Chapter 86: Frenzied Absorption

Orbs of light passed by Lu An, with some even emitting a very strong "extreme" aura.

However, Lu An resisted the temptation and continued to float forward.

That direction seemed to have something with an endless attraction for him.

In this Extreme Secret Realm, Lu An had an advantage others didn't: he had previously entered the extreme state.

Others entering this secret realm could only judge which orb suited them and which orb was closest to the "extreme" with their eyes.

But the orbs in this realm were countless, varying in size and color, with no discernible pattern.

It was clear that the probability of selecting the desired orb for comprehension was extremely low.

Nonetheless, people were still very eager about this secret realm because even if they selected an ordinary orb for comprehension, it would still let them understand the existence of the extreme.

Thus, they could cultivate in that direction and gain significant benefits.

Even if those who absorbed this orb's comprehension ultimately failed to reach the extreme state, they could eliminate one path that didn't work.

As time passed, Lu An's sense of direction grew stronger.

Soon, he saw a blood-red orb floating in the air.

The size of this orb was no different from the others, but the faint "extreme" intent it emitted startled Lu An.

He no longer hesitated and immediately moved towards the orb.

When he reached the orb, the feeling was at its strongest.

Lu An licked his lips and reached out to grasp it.

As soon as he touched it, his sea of consciousness suddenly roared, as if it was about to explode.

Then his body began to convulse violently, the intense tearing sensation nearly making him collapse.

Fortunately, he had been warned by the Old Beggar beforehand, so he was somewhat prepared.

He endured the severe pain and received the comprehension of the extreme path.

The blood-red orb gradually shrank and flowed slowly into his body.

His mind was filled with spiritual light, and his understanding of the extreme deepened.

"My name is Ye Gu. I am fortunate to have glimpsed the path of the extreme during the Qi Refining stage. I am grateful!"

"To reach the void and maintain stillness. All things grow and I observe their return. All things are numerous and return to their roots…"

"Knowing the constant becomes accommodating, accommodating becomes public, public becomes king, king becomes heaven, heaven becomes extreme, extreme becomes the path, and the path becomes eternal. Death does not bring calamity…"

A realization rose in Lu An's heart.

"Extreme is the path, and the path is eternal… Could it be that extreme is not the final form?"

Before he could think more, his body suddenly experienced a change.

His body alternated between swelling like a balloon and shrinking like a dead corpse.

His magical power and soul also seemed to undergo some change, with some unknown white substance emerging.

Lu An endured the intense pain, but his eyes flashed with a glint of clarity.

The white substance that appeared out of nowhere was something he was very familiar with—it was the "extreme" that had previously existed in his soul.

Now, this "extreme" substance reappeared in his body.

More importantly, the previous headache did not reappear.

This also meant that the three extremes within his body—the soul, body, and magical power—had achieved the balance that the Old Beggar had mentioned.

Once the blood-red comprehension was fully absorbed, Lu An suddenly shouted, and his body emitted an extremely powerful wave of energy, transforming him as if he were a different person.

Before he could fully sense his new power, the three extremes in his body seemed to attract each other and slowly moved towards the dantian.

The three elements fused together, forming a new substance that floated above the dantian.

This substance then formed a vortex in the dantian, and a terrifying suction force erupted.

The surrounding orbs seemed to be summoned and surged towards Lu An.

Lu An's face turned pale with fright. Wasn't it said that only one spiritual light comprehension could be obtained? He had already absorbed it; why hadn't he been transported out yet?

Looking at the continuously approaching orbs, Lu An darted around.

But the orbs kept gathering more and more, until they cornered him with no way to escape.

Inadvertently, an orb touched him, and the previous intense pain struck again.

Then the comprehension from this orb appeared in his mind.

"My name is Yan Wanxiong. After over seventy years of cultivation, I have never been able to break through to Foundation Establishment but unexpectedly walked the path of the extreme."

"I thought I would soar to great heights from then on, but the path to the extreme is difficult to find, and it turned out to be a mistake."

"My name is Ji Zixiao. I entered the path of the extreme through martial arts. My physical body has reached its peak and I have glimpsed the true meaning of the extreme. However, my soul power has occupied space, and recently I have been increasingly forgetful. It won't be long before I might even forget my own name. Alas…"

...

Orbs of light entered his body, some successfully reaching the extreme state, while others failed and fell.

Along with them were insights from ancestors on the application of the physical body, true qi, and soul.

Lu An's face was contorted with pain as he felt the various insights. With the continuous influx of orbs, his mind was on the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, he had previously experienced the Jade Coffin Secret Realm and was familiar with this sensation; otherwise, he might not have been able to endure it.

After an unknown amount of time, the orbs seemed to have decreased significantly, and Lu An's expression had become numb.

After experiencing so many thoughts of predecessors, his soul seemed to have been purified and became even more resilient.

"Whew—"

He slowly opened his eyes, his deep gaze scanning the surroundings like a black hole.

The area was empty, with no orbs floating in the air.

"Who knows how much time has passed. From my own experience, it seems like it has been a thousand or even ten thousand years."

But he knew this was clearly an illusion.

If time had really passed for so long, with his Qi Refining stage cultivation, he would have turned to dust long ago and wouldn't have lived to this point.

However, the improvement was immense. Not only did he gain the experiences of predecessors who successfully reached the extreme, but also the failures, which were numerous.

With both combined, his understanding of the extreme had reached an astonishing level.

Lu An's eyes flashed with a glint of brilliance as he murmured:

"I wonder what changes will occur if I consume all the comprehensions from the Foundation Establishment Secret Realm after breaking through."

He didn't rush to break through. Instead, he found a quiet place, lay down, and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept through the night, and when he woke up again, all his previous fatigue was gone, and his spirit was restored to its best state.

"If I don't break through now, when will I?"

He sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a Foundation Establishment Pill, and swallowed it, beginning his cultivation.

...

As days passed, outside, Ji Xidong was growing increasingly anxious.

He had sent Lu An and the Old Beggar into the secret realm, and nearly half a year had passed without any news from them. How could he not be worried?

The day the Extreme Secret Realm would open was approaching, and if they did not come out by then, with all the major families gathering, they would likely face a dire situation.

"Enough. Overthinking won't help. I'll investigate further."

He pondered for a moment and hurried towards the teleportation array.

Halfway there, he suddenly felt something was off. Why were there so many soldiers on the road?

He stopped one of them to inquire, but the soldier, clearly impatient, drew his sword and shouted:

"Who dares to obstruct my county guard's actions?"

Ji Xidong's face darkened. How dare a mere soldier speak to him like that.

Just as he was about to reprimand him, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the distance.

"Friend Ji, wait!"

The person who came forward was the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Li, who had been guarding the secret realm earlier.

"Old Li, what's going on? Why is the county guard in such a hurry?"

"Don't mention it, Brother Ji, come with me quickly!"

"There's been a sudden appearance of a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Extreme Secret Realm. Without warning, he attacked the realm's guards. The county lord is already engaged with him."

Ji Xidong was greatly shocked and then realized something, hastily asking:

"Do you know where this person came from or any distinguishing features?"

"No one knows where he came from. He looks like the Old Beggar. If the county lord hadn't personally tested him and confirmed his Nascent Soul status, we would have thought he was a fraud."