sixtieth floor of the Heavenly Star Pagoda was no longer a vast, endless plain but a rock forest with countless towering stone pillars. This floor was still a combat trial. The opponent's cultivation was consistent with his own, reaching the peak of early Nascent Soul, and their combat intelligence was significantly higher than previously encountered foes.

At that moment, atop a distant stone pillar, a cultivator appeared, clad in a black robe and wearing a fierce face mask, wielding a Fangtian Ji halberd with immense power. The Tower Spirit's prompt sounded at the appropriate time.

"This layer's trial: defeat the Immortal Dynasty army prodigy 'Marquis Yongli,' Fang Tianyu. Time limit: six hours. After a stick of incense for rest, the challenge begins!"

"Marquis Yongli…" Wang Yu murmured. Since the Tower Spirit could materialize the illusory figures of other Nascent Soul cultivators, the immortal dynasty prodigies who had previously cleared the Heavenly Star Pagoda were naturally within the Tower Spirit's materialization range. A clash between modern and ancient talents was indeed something to look forward to.

Wang Yu closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and began to strategize. Judging by his opponent's weapon, he was certainly a physical strength-oriented expert, whether specializing in body cultivation or using normal dual cultivation methods. Wang Yu had no fear in a contest of pure strength. This was also a good opportunity to refine his slightly unstable blood qi, laying the foundation for his future breakthrough in body cultivation.

A stick of incense time vanished in an instant. In a flash, Wang Yu unleashed the power of his Innate Demonic Embryo, activating Heavenly Demon Myriad Transformations. The previous physical form of his Extreme Yin Dragon Infant overlapped and appeared on his body. Black demonic lightning and Ice Dragon Flame surged alternately. With the explosion of lightning and fire, he transformed into a blue-black stream of light, colliding with the leaping Marquis Yongli.

With a thunderous crash, more than half of the stone forest was destroyed by the shockwave. The hard rocks in their hands were not much better than tofu. When the dust settled, Wang Yu, fully clad in Demonic Fiend Dragon Armor, held a black ice spear in one hand, using its blade to hook the ear-blade of the Fangtian Ji halberd. His right hand, shaped into a palm, encased Marquis Yongli's other fist. The situation immediately devolved into a grappling match. For body cultivators, excluding divine abilities and weapons, a simple arm wrestle could determine who was stronger in body cultivation. The difference in strength became apparent at the first touch.

Just as Marquis Yongli was about to be completely overwhelmed in the struggle, a knee strike covered in spikes came from the side, aiming for Wang Yu's kidney.

"I can't let you hit that."

Wang Yu also raised his leg, performing an aerial spin kick, aiming precisely for the opponent's temple on the side of the head. His whole body flew horizontally. Marquis Yongli's knee strike missed. His right hand suddenly retracted, and he raised his elbow to block the side kick. The two countered each other's moves, rapidly separating after a few moments of grappling. In terms of physical strength, with the superimposed Extreme Yin Dragon Body state and the amplification from his Natal True Artifact, he was confident he could overpower Marquis Yongli. However, the opponent's combat intelligence was extremely high, giving him no opportunity. During the brief interlude, the Flesh-and-Blood Demonic Sword replaced the black ice spear. The spatial blade it carried might be the key to victory. The basic stats provided by the Tower Spirit were good, but it still lacked charm, making Marquis Yongli seem somewhat hollow, and his artifact was also quite ordinary.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

In the second round of engagement, Wang Yu changed his strategy. He met strength with strength, hardness with hardness. He pushed the brute force of a pure body cultivator to its extreme. This was the correct approach, a crushing hard power advantage, and also the quickest path to victory. The disparity became evident at this point.

After three sticks of incense of intense direct combat, it concluded temporarily with Marquis Yongli's arm broken. After they separated, they re-engaged in the third round after only a single breath. This fighting style helped Wang Yu gradually compress his blood qi. With every collision, his hands and feet would ache, and the immense blood qi from his Silver Blood Divine Marrow would then surge into his limbs and bones. Continuously forging his immortal spiritual bones, his foundation gradually solidified, and his body cultivation also increased. Combat was indeed an excellent way for cultivators to enhance their strength.

With a guaranteed victory, Wang Yu was no longer in a hurry. It would be a pity to simply dispatch such a perfect training opponent, especially since in the current cultivation world, there were few beings with physical bodies comparable to his, and opportunities for frequent combat were rare.

An hour later, Wang Yu was steaming. His face was slightly flushed from the strenuous exercise, but the excitement hidden deep in his eyes was undeniable.

—It was truly exhilarating!

"That's enough. You will be the final push for me to enter the mid-Nascent Soul stage."

As the refinement effect diminished, Wang Yu struck again. The blade of the Flesh-and-Blood Demonic Sword was covered with a visible silver glow. After several clashes with the Fangtian Ji, it was decisively severed.

Demonic Dragon Fist!

In his Extreme Yin Dragon Body state, Wang Yu threw a punch, and the Infernal Demonic Dragon, which had swelled to a thousand meters, flew out, violently sending Marquis Yongli soaring into mid-air. The 'Field of Power,' a realm-specific divine ability of a fourth-tier body cultivator, exerted pressure on Marquis Yongli, making it difficult for him to move under the immense force. His agility decreased significantly. The Infernal Demonic Dragon, soaring into the sky, instantly exploded, bursting into fireworks in the air.

Shortly after, a black shadow fell from the sky. Wang Yu unleashed another sword light, a blood-red line like a crack in the heavens, swiftly cleaving Marquis Yongli in two.

"Nothing more than that."

Having passed the sixtieth-floor trial, it was time to receive his reward.

After clearing sixty consecutive floors, Wang Yu also noticed a problem. The intensity of his trials seemed a bit too low. Generally, only major checkpoints, like every ten floors, featured Nascent Soul cultivators as opponents. He suspected this might be related to his age. After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator just over two hundred years old was extremely rare in any era. Such talent was enough to make his name go down in history. The cumulative effect of the Innate Demonic Embryo's spirit-tier aptitude, combined with the placement slots, was actually more outstanding than he had imagined.

"Congratulations, cultivator, for passing the sixtieth-floor trial. Please choose one of the following options to receive…"

Without hesitation, Wang Yu directly chose the Demonic Essence Infusion reward. The three hundred drops, seemingly a drop in the ocean, actually stirred a massive wave in his Sea of Qi. His Sea of Qi, having reached its current capacity limit, naturally began to break through.

Regarding the prerequisites for the mid-Nascent Soul stage, both Nascent Soul strength and demonic essence requirements had been met. This bottleneck, for him, practically didn't exist; he just needed to complete the breakthrough step-by-step.

For mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, the demonic essence within their bodies would begin to surge. It would spontaneously undergo a purification, advancing from a 'liquid state' to a 'viscous state.' 12,000 to 24,000 drops allowed a breakthrough to the fifth level of Nascent Soul. 24,000 to 48,000 drops allowed a breakthrough to the sixth level of Nascent Soul. Finally, accumulating up to 99,999 drops marked the peak of the sixth level. To break through to the late stage, the Nascent Soul's strength must keep pace, and comprehending Dao intent was the best way to enhance the Nascent Soul. At the same time, the demonic essence would solidify into demonic essence crystals, similar to the Golden Core of a Core Formation cultivator, and its power would undergo earth-shattering changes. Even an ordinary divine ability could crush a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. It was akin to the difference between Core Formation and Foundation Establishment.

At that moment, the surge in demonic essence provided the impetus for Wang Yu to activate the old version of the perfected "Ice Soul Demonic Saint Art." As soon as the cultivation method shifted, its efficiency immediately increased. Demonic essence surged continuously through his meridians. After each grand cycle, his aura would rise by a notch.

In just half an hour, Wang Yu's aura fluctuations had already stabilized. His realm had surprisingly reached the fourth level of Nascent Soul. This minor transformation from early to mid-stage brought significant improvements in all aspects. His spiritual sense, physical body, soul, and demonic essence—all surged! Particularly his physical body, after receiving feedback from the realm breakthrough, his unstable blood qi completely stabilized and became increasingly close to the mid-fourth tier. During his subsequent ascent of the pagoda, he should also be able to seize the opportunity to break through.

Rising from his cross-legged posture, Wang Yu closed his eyes and assessed himself.

"My spiritual sense is roughly at the peak of the seventh level of Nascent Soul, and my body cultivation is at the peak of the third layer of the fourth tier… Nascent Soul strength has also increased somewhat."

"Tower Spirit, continue!"

The sixty-first-floor challenge began, introducing a new trial mode: the Land of Pressure. This trial likely tested a cultivator's will and innate resistance. For Wang Yu, this presented almost no difficulty.

Outside the Heavenly Star Pagoda, before the stone stele.

Among Nascent Soul cultivators, Wang Yu was the first to appear on the Heavenly Star Rankings. His age advantage was too great, granting him an extremely high score bonus in the Tower Spirit's judgment. Merely reaching the sixty-first floor had already placed him in the one thousand five hundredth spot at the tail end of the list.

This achievement immediately surprised all major forces. Regarding the renowned "Red Kite's foremost young talent," seeing was believing, and his Heavenly Star Pagoda performance was the best proof, especially since the trials faced by Nascent Soul cultivators were completely different from those of Core Formation cultivators. As for the current generation of young talents, their ages were generally over a hundred years older than Wang Yu. The mainstream cultivation level for young people was still in the late to peak Core Formation stage, while Wang Yu had already surged to the mid-Nascent Soul stage. The disparity was evident in all aspects. If truly measured by the "young generation," it would only put the prodigy disciples of the various forces at a disadvantage.

At the same time, far away at the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect's main gate, the Cold Blood direct disciple Yan Ling was striving for her upcoming agreement with Wang Yu. Only one hundred thirty years remained until their agreed time to jointly explore the Holy Lord's Heavenly Palace. Seventy years had passed since they parted ways in the Blood Abyss. After returning from the Blood Abyss, she had been preparing for her Nascent Soul condensation. The reason she missed the opportunities in Dongji Capital was largely due to being in seclusion for her breakthrough.

It had been twenty years since she entered the tribulation-passing cliff specially built by the sect. At that time, while the Heavenly Star Pagoda stirred up commotion, the sect's tribulation-passing cliff was also shrouded in dark clouds. The awe-inspiring might of heaven, long absent, descended upon this place. Countless cultivators in the sect looked up toward the tribulation-passing cliff. At a critical moment when the sect's disadvantage was becoming apparent, the emergence of a new Nascent Soul cultivator could significantly boost morale. Whether it was Red Kite or Taihu, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators openly revealed was extremely small, generally only eleven or twelve. The specific meaning of this action was yet unclear. But Wang Yu felt it was related to the tacit understanding between the Divine Transformation Venerables on both sides.

(End of this chapter)