Chapter 1289: The Grand Aspiration Ascension Method
Chapter 1289: The Grand Aspiration Ascension Method
"But..." A flicker of reluctance crossed Sun Tianci's eyes.
"Isn't this just benefiting myself at the expense of others? Surely, if I cultivate at my own pace, I can achieve the same result?"
Li Fan didn't mock Sun Tianci's naive idealism. Instead, he explained patiently, "The Dao of Heaven is to take from what has a surplus and give to what is deficient. The method I've taught you is in perfect harmony with the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao. How else could it be so miraculously effective?"
"Cultivators sacrifice the Spirits of Heaven and Earth to achieve Dao Integration. They are, in truth, thieves of Heaven. Returning a stolen treasure to its rightful owner—is that a good deed, or an evil one?"
"From a cultivator's standpoint, your actions are undoubtedly a heinous crime. But from the perspective of the Xuanhuang Realm itself, you are, without question, a great benefactor to the world..."
Every word was deliberate, each syllable resonating with a profound, worldly truth.
As Sun Tianci listened, the hesitation in his eyes slowly hardened into resolve.
The version Li Fan's divine sense had shown Wu Ninglu was, of course, a mixture of truth and fabrication.
"He was born at the Dao Integration stage, a starting point far beyond most cultivators in the world. And with me to guide him..."
Li Fan gazed at Sun Tianci, noticing the subtle, hidden aura coalescing around him. *Soon,* he thought. *Once his power grows and his connection to the Xuanhuang Realm deepens, I can send him to the Fallen Immortal Realm.*
Li Fan's tireless efforts in nurturing Sun Tianci were not merely to groom him as a pawn to influence the future course of the war between the Immortal Alliance and the Sage Dynasty. More importantly, he intended for the boy to inherit the title of Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate.
When he had created his Sage Emperor avatar, Li Fan had excised all memories related to the Fallen Immortal Realm and the trials for the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate.
As a result, the Sage Emperor had never considered journeying to the Fallen Immortal Realm.
He had earned the world's acknowledgment entirely through his own tangible, beneficial actions.
But the position of Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate required more than just the world's approval; one had to pass the succession ritual.
This was a control mechanism, a legacy from the dawn of the Xuanhuang Realm, that operated independently of the Heavenly Dao's will.
Even with the line of succession currently broken, the ritual remained hidden in the depths of the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Becoming a true Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate meant not only wielding the Xuanhuang Realm's power to its fullest extent but also potentially inheriting the memories and legacies of all who came before.
This was a case of "tossing a stone to chart the path."
Li Fan had no interest in the title itself, but he was deeply invested in uncovering the world's secrets and acquiring any immortal artifacts that might have survived.
The scene of the final trial in the Fallen Immortal Realm surfaced once more in his sea of consciousness.
"The immense immortal spiritual power, extracted from the detonation of nine immortal artifacts... A cataclysmic force, powerful enough to cross the High Wall."
"Four immortal artifacts still remain, including the Great Sun Golden Bell. These are genuine, bona fide Immortal Artifacts, passed down from antiquity."
Having glimpsed the third stage of the Mysterious Origin Primal Spirit Grand Array and successfully replicated a fraction of its might, Li Fan knew with absolute certainty how terrifyingly powerful the True Immortal realm was. If an immortal array was so formidable, an immortal artifact would be no different.
These were game-changing weapons, assets that could not only turn the tide of any war but also serve as his foundation for exploring what lay beyond the High Wall.
"Perhaps Mr. Bai, concerned for the Xuanhuang Realm's safety, never used the power of these artifacts to go all-out against the Dharma Spreaders. I, however, have no such qualms..."
"Of course," he mused, "the prerequisite is gaining the artifacts' acknowledgment."
"The artifacts left behind by the Great Heavenly Venerate are bound to have their own set of rules and restrictions."
...
Countless thoughts raced through Li Fan's mind as he looked back at Sun Tianci, who was still deep in an enlightened state from his lesson. "Less than three years left. That should be enough."
Sun Tianci's meditation didn't last long before it was abruptly interrupted.
One day, a Sun family servant rushed in, breathless with panic.
"Someone's blocking the family's exit? And they're challenging *me* by name?"
Jarred from his state, Sun Tianci looked somewhat dazed.
The servant replied, his face a mask of misery, "Yes, Young Master. Anyone who tried to force their way out got a sound thrashing and was tossed right back."
"It's been going on for more than ten days. The family head has urgent matters to attend to and can't break away. We had no other choice but to disturb your meditation."
Seeing the servant's utter terror, Sun Tianci offered a comforting word. "It's fine. Take me there."
To Sun Tianci, entering a state of enlightenment was as natural as breathing. An occasional interruption was hardly worth getting upset about; he could simply wait for the next opportunity.
Outside the Sun family's cavern estate, Sun Tianci finally saw the gate-crasher.
It was a child, startlingly close to his own age, looking no older than five or six.
The child was dressed in purple robes, and his gaze was pure...
...or perhaps, just a little dim-witted.
"You... fight me," the child declared, pointing a finger at Sun Tianci. His words were terse.
Sun Tianci immediately shook his head. "I can't."
At the refusal, the child's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Sun Tianci offered a kind reminder, "You're only at the Nascent Soul stage. You'd be no match for me. I don't bully those weaker than myself."
He spoke with such sincerity that the murderous aura welling up from the other child began to dissipate.
Sun Tianci, however, overheard his family members whispering urgently. "Tianci, don't underestimate him! We've looked into it—this boy is no ordinary child. He's obsessed with fighting, and his strength is terrifying. Though he's only at the Nascent Soul stage, he can defeat Soul Transformation experts with a wave of his hand..."
"That's right. His origins are a mystery, and even the Immortal Alliance seems to turn a blind eye. Everyone calls him the 'Martial Fanatic'."
Sun Tianci nodded to his relatives, acknowledging their warning.
He then turned back to the Martial Fanatic and said earnestly, "Defeating a Soul Transformation cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage is impressive. But the gulf between Soul Transformation and Dao Integration is as vast as the abyss. You have no chance of victory."
"I'm afraid I would strike too heavily and injure you."
The Martial Fanatic shook his head, dismissing Sun Tianci's logic. "Victory isn't decided by one's cultivation stage."
"Fight!"
"I'm not afraid to die!"
Seeing the fiery battle lust in the boy's eyes, Sun Tianci felt a wave of helplessness.
Realizing the duel was now unavoidable, he had no choice but to lead the boy to the Sun family's martial arena.
Although the Sun family was a newly risen power and their estate appeared unremarkable from the outside, its interior was another matter entirely. The various facilities were constructed with a quality that rivaled even the most ancient families of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
This martial arena, for instance, was built upon the bones of a fallen Longevity Immortal from ancient times, acquired at an astronomical cost. It could easily withstand attacks from Dao Integration cultivators.
Within the arena, Sun Tianci and the Martial Fanatic stood opposite one another, their expressions grave.
The spectators were fraught with tension.
Sun Tianci was, without a doubt, the family's most precious treasure. Though his cultivation stage was overwhelmingly superior, if he were to suffer so much as a scratch, every Sun family member present who had failed to prevent the duel would face severe punishment.
"Begin!"
The Martial Fanatic let out a low cry, and in the next instant, a silver spear cut through the air, stopping inches from Sun Tianci's face.
*So fast!* Sun Tianci thought, surprised. But the surprise lasted only a moment.
A Nascent Soul's attack couldn't even begin to breach his defenses.
The spear dissolved like ice in water, vanishing without a trace.
"Hm?" Yet, after neutralizing the attack, a jolt of astonishment shot through Sun Tianci.
In the brief moment he was stunned, the space before him rippled like the surface of a pond. The silver spear re-emerged like a flying fish breaching the waves, thrusting directly at his chest.
"Martial!" the Martial Fanatic bellowed.
Silver light flowed along the spear's shaft. In an instant, it split into seventeen other weapons, encircling Sun Tianci.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks...
It was as if eighteen different warriors wielded them, each executing a unique technique simultaneously.
They all struck as one.
*Boom!*
Sun Tianci's body was completely engulfed in a violent explosion of silver light.
"Young Master!"
"Tianci!"
The Sun family members cried out in alarm.
If the arena had not been sealed, they would have charged in to rescue him.
"There is no need to panic. A mere spectacle like this cannot harm my son," Sun Luyuan's voice rang out, and the crowd instantly relaxed.
Having heard that the Sun family's prized prodigy was in a duel, the belatedly arrived Sun Luyuan fixed his gaze on the fight within the arena.
The Martial Fanatic knew, of course, that his attack wouldn't succeed in a single blow.
The instant the silver light engulfed Sun Tianci, he had already surged forward, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.
He attacked with the weapons of a warrior, the transforming artifacts of a cultivator, and unpredictable strikes of his fists and feet. He even manifested the power of worldly phenomena, a feat characteristic of a Dao Integration master...
The arena thundered and shook without pause. It looked dangerously unstable, its defensive wards threatening to shatter at any moment.
Sun Luyuan's face grew grim as he cast a spell to reinforce the wards.
Meanwhile, Sun Tianci, hailed as the greatest genius the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance had seen in a century, could only desperately parry, looking utterly beleaguered.
In truth, no one present could possibly comprehend the shock that gripped Sun Tianci's heart.
He had discovered that the profound technique his master had bestowed upon him—a method that could dissolve a cultivator's attack and return its power to the world—was utterly useless against the Martial Fanatic before him.
*How can this be?* he wondered. *Is it because his cultivation stage is too low? Is a technique designed for Dao Integration cultivators simply ineffective against him?*
He had been cultivating since the moment he was born. He had gained plenty of combat experience in his master's illusory realms and sparring with the Alliance's Dao Integration cultivators, but this was the first time he had ever encountered a situation where his ultimate technique was completely ineffective.
For a moment, the young Sun Tianci was thrown into a panic.
Yet he was, after all, extraordinary.
Besides, though the Martial Fanatic's attacks were ferocious, there was still a gap of two major cultivation stages between him and Sun Tianci.
While taking a relentless beating, Sun Tianci gradually adapted to his opponent's assault and began to notice something peculiar.
"No! The technique hasn't failed!" he realized. "Just like with the other Dao Integration cultivators, after the Martial Fanatic uses a technique and I dissolve it, his own aura weakens for a moment. But..."
"...the power he loses is almost instantly replenished from the world itself!"
The realization sent a fresh wave of shock through him.
This technique of his wasn't a simple matter of draining spiritual energy; it stripped away a cultivator's very source, their Dao foundation, and returned it to the Xuanhuang Realm.
And yet, the Martial Fanatic's performance in the arena suggested he was doing the opposite—continuously drawing origin power from the Xuanhuang Realm even as they fought.
"How is that possible?"
"It completely violates the new method created by the Heavenly Venerates!"
It was no wonder Sun Tianci was so stunned. The Martial Fanatic's actions were tantamount to him constantly devouring the essence of grotto-heavens, the phenomena of world birthing, the very Spirits of Heaven and Earth...
And the Xuanhuang Realm itself seemed to have not the slightest objection, offering no resistance or backlash whatsoever.
In Sun Tianci's experience, this was utterly impossible.
Distracted for a split second by this revelation, Sun Tianci left an opening. The Martial Fanatic seized it, his technique piercing the boy's defenses and striking him squarely.
Sun Tianci coughed up a trickle of blood, his expression turning solemn.
A soft, white light, like flowing silk, shimmered into existence around him, instantly deflecting the Martial Fanatic's attack.
It was White Silk, Sun Tianci's Spirit of Heaven and Earth.
But this White Silk, after years of Li Fan's tutelage and Sun Tianci's own cultivation, was fundamentally different from the entity that had first descended into the world.
"To think he could push me this far..."
"Master was right. The world is full of geniuses; I'm nothing special."
Sun Tianci's composure slowly returned. Enveloped in the white light, he began to neutralize the Martial Fanatic's attacks one by one.
"Don't dwell on the reason, just follow the method and strike!"
His master's teachings flashed through his mind.
"If I can't understand how this Martial Fanatic constantly draws from the Xuanhuang origin, then I'll simply ignore it!"
"Strike at the root! I'll sever his connection to the Xuanhuang Realm directly!"
A glint of understanding flashed in Sun Tianci's eyes.
The ethereal white silk whirled like a tornado, enveloping his body.
Within the vortex of white light, he rose into the air.
He pointed one finger to the sky and another at the Martial Fanatic.
He uttered a low cry.
The Martial Fanatic's fluid assault faltered for a fraction of a second.
Then, he stopped his attack completely, looking up at Sun Tianci with a hint of surprise.
His two fingers moved like a pair of scissors.
They snipped the connection between the boy and the world.
An unprecedented feeling of weakness washed over the Martial Fanatic.
In Sun Tianci's eyes, the moment the connection was severed, the Martial Fanatic's form flickered, becoming slightly indistinct.
"This is..."
"A Spirit of Heaven and Earth, born as a person?"
A faint glimmer of understanding crossed Sun Tianci's mind.
But the motion of his fingers did not cease.
By communicating with the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, he had completely usurped the Dao's perception within this pocket of space.
He had momentarily shut the Martial Fanatic out.
It was a state that could not last.
"Suppress!" Sun Tianci commanded from high above, his finger pressing down hard toward the Martial Fanatic.
The infinite light of White Silk converged into his finger, flowing like a torrential river.
A colossal phantom of an index finger solidified, descending like a celestial mountain.
The space around the Martial Fanatic was sealed by this immense power, rendering him immobile.
As the finger descended, a violent roar filled the arena, accompanied by the shriek of space itself being crushed and fractured.
Sun Tianci's expression was impassive.
And beneath the descending finger, the Martial Fanatic was also surprisingly expressionless.
His eyes held no fear, only a look of deep contemplation.
Just as the finger was about to strike, he mimicked Sun Tianci's posture, pointing a finger of his own toward the sky.
His purple robes dissolved into a vast, righteous purple qi that surged into his attack.
The scale of his attack was far smaller than Sun Tianci's, yet it seemed more condensed, more sacred.
The look on the Martial Fanatic's face was a mixture of the joy of enlightenment and the gravity of unleashing a supreme technique.
One purple, one white. One rising from the earth, the other descending from the heavens.
They collided violently just above the ground.
*BOOM!*
A blinding light instantly consumed everything.
"Not good!" Sun Luyuan's face paled. With a decisive sweep of his sleeve, he enveloped the watching family members and vanished.
He didn't forget to activate the layers of protective arrays around the arena as he left.
It proved a wise decision. The shockwave from the collision completely annihilated the entire arena.
The blast wave continued to expand outward.
Before this terrifying power, the Sun family's meticulously arranged defensive formations shattered like paper.
The immense force swept onward, swallowing more than half of the Sun family's estate.
The family's two Dao Integration masters had to act in concert to finally contain it.
Only then did the aftershocks of the explosion slowly subside.
Gazing upon the wreckage of his family estate, Sun Luyuan's face twitched.
Fortunately, Sun Tianci's aura remained strong, which offered him some small comfort.
After the chaos subsided, he returned to where the arena once stood, now nothing but empty space.
The Martial Fanatic was nowhere to be seen.
The Sun family's prodigy stood motionless, his eyes closed, seemingly lost in deep comprehension.
Sun Luyuan strictly forbade anyone from disturbing the boy and stood guard himself.
As he looked upon the ruins left by the battle, a feeling of helplessness washed over him.
"They are both at the Dao Integration stage, yet the difference in power is just so vast."
"What's even more terrifying is that Tianci is only five years old. His future..."
A word he had never dared to consider before suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"How many years has it been since the Xuanhuang Realm last produced a Longevity Celestial Venerable?"
"With Tianci's talent, it's not impossible... it's really not impossible!"
"Especially with the great upheaval on the horizon. When the storms gather, chaotic times give birth to sages..."
At this moment, Sun Luyuan, a man who had been a Dao Integration cultivator for over five hundred years, found he couldn't stop his hands from trembling slightly.
He squeezed his eyes shut, terrified that someone might perceive the thoughts racing through his mind.
Meanwhile, in Sun Tianci's consciousness, the young cultivator was consumed by self-reproach.
"I didn't mean to kill him."
"But once the technique was cast, he countered with that 'Suppress' technique as well..."
"I just couldn't control it."
Sun Tianci was deeply vexed.
His vexation was cut short by Li Fan's cold rebuke. "Fool! How could an existence like that possibly be killed so easily by you?"
"Rest assured. Your entire Sun family could be wiped from existence, and he would still remain."
Ignoring his master's harsh words, Sun Tianci felt a jolt of joyful relief upon hearing that the Martial Fanatic hadn't actually died, and his remorse vanished.
"Master, who exactly is that Martial Fanatic?"
"Was he a Spirit of Heaven and Earth, born into human form?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Li Fan snorted. "You're not entirely unperceptive."
There was more Li Fan left unsaid.
*This reincarnation method of Zhang Qianmo's is truly something else,* Li Fan thought.
*The body born from the grand aspiration to exterminate demons has fused with the fundamental laws of the Xuanhuang Realm.*
*And this body, the Martial Fanatic...*
In previous cycles, Li Fan had encountered the Martial Fanatic before, but he lacked the perspective to uncover the secrets behind him.
But this time, with the many significant gains he had made, his deepening connection to the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, and several rounds of enlightenment in the Star Sea, he was finally able to discern the true nature of Zhang Qianmo's reincarnated form.
"Zhang Qianmo once made three grand aspirations: first, to exterminate all demons under heaven; second, to supplant the Ten Great Immortal Sects; and third, to collect all cultivation techniques and share them with the world's cultivators."
"The extermination of demons can be called 'Punish'."
"In the world of cultivation, strength reigns supreme. To supplant the Ten Great Immortal Sects can be called 'Martial'."
"Sharing cultivation techniques, enabling all under heaven to cultivate, can be called 'Literature'."
"The sages of old attained the Dao, and the world changed. They ascended in broad daylight, leaving blessings for posterity. This is an ancient, supreme method for achieving the state of a True Immortal..."
A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
"Even if the chances of fulfilling each aspiration are minuscule, the reincarnated body acts like my simulations, infinitely amplifying the probability of success."
"If the path to immortality still existed, Zhang Qianmo might very well have used this method to fulfill his three aspirations and attain the True Immortal realm."
"But alas..."
Li Fan shook his head slightly. "Time flows on, the immortal path is severed, the world is on the brink of collapse. This method..."
"It's not the fault of the technique. The Great Dao itself has changed!"
"A technique that could once forge a True Immortal can now, at most, only allow one to be a big fish in a small pond," Li Fan mused, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
"But compared to his contemporaries, who have long since turned to ash, Senior Brother Zhang's method is immeasurably superior. And if the Xuanhuang Realm manages to survive, if the path to immortality ever reopens..."
"...Zhang Qianmo might actually be able to ascend to the True Immortal realm."
Li Fan couldn't help but let his thoughts drift to the future. "The process is a bit long, true. But if it leads to the True Immortal realm, what does a little time matter?"
After a moment's reflection, Li Fan's thoughts returned to the present. "The Xuanhuang Realm has become the last sanctuary in this entire star sea. It's already a feat that Zhang Qianmo's Grand Aspiration Ascension Method has reached its second stage. If Emperor Sanmo hadn't proactively led the beast leaders away, this step alone might have taken him thousands of years."
"And now, this second step..."
Li Fan had observed the battle between Zhang Qianmo's reincarnation and Sun Tianci from start to finish.
He naturally saw how the Martial Fanatic resembled a Spirit of Heaven and Earth made manifest.
"This Grand Aspiration Ascension Method relies on the feedback from the world's own sublimation..."
"It entrusts its practitioner to the world, a philosophy completely contrary to the new method of the Heavenly Venerates."
"Both could be considered parasitic, but where the new method only knows how to devour and plunder, this Grand Aspiration Ascension Method actually benefits the world."
"No wonder the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao is willing to offer its near-unconditional support. After all, those who would stand on the side of the world itself are few and far between."
"It is a brilliant method. But without the prospect of ascension, it's ultimately of little consequence."
"At the very least, it's far inferior to directly becoming the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate."
...
While Li Fan's thoughts swirled, Sun Tianci, relieved to know the Martial Fanatic was not dead, began to process the lessons from their battle.
This was the first time he had faced an opponent of a similar age who could match him in combat, and an undeniable thrill sparked within him.
"I never imagined the 'Suppress' character technique Master taught me was so powerful."
"I haven't even grasped a third of it. If I could unleash its full power..."
Sun Tianci traced the character in the air, lost in the profound complexity of its form.
This 'Suppress' character was not, of course, a true True Immortal Script.
It was merely a fragmented character that Li Fan had comprehended from his research on the Mysterious Immortal Boat.
Yet even this imperfect creation was an unimaginably terrifying divine ability for any cultivator.
Just as one can use another's whetstone to polish one's own jade, Li Fan had taught the half-comprehended 'Suppress' character to Sun Tianci precisely to see what this prodigy of the Xuanhuang Realm might glean from it.
He, too, could use the boy's insights as a reference.
...
Although Sun Luyuan ordered the details of the battle between the Martial Fanatic and Sun Tianci to be kept secret, the disastrous aftermath at the Sun family estate could not be hidden from the world.
And so, the reputation of the Sun family's prodigy grew even more renowned.
Soon, a stream of battle-hungry Dao Integration cultivators began to arrive at their door, requesting to spar.
Sun Tianci, for his part, welcomed them all, refusing no challenge.
Through constant combat, his practical fighting abilities soared.
After stripping away a portion of the Spirits of Heaven and Earth from a total of thirty Dao Integration cultivators and returning them to the Xuanhuang Realm, the power he had accumulated surpassed that of a complete Dao Integration cultivator.
Quantitative change finally led to a qualitative leap.
One day, Sun Tianci froze, staring blankly up at the sky.
He stood motionless, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Xuanhuang..."
He whispered the name, his expression filled with an inconsolable grief.
A gentle breeze seemed to rise from nowhere, swirling around him.
An aura, deeply familiar to Li Fan, silently descended upon Sun Tianci.
"Have the conditions finally been met?"
"With the Sage Emperor as a supporter, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's standards seem to have gotten a lot higher."
"Back in the day, I could achieve a similar effect by just slaughtering a few new method cultivators."
Observing from the side, Li Fan mused to himself.
"But, it's not yet time for him to accept the Great Heavenly Venerate's trials."
Li Fan keenly sensed that the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's attention on Sun Tianci was different from the kind it bestowed upon the Sage Emperor.
Perhaps because Li Fan was hidden within Sun Tianci's sea of consciousness, the Heavenly Dao, while showing affinity, also betrayed a hint of vigilance and suspicion.
This feeling was so faint that Sun Tianci himself didn't notice it, still immersed in the supreme bliss of connecting with the Heavenly Dao.
Only Li Fan, who had personally experienced the Dao's true intimacy through his Sage Emperor avatar, could detect the subtle difference.
"I still need to do a little more."
"Thinking about it, perhaps there is only one thing that would be most efficient."
Li Fan felt no anger at the Heavenly Dao's reaction.
Instead, he was already contemplating his next move.
"To take, one must first give."
"I'll let you have a little taste first."
Li Fan snorted coldly in his mind and waited for Sun Tianci to emerge from his enlightened state.
Three days later, Sun Tianci finally reported his good news to Li Fan.
But Li Fan's words left him stunned. "Master, are we not going to spar with Dao Integration cultivators anymore?"
"I feel like it's been very effective."
"Too slow! Far too slow! Your master's soul could dissipate at any moment. I cannot wait that long."
Li Fan snorted coldly, directly implanting the information into Sun Tianci's mind.
"This..."
Sun Tianci's eyes widened in disbelief. "Master, this is a grave crime in the Immortal Alliance!"
"I'll be fine myself, but if my family is implicated..."
After understanding his master's plan, Sun Tianci couldn't help but hesitate.
His master wanted him to go to the Immortal Alliance's so-called "Eternal Immortal Wall" and release the power, which originally belonged to the Xuanhuang Realm, from within the eternally suppressed cultivators.
(End of Chapter)
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