The familiar pure black space greeted my eyes. Lines made of white lines originated from my footsteps, heading forth towards the unknown.
I flicked the coin I held and caught it mid-air. I opened my palm and saw six different outcomes appear. Fuzzy memories popped up inside my mind.
Hm, Wendy and Anna won't exit seclusion until a year later. I can set aside their matters for now. Their mental states are normal… Thank goodness.
Sirin can wait for a while. She's… preparing something?
For a moment, I felt the urge to divine it, only to stop.
Even without this session, I knew about Kiana's frequent interactions with her. They are cooking something together.
Then…
I can break through now!
Words cannot describe what I felt during this long wait. My Tao Heart is already at the sixth level, Divine Sword. Everything except myself is ready for it. My heart longed for the Divine Transformation Realm.
Time and time, it has been proven that Nascent Soul Realm is severely insufficient when it comes to dealing with enemies. The level of awakened Herrschers fall steeply compared to the Emanators whose singular strength can stump galaxies. Heck, the members of the Stellaron Hunters alone have the power to destroy planets… Well, some of them.
The Divine Transformation Realm is a safety threshold. I can use the innate ability of my Nine Dragons Primordial Universe Body to summon the dragon phantom. I can temporarily reach the pinnacle of Divine Transformation Realm by then. There is also the Ten Lights Immortal Physique overlaid on it. It also has a unique ability similar to my other Tao Body. Its existence overlapped with the Daos I treaded, further strengthening them.
Most importantly…
I can finally crush others with my realm.
My encounters with the Honkai is like fighting against higher realms. Immortal cultivation couldn't show its full potential during these fights.
Herrschers, for example. Not once did I fight them using artifacts. The Cocoon of Finality and IX were faced off using my Tao Heart alone. During these instances, my enemies are way above my current realm. Nascent Soul level artifacts—Dharma Artifacts—could not pose a threat to them.
My current resources are vastly different now. As long as I equip myself with a few Divine Transformation artifacts, Divine Artifacts, I can fight against a dozen Herrschers of the End without using a forbidden technique. The same applies to Void Refinement Realm artifacts, the Embryonic Dao Artifacts.
In short, immortal cultivators are now eligible for the pay-to-win route. I can finally fight like a true immortal cultivator instead of a poor cultivator whose sole weapon is his World Rendering Sword.
I let out a sigh as I imagined the promising future. Earth, the Star Rail, Aeons…
I am looking forward to these encounters.
*****
A month later, both the Federation and the Sect received a groundbreaking announcement:
The First Cultivator is about to break through the Divine Transformation Realm.
Shi Tian's name was pushed to the front of the news once more. Although his current realm was publicized, nobody can imagine how he managed to be several steps ahead from others. Immortal cultivators know the difficulty of cultivating. That was despite the Blade Mantra 2.0's existence, something capable of speeding up one's cultivation speed.
For those who cannot comprehend it, they are even more affected. The majority of Earth's cultivators consisted of low grade spirit roots. Their highest cultivation is hard-locked at the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment Realm with a lifespan of 500 years.
Cultivation's inherent difficulty and this race against time made the public even more incredulous as to what level Shi Tian's talent had reached.
Then came the next bombshell:
He will hold a Dao Questioning Conference prior to his breakthrough.
The said event will be seen by the entire world. Shi Tian will transmit his voice and figure to every person within the solar system. His spiritual consciousness had long reached the level of being able to do so.
As such, everyone waited for the destined day with abated breaths. The moment the clock struck, a voice appeared within everyone's minds.
"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao."
Tao Te Ching's long-standing status extended up to this world's Earth. Some of its principles perfectly encompassed the golden orb's way of immortal cultivation. The Dao held by Dao Integration Realm cultivators are ever-changing, yet it also orbits around a central concept. This kind of contradiction is common in the Dao Integration Realm.
To those who witnessed Shi Tian's World Rendering Sword, these words resonated more thoroughly. Everyone saw an ethereal phantom, with his back facing them. He continued to utter the words of wisdom.
One by one, they fell into a state of enlightenment. It started with the Qi Refining Realm, then the Foundation Establishment Realm, Purple Mansion Realm, and Golden Core Realm. Mortals did not escape. They, too, fell into a state of Enlightenment. Whether it be on Earth, Phosphorus, or Mars, time stood still.
Only those at the Nascent Soul Realm did not experience such changes.
Shi Tian opened his eyes. The blazing Sun was reflected in his pupils. He sat cross-legged atop it.
"Enlightenment… It's still a long way to the eighth level."
The Dao of Enlightenment is a special Dao Shi Tian earned by being the First Cultivator. It has the power to send its targets into a state of Enlightenment, all at the cost of Shi Tian's spiritual qi. Since the Dao of Enlightenment is reliant on the civilizations' level, this action gives a positive feedback to its growth.
"Hm, even mortals benefitted."
For a while, the short-haired cultivator nodded every now and then. Him directly sitting cross-legged above the Sun did not matter.
His long list of thoughts halted when he sensed everyone break free from their enlightenment state. It took an hour for mortals up to three days for Golden Core Realm cultivators.
"It's time. I wonder how long it will take…"
Shi Tian pulled his sleeves and stood up. The vacuum environment surrounding him further elevated the sense of mysticism caused by him. Space shook. Layers upon layers of dimensions emitted a humming sound.
The sword in his hands worsened this reaction. It was the same pitch black dao (lit. sword) Shi Tian used back in the days, the Beginningless Sword. Having been upgraded to a Divine Artifact, he could freely use it to confront the incoming tribulations with ease.
This is the sole artifact he had refined and perfectly controlled. The rest has to wait until he settles this breakthrough.
'To turn everything divine… to become a God.'
Shi Tian took his step into becoming a true high-level immortal cultivator.