Divine Calling

The miraculous nature of the Karma Creation Art was like a bright torch in a cold winter night, thawing Magnus's frozen heart towards cultivation.

As he trembled with emotion, the blue energy surrounding him began to fade into a wisp. 

Alarmed, Magnus realized that losing focus would cause the Mana to slip away from his perception. 

He swiftly calmed his mind, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

"Now that I can sense the Mana, let me absorb this celestial energy and discover the mysteries of the force that grants immense strength." 

He continued to follow the method described in the Karma Creation Art, drawing the Mana towards him with his consciousness.

Magnus felt as if he had a special perspective, witnessing the Cloud Force penetrate his skin, flesh, and bones, drifting towards his dantian.

As the Mana passed through, it brought a warm sensation to his body, like a gentle stream flowing within. 

The dantian, located three inches below the navel, is the reservoir of essence and the foundation of life. 

The amount and quality of Mana stored in the dantian determine the cultivator's level of prowess and strength. 

"Please, let this succeed!!!" 

As he prayed, the wisp of Mana finally reached his dantian. 

Magnus was nearly ready to leap for joy, but an unexpected turn of events occurred. 

Just when he thought the Cloud Force would settle in his dantian and become part of his strength, it simply passed through, just like a horse gallops across a withered meadow.

...

The Mana didn't linger or pause!!!

"Why didn't the Cloud Force gather in my dantian?" 

He couldn't comprehend why this seemingly insignificant sliver of Mana, just a tiny part of the vast energy of the heavens and earth, would treat him with such disdainful indifference.

This rejection by the Mana left Magnus feeling more frustrated and confused than ever. 

He struggled to understand why it refused to assimilate into his dantian, and what this meant for his future as a cultivator.

"Without spiritual roots, why don't I just accept my fate? "

Magnus whispered to himself, filled with disappointment and sadness that only he could truly understand.

"Hmph, it's not a big deal that I can't cultivate. With my status as a young master, who would dare disrespect me?" he comforted himself.

Just as his heart turned completely cold, resigned to abandoning the practice of the Karma Creation Art, Magnus casually glanced down and noticed something extraordinary – his body was becoming ethereal. 

Despite stopping the practice of the art, the sensation of its operation continued in his mind, flowing endlessly like a gentle stream.

"What's happening?" 

Unbeknownst to him, a minute, thread-like brilliance had suddenly emerged from the grand sun hanging high in the sky. 

Relative to the vast sun, the beam seemed insignificant, but it crossed the endless space in an instant, arriving at the Seven Star Continent, specifically in the Kingdom, near the northwestern border close to the Moonshadow Forest, and directly into the room where Magnus was located.

Despite its immense momentum, the speed of the beam was even more astonishing. 

This extraordinary event was unnoticed by the residents of Qin Feng City, except for a middle-aged scholar sitting in a lakeside pavilion within the city lord's mansion. 

Dressed in a green robe, he was engrossed in writing with his brush on rice paper when he suddenly furrowed his brows and gazed up at the clear blue sky, a hint of confusion in his eyes. 

"Am I seeing things? Perhaps I'm just overworked from dealing with that young master's antics lately. My old eyes are playing tricks on me."

However, not everyone was oblivious to this astonishing spectacle. 

Far to the southeast, within a towering structure that reached the heavens, a woman with an alluring figure sat atop the tower. 

Despite being draped in a black cloak that concealed her form, her graceful curves and breathtaking silhouette were undeniable.

What was even more captivating was not her voluptuous body, but the aura she exuded, it instilled a sense of insignificance in anyone who felt it. 

"A divine summons from the heavens. Could it be that a cultivator has stepped into the holy realm? Such an event has triggered celestial phenomena!" she thought to herself. 

"But that's impossible. Given the spiritual energy and conditions in Fengyun Kingdom, it's highly unlikely to produce a saint-level powerhouse. Could it be the descent of a heavenly treasure about to emerge from Avaloria Contry?"

With this thought, a trace of worry appeared in the woman's astonished eyes.

 "A divine summons in Avaloria Kingdom, whatever the reason, might not bode well for the Northwest Pathway. It seems I need to prepare a strategy in advance."

Meanwhile, in secluded caverns, heavenly abodes amidst mountains and rivers, and hidden retreats of reclusive masters and ancient sect ancestors – all were suddenly awakened from their meditative slumber as if jolted by a spring thunder. 

These powerful beings, who had long withdrawn from worldly affairs, were now alert and focused.

Amidst the myriad divine consciousnesses, a particularly powerful one, soaring high into the clouds, emitted a mental message, "What just happened? If my senses aren't deceiving me, was there a divine summons in the northwest of the continent?"

"Heh, I never thought the revered master of the Tiger Sect would join us. You always did enjoy a bit of commotion, didn't you?" Another equally potent consciousness replied mockingly.

"Heh, isn't the master of the Blood-Blade Sect supposed to be in closed-door cultivation for a hundred years? How come you've appeared now? Your consciousness doesn't seem to have grown stronger. Looks like your retreat was quite fruitless, wasn't it?"

"You..." The master of the Blood Blade Sect bristled with anger but quickly retorted with a sneer, "Whether I've grown stronger or not isn't something you can discern just by wagging your tongue. If you're interested, why not visit my sect someday, and we can see who's superior?"

"Hmph, Blood Blade old ghost, I don't have time to entangle with you. With a divine summons like this, someone like you, reeking of blood and sin, dreams of being chosen? It's ludicrous!" mocked the master of the Tiger Sect.

"Hmph, Old Yu, don't be so arrogant. Just because I'm known for my ruthless methods doesn't mean I'm any less righteous than you. Don't think I don't know about the underhanded dealings your Tiger Sect engages in behind your facade of righteousness!"

"Blood Blade old ghost, how dare you slander me!"

"Hmph, guilty conscience much?"

The two sect masters, communicating through their divine consciousness high in the sky, started to quarrel, their powerful consciousnesses clashing like two immense pillars of jade about to collide.

"Both of you, please stop arguing!", a new consciousness sprouted like a seedling and rapidly grew into a towering, sky-covering tree, overshadowing all other divine consciousnesses on the ground. 

An immense aura immediately engulfed the area, causing the many powerful consciousnesses to instinctively retreat.

Even the master of the Blood Blade Sect and the Tiger Sect's master ceased their bickering upon sensing this overwhelming presence, drawing everyone's attention to this formidable force.

"Hisss... It's the Great Elder of the Sun Illumination Sect, Dean Dunn!" Someone exclaimed in awe, causing ripples of shock among the divine consciousnesses spread across the sky, as tumultuous as waves stirred by a violent storm.