Chapter 202.1: Lu Changsheng Finally Returns; The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect Is Shaken! (I)
All Principles at Perfection...
A strange light flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes.
Back when had decided to imprint eight Principle Seeds, he realized that from that point on, there had never been any turning back. To condense a divine ability, he needed to comprehend eight Principles and bring every single one to Perfection. Normally, a task like that was almost impossible, something that bordered on the inconceivable.
Everyone out there was still under the impression that Lu Changsheng only possessed six Principles—and even that had been enough to leave people stunned.
After all, no one could possibly bring as much as eight Principles to Perfection without an absurd level of Perception. Not even Principle Divine Stones would make up for a a lack of Perception
Lu Changsheng pulled up his Status Panel to review his current condition.
[Status Panel]
Host: Lu Changsheng
Perception: 92,750 (A Dragon Among Men)
Mental Principle: Perfection
Fire Principle: Perfection
Wind Principle: Perfection
Wood Principle: Perfection
Metal Principle: Perfection
Water Principle: Perfection
Earth Principle: Perfection
Land Principle: Perfection
Sure enough, all of Lu Changsheng's Principles were at Perfection, and he wasn't even surprised. After all, he had used Principle Divine Stones to speed up the process.
And over the course of three months, with four more Principles reaching Perfection, his Perception had climbed past 90,000 points. Now, he was just over 7,000 points away from reaching the 100,000-point threshold.
Having used the Status Panel for so long, Lu Changsheng had come to understand its patterns well. His Perception had previously undergone a transformation at ten thousand points, elevating him to being a Dragon Among Men. For the next transformation to occur, it would require ten times that amount: 100,000 Perception points. Once he reached that mark, another transformation awaited.
At the Dragon Among Men level, Lu Changsheng's Perception had already left every other Dao Foundation martial artist far behind, giving him a real chance at reaching the Divine Ability Realm. Now, he could not help but wonder what another transformation would entail. He couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying that level of Perception would be.
At the rate things were currently going, he expected to reach 100,000 points of Perfection in a few months. The transformation was certainly within sight.
Alright, now how exactly do I condense a divine ability?
In regards to that, Lu Changsheng was at a loss. His cultivation had moved so fast that he had outpaced his own understanding of the next step. Then again, most martial artists probably had no idea either. Without Principles at Perfection, no one was even qualified to attempt condensing a divine ability.
In any case, Lu Changsheng headed out and made his way to the Divine Technique Hall, this time to search for texts on how to condense a divine ability.
At this stage, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect no longer had any divine techniques suited to Lu Changsheng's level. He would have to deduce his own, but that could wait. His current priority was condensing a divine ability.
At the Divine Technique Hall, there were a few elders and Dao Foundation martial artists present. The moment they spotted Lu Changsheng, every single person rose to their feet.
"Lu Changsheng...?
"It really is Lu Changsheng—no, Senior Brother Lu."
"That's right, it's Senior Brother Lu. We're all Dao Foundation martial artists of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, so Senior Brother is the proper address."
"Senior Brother Lu is incredible. He was an unstoppable force at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range. And now people are saying that he's invincible in the Dao Foundation Realm..."
The gazes of every Dao Foundation martial artist in the hall had turned toward Lu Changsheng, and there was nothing but reverence in those gazes. His feats at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range had been too overwhelming to leave any room for envy. Only pride and awe remained.
"Elder," Lu Changsheng said in greeting.
He had caught enough of the surrounding chatter to understand. The news from the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range had clearly gotten out. Still, he chose not to dwell on it. Being invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm meant little to him. He had been invincible at the Divine Treasury Realm as well. His only goal was to climb to the very peak of the Martial Dao. Everything else was beside the point.
"Lu Changsheng, what kind of divine technique are you looking for?"
The attitude of the elder was noticeably warm. In the past, Lu Changsheng had always had to search through the hall on his own, and the elders had never shown him this kind of attention.
However, things were different now. He was invincible at the Dao Foundation Realm, with a genuine prospect of reaching the Divine Ability Realm. As such, which elder would not treat a future Divine Ability Realm grand elder of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect with the utmost regard?
Since the elder was already being so accommodating, Lu Changsheng saw no reason to hold back. "Elder, are there any texts in the Divine Technique Hall that deal with condensing a divine ability?"
The elder of the Divine Technique Hall might not have been the strongest cultivator around, but years spent in that hall had given him an intimate knowledge of every single text it contained. If anyone was worth asking, it was him.
"Texts on condensing a divine ability? Lu Changsheng, are you already working toward condensing one?"
The elder stared at Lu Changsheng with wide eyes. He himself had spent his entire life as a Dao Foundation martial artist without bringing even a single Principle to Perfection. The Divine Ability Realm was impossibly far out of reach for him, a goal he had essentially no hope of achieving in this lifetime.
Lu Changsheng, however, was different. His potential was boundless, and the elder knew that. Even so, he was baffled that Lu Changsheng was already looking into condensing a divine ability.
"I only want to familiarize myself with the process for now," Lu Changsheng explained.
The elder was quiet for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "Texts on divine abilities are classified as top secret. You would need to return to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect's headquarters to access them. And even then, your cultivation will almost certainly be verified first. If your Principles haven't all been brought to Perfection, they won't hand over anything related to the Divine Ability Realm."
"Top secret?" Lu Changsheng turned this over in his mind. He had not expected the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to guard knowledge of the Divine Ability Realm so tightly. But thinking about it, it made sense.
Neither the Divine Treasury nor the Dao Foundation could truly form the foundation of a major Martial Dao sect. The Divine Ability Realm, however, was different. Reaching it meant becoming the cornerstone of a sect, a figure capable of establishing or sustaining an entire major Martial Dao faction through sheer personal power. Divine abilities were of immense importance, and naturally the texts surrounding them had become closely guarded secrets, not to be shared lightly.
Lu Changsheng was not disappointed. He was a member of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect himself. All this meant was that he needed to travel from the third layer of the Ancient Region back to the sect's headquarters.
"Fair enough. It's about time I returned from the third layer anyway."
With that, he turned and walked straight out of the Divine Technique Hall.
I've reached the peak of the Dao Foundation Realm. There's no real reason to stay in the third layer of the Ancient Region any longer.
The third layer had nothing left to offer him. With that thought settled, his mind was made up.
Before leaving, though, Lu Changsheng paid a visit to the Exchange Hall and found Zhao Yuanshan.
"Brother Lu." Zhao Yuanshan's greeting was warm and eager. He did not bother to hide the anticipation in his eyes.
The recent news surrounding Lu Changsheng had clearly stirred him greatly, and Lu Changsheng himself understood exactly what Zhao Yuanshan was hoping for.
"Brother Zhao, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I did obtain some Principle Divine Stones in the secret realm and at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range, but I needed them all for my own cultivation. There was none left over to give you."
"Ah..." Zhao Yuanshan's expression stiffened.
The disappointment was obvious. The higher the hopes, the harder the fall. From what Zhao Yuanshan had heard, Lu Changsheng had blocked the exit at the Heavenly Shackle Mountain Range and stripped every supreme Dao Foundation cultivator and Foundation Establishment Dao Lord of their spatial treasures.
By that account, he should have walked away with a considerable number of Principle Divine Stones. It seemed like the actual haul had not been as large as Zhao Yuanshan had imagined.
As for the possibility that Lu Changsheng was simply going back on his word, Zhao Yuanshan dismissed that almost immediately. There was no reason for Lu Changsheng to do that. The agreement had always been that he would only receive a stone if there were extras to spare.
Zhao Yuanshan managed a strained smile. "These are the four drops of Heavenly Demon Essence Blood that Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian left in my keeping. Take them."
Lu Changsheng glanced at the four drops and accepted them without objection.
His Principles had already reached Perfection, so Heavenly Demon Essence Blood was no longer something he needed for cultivation. However, essence blood was still valuable. For Dao Foundation martial artists, it was among the finest resources available for contemplating Principles, and it could be exchanged for many things. One simply could not have too much Heavenly Demon Essence Blood.
"I'll likely be heading back to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect's headquarters for some time," Lu Changsheng added.
More disappointment crossed Zhao Yuanshan's eyes. Once Lu Changsheng left, the already slim chances of obtaining a Principle Divine Stone would shrink even further.
Lu Changsheng turned to leave, but he made sure to offer Zhao Yuanshan a few parting words.
"If you want a Principle Divine Stone, you might consider approaching Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian. Each of them got four this time. They'll need some for their own cultivation, but if you're willing to offer enough in exchange, they may be able to spare one for you..."
Those words lingered in Zhao Yuanshan's ears long after Lu Changsheng had left. He stood there for a moment, then broke into barely contained excitement.
It was only a piece of information, but to Zhao Yuanshan, it was everything. Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian had kept remarkably quiet. Not a whisper, not a hint. Each of them had quietly walked away with four Principle Divine Stones. No wonder they had returned to the camp early. Their gains had far exceeded any reasonable expectation.
Even though both of them have four Principles to work on, they've made considerable progress with some of them. They may not actually need a Principle Divine Stone for those. With enough Heavenly Demon Essence Blood as a substitute, they could push their most advanced Principles to Perfection on their own, which might free up one or even two stones. There's a chance I could walk away with more than just one...
Zhao Yuanshan's eyes lit up with excitement. Lu Changsheng's tip was valuable indeed.
"Thank you, Brother Lu!" He bowed deeply toward Lu Changsheng's retreating figure, then turned his mind to figuring out how to approach Xia Chenfeng and Zhao Yujian.
This would cost him a lot, no doubt about it. However, Heavenly Demon Essence Blood was the one thing he had in abundance, and if it meant obtaining a Principle Divine Stone, then no price would be too high.
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