The breakthrough Kaido mentioned wasn't the kind found in typical cultivation novels, with rigid stages like Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or Nascent Soul. In those stories, once you reach a higher stage, the lower-level techniques become useless.
However, the Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycle Self-Rotation Method was entirely different. While it had three layers, the fundamental practice always centered on the two main internal circulations : the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, which represented Refining Essence to Transform Qi, and the Greater Heavenly Cycle, which represented Refining Qi to Transform Spirit.
Before reaching the third layer, these two cycles worked independently, much like an assembly line. The simple idea was to first cultivate Qi through the Lesser Heavenly Cycle's practice of Refining Essence to Transform Qi. This cultivated Qi would then be directed into the Greater Heavenly Cycle to begin Refining Spirit.
Initially, practitioners cultivate very little Qi through the Lesser Heavenly Cycle. This small amount is entirely absorbed by the body during the Lesser Heavenly Cycle circulation, leaving no surplus Qi to advance into the Greater Heavenly Cycle. This was Kaido's previous state, where he was strictly limited to Refining Essence to Transform Qi.
Now, everything had changed.
Submerged in this sea of magma, which naturally possessed an energy similar to Qi, Kaido's cultivation efficiency dramatically increased, by two or even three times. For the very first time, after completing the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, he had excess Qi. This surplus Qi was finally able to enter the second layer: the Greater Heavenly Cycle circulation of Refining Qi to Transform Spirit.
This was the breakthrough Kaido spoke of. It was an absolute surprise and an unexpected bonus.
But in this critical moment, Kaido dared not give in to his joy. He had to push all emotion aside, guide the Qi with the utmost care, and, while operating the Greater Heavenly Cycle for the first time, calmly observe the changes that came with entering the Refining Qi to Transform Spirit stage.
He didn't have to wait long. The surprise appeared, but this time it didn't come from his physical body.
As Kaido meticulously guided the Qi to circulate within the Greater Heavenly Cycle, sensing the Qi gradually dissipating during the process , he suddenly heard his heart begin to pound violently.
"Boom! Boom!!!"
A unique feeling surged within him. Kaido was all too familiar with this sensation. It was the raw power of the Devil Fruit he had consumed.
"Boom! Boom!!!"
Although there was no physical evidence, Kaido could distinctly feel his Devil Fruit ability throbbing rapidly, like a heart desperate to break free from some unseen constraint.
"Awakening!?"
The power he had pondered for so long, the one he had always desired, was finally appearing before him. Kaido's eyes blazed with intense focus.
He made an immediate and decisive choice.
While the potential presence of the Ancient Weapon Pluton below might be more important for the long-term future, this immediate opportunity to touch the power of Devil Fruit Awakening was too precious to ignore. He wouldn't abandon the near-term gain for the distant goal.
He stopped his descent right there. The entire body of the flaming giant dragon coiled continuously in the sea of magma, greedily absorbing the dense energy all around him.
Even though the energy might be even denser deeper down, he chose to be cautious and familiarize himself with this new breakthrough first. Moreover, during the Greater Heavenly Cycle practice of Refining Qi to Transform Spirit, the foundational Lesser Heavenly Cycle of Refining Essence to Transform Qi continued to operate , meaning his physical body was still strengthening continuously.
It must be said that such an effortless increase in power is deeply addictive. It was like playing a game and suddenly having the experience rate double, or even triple. This intoxication made Kaido completely forget the five-hour limit he had set.
He remained immersed in the exhilaration of this power growth until a shout from King pulled him back to reality...
On the ice and snow-covered slopes of Mount Fuji's volcano , King had waited for five hours. When Big Brother Kaido still hadn't emerged, he immediately decided to rush down into the crater.
Compared to Kaido's reckless descent, King's journey was significantly faster. The reason was simple: Kaido's massive dragon body had already carved a straight, smooth path through the entire volcano on his way down. King simply needed to avoid the occasional falling rocks and the magma that spewed from the surrounding fissures.
In this way, King covered Kaido's five-hour journey in less than thirty minutes.
Then, the scene that greeted him made King, who was flying through the air with his wings ablaze, stop and stare.
What opened up below was a massive sea of magma, resembling a huge underground world. The rock ceiling above became the 'sky,' and the magma below was the 'sea'.
At this depth, the temperature was nearly unbearable, even for a Lunarian like King. But where was Big Brother Kaido?
Just then, King's sharp eyes caught a movement, and he widened them in surprise.
In the distant magma sea, a gigantic dragon was swimming leisurely, as if it were a massive swimming pool. Its dragon body appeared and disappeared beneath the surface.
This giant dragon was, of course, Kaido.
However, the dragon King saw was not the fiery beast he expected. What appeared in King's sight was a blue giant dragon that radiated a chilling, intense cold from its entire body.
Wherever the blue dragon passed, the magma immediately froze into solid ice crystals, which made a crunching sound as the dragon's body crushed them. This wasn't the slow process of magma cooling into rock; it was the magma instantly and completely freezing. Only after the giant dragon moved on would the frozen magma slowly melt again from the surrounding intense heat.
This bizarre sight left King completely dumbfounded.
King was certain his Big Brother didn't possess an ability like this. Yet, here it was...
Could it be?
With that thought, King couldn't help but fly over and shout to him.
"Big Brother!?"
In the silence of the vast cavern, King's shout echoed clearly.
Kaido, who was deep in his cultivation and enjoying the rush of power, immediately opened his eyes. He seemed quite pleased to see King flying toward him.
"Oh, it's King!" he roared.
Kaido stopped his practice and proudly lifted his massive body out of the magma. The moment they got close, King could clearly feel the bone-chilling cold radiating off him. All the surrounding magma was frozen solid, creating the only touch of blue in that deep red world.
"Sorry, King. I was having too much fun and completely lost track of time," Kaido admitted.
King wasn't focused on the time. Instead, looking at his Big Brother, who was now emanating cold, he asked eagerly : "Big Brother, have you already found Pluton?"
"No..." Kaido replied, in a fantastic mood, a satisfied smile curving his lips. "Unfortunately, I didn't find the Ancient Weapon Pluton. It's probably further down. But I didn't leave empty-handed! As you can see, I've gotten a hold of a new power."
The entire process had been completely natural. Although the limited time and energy here weren't enough to achieve a full Awakening, during the Greater Heavenly Cycle operation of the Self-Rotation Method, the power of his Blue Dragon Fruit had continuously throbbed, finally cracking some kind of barrier.
Though it was just a small crack, the emergence of this flaw immediately granted Kaido a new ability : the power of freezing, which was strong enough to counteract and stop the flow of magma.
At this moment, nothing could make Kaido happier.
Fire, lightning, hurricane, plus this newly acquired freezing ability. These four natural powers made the current Kaido the most perfect Mythical Zoan user imaginable. Not to mention, with the Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycle Self-Rotation Method reaching the second layer, his Haki and physical body had also improved tremendously.
Seeing King's curious gaze, Kaido decided not to bother with a full explanation. Instead, he simply declared, "Worororo, I'll explain everything later, King. Right now, I can't wait to find someone to test out my new power..."
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