Yu Xuan sat beneath the Five Elental Tree, cultivating in silence.
It had been two weeks since he began practicing the [Dance of Rebirth], and now he had successfully completed all nine stances. Not only that, he could perform them consecutively without breaking focus.
Each attempt in [Ultra Instinct] made the sequence easier to execute, yet the pain only deepened.
The sixth stance, Shattering of ridians, had quite literally torn his ridians apart, forcing them to heal repeatedly under excruciating pressure. The seventh, Collapse of Mind, left him staggering at the edge of madness, his consciousness flooded as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his brain.
The eighth stance, Ashes of the Self, was the most harrowing. In it, Yu Xuan felt his sense of existence collapse entirely, dissolving into nothingness, as though he had returned to heaven and earth itself. He had been stuck there for two full days, unable to move forward.
On the third day, however, he finally touched the ninth stance — Rebirth.
What followed was indescribable. Bliss poured through him, a serenity beyond words.
It was like experiencing Nirvana. His body grew light, purer than before.
Yet, there was a price, his cultivation dropped from the peak of the twelfth layer of Qi Condensation back to its early stage.
Still, he continued. With [Ultra Instinct] guiding him, the process was manageable.
Without that skill, Yu Xuan suspected he would have needed months, to succeed. Now, not only could he perform the [Dance of Rebirth] continuously, but with each cycle of the ninth stance, his body underwent slight tamorphosis.
His skin shed like an old husk, replaced by new flesh, tougher and cleaner, strengthening him to another degree.
At first, he found it strange. In the martial worlds of his past life, such transformations only appeared in old masters who had reached the pinnacle. Yet here in the cultivation world, where children could grow goatees before maturity, the impossible was simply another path.
By now, he had perford the [Dance of Rebirth] more than three thousand tis. His progress had slowed, and his cultivation had once again returned to the peak of the twelfth layer. The foundation was laid, the cycle complete.
He was ready to break through. Oh he also gained few centiters of height.
Still, to be safe, Yu Xuan decided he should consult his master before taking the final step.
Nearly two months had passed since Yu Xuan arrived in this realm, and already he had climbed to the very peak of the first stage — Qi Condensation. Yet, to him, the pace still felt slow.
Back in his ho world, there were tales of peerless geniuses who reached the peak of Qi Condensation within a single month.
Even if their foundations weren’t perfect, their speed was dazzling. Compared to them, Yu Xuan wasn’t sure whether his twelfth layer was a blessing or a strange mistake.
And then there were the novels he once read on Earth — stories where a protagonist would defeat a random outer disciple and instantly soar to new heights, their foundation solidified in a single day.
Now that he stood here in flesh and blood, he found those stories laughable. Reality was different. Cultivation was pain, repetition, and pressure.
Still, he could not deny it. He was strong now. If the Devouring Demon appeared again, Yu Xuan was confident he could defeat it with ease.
His gaze dropped to the locket resting against his chest. Within it, the two mysterious eggs still lay dormant, unmoving and silent.
He had no idea what would hatch from them, but deep down, he believed it would be sothing extraordinary.
He rose to his feet and casually threw a punch.
Swish—
A shockwave erupted, rippling through the air before tearing off into the distance. Yu Xuan grinned, then shifted his eyes to a nearby rock. With a thought, he unleashed [Immortal’s Gaze] –Annihilation.
Fwoosh.
The rock lted instantly into a warped lump of glowing stone. Nodding in satisfaction, Yu Xuan turned away and began walking toward his master’s abode.
He had expected his cultivation journey to be a treacherous path of blood and blades. Yet aside from that single attempt to seize his talent, life had been... surprisingly smooth.
Almost too smooth.
"It’s about ti I visited my sister," he murmured. "After I break through, I’ll definitely go see that annoying face again."
Not long after, he arrived before the familiar palace. The great doors creaked open on their own, as if recognizing him.
Stepping inside, Yu Xuan found his master seated in her multicolored throne, eyes closed in ditation. Though he knew it was only her clone, the sight still carried weight.
"Master, I am ready to break through," Yu Xuan said respectfully.
The Elental Heaven Peak Master slowly opened her eyes, studying him with calm intensity. A faint glimr of surprise flickered across her gaze.
"Your body has grown stronger again," she remarked. "Tell , do you carry a physique?"
Yu Xuan’s expression did not falter. "No, Master. I was simply born strong."
The lie slipped off his tongue smoothly.
He had no intention of revealing the truth. His parents had failed to discern his physique, and so too had his master otherwise she would have ntioned when they first t.
Even the device of the sect which was used to check talents and physique was unable to detect it. To keep it hidden was the safest choice.
The Peak Master regarded him for a mont longer, then nodded slightly. If he truly possessed a physique, she would have sensed it by now.
Her thoughts lingered briefly on the possibility of bloodline.
Perhaps so dormant trace slumbered within him, but even then, for humans such things were only ever supplents.
Unlike the spirit beasts or divine races, humans were born without inherent bloodlines.
And so, throughout history, what humans could not be born with, they seized from others — refining and integrating to make it their own. That was their path.
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