Chapter 195: Chapter 193: The Hardship of Becoming a Saint
「Three days later.」
The Red Profound Cloud Sea was a dazzling spectacle of flowing light and swirling mist, utterly fantastical.
Countless cultivators, though uninvited, had gathered atop the surrounding tall mountains and great peaks.
They gazed at the Cloud Sea in the sky from the outermost periphery, soaking in the atmosphere of Saint Ascension.
For cultivators of "relatively ordinary" aptitude like them, the Saint Ascension Conference was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
To miss it would be a regret they would carry for the rest of their lives.
And every time a Dao Seed Level prodigy passed by, gasps of admiration would ripple through the crowd.
ROAR—
Suddenly, a Flood Dragon roared in the sky. An incredibly sharp Sword Qi forced the crowd’s faces to turn pale, their bodies trembling.
Yet some people, especially the Sword Cultivators, watched the Sword Flood Dragon in the clouds with fanatical gazes.
"A Sword Flood Dragon! It’s the legendary master of the Cold Flood Dragon Banner, Lord Jiang Venerable Sword!" Cries of shock erupted.
After Jiang Venerable Sword appeared, other Dao Seed Level figures like Qingkong, Yuxuan, Dongfang Mobai, and Minghai Waves also revealed themselves one after another.
Their arrival sent waves of excitement through the area, each one greater than the last.
Inside the Red Profound Cloud Sea, within the main Saint Formation, Fang Yang stood on an ancient bronze war chariot, silently observing the revelry.
’Tier Five Peak, a clan’s Dao Seed, a clan’s monarch, a Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate.’
’I really don’t know what level one must reach to be able to say with certainty that they can ascend to become a Saint.’
Fang Yang stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
In truth, whether one was a Dao Seed or a monarch, their cultivation was still at Tier Five Peak.
But due to differences in status and strength, they were forcefully divided into different echelons.
The status of a Hundred-Year Celestial Mandate was even more incredible.
Because even in the realm of Saints, this status would continue to display its might!
And these were just the divisions within the Xuan Domain.
Fang Yang was a little curious. How did the other great domains make such distinctions?
BOOM...
BOOM...
BOOM!
Before long, a series of massive explosions erupted in the sky, shattering Fang Yang’s train of thought.
He looked toward the sound and was immediately greeted by a terrifying sight.
A giant celestial crane, tens of thousands of miles long, seemed to have come from beyond the heavens. It spanned the entire Red Profound Cloud Sea, a truly shocking vision!
Its body was pure white and holy, its feathers like stars, shimmering with a gentle and warm light.
On its tail feathers were countless Talismans, shining so brilliantly it was as if a Star Realm had descended upon the world.
To look upon it was to see all the beauty in the world, making one unable to resist the urge to bend the knee and offer it the most sincere worship.
No, it wasn’t an urge one couldn’t resist—one *had* to kneel in worship!
At that very moment, the cultivators on every tall mountain and great peak all prostrated themselves on the ground. The scene was utterly staggering.
Because every cultivator knew this giant celestial crane was the avatar of Sen Yue.
The ancient bronze war chariot shook violently, but Fang Yang’s gaze was deep, a chill spreading in his heart. ’So this is an unworldly titan who can flip his hand to summon clouds and turn it again for rain? You’d never guess he once sacrificed thousands of clans in a blood ritual.’
Just then, he suddenly felt a warmth in his hand.
He looked down to see that Sen Hui had gently taken his large hand, their fingers intertwined.
Sen Hui: "Ah Yang, my brother isn’t that overbearing. You don’t have to worry."
Fang Yang was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Sen Hui to be encouraging him, thinking he was intimidated by Sen Yue.
To be fair, having such a brother-in-law looming over one would put immense pressure on anyone—but that didn’t include him, Fang Yang.
At this moment, the talent light-mass for seeking fortune and avoiding disaster pulsed with a faint glow.
Fang Yang’s expression softened, and he squeezed her hand in response.
...
The Saint Ascension Conference had two stages.
The first stage was for Tier Five Peak cultivators who were not at the Dao Seed Level to undergo their tribulation and ascend to Sainthood within the main Saint Formation.
During this stage, very few would become Saints—fewer than one in a hundred, or even one in a thousand.
The second stage built upon the first, allowing Dao Seed Level cultivators to choose different array zones to undergo their tribulation and ascend.
In other words, Fang Yang would have to wait on the periphery of the main Saint Formation for a while before he could proceed to the outskirts of the other arrays.
"Sainthood, Sainthood..." This was Desert Dragon.
Desert Dragon was once one of Sen Yue’s four great war generals.
But as Sen Yue’s campaign for supremacy progressed rapidly, he gradually fell out of the first echelon.
This didn’t mean he was unremarkable, however. Aside from the various Dao Seeds, his reputation was among the most prominent!
At this moment, he took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the deepest part of the Red Profound Cloud Sea.
The moment he moved, Fang Yang’s attention was drawn to him.
It was only because he had once gifted Fang Yang the Little Whale Swallowing Skill technique, which had left an impression on him.
"War General Desert Dragon?"
Sen Hui: "According to my brother, his foundation is still somewhat lacking. He has only a sliver of a hope of becoming a Saint. Even if he succeeds, he’ll be stuck at the Tier Six realm for the rest of his life."
After speaking, Sen Hui leaned close to Fang Yang’s ear and explained the Three Steps of Saint Ascension, along with the corresponding methods to handle them.
To some extent, these more ordinary Tier Five Peak Great Cultivators were serving as trial-and-error subjects for the supreme prodigies!
Mortal ascension to Sainthood means raising one’s cultivation from Tier Five Peak to the initial stage of Tier Six.
To achieve this, one must condense a Sacred Body and then take the Three Steps of Saint Ascension.
I. Condensing the Sacred Body
One must use a Sacred Material as a catalyst to guide True Essence outside the body. Following the phantom of one’s Spirit Body, one condenses a First-Level Dharma Aspect. Then, in one fell swoop, this Dharma Aspect must be integrated into the body, harmonizing with the empty acupoint to successfully condense the Sacred Body.
The power of the Dharma Aspect determines the grade of the Sacred Body!
If this process is interrupted or fails, there is great danger—one’s cultivation path will be damaged, or one’s life will be lost.
II. Crossing the Three Steps of Saint Ascension to Attain a Thousand-Year Lifespan
Saint Ascension:
The process a cultivator must undergo to become a Saint is known as the "Three Steps of Saint Ascension."
Ascending to Sainthood is extremely difficult, with fewer than one in a hundred succeeding.
① After a cultivator reaches Tier Five Peak, they must continuously flush their empty acupoint with True Essence until it shatters, thereby initiating the Saint Tribulation.
This is the first step: "Shatter the Acupoint."
Once the acupoint is completely shattered, the process is irreversible. Failure results in either death or regression to a mortal.
② After shattering the acupoint, one will naturally attract the dual energies of Heaven and Earth from the outside world, which in turn will draw out one’s own human qi.
The three energies must be harmonized and balanced (with equal amounts of each) and then poured into the location of the former empty acupoint.
This is the second step: "Absorb the Qi."
Absorbing the Qi is an extreme test of a cultivator’s control, balance, and mental fortitude.
During this process, the more Heaven and Earth energy one absorbs, the stronger their future Blessed Land will be.
While absorbing Qi, the cultivator is connected to Heaven and Earth and can directly ask them questions to obtain any knowledge they possess.
However, there is a limit to the knowledge one can obtain. Asking overly broad or advanced questions will not yield complete answers, and the results are also related to whether the questions pertain to one’s primary school of cultivation.
At this time, Heaven and Earth will periodically send down various tribulations to test the ascendant.
But inconveniently, the ascendant’s empty acupoint is shattered, their True Essence is gone, and their Lifebound Skills are all but impossible to cast.
To pass through safely, they must rely on the [Sacred Body] they previously forged. This is because a cultivator can manifest their Dharma Aspect without channeling True Essence, using it to fight against the tribulation!
③ Next, place the [Sacred Object] into the tri-colored Qi mass. The Qi mass will then detonate the shattered acupoint, creating an Immortal Acupoint.
As the Immortal Acupoint is born, it will once again absorb a massive amount of Heaven and Earth energy to fully form.
This is the final step: "Detonate the Acupoint."
Once the first two steps are complete, one is considered a Saint. A Saint can then use the remaining Heaven and Earth energy to forge their own lifebound Sacred Artifact.
"...Did you understand all that?" Sen Hui asked, her bright eyes blinking.
"Yes, I think I get the gist of it," Fang Yang replied casually.
His gaze, however, was still fixed on the scene far ahead.
He saw one Great Cultivator after another perish in their Saint Tribulation, turning to ash and smoke.
The vast majority of them fell during the second step, Absorbing the Qi.
It wasn’t that these Great Cultivators didn’t know they shouldn’t be greedy.
But when Heaven and Earth opened their authority and allowed them to ask for anything, they found it impossible to control their desires.
This was a struggle a hundred, even a thousand times harder than quitting smoking; it was not something one could easily break away from.
To face this trial, it was best to rely on various Spiritual Objects and Sacred Materials to pass the tribulation. That in itself was a shortcut.
Now, under Fang Yang’s watch, these non-Dao Seed Level Great Cultivators were perishing one after another, falling like dumplings dropped into a pot.
Those who didn’t perish were still grievously injured.
And Desert Dragon, whom Fang Yang had been watching closely, did not become a Saint, but he was fortunate enough to have kept his life.
In the very end, this stage of the conference produced a meager three new Saints.
"Ascending to Sainthood is truly arduous," Fang Yang remarked with a sigh.
Sen Hui nodded in deep agreement. "Isn’t it just?"
Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face as she hugged Fang Yang’s arm tightly. "You just focus on your cultivation. When it’s your time to face the trial of Saint Ascension, I’ll do everything I can to help you."
