Struggling to Survive with Regression Power in the Primordial Saint Sect苟在初圣魔门当人材

First, the whole plot — from the beginning of time (Antiquity) to the future (Sea of Light) — was a gigantic cosmic chess game planned to fix the universe’s fundamental flaw. It was a chess match between the Final Calamity and Jun.

But who is Jun?

Before we know who Jun is, we need to understand the universe’s foundation. Before the end of the novel there was a rule I found cruel but also fair: for a being of Divine Transformation to transcend (to leave this universe — the Dark Void — entirely), they had to cultivate a successor to take their place as an anchor.

This created a cycle where the “new” god remained bound so the “old” one could escape. That’s why Jun “brought” the Masters of the Dao from the future to Antiquity — so that the conflict would fuel a definitive change in the system.

Who Jun is:
Jun is the Venerable of the Dao of Equality of All Laws. He was the first being to reach Divine Transformation in the era of Ancient Shenzhou. Unlike other “Dao Masters / Progenitors of the Dao” who were “selfish,” Jun held a philosophy of Equality. After becoming a being of Divine Transformation, he realized the cultivation system was unjust and that the Dark Void was a prison. He created the system that allowed Lu Yang to exist and restart. His “masterwork” was to plan a way to open the path of Transcendence to everyone, not only to a single individual. In other words, anyone would have a chance at Divine Transformation and Transcendence, and the rule that a Divine Transformer must leave a descendant (another Divine Transformer) when leaving this universe would be removed.

This is a very superficial explanation — to truly understand you need to read it yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Now, what is the origin of the Book of a Hundred Lives?
The Book of a Hundred Lives is actually an evolved and “hacked” version of the Book of Destiny and Divine Fortune (which belonged to the Immortal Taiyuan — Immortal Taiyuan was the being who competed with Jun for the opportunity of Divine Transformation and lost; ironically he had a cheat similar to Lu Yang’s gift: the power to restart).

Jun extracted the “restart” power from the original book and refined it with unknown substances from the Dark Void to create the Book of a Hundred Lives.

The book’s goal was to cultivate a “Variable” (Lu Yang) capable of confronting the “Constant” (the First Saint). (The First Saint is a person manipulated from the beginning by Immortal Taiyuan, making the two practically one at the end — absolute rationality and forgetfulness of emotion.) The 100 pages represent the limit of power Jun could amass to challenge the Final Calamity. Each life of Lu Yang served to accumulate information, power, and to break the deterministic control the First Saint had over destiny.

What is the Great Calamity (Final Calamity)?
The Final Calamity is the universe’s natural “reset” mechanism (the Dark Void). Whenever the Sea of Light or Shenzhou reach a point of saturation or imbalance, the Calamity arises to destroy everything and restart the cycle. At its apex the Final Calamity is equivalent to a Divine Transformation being, but without consciousness — pure destruction. Even at the Divine Transformation level it’s extremely powerful. There seem to be tiers, because from Lu Yang’s words Jun was much stronger than him and yet Jun could still die — whether because he couldn’t realize his desire for equality or because he couldn’t prevent the calamity from destroying him. See::

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From then on, the position of being a Divine Transformation being, which was originally limited to only one person, was opened by [Jun] to all cultivators. Everyone had the possibility of achieving Divine Transformation!
— Senior… you are truly admirable.
Turning his body, Lu Yang bowed solemnly to the Daoist, then asked curiously: — Senior, do you really still need to find a way to transcend?
The Daoist smiled.
— If I simply wanted to transcend, I would have abandoned the secular world and left countless years ago. But since my great wish has not yet been fulfilled, how could I simply go?
The path of Divine Transformation has not yet been equalized for everyone in the world; how could he transcend?
That must be it.
The strength of [Jun] was greater than imagined for a being of Divine Transformation. Lu Yang had already guessed this from that list of extravagant abilities of the [Book of a Hundred Lives].
And reality was indeed so.
The restart power of the [Book of Destiny and Divine Fortune] could only restart; it did not grant talents, nor could it bring things back. It could not compare to the [Book of a Hundred Lives].
— However...
Thinking of this, Lu Yang could not help but ask: — Senior, you actually didn’t have many chances of victory in this great game. If this junior had made a mistake, and you had failed at the last minute...
— What would you have done?
The Daoist continued calmly: — If I had failed, I would voluntarily enter extinction, delay the Final Calamity, open a new era and die for my Dao. That would also be a worthy end.
I understand.
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So, the final outcome was basically:
Lu Yang reaches Divine Transformation.
And because of the Transcendence Portal (using the First Saint as a battery/anchor), any cultivator with enough power can transcend to the “Heaven Beyond Heaven” without needing a sacrifice or successor. In other words, in the future there can be countless Divine Transformation beings.

But even so, Lu Yang doesn’t leave immediately like Jun — who after talking to him immediately transcended; Lu Yang decides to stay to take care of his causalities (his friends and allies) and to rule as the Venerable of the Dao Xuan Shu Zhi Yi — or as I prefer to call him, the Venerable Dao of the Variable — marking the start of an era where destiny is no longer fixed but an infinite Variable.

CURIOSITY> The “Sea of Light” (the future where most of the novel takes place) was not exactly a natural timeline, but a possible future observed and sustained by Jun. He used his power to “simulate” or “sustain” that future to cultivate a Variable (Lu Yang) capable of breaking the universe’s vicious cycle. Below I’ll leave the last chapter translated..

Chapter 1441: Do not say the Celestial Dao is hard to change, the new marks now break the old firmament!

Time, space, Shenzhou, the Sea of Light, the Great Dao, mysteries… all manifestations of the universe seemed like buildings whose supporting pillars had been removed, initiating a large-scale collapse.

Past, present and future were all merged into a single mass.

Above, below, left and right, the nine heavens and ten lands were stacked upon one another.

All things and forms, to the end, collapsed into a tiny point, like a seed about to explode at any moment, restarting the elements of earth, water, fire and wind.

“The world restarts...”

Looking at that tiny point of light, Lu Yang felt an infinite illumination in his heart: “This is the beginning of the Sea of Light, the starting point of the reality that will carry the future era of the Sea of Light.”

Then he raised his head.

With the collapse of everything that existed, the black scene outside was the [Dark Void]; the landscape of the future Sea of Light era had already begun to take shape at this moment.

However, different from his memories, at the top of the current Dark Void, in a position visible from any angle when one lifts their head, a rift suddenly appeared covering the entire firmament. Inside it stirred a majestic, immeasurable power, with overlapping mysteries, like a scar across the end of the Dark Void.

“Truly spectacular.”

Lu Yang extended his hand. His divine sense contacted the vast power within that rift immediately. In an instant, a sea of thunder like an ocean plunged from inside the rift!

“BOOM!”

The sea of thunder was overwhelming. Each wave was a bolt of thunderlight capable of annihilating all manifestations, diving into Lu Yang’s body and piercing his internal organs.

Yet, in front of all this, Lu Yang remained extremely calm. His level, after dozens of restarts, had reached an unprecedented height. Even if the power of this thunder-sea was enough to cause a life-or-death crisis as far as the ninth tier of the [Other Shore], to him it was like a gentle breeze on his face.

So he continued to extend his hand.

Piercing the barrier of the thunder-sea, his palm soon touched the great power inside the rift. The latter poured like a flood, flowing entirely into his body.

“Huu...”

Lu Yang let out a long sigh.

The deep breath, inside the dark Void, sounded like the muffled boom of world creation. The infinite power propelled his strength to even higher and more distant heights.

“...Surely.”

While refining this great power, Lu Yang came to a conclusion: “This rift is the mark formed after the Seed of the Great Dao was detonated by the First Saint.”

With that thought, the scene before his eyes changed.

The Dark Void was no longer empty, but gradually took on a concrete outline. Shadows expanded in every direction, and light finally penetrated.

Only then did Lu Yang see clearly — the Dark Void, which should be infinite and boundless, was actually just the majestic shadow cast by a closed palm. At this moment the five fingers of that hand slowly opened, the shadow receded, and it finally revealed its true face, showing an imposing silhouette.

Identical to that of the First Saint.

“Sss!”

To be honest, Lu Yang was startled, almost thinking the First Saint had truly achieved Divine Transformation — only then did he realize sharply that the person before him was not the First Saint.

The First Saint had only imitated His face.

He was [Jun]!

The only Divine Transformation being of Ancient Shenzhou, the master of the Palace of Zixiao. Although a late talent, he rose against the tide and finally reached the supreme top: the Venerable of the Dao of Equality of All Laws!

As he pondered, Lu Yang realized with surprise that his own perspective was also rising. The great power coming from that rift continued to be injected, driving his essence, his status and everything towards a supreme, absolute direction, to the point that the silhouette in his vision gradually ceased to be so imposing.

Until finally.

It took only the blink of an eye. As if naturally, as if his merits had been completed, the Dark Void and the other visions peeled away from Lu Yang’s sight.

Looking back, he was already in a place of pure emptiness.

At the center of his forehead, the glow symbolizing the [Variable] shone intensely, engraved with numerous talismans that changed every instant, becoming ever more perfect.

In an instant, across the Dark Void, melodious hymns of praise echoed.

This was not anyone’s doing; it was the Dark Void itself responding spontaneously, applauding the new Venerable of the Dao of Divine Transformation, announcing the birth of the new foundation of this reality.

“BOOM!”

An infinite, limitless light exploded from Lu Yang’s body, illuminating the ten directions, corresponding to the starting point of the real world below, projecting his silhouette across all times and spaces.

He who reaches Divine Transformation is the foundation of this reality!

In the next second, Lu Yang moved his thought slightly. He reached out to the side and, naturally and serenely, pulled from the void a somewhat blurred book. About half the pages remained in the book, and the mysteries contained within were so many that even he, in his current state, had difficulty seeing or explaining everything clearly.

“Book of a Hundred Lives...”

Lu Yang murmured softly. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked back; there, unknown since when, a Daoist was sitting calmly.

Before Lu Yang spoke, the Daoist joined his hands and said:

— Congratulations, fellow Daoist.

— The realm of Divine Transformation, to be honest, is just this. However, fellow, you relied on external objects and advanced too quickly; your foundation is, after all, not yet completely stable.

Saying this, the Daoist shook his head and smiled: — But it doesn’t matter. Advancing quickly also has its advantages; at least the level has been reached. It’s only a matter of spending a bit more time to slowly consolidate. For eternity, this little time is nothing more than a brief rest in your long cultivation journey.

After finishing his speech, the Daoist continued to watch Lu Yang.

Lu Yang, seeing the scene, breathed deeply and bowed solemnly: — Thank you very much, Senior, for your help. Without it, this junior wouldn’t have today’s achievements.

— Undeserved praise.

The Daoist waved his hand and smiled: — I gave everyone a chance. The Seed of the Great Dao... the final achievement was something you achieved by yourself.

Lu Yang understood immediately.

In reality, he had already had this insight: at least for the Progenitors of the Dao of Antiquity, [Jun] really had given each of them the corresponding opportunity.

Because of Lu Yang, Immortal Zhu Liu perfected the Great Feng Shui Formation that originally had flaws.

Because of the Sword Lady, Zhen Qu Lu completed the huge flaw in his original plan.

Because of the First Saint, the patriarchs of the Name and Appearance schools could attempt transcendence again.

Because of Shizun, Guiming’s plan to take everyone into reincarnation could be implemented.

Also, there were Shi Weixiong, Da Yun Lai... Basically, all the Progenitors of the Dao who were not interested in the Seed of the Great Dao had their plans proven viable.

And all of this was brought about by [Jun].

It was because [Jun] brought the Masters of the Dao from the Sea of Light to Antiquity that everything became possible. As he said, he truly gave everyone a chance.

— No, wait.

Lu Yang looked at the Daoist, curious: — And the First Saint? Did you give him a chance too?

— Certainly.

The Daoist nodded slightly: — I gave him seven chances.

As soon as the words were spoken, Lu Yang had an instant realization: ‘[Technique of Seven Emotions that Reach Heaven]... Seven chances to eliminate emotions, but the First Saint chose the [Supreme Forgetting of Emotions] in all of them.’

— In that case...

In the next second, Lu Yang turned his body, looking at the rift where the Seed of the Great Dao had detonated: — This outcome, for him, can be considered to reap what he sowed.

At that moment, observing the rift through the perspective of Divine Transformation, Lu Yang saw clearly that in its remotest depths the First Saint was clenching his teeth, holding a magical seal, seeming to try to refine something, but forcibly paralyzed at a certain instant. All his thoughts were frozen, like an insect trapped in amber.

— He will certainly become a Divine Transformation being in the future.

Beside him, the Daoist smiled faintly and said: — However, his time stopped at this instant; he will never reach that future.

Lu Yang nodded: — Because he chose to transcend first.

— The Seed of the Great Dao and the great power of Divine Transformation are, in essence, forces of this reality. Their existence is based on this reality. How could a transcendent being refine them?

The Daoist laughed: — He was blinded by his own obsession.

— Since he had already transcended, he should not have coveted the Seed of the Great Dao. He should have cultivated his own nature; after countless eras, he would naturally reach Divine Transformation.

— After all, transcendence no longer has bottlenecks.

— He actually understood this principle, but perhaps being used to relying on external objects, in the end he couldn’t see through it. The obsession of the Heart of Dao led him to demonic possession.

— Someone who has already transcended, yet insists on seeking the Seed of the Great Dao... the result is what he is now. The great power of the Seed of the Great Dao is based on this reality and will never touch him, who has already transcended. Therefore, he will remain eternally stuck on the path of Divine Transformation, unless one day he awakens himself...

— Impossible.

Before the Daoist finished, Lu Yang shook his head, denying: — This is his obsession, his Heart of Dao is like this; he will never give up, even if he dies.

— As for this kind of prison equivalent to eternity... for him, who achieved the [Supreme Forgetting of Emotions], it probably has little meaning, and he will not be shaken by it.

— Truly perfect.

Saying that, Lu Yang couldn’t help but admire: — A perfect machine! The result of meticulous design. Senior, was your aim exactly this scene before us?

As soon as the words fell, Lu Yang looked again at the rift.

The rift itself was not only filled with the great power of Divine Transformation from the Seed of the Great Dao but also, because of the First Saint, had been transformed into a portal leading to transcendence!

The First Saint was the [Cornerstone] of this portal.

And with the persistence of his [Supreme Forgetting of Emotions], Lu Yang estimated that, in a visible future, this portal to transcendence would never close again.

In other words:

The First Saint was the “talent” this Venerable of the Dao of Equality of All Laws had specially cultivated to create such a transcendence portal!

— Don’t look at me like that.

Seeing Lu Yang’s increasingly strange look, the Daoist finally could not resist and said: — I said I gave him a chance, but he did not grasp it.

— Ah, yes, yes, of course.

Lu Yang nodded, suppressing his odd expression, but in his heart he had already decided: this Venerable of the Dao of Equality of All Laws was also a pretty sinister fellow!

Then he cast another glance at the First Saint in the rift, the corner of his mouth rising slightly: ‘Although the feeling of killing him with a single blow would certainly be better, this state of life worse than death is not bad either. Talent, ah, talent. He saw all beings as consumables and, in the end, he himself became the consumable of another.’

What irony!

After the sigh, Lu Yang began to seriously observe the [Transcendence Portal] before him, admiring: — Senior, opening this portal is truly an immense merit.

What did this mean?

It meant that from then on, each generation of Divine Transformation beings could transcend directly through this portal, without the need to cultivate the next generation to take their place!

And that wasn’t the most marvelous thing.

The most marvelous was that the rift itself was filled with the great power of the Seed of the Great Dao. Now that it had become a portal, it could be seen perfectly as an alternate Seed of the Great Dao.

Exactly as he had just done: as long as the cultivation was sufficient and one could resist the adverse reaction of the great power, one could extract the force from within to ascend to Divine Transformation!

“The previous Seed of the Great Dao needed to be refined entirely. After the ascension of the cultivator, the Seed disappeared, and only when the former Divine Transformation being was about to transcend could it be separated again and infused with great power... But from now on, the situation will be completely different.”

Ascending to Divine Transformation would no longer be refining the whole Seed of the Great Dao.

But rather extracting great power from within the [Transcendence Portal]!

It should be known that the great power of Divine Transformation inside the [Transcendence Portal] was, in a sense, infinite. As long as this reality existed, it would never be depleted!

“In these circumstances.”

“Cultivators of Divine Transformation will jump out of the restriction of the Seed of the Great Dao. It will no longer be limited to one person, but everyone, as long as cultivation is sufficient, will be able to ascend to Divine Transformation!”

Thinking of this, Lu Yang was amazed, finding the idea simply brilliant.

Then he remembered the phrase engraved on the cover of the [Book of a Hundred Lives], left by [Jun], which seemed to echo his own Great Dao.

[I hate the inequality of the Great Dao. Today, I equalize it for you.]

He succeeded!

From then on, the position of being a Divine Transformation being, which had originally been limited to only one person, was opened by [Jun] to all cultivators. Everyone had the possibility of achieving Divine Transformation!

— Senior... you are truly admirable.

Turning his body, Lu Yang bowed solemnly to the Daoist, then asked curiously: — Senior, do you really still need to find a way to transcend?

The Daoist smiled.

— If I simply wanted to transcend, I would have left the secular world countless years ago. But since my great wish has not yet been fulfilled, how could I simply go?

The path of Divine Transformation has not yet been equalized for everyone in the world; how could he transcend?

That must be it.

The strength of [Jun] was greater than imagined for a Divine Transformation being. Lu Yang had already guessed that from the extravagant list of abilities in the [Book of a Hundred Lives].

And reality indeed matched.

The restart power of the [Book of Destiny and Divine Fortune] could only restart; it did not provide talents nor bring things back. It could not be compared to the [Book of a Hundred Lives].

— However...

Thinking of this, Lu Yang could not help but ask: — Senior, you actually didn’t have many chances of victory in this great game. If this junior had made a mistake, and you had failed at the last minute...

— What would you have done?

The Daoist continued calmly: — If I had failed, I would voluntarily enter extinction, delay the Final Calamity, open a new era and die for my Dao. That would be a worthy end.

I understand.

Lu Yang nodded lightly and asked again: — Wouldn’t the risk be too great?

— Only this way can the problem be solved once and for all.

The Daoist shook his head: — Since the opening of the Dark Void, I am the first among all generations of Divine Transformation beings. If I do not act, it will be difficult for successors to do so. No matter how great the risk, it was imperative.

— Fortunately, in the end, it worked out.

Saying that, the Daoist looked at Lu Yang with a smile: — I should also thank you. In reality, you did much better than I imagined.

— The [Book of a Hundred Lives] was certainly the trump card I prepared for this great game, but a hundred lives were still too few; I actually didn’t have much hope.

— Master of the [Variable], you live up to the name.

As the words fell, the Daoist also showed a very gratified expression:

— After the success of this enterprise, everyone will have hope of Divine Transformation.

— The so-called Final Calamity, at most, is no more than a Divine Transformation being. Over time, even using sheer numbers, we could crush it alive.

— The future destined for destruction has already been shattered by the [Variable].

— This is a great work no less than transcendence. The fact that the fellow could refine the great power and reach Divine Transformation so smoothly also has something to do with the image contained in it.

While speaking, the Daoist’s figure gradually blurred.

Lu Yang noticed the change immediately and could not help but say: — Senior, this is...

— My time has come.

The Daoist did not say much, only nodded: — Merits completed, today is the day to transcend — which exactly corresponds to the moment I transcended in the observation of history.

— I leave the Palace of Zixiao to you.

— That child Lu Xian, and the Progenitors of the Dao of Antiquity, I ask you to take good care of them. The future of the Sea of Light, at this moment, depends on a thought of yours.

Lu Yang bowed solemnly.

He had not yet reached the moment to be able to transcend. Even if he could, it wouldn’t be now — as he had said before, he still had many causalities in the mortal world that hadn’t been cut.

In the next instant, the Daoist completely disappeared before Lu Yang’s eyes.

As if he had never existed.

Lu Yang, in turn, bowed to the empty place and then lowered his gaze. His vision plummeted, falling from that elevated place to the starting point of the torrent of reality.

Current temporal point, Ancient Shenzhou.

The great battle of the Progenitors of the Dao that had occurred earlier, the Final Calamity that destroyed heaven and earth, now seemed merely a dream, having never happened in this real world.

The future Sea of Light was still only a bud.

“BOOM!”

In the next instant, Lu Yang’s will pierced layers of obstacles, broke through the Dark Void and descended upon Ancient Shenzhou, landing on that cushion in the Palace of Zixiao.

— Venerable of the Dao!?

Almost at the same time, Lu Xian’s figure appeared beside the cushion, his face full of surprise: — You have been absent these years, I thought you had already transcended...

— ...Hmm!?

Lu Xian’s voice stopped abruptly. He met Lu Yang’s gaze sitting on the cushion. In an instant, countless memories and knowledge were all recalled in that moment.

— I understand.

A moment later, Lu Xian let out a long sigh and wiped the corner of his eye: — The Venerable of the Dao is gone, and didn’t even say goodbye to me... I made the Senior laugh.

— It doesn’t matter.

Lu Yang raised his head. His gaze pierced the years, not only looking at the cultivators of Shenzhou in the present but also crossing obstacles, looking to the future Sea of Light era.

“Dear Daoist companions, come.”

Lips and teeth parted slightly. The great power of Divine Transformation stirred the torrent of reality, echoing across all times and spaces. From Progenitors of the Dao to Dao Masters, even mortals, all heard the voice.

And not only humans; those who flew in the sky, those who walked on land, those who swam in the sea, the living, the dead, those of the past, present, and future... countless sentient beings, regardless of state, cultivation, human or demon, all, upon hearing this gentle call, arrived before the gate of the Palace of Zixiao.

Everyone saw the person on the cushion.

There was no need for self-introduction. Just like when observing the Great Dao, merely seeing his silhouette, his honorific title naturally arose in their hearts.

He was the Lord of Change, the Venerable of Renewal.

Because of his great work that far surpassed his predecessors, heaven and earth would no longer suffer the Final Calamity; everyone would have the chance of Divine Transformation, the transcendence portal was open, and the Dao path was free of obstacles.

“Greetings to the [Venerable of the Dao Xuan Shu Zhi Yi]!” (Xuan Shu Zhi Yi Dao Zun)

In the crowd, Lu Yang saw Si Chong, saw [Ang Xiao], saw the Shizun, saw Patriarch Ting You, saw True Monarch Dang Mo, saw Suo Huan...

They were all his causalities.

‘However... this time, it will be different.’

Because, with the First Saint being used as a human tool and permanently fixed in the [Transcendence Portal], his position in the original time and space also completely disappeared without a trace.

The future would change because of this, and he was the source of everything.

Thinking of this, Lu Yang suddenly smiled: ‘In a way, the current me can also be called the [First Saint].’

Who would have thought that, after cultivating for so long, I would end up becoming the original First Saint.

‘However, this time, I will give him a completely different meaning.’

The future will certainly be a better Sea of Light!

With that thought, Lu Yang immediately glanced quickly at those below, coming from the future Sea of Light era, at those familiar faces.

Patriarch Ting You, True Monarch Dang Mo, Suo Huan, Empress Xiao... Hong Yun, Chongguang, Mu Changsheng, Old Dragon Lord, Feixue, [Ang Xiao], Shizun, Dao Tianqi, Bu Tianque, Lian Tiandou, Great Sword Master, Si Chong...

A long time later, Lu Yang finally withdrew his gaze.

In the next second, past and future, all sentient beings heard that resounding, powerful song, symbolizing that a new era had already arrived:

“A thought suddenly arises and the calamity vanishes; the hundred cycles of the mortal world exhaust fixed destiny.” (忽有一念起劫空，尘寰百世定数穷。)

“I wish to separate the celestial rift from the sea of suffering, I dare to seize the immortal work of eternal constancy.” (欲从苦海分天隙，敢向恒常夺仙工。)

“It is neither cause nor effect, not the common Dao; without bonds, without restraints, without beginning or end.” (非因非果非常道，无拘无束无始终。)

“Do not say the Celestial Dao is hard to change, look beyond the nine heavens—” (莫言天道难更易，且看九霄云外——)

“The new marks now tear the old firmament!” (新痕正裂旧苍穹！)

(END OF THE MAIN STORY)

(End of Chapter)

the void meditation only supports cultivation level upto Deity Transformation stage? And how does that Tayuan Xian guy know his cultivation level is equivalent to the 9th level of the other shore when clearly he's from an era that cultivates the essence? Can one further transform their essence after three times, like is there a fourth, a fifth? And Transcendence is another matter entirely. Is someone who has achieved transcendence as strong as a Deity Transformation Realm expert? Or does your Transcendent power rely on which point in the cultivation stage you transcended from? For instance, in the previous life Si Sui fake transcended from the Golden Consummation Stage but in the current life, he did so from the 5th level of the other shore, that's clearly stronger. Jun completely transcended after more than 100,000 years in the Deity Transformation stage. I find the Cosmic Status method far easier to cultivate since it is just climbing a literal structure and has a clear picture of where the top is yet that power isn't truly yours. Now that I think about it, the First Saint plans of reaching the Deity Transformation stage would have ended up him dying or severly injured. He depends on the Other Shore for the Cosmic Status yet there's nothing to stand on in the Deity Transformation stage. The other shore only goes up to the 9th level.