50 Rediscovering the Will to Live
Alone in the peaceful living room, Zhou Yuan stood silently, lost in deep thought. His head hung slightly as he pondered the meaning of Ye Huanhuan's words. Gradually, a spark of realization ignited within him, as if a newfound understanding had taken hold.
Suddenly, the space around Zhou Yuan began to distort, and a whirlwind of images appeared before him. Fragments of his past, both successes and failures, joys and sorrows, flashed before his eyes before fading into an infinite darkness.
As Zhou Yuan contemplated Ye Huanhuan's words, he found himself reflecting on his second chance at life. It was a miraculous opportunity to start anew, but beneath the surface, he grappled with self-doubt and the fear of losing himself in this unfamiliar world.
Zhou Yuan had always considered himself ordinary, and the idea of being chosen by destiny seemed far-fetched.
The weight of failing to adapt to this new reality burdened his mind, as he feared losing his sense of self amidst the societal expectations and norms of this uncharted realm.
Having experienced more than the average person could imagine, Zhou Yuan held a deep aversion towards the Heavenly Origin Realm. In his eyes, it was a foreign world filled with endless dangers. Subconsciously, this fear had cast a shadow over him even before that tragedy that befell him.
He rarely ventured to explore the vastness of this world, lacking the courage to move forward and truly embrace life. Despite the hardships and transformations of the past few years, Zhou Yuan still found himself trapped in the same state as before his demise - merely existing without truly living.
However, in the Heavenly Origin Realm, Zhou Yuan discovered that he was not alone. He had people who cared for him, loved him, and considered him family.
His grandfather, uncle, cousin, Qing'er, and Yang Jin were all waiting for him. Realizing this, Zhou Yuan softly murmured his gratitude towards his mother, envisioning her figure in his room.
Zhou Yuan's gaze finally focused on the dark void in front of him. He now understood that he wasn't dead yet.
After searching for some time, he discovered a small flickering light. Staring at it, he asked, "Is it you who saved me?"
The tiny spark flickered, indicating its will. Zhou Yuan smiled softly as he reached out his right hand. The spark transformed into a pale blue flame, and Zhou Yuan felt a powerful and familiar bond with it.
His pupils lit up with divine light as the flame burned intensely in his palm, resembling a True Dragon ready to soar the heavens.
"Musing over his surroundings, Zhou Yuan realized, "It's time I put an end to this." The infinite sea of darkness began to crumble as the flame transformed into a large dragon, erupting with immense power.
The massive dragon opened its mouth, creating a terrifying suction that devoured the sea of darkness.
The sounds of a roaring beast echoed before finally fading away. Zhou Yuan's Soul Sea regained its calmness, yet the blue fire dragon persisted in its circling motion around him. Unwilling to leave him.
In the outside world, Zhou Yuan's physical body became enveloped in a radiant pillar of light that shot up into the sky. The ethereal blue flame surged around his body, drawing in the abundant Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from all directions.
As the pillar of light soared higher, the surrounding atmosphere seemed to tremble with the intensity of the gathering energy.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yuan's body was experiencing a complete metamorphosis. His weak physique that seems to be on the verge of death seems to revitalize itself. His meridian paths which had just recovered were now refined by pure spiritual flames.
Cultivation which had remained stagnant at the 8th Rank of Qi Refinement began to breakthrough the next rank.
The cultivation of the human race in this world is divided into 9 Realms, Qi Refinement, Spiritual Foundation, Spiritual Ocean, Soul Origin, Heavenly Fusion, Origin Ascension, Dao Origin, Domain Origin, and World Origin.
Each realm represents a complete transformation, the gap between each realm is comparable to Heaven and Earth and can not be surmounted under normal circumstances.
In the Qi Refinement Realm, the Spiritual Root is the catalyst used to open the 8 main meridian paths and absorb the energy between Heaven and Earth into their body. Each meridian path corresponds with every Rank.
All Spiritual Qi will be stored inside these meridian paths. However, The 9th Rank of Qi Refinement is special. This stage was where the foundation of immortality will begin to form.
To reach the 9th Rank of Qi Refinement, one must compress and liquefy their Spiritual Qi. This process is time-consuming and requires intense focus.
A single misstep can lead to qi deviation and even death. Even if one is fortunate enough to survive, the damage to their foundation may hinder their previous cultivation progress, making it challenging to advance further.
The Spiritual Qi in Zhou Yuan's 8 meridian paths were originally very pure and denser than normal cultivators. Zhou Yuan sensing that his cultivation was advancing after so many years was ecstatic.
What normally took several months of hard work was being done in a matter of minutes. Even now, his cultivation continues to rise to the peak of the 9th Rank Qi Refinement. If he wanted he could even directly ascend to the next realm of Spirit Foundation.
