Chapter 3 - Cultivation

After the Grand Elder left the Sect Master Mansion, Yu Weiyuan was left alone in the building. All the servants were dismissed after the late Sect Master's death, leaving Yu Weiyuan with the choice to hire some or not.

But right now, Yu Weiyuan had no care for the comfort given by servants and maids. He walked within the corridors until he reached a simple and unadorned room. It was a meditation chamber used for seclusion.

He sat cross legged on the floor and looked inwards, examining the area around his Dantian located three inches below the navel.

Around the Dantian, thousands of tiny passages spread inside Yu Weiyuan's body to form a complex network of Qi Vessels, allowing refined spiritual energy to travel to all its parts.

Encircling The Dantian, twelve iridescent and dazzling Meridians fanned out throughout his body, connecting it to its surroundings, allowing the power of Heaven and Earth to naturally flow within towards the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian, tempering it constantly to its utmost limits.

Inside the Dantian, a golden ocean spread to all of its corners. It was a Spiritual Sea. Each and every drop of liquid Spiritual Qi in the ocean roiled with might and vigour, refined to its most immaculate state, shining with a luster of gold.

Above the Spiritual Sea floated a purple gold orb. It was Yu Weiyuan's Golden Core. Ten mystical patterns were engraved on its surface, resplending with mystery. They were Dao Markings, patterns a cultivator engraved on his Golden Core out of the truths they comprehended from their cultivation.

'Thanks to my deep foundations in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Realms, I managed to go above the First-Grade Golden Core and condense a Supreme Purple Gold Core' Yu Weiyuan thought. 'The next step is break through the Nascent Soul Realm.'

Following his thoughts, he began to move his Spiritual Sense towards his Dantian, slowly bringing it towards the Supreme Purple Gold Core.

Once his Spiritual Sense went in contact with the Core, Yu Weiyuan slowly made it creep into it.

'In order to break through, one must use the Golden Core as a crucible to transform their Spirit into a Nascent Soul. Once the Nascent Soul is completely formed, it can break away from the Golden Core like a Dragon breaking away from its egg.'

Inside the Supreme Purple Gold Core, Yu Weiyuan's Spiritual Sense gradually took shape, forming a very small body with four limbs and a head.

Suddenly, the Ten Dao Markings onto his Core shined with a rainbow coloured spiritual light, melding into Yu Weiyuan's Spirit within, accelerating its transformation and sublimating it.

Yu Weiyuan looked inwards in excitement as he looked upon his Spirit transforming into a higher state of being.

He forgot the passing of time, only concentrating on his imminent breakthrough.

---

Profound Heaven Sect, Law Enforcement Hall

Sitting before a deep black wooden desk in a simple room was a middle-aged man with a square face and a stern gaze.

He was Yang Shirong, Head Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall.

While he was reviewing reports, he felt someone stand before the door of his office.

He slightly raised his head as he said "Enter" before plunging himself in his documents once more.

Opening the door and entering the room was a burly and muscular young man, one of Yang Shirong's disciples, Hu Qiang.

He seemed hurried and nervous as he fidgeted begore his austere master.

"Master, I, I have something to report."

"Say it." Yang Shirong answered without shifting his gaze.

Hu Qiang seemed to hesitate until he gathered some resolve.

"I have received news that... that Yu Weiyuan was not born with a Heaven Spiritual Root but the legendary Immortal Spiritual Root."

The sound of shuffling paper suddenly stopped as Yang Shirong's eyes widened.

"Hu Qiang." He called, his voice deep. "Repeat yourself."

Sweat started to pour down Hu Qiang's forehead. Despite Hu Qiang's appearance, his master had always intimidated him. He always felt that his master had no emotions. Only the goal existed. Only objectives. Only cultivation.

"Master," He said once again. "Yu Weiyuan is said to possess the Immortal Spiritual Root."

Yang Shirong's brows furrowed as he asked: "How did you come to know of it?"

"I bribed a servant of the Grand Elder who heard the information off-handedly." answered Hu QIang promptly.

Yang Shirong's frowned deepened while ordered Hu Qiang to leave.

Hu Qiang silently retreated from the room and breathed a sigh of relief as he could finally escape his Master's silent pressure.

Meanwhile, Yang Shirong's brows were still tightly knit together as thoughts started to flow within his consciousness.

'We had gotten rid of one problem. Now another sprouted from nowhere.'

'Immortal Spiritual Root.' His gaze deepened. 'The supreme talent bestowed by Heaven and Earth, which establishes a complete path towards Immortal Ascension.'

'Sword King Lu Yingjie threatened our Myriad Demon Temple due to his cultivation realm.'

'Yu Weiyuan's potential exceeds even his. After all, what's a pitiful Innate Sword Bone next to the legendary Immortal Spiritual Root?'

'I must learn of his movements and kill the threat in its cradle-'

CRACK!

Yang Shirong's thoughts were interrupted by a frighteningly loud cracking sound, as if a fissure was formed in space itself.

He turned his gaze towards the Sect Master Mansion

'A breakthrough?'

---

Meanwhile, in a meditation chamber of the Sect Master Mansion, Yu Weiyuan's gaze finally brightened as he looked at his Supreme Purple Gold Core.

On the golden orb, a crack had appeared. Slowly the crack spread onto its entire surface, forming tiny fissures.

Then, finally the Supreme Purple Core completely shattered with a booming sound.

Now floating above the golden Spiritual Sea was a tiny human-looking ethereal figure measuring around five inches, shining with a rainbow-coloured glow

It looked like a three-year old baby resembling Yu Weiyuan, as if it was him at the same age except it was nearly transparent and it wore robes.

A hue of nine different colours shined onto his body, each colour representing a complete sublimation of the Spirit.

Yu Weiyuan smiled with glee as he felt his Spiritual Sense expand outwards, covering the entirety of the Sky Reaching Mountains and more.

'A sensing range of one thousand kilometers. Worthy of the Spiritual Sense of the legendary Nine Coloured Nascent Soul.'

'People think the Seven Coloured Nascent Soul to be the highest grade a Nascent Soul can attain?' A sneer appeared on his face. 'Pitiful.'

Suddenly, he sensed an amalgamation of clouds forming above the Sect Master Mansion.

'Heavenly Tribulation?' He observed while exiting the building, flying towards the sky to undergo his trial.

Heavenly Tribulations were essentially tests given by Heaven and Earth to test a cultivator's foundation each time they break through a higher realm.

Below the mountain, as disciples did their tasks, cultivated or discussed together, they saw tenebrous clouds full of heavenly pressure accumulating in the once clear skies.

They exclaimed in stupor as they realized what was happening.

"This is... Heavenly Tribulation? After one month, Sect Master succeeded in his seclusion?"

"That means Sect Master reached the Nascent Soul Realm!!! He is the youngest cultivator to have attained this realm in history!!!"

They watched as the figure of their Sect Master rose in the air to float right below the Tribulation Clouds.

Yu Weiyuan wore a bloodthirsty smile on his face while he watched the flashes of lightning full of destructive power within the clouds threatening to fall upon him.

In his excitement, he let out a shout:

"COME!!!!"

As if to respond to his shout, a purple thunderbolt dropped down towards him with the momentum to overturn the Earth.

Within Yu Weiyuan's Dantian, the Spiritual Sea churned and roiled, his Qi flowing through each and every inch of his body, gathering in his right fist as he unleashed a sky shattering strike to meet the heavenly bolt.

From the point of impact spread a shockwave that shook the atmosphere. Violent and destructive gales blew over the surroudings.

The thunderbolt disappeared, and Yu Weiyuan was intact.

"How weak." He said, disdain dripping from his words.

The Tribulation Clouds shook, concentrating more power for its second salve of lightning, as if it could not accept Yu Weiyuan's offense against the supreme majesty of the Heavens.

Yu Weiyuan's eyes shined as he felt the increasing power of his tribulation: "That's what I wanted!"

A thick bolt of purple lightning descended from the skies, falling like a divine pillar of heavenly light, exuding power way above the previous one.

Yu Weiyuan's eyes squinted.

'I should use a spell this time.'

[Metal Armament]

As the Spiritual Qi from his Spiritual Sea exited his body, it slowly changed shapes, transforming into a golden halberd covered in a metallic hue, emanating the power of the Metal Element of the Five Elements.

The blade of the halberd held unmatched sharpness, as if it could cut anything and anyone.

Yu Weiyuan spun the halberd around him until he raised its blade in a masterful swing to meet the thunder pillar.

As the halberd cut the purple lightning, it split towards his two sides, not touching him on the slightest, leaving him intact once again.

He breathed out a little until he met the third bolt of lightning in the same fashion, then the fourth, the fifth, until all nine thunderbolts were cut away by him.

'It was truly too easy. I didn't even have to use the power of my Body Refining Technique or even my self-created spells...'

The Tribulation Clouds unwillingly disappeared and dispersed as Yu Weiyuan's aura finally completely settled into his new cultivation realm.

'Nascent Soul Realm, Early Stage.' He smiled. 'My Nascent Soul is still only a Soul Infant, but it's only a matter of time.'

He dropped the golden halberd and let it disintegrate into Spiritual Qi and dissipate into the air.

Below him, the disciples were in awe at his power and majesty.

"Sect Master is mighty!!!" They roared in unisson